Stamps and Washi

Good afternoon crafty friends.

It's time for a new challenge over at STAMPlorations. This month we would like to see your projects using Washi Tape. Now for me that is rather a tricky one as I don't really have much in my stash and a trip to the craft store is a major trek. I tried making my own with stamps and micropore tape but it still didn't inspire me. Then I saw Vicki's (All I do is Stamp) card over at MUSE and this got me to thinking. Here is the result.

Here is Vicki's fab muse card.

For my take I used a combination of an ARTplorations stencil Shower of flutters and the Trendy Butterflies stamp. My nod to washi are the tiny punched butterflies, which I punched from washi covered card. The large butterflies were first stamped with DI and then washed over with a little water before using the stencil to outline them with a fine line pen.

OK, now it's your turn.

PRIZES

*Note: you do not need to use our products to win -- the design team votes on the winner and top picks

Winner

Prize: $10 gift certificate for the shop or 3 digi stamps

+ Guest Designer spot in a future monthly challenge

Top picks

Guest designer spot in a future monthly challenge 

Winner and top picks will receive a personalized STAMPlorations guest designer watermark and a personalized guest designer badge to display on their blogs.

FREQUENT PLAYERS

We're doing away with the Frequent Players Spotlight. Instead, those who play in the two (monthly and/or sketch) challenges we host this month AND use a STAMPlorations product (stamp or stencil) will be highlighted, as well as get an entry to the random prize drawing. So play in the Sketch Challenge or Monthly Challenge or both -- your choice! When you enter projects using our products, you'll be in the running to win a STAMPlorations stamp and stencil pack valued at $10. The winner can also opt for a $10 gift certificate.

So no excuses for you not to join us!

For more inspiration check out what the rest of the team have been upto as well as our fab guests this month.

Rahmat GD

Carol D GD

Greta H GD

Becca DT

Laura Jane DT
Nonni DT

Sari DT

Wei Wei DT

I'm joining in at -

Artful Flutters for STAMPlorations blog hop

Welcome to day 2 of the STAMPlorations Blog Hop. 

The card I'm showing today uses the same stencil as yesterday, Shower of Flutters but a different technique and colourway to produce a very different effect.

This time I inked the stencil with some DIs and spritzed some water over it, then used the stencil as a stamp. I love the way the water has a haphazard way of blending the ink. To finish the panel I splashed some of the left over watery ink onto the white portion.

I liked the finished panel but wanted to do something a little different so bit the bullet and die cut the tag from the panel and mounted it on a larger tag edged with a colour wash of DI. The thanks was stamped and embossed in silver, a few sequins were added and a butterfly that was left over from another project. Ribbon and twine from the stash. This just shows how versatile this stencil is as the card from yesterday's hop and this are so different but use the same stencil!

Check out what the rest of the team made! You'll find links to all our projects here.

Comment on this post and the rest of the team's blogs for a chance to win one of the prizes. Commenting closes on May 29. Winners will be announced on June 1.

Prizes:

SIX (6) winners (2 winners per day) will receive their choice of ARTplorations stencils. Winners will be randomly drawn from all comments left on the designers' blogs.

THREE (3) winners will each receive a $10 gift certificate. Winners will be randomly drawn from comments left on the STAMPlorations blog.

There will be extra prizes for those who participate in the Flash Stencil Project Linky Party later on in the week and link up by May 31.

So no excuses to hop along and join in the fun. 

I'm joining in at- 

             

Creative Inspirations - AG



Thanks for calling by, see you back tomorrow for more stencil goodness.

Stencil Hop at STAMPlorations

Good afternoon crafty friends

Today sees the start of a fantastic week of stencil goodness over at STAMPlorations.

After the success of the previous one we are having another blog hop and this is my card using one of the fab new stencils from Shery.

This one is made using Shower of Flutters combined with Trendy Butterflies Stamps and Noteworthy sentiments.

I started off by placing the stencil on a piece of white card and inking the background using DIs. While the mask was still in place I stamped some grasses 

Carefully removing the stencil I then stamped over the white shapes with the matching stamps in black then coloured the larger ones with Copics. The sentiment was then stamped in black and the edges of the panel inked in black before mounting up on pads over a 5x7 card base.

You can see another stencil technique used here

Check out what the rest of the team made! You'll find links to all our projects here.

Comment on this post and the rest of the team's blogs for a chance to win one of the prizes. Commenting closes on May 29. Winners will be announced on June 1.

Prizes:

SIX (6) winners (2 winners per day) will receive their choice of ARTplorations stencils. Winners will be randomly drawn from all comments left on the designers' blogs.

THREE (3) winners will each receive a $10 gift certificate. Winners will be randomly drawn from comments left on the STAMPlorations blog.

There will be extra prizes for those who participate in the Flash Stencil Project Linky Party later on in the week and link up by May 31.

So no excuses to hop along and join in the fun. 

I'm joining the fun over at :-

     

See you back same tomorrow for more fantastic stencil inspiration.

