Tim Holtz Christmas Co-ordinating Dies Blog Hop

Hello my friends, I'm thrilled to be joining lots of creative friends in a special Blog Hop to celebrate the exclusive release from Simon Says Stamp of new die sets to co-ordinate with Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous Christmas/Holiday stamps and some favourites from past releases. You can check them all out out HERE.

I decorated a shadow box using the adorable and very cute images from Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous Christmas Doodles Stamp and Die bundle from Simon Says Stamp, Tim Holtz Idea-ology Christmas Palette 8" x  8" papers and Simon Says Stamp Squoval Tag dies.

If you don't have a suitable shadow box, you could recreate a similar project on a Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous Etcetera 8.1/2" square panel (linked below) I removed the back panel from the shadow box, covered with Tim Holtz Idea-ology Christmas Palette 8" x 8" Palette paper, inked around the edges with Scorched Timber Distress Ink using a Mini Round Blending Tool.

I trimmed strips of the Christmas Palette Paper, mitred the corners and fixed to the front of the frame using Distress Collage Glue.

I die-cut Simon Says Stamp Squoval Tags from Distress Watercolor card and a selection of papers from the pad.

I stamped the images from Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous Christmas Doodles, inked with Versafine Clair Nocturne ink, on to Distress Watercolor card and coloured with Distress Spray Stains using a Detailer Water Brush (colours linked below)

I stamped the sentiments from the stamp set on to Simon Says Stamp  Schoolhouse Red cardstock, inked with White Pigment Ink, sprinkled with White Embossing Powder and heat set. I fixed the tags, die-cuts and sentiments on to the panel, popped up with Thin 3D Foam Squares and added Red/White Bakers Twine to some of the sentiment tags. (I forgot to photograph or mention at the time that I applied Distress Grit Paste through the Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous Retro Snowflake Mini Layering Stencil from Set 63 and applied Distress Antiqued Fine Tinsel with a small brush on the shadow box frame, back panel and tags before adding the die-cut images and sentiments)

I placed the panel back in to the frame, added Wrinkled Faux Silk White  Ribbon and Red/White Bakers Twine double bows. I applied Ranger Glossy Accents to the holly berries, baubles, wreath and centre of the poinsettia and once dry, added splatters of Picket Fence Distress Paint.

I fixed Tim Holtz Idea-ology Festive Marquee in place on the bottom of the frame with Glossy Accents and pounced with Picket Fence Distress Paint using a Mini Round Blending Tool.

If you arrived here from the amazing Barbara Tarayao's blog, you are in the right place but if you got lost along the way, you can jump right back on to the hop using the links below.

Simon Says Stamp Blog 

Nina-Marie Trapani

Heather Hoffman

Nichol Spohr

Emma Williams

Barbara Tarayao

Kath Stewart (you are here)

Mindy Eggen

Stacy Hutchinson

Tina Smith

Tami Bastiaans

Barb Engler

and the next stop on the hop is the fabulous Mindy Eggen.

You can find more inspiration for these dies over at the Simon Says Stamp Gallery HERE. I'm off to make myself a cuppa, find a comfy sofa and enjoy blog hopping along with you.

Hugs Kath xxx

Tim Holtz/Simon Says Stamp Holiday Botanical Tags

Hello my friends, I'm super excited that Simon Says Stamp have released co-ordinating dies for the new Christmas/Holiday release of stamp sets from Tim Holtz along with dies to co-ordinate with some of our favourites from years past. You can check them all out HERE.

The perfect opportunity to get ready for Christmas creating tags to decorate gift packages using Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous Holiday Botanical and Simon Says Stamp co-ordinating dies.

I created neutral backgrounds on Size #5 Distress Mixed Media Heavystock tags using a Custom Blend Ink Pad created with Distress re-inkers, colours linked below.

I stamped the sentiments from Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous Holiday Botanical repeatedly on the tags, inked with Lumberjack Plaid, Rustic Wilderness and Gathered Twigs Distress Oxide inks and  stamped the smaller sized botanical images inked with Versafine Clair Nocturne ink.

I re-stamped the images on to left over tags to use for die-cutting.

I coloured the images using Distress Re-inkers, colours linked below and a Detailer Water Brush.

I die-cut using the Simon Says Stamp Holiday Botanical co-ordinating dies.

I stamped the sentiments on to Distress Watercolor card, coloured with the Distress Re-inkers, inked with Versafine Clair Nocturne, Versamark and Rustic Wilderness Distress Oxide ink, sprinkled with Clear and White Embossing Powder and heat set. I fixed the die-cut florals and sentiments to the tags popped up on Simon Says Stamp Thin 3D Foam Squares, added White Hemp Twine ties and splatters of Tim Holtz Tarnished Brass Distress Spritz.

