School Time Green Ruler Book

Hi everyone! Today we are going green at Simon Says Stamp & Show, with our challenge Good to be Green. Lots of opportunities here, use the colour green, upcycle something, do a project about nature, etc. I made a green ruler binder book, also including some recycled elements.

 

When thinking about what to do this week, my eyes fell on Tim Holtz new Ruler Binder and I decided to make a tag book about my school years. I've saved a lot of copies of the small versions we used to get of our school photos, as well as photo booth photos, and decided to use them all in the same place, some other photos are used in the book too. Some of these were traded, but I was careful to keep quite a few copies myself. I love mini-books for these types of themed projects. I used almost only shades of green, with a little bit of kraft and gold.

I started out by die cutting tags from manila cardstock, and two from natural sticky-back canvas. The tags were coloured with Distress Paint, by smearing Peeled Paint and Bundled Sage on my craft sheet, misting with water and then dipping and dragging the tags through the paint.

I didn't want the book to be the full length of the tags, but a little bit shorter, and cut off about 1.5 cm from each tag. The edges were inked, but not with the browns that I normally reach for, but with Forest Moss. I loved the look, Forest Moss is a dark green-brown colour. All the tags were stamped with layers of stamping, using Archival Inks:  Olive, Library Green, Emerald Green, and Sap Green. A grid and my favourite alphabet background were stamped with Sap Green, which gave a really nice texture to the backgrounds. The sentiments were stamped with Archival Ink Jet Black. I planned where each photo would go before stamping, so that I could use stamps that fit with the photo.

The ruler binding is really cool, with wooden rulers and great looking screws. I stained the rulers with Peeled Paint Distress Stain and dragged them over remaining Forest Moss Distress Ink on my craft sheet, to add a darker colour too.

For a recycled element, I die cut numbers and some letters from clear packaging with Word Play. They were inked with alcohol ink (Meadow, Lettuce, Pesto).

Two of the letters were stapled to the cover, with a Tim Holtz rub-on on top. I used his rub-ons throughout the book, they are perfect for small spaces.

 

I die cut an alarm clock from grungeboard and coloured it with Tarnished Brass Distress Paint. A large Idea-ology clock fit perfectly on top. It was painted with Peeled Paint Distress Paint, and so were the Game Spinner clock arms and the brad. Distress Paint works so well on metal. After the clock dried, I sanded off a little bit of the paint from the numbers. A rub-on was placed on top. 'School' was stamped with Hero Arts stamps. I really love the paint brush stamp and used it on the cover as well as on one of the pages in the book. The reinforcer was die cut from kraft resist paper.

Here's a close-up of the binding mechanism, very cool. I could have added even more pages to this book, and might, if I find photos that I forgot to include.

This is what the book looks like at the back. The canvas tags were adhered to manila tags. Now on to the pages, and some pretty bad haircuts!

To not make this post too long, I photographed them two at a time, the area at the spine is covered with the rulers when the book is bound, about 2 cm, so there is no stamping or embellishments there. It was easier to photograph the pages before binding. I added two pockets to the book, die cut with Tim Holtz Pocket Envelope die from kraft resist paper, coloured with Distress Paint and stamped. In the pockets there is more journaling. I used a Prima wooden house here, which sort of looked like a school, a word band and a filmstrip ribbon.

Most of the stamps are Tim Holtz Stamper's Anonymous stamps, but I also used a school set from Graphic 45 and TJ Designs, as well as some Hero Arts stamps. The little wooden heart is from Studio Calico.

I wore braids or ponytails a lot. The strip under the first photo is tissue tape. All the stamps and details I used in the book have specific meaning for things that I did and liked. My first teacher had just the same clock that she would ring when it was time to come in from a break.

Close-up of a packaging number. They were glued by spreading a thin layer of Glossy Accents at the back.

 

When I was eleven I cut my hair real short and regretted it immediately (I didn't find any photos from that time to use here). It took a long time before my hair had grown long again. Both of these photos were taken during that period. The pen nib and philosophy tag were coloured with Distress Paint. Tim Holtz ATC stamps were the perfect size to use in this book.

