File Folder Ephemera Card

Hi crafters! It is a new week and we have a new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge for you you.

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 our theme at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog is Stitch It. Fun! Stitching adds such a nice tactile feel to projects and can be used instead of adhesive too. Don't miss the gorgeous project by our July guest designer Thom Santilla.

I made a card this week with three file folders and four double-sided tags. The folders were handstitched. I used lots of words, ephemera, fibers, stamping and stencilling. 

Start by die cutting the file folders from Ranger Heavystock cardstock using Tim Holtz Sizzix Vault Noteworthy set. 

Ink them with Distress Ink and then use stencils to add a pattern to the front of each folder. I also stamped them partially with stamps from Tim Holtz School Desk and Ultimate Grunge, using black and Red Geranium Archival Ink.

For the background I used a piece of Tim Holtz Backdrops paper and stamped it with the same stamps as the folders, as well as Simon Says Stamp Crackle Background. 

Pierce holes down the sides of the folders and stitch with DMC floss. 

Cut labels from various Backdrops papers. Add a tag circle and punch a whole. Stamp sentiments, sand and ink the edges. Then add ephemera and stickers. 

Embellish the back of the tags too.

I stamped a sentiment from Tim Holtz Warehouse District on the most visible folder.

Round the corners with a We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper. Mount the background on cardstock and then again on folded brown cardstock. Adhere the three folders. As you can see, I also stamped sentiments on the label part of the folders. Most of them come from Simon Says Stamp Mixed Labels.

I added words from AALL & Create Mindful Moments to the folders and to the tags.

A few Simon Says Stamp Pawsitively Dazzling Gunmetal Gems were added to the tag.

I tied a fibers and twine to the tags. These are the fronts of the four tags (except for the first one).

I had fun picking out ephemera pieces that fit together. 

All the tags have postage stamps on them from Tim Holtz Postmarked. The stamped sentiment comes from Simon Says Stamp Mixed Labels.

This sentiment comes from Stamper's Anonymous Classics #5.

More details.

The backs of the four tags look like this, more words, ephemera and stamps.

I sanded the edges of all the tags and left some almost without ink, so that the white paper shows.

This tag was cut so that the word 'colour' would be visible.

I found a couple of Swedish stamps on Tim's Postmarked set and used them.

An interesting background paper.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! 

Join us this week in our Stitch It 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.

Colorful Granulating Backgrounds

Hi crafters! I have a tutorial on the Simon Says Stamp store blog today. I made a card and a tag, using granulating watercolor paint and combined with resist techniques.

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 whole bunch of backgrounds with fun granulating watercolor paint (Zig Kuretake Gansai Tambi Granulating Colors), combined with stencil resist techniques. This watercolor paint is so fun. The paint separates into different colors and gives a great granulating texture at the same time. It is easy and a lot of fun. You will get a different result every time.

I made a whole bunch of backgrounds for the tutorial and couldn’t pick just one for my main project, so I made a card and a tag. Below is a sneak peek of the tag.

To see the full tutorial and all the steps, head over to the Simon Says Stamp Store Blog.

Thank you for visiting! See you again tomorrow!

Happy crafting!

Anna-Karin

Grasses Tag Tutorial

Hi stampers! It's a new Monday and we are back with a Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge. 

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 Play With Paint theme at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog. Fun 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 Paper Artsy. You can find Paper Artsy's great range of products here. It is fun if you use their products for the challenge, but it is not a requirement. 

We also have a new guest designer and during July Thom Santilla will be joining us. He created a fantastic project for this week's challenge, don't miss it.

I made a mixed media tag using watercolor paint, gouache and Paper Artsy Infusions Colored Stain. The tag was stamped with two stamp sets designed by Alison Bomber: Winter Umbels and Winter Grasses. Just because the title is 'winter' doesn't mean that they are only for winter projects.

I start out with a tag that I cut from paper that had been watercolored, to use up left-over paint.

Mist the tag with water and sprinkle In the Navy Infusions Colored Stain at the sky area and The Sage on the ground. I had already planned where the stamping would be and added less color there. Mist again with water to blend. 

When dry, ink stamps from Winter Grasses and Winter Umbels with Distress Ink, mist with water and stamp.

I stamped two sentiments on the background using Simon Says Stamp Forest Scenery and covered them up with Design Tape to prevent splattering. Splatter the tag with Winsor & Newton Permanent White gouache.

Distress the edges of the tag. Here you can see the cool effect of the Infusions Colored Stain. 

I also added Simon Says Stamp Pawsitively Dazzling Gunmetal Gems to the tag.

The white gouache will pick up some of the color of the ink. I made the ground area more visible with a colored pencil.

The main sentiment also comes from Simon Says Stamp Forest Scenery. I also added some mummy cloth and twine.

I tied the tag with mummy cloth, twine and ric-rac. 

Join us this week in our Play With Paint 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.

Flower Vase Tag

Hi crafters! I have another project to share made with Simon Says Stamp new Friend Like You release.

 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.

Friend Like You is a fantastic new summer-time release, with so many different stamps, dies, stencils and other products.

I made a tag with a flower vase standing on a table, using the Simon Says Stamp Wildflower Cuttings stamp set. The design could easily be turned into a card instead. 

Start by inking the tag. Use a strip of Simon Says Stamp Very Very Low Tack Tape to mask off the table. The aim is to get a straight line.

Ink the flower stamp from Wildflower Cuttings with Hickory Smoke and Rustic Wilderness, mist with water before stamping.

Watercolor the stamped image with Distress Ink. Smear the ink on a non-stick craft sheet, mist with water and pick up with a paint brush. 

Splatter the leaves with a two shades of green Distress Ink.

I wanted the vase to stand on a patterned table cloth and stamped the table area with Tim Holtz Tiny Textures dot stamp. Mist with water before stamping. The background is meant to be looking like worn wallpaper and was stamped with a small stamp from Tim Holtz Fragments. Mist with water before stamping.

I messed up the sentiment stamping and redid one of the lines on inky paper, to get the same color as the table cloth at the top of the tag too. The sequins are from Simon Says Stamp Tidal Wave, also from the Friend Like You release.

Splattering adds subtle interest and a hint of more leaves.

Paint a shadow with Hickory Smoke and add white highlights to the vase to make it look more like glass.

Thank you for stopping by 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.