SEEING STARS

Greetings Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge Fans! 

It's time for another new challenge! This week, it's all about STARS!  Stop by the challenge blog and check out the "out of this world" projects that the Design Team has waiting for you!

Since I am a huge fan of Marilyn Monroe, I took the opportunity to combine literal stars with her Hollywood Stardom. 

I created this 6x6 chipboard piece, celebrating her life and featuring STARS.

I began with this 6x6 chipboard covered in a wonderful image from Graphic 45's Communique paper.  I inked the edges with Black Soot and then gave the paper a light spritz with Sunflower Sparkle Perfect Pearls Mist.

Next, I die cut the stars (from Sizzix Bigz Stars) and medium gear (from Tim Holtz Gadget Gears) out of plain Grungeboard. I cut the little tabs off of the gears and then dabbed first a Silver and then Gold Paint Dabber over all to create a grungy metallic effect.  Then I backed the stars with black cardstock that had been lightly swiped with the Gold Paint Dabber.  I added a little "bling" to the centers of the stars.

Here is a closeup of the finished stars.

The large filmstrip is cut from Vellum and then from manila cardstock.  I alcohol inked the vellum with Caramel and Ginger Alcohol Inks to create the really cool mottled effect.  Those are great vintage colors! Then I distressed the manila cardstock with Gathered Twigs and glued the vellum on top of the cardstock using Glossy Accents.  Next, I inked the edges with Black Soot Distress Ink.  Finally, I added the two lovely pictures of Marilyn I found on the internet and sized to fit the frames of my filmstrip.

Next came the film reel.  The medium Gadget Gears was the perfect size for this piece! After painting the Grungeboard, I rolled a piece of manila cardstock cut into a 3/4" strip until it fit the holes of the gears.  Then I glued the ends together with Glossy Accents and painted what would be the "shaft" for my film reel.  Then I hot glued the shaft into place between the "reels".  Next, I hot glued one end of a piece of Tim Holtz' wonderful Filmstrip Ribbon to the shaft.  I left a long tail of film so that I could later intertwine it among the stars and camera.

I found another wonderful picture of Marilyn posing and thought she'd be perfect sitting atop my film reel ... and she is! I sized her to fit, backed her with cardstock and then cut her out.  I inked her edges with a black cats eye ink pad and hot glued her "tush" in place sitting on the film reel.  I wish you could actually see this piece in person.  The dimensionality of her sitting on that film reel is really neat!

Stars are always having to put up with the paparazzi.  I decided to add Tim Holtz' Mini Vintage Camera to this piece.  I started with a piece of Grungeboard and covered it with a piece of black cardstock that was swiped with the Silver and Gold Paint Dabbers.  I popped the lens with a couple of pop dots so that it would stick out.  I added a scrap of Metal Foil Sheet around a large "bling" rhinestone in hopes of created a camera flash effect; like the old cameras used to produce.  Finally, I tucked the other end of Tim Holtz' film strip ribbon into the camera after it winded its way through the stars.

So, here it is again.  Do you see the filmstrip winding its way from the film reels, through the stars and to the camera?

Now it's YOUR turn to create something wonderful using stars.  Then post it to our challenge and YOU could be our lucky weekly winner of our generous sponsor's 

$50.00 credit voucher! You could also be named as one of our TOP THREE works of art for the week! Have fun with this one! I can't wait to see what you create!  Have a great week!

Here are all of the products available at Simon Says Stamp and Show used on this piece:

InLinkz.com

SIMONS SAYS SHOW A SONG TITLE

WELCOME TO ANOTHER SIMON SAYS CHALLENGE!  THIS WEEK IS "A SONG TITLE".  

This is a fun challenge because there are as many possibilities as there are song titles!  I am a huge Marilyn Monroe fan so this challenge was easy for me....

"DIAMONDS ARE A GIRL'S BEST FRIEND"

This is a 6x6 chipboard that I first coated with white Gesso, adding a little more on the right hand side of the chipboard.  Then I stamped into that heavier buildup of gesso on the right side with Tim Holtz' Large Harlequin Rubber Stamp.  After it dried, I mixed Claudine Hellmuth's Painterly Pink and Blank Canvas Studio Paints to create my nice soft "girly" pink background.  Then I took just a bit of the Painterly Pink on a paper towel and lightly blotted it all over the chipboard, creating the light and dark hues of the pink.  

When all of that was dry, I distressed the edges of the background using Black Soot Distress Ink.  I added definition to the diamond shapes of the harlequin pattern using Glam Pink and Star Dust Stickles.  I filled in rows of harlequins (using my finger to apply the color) with the Glam Pink and then outlined the diamond shapes with Star Dust.  Then I laid that to the side and the real fun began!!  Marilyn....

 

Marilyn began with the dress form from Tim Holtz' Sewing Room die cut.  I cut the dress form from Grungeboard and embossed it with Tim Holtz' Flourishes Texture Fade.  Then I painted the dress form with Charcoal Black Studio Paint. When dry, I gently (using my finger) swiped Painterly Pink over the high areas of the dress form, revealing the pattern and creating almost a brocade effect on the dress.  I added the sparkle on the pattern using Glam Pink Stickles.  I love that look!  

To complete Marilyns' dress, I added gathered pink tulle for the skirt and also the little ruffle at the bodice.  The lovely rose is one from Tim Holtz' Trimmings that is sprayed with my own concoction of Worn Lipstick Reinker/Forever Red Perfect Pearls/Water.  Then I topped the rose with some Star Dust Stickles for that extra pop and dropped a "diamond" in the center of the rose.  Finally, I added just a touch of the pink marabou behind Marilyn's shoulders.  Tim's simple dress form really looks different now!

 

Next, I needed a Marilyn head and some paper doll arms.  I found some online that were PERFECT!  So, I sized them and added them to my dress form (before I added the tulle ruffle at the bodice and the marabou).  Marilyn's head is pop dotted on top of the neck for more dimension. 

Notice the beautiful "diamond" waterfall earrings Marilyn is wearing?  Those are Star Dust Stickles!  The huge bling necklace and bracelet she's wearing is some old trim I found at a flea market.  Perfect!  Her ring is a clear dot from Hero Arts Gemstones. 

Next I added the crystal flourishes to the background before I added the song title.

"Diamonds" is from Tim Holtz' Ransom Alpha Parts.  I brushed the top of the black letters with a Snow Cap Paint Dabber.  Then I added Star Dust Stickles to make them sparkle as if they were diamond studded letters.  I dotted the "i" with another of the big diamonds from my flea market trim.  The rest of the letters were computer generated and then matted on black cardstock.

Just think of the endless possibilities of using a SONG TITLE as a theme!  Check out the TRULY AMAZING, JAW DROPPING CREATIONS that my Design Team buddies at SIMON SAYS STAMP AND SHOW CHALLENGE have for your viewing pleasure this week!!!  Then start getting ink and join the fun!  Post your artful creation to our blog and you could be the lucky winner of our weekly random drawing for a ....

  

If your entry is chosen as one of the TOP THREE projects for the week, you will receive our TOP THREE BLINKIE for your blog!  I can't wait to see what you come up with for this fun theme!