More belated birthday celebrations and a new Holiday themed stencil from STAMPlorations

Afternoon peeps, this is the final day of our belated birthday celebrations at STAMPlorations. I'm finishing with another Christmas card.

This quite a simple design using one of Sanna's new stencils Holly and gold embossing paste on green card.

I glued the finished panel onto an A6 cream base card, added a sentiment from the Christmas Bell Medley set with Versamark and gold EP and a thin sliver of gold mirror card competes.

This was such a quick and easy design, I may make some more as they are fairly flat for posting! Perhaps I may change the colour of the card or even use a different embossing paste.

Sales/Promotions: 

All products in the STAMPlorations store are 10% off instantly throughout October. 

Also if you use my 20% off DT code when ordering, your order will include this not-yet-released stencil, Just Plaid square stencil (10 mil):

Here's my link to the STAMPlorations online shop:- STAMPGIRLJULIE

So get busy hopping and commenting if you want to win!

More belated 7th birthday releases from STAMPlorations

 Good afternoon stampers and welcome to day 4 of the celebrations over at STAMPlorations.

Here's my card for you today using the Circles All Over Texture Coverplate and Bloomfuly Kindness stamp set.

Quite a simple card to make once I decided on the layout. The background was made using the coverplate then the flowers were stamped, coloured with Copics and fussy cut. I used the Autumnal colours and the feel of the pic from The Card Concept as my starting point for this clean and layered card. The bucket is reflected in the white circular frame which also echoes the background.

My sentiment was stamped in two halves the first on white with blck and fussy cut then the second in white EP on a strip of black card and put together with the 'kindness slipped behind the black strip. The fussy cutting of the sentiment allows the flowers to shoe through.

To assemble, I trimmed the white embossed panel down and added it to an A6 note card then added the circle frame on pads and flowers, followed by the sentiment.

For more inspiration check out the rest of the STAMPgirls here.

Sales/Promotions: 

All products in the STAMPlorations store are 10% off instantly throughout October. 

Also if you use my 20% off DT code when ordering, your order will include this not-yet-released stencil, Just Plaid square stencil (10 mil):

Here's my link to the STAMPlorations online shop:- STAMPGIRLJULIE

So get busy hopping and commenting if you want to win and come back tomorrow, same time for more belated birthday celebrations.

I'm joining in over at:-

Yet more belated birthday release inspiration from STAMPlorations

Afternoon peeps, I'm back with some more inspiration to celebrate STAMPlorations belated 7th birthday.

Today I'm showcasing Sanna's new wreath stencil.

I've been playing with my Gelli plate and made quite a few background panels so this was the perfect opportunity to make something with them. This panel was a pull using DOx in Spiced Marmalade, Abandoned Coral and Fossilised Amber I think, might have been some Gathered Twigs as well!

I inked through the large wreath on the new Christmas Wreaths stencil with a mix of Vintage Photo and Gathered Twigs DOx for the leaves and Candied Apple DOx for the berries. A few lines and dots with a black fine liner give added definition. 

I decided to just use part of the wreath and trimmed it down to fit my A6 card, added a die cut Thankful in Orange with a layer of brown to complete.

With this new stencil you also get a small wreath in the center of the large one, so you get two for the price of one!

I used a diecut card circle that was in my bits box and inked the wreath. I did mask off the berries with scraps of masking tape before inking in the leaves. Again I added detail with a black fine liner and added a ribbon bow and an ancient sentiment from my stash.

That's all from for today but please check out the rest of the STAMPgirls and don't forget to leave a comment as you pass through for a chance to win!

Sales/Promotions: 

All products in the STAMPlorations store are 10% off instantly throughout October. 

Also if you use my 20% off DT code when ordering, your order will include this not-yet-released stencil, Just Plaid square stencil (10 mil):

Here's my link to the STAMPlorations online shop:- STAMPGIRLJULIE

So get busy hopping and commenting if you want to win and come back tomorrow, same time for more belated birthday celebrations.

Belated Birthday Celebrations @STAMPlorations day 2

Welcome to day 2 of the belated 7th STAMPlorations birthday celebrations.

Today I've gone all wintery with my inspiration design.

Here's a card made with one of the new slimline stencils Trees.

For the background, I first added some black Brusho over the stencil which I laid on some scrap paper resting on a large acrylic block. I then misted it with water and took a print with some scrap paper, lifted off the stencil, flipped it over and laid it over a panel of watercolour paper, taking it away quickly to avoid the liquid Brusho from seeping under the stencil and blurring the trees too much.

Whilst waiting for it to dry, I die cut three of the Leaping Deer from black, brown and white card, gluing them together so that the brown was in the middle and a tiny bit of each of the darker colours was visible. 

Once dry, I cut my panel down to size and added a torn snow drift stamped with the Season's Greetings from Christmas Bell Medley and added the whole to a DL base card. I placed my deer over the background and added some extra sparkly snow amongst the trees with some Stickles.

Why not check out the rest of the STAMPgirls here and join in the fun.

Don't forget to comment for a chance to win as you hop along.

