Caffeine High

Today I'm showcasing a big bunch of coffee inspired cards and tags over on the STAMPlorations blog as part of a big discount on coffee themed products. Hop on over to see all of my cards over there!

STAMPlorations discount code: If you want to save 20% when shopping at the STAMPlorations store you can use the code STAMPGIRLKAROLA at checkout. The discount applies to all normal priced and discounted stamps, stencils and dies. The code cannot be combined with other discount codes.

Box of Cake

I'm super excited to have another sweet spotlight over on the STAMPlorations blog. If you are interested in either cake and/or box cards, hop over for a look!

STAMPlorations discount code: If you want to save 20% when shopping at the STAMPlorations store you can use the code STAMPGIRLKAROLA at checkout. The discount applies to all normal priced and discounted stamps, stencils and dies. The code cannot be combined with other discount codes.

Pastel Cake

I had some fun with cakes and watercolour the other day, inspired by Inspired By The Little Things and AAA Cards where the theme is Perfect Day. If you have been following my blog, you know my idea of a perfect day has something sweet in it, and one of the most perfect sweet things would be cake!

I started by brushing water onto the top of my watercolour card panel, adding turquoise, pink and purple watercolour, letting the colours run down the card. I then splattered a bit of watercolour onto the card. Next, I used a water brush and black watercolour to brush letter the sentiment. I'm trying to be a bit more brave about lettering my own sentiments. I stamped the piece of cake onto another piece of watercolour card and coloured with watercolours. I die cut the stitching around the edges and popped up the piece of cake using 3D foam dots.

Card: 300 gsm watercolour card
Ink and colouring: Versafine Onyx Black, Gansai Tambi Watercolours
Stamps: STAMPlorations Sweet Cravings
Other: Lawn Fawn Stitched border dies 

Flowers for Mum

We have had the most glorious week with incredibly warm temperatures for April. It's supposed to get back to normal next week, so thank you Mother Nature for the summer, it was fun while it lasted. In addition to enjoying the sun in the garden, and harvesting the first asparagus of the season (yeeeesssh!!!), I also took some creative time today. I was inspired by the In the Garden theme over at  Make My Monday as well as the Spring theme over at Time Out.

I stamped the gorgeous Blossom Sprays #1 in Antique Linen Distress Ink onto watercolour card and watercoloured with Gansai Tambi watercolours, pulling the colours outside the image to create a colourful aura for the flowers. I then die cut the sentiment using the Amazing word die. I die cut the sentiment also in black card, and layered the black die cut under the die cut from the flower panel to create a bit of dimension. I used a Lawn Fawn alphabet set to create the rest of the sentiment, and a Lawn Fawn Stitched rectangle die to die cut the front panel.

Card: 300 gsm watercolour card, 250 gsm white card, scrap of black card

Ink and colouring: Tim Holtz Distress Ink Antique Linen, Gansai Tambi watercolours, Versafine Onyx Black

Stamps: STAMPlorations Blossom Sprays #1, Lawn Fawn Claire's ABCs

Other: STAMPlorations Amazing Word die, Lawn Fawn Stitched Rectangles die 

Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers X is for Xyloid

I'm super excited to be guesting over at one of my favourite challenges - the funny, the snarky, the one and only Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers. The design team is just the most fun out there in blog land. Anyhow, this week I have the honour and pleasure to join them. And the theme is... drumroll... X is for Xyloid. Yes, that confused face is very similar to mine when I heard what the theme was. Then Lindsey kindly explained to me that xyloid means wood-related. After putting my thinking cap on for a while, I ended up with several ideas - but then I thought actually getting out a Christmas tree would not only satisfy the challenge requirement but also finally get me started with my Christmas card stash. I mean it's almost May, and I haven't created a single Christmas card?!?! What kind of crafter am I? Have you started your Christmas card stash yet? If not maybe you can take this as an opportunity to get started, although any xyloid creation is, of course, welcome in the gallery of Snark.