Wings n Things

Good morning everyone. 

Today sees the start of the Spring Bank Holiday weekend and also a new challenge at Fantasy Stampers. This time we would like to see your projects on the theme of -

WINGS and THINGS

I received some new stencils in the post the other day and I've been having fun playing with them. This is my first card that I have posted using them.

The stencil is from ARTplorations and is called Flutterby. Now why am I posting a card made with a stencil when we are a stamping only blog challenge. Well I used stamps to create the pattern on the butterflies wings. 

To make this, I first cut a panel of white card then taped the stencil over it. Then I stamped over the spaces using STAMPlorations Trendy Butterflies and Eclectic Florals set with DIs.

Not wishing to waste the ink on the stencil I took a monoprint from it and will use it in another card.

I then washed the stencil and when dried I placed it back over the printed pattern. I then inked through the stencil with Versamark ink and then removed the stencil and used clear embossing powder to intensify the colours of the butterflies.

To complete I trimmed the panel down and wrapped some linen thread around adding a LOTV tag greeting and a fussy cut stamped butterfly, then mounted on pads onto a cerise base card.

Job done.

OK, now it's over to you.pop over to the main blog to check out the rest of the DT's inspiration then join in. 

I'm joining the fun over at -

                                                 Stencil it

     

                                         Pink, Blue and yellow

Thanks for popping by and leaving such supportive comments. :)

Sketch #32

Good afternoon and welcome. 

It's time for a new sketch challenge at STAMPlorations. Here is my card -

and here is the sketch -

I had quite a few ideas for this challenge but eventually went for a card influenced by the challenge over at Fusion and a card made by my teamie from ATSM, Sarah. It was the colours in the photo that caught my eye with the cerise silvery mirror and blue. I must admit I added a few other colours for the flowers but the central panel and stenciled background are definitely cerise!

I started off by inking the Shutters stencil from ARTplorations with Picked Raspberry then I turned to the flower element. I used Eclectic florals to stamp using DIs and then softened the edges with a paintbrush and some water, dragging the colour into the petals. When dry I fussy cut them and shaped them using an embossing tool and some foam. I die cut the swirl of green using a Marianne die and stamped two butterflies in blue using the Trendy Butterflies set. The sunshine and warmer weather has brought out a whole range of butterflies around here so I had to include some!

For the central panel I used a polaroid frame like Sarah's card instead of a circular aperture I was going to use. I inked the central panel with the same Picked Raspberry then did some water stamping with some more of the butterfly set to give it some depth and embossed the greeting from the new Noteworthy set in silver.

I inked up the edges of a slightly larger panel in Picked Raspberry to mount the top panel on, it does help if you haven't got matching cardstock, then onto a white base card.

Don't forget you can use stamps by other companies in projects that you enter to our challenges but we ask that you please not use our challenges for the sole purpose of promoting another stamp company if you are a design team member of that company. If you have our stamps and/or stencils in your stash, we'd be tickled if you use them!

As usual Shery is offering the following prizes:-

Winner

(voted by the design team)

prize: 2 stamp sets (3" by 5") if you use STAMPlorations stamps, 1 stamp set if you don't

+ guest designer spot in a Sketch Challenge

Top picks

prize: 3 digi stamps 

+ the option to be a guest designer too in a Sketch Challenge if you will use  STAMPlorations digi stamp (to be provided )OR if you already have STAMPlorations clear stamps

All winners and top picks will receive a personalized guest designer badge that they can display on their blogs, as well as a STAMPlorations guest designer watermark.

Frequent Players Spotlight. Play in all 3 challenges for the month for entries to the random draw. Prize is always going to be a stamp and stencil pack valued at $10.

So no excuses to have a go and join us.

Pop over to the DT's blogs for more inspiration and info on their designs and check out our fab GDs.

Suchi GD

Robyn GD

 Coni  GD

Becca DT

Laura Jane DT

Sari DT

Shery DT

Tenia DT

Wei Wei DT

I would like to join in the fun at -

As you like it Challenge - Alcohol markers or Distress Inks

DIs are great if you want a softer effect for your image, I use them especially for flowers.

Thanks for calling around, see you back soon. :)

Blog Hop Day 1

Good afternoon fellow crafters and welcome to day 1 of our blog hop. 

To celebrate the launch of the fab new stencils over at STAMPlorations all us girls are creating something to inspire you. Here is my card for day 1-

This card features the Bubble stencil used in lots of different ways to create the background panel.

I had such fun playing around with this, hope you'll enjoy it too.

First I inked an A6 piece of white card using Salty Ocean DI, then added the darker dots by adding more Salty Ocean and Picked Raspberry through the stencil with a sponge. I moved the stencil around only using a few of the circles. I used a damp brush and the stencil to bleach out some more circles then sprinkled water over the whole panel to give even more texture and interest. When dry, I used a white gell pen to create bubbles by drawing around the outline on the stencil and roughed up the edges a bit.