Close-up so that you can see the pen nib better. I collected rulers, so there had to be ruler stamps in the book - and it is also a reason for why the ruler binding fit so well with school memory and photos. The globe comes from Tim's Tiny Things set. This is what the pages look like when bound, when you don't see the two centimetres at the edge.

Here's the second envelope, with more journaling and more photos from this little photo shoot I did together with a friend. The sentiment on the envelope was stamped on a mini ticket.

Photo booth image, we used to take a lot of these, and photo booths were easy to find. I cycled to school every day, which is why there had to be a little bike in the book.

Another memorable hairdo. More wooden embellishments from Studio Calico. I also used Chit Chat stickers throughout the book. The fun sentiment about friends fit quite well on a teenage page.

The last two pages in the book, with a bike stamp, more sentiment stamps and rub-ons, and more wooden embellishments.

 

Show us a new project with something green this week and you can be the lucky one to win a $50 gift voucher from Simon Says Stamp, drawn randomly.

 

 

Have you seen the new feature of Simon's Spotlight? The design team has lots of fun every week picking out fabulous projects to feature. 

 

 

Thank you for looking!!

 

Anna-Karin 

Supplies:
Surfaces: Ranger Manila cardstock; Tim Holtz Idea-ology Kraft Resist paper stash, Grungeboard; Claudine Hellmuth Natural Sticky-Back Canvas; clear packaging
Dies: Sizzix: Tag & Bookplates, Vintage Alarm Clock & Camera, Word Play, Pocket Envelope, Mini Tickets, Mini Labels
Stamps: Stamper's Anonymous Tim Holtz: Artful Tools, Tiny Things, Way with Words, Going Somewhere, Mini Ornates, Stuff to Say, School Desk, Ultimate Grunge, Games ATC, Ledger ATC, Photograph ATC; Hero Arts: Remember AC028, My Favorite AC030, Basic Lowercase Letters; Graphic 45: ABC Primer 3; TJ Design: Vintage School Days
Ink: Ranger Archival Ink: Olive, Library Green, Emerald Green, Sap Green, Jet Black; Distress Ink: Forest Moss
Alcohol ink: Adirondack: Meadow, Lettuce, Pesto
Stain: Distress Stain: Peeled Paint
Paint: Distress Paint: Peeled Paint, Bundled Sage, Tarnished Brass
Embellishments: Tim Holtz Idea-ology: Ruler Binder, Remnant Rubs Numbers, Remnant Rubs Words, Elements Tissue Tape, Timepieces, Filmstrip Ribbon, Chit Chat stickers, Game Spinners, Word Bands, Long Fasteners, Philosophy Circles, Pen Nibs; Prima: Houses & Buildings; Studio Calico wood veneer: Tiny Hearts, Transportation, Tiny Stars, Potty People, Cameras
Adhesive: Ranger Glossy Accents
Tools: Sizzix Big Shot; Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher

Tiny Stamps and Trinkets Shadow Box

Hello everyone! This week we have a super fun challenge at Simon Says Stamp and Show, use small stamps (or stamp just a tiny portion of a large stamp). I often forget about the very small stamps that come on some sets and thought this was a great opportunity to use both tiny stamps, and lots of small embellishments.

I made a small shadow box filled with tiny stamps and trinkets:

I loved the idea of using tiny stamps and since they easily disappear on a large project I made a small shadow box, using the packaging of Prima wood icons. Prima's wood embellishments come in such cute little wooden boxes, when I saw it online the first time, I knew I wanted to make a shadow box out of it. They come in different sizes, the one that I used is 13 x 13 cm (5.25 x 5.25 in).  I really enjoy making shadow boxes, and they are perfect to showcase small dimensional details. Most of the embellishments come from Prima's Sunset Sunrise and Junkyard Findings collections.

