April STAMPlorations challenges - Mid-Month Reminder

Welcome to the April STAMPlorations Mid-Month reminder post. We have once again sped through half of the month. We have had a cold start to April, it was really warm and lovely for one weekend in late March but then it turned cold again. As in having-to-scrape-your-windscreen-in-the-morning cold. I'm ready for lovely sun now, thank you and please. We really need to do some emergency work in the garden. Most of our neighbours are retired and spend a lot of time making their gardens so beautiful whereas we must be the house they all point at with disapproving looks... Anyhow, it's more important to have some quality crafting time than a pristine garden, don't you think?

I created a tag inspired by the recycling theme for our TAGplorations challenge. I started by using some tissue paper which was used to wrap my toilet paper (yes, that's right!). I covered some scrap card (left over from a failed experiment) with the tissue paper and die cut a tag using Stitched Tags Nesting Dies. The tissue paper was originally black and white striped, but I used Gansai Tambi pearlescent watercolours to colour the white bits, and splattered some silver and gold pearlescent watercolours onto the tag. I stamped the paint brushes from Life In Full Colour again onto a scrap piece of card (which had some failed stamping on the other side of the paper) and coloured with Copics. Last, I heat embossed a sentiment from the same stamp set in white and added a scrap piece of ribbon and some leftover wool to the tag.

My card for the CAS challenge was inspired by the Dark Navy optional colour twist. I smooshed Distress Paints onto watercolour paper, adding some white and yellow splatters to create a starry sky. I die cut the card using Crazy Double Running Stitch Nesting Dies. I stamped several houses from Houses and coloured them with Copics. Last, I added a simple dark navy strip for the sentiment which was heat embossed in white. 

Stamps: STAMPlorations Life In Full Colour, Houses

Dies: Stitched Tags Nesting Dies, Crazy Double Running Stitch Nesting Dies

Ink and Colouring: Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark, Gansai Tambi Pearl Colours, Copics, Distress Paints

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.

STAMPlorations Spring Fling Reminder Post

I hope you enjoyed the STAMPlorations Spring Fling Event. Today on the STAMPlorations blog we have a reminder post for you. We had 12 days of spring-themed projects from the design team. Each day there was one prize to win by commenting on the Spring Fling posts on the STAMPlorations blog and the designer's blogs. And this is your reminder that commenting will close in two days, on April 19th so if you want to comment on any of the posts but haven't yet had a chance, please do so before it's too late! And of course, Shery couldn't resist throwing in a few extra prizes which you can win one of three $10 gift codes by commenting on the STAMPlorations post and the designer's posts (including mine!). 

Today's card is a super quick one, but it still looks really nice. Perfect, if you need a card in a hurry. I started by inking Tim Holtz Distress Inks through the Ethnic Flutter stencil and stamped the Just Be Better Typografia Motivate in Versafine Onyx Black. 

Stamps: STAMPlorations Just Be Better Typografia Motivate
Stencil: ARTplorations Ethnic Flutter stencil
Ink and colouring: Tim Holtz Distress Ink, Versafine Onyx Black

Don't forget the Spring Fling April sale in the STAMPlorations store. You can also use my discount code STAMPGIRLKAROLA for an additional discount off your order. 

STAMPlorations Spring Fling Day 10

Welcome to day 10 of the STAMPlorations Spring Fling, thank you for stopping by! I hope you have been inspired by the spring themed projects we have been showcasing over the last few weeks. Is it spring where you live yet? We had a really warm spell about a week ago, but then it turned grey and chilly again. I can't wait for more sun, as the asparagus has started to grow in the garden and now needs lots of sun to grow. 

Today is day 10 of the STAMPlorations Spring Fling, so only two more days to go. As usual, there is a prize to be won by commenting on the  STAMPlorations blog and the designer's blogs (including mine!). Today, the prize is a choice of any in stock 4x8 stamp set.

My project started by watercolouring the background using Gansai Tambi Pearl Colours, blending with lots of water to create a rainbow. I die cut the panel using the Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting dies, using the two smaller dies to cut a frame from black card. I then stamped Leave a Little Sparkle Typografia Motivate in Versamark and heat embossed in Gold. Last, I die cut the beautiful Flutter Zen 2 Layering Dies butterfly from gold glitter card. 