I had a circle fest going here so continued by adding a couple of die cut card hoops and added some linen thread and two MB Snowflake corners (I know, but they don't look like snowflakes and they had circles on them!). I coloured one in blue to match the background and cut it in half, then fixed them all in the top left.

On a piece of scrap card I stamped some Trendy Butterflies in Salty Ocean, Picked Raspberry and Seedless Preserve then fussy cut them and mounted them onto my panel after stamping the text LIVE 'with passion' from the same set.

Job done.

Leave a comment at the end of this post and on the rest of the team's blogs for a chance to win one of the fantastic prizes. Commenting closes on March 13. Winners will be announced on March 15.

Check out what the rest of the team made! You'll find links to all our projects here.

I would also like to join in at -

Loves Rubberstamps Challenge - Anything Goes

See you back here same time tomorrow for more inspiration.

Sketch #29

Good afternoon fellow crafters and welcome to the latest sketch challenge over at STAMPlorations.

I got all springlike with my card for this sketch, a bit premature in these parts. Someone didn't tell the snow it was spring! Still we need a little spring colour after all the greyness of this winter!

This is my card

and this is the sketch for the next 2 weeks.

I used my freebie set from last months Stamp Club, Trendy Butterflies for my card along with some leaf stamps from a Kaisercraft set and some swirls from a set by Artemio. This is a One-Layer card but I felt it was a bit flat after I had finished stamping and masking so added some bugle beads for the butterfly's bodies. I used DI in Spiced Marmalade, Salty Ocean, Mown Lawn and Shaded Lilac to stamp and washed over the butterflies with water to soften them and over the leaves to add extra dimension. The finished panel was mounted flat onto a matching lilac base card.

You don't need to use STAMPlorations stamps to take part and as an incentive to the prizes are as follows:

Winner

 3 digi stamps

guest designer spot in Sketch #31

2: Top picks-

the option to be a guest designer in the Sketch #31 Challenge if you'll use a STAMPlorations digi stamp (to be provided )

or clear stamp (if you already have them)

All winners and top picks will receive a personalized guest designer badge that you can display on your blog, as well as a STAMPlorations guest designer watermark.

If you use a STAMPlorations stamp why not enter our frequent players Spotlight, play in all 3 challenges for the month for entries to the random draw. The prize is always going to be a stamp and stencil pack. 

So no excuses not to have a go and join in.

Now if you haven't been to the main blog already pop over and check out the rest of the fabulous DT and GDs inspiration. Check out the girls personal blogs for more details and leave them some love.

Asha GD

Sandie GD

Milla GD

Becca DT

Laura Jane DT

Nonni DT

Sari DT

Tenia DT

Wei Wei DT

I shall also join in the fun over at -

STAMPlorations Sketch #28

God afternoon folks.

Today sees the start of a new sketch challenge over at STAMPlorations. 

Here is my take of this week's sketch.

and this is the sketch.

For my card I chose to focus on one of my Stamp Club stamps in the Sugar Rush set. 

I stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black then coloured the wafer cup with Copics. I coloured the cherry in Copics also, then added Glossy Accents to make it more lush. The texture on the ice-cream I made using Stampendous chunky white embossing enamel over a squiggle of Versamark pen. I like the look of some of the black showing through. I thought the sundae cup needed a lift so I mounted it on a circle that had been textured using the same Sizzix die as the panel.

The central panel I made using some NitWits stripey dp to match the colours in the sundae then overlaid the lattice work panel on top to give more interest.
My dieplate for the panel was smaller than I wanted so I extended the cut by first cutting to just before the end then moving the die plate to match the first cut area then cut again carefully placing the die in the machine so I would not cut fully through. I think if I did it again I would make it even longer to get rid of the curved edges.
The pink border was cut using a Fiskars border punch. The sentiment banner was stamped with the ENJOY from the Trendy Butterflies set and embossed with detail gold.

If you enter you get the chance to win these goodies-

Prizes:

Winner

prize: 3 digi stamps

guest designer spot in Sketch #31

2 Top picks

the option to be a guest designer in the Sketch #31 Challenge if you use a STAMPlorations digi stamp (to be provided )
or clear stamp (if you already have them)

All winners and top picks will receive a personalized guest designer badge that they can display on their blogs, as well as a STAMPlorations guest designer watermark.

Frequent Players Spotlight: Play in all 3 challenges for the month and gain entries to a random drawing. Prize is always going to be a stamp and stencil pack.

Pop over to the STAMPlorations Blog and check out the fab GDs and the rest of the DTs work.

Sue V GD

Carol Dunham GD

Lee  Ann Barrett GD

Becca DT

Laura Jane DT

Sari DT

Tenia DT

Wei Wei DT

OK, that's a wrap, hope to see your entries over at STAMPlorations.

I shall also enter the following challenges:-
Allsorts - Not Birthday
Penny Black and More - Anything Goes except a digi
ABC Challenges - D is for Die Cuts
Creative Inspirations - Anything Goes, option of a sketch

Bye, come back soon.