Grunge it up card

Click on the image and see how this was made. There is a video tutorial of the process.

In My Garden card

Click on the image and see how this was made. There is a video tutorial of the process.

Timeless Treasure art journal spread

Click on the image and see how this was made. There is a video tutorial of the process.

Father's day card

Click on the image and see how this was made. There is a video tutorial of the process.

Distress it card

Click on the image and see how this was made. There is a video tutorial of the process.

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

12 tags of 2013 - December

Hi everyone,

Can you believe it that it's New Years Eve? What a wonderful year it's been! Well there were also some low points, but that's life I guess. I'm so ready for 2014! To make it even a better year with more wonderful things.
To close of the year I wanna share with you the December tag I made for Tim's 12 tags of 2013. My resolutions for the new year are not waiting till the last day to enter Tim's tags... hihihi.


Unfortunately I almost don't have a single product Tim has used to make his tag. Such as the frosted film, clearly for art, the tattered poinsettia, Wendy archival ink and the stencils.
So I used a normal transparent sheet with matte transfer tape. The advantage was that this makes hardly any air bubbles. Unfortunately Archival ink does not work on the transfer tape. It simply doesn't "stick" to it. Alcohol ink is a very good replacement, and I like the effect of alcohol ink very much. When it was time to form the flowers with the heat tool, it was a bit difficult. It reacted a bit different then I expected.







Thank you for stopping by! Love to see you next time! Happy New Year!!

Hugs,
Sandra

Monday, December 23, 2013

Wishing you a Merry Christmas!

Hi everyone,

It's almost Christmas! The time really flown by! Can't believe that this year almost has come to an end! But we aren't there yet. It's too early to look back and reflect. This week there is no Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge, but the DT still made ​​beautiful projects to share with you during these holidays. The team is split up in two groups this week. Thursday the other half will show you their projects, so don't forget to check in with the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge blog then.


The first half of the group was asked to use Tim's Christmas stamps. What a fun and fitting challenge! As you may have noticed, I'm very happy with my Gelli Plate and I wanted to use them for my Christmas cards this year. I chose red and black as my color theme. As always I used only one color in just one layer on the Gelli Plate and then finish it with other techniques. I had to make 38 cards this year and I wanted to make them all different but in the same style. Although it was a lot of work, and a bit of a challenge, I've had so much fun making them.

 

The trick to making a good print with the Gello Plate is the amount of paint you apply. With a thin layer you quickly get much paint off the Gelli Plate and you're left with a print with very little paint on it. When you use too much paint, you will hardly see the print and you will have a thick layer of paint on your printed surface. After a little bit of practice, you'll know what the best amount of paint is for your liking.

 

http://simonsaysstamp.com/

Want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! Thank you for stopping by! Love to see you next time!

Hugs,
Sandra

Monday, December 16, 2013

You're so bright and colorful

Hi everyone,

It's another Monday and Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge has the final one of the year for you. This weeks it's all about Stamping out 2013!

This card I made for my good friend Paula who became 40 recenlty. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to hand her the card, so the possibility exists that she will see it here sooner than in person. 40 is a beautiful age and a festive card is in order! Paula loves bright colors and so I've used the three primary colors Picked Raspberry, Mustard Seed and Peacock Feathers Distress Ink and made beautiful bright colors blending them together​​.







There are so many stamping techniques and one of my favorite stamping technique that I often use is partially and randomly stamping to give a background more texture and dimension. This technique is very simple. You take a stampm, don't put it on an acrylic block ( a wood mounted stamp doesn't work for this) and ink the stamp. Now stamp it by letting only a few places touch the surface you're stamping on. Just repeat this stap randomly.




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To join in all you need to do is make a project that fits this weeks challenge and you can be the winner of the $50 gift voucher that our amazing sponsor Simon Says Stamp offers. This prize will go to a random entry. So go over to the Stamp and Show Monday Challenge blog, let the DT members inspire you and join in the fun!

Thank you for stopping by! Love to see you next time!

Hugs,
Sandra

Monday, December 9, 2013

You rock!

Hi everyone,

It's monday again and winter is slowly making his entrance. The days are getting shorter and the nights getting extra long. To get through these dark and wintery times Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge has a fun theme for us. DT member Anna-Karin asks to let us be inspired by tissue!
Paula, a good friend of mine recently switched job. A good reason to make her a card to encourage her and let her know that I'm sure she's going to rock her new job. She loves bright colors and she's just as crazy about Neon Pink as I am. So pink it will be! It's been a while since I 've used Tissue Wrap and it's so great. Normal tissue is very fragile, but this is not. It looks a bit like printed wax paper. Therefore very easy to use. I used the Tissue Wrap in the background and created some wrinkles in it for some texture. To bring it a bit into the back I covered it with a thin layer of Gesso.



