New Release Super Hero

 

Welcome, it's great to have you visit today! And what a day to pop by, as we are starting the launch of the new STAMPlorations release today. There are three super fun new stamp sets available in this release, and today I and my fellow DT colleagues get to play with Shirley's new Super Hero stamp set. This is the perfect set for creating cards for your superhero obsessed child/grandchild/partner but as you see from my first card there are other ways to use the stamp set too! And there are prizes up for grabs, see the end of this post for details.

For my first card, I started by inking blue, purple and red Distress Inks through the Clouds Stencil to create the sunset sky. Although it looks like it's a lot of work to create, it's actually really easy. I used a sponge to add the ink, starting from the top and using the same colour for two rows of the clouds, using less ink on the lower row, blending ink upwards from the cloud-shaped edge of the stencil. Next, I stamped the city skyline from Super Hero in black. Last I stencilled the birds through the Some Birds Stencil and added a sentiment from Noteworthy 2.

For my second card, I started with a background created with Distress Oxides from my UFO box, which I die cut using the smallest rectangle from Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies. I used the colours from the background for my superhero and the star shapes from the stamp set which I coloured with Copics and fussy cut. I also splattered some matching inks on a white card base to create the splotchy background. Last, I heat embossed the sentiment, which is a combination of Balloons and Banners and Super Hero, in white on black card. 

And of course, it wouldn't be a new stamp release without a chance to win some great prizes. Winners will be randomly drawn from all comments left on the STAMPlorationa blog and designers' blogs (including mine!). One randomly drawn commenter will win a $25 prize code to the STAMPlorations store, and one randomly drawn commenter will win a stamp set of their choice from the new release. You have until March 17th to leave a comment, and the winners will be announced on March 19th.

Stamps: STAMPlorations Super Hero, Noteworthy 2, Balloons and Banners

Stencils: ARTplorations Clouds Stencil, Some Birds Stencil

Dies: CUTplorations Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies

Ink and colouring: Distress Oxides, Distress Inks, Copics, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black, Tsukineko Versafine

STAMPlorations discount code: If you want to save 20% when shopping at the STAMPlorations store you can use the code STAMPGIRLKAROLA at checkout. The code cannot be combined with other discount codes. And if you use my code you also get to pick a freebie to the value of $7 (for details see the badge below).

Note that as a STAMPlorations affiliate, I get a small commission on any orders you place in the STAMPlorations store using the links in my blog post or my coupon code STAMPGIRLKAROLA. This is at no added cost to you. Thank you for your support to keep my craft addiction going :) 

STAMPlorations October CAS Challenge - Orange

Welcome back to the STAMPlorations CAS challenge! We had a long break but are now brimming with pent-up CAS inspiration. I hope you will enjoy playing along, and can't wait to see what you create. And of course, you will have plenty of chances to win amazing STAMPlorations prizes too.

Our first optional colour twist this season is Any Shade of Orange. I was inspired to create a big flower using the lovely Peony Number Two stencil so I inked Distress Inks in yellow and orange through the stencil using a foam applicator. I finished my one layer CAS card with a sentiment from Noteworthy 2 and splattered some water for added interest.

Now it's your turn to create a CAS card, either with or without orange. You are free to use any products you want, but if you have any STAMPlorations crafty goodies, we would love to see what you create with them. Don't forget to display our challenge graphic in your post and link back to the CAS challenge post on the STAMPlorations blog to be eligible for our prizes.

I'm linking up this card over at AAA Cards where the theme is One Layer and the optional twist is autumn.

Stamps: STAMPlorations Noteworthy 2

Stencil: ARTplorations Peony Number Two

Ink: Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black, Distress Ink Squeezed Lemonade, Fossilized Amber, Wild Honey, Abandoned Coral

STAMPlorations Inspiration

Happy Tuesday! Are you starting to feel autumn in the air? Actually, we have been enjoying a bit of Indian summer, the weekend was stunning. Hopefully, it will last a good while! Even better, it's also time for this week's STAMPlorations Inspiration projects. As always, the team have used STAMPlorations products they love to create amazing artworks to inspire you. Don't forget to leave a comment on the Inspiration projects post on the STAMPlorations blog as all commenters will be part of a draw to win a gift certificate to the STAMPlorations store. 

