EXCITING BLOG HOP NEWS & SIMON SAYS "TRAVEL"

EXCITING BLOG HOP NEWS FROM SIMON SAYS STAMP!!!

For the second year in a row, Simon Says Stamp and Show & The Simon Says Stamp Challenge are joining forces to bring you a SUPER hop and treasure hunt to celebrate the approaching fall and winter holidays.  Be sure to come back on August 31st to start the hop.  It will run through September 5th.  Simon Says Stamp is offering some GREAT prize packages, and there will be other opportunities to win some blog candy, too!  Stay tuned......

 This week's Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge is about TRAVEL.  Hmmm....what to do.  I thought about making a travel journal.  Then I thought about making a tag and using Tim's Airplane or his Travel Labels stamps.  But those just didn't get me excited.  Then it hit me!!!  What about making Tim Holtz' Old Jalopy from his Old Jalopy Die Cut.....only not flat.....Three Dimensional!?!
So, that is what I made for this week's "TRAVEL" challenge.  It was fun and also challenging!

I started with two chipboard die cuts.  I reversed one of them so that I would have two opposite sides.  I painted them with Pitch Black Paint Dabber and let them dry.  I took some of the other little smaller pieces from the die cut; the small front bumper section and the running boards and painted them with a mixture of Butterscotch and Espresso Paint Dabbers.  When dry, I covered them with Antique Bronze Distress Stickles for that grungy and distressed look.

I decided to make my own tires rather than using the ones on the die cut.  So, I used the bottom of a paint dabber bottle (the perfect size) and drew around it on some black foam board to create 5 tires.  Then I cut them out.  For the wheels, I used Tim's Retro Circles Texture Fade and picked out one of the circles that would be the perfect size.  I embossed four of them with a piece of copper metal and then cut out around them.  Next I rubbed them with a Pitch Black Paint Dabber to distress them just a bit.  I glued them to the "tire" using Glossy Accents.  I also have a spare tire on the back end of the car.  But that tire has a travel label as it's center.  More about the label later.

(the opposite side of the old jalopy)

When the sides of my car were dry, it was time to make it into a 3 dimensional vehicle.  I took a piece of Grungepaper and cut it into a 2 1/2" wide strip.  I painted it black and let it dry.  Then I measured in 1/4" in on each side and drew a line with a pencil.  I cut small tabs down both sides of the strip up to the pencil line so that my Grungepaper could easily bend as I was forming it to the two die cut jalopy sides.  It worked!!!  I glued the paper strip in place with Glossy Accents on one side of the vehicle.

Next I cut pieces of Mica to make "windows" in my jalopy.  I glued them in place with Glossy Accents.  Then I attached the other side of the jalopy to the strip of Grungepaper exactly as I had done on the first side.  I set my little jalopy to the side to dry.

My Old Jalopy needed a grill so I used Tim' Checkerboard Texture Fade and embossed a piece on to copper metal.  I cut out the size I needed to make a grill and then rubbed a Pitch Black Paint Dabber on it to grunge it up a bit.  After all, this IS an OLD JALOPY!!

I also added headlights by cutting two small flowers from Tim Holtz' Tattered Flowers die cut out of aluminum.  I rubbed outside with a Pitch Black Paint Dabber and left the inside shiny to sort of resemble lit head lights.  I bent the petals up and fashioned them into a round shape.  Then I glued them in place with Glossy Accents.

I also wanted to add more to the jalopy than just running boards.  So I used Tim's Lost and Found Paper Stash and found some perfectly sized travel labels.  I cut out 6 of them to embellish my jalopy; one on each side of the car, one on the hood, two on the top of the car and one on the spare tire.  I glued them in place using Glossy Accents and then wiped some Rock Candy Stickles on them to grunge them up a bit and make them pop.

I added my little pieces of bumper and the running boards but now I needed to make the bumpers run completely across the front and back of the vehicle.  So, I cut two bumpers out of chipboard and painted them.  Then I glued them into place and covered them with Antique Bronze Stickles to match the other bumper sections.  I added the grill to the front of the jalopy with Glossy Accents.  I found the license plate in the Lost and Found Paper Stash, cut it out and added it to the back bumper with Glossy Accents. 

My Jalopy was finished...except it needed a driver.  Enter Tim Holtz!  I found a picture of him on the internet (loved the facial expression), sized it down, fashioned a body and put Tim together.  He's holding a banner that I made out of his Tattered Banners die cut.  It is distressed with Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain Distress Inks.  I added one of Tim's famous quotes, "Enjoy The Journey" and attached it to a pole that I then glued to Tim's hand.  I love the expression on his face!  It truly looks like he's enjoying a ride in his Old Jalopy!  Finally, I added some Rock Candy Stickles to grunge it up a bit but give it some sparkle.

I decided I wanted someplace for the Old Jalopy to sit, so I created a little platform out a 5x7 canvas.  I found another piece of paper in the Lost and Found Paper Stash that I loved, so I cut it into a 6 3/4" x 4 3/4" piece.  I die cut one side to say "JOURNEY" using Tim's Journey Movers and Shapers die cut.  I backed it with black cardstock and glued the whole piece into place.  Then I put tissue tape around the outside edge of the canvas and distressed it with Wild Honey and Fired Brick Distress Ink.  I decided to elevate the front side of the car so that I could have a better look at Tim driving and also the detail of the jalopy.  So, I made 5 little Distress Ink pads out of black foam board and sized the labels down to fit the 1" squares.  I glued them into place and positioned my little Old Jalopy on the Distress Ink pads.

So, that's my TRAVEL piece...Tim's Old Jalopy in a three dimensional form and Tim at the wheel going 90 to nothing!!  Now it's your turn to create something to do with travel and post it to our blog at Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge.  If your entry is randomly chosen, you will win a $50.00 CREDIT VOUCHER to spend with our most generous sponsor....

If your entry is chosen as one of our top three for the week, you will receive our coveted TOP 3 BLINKIE to proudly display on your blog.


Having some trouble thinking of something?  Head over to the Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge Blog and just feast your eyes on what the Design Team has created for you.  Every week, they bring so many unique and individual interpretations of the theme.  


I can't wait to see what you enter in our weekly challenge!  Thanks for stopping by my blog and good luck!!!