Spring Coffee Blowout

Is there anything better than a hot cup of coffee? In the morning, while crafting, with a big piece of chocolate cake, or all of those three combined!

In honour of coffee and the STAMPlorations Coffee Stamps Blowout Sale which starts today, I created two cards using Sanna's gorgeous Dots n' Beans stencil as the centrepiece. I sprinkled Light and Dark Brown Brushos onto watercolour paper covered by the stencil and spritzed generously with water. I haven't had much success with this technique but after watching Loll's video I realised the secret is to remove the stencil quickly before the water starts seeping under the stencil. I then die cut the panel using Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies and added a coffee cup and sentiment from What's Brewing. I'm linking up my card over at CAS Stencil where the theme is Powdered Inks.

For my second card, I used the monoprint from the stencil. I watercoloured the Nature Having Coffee stamp using Gansai Tambi watercolours, and added a sentiment from Literary Caffeine-ations along with some doodles. Inspired by the sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches I also added some die cuts using Trendy Spring Bloom Dies.

If you got inspired to create some caffeinated creations of your own, you can use the code COFFEEBLOWOUT in the STAMPlorations store.

February STAMPlorations challenges - Mid-Month Reminder

Hi, how are you? Can you believe we have already made it halfway through February? This is your official and only reminder that you have less than two weeks to play along with our STAMPlorations February challenges (that's the difficulty with the shortest month of the year, less time to play along with challenges. 

My first card is for the February CAS challenge where the colour twist is Cerulean Blue. I used Deepti's stunning stamp set Live, Love, Ride. I coloured the gorgeous horse with Gansai Tambi blue water colours, and had a lot of fun splattering the colours and making a mess in general. I added a sentiment using Bold Sentiments: Hashtag Authentic and die cut the panel using Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies.

My second project is for our February TAGploratoins challenge where the theme is love. I used  the gorgeous stamp from Becca's Funny Kinda Love, the background is created by painting Gansai Tabi pearl pink watercolour through the ARTplorations Hearts All Over Mini stencil and the tag was cut using Stitched Tags Nesting Dies. 

I made a prototype for the blue horse card, but it didn't turn out quite how I wanted it. However, it helped me get to the card at the top, so it wasn't a complete waste of time after all.

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.

Welcome Baby Girls

I created this card a while ago for a friend who was having twin baby girls. I have completely forgotten to blog about it and thought now is a good time with all the heart/love themed challenges.

I stamped the cute balloons from STAMPlorations Tweet Love and watercoloured with Distress Inks. I also splattered watercolours onto the panel for added interest. I added a sentiment from Lawn Fawn Critters Down Under. I die cut the second part of the sentiment using Lawn Fawn Cole's ABCs, using a piece of cardstock inked with the same colours I used for colouring the balloons. I die cut the panel using a Lawn Fawn Stitched Rectangle Die. I die cut a piece of patterned paper from Lawn Fawn Perfectly Plaid Spring using the Scalloped Rectangle dies for added colour.

I'm linking up with the following challenges:

Brown Sugar - Love and/or Valentine's day

Simply Create Too - ATG/optional twist of hearts

Cute Card Thursday - ATG

Crafty Gals Corner - CAS

Unicorn Challenge - Include a Heart

Dragonfly Dreams - Include a Heart

Stamps: STAMPlorations Tweet Love, Lawn Fawn Critters Down Under

Dies: Lawn Fawn Scalloped Rectangle Stackables, Stitched Rectangle Stackables, Cole's ABCs

Ink and colouring: Tsukineko Versafine Onyx Black, Tim Holtz Distress Inks

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.

February STAMPlorations CAS Challenge - Cerulean Blue

Happy February! We got through the first month of the year and already the days are getting just that little bit longer. As usual, a new month means a new CAS challenge over on the STAMPlorations blog. This month our optional colour twist is Cerulean Blue. 

You know the old saying "You never know what you have until you clean your craft room"? Well, I have been in major clearing out mood. Not quite sure why (and no, I haven't watched the Marie Kodo Netflix series...). Anyhow, I listed a big bunch of old crafty stuff on eBay. And I discovered a few envelopes of the narrow and long persuasion. I felt like I wanted to create some long and narrow cards to fit the envelopes and then send the cards off and that would get rid of those weirdly shaped envelopes. What a cunning plan, right?

I used my current favourite flower stamp set, STAMPlorations Bloom Doodles, to create a row of flowers which I coloured with Gansai Tambi watercolours. I stamped one of the flowers on the envelope too. I then die cut the sentiment using CUTplorations Fabulous Word Die directly from the front panel, careful to keep track of all the small pieces of the die cut. I then attached the die cut using 3D foam pads. So you can just about make out the sentiment, it's very subtle. I really love the look. I hope this has inspired you to play along with us over at STAMPlorations CAS challenge. And if you played along in our January challenge, don't forget to check in on the 10th when we reveal all the winners for all our January challenges and blog hops!

I'm linking up my card over at CAS Mix Up where the theme is dimensional die cuts (I promise my sentiment is attached with 3D foam pads, I just didn't quite manage to capture the dimension in my photo). My "your choice" is watercolour and masking.

