IS IT POSSIBLE TO HAVE ONE FAVORITE STAMP?

The challenge for this week's Simon Says Stamp and Show is themed "Your Favorite Stamp".  I don't have just one.  How could I choose?  I love so many wonderful stamps from Tim Holtz, Wendy Vecchi, Hero Arts, Magenta, Invoke Arts...the list goes on and on.  TODAY; however, my favorite stamp(s) are "Tools For Art" by Wendy Vecchi.  So, that set inspired my challenge piece for this week.

I started with a plastic artist's palette and the cover page from Tim Holtz' Kraft Resist Paper Stash.  I loved all of the papers in this stash and couldn't decide on just one to cover my palette.  So, I decided to use the cover of the collection.  That way, I could incorporate several of the papers on my palette.

A little bit of this and a little bit of that and before long, I had gone from the plain white plastic palette to this ... 

I began by cutting another of the artists' palettes out of black chipboard to use as an offset background piece.  Then I covered the plastic palette with the cover page from the Kraft Resist Paper Stash Collection.  I inked around the edges with Black Soot Distress Ink.  

The pools of "paint" are various Color Wash colors.  I used 6 of Wendy's sentiments from various stamp sets and heat embossed them onto white cardstock using Clear Embossing Powder so that the words would really stand out among the "paint".  Then I sprayed each of the white pieces of embossed cardstock with random colors and wiped around the embossed words.  Next I cut random splotches from each to look like paint on a busy artist's palette.  

  I used the paint brush, the Speedball bottle and the Diamond Inks Stampine label from the "Tools For Art" stamp set.  I also used one of each of the bottles from Wendy Vecchi's Borders and Bottles Art Parts set.  The art parts fit perfectly under the stamps from Wendy's set. 

   

I stamped 6 paintbrushes onto kraft cardstock using Black Archival Ink.  I wanted the brushes to appear to have been dipped into the small pools of "paint" on the palette, so I heat embossed the corresponding color of "paint" to the ends of the brushes.  Those were done by using the corresponding colors of Adirondak Embossing Powders.  I then wrapped a piece of 1/4" silver Memory Metal Foil Tape around the brushes for added detail.  I arranged them in order onto a small brad and topped the brad with a little Wendy Vecchi flower stamped onto white cardstock sprayed with Butterscotch Color Wash.  I popped the brushes in place using black pop dots stacked three high underneath the brad. 

 

Next I stamped out one Speedball bottle and one Diamond Inks Stampine label onto the kraft cardstock.  I covered the smaller of the two bottles (the one that used the Diamond label) with the kraft resist paper and inked it with black ink.  Then I wiped off the ink to reveal the resist.  Very subtle but pretty cool.  I added a little top to the bottle out of black cardstock.  I added some detail to the bottles by using Crackle Accent on the Diamond Inks label and also all of the detail on the Speedball bottle.

My palette was fun ... but it needed something else.  It needed Wendy's flowers and leaves!!  So, I wiped Fired Brick, Broken China and Peeled Paint Distress Stains onto white cardstock to create the colors for the flowers and leaves.  I stamped polka dots and the grid pattern to accent the flowers and a subtle script on the larger leaves set.  The flowers are free standing by using green floral wire.  After I arranged my flowers and leaves the way I wanted them, I popped the two bottles in place.  

So, my favorite stamp (this week) is actually a conglomeration of Wendy Vecchi stamps all rolled into one creation inspired by "Tools For Art"....a fun and colorful artist's palette. 

Check out the SIMON SAYS STAMP AND SHOW CHALLENGE blog.  There you will find the Design Teams' favorite stamps and some really wonderfully creative, inspiring ideas that will encourage you to pull out your favorite stamp and get busy!  Create something wonderful and link it to our blog.  YOU could be the winner of our very generous sponsor's prize of a $50.00 credit voucher to be spent at Simon Says Stamp Store....THE place for all of your papercrafting and beyond needs!

Thanks for stopping by my blog!  I can't wait to see what you've created with YOUR favorite stamp!