For today's project, I was inspired by the Faces: Lovely stencil. I used a foam applicator to add Distress Inks through the stencil creating a rainbow in her hair (side note - do you use those fancy new brushes everyone is using for inking these days? Do you like them? Should I try them? Do you need to clean them a lot between different colours?). I added a sentiment from Noteworthy 2 and splattered some diluted black ink over the card as a finishing touch. A true one layer quick card but that rainbow adds so much brightness to it, don't you think?

Anyhow, thanks for stopping by today, hope to see you soon again and I hope you are inspired to create something today.

I'm linking up with a bunch of ATG challenges

Brown Sugar

Arty Divas

Through The Craftroom Door

Love to Craft

The Creative Crafters

A Bit More Time To Craft

A Perfect Time to Craft

Stamps: STAMPlorations Noteworthy 2
Stencils: ARTplorations Faces: Lovely

Currently, there are several great promotions in the STAMPlorations store, including a great offer if you want to pre-order the new dies which will be available in October. You can find all the promotions summarised on the Promotions Page. You can also find great discounts on dies and stamps.

National Colouring Book Day with STAMPlorations

Did you celebrate National Colouring Book Day on Friday? I have to admit I missed it, but the great news is that over on STAMPlorations we celebrate all month! Today I'm here to showcase some projects for the STAMPloraitons National Colouring Book Day linky party. I love colouring. Usually, I colour stamped images, but sometimes it's lovely to not have to think about creating an image to colour, but just pull out your pencils or markers and get going. I love it if I am in a creative slump and really can't get going at all. And a colouring book is great to take away when travelling, all you need is the book and a small number of pencils. Sometimes not having access to a large selection of colours can be really interesting too. Great entertainment on long flights!

If you want to join us for National Colouring Book Day, there is a free digital colouring page for you to download on the STAMPlorations blog. You can also win great prizes (including a colouring book!) if you comment on the post or join the linky party using the free digi.

Did you know that there are three STAMPlorations colouring books? They are perfect for cardmaking and other types of crafting, you could use them for art journals, tags, ATCs or just to colour for the joy of colouring! I created two projects using a colouring page from the Bloomtangled colouring book.

Just getting started...

I used Faber Castell Albrecht Durer watercolour pencils for colouring the page. I used the Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies to cut a panel for my card from the coloured page, and matted it onto black card. I then found a perfect strip of vellum in my random stash box, and heat embossed a sentiment from Noteworthy 2 in black shimmery embossing powder to complete the card. 

I used Stitched Tags Nesting Dies to die cut a tag from the rest of the colouring page, and adhered it to a white card panel cut with the same die. This time I used some water to blend the colours. I think they become more vibrant this way. I used the leftover piece of the vellum to stamp the sentiment, again from Noteworthy 2. I hope these projects inspired you to colour something, and don't forget to download the free digi and join us for the linky party over on the STAMPlorations blog.

I'm linking up my card over at Fusion Card Challenges, Just Add Ink where the challenge is "Just add C" (my C is colour, colouring, colouring book and contrast) and Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge where Anything goes this week. I'm also linking up my tag over at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge where the theme is bright and cheerful.

Colouring book: STAMPlorations Bloomtangled

Stamps: STAMPlorations Noteworthy 2

Dies: CUTplorations Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies, Stitched Tags Nesting Dies

There are some great offers in the STAMPlorations store in August, including (of course!) a colouring book sale!!