Stamps: STAMPlorations Bloom Doodles,  Bold Sentiments: Hashtag Authentic

Dies: CUTplorations Fabulous Word Die

Ink and colouring: Tsukineko Versafine Onyx Black, Gansai Tambi watercolours

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.

February STAMPlorations TAG challenge - Love

It's time to get geared up for a new month of great STAMPlorations challenges. Our February TAGplorations challenge is All About Love, with an optional twist of cupcakes. As you can see from my card, uncharacteristically I stayed true to my diet and stepped away from the cupcakes.

Can I confess something? I'm not really big on Valentine's day. Never been. I'm not a romantic, and neither is my dearest. Bless him, the first year we were together he did get me a Valentine's card, and he had even made it himself using photos from our first trip together. But no more cards after that. I usually make him one which he dutifully displays on his nightstand. But don't let that spoil your enthusiasm if you are a fan of Valentine's, this challenge will give you a great opportunity to flex those Valentine's muscles! If you are like me, there are plenty of other options for love, it doesn't have to be romantic love. I love (haha, pun intended) the sentiments in the Big Dreamer stamp set, and I felt there was a perfect one for the love theme while making the tag cheery and colourful.

I die cut the tag from a piece of card I had created a while back when I did a big batch of rainbow coloured backgrounds by smooshing Distress Inks onto watercolour paper. I stamped the flowers on white card, coloured with Copics and fussy cut. I stamped the sentiment in black and added some hearts and heart borders from It's a Girl Thing: Sunshine before attaching the coloured flowers. I think the colourful tag and flowers are just what we need while waiting for spring to arrive!

I'm linking up over at Just Us Girls where the theme is Love.  I'm also linking up over at Shopping Our Stash where the challenge is Ode to Jessie, a talented crafter who you might know from her design work on challenges such as Shopping Our Stash and Sisterhood of Snarky stampers. Sadly Jessie passed away late last year. I was inspired by the colourful watercolour background of Jessi's card here. Last, but not least I'm linking up over at Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge where the theme is Add Some Red. 

Stamps: STAMPlorations Big Dreamer, It's a Girl Thing: Sunshine

Dies: CUTplorations Stitched Tags Nesting Dies

Ink and Colouring: Tim Holtz Distress Ink, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics

STAMPlorations discount code: If you want to save 20% when shopping at theSTAMPlorations 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.

"It's A Girl Thing" Turner Syndrome Awareness Inaugural Blog Hop

Hello Blogging Friends!!

Welcome to my project for the "It's A Girl Thing" Turner Syndrome Awareness Inaugural Blog Hop! 

Turner Syndrome is a genetic disorder where a female is born with only one X chromosome, instead of two, leaving her with life-long medical issues and learning disabilities. This condition occurs one in 2,500 female births worldwide, but is more common among pregnancies that do not survive to full term. That is why Turner Syndrome Females are considered MIRACLES! 

Nineteen caring Sponsors and eleven DT Members have partnered with us to bring Turner Syndrome Awareness to the Public. For details on how you might win any of these fabulous prizes, please see Lori's TS home page. Thanks for learning About Turner Syndrome. 

My TS related project uses a few colors from the TS official color board:

This blog hop is hosted by Lori Kobular and she shares the journey she and her family have been on after her oldest daughter Julie was diagnosed with Turner Syndrome in her own words here. I hope you take the time to read about her experiences and learn about Turner Syndrome. 

I work in the field of genetics research so raising awareness of genetic conditions is close to my heart. I often hear from the families who take part in our research about how difficult it can be to navigate the health care system when you end up knowing more about the condition than your doctor. I work with families affected by various rare medical conditions and I have learned from them how important it is to have a network of other families to share your experiences with. There is strength in numbers!

For my project, I created a card inspired by the colours in the Turner Syndrome Foundation logo and using the new STAMPlorations aptly named It's A Girl Thing stamps. I wanted to create a happy card with lots of flowers to celebrate all the ladies out there who in some way are connected with Turner Syndrome. 

Don't forget to visit the "It's A Girl Thing" Turner Syndrome Awareness Inaugural Blog Hop page to be eligible for the blog hop prizes. Here is some information on how you can win one of the prizes:

• Leave a comment on the TS Awareness Home Blog Post stating at least one thing you learned about Turner Syndrome. Our Tab titled About Turner Syndrome has a pictorial explanation of many of the symptoms or limitations faced by TS females.
• Leave a comment on one or more DT blog hop posts. 
• Prizes will be awarded randomly from the comments left on 19 of the DT blog hop posts + by 11 of the designers who are awarding prizes of their own. So the more posts you visit and comment on, the more likely you are to win a prize. Don't forget! You must also leave one comment on the Home Blog, too.
• We hope this will bring an awareness not only about Turner Syndrome in females, but that if any human being seems a bit out of the ordinary, there could be a health-related or genetic reason for it, and it would be nice to give everyone the benefit of the doubt in our daily lives.

Craft supplies used:

Stamps: STAMPlorations It's A Girl Thing: Kindness, It's A Girl Thing: Sunshine

Ink and colouring: Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics

STAMPlorations discount code: If you want to save 20% when shopping at theSTAMPlorations 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.