I'd like to join in over at :-

V is for Vixen, other reindeer are OK too!

A Twofer for Cardz4Guyz

 Morning card makers, it's Tuesday so its time for a new challenge over at Cardz4Guyz.

This time our theme is :-

FALL/AUTUMN COLOURS

Here's my take on the challenge.

I think the autumnal colours make this highly suitable for a male recipient.

I used part of a panel left over from my gelli plate experiments and used this lovely silhouette stamp Happy Days from Uniko repeat stamped around the edge in autumnal colours. I did add some texture with a dot stamp and gold ink to each spray but it doesn't really show up unless you look very closely indeed.

My sentiment is also from Uniko, Birthday Wishes, which I stamped in very dark brown. The finished panel was trimmed down and added flat to an off-white A6 top folding card.

Whilst I had my Happy days set out I decided to make another as I wanted to enter Darnell's Twofer challenge. The layout was based on Sharon's card at LIM and the panel insert was a scrap leftover from this card using my Uniko Nature's Treasures Stencil over another gelli plate print so I can also enter over at CAS Mix Up! I do love it when challenges come together like that.

As I was CASeing Sharon's card, I used the layout, and the gold foliage as my inspiration as it was a masculine card, I left the flowers out. This time I stamped and embossed the leafy sprig with gold EP, not that it shows particularly well in the photo, then fussy cut it. My background was made using an Avery Elle stitched snowdrift die and the snippet of stenciled gelli plate print was added in the gap. A simple thank you was stamped on matching off-white card and embossed with the same gold EP. popping the sprig of foliage up on pads but kept the sentiment flat.

So two masculine cards using one theme, leftovers and a few challenges as inspiration!

Please check out the rest of the DT here for more autumnal inspiration.

Joining in over at:-

  

Belated Birthday Celebrations at STAMPlorations

Hi and welcome to a rather belated 7th Birthday birthday party at STAMPlorations. Better late than never, all the girls at STAMPlorations are showcasing goodies old and new.

Here is my first card of the week using both newly released and older items.

This card uses the Circles All Over Texture Coverplate that is released as part of the belated 7th birthday celebrations. I like the look of this and I'm sure it will be used a lot, it may even surface again later in the week!

For this design I used some blue card and ran it through my Big Shot using a sandwich which included my tan mat. Not sure if I needed to as I did another later without and the result was just as crisp.

The flowers and leaves are die cuts from Trendy Spring Blooms to which I added Copic marker centers and a little bit of shading with the markers too.

The thanks was stamped on a matching scrap buy adding first the main THANK from Frames and Flowers the the S from MISS in the same set, all heat embossed with white EP. Masking was a tad tricky but the effect looks fine I think.

The blue strip was added to the background panel on pads and the flowers and leaves arranged at either end. The finished panel was then added to a white base card.

As is usual with STAMPlorations birthday hops there are lots of ways to join in and to win some goodies. All details can be found on the STAMPlorations blog but here is a quick rundown.

Prizes:

- one (1) winner of $50 gift code randomly drawn from the STAMPlorations stash link-up found here, (closes on October 31).

- three (3) winners of $10 gift code randomly drawn from comments left on the birthday hop posts (STAMP blog and designers' blogs)

- two (2) winners of $20 gift code randomly drawn from entries in the birthday linky party

- one (1) winner of $40 gift code randomly drawn from entries in the birthday linky party

Commenting and linking up to the birthday linky party close on November 8

Sales/Promotions: 

All products in the STAMPlorations store are 10% off instantly throughout October. 

Also if you use my 20% off DT code when ordering, your order will include this not-yet-released stencil, Just Plaid square stencil (10 mil):

Here's my link to the STAMPlorations online shop:- STAMPGIRLJULIE

So get busy hopping and commenting if you want to win and come back tomorrow, same time for more belated birthday celebrations.

Color Hues Challenge #4

Afternoon and welcome to the fourth challenge at Color Hues.

You are certainly enjoying the colour combinations we've chosen so far and are making it really difficult to chose the winner and top 3! So what will you make of the new colours?

Here is my take on our latest challenge.

 

I decided to go a little off piste for my inspiration with this large stamp from Creative Endeavours called Fisherman's Wharf. I've used it before here  and to be fair this started out as my original attempt for that card but I made a slight error in the stamping so put it to one side. Waste not want not, when I saw the colours for this challenge I thought I could rescue it by trimming off the error!

Using DI in Salty Ocean, Blueprint Sketch, Spiced Marmalade and Rusty Hinge in a watercolour style, I coloured the exposed sand and sky, leaving the buildings completely untouched. The Rusty Hinge gave me a burnt orange for the foreground and the Spiced Marmalade the more yellowy tones for the distant sand. DI allows you to get quite a few different shades of the same ink, it just depends on how much water you add! The sky was mainly Salty Ocean with a little of the darker Blueprint Sketch. The water I laid down above the buildings allowed the colour to puddle and mix randomly to give the sky its texture, whereas I used some sea salt crystals on the damp Rusty Hinge to create the texture. It soaks up the colour and leaves darker patches where you brush it off when fully dry. Don't try to brush it off until the ink is fully dry or the effect will be rather indistinct.