I'm so happy with the exclusive Simon Says Stamp Blocked Circle stencil! The pattern is so cool. I've done two layers over each other with a small offset. First layer is done with the Neon Pink Dauber and the seconds with Color Shine Bronzer.



Making my own pattern letters combined with washi tape and the Wordplay die is so much fun. Not every pattern is suitable for this, but the Black Polka Dots Washi tape is perfect.



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To join in all you need to do is make a project that fits this weeks challenge and you can be the winner of the $50 gift voucher that our amazing sponsor Simon Says Stamp offers. This prize will go to a random entry. So go over to the Stamp and Show Monday Challenge blog, let the DT members inspire you and join in the fun!

Thank you for stopping by! Love to see you next time!

Hugs,
Sandra

Monday, December 2, 2013

Blooming

Hi everyone,

When it's winter time it's so nice to play with colors and flowers, even though spring and summer are still far far away. This week at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge it's all about incorporating flourishes into your project. Anything from flowers stamps to stencils, from filigree to embossed. Let your creativity bloom.


I grabbed my art journal to work in and to make something colorful. When I heard what the theme for this week was, I immediately thought of my logo. A while ago I did some screen printing in a graphic workshop my neighborhood. I printed my logo in many different colors and sizes. It's all printed on fabric.

 

A tip for when you start with screen printing, always use a medium that ensures that the paint does not dry immediately, because then it dries up the screen and it gets clogged. For example use  Claudine Hellmuth Extra Time Slow Dry Medium. I used regular acrylic paint, and to make it washable in the washingmachine you need a medium such as Ranger Fabric Medium.



I started by putting some Washi tape on to the seam to ensure that nothing is leaking through.Then I go my Pure Sunshine and Bubblegum Dylusions Sprays and sprayed with a few stencils. The used the color combination of yellow and fuchsia ​​with a few black accents.



Over time I've collected a whole bunch of different washi tapes. Currently I have 43 of the. There are a few clear favorites, such as the Black Polka Dots, Dictonairy and Black Basics.



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To join in all you need to do is make a project that fits this weeks challenge and you can be the winner of the $50 gift voucher that our amazing sponsor Simon Says Stamp offers. This prize will go to a random entry. So go over to the Stamp and Show Monday Challenge blog, let the DT members inspire you and join in the fun!

Thank you for stopping by! Love to see you next time!

Hugs,
Sandra

Saturday, November 30, 2013

12 tags of 2013 - November

Hi everyone,

 
With only a few hours to go before the entry closes, I want to share this tag I made for Tim Holtz 12 tags of 2013 for the month November. During Creative Chemistry 102 I wasn't able to try it because I didn't have the Frosted Crystal Embossing Powder. But luckily I managed to get my hands on it. But I also needed regular blackboard chalk. I work at a university of applied science, but in these advanced times they don't use chalk and blackboards any more. But I also managed to get some good old chalk.

What a super fun technique the Chalk one is! It's not difficult at all, the only thing you need to be careful with is that you don't overheat the Frosted Crystal. I saw that there were some grains overheated ​​here and there. But as long as it's a few grains you're good to go and it only adds to the effect.



To decorate it a bit more, I used some washi tape and I colored some Modeling Paste with Modern Red and Dash of Red Studio Paint. I used it with the Dot Fade Layering Stencil. Over the dots, I added some exclusive Simon Says Stamp Mini Hearts  I cut out and I used the 25 of the Christmas Stacked Words and embossed it with Black Embossing Powder.



Thank you for stopping by! Love to see you next time!

Hugs,
Sandra

Monday, November 25, 2013

25 tags of Holiday Countdown

Hi everyone,

It's time, for me the Christmas season has arrived too. Maybe a bit later then for you guys, but just in time for this week's Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge. Fellow DT member Ashli ​​challenges us to use holiday countdown as inspiration. What a wonderful idea. For example, by making an advent calendar or perhaps making a holiday countdown journal.

I made a tag countdown calendar. It's made from #8 Manila tags. The holder is made from foam board.



The backgrounds are done with the Gelli Plate. I'm really addicted to the Gelli Plate. It really creates such beautiful backgrounds. I keep it very simple by appling only one or two layers of single color paints. With these tags I only just one color of paint. I chose or a red background with Modern Red or black background color with Charcoal Black. I just love the sort of simplicity of it.




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To join in all you need to do is make a project that fits this weeks challenge and you can be the winner of the $50 gift voucher that our amazing sponsor Simon Says Stamp offers. This prize will go to a random entry. So go over to the Stamp and Show Monday Challenge blog, let the DT members inspire you and join in the fun!

Thank you for stopping by! Love to see you next time!

