Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Autumn

Hi Everyone! I hope you're ready for an amazing new challenge over on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge. There are so many beautiful colors of the Autumn season and our theme this week is.....you guessed it, Autumn. There is so much inspiration all around at this time of year, so grab those art supplies and join us in all the fun.

I created a 6" x 8" mixed media panel celebrating my favorite time of year, Autumn. Join me below to find out how I created some of the elements for my mixed media panel.

I created my base panel by covering a 6"x 8" of white chipboard with Wendy Vecchi Crackled Texture Embossing Paste and let that completely air dry.

After my panel was completely dry, I inked Fossilized Amber, Peeled Paint and Carved Pumpkin Distress Ink using a mini ink blending tool over areas of the panel.

Next, I sprayed Vintage Photo Distress Spray Stain over the entire panel.

To intensify the colors, I sprayed Squeezed Orange and Pure Sunshine Dylusions Spray over the orange and yellow areas of my panel.

When all the ink was dry, I colored over the textured areas with a Walnut Stain Distress Crayon and rubbed the pigment in with my finger tips. I set that aside to completely dry and set.

For my focal point, I stamped the pumpkin from the Tim Holtz Halloween Mini Blueprints 2 stamp set onto Strathmore Bristol paper by inking the stamp with Ranger Embossing Ink and sprinkling on Ranger Black Embossing Powder. I set that with a heat tool and let it completely dry.

I colored the pumpkin with Zig Clean Brush Markers, Bright Yellow and Light Brown, For the leaves I used Olive Green, and for the stem I used Mid Brown Zig Clean Brush Markers. I moved the water color with a Ranger Water Brush.

I cut the paper down to 4-1/2" x 2-1/2" and distressed the edges with a Prima Distressing Tool. I then inked the edged with Fossilized Amber Distress Ink.

To create the leaves for my project, I cut several sets of leaves from the Tim Holtz Tattered Leaves and Mini Tattered Leaves die sets out of Ranger Manila Card Stock.

I make a large batch of these leaves at the end of the summer so they are ready to use on all my autumn projects throughout the fall season. I store them in a plastic bag ready for all my fall projects. Below are the steps to creating my fall leaves.

I "paint" Ranger Multi Matte Medium on the leaf and sprinkl Ranger Distress Stickles Rock Candy Dry Glitter over the wet leaf and shook off the excess.

Here's a close up of the glittery goodness.

When the leaf was completely dry, I spray it with Fossilized Amber and Carved Pumpkin Distress Spray and dab on Peeled Paint Distress Stain on the stem.

To blend the colors together, I spray the leaf lightly with water using a Distress Sprayer and allow the colors to run into each other by moving the leaf around in my hand.

Some of my leaves are colored with Distress Crayons. Here, I color on Fossilized Amber and rub it in lightly with my fingers.

I add some Peeled Paint and Vintage Photo and rub them together lightly with my finger. I then spritz it with water so the colors will blend together. I turn the leaf upside down and let the colors drip together and allowed the excess to run off onto my craft sheet.

For the leaves without glitter, I simply spray on Fossilized Amber and Vintage Photo Distress Spray in random areas and dab on Peeled Paint stain in random areas. When they are almost dry, I spritz them with water and dab them with a paper towel to remove the excess water. This gives them a weathered look. 

Here is a close up of one of the leaves colored with sprays and spritzed with water.

To create the fall colors on my leaves I used Fossilized Amber, Spiced Marmalade and Fired Brick Distress Inks. I blend each color onto the leaves with a mini blending tool.

For the stems, I pounc on Gathered Twigs Distress Ink with a blending tool and also use the same color around the edges of the leaves.

For my third panel, I cut a 5" x 7"  piece of Neenah Solar White 110 cardstock and spritz on the Tim Holtz Nordic stencil design with Carved Pumpkin and Fossilized Amber Distress Spray Stain in random areas.

Here, you can see the two colors of the design spritzed in random areas.

When the spray stain is completely dry, I stamp a small section of the images from Tammy Tutterow's Dear Ruby and Big Cheesecloth stamps onto the panel in random areas using Ranger Orange Blossom and Potting Soil Archival Inks. To stamp small sections of the large stamps, ink a small section on one of the corners of the stamp and apply ink by pressing that section of the stamp onto your stamp pad. Then using your hand stamp that section onto the panel. This will transfer a small portion of the image onto your panel. I set that aside to completely dry.

To create the bow, spray Squeezed Orange Dylusions Spray and water onto my craft sheet. Gently run the crinkle ribbon through the ink letting some of the areas pick up more ink than others.

Spray some Vintage Photo Distress Spray Stain onto the same area on the craft sheet and dab random sections of the crinkle ribbon over the brown spray. This will darken and give an aged look to your ribbon. Be sure not to add too much vintage photo ink or the colors will muddy.

Here is my completed ribbon.

I attached all my panels together and added some burlap ribbon along the bottom. I embellished my project with my leaves, the bow, an acorn and small pine cone. I created the sentiment with my laser jet printer and cut out each word. I then inked the words with Spiced Marmalade and Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

I hoped you enjoyed seeing the process I used to create my Autumn mixed media panel. Please join us in all the fun and add your project to Simon Says Stamp's Monday Challenge Blog for your chance to win a $50 gift voucher to their amazing store.

For more inspiration, tips and tricks for all types of papercraft creations, follow Simon Says Stamp on:

          

You can find all the following supplies I used to create this project at Simon Says Stamp:

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