First, I stained the box with a mix of Walnut Ink Crystals and warm water, which gives a really nice brown colour. Check out this project to see examples where I used it on paper and lace trim. I mixed up a medium-dark mixture and simply painted the box with it. Love how it makes the wood texture more visible. After the ink was dry, I stamped the box with tiny texture, word and flower stamps, mainly from Hero Arts, with Jet Black Stazon ink.

I dragged Ranger Emboss-It Dabber around the edges of the box and embossed with Stampendous Aged Silver Embossing Enamel. To embellish, I used a lot of different Prima embellishments and altered them with Distress Paint and Stampendous Aged Silver and Aged Teal Embossing Enamels. Be careful not to burn yourself when heat embossing metal. I used Ranger's Emboss-It Dabber and a Versamarker to apply embossing ink to the embellishments.

In this box, you can find a Typo Bulb, special screw and metallic rose. The bulb was painted with Broken China and Antique Linen Distress Paint was rubbed into the letters of the screw.

'Art' comes from Hero Arts My Favorites set. The wooden house was painted with Broken China, Black Soot and Picket Fence Distress Paint. The little heart is from Studio Calico. When I had finished decorated all the boxes, I glued sapplied Glossy Accents here and there and sprinkled with Stampendous Teal Color Fragments and Mica Flake. Here you see the Color Fragments.

The circle was die cut from mat board with the smallest Sized Circles and the My Favorites stamp was stamped on top. The Prima metallic numbers were embossed with Aged Teal powder.  I stacked some scrap pieces of mat board behind the circle to lift it from the background.

A painted screw head, bird stamped with Hero Arts Cerulean ink, ink splotch stamp, jeans button and mica flakes.

The center box has layered Prima metallic embellishments (Washers, Roses), with the gear being embossed with the teal powder. I rubbed some black paint on the largest circle and stacked them all together. The brad was dipped into Antique Linen Distress Paint.

The house was stamped with Cerulean ink and cut out. The tiny sentiment fit perfectly on top. Broken China paint was rubbed on the pen nib and the little gear.

The wood veneer butterfly was painted with Broken China and stamped with a small sentiment stamp. It was embellished with tiny gears and a wire. I stacked left over grungeboard behind the wings to give it dimension. Most of the embellishments were glued to the box with hot glue. Another jeans button is hiding in the corner.

The larger metallic flower was embossed with Aged Teal and the smaller with Aged Silver. The brad was dipped in Broken China paint. The bird is standing on a mica floor. I love mica and the Stampendous boxes of mica flakes are wonderful. The funky bird was stamped with Hero Arts Cerulean ink and mounted on several tiny pieces of scrap mat board. I used a tiny Hero Arts flower here and there on the project, which I had never used before and had hardly noticed. My son found it and loved it, otherwise, I would never have thought of using it here.

The last box was filled with this gorgeous dimensional rose, embossed with Aged Teal and a bit of Aged Silver powder.

I stamped the edges of the box with sentiment stamps from My Favourites and Remember, as well as the tiny flower and a butterfly stamp.

The other edges.

This is the top of the shadow box, with a cool Prima Special Screw.

I hope you will use some of your tiny stamps this week and show us the result. As always, one random participant wins a $50 gift voucher from Simon Says Stamp.

Thank you for looking!!

Happy crafting!

Anna-Karin

Supplies:
Surfaces: Prima wood packaging; mat board; cream cardstock
Stamps: Hero Arts: Collage Friend AC022, Remember AC028,  My Favorite AC030, My Words CL695, Come Fly With Me 331481,  Darkroom Door: New York Vol. 1; Artistic Outpost: Windows & Doors
Dies: Sizzix Sized Circles
Ink: Ranger Archival Ink Jet Black; Stazon Jet Black; Tsukineko Walnut Ink Antiquing Crystals; Hero Arts Cerulean; Ranger Emboss-It dabber; Versamarker
Embossing powders: Stampendous: Aged Silver Embossing Enamel, Aged Teal Embossing Enamel
Paint: Distress Paint: Broken China, Black Soot, Antique Linen
Embellishments: Prima: Mini Flowers, Mini Numbers, Roses, Washers, Small Typo Bulbs, Jeans Buttons, Special Screws, Screw Heads, Clock Parts, Houses & Buildings; Studio Calico wood veneer shapes: Tiny Hearts, Butterflies; Tim Holtz Idea-ology: Pen Nibs; Stampendous: Teal Encrusted Jewel kit

Vintage Textured Layout

Hello and welcome! A new week and a new Simon Says Stamp and Show challenge, and this week we are running wild with an anything goes challenge.