I'll be back soon to share what I've been making with the other stamp sets and dies from the release. In the meantime, have fun with whatever you are creating.

Hugs Kath xxx

Simon Says - Thanks/Thanksgiving

 Hi Everyone...welcome to another week on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog. Thank you for joining us for last week's challenge and we hope you can join us this week too because

and the theme for this week is...

THANKS/THANKSGIVING

I've been making Thank You cards with a Christmas/Winter colour palette with Cosmos Duo and Fancy Thank You, two of my favourite Simon Says Stamp Wafer Dies, Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous Retro Pinwheel Mini Layering Stencil from Set 63 and added a touch of magic winter sparkle using Tim Holtz Picket Fence Distress Spritz, Special Edition Distress Mica Flakes and Distress Collage Glue.

I die-cut Simon Says Stamp Fancy Thank You from masking paper and fixed to an A2 panel of Distress Watercolor card. I smooshed Tumbled Glass and Evergreen Bough Distress Oxide ink pads on to my craft media mat, spritzed with water, dragged the panel through the ink, dried and tapped back in until I was happy with the background. I applied Candied Apple Distress Oxide ink through the Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous Pinwheel Mini Layering Stencil from Set 63. I die-cut Fancy Thank You shadow and words 3 times from Distress Watercolor card, coloured one of the word die-cuts with Evergreen Bough Distress Oxide and layered to create dimension.

I die-cut Simon Says Stamp Cosmo Duo flowers from Distress Watercolor card and the stem from Simon Says Stamp Sage cardstock, placed on my Black Stamp and Stencil Mat and added shading with Candied Apple and Pine Needles Distress Oxide inks using Detail Round Blending Brushes

I fixed the flowers and sentiment in place popped up on Simon Says Stamp Thin 3D Foam Squares and added splatters of Picket Fence Distress Spritz.

To finish I matted the panel on to an A2 white card blank, scribbled Distress Collage Glue randomly on the background and sprinkled with Distress Mica Flakes.

The products used to create this project are available from Simon Says Stamp and are listed below. 

Why don't you pop over to the Monday Challenge Blog and check out the amazing creations from my very talented Design Team mates and as always you have until Monday 8am Ohio time...1pm UK time...2pm CET to join in with the chance to win a $25 voucher to spend online at Simon Says Stamp

You can also follow Simon Says Stamp on Instagram

and if you use Instagram...

please add #sssmchallenge to your entry uploads so we can see them on there too

I look forward to seeing what you create this week...

Have Fun and Happy Crafting

Hugs Kath xxx

Distress Mica Flakes Sparkle + Shine

Hello my friends, I'm sharing cards I made using Tim Holtz/Idea-ology Baseboards, Sketched Greenery stamps and dies, the new Special Edition Distress Mica Flakes and Distress Collage Glue to add accents of sparkle and shine.

I fixed Tim Holtz/Idea-ology Christmas Transparencies to the back of Idea-ology Baseboard Frames and matted on to Idea-ology Christmas Backdrops paper. (The Baseboard Frames I used are from an older pack I found in my stash, but you could create your own frames from patterned paper using oval dies, linked below)

I trimmed around the frames, applied Picket Fence Distress Paint to the edges using a Mini Round Blending Tool and added dots and squiggles of Distress Collage Glue - the precision tip on the bottle makes it easy to apply just where you want it. I'm loving the new Distress Collage Glue, it's slightly less liquid than Distress Collage Medium and is great for using for fixing down paper and Distress Mica Flakes accents.

I sprinkled Distress Mica Flakes over the frames, adding instant sparkle and tapped off the excess.

I inked the Sketch Greenery stamps with Rustic Wilderness and Forest Moss Distress Oxide inks, spritzed with water and stamped on to Distress Watercolor card. I used a Detailer Waterbrush to pull the colour out on the leaves, coloured the berries with Candied Apple Distress Oxide ink, dried and re-stamped again with Rustic Wilderness and Forest Moss.

I wasn't happy with the sentiments stamped on the white card so I re-stamped on to the left over Christmas Backdrops paper, die-cut along with the greenery using the Simon Says Stamp Sketch Greenery co-ordinating dies and added Ranger Glossy Accents to the berries.

I fixed the greenery and sentiments to the frames using Distress Collage Glue and Thin 3D Foam Squares. I fixed panels of Simon Says Stamp Schoolhouse Red and Midnight Green cardstock, trimmed to 4" x 5.1/4" to A2 white card blanks and added the  frames.

I applied dots of Distress Collage Glue on the greenery, sprinkled with Distress Mica Flakes and tapped off the excess.

To finish I added White Hemp Twine bows.

The camera doesn't truly show the beautiful sparkle and shine of the Distress Mica Flakes as you turn the cards in the light.

Have fun if you are adding sparkle and shine to your Christmas makes.

Hugs Kath xxx