Birch Forest Watercolor Tag

Hello crafters! I hope you had a good weekend and got some crafty time. It is already October.

Please note: this post has affiliate links, for which I receive a small percentage of sales generated by the link, at no extra cost to you.

We are back with a new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge and this week our theme is Add some texture. Adding texture with different techniques is a favorite of mine. So many options!

Since it is the first Monday of a new month, the team is showcasing a specifik company or designer and this week it is Katzelkraft. You can find Katzelkraft's wonderful range of products here. You don't have to use their products to join in the challenge, but it is fun if you do. 

This month we have two guest designers: Teresa York and Gitta Roolf. Don't forget to stop by their Instagram accounts to see what they have created.

On one of my walks, I walk past this groove with only birch trees, which also happens to be be one of my favorite trees. The light often hits the trees in such a great way and that spot was the inspiration for this tag. The leaves of birch trees turn yellow at autumn, but many are still green. I used Katzelkraft's Birches Forest set.

I planned the scene on scrap paper first. Start by stamping the branches. Next stamp the trunks. As you can see, I wiped off a lot of the ink from the trees where the branches would be, since the trunks had to be mainly behind the branches. It would look weird if all the branches were behind the tree trunks. Mask off one of the thinner trees with printer paper when inking, to only get a single thin tree.

The tag was colored with Zig Kuretake Gansai Tambi watercolors, using both paint mixed with water in a watercolor palette (not shown here) and paint right from the pans. Add drops of water to the pans.

I used a black pen to add back details to the trunks where I had wiped most of the ink off the stamp and to add some more marks for extra texture. Later I also added some details with a white gel pen. 

The sentiments were stamped on Tim Holtz Journal cards, cut into strips and inked. This sentiment is from Simon Says Stamp Forest Scenery. I use it a lot.

The larger sentiment comes from Tim Holtz Nature's Wonder and the smaller are from Simon Says Stamp Document It and All Seasons Tree.

The leaves and various paint marks give a lot of texture to this tag. 

The ribbon was dyed with coordinating Distress Inks.

I hope you will join us this week in our Add Some Texture challenge. You have a chance to win a $25 gift voucher to do some fun shopping at Simon Says Stamp. You have until Monday 8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in.

Do you use Instagram? If so please add #sssmchallenge so we can see your entries there too.

Thank you so much for stopping by here today! 

Happy crafting!

Anna-Karin

Supplies:

* Please note: the links are affiliate links, for which I receive a small percentage of sales generated by the link, at no extra cost to you.

Snowmen Tag STAMPtember® Tim Holtz Exclusive

Hello crafters! It is the last day of September and also the last day of STAMPtember® at Simon Says Stamp. Today I am happy to share a project made with the much-awaited Tim Holtz Exclusive collaboration.

Please note: this post has affiliate links, for which I receive a small percentage of sales generated by the link, at no extra cost to you.

I made a snowman tag with the great Tim Holtz STAMPtember® 2023 Exclusive set. You will get a rubber stamp set, two stencils, Sparkle Texture Paste and Glow Grit Paste. The stars in the background glow in the dark. 

The stamp set has fun images perfect for Christmas crafting and lots of sentiments. Stamp the snowman three times on watercolor paper. 

I colored the snowmen with Distress Watercolor Pencils. Pick the paint up from the tip with a paint brush.

Cut them out. I cut off the broom from one of the snowmen. 

Apply Distress Micro Glaze to the snowmen, to prevent the color from bleeding out into the paste later.

Cover a tag with gesso using a palette knife and let dry. Paint the top with Distress Paint.

When dry, white emboss the stars and snowflake to the sky.

Next add Glow Grit Paste through one of the two stencils in the set. Let dry.

Add a second application of Glow Grit Paste to cover the sky. 

I mixed a tiny bit of white paint into the Sparkle Texture Paste to make the paste more opaque. Add a thick layer as snow.

Place the snowmen into the paste. The one to the right was adhered with Simon Says Stamp Pawsitively Perfect Foam Tape. Add a little Sparkle paste on top and also to their hats and arms.

The ribbon was dyed to coordinate with the colors of the snowmen.

Tie the ribbons to the tag.

Sentiments were stamped and cut into strips. I like the full stop at the end of each of these three.

The glow in the dark stars have a yellow tint to them.

I added Glossy Accents to the eyes and buttons.

There is a bit of Sparkle paste on the hats of the snowman too.

Here you can see the Glossy Accents well.

The Sparkle Texture Paste has a shiny texture.

The glitter effect is a little hard to capture. 

Here you can see the glow in the dark effect of the stars/snowflakes. Very cool to walk past when it is dark.

Thank you so much for stopping by here today! Remember that the Tim Holtz Exclusive set is limited and won't return to Simon Says Stamp again.

Happy crafting!

Anna-Karin

Supplies:

* Please note: the links are affiliate links, for which I receive a small percentage of sales generated by the link, at no extra cost to you.

Stenciled Flowers Art Journal Page

Hello crafters! September is almost over and today I am sharing an art journal page made with a floral stencil. The project can be turned into a card or a tag instead.  

Please note: this post has affiliate links, for which I receive a small percentage of sales generated by the link, at no extra cost to you.

I used a stencil set from the Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember® release, called Floral Whimsy. The set consists of four stencils and I used them together with Pawsitively Saturated inks. It is fun to add stenciled designs to patterned paper and here I used one of Tim Holtz Halloween Backdrops papers. It gives a slight tint and you might already know that I love script. 

I worked on a burlap page in my Dina Wakley Blue Edition journal.

Line the stencil up with the bottom and side edges of the paper. The paper is exactly the right width for these stencils. I used Simon Says Stamp Pawsitively Saturated ink cubes sets and blending brushes.

Continue with the second stencil, adding more flowers.

Next, ink through the third stencil with leaves using shades of green. I added Pearfection too, for a warmer shade.

Finally, ink through the last stencil using brown inks.

I added dots and highlights with a white gel pen.

I trimmed the paper and placed it on a sheet of Simon Says Stamp Tangerine glitter cardstock. Pierce holes and stitch with DMC floss. I didn't want to waste too much glitter cardstock and cut out a rectangle in the middle.

I added cheese cloth under the panel and adhered to a burlap page.

I like how the ledger paper lines and script show through the flowers.

I also added some sequins, since I often turn to sequins for an extra touch, color, shine and interest without almost any bulk.

The page celebrates the last flowers of summer and I die cut the title with the Simon Says Stamp Bold Thankful die three times from Lavender cardstock, a left-over piece of the patterned paper inked with the same inks as the flowers and Simon Says Stamp purple glitter cardstock. 

Happy crafting!

Anna-Karin

Supplies:

* Please note: the links are affiliate links, for which I receive a small percentage of sales generated by the link, at no extra cost to you.