Let's Go Dutch...!

Good morning,
The world keeps spinning and gives us another Monday, so I'm here to share my new creation for Simon Says Stamp & Show. I just want to say I'm still so honoured to be part of this fantabulous Design Team. Every week - I just luuuuurve it! My big heartfelt thanks to ALL the team for making it such an amazing experience. This week we are in a TRAVEL mood...! Last year in The Netherlands, I bought a pair of children's hand carved clogs which have been sitting in my craft room for ages, begging me for a makeover. I lived in The Netherlands for 14 years and still waffle to myself in Dutch so I decided on a tribute to The Flatlands à la Wendy Vecchi style... à la Blue Dutch Delft style!

(Before we go any further, I can live with sweet and pretty just fine, but I don't do cute...) I prepped the clog with three coats of Gesso to get a good white colour and base and then stamped the leaves from Wendy's Nature's Art set in Cobalt Archival ink. No acrylic block, I pressed the stamp against the form of the shoe. It was a bit scary on such a white surface but you just have to be brave and go for it! I also stamped the leaves onto Grunge Paper and cut them out for later...

Then onto a flurry of flowers! I really love to make things from scratch, relishing the stamp, snip and glue work! Wendy's Live and Make Art set make great florals and you can stamp your heart and soul into them, if you fancy! I painted some Grungeboard white and went for gingham and polka dots. Those checks look just like real fabric! If you haven't tried Wendy's stamps yet, you should! You can indulge in the whimsical or flowery...I love both. Let me tell you they all ink up beautifully and create really wonderful impressions.

I experimented with lots of different flutter-bys... but in the end this fella, also from Nature's Art, made centre stage. I stamped him in Stazon Midnight Blue ink onto Clearly for Art. The flexible and transparent quality of CFA allowed me to add colour and dimension without overpowering my little clog. I think he looks just dandy perching on the nose!

It's full on with the blue flower power but also fun to take the authentic colours of Dutch Delft pottery and mix it up with a modern feel. A girl's gotta play!!! Here you can see more of the flowers with painted washers for centres. I bent the Grungeboard to add some shape to the flowers and glued my cut out leaves under the front flower. The standing flowers are mounted onto thin metal rods pushed into holes that I drilled into the clog...

Here you can see an itty-bitty flowery dooby...a few of which I added to the sides and back. Aaawh, even I think they're cute... ahum, sweet. You can turn the standing flowers so you can have them and the clog facing in any direction. You know, just in case you want to admire the derrière for a change...So there it is. A fine case of the blues and all clogged up in the best possible sense! Would love to know what you think? Me is a bit chuffed and a little in love...

So get your TRAVEL thinking hats on and share some creative dabblings with us. Head on over to our blog and see all the fabulous fingerwork from the rest of the Design Team! And you have GOT to be here next time because it is something rather special...

For the second year in a row, Simon Says Stamp and Show and The Simon Says Stamp Challenge are joining forces to bring you a SUPER blog-hop and Treasure Hunt to celebrate the approaching Fall and Winter holidays. Be sure to come back on August 31st to start the hop which runs until September 5th. Simon Says Stamp is offering some really great prize packages, and there's a chance to win some fabulous blog candy, too!

All sounds pretty good to me! Looking forward to seeing you and your art this week! Thanks very much for being here!!!

Sarah.