I started by stamping the Christmas tree from Lawn Fawn Critters in the Forest, adding baubles using a stamp from Joy to the Woods (another xyloid link right there!). I also stamped the little alpaca, which for this card will have to stand in for a llama (to make the punny sentiment work...). I used Distress Oxides and a water brush to colour the images and die cut with matching dies. I also used Distress Oxides to watercolour the sky for the background and added snowflakes using a white gel pen. I die cut the background xyloids using the Forest Border die, and a snowy hill using the Stitched Hillside die. I die cut the pink frame using the Say Cheese die, and stamped the sentiment using Claire's ABCs. I splattered blue distress ink onto white cardstock and attached the little wintery scene, adding a star to the top of the Christmas Xyloid using a die from the Joy to the Woods set. I decided to add some sparkle using Rangers Ice Stickles to make the baubles shimmer.

Card: White shimmer card, scrap of pink card, scrap of yellow card, Hobbycraft 190 gsm white card
Stamps: Lawn Fawn Christmas Alpaca, Critters in the Forest, Joy to the Woods and matching dies, Claire's ABCs
Dies: Lawn Fawn Say Cheese, Forest Border, Stitched Hillside Border, Say Cheese
Ink and colouring: Versafine Onyx Black, Tim Holtz Distress Oxides
Other: Ranger Ice Stickles

Spotlight on Ice Cream

I'm super excited to show you a sneak peek of my first ever Spotlight project over on the STAMPlorations blog, which is live now. Hop over and see the delicious crafts I created using STAMPlorations Sweet Cravings. It will involve a whole lot of ice cream!

April STAMPlorations Challenge - Focus On The Sentiments

This month the STAMPlorations challenge is all about sentiments. Big and bold, die cut or stamped or made any other way you choose but we want to see the focus on your sentiment. You can create anything you want using any products you want. So off you go to your craft rooms and we are excited to see how you are inspired!

I was inspired to use the CUTplorations Fabulous word die and Bold Sentiments: Fabulous stamps. I started by inking a rainbow of Distress Oxides onto light grey card. Then I die cut a rectangle of white lightly textured card using the Crazy Double Running Stitched Nesting Dies, die cutting the Fabulous word die from the middle of the panel and making sure to save all the small die cut pieces from the 'f', 'b','l','o' and 's' so I could attach them later. I then stamped the first part of the sentiment using Bold Sentiments: Fabulous and added a few grunge arrows to the bottom using Mixed Media Grunge stamps. Then all I needed to do was attach the white panel, showing the rainbow through the die cut sentiment and attaching the small pieces to some of the letters where required. This is a super quick and fun card, perfect for that fierce, foxy and fabulous person in your life.

Card: light grey card, white textured card
Stamps: STAMPlorations Bold Sentiments: Fabulous, Mixed Media Grunge
Ink: Tsukineko Versafine Onyx Black, Tim Holtz Distress Oxides Mustard Seed, Twisted Citron, Salty Ocean, Wilted Violet, Candied Apple and Picked Raspberry
Dies: CUTplorations Fabulous word die, Crazy Double Running Stitched Nesting Dies

STAMPlorations discount code: If you want to save 20% when shopping at the STAMPlorations store you can use the code STAMPGIRLKAROLA at checkout. The discount applies to all normal priced and discounted stamps, stencils and dies. The code cannot be combined with other discount codes.

Brush Lettering Cards

One of my goals for this year is to do at least one Skillshare course every month, as I forgot to cancel my subscription before my free trial ran out. So as I'm now paying for a full year of Skillshare, I thought I might as well get some value out of it. I have to admit I haven't been doing very well with my creative education so far, but I used a few hours today to take a watercolour brush lettering course and created a few cards. 

I really need to get a better waterbrush as the ones I have are really bad, the bristles are all going in every direction and the water is leaking as soon as I squeeze the water container. 

First I did a bit of alphabet practice. I still haven't quite worked out what my alphabet looks like. Then I did some more alphabet practice. Then I moved on to make a few cards.

My first card was a bit of a hit and miss. It ended up being a bit of a mess. I tried to create an ombre look with red and purple. But we learn from our mistakes, right? 

The second card turned out better, I particularly liked the way the ombre background turned out. 

My third card was inspired by the 'N is for Need Coffee' theme over at Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers and the colours over at Color Throwdown. I'm also linking up over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge where Anything Goes and Just Us Girls where the theme is CAS. 

Card: White card, Daler&Rowney 300 gsm watercolour card

Ink and colouring: Brushos, Tim Holtz Distress Ink Spun Sugar, Spiced Marmalade, Worn Lipstick, Distress Oxide Vintage Photo, Signo silver and white pen

Stamps: STAMPlorations What's Brewing, Lawn Fawn Bannerific