Maura's Musings

Thursday, September 20

STAMPtember Release by Tim Holtz!!

Awesome Tim Holtz STAMPtember release!

Hello friends! Today we have something super special to share with you - the brand new release for STAMPtember at Simon Says Stamp by the super creative Tim Holtz!

My first card for the holidays is done in a grungy style with a natural feel. To me it feels like the Adirondack Mountains which is where I live.

Inside of the card...

Details...I used the stencils in the background, and colored the stamped images, then added glitter to make it look wintry.

Card with matching envelope

Supplies I used to create this card.

My second holiday card is cheery and bright and in non-traditional colors, all tied up with a pretty pink hand dyed ribbon.

For my background, I dripped the ink directly on to the Yupo paper, then added some drops of the blending solution.

I stamped the music design with the alcohol lift ink for the background - isn't it cool?

What a beautiful stamp set and stencils, right?!

Supplies I used to make this card...

I hope you've enjoyed my holiday creations using Tim's special STAMPtember set!

Thanks for stopping by! Maura

Be sure to head on over to the awesome Simon Says Stamp store to check out the newest release for this month!

Monday, September 17

It's a Wrap!

Hello Monday, my friends! So happy to have you here to tell you about our brand new challenge for this week at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - It's a Wrap! We are making all kinds of giftie things like tags, wrapping paper, gift bags, etc.

I pulled out some blank gift bags I had in my stash, and had a lot of fun creating these mixed media designs for them!

I tore some strips of paper to get started and adhered them with collage medium - Beach Babe and old book paper.

Next up, a fun mix of colors brushed on over this. I wiped it back a bit with a baby wipe.

I find myself reaching for Simon's Irregular Dots stencil all the time, it really is a fun pattern to use.

Once the cheddar circles dried, I laid on the Jazz Dance circles with umber. I like to use a cosmetic sponge to dab in the paint, after I have dabbed a lot of it off first.

Then, I added the tree stencil, making the bottom green (as most of the trees are at the moment), then turning it upside down and going for red and orange. (some of the leaves are beginning to change)

I couldn't resist pulling out some bubble wrap and adding another lightly layered design to this.

details of the layers....

I added a bit of stamping, colored areas in with watercolor, then a white pen.

...and here's my chirpy bird gift bag - enjoy the little things.

First layer on the white bag was the funky patterned paper, then this bright mix of colors. When it gets too bright, I lightly whitewash it.

Here come those dots again! I overlaid the dots with different colors to create some depth to the design.

details...

I added a stamped layer of images, then whitewashed most of the design. Once it dried, I added a bit of highlighting with the white pen.

Cheery circles bag - enjoy the little things!

Now it's your turn to create a wrap or something to go with it! I'm looking forward to seeing your ideas! Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope I've inspired you.

One lucky participant will be chosen at random to receive a $50 shopping voucher from our generous friends at Simon Says Stamp!