The Art of Thinking

Hello friends,

I have a fun project to share today! I’m diving back into a classic with The Inspector stamp set, but giving it a major upgrade using the brand-new matching Wafer Dies.

The Inspector has always been a fan favorite, but Simon Says Stamp has officially upped the game. These all-new wafer dies are designed specifically for this set, meaning no more fussy cutting—just perfectly crisp edges that take your projects from 'handmade' to 'pro' in seconds. To show them off, I’ve used the largest Vignette Square Box to create a dimensional scene that really lets The Inspector shine.

As you can see on the right, the die set cuts many of the basic pieces. It also has added dies to cut out several layers like his googles, the ring and clocks on the gauge, and the body of the lamp.

To get started on the Vignette Box structure, I added neutral paper from the Backdrops #4 paper pack. This is a small box so you can cover the inside with one sheet of Backdrop paper. I also added Collage Medium over the top of the paper to seal it. Now, you could set the box aside to dry naturally... but if you’re impatient like me, a heat tool is your best friend. 

You might use Design Tape to cover the lip edge of the square Vignette, but I decided to just paint it for a rustic look. If you get any paint on the inside, just wipe it off. NOTE: Since the paper is sealed with Collage Medium so you can easily wipe any excess paint away with a wet wipe.

Once the paint is dry, sand the painted edge with a sanding block to give it an aged appearance.

For the outside of the Vignette, I chose the stamp print from the 8x8 Palette Red paper pack. Adhere it just as you did on the inside, Collage Medium under to adhere and over the top to seal.

For the inside:

I stamped the images from The Inspector with Archival ink. The Inspector was stamped with Black Soot and the gauge with Hickory Smoke. I also re-stamped the gauge with Embossing ink and embossed with Ranger Superfine Embossing Powder (gold). That gave me the layering pieces for the gauge.  

All the coloring was done with Distress Crayons and fat brush (that can hold water) from the Ranger Paint Brush set. Hickory Smoke and Stormy Sky Distress Crayon were used on the gauge.

His glasses are Fossilized Amber and the jacket and hat are Uncharted Mariner. Much easier to see the layering in this shot!

I also wanted to use a few Industrial Gears in the background so I added Long Fasteners to the center of each gear, then smashed it with the Texture Hammer. I painted the gears with Speckled Egg Distress Paint and let dry. Then I rubbed Black Soot Distress Paint over the top of the Speckled Egg. The last step was to sand a bit with some steel wool to bring back some of the metal.

Everything I cut out or worked on was added to the Vignette Box using Foam Squares and small wood blocks to raise the inspector from the Vignette.

I added the Clippings sticker, "the Art of Thinking" to the Inspector, as well as Sprocket Gears and string to the bottom of the box.

I also added a Figure Stand that I painted in black and white + a little Mushroom Alcohol Ink.

I also added the die cut piece, "Strictly Hand Made", to the top of the box after coloring it in with Lumberjack Plaid Distress Crayon. I think it makes the perfect finish.

The new Simon Says Stamp Wafer Dies are a total dream to use. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate skipping the fussy cutting! It made creating this fun, layered effect so much faster and gave the whole project such a polished look.

Now carry on,
Paula