It's quite a masculine scene so I kept the layout pretty simple, using a Crafter's Companion sentiment, stamped in black and mounted on a slightly larger panel of black card and just added the finished panel to an A6 base card on pads.

I also made a card using floral image  from Uniko which I've also shared on the Uniko blog. Its totally different from the first card but uses the same colours. I used DIs again and as they are a transparent medium, if you over lay the colours once the bottom layer is dry you get a colour that is a mix of the two. Here the watery Dried Marigold which is a yellowy orange is overlaid with Blueprint Sketch to create a subtle green for the leaves and stems!

For more inspiration from the fab DT check out the Color Hues blog and why not add your masterpiece to the gallery. Details of this second card can be found here on the Uniko blog.

STAMPlorations Theme and Photo challenge reminder

 Good afternoon, just stopping by to share a card and to remind you that there is still time to join in at the STAMPlorationsTheme and Photo Challenge.

For my card I used the theme of autumn colours and the leaves and the rim of the mug for my inspiration.

To start, I used a background panel I printed awhile ago using my Gelli plate. I reinked my plate with Spiced Marmalade, Fossilised Amber and Gather Twigs DOx and then placed the  Autumn Falling stencil over and laid my preprinted panel over that, then took a print. I love the soft effect this technique gives you. 

On a scrap of watercolour paper, I stamped three of the maple leaves from the Leafy stamp set and heat embossed with gold EP before flooding the leaves with a watery mix of Candied Apple, Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seed, Pine Needles and Gathered Twigs DI. 

The printed panel was cut down to size and a length of jute twine added in a circular pattern to replicate the mug and the fussy cut leaves added. The sentiment from the Softly stamp set was stamped in two stages, the first in white EP on black and second just in Altenew's Pure Graphite ink. I fussy cut the 'masterpiece' and added it to the black stamped strip to recreate the sentiment. The finished panel was added on pads to an off-white base card.

For more inspiration and all Ts and Cs, please check out the STAMPlorations blog https://stamplorations.blogspot.com/2020/10/october-challenges-extras.html.

Next week the STAMPgirls are belatedly celebrating STAMPlorations 7th birthday, so lookout for lots of ways to win some fab prizes and different ways to join in.

I'm joining in over at:-

Autumn Glory

Earthy Tones

Cardz4Guyz CAS

Morning all. I hope I find you well and ready for a brand new challenge at Cardz4Guyz.

It was my turn to choose the theme and I went with:-

CAS - Clean and Simple

I think this is the way to go with masculine cards, you can't go wrong with a no frills design.

For those of you unsure what we mean by CAS I will list a few pointers,

One main focal point, lot's of 'white' space, minimal layers, and minimal embellishments.

See that's just what a masculine card needs to be!

Here's my inspiration card for you.

This is a one layer card, one main focal point, lots of white space, no layers and definitely no embellishments!

On an A6 panel I stamped my Fizzy Moon bear then coloured him with Copic markers. The sentiment from Hobby Arts was stamped in black and a black, free hand partial frame completes, SIMPLES!

For more CAS inspiration, check out the rest of the team here, then why not join in?

 I'm joining in over at:-

Snowflake Joy

Afternoon peeps, back again, this time for another colour challenge at the Color Hues.

Here is my take on the colours.

I must admit I was struggling for inspiration, so hopped onto Pinterest and my past cards and came up with this Christmas card.

The base card was covered with die cut snowflakes from Uniko and IO in two sorts of gold card, as well as some cream ones, one textured the other plain. My die cut JOY, from The Range was also cut from the same gold mirror card. I simply arranged the snowflakes, stuck them to my pale cream base card and added the JOY on top, voila!

So what will you be inspired to create? For more inspiration why not check out the rest of the team here and join us.

We're back at STAMPlorations after our holidays

Good morning folks, I'm here with a post to announce that STAMPlorations challenges are back after their summer break.

Here is my card to mark the start of the Theme and Photo challenge.

I used both the theme and the photo for my inspiration.

I took inspiration from the leaves, as well as using Autumnal colours.

The regular pattern of the chocolates gave me the idea for the layout and obviously the leaves speak for themselves! I stamped the repeat pattern of maple leaves using the leaf stamp from Leafy, stamped with Altenew's Pure Graphite onto a panel of off white card. To create the coloured elements, I used the back of the stamp to add autumn colours. It doesn't exactly match the outline but I quite like the effect. My sentiment from Grateful Flutters, was stamped with brown ink on matching card and mounted on a panel coloured with Copic markers to match the stamping. 

To compete the panel was trimmed down and added to a burnt orange base card and the sentiment panel added.

That's it from me but for more inspiration check out the rest of the team here, where you'll also find all the Ts and Cs.

I'm joining in at:-

The colours of Autumn

I was inspired by the geometric arrangement of leaves, as well as the Mid-Century modern feel for my CAS design.