Simon Says - Bright Cheerful Colours

 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...

BRIGHT, CHEERFUL COLOURS

which I have to say is a little bit out of my "more of a pastel or vintage tones kind of a person" comfort zone but it just so happened, I had some very bright and cheerful backgrounds inspired by the Tim Holtz Distress Sprays YouTube Live Q&A tucked away in my backgrounds box and they were perfect for my venture into the world of all things bright and cheerful.

Both backgrounds were created on A2 panels of Distress Watercolor card using Picked Raspberry, Wild Honey, Evergreen Bough and Salty Ocean Distress Spray Stains. The sprays were applied to the textured side of the Distress Watercolor card panel on the left and Distress Grit Paste applied through the Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous Floral Layering Stencil. On the panel on the right, Distress Texture Paste was applied first using the same stencil on the smooth side of the card and once the paste had dried, the panel was sprayed with the same colours of spray stains.

I inked the script stamp from Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous Flower Shop with Black Soot Distress Archival ink and stamped randomly on both backgrounds. I did the same with the circular image from Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous Field Notes, inked with Versamark ink and heat embossed with Ranger Superfine White Embossing Powder.

I added splatters of White and Black Gesso, sprinkled with Ranger Clear Embossing Powder and heat set.

I trimmed the panels to measure 4" x 5.1/4" and matted on to A2 white card blanks. To finish I fixed Tim Holtz/Idea-ology Sentiment Label Stickers to scraps of Distress Watercolor card, trimmed to leave a small border and fixed in place with Distress Collage Medium Matte.

You can find all the products I used over at Simon Says Stamp, just click on the links 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

Simon Says - Friendly Flowers April Card Kit

 Hi my friends, I've been having some fun with the Simon Says Stamp Friendly Flowers April Card Kit.

The kit contains the beautiful Friendly Flowers 6" x 8" stamp set, 12 - gorgeous 6" x 8" papers from Simple Stories Simple Vintage Cottage Fields Collection and 3 sheets of co-ordinating stickers. I am not a fan of stickers BUT decided to challenge myself to see how many cards I could make using them and, at the same time, make a dent in my overflowing box of backgrounds

Here are the first 3 cards I made

Once I had decided on the backgrounds, I chose flower stickers and sentiments from the sheets to match. I trimmed some of the sentiments apart and added Foam Adhesive to the backs.

I fixed the stickers on the panels

added a strip of vellum across the bottom of the second panel to make the sentiment sticker stand out more

and matted the third panel, which was smaller, on to patterned paper from the kit trimmed to 4" x 5.1/4"

I matted all 3 panels on to A2 top-folding card blanks and added heart stickers, covered with Glossy Accents, sentiment and butterfly stickers.

I'll be sharing more cards made using the stickers and papers from the Card Kit next week, in the meantime I'm planning to spend the weekend in the garden. Enjoy your weekend whatever you have planned.

Hugs Kath xxx

Tim Holtz/Sizzix - Chapter 2 - Brushstroke Flowers 3

Hi my friends, I'm sharing the acetate card I made for the YouTube Live launch of Tim Holtz/Sizzix Chapter 2 release using Brushstroke Flowers 3 Thinlits. If you missed the Live, you can catch up with all the new dies and amazing samples from all the Makers over on Tim's blog HERE.

I began by trimming heavyweight acetate that I've had in my stash for years to create a 5.1/2" square card. (I have lined Acetate cards from Hero Arts below although they are pre-scored and are not the same size as I used). I trimmed Distress Watercolor card to create 4 - 5" square panels and applied Ranger Crackle Texture Paste through the Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous Latticework Layering Stencil on to one panel. Once the paste had dried, I sprayed the panel with water and lightly with Speckled Egg Distress Spray Stain allowing the water to move the spray around until I was happy with the background. I smooshed Ground Espresso Distress Ink on to the craft mat, spritzed with water and tapped the panel into the ink to create splotches of colour. I sprayed Speckled Egg Distress Spray Stain on to the craft mat, spritzed with water and used to colour the remaining 3 panels. I inked the sentiment from Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous Handwritten Thoughts with Black Soot Distress Archival ink and stamped on to one of the 3 panels.

I fixed Sizzix Adhesive Sheets to panels of Distress Watercolor card which I had coloured using Antique Linen, Speckled Egg and Frayed Burlap Distress Oxide inks and die-cut using Tim Holtz/Sizzix Brushstroke Flowers Thinlits.

I darkened the edges of the main flower and some of the die-cuts with Frayed Burlap Distress Oxide ink using a mini round blending tool, die-cut extra foliage from Distress Watercolor card, die-cut the flower centre from Idea-ology Metallic KraftStock, assembled and fixed to the front panel using Sizzix Foam Adhesive. I stamped the images from Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous  Field Notes with Ground Espresso Distress Archival ink and Versamark Ink and heat embossed with Ranger Liquid Platinum Embossing Powder.

I stamped the Field Notes images again on to the inside panel, added extra foliage die-cuts and flower centres die-cut from Idea-ology Metallic KraftStock. I then fixed all the panels to the acetate card blank using Scor Tape. It is important not to fix the panels in place before heat embossing because the heat will more than likely distort the acetate.

I'll be back soon, in the meantime, have fun with whatever you are creating.

Hugs Kath xxx

Tim Holtz/Sizzix Chapter 2 - Folk Flowers

Hi my friends, I'm sharing 2 cards I made for the YouTube Live launch of  the Tim Holtz/Sizziz Chapter 2 release using Folk Flowers Thinlits. If you missed the Live, you can watch the replay and check out all the amazing projects from the Makers over on Tim's Blog HERE.

I

I trimmed Distress Watercolor card to 5" x 6" which is slightly larger than the Folk Flowers die, smooshed Twisted Citron, Kitsch Falmingo, Spiced Marmalade and Peacock Feathers on to the craft mat on my Glass Media Mat, spritzed with water and laid the panel on top. I dried the panel and tapped back in to pick up the remaining droplets of ink.

I die-cut using the Folk Flowers Thinlits and matted on to a 5.3/4" x 6" white card blank covered with Tim Holtz Ideaology BlackOut Kraftstock.

I fixed Sizzix Adhesive sheets to scraps of Distress Watercolor card coloured with Kitsch Flamingo and Spiced Marmalade Distress Inks and BlackOut KraftStock and die-cut using Tim Holtz/Sizzix Alphanumeric Stretch Upper and Tiny Type Thinlits.

I

I coloured a panel of Tim Holtz White Yupo using Pitch Black and Slate Alcohol Inks, spritzed with Rubbing Alcohol, die cut using the Folk Flowers Thinlits, matted on to white cardstock and fixed to a white card blank, covered with Idea-ology BlackOut KraftStock. I die-cut the Folk Flowers again 3 times from BlackOut KraftStock and paper pieced some of the larger drop out pieces back into their spaces. Once the third layer was fixed in place, I sanded the pieces to reveal the kraft core.

I fixed an Idea-ology Sentiments Label Sticker to white card, trimmed to leave a small border and fixed to the card with Sizzix Foam Adhesive.

I'll be back soon to share another Chapter 2 project, in the meantime, have fun with whatever you are creating.

Hugs Kath xxx