CRISS CROSS APPLESAUCE...HOW ABOUT LET'S EMBOSS?!

Happy Monday everybody!  Time for another Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge!  This week, Simon Says .... "Show Some Embossing!"  Click on the link above to visit the challenge blog and see what wonderful creations the Design Team has for you this week.  Inspired as always!

This week, I decided to make something I've never made before.  I made a chunky ATC card.  There is some sort of embossing on each side; be it dry embossing or heat embossing.  Sometimes BOTH!

The ATC cards were cut from Tim Holtz' new ATC & Corners Die Cut.  The sides and top, I created on my own out of chipboard.  The sides are approximately 2 1/4" wide and the top and bottom measure 2 1/4" x 2 1/2".  I covered the top and bottom with a scrap of paper I had left from Graphic 45's Steampunk Debutante paper.  

The front of my chunky ATC card features a background I dry embossed using Tim Holtz' Pocket Watch and Steampunk Texture Fade on cream cardstock colored with Tumbled Glass Distress Ink.  Then I lightly swiped a Distress Embossing Ink pad over the raised part of the embossed design and sprinkled Gold and Copper Embossing Powders on it.  I heat embossed the powders. Next, using Tim Holtz' Steampunk stamp set, I added the two gentlemen and the "Admit One" images to my embossed background.  I love metal and what is a steampunk piece without metal?  So, I added gears from 7 Gypsies Industrial Gears.  The two watch parts have images stamped and embedded with Glossy Accents to give them a protected "glass like" surface.  Then I wired them together and hung a piece of gold chain to finish off that side.
SPEAKING OF GLOSSY ACCENTS...TIM TOLD US A LITTLE TRICK AT RANGER U REGARDING HOW TO KEEP YOUR GLOSSY ACCENTS FROM CLOGGING UP AND IT REALLY WORKS!!!  AFTER YOU HAVE USED YOUR GLOSSY ACCENTS, GIVE THE BOTTLE A GOOD TAP ON YOUR WORK SURFACE AND THEN PUT THE CAP BACK ON IT.  JUST ONE GOOD TAP.  I HAVE DONE THAT EVER SINCE RANGER U AND RARELY HAVE A CLOG NOW!!!  

Moving to the side, I distressed a piece of cream cardstock with Dried Marigold Distress Ink.  I stamped a portion of text from Tim Holtz' Papillon stamp set.  I also double stamped and heat embossed two different butterflies using the Papillon set.  They are heat embossed using Distress Embossing Ink on black cardstock.  I then sprinkled several different colors from the wonderfully vivid Adirondak Embossing Powder family:  Stream, Butterscotch, Lettuce, Wild Plum and Red Pepper.  I stacked the butterflies and glued them at the bodies only so that the wings would appear to be fluttering.

The back side of the chunky ATC card features the dress form from Tim Holtz' Haberdashery stamp set.  It is stamped onto a piece of Sticky Back Canvas that has been colored using Tumbled Glass Distress Ink.  The ruler, from Tim Holtz' Curiosities stamp set, has been heat embossed using Black Embossing Powder.  The bottom of the dress form sports three little organza roses from Tim Holtz' Trimmings.  They are colored with Wild Honey Distress Stain.  There is also a stylish little flower "corsage" on the dress form's shoulder.  This was made using another of the organza roses combined with a metal flower and fastener from Tim Holtz' Foliage.  A copper Chain Tassel also hangs from the flower.  I added a little stitching using black wax thread and hung a metal Hanger Clip from Tim Holtz' Ideaology line on it.  Finally, I added a button with more black waxed thread and a tag with a heat embossed sentiment "BELIEVE IN YOURSELF" from Wendy Vecchi's Art Inspiration stamp set. 

The final side of the ATC card is dry embossed using Grungeboard and a portion of Tim Holtz' Patchwork Texture Fade.  I painted it using a Silver Paint Dabber.  That seals the Grungeboard and creates a perfect surface to add Alcohol Inks.  I combined Stream, Butterscotch and a bit of Ginger.  Then I highlighted the entire section by lightly rubbing Perfect Gold Perfect Pearls over the raised areas with my finger.  To embellish, I created my own "BEE CREATIVE" design on the computer and sized it to fit into a 7 Gypsies Antique Brass Optical Lens.  I put the design in place using Glossy Accents because it dries clear.  Then I added a piece of gold chain and a Tim Holtz Word Key.  

The top of my chunky ATC card is embellished with a copper clock face from Tim Holtz Timepieces.  I lightly smeared some Juniper paint from a Paint Dabber onto the clock face to give it a patina look.  Then I added a crystal knob to the top from Tim Holtz' Curio Knobs.  The piece stands on two wooden blocks that have been painted with black paint and smeared with Juniper paint for a shabby chic look.  Then I wrapped all of the edges with Sketchbook Tissue Tape that has been colored with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink.

