Country Life Triptych

Hello and welcome! This week our challenge at Simon Says Stamp and Show is all about stripes. As every week, don't miss the gorgeous work by my team mates. We also have a new team mate, Meihsia Lui, check out her blog, it is full of inspiration. I am looking forward to seeing everything she will make.

I was inspired to do a triptych showcasing some old family photos.

For my stripes, I used Wendy Vecchi's Yikes...Stripes stencil, together with her Metallic Gold Embossing Paste. It was meant to symbolise newly plowed soil on a farm. My other type of stripes are the rays from Tim Holtz Psychedelic Grunge set, gold embossed as the sun above the photo.

The triptych was made with Tim Holtz Arch Frame die. I measured the distance between the cutting lines on the sides of the arch and cut and folded a long strip of manila cardstock, so that one side could be placed inside the cutting line. It didn't work to cut all three panels at once, because the Arch Frame has a scoring line, which cuts through the paper if you cut too many at once. The trick is to place the one folded edge just inside the one cutting edge, and to let the cutting edge on the other side remain just outside the cutting plates - then it won't cut. First I cut two of the panels, and then the third. I hope that makes sense, I forgot to take photos.

I applied gold embossing paste through the Yikes Stripes stencil with a palette knife, making sure to get an uneven edge at the top. After it was dry, I stamped grass from Darkroom Door and a pretty flower stamp from Tim Holtz and clear embossed them. The triptych was inked with Squeezed Lemonade, Scattered Straw and Gathered Twigs, the clear embossing will resist the ink. Images from Tiny Things were stamped here and there with Gathered Twigs.

On the first panel, I stamped a great Tim Holtz sentiment and die cut a Mini Pocket Watch from grungeboard. I die cut a circle from grungeboard using the smallest Sized Circle die and painted it with Antique Linen and Mustard Seed Distress Paint.The clock in the Going Somewhere set was stamped on top and placed in the middle of the pocket watch. I smeared gold paste around the clock face.

When the paste on the watch had dried, I coated the centre with Glossy Accents. Here you can see the shine of the paste and Glossy Accents better. The gold paste dries to a wonderful shine.

This photo is of one of my dad's friends and his brother. Love it. Sentiments from Tim's Simple Sayings were used here and there. The rays were gold embossed to symbolise the sun shining over the fields.

For texture, I used the chicken wire stamp on the Mixed Media set. It was stamped with Scattered Straw, holding the stamp in my hand for a more random impression. I avoided stamping on the sentiments, so that they would stand out nicely.

Here you can see the gold paste stripes better. I used some Chit Chat stickers too.

When folded up, this is the front of the triptych. I used a photo of my dad with a wheelbarrow, and the church in the background. The rays were gold embossed on the front too.

When you open the front, you see this page, with a flower, more sentiments, a little butterfly and sweet chickens. The flower stamp was stamped a second time with Scattered Straw, to create a shadow effect.

I hope you will join us this week! As always our sponsor Simon Says Stamp gives a $50 gift voucher to one random participant.

Thank you for looking!

Happy Stamping!

Anna-Karin

Supplies:
Surfaces: Ranger Manila cardstock; Tim Holtz Idea-ology Grungeboard
Dies: Sizzix: Arch Frame, Clock Key & Pocket Watch, Sized Circles
Stamps: Stamper's Anonymous Tim Holtz: Psychedelic Grunge, Classics #5, Going Somewhere, Mixed Media, Mini Ornates, Tiny Things, Simple Sayings, Nature's Moment; Darkroom Door: Wildflowers Vol. 2; Artistic Outpost: Country Life
Ink: Distress Ink: Squeezed Lemonade, Scattered Straw, Gathered Twigs; Archival Ink Jet black; Versamark
Embossing powder: Ranger: Clear, Gold
Paint: Distress Paint: Antique Linen, Mustard Seed
Stencil: Wendy Vecchi: Yikes...Stripes
Medium: Wendy Vecchi Stamper's Anonymous Metallic Gold Embossing Paste, Ranger Glossy Accents
Embellishments: Tim Holtz Idea-ology: Chit Chat stickers, Game Spinners, Long Fasteners