Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge

Jul 21

Written By Tamara

Transport it

Good day, fellow crafters. Today I present to you a project that I worked on for an upcoming child’s birthday in conjunction with creating an entry for this weeks Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge. When I stumbled upon this fantastic die set from Taylored Expressions, I knew it was perfect for the birthday celebrant, who adores anything related to wheels and transport. Since this week's challenge theme revolves around transport, it was an ideal opportunity to showcase this die set in action. I hope that my work inspires you to create something of your own, and I hope to see it in the challenge too.

To create the sky background of this card, and to add depth and texture, I opted for the charming My Favorite Things Clouds stencil, which effortlessly captures the essence of fluffy clouds, pictured on the left. For that authentic blue sky hue, I turned to the Powder Blue premium dye ink from Gina K. This ink has become a personal favorite, as its shade perfectly mirrors the clear blue sky just outside my studio window. Combining the Powder Blue ink with the cloud stencil and a very gentle application of ink using a ink-blending brush makes the clouds to life, making the sky appear more authentic and inviting. I recommend being light handed with the ink if you are going to have your clouds be layered in the manner I have used them as once you get ink where you don’t want it then its a lot harder to keep your work looking good.

The next step was to create the midground, and in this case it was time to get dirty! For the bustling scene I envisioned, I knew I needed a fitting setting for my industrious heavy equipment, and so I settled on crafting a dirt worksite. To bring it to life, I reached for another piece of white cardstock, and employed the torn edge method, I tore the paper to form a rough and textured edge that effectively broke the visual "horizon," demarcating the boundary between the midground and background. To get the color of the dirt that I wanted I used Gina K ink in the color Kraft, which I ink-blended onto the cardstock to get just the right colors. For those aiming to recreate this look, it's important to pay attention to the torn edges, as they require a bit more work to ensure seamless integration and around loose fibers. I next created the illusion of dirt piles by using the Honey Bee Wispy Clouds stencil and blending a second coat of the Kraft colored ink.

The next stage was to complete the foreground. To do this I utilized this heavy equipment stamp and die set from Taylored Expressions. I first stamped them out on some more white cardstock and then used my Copic markers colors to color them. Staying true to the inspiration from the packaging, I chose a route that prioritized the recipient's preference for captivating colors over the strict true-to-life colors of the equipment's actual manufacturer.

The next step was the assembly and finishing. I trimmed my back and mid grounds to their final dimensions and then overlapped the two pieces to create the final background panel. To provide some visual contrast I trimmed a piece of black cardstock for a mat to which I adhered the background. I then took that assembled piece and adhered it to a pre-cut A2 white card base in a landscape orientation, fold at the top. I next adhered the foreground elements and stamped the sentiment from the same set in a black ink.