Clear Stickers are 30% off with code CLEAR30 Coloring Books are 25% off with code COLOR25 Clear Stamps* are 25% off with code STAMP25

March STAMPlorations TAG challenge - Spring

Welcome to the STAMPlorations March TAGplorations challenge. Our theme is spring, with an optional twist of birds. Is it getting spring-y where you are? I love March as spring starts to show just a little bit with nature turning green and early spring flowers shyly make their way above ground. Thank you for playing along with our February Love challenge, you certainly made it hard to pick our favourites! 

I started by stamping Hummingbird - Large onto watercolour paper and coloured him with Gansai Tambi watercolour and pearl watercolours. For the background, I watercoloured through the Honeycomb Delight Mini stencil and then went a bit overboard with splattering lots of watercolour onto the remaining tag for interest. The sentiments are from Bold Sentiments: Hashtag Authentic and Noteworthy 2.

Stamps: STAMPlorations Hummingbird - Large, Bold Sentiments: Hashtag Authentic, Noteworthy 2
Stencil: ARTplorations Honeycomb Delight Mini
Dies: CUTplorations Luggage 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.

Snowflake Flurry

They say that necessity is the mother of invention. You know what is the mother of getting your mojo on for creating Christmas cards? Making your list of people you are going to send cards to, counting the cards you have already made and realising you still need to triple your card stash. Nothing like CAS designs to the rescue - I think I created at least six cards today 

Today's card was inspired by the colours over at House of Cards. I'm also linking up over at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge where the theme is Let It Snow, Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge where the theme is Baby It's Cold Outside and Sparkles Christmas Challenge where the theme is Embossing.

I created the background using Distress Inks, splattered with water and added heat embossed snowflakes. The sentiment is a mix of a STAMPlorations stamp in black on vellum and a STAMplorations die, cut from silver and gold mirri card. 

Card: 200 gsm white card, vellum, gold and silver mirri card
Stamps: Stampin' Up Endless Wishes, STAMPlorations Noteworthy 2
Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink Iced Spruce, Walnut Stain, Antique Linen, Tsukineko Versamark, Versafine Onyx Black
Other: Gold, silver and white embossing powder, CUTplorations Holidays Word die

Don't forget there is still a few days left to use my code STAMPGIRLKAROLA to get 20% off products in the NEW RELEASE and 5x7 STAMP CLUB categories and to get a free metal die with your order from the STAMPlorations store.

October STAMPlorations CAS Challenge - Black

After a summer break, the STAMPlorations CAS challenge is back! I'm so excited to get back to making CAS inspired creations and seeing what you create. The rules are the same as they always were, you can create using any product you want as long as you create a CAS card. Remeber to link back to the main challenge post on the STAMPlorations blog and to include the challenge graphic in your post to be eligible to win the monthly prizes. 

This year we are doing things a bit differently as we will no longer have a mid-month inspiration post, just the main post on the first Thursday of every month. Just as there has always been, you will find an optional colour twist which I love using just to push myself a bit.

This time the optional colour twist is black, and I thought why not change things up a bit and use black card. I have bought a small set of Faber Castell Polychromos pencils, inspired by all your fabulous pencil colouring out there on the Interwebs. I used to admire other people's beautiful colouring on black card, but the non-brand colouring pencils I had didn't really work on black card and I used to wonder what I was doing wrong. Well, I can tell you that using real artist's pencils is what made the difference! These work like a dream, although I still need to learn to use them... I'm already dreaming of a bigger set as I only have 12 colours at my disposal at the moment. But that is just about enough to colour the beautiful Blossom Sprays #1 stamp, and I heat embossed a sentiment from Noteworthy 2 in white.

Card: Black 200 gsm card

Stamps: STAMPlorations Dee's Artsy Impressions Blossom Sprays #1, Noteworthy 2

Ink and Colouring: Tsukineko Versamark, Faber Castell Polychromos

Other: Wow Opaque Bright White Super Fine embossing powder 

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.

