Monday, April 20, 2026

Faceted Hearts Tag

Hi friends! Yesterday we went to look at the Sakura trees flowering, which is always a sign of spring. And today I have a pink and purple tag to share.

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.


This week we have a Use more than one stencil theme at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog. I hope you will take out those stencils and join us! Don't miss the project by our April guest designer Thom Santilla.  

Layers of ink - Faceted Hearts Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson.

I made a tag with five dimensional faceted hearts and used two different stencils for the background. I used Tim Holtz Vault Rosettes for the hearts and the two stencils are Tim Holtz Sparkle Fade and Simon Says Stamp Snowfall and Banks.

Ink with Distress Ink.

Start with a tag cut from watercolor paper and build up layers of Distress Ink. Smear ink on craft sheet, mist with water and press the paper into the ink. Let dry and repeat. Use a little Distress Oxide ink at the end.

Stamp with Simon Says Stamp Pepita Background.

Ink Simon Says Stamp Pepita Background with Wilted Violet. Mist with water 3-4 times and stamp.

Add white dots.

Apply paint with a sponge through Simon Says Stamp Snowfall and Banks.

Die cut hearts with Tim Holtz Vault Rosettes.

Die cut hearts using Tim Holtz Vault Rosettes. I used papers from Tim Holtz Pink Palette and Red Palette 8x8 in paper packs.

Ink with Distress Ink.

Fold and score the lines. Ink with Distress Ink.

Mist with Distress Spritz.

Mist the tag with Distress Spritz Saltwater Taffy through Tim Holtz Sparkle Fade stencil. It will give a beautiful shimmer. Also mist the hearts. 

Assemble the hearts.

Assemble the hearts.

Add Simon Says Stamp Pawsitively Dazzling Opal Gems.



Distress the edge of the tag and add a line with a white gel pen.


When die cutting the hearts, place the die so that the text on the front of the heart is the right way around. Test on scrap paper first. 


I added a little bit of cheese cloth under each heart.


Here you can see the shimmer from the Distress Spritz better.


Each heart has a different pattern and a different shade of pink.


You can of course also use the techniques for a card.


Here you can see the Distress Spritz better.

Layers of ink - Faceted Hearts Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial!

Join us this week in our Use more than one stencil 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 visiting 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.


Monday, April 13, 2026

Pink Florals Card

Hello crafters! I hope your weekend was good! Here new signs of spring appear almost every day, which is wonderful. 

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.


This week we have a Bright & Cheerful theme at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog. Lots of options! Don't miss the beautiful project by our April guest Thom Santilla.  

Layers of ink - Pink Florals Card Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson.

I made a card with very bright and cheerful colors and some glitter and bling too. The flower was stamped with Simon Says Stamp Beautiful and Curious (I just love the name of that stamp set) and everything was colored with watercolors. 

White emboss Simon Says Stamp Beautiful and Curious.

I die cut a square from watercolor paper with Simon Says Stamp Basic Shapes Squares. White emboss the floral stamp from Beautiful and Curious. 

Paint with Daniel Smith watercolors.

Paint the flowers with watercolor paint, dropping yellow paint into the pink before the pink paint was dry. 


Paint the leaves and stem and then paint the background. I didn't use green for the grass, but instead dropped in yellow paint letting it mix with the blue paint on the paper.

White emboss Tim Holtz Halftone Background.

When the paint was dry, I white embossed dots from Tim Holtz Halftone background as a frame around the flower.


The embossing will resist the paint. Don't worry about trying to get perfect coloring. 


I die cut squares from Simon Says Stamp White glitter cardstock and from watercolor paper, using them as mats. Distress the edges of the watercolor paper squares. A Tim Holtz Small Talk sticker was used as a sentiment. 



Die cut sentiment with Tim Holtz Handwritten Celebrate.

The sentiment was die cut with Tim Holtz Handwritten Celebrate from Simon Says Stamp Color Blend cardstock and white glitter cardstock. The Color Blend cardstock is glossy. The stamped sentiment comes from Simon Says Stamp Cool Birthday.


I used mummy cloth / cheese cloth as a border together with an old heart ribbon.


Join us this week in our Bright and Cheerful 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 visiting 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.


Monday, April 6, 2026

File Folder Book Tutorial

Hi friends! I hope you are well and had a good Easter. We have had rainy and stormy weather almost the entire Easter, but apart from that, it has been good.

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.


This week we have a Not A Card theme at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog. I hope you will join us! Since it is the first Monday of a new month, the team is showcasing products by a specific company / designer and this week it is Tim Holtz. You can find Tim's large range of products here. 

We also have a new guest designer. During April Thom Santilla will be joining us. Don't miss checking out his fantastic project on his Instagram account.

Layers of ink - File Folder Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson.

I made a mini book this week, using file folders as my base, die cut from bright papers and stamped with sentiments, images and texture stamps. There are photos in the pocket. I used Tim Holtz Vault Noteworthy to die cut the folders and a whole lot of Tim's stamps from the stamping.

Die cut Tim Holtz file folders.

Start by die cutting file folders with Tim's Vault Noteworthy from inky papers.     

Color with Distress Watercolor pencils.

Color the inside with Distress Watercolor Pencils.

Stamp with Tim Holtz stamps.

Stamp with various Tim Holtz sentiment stamps.


Add smaller sentiments on the back of each folder.

Add more stamping.

Stamp with butterflies and flowers. Mist the stamp with water after inking. I stamped with Distress Ink.

Stamp with Simon Says Stamp Crackle Background.

Stamp dots with Distress Ink, using a stamp from Tim's Tiny Textures. Mist with water before stamping. Stamp more texture with Simon Says Stamp Crackle Background and Tim Holtz School Desk alphabet.

Bind each folder.

Pierce three holes and thread with embroidery floss. 


Stitch the sides with a sewing machine.

Layers of ink - File Folder Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson.

Tie all the threads together at the spine and string glass beads to make the spine prettier.

Layers of ink - File Folder Book.

 I matted small photos on cream cardstock and tucked into the pockets. The sentiment is from Tim's Warehouse District and the butterfly is from Flutter.

Layers of ink - File Folder Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson.

You can also make a separate cover, but I wanted one of the file folders to be the front of the mini book.


I used some of my favorite sentiments in this book, such as from Nature's Wonder and Creative Muse.


These butterflies are from Tim's Attic Treasures set.

Stamp with Tim Holtz Tiny Text.

I stamped words from Tim's Tiny Text on the flaps.


Using a mix of colors and bright, inky background makes for a cheerful look.


I used a mix of childhood photos to fill the pockets.


The flower was stamped with Tim's Nature's Moments.


More butterflies and a dragonfly. 


This dragonfly is from Simon Says Stamp Big Botanicals. There is also some Distress Spritz in the background, misted through Tim's Sparkle Fade stencil.


Look for sentiments and words that will fit right only the folders, such as 'photographs'.


The butterfly was stamped with Wilted Violet Distress Ink.


The back of the little book, stamped with flowers from Tim's Winter Watercolor 2.

Join us this week in our Not a Card 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 visiting 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.