Grungy Monday #14, Simon Says Stamp & Show, & a Brand New Challenge!

I had a little extra time this afternoon and thought I'd hurry up and get my Grungy Monday challenge done. This week our inspiration comes from Tim Holtz's March technique from 2008. It's a resist technique using Adirondack Dabbers (love them!) and homemade shimmer mist. This technique is absolutely gorgeous; the photos don't do it justice at all!

Simon Says Stamp and Show asked us to use a flourish this week. I used one of my favorite little flourish stamps from Tim Holtz's Nature's Discovery stamp collection. My background is from the Papillon stamp set and was stamped using a Snow Cap Dabber.

My sweet little bird and cage were cut using the Sizzix Mini Bird and Cage dies. The cage was given a metallic look with my faux tarnished metal technique, and hangs from an Idea-ology Swivel Clasp along with an Idea-ology Philosophy Tag. The bird was painted with Picket Fence Crackle Paint. I loved the look, but it was a little dull. I wondered what it would look like with a nice, shiny coating of UTEE.Ooooh, it looks so cool! Like crackled enamel. What's also neat is that the top layer will crack too, if you bend it, so you get a multi-layered crackling thing going. I love experimenting!

Speaking of embossing - it's a new month, which means a new challenge over at the Inspiration Emporium blog! This month your challenge is to use any kind of embossing. One lucky participant will win a $50 gift certificate, so get out those powders and folders and get busy!