October STAMPlorations TAG Challenge - Fall

I'm very excited to be blogging today about the October STAMPlorations TAG Challenge as I have been given a wonderful opportunity to join the design team. Hopefully you have a lot of pent-up TAG mojo in store after our summer break! I can't wait to hop around to all of your blogs and to be inspired by what you create. Our first challenge of the season is All About Fall with an optional twist of red, orange and gold. 

My tag is inspired by the colourful leaves and all the birds migrating to a warmer climate right now. I started by blotting Twisted Citron, Spiced Marmalade, Fossilized Amber and Vintage Photo Distress Oxide onto a craft mat, spritzing and picking up several layers of ink onto white card. Then I used one of the Manila Tags Nesting Dies to cut the tag. I inked up the Trendy Leaves stamps in yellow, orange, red and brown Distress Oxide, spritzed with water before stamping and fussy cut them. I also die cut some leaves using the Trendy Spring Blooms dies. Then I randomly stamped various stamps from Mixed Media Grunge in red, orange and brown around the edges of the tag and added a sentiment from Noteworthy 2. Before attaching the leaves, I used Vintage Photo Distress Ink through the Some Birds stencil and last I stamped and heat embossed some dots in gold in the upper left corner of the tag and added some ribbon and twine.

There are very few rules - please follow the theme and your project has to have a tag in some form. You don't have to use STAMPlorations products but if you have any we would love to see how you were inspired to use them. Don't forget to link back to the challenge and add the challenge graphic to your post if you want to be eligible to win prizes.

I'm linking up my tag over at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge where the theme is Tag It.

Card: 200 gsm white card, Hobbycraft 190 gsm white card
Stamps: STAMPlorations Trendy Leaves, Noteworthy 2, Mixed Media Grunge
Dies: CUTplorations Manila Tags Nesting Dies, Trendy Spring Blooms
Stencils: ARTplorations Some Birds
Ink: Distress Ink Vintage Photo, Distress Oxides Fossilized Amber, Spiced Marmalade, Twisted Citron, Spiced Apple, Barn Door, Vintage Photo, Tsukineko Versamark
Other: gold embossing powder, ribbon, twine, sequin and an adhesive gem from my stash

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 5th Birthday

I am so happy to be able to celebrate the success of STAMPlorations with you today with a post on the STAMPlorations main blog. As you may already have seen on the STAMPlorations blog, for the duration of June, the STAMPlorations DT are showcasing our favourite cards in honour of STAMPloration's 5th Birthday. I want to take this opportunity to wish Shery and David happy STAMPiversary and wishes of many more. 

The chance to be part of Shery's STAMPfamily is an honour and a privilege. She is the most creative lady out there, and in addition, she is the most generous and hardworking as well. I feel so happy to have been able to be a part of the STAMPlorations team for a few years now, and every time I am blown away by the gorgeous new products. I keep using the stamps, dies and stencils over and over again, still going back to the old ones as well as loving to explore the new releases, many of which I'm sure will become classics in their own right.

So today I have the honour of showcasing my favourite three cards I have created while designing for STAMPlorations. It's probably not a surprise that they are all rainbow coloured... It was not easy to narrow it down to three, it's like picking your favourite child. I have also created a new card to wish STAMPlorations Happy Birthday using  Bloomtangled #1 Cover Plate Die, which you can see at the beginning of the post. I love, love, love paper piecing these dies. Nothing says bliss like an early morning big cup of coffee, a pair of tweezers, some glue and a gazillion die cut pieces!

CAS sweetness using Sugar Rush and Copics

Birthday party using Balloons and Banners and no-line
watercolouring with Distress Inks

A thing with wings using the gorgeous Flutter Zen 2 Layering dies,
Dots All Over Stencil, a sentiment from Noteworthy 2
and Ink blending with Distress Inks.

I also made another card inspired by my first one. The Bloomtangled Cover Plate dies are designs from the Bloomtangled Colouring Book so I thought I would take the same design from the colouring book. I covered the page in clear Gesso and then coloured it with Gansai Tambi watercolours. I die cut the page and used the large piece to create a panel for a card. I was also able to get two smaller die cuts from the leftover pieces of the page. I used one to make a tag with a sentiment from Noteworthy 2  heat embossed in white. I used the other tag for a hand lettered quote, which I ended up using in my Bullet Journal.