Dry embossed, heat embossed....this little piece has both!  Now it's YOUR turn to SHOW SOME EMBOSSING!  Enter your piece in our challenge at Simon Says Stamp and Show.  We have a randomly drawing each week for a lucky someone to win a

    

$50.00 credit voucher at Simon Says Stamp!  Great prize!!  But, that's not all!! If you are chosen by the Design Team to have one of the top three entries, you will be awarded our coveted TOP 3 BLINKIE to proudly display on your blog!

So, enter today and YOU could be our next winner!  Thanks for taking the time to stop by my blog.  I hope you liked my chunky ATC card and may even be inspired to try one for yourself!  This was my first...but I'm sure it won't be my last!  They are way fun to make!

Have a wonderful week and remember...take time to PLAY!!  It's SOUL FOOD!!!

FLOURISHES

Happy FOURTH OF JULY everybody!  Thanks to all of the wonderful men and women in our Armed Forces who give so much of themselves to protect our freedoms.  My son in law has done 2 tours of duty in Iraq.  Having him in our family has made me even more keenly aware of the sacrifices our veterans and their families make to defend this country.

I hope everyone has been enjoying this holiday weekend!  But, here's another reason to celebrate...it's MONDAY and time for another Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge!  This week's theme....A FLOURISH!

Let's see....there's the obvious way to use a flourish and then there's....hmmm....arms!!!  How about using flourishes to make arms?!?

 This sassy Steampunk Diva has a lot of Tim Holtz' elements in her construction.  Her body is stamped and cut from Tim's Haberdashery Stamp Set on to a piece of kraft paper.  Her arms are Tim Holtz' Mini Flourishes cut from Grungeboard.  But, I'm getting ahead of myself.  I better tell you about the background for this wall hanging and the more conventional use of flourishes first!

The background for this piece is a sheet of that lovely Graphic 45 Steampunk Debutante paper adhered onto a chipboard cut out.  I distressed the G45 paper with Tumbled Glass and edged it with Frayed Burlap Distress Inks.  I then stamped some really delicate flourishes from Tim Holtz' Fancy Flourish Stamp Set randomly around the edges of the the wall hanging.  These were embossed with Gold Embossing Powder.  I love how they turned out.  They are there, but they are wispy; not overpowering ...just blend in perfectly to the background.  Finally, I attached a piece of copper chain to the top using Long Fasteners and I added two copper gears from Tim Holtz' Sprockets and Gears as the finishing touch.

This Diva's tiara is a Weathered Clock Die cut from Shrink Plastic.  (oh my gosh...I love that stuff!  I was playing with it this past weekend and had a blast!  Warning!!!  It's addicting!)  After I shrunk it using a heat gun, I painted it with a Gold Paint Dabber.  I also added little watch parts to her hair to compliment the gadgets and gear that make up her hair on the stamp itself.  Other than the lady's face, all of the stamping I did on her was done with Gold and Copper Embossing Powders that I simply sprinkled onto the stamped image then heat embossed it.  That way, you get a more random effect for a metallic look...which I like.

Her flourish "arms" are displaying a conglomeration of little charms I made.  I'm sure you'll recognize the little birdcage and bird.  It's Tim's Caged Bird Die cut out of Shrink Plastic.  After I made it shrink, I colored it using Paint Dabbers.  The little holes remained in tact so I added little shell pink pearl charms to the bottom of the cage.  The little wire nest (on the opposite side) is a technique I learned from Tim during our "Ideaology Intrique" class at Stampers Ink a couple of weekends ago.  I love it!  I'm also sort of on a charms kick right now...thanks to one of my crafting buddies, Shirley of Shirley Hall Designs.  (She's a bad influence on me because I see her beautiful work and it gets me wanting to crank out my jewelry stuff again...and of course, I have to buy yet MORE supplies.  Isn't that how that goes? haha)  

So anyway, I wanted to somehow incorporate some charms onto this week's piece....perfect solution...flourishes for arms!  I finished off this piece with that wonderful saying from Wendy Vecchi's A Form Of Art Stamp Set... "Her style was SASSY with just a bit of ATTITUDE."  I thought that sentiment fit this steampunk Diva to a tee!

So there you have it, my take on "FLOURISHES".  Now it's YOUR turn to show some flourishes!  Check out the wonderful creations that the Design Team has waiting for you at  Simon Says Stamp and Show.  My Design Teammates "bring it" for you every week!  Their creativity never ceases to amaze me!!!  All of the wonderful ideas and products they use....WOW!  So, get your ink on and create something fabulous!  Link your design to our wonderful sponsor's blog and you could be the winner of Simon Says Stamp and Show's every generous prize of .... 

That's right!!!  A $50.00 credit voucher!!  And...if your creation is chosen as one of the best three submitted for the week, you will be awarded our TOP 3 Blinkie to proudly be displayed on your blog.  So what are you waiting for...show us your FLOURISH!