Stamps: STAMPlorations Leave a Little Sparkle Typografia Motivate

Dies: CUTplorations Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting dies, Flutter Zen 2 Layering Dies
Ink and colouring: Gansai Tambi Pearl Colours, Tsukineko Versamark

Don't forget the Spring Fling April sale in the STAMPlorations store. You can also use my discount code STAMPGIRLKAROLA for an additional discount off your order. 

April STAMPlorations CAS Challenge - Dark Navy

Thanks for popping by today, it's great to see you here! It's the first Thursday of the month, and you know what that means - it's time for the STAMPlorations April CAS Challenge. This month our optional colour twist is Dark Navy. I decided to create a card using the fantastic Lupinus stencil by Sanna Lippert. We had a lot of lupines growing on the road leading to my childhood home. There were pink ones, white ones and a dark purple-ish blue. I thought I would combine some of those colours (and add some more for good measure) to re-create those happy childhood memories. I inked Distress Ink through the stencil, and to keep it CAS all I added was a sentiment using the Hugs Word Die. I hope you are inspired to play along with us!

Stencil: ARTplorations Lupinus

Dies: CUTplorations Hugs Word Die

Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink

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. If you combine that with the standard 25% discount in the Spring Fling section, that's not a bad deal in case you feel like adding to your crafty stash!

April STAMPlorations TAG challenge - Recycling

Happy April! Are you experiencing the proverbial April showers? Hopefully you have April flowers rather than showers, I don't see why April flowers couldn't be followed by May flowers! If you are still missing the spring flowers, here is a tag filled to the brim with flowers for you, and for the April STAMPlorations TAG challenge. Our theme this month is recycling.

I started by covering a tag I created using Stitched Tags Nesting Dies in recycled tissue paper. I have started ordering my loo roll from a company who do plastic free, recycled toilet paper and they donate a part of their profits to build toilets. The paper comes wrapped in brightly coloured tissue paper which is perfect for crafting - I used two different striped patterns to cover my tag. I then stamped my flowers using Bloom Doodles onto white paper which had some unsuccessful previous stamped images on the other side of the paper. I try to use the other side of the paper/card if this happens. Waste not, want not and all that. If you colour your images in darker colours with Copics, the stamped outline won't show through from the other side. I die cut the sentiment from a scrap of dark blue card from my UFO pile using Thanks Word Die. Last, I added some ribbon which I rescued from a chocolate box. Do you hold on to all ribbon you find as well, accumulating loads of it but never getting around to using it? If you do, the April STAMPlorations TAG challenge is a great opportunity to use up some of that ribbon. Or any other recycled bits and bobs! 

Stamps: STAMPlorations Bloom Doodles
Dies: CUTplorations Thanks Word Die, Stitched Tags 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.

STAMPlorations Spring Fling

Welcome to the STAMPlorations Spring Fling event! Every spring, the lovely Shery, Mummy of STAMPlorations, does a grand big event with twelve days of giveaways. And I'm super excited that Shery always invites her design team (including yours truly!!) to join in on the fun. We are sharing spring themed projects which will hopefully inspire you to get creative too!

Every day there is a prize to be won by commenting on the STAMPlorations Spring Fling blog post and the designer's blog posts. You can comment until the 19th of April, and all winners will be announced in a big winner's post on April 22nd so don't forget to check in on the STAMPlorations blog to see if you are one of the lucky winners!

For my first Spring Fling project (yes, there are a few more to come in the next few days!!) I created a kraft tag using all the colours of the rainbow. I started by cutting a tag from kraft Card using CUTplorations Stitched Tags Nesting Dies. Then I inked Distress Oxides through the ARTplorations Peony Number Two stencil. I stamped the Be A Rainbow Typografia Motivate sentiment in Onyx Black ink on top of the peony. Last, I stamped two butterflies from Fluttery, coloured them with Copics in all the colours of the rainbow, fussy cut, adhered to the tag and liberally doused in Ice Stickles. I finished the tag with white ribbon and burlap twine from my stash.

Don't forget that during the Spring Fling, the Spring Fling section in the STAMPlorations store is 25% off (no code needed). However, if you use my code STAMPGIRLKAROLA at checkout, you can get up to 45% off!! 

Stamps: STAMPlorations Be A Rainbow Typografia Motivate, Fluttery
Dies: CUTplorations Stitched Tags Nesting Dies
Stencil: ARTplorations Peony Number Two
Ink: Tsukineko Versafine Onyx Black, Distress Oxides, Copics