If you want to join in on the festivities you can CASE any of my designs - or any designs from my fellow DT teamies - and link up over on the main birthday blog post. Any type of project is eligible and there will be loads and loads of inspiration all through June so I'm sure you will find something to inspire you. You can also win prizes by playing along with the wishlist linky party. Between these two posts, you might be the lucky winner of one of the many prizes in honour of STAMPlorations 5th birthday!

If you are not familiar with the term CASE, it stands for "Copy and Share Everything" but in the crafting world you should take it to mean "be inspired by". So you could use any part of the projects above as inspiration for your cards, maybe the flower theme, maybe the colours or maybe something else that you get inspired by. I can't wait to see your inspirational projects in the linky on the main birthday blog post.

The STAMPlorations products I used for my new cards:

Bloomtangled #1 Cover Plate Die

Happy Word die

Bloomtangled Colouring Book

Thanks word die

Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies

Noteworthy 2

Manila 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.

Let The Heavy Stuff Go

I've had been deeply contemplating the following question today: How many feather stamp sets does a girl need? After much deliberation, I have come to the following answer: "One more feather stamp set you need" (said in the voice of Yoda). Currently, this is my favourite one (it's STAMPlorations Feathery). Tomorrow, how knows?

I was inspired by the beautiful inspiration image over at Inspired by All the Small Things. I probably need not say more. I'm also linking up over at CAS on Friday where the theme is Embossing and at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge where Anything Goes this week. I heat embossed the feathers in gunmetal embossing powder and watercoloured the feathers using Distress Inks. Last, I stamped and heat embossed one of the sentiments from Noteworthy 2 and fussy cut part of the sentiment banner. Note to self, I need to get a lighter weight black card, the one I have is super heavy and really tricky to fussy-cut, and thanks to the magic of eBay I hope I will have some early next week.

Card: 300 gsm Daler&Rowney watercolor paper, silver grey card base, scrap of black card

Stamps: STAMPlorations Feathery, Noteworthy 2

Ink and colouring: Tsukineko Versamark, Tim Holtz Distress Inks 

Other: Gunmetal embossing powder (no brand) and Wow Opaque Bright White Super Fine embossing powde

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

Mojo Warm-Up Blooms

Do you sometimes feel like you need a quick and easy project to get your mojo going? Kind of like warming up for when you do exercise? I've been struggling to get into the craft room lately (and also to the gym, but that's another story), not sure why but it just felt overwhelming and I tried to start a few cards but they were all just horrible.

Then I saw an amazing card on Instagram, which of course I can't find again... it was a gorgeous flower stamp on a blue background, coloured probably with watercolour markers. I tried to find it again - you know how Instagram always brings up those same donuts over and over again... but I just can't find that card again. Anyhow, long story short I was going to CASE that card as I happened to see that the challenge over at AAA Cards and Less Is More is One Layer with a coloured card base. But then it warped into something different when I had a dig around my huge stash of unused card and I found some rainbow coloured card which looks awesome as a A4 sized sheet but really doesn't work very well when cut down in size... But I thought it would work for this design. I was planning to colour in the gorgeous STAMPlorations Blossom Sprays #1 stamp. After I stamped and heat embossed it I decided to take a minimalist approach instead and just leave it as it is. All it needed was a bold sentiment from Noteworthy 2 and a fashion photo shoot together with my gorgeous hydrangea. If you come back tomorrow I'll show you the card I made after I had flexed my crafty muscles with these "warm up" cards. 

Card: Rainbow coloured card (it doesn't say what brand/make it is, I bought it on eBay...)
Stamps: STAMPlorations Blossom Sprays #1, Noteworthy 2
Ink: Tsukineko Versafine
Other: Papermania Seafoam White embossing powder

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.