I made a double-page layout, with lots of dry embossing and die-cutting.

Anything goes challenges are sometimes hard for me, with so many options, this week I was inspired by my triptych project from last week, wanting to scrap more of my dad's childhood photos.

I used twelve different Tim Holtz Sizzix texture fades to emboss plain cardstock, inked and distressed all the pieces and covered the background with them. They were inked with Antique Linen first, and then with Frayed Burlap on the edges and to highlight certain sections. This is a favourite background technique of mine, which gives instant texture, without overpowering a layout.

Papers from Collage Mini 8 x 8 paper pad were die cut with various Tim Holtz dies, the smaller size of these papers makes them perfect for die-cutting. The Postage Stamp Frame is a movers & shapers die, and the Sized Rectangles fit perfectly inside, which means that you can easily die cut frames. Place the largest rectangle in the Postage Frame die and die cut three frames. Fold patterned paper to create an interactive flap, which can be used for more photos and journaling.

Here's the inside of one of the postage frame flaps. I still need to add some more journaling, so I left space for that. 

I used a full sheet of Elements Rubs on the layout. Some of them were rubbed onto the postage stamp frames and the other die cuts, some were rubbed on scrap paper and cut out, and some were rubbed onto the embossed background paper. For the pocket watch, I simply placed down one of the script rub-ons and rubbed randomly here and there, by so doing, I was able to cover the whole watch with a rub-on which is smaller than the watch. It is a great way to get more out of your rub-ons. I did the same on the gear die cuts.

The pocket watch was die-cut twice, once with and once without a Sized Circle inside, creating a frame. Inside the pocket watch, I placed one of the few photos I have of my grandfather (he passed away when my dad was still a child) and next to it is a photo of my great grandparents and their children.

One of my favourite details on this layout is the little men sitting inside the car. Die cut the car from patterned paper and place it on a piece of light coloured scrap, trace the windows with a pencil, so that you know where to place the rub-ons. Cut the three men in the rub-on image apart and place one in each window. Erase the pencil marks and place the car on top.

I used all the little tabs and tags from the Tiny Tabs & Tag die, placing them here and there and embellishing them with rub-ons.

The title was die cut twice with the Word Play die, once from postage stamp paper and once from a darker paper. The darker letters were placed a behind the postage stamp ones to create a shadow effect.

Pay attention to what part of a patterned paper you apply rub-ons to, I liked the little detail of the airplane inside the clock rub-on.

I hope you will join us this week and remember that anything goes! As every week, our sponsor Simon Says Stamp gives a $50 gift voucher to one random participant.

Thank you for looking!

Happy crafting!

Anna-Karin

Supplies:
Surfaces: Tim Holtz Idea-ology Collage Mini 8 x 8 paper stash, cream cardstock
Dies: Sizzix: Postage Stamp Frame, Sized Rectangles, Sized Circles, Pocket Watch Frame, Mini Clock Key & Pocket Watch, Gadget Gears, Tiny Tabs and Tags, Mini Old Jalopy & Arrow, Word Play
Embossing folders: Sizzix: Airmail & Compass, Blueprint & Gears, Bottlecaps & Rulers, Checkerboard & Cracked, Distressed Frame & Postal, Eiffel Tower & French Script, Pocket Watches & Steampunk, Travel Signs, Word Play
Ink: Distress Ink: Antique Linen, Frayed Burlap, Vintage Photo
Embellishments: Tim Holtz Idea-ology: Elements Remnant Rubs, Elements Tissue Tape, Game Spinners, Sprocket Gears, Mini Gears, Long Fasteners, Mini Fasteners, Label Letters

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