Hugs,
Sandra

Monday, November 18, 2013

It's a bit of a mystery

Hi everyone,

Do you love a good mystery, just like me? Then you're in the right place, because this week at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge it's all about mystery !

From Nancy Drew books to techniques that are hard to figure out just from looking at a finished project, DT member Andrea and her father inspire us this week with the challenge of “mystery”. Will you embrace your inner Sherlock Holmes? Mystify us with your technique prowess? Or perhaps your project ties into this week’s theme by simply mysteriously being unclear on how exactly it fits! However you choose to interpret the theme, we can’t wait to see your creations!


I think that each project contains a mystery. How it is made and the thought behind it. I like to unravel what techniques and products have been used before I read the accompanying text. Can you unravel the techniques and products that I have used fot tihs card without peeking?









The base is cut to size Manila cardstock. I've made ​​the background with the Gelli Plate and Charcoal Studio Paint with an embossed piece of cardstock made with the Retro Circles embossing folder. I love the dramatic and mysterious effect and depth that you can create with Gelli Plate and a single color. With Pewter Perfect Pearls and Versa Mark I stamped the sentiment of the exclusive You Can Do Anything stamp set from Simon Says Stamp. I finally used the Mirror Sheet, that was lying around for a few months, and it's perfect for die cutting these numbers.


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To join in all you need to do is make a project that fits this weeks challenge and you can be the winner of the $50 gift voucher that our amazing sponsor Simon Says Stamp offers. This prize will go to a random entry. So go over to the Stamp and Show Monday Challenge blog, let the DT members inspire you and join in the fun!

Thank you for stopping by! Love to see you next time!

Hugs,
Sandra

Monday, November 11, 2013

Getting inky

Hi everyone,

It's Monday and that means a new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge! And what a simple but fun one we have this week! Let's get inky! Love it! Whether you want to keep it simple or you want to go all out with a colorful project, everything is possible, as long as you use some ink.



I chose a tag for my project and went with the most versatile ink I know, Distress Ink. Distress Ink has really beautiful colors and the properties of this ink are amazing. You can emboss with it, blend, all sorts of techniques, and the reaction with water is so cool. Normally I don't actually use more than three colors Distress Ink for my backgrounds. But for this Inky challenge I went all out and I used 7. I chose 6 different kind of bright colors and one brown. They blend into each other so beautifully.



One of my favorite techniques with Distress Ink is the Spritz and Flick. The ink reacts beautifully with water droplets and gives such a nice effect. To give it a little bit more depth I used the exclusive Moroccan stencil from Simon Says Stamp with Peacock Feathers Distress Ink in the same place I used it before. For some real texture I used some black colored Modeling Paste with the Sunset Sunrise stencil​​.



To let the sentiment pop a bit I stamped it with Archival Jet Black and embossed with Clear Embossing powder. I love it that you can also emboss with Archival Ink!



50dollar_voucher_600px
To join in all you need to do is make a project that fits this weeks challenge and you can be the winner of the $50 gift voucher that our amazing sponsor Simon Says Stamp offers. This prize will go to a random entry. So go over to the Stamp and Show Monday Challenge blog, let the DT members inspire you and join in the fun!

Thank you for stopping by! Love to see you next time!

Hugs,
Sandra

Monday, November 4, 2013

Patchwork doodling

Hi everyone,

A new Monday means a new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge. This week it's all about Patchwork! In the traditional way with the sewing machine and for example with the beautiful new fabrics from Tim Holtz or maybe the faux way to make stitches with a pen, or perhaps with the We R Memory Keepers Sew Easy or Sew Stampers.



What inspired me was this video by Dyan Reaveley. In this video Dyan shows a doodling patchwork technique. Although I immediately wanted to give it a try, it was the challenge. I absolutely can't draw or even doodle. So I sat down late in the evening to give it a try and when I started I just couldn't stop! It's really fun to do. It's a little addictive...





I have chosen not to color it in the patterns, but to use it as a subtle background. So I gave it a coat of Gesso to fade it more into the background.



The exclusive stencils for Simon Says Stamp are really stunning, like the Ring Cluster and Moroccan. The Ring Cluster I used black colored Modeling Paste with. Immediately a very dramatic effect. Oh yeah!



I got the washers and the mesh at the local hardware store. Always fun to browse there for some random things to use for my projects.



And to give it a bright color I used the Moroccan stencil with the Neon Pink Dauber!











50dollar_voucher_600px
To join in all you need to do is make a project that fits this weeks challenge and you can be the winner of the $50 gift voucher that our amazing sponsor Simon Says Stamp offers. This prize will go to a random entry. So go over to the Stamp and Show Monday Challenge blog, let the DT members inspire you and join in the fun!

Thank you for stopping by! Love to see you next time!

Hugs,
Sandra