STAMPlorations 3rd Birthday Blog Hop Day 2

Welcome to the second day of the STAMPlorations 3rd Birthday Blog Hop. We are celebrating with new product launches and a great linky party too.

It wouldn't be a birthday party without prizes to win, and there are plenty of those! All prizes are randomly drawn and there will be prizes for commenting on the STAMPlorations blog and design team's blogs, prizes for liking, commenting, sharing and tagging a friend on the STAMPlorations Facebook page post and prizes for creating and linking up a party/celebration/birthday project based on the mood board below. For more info see the STAMPlorations 3rd Birthday Blog Hop post.

For my card I started by stamping the sentiment in Versamark using Sketchy Alphabet and balloons from Balloons and Banners. I heat embossed all stamped images in white powder. Then I played with my Distress Inks to create the background and the splatters. Last, I added the second line of the sentiment in Versafine Onyx Black.

Card: 300 gsm watercolour card
Stamps: STAMPlorations Balloons and Banners, Sketchy Alphabet
Ink: Versamark, Versafine Onyx Black, Tim Holtz Distress Ink Peacock Feathers, Spiced Marmalade, Wilted Violet
Other: Papermania Seafoam White embossing powder

Disclaimer: I have received some STAMPlorations products for free in exchange for creating cards for the challenge. All opinions however are completely my own. As you can see by browsing my blog, I have been using STAMPlorations products (which I bought myself) way before my time on the DT and I wouldn't recommend them unless I absolutely loved them myself.

STAMPlorations 3rd Birthday Blog Hop

Today I'm hopping along with the STAMPlorations 3rd Birthday Blog Hop. Happy 3rd Birthday STAMPlorations and here's to many more! I hope you will all join me in wishing all the best to STAMPlorations and the wonderful Shery Russ in the year to come. I can't wait to see all the new and exciting products that are coming, particularly the brand new dies! There is a lovely new stamp set as well called Kathryn's Big Wishes. So many new and fantastic products and ideas to work with as well as all the inspiration from the wonderful DT.

It wouldn't be a birthday party without prizes to win, and there are plenty of those! All prizes are randomly drawn and there will be prizes for commenting on the STAMPlorations blog and design team's blogs, prizes for liking, commenting, sharing and tagging a friend on the STAMPlorations Facebook page post and prizes for creating and linking up a party/celebration/birthday project inspired by the mood board below. For more info see the STAMPlorations 3rd Birthday Blog Hop post.

For my card I used the fun Balloons And Banners stamp set. I started by stamping the balloons in Hickory Smoke Distress Ink and then watercolouring using bright colours of Distress Inks, letting the colours run outside the lines of the balloons. Then I masked the balloons and flicked spots of colour all over the card. Last, I stamped one of the sentiments from the same set. 

Card: 300 gsm watercolour card
Stamps: STAMPlorations Balloons And Banners
Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink Mustard Seed, Abandoned Coral, Mermaid Lagoon, Wilted Violet, Twisted Citron and Hickory Smoke

Disclaimer: I have received some STAMPlorations products for free in exchange for creating cards for the challenge. All opinions however are completely my own. As you can see by browsing my blog, I have been using STAMPlorations products (which I bought myself) way before my time on the DT and I wouldn't recommend them unless I absolutely loved them myself.

You Flamin-go Girl!

It's been a while since my last post. Work is as crazy as ever and I have been really good, spending lots of time at the gym. And this weekend I had the best guest - my sister. We went to the gym, cooked and baked, celebrated Midsummer and enjoyed a wonderful BBQ prepared by the Culinary Consultant. But sadly the weekend is coming to an end. I did manage to sneak in a bit of crafty time to enjoy my new Lawn Fawn stash. And next week there will be plenty of posts as I look forward to celebrate something special. Pop in on Wednesday to see what's happening, all I can tell you is that someone is giving out prizes!!

Today's card was inspired by a number of challenges. First of all I absolutely had to play along with this week's Color Throwdown as I just adore the bright, summery colour selection this week. I was also inspired by the sketch over at CAS(E) This Sketch. I was also inspired by the Distress Maniacs challenge over at Lawnscaping (I used Distress Inks to create the background). Last but not least I was inspired by the Use Patterned Paper over at Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge. 

I started by die cutting a piece of white card using a stitched rectangle die. Then I sponged yellow and red Distress ink and spritzed with water. Next, I stamped and die cut the super-cute flamingo on pink patterned paper from Let's Polka in the Meadow. I also die cut the sun and palms. After stamping the sentiment I arranged the die cuts and matted the panel onto white card using 3D foam tape. 

Card: 300 gsm smooth white card, 300 gsm textured white card, scrap of red card
Stamps: Lawn Fawn Flamingo Together and matching dies
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Tim Holtz Distress Ink Abandoned Coral and Squeezed Lemonade
Other: Lawn Fawn Let's Polka in the Meadow, Spring Showers and Stitched Rectangle dies

Summer Coffee Lovers Blog Hop

The whole crafting blogosphere is alight with coffee this week - yes, it's another Coffee Lovers Blog Hop and I was inspired to create something to celebrate the elixir of life. I managed to quickly create this card in the morning before we headed off to for Father's Day Lunch with the Culinary Consultant's family. Actually I had to re-make the card as the first time I smudged the ink really badly on the sentiment - I need to find better cardstock for stamping. Happy to hear about your favourites!

I was also inspired by the colour challenge over at Color Throwdown and the sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches. I'm also linking up with the CAS Mixup where the theme is Stamping + die cutting + your choice (paper piecing)

Card: white 300 gsm super smooth card

Stamps: STAMPlorations Coffee Happy 

Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Stampin' Up Soft Suede

Other: Lawn Fawn Let's Polka in the Meadow patterned paper and Spring Showers die

Butterfly stencil cards

Just popping in real quick to show off a few cards I made ages ago. It's been a crazy week and this weekend we will be helping my sister-out-of-law move house, so no crafty time this weekend either. Summer is always such a busy time - it just seems like life all of a sudden... well... comes to life during the few short summer months. So much to do in the garden, it's light enough to go for a run in the evening. And last night me and the Culinary Consultant celebrated our (almost) four-year anniversary by going for a nice meal and some comedy in town. We only made it back home right before midnight, so when my alarm clock went off just before six I couldn't figure out what on earth was going on and now I'm almost falling asleep on the sofa at 9 pm.

For my cards, I used Tim Holtz Distress inks on watercolour paper, letting the colours randomly run into each other. I created two panels, one using subtle pastel colours and another one using brighter colours. Then I used the STAMPlorations Shower of Flutters stencil to mask the watercoloured card, and inked using grey and black ink for each card respectively. Then I used my watercolour brush to flick some water to create the distressed patterns where the inks reacted with the water. I left a clear space in the corner to stamp a sentiment from Fond Expressions 2, which I heat embossed in our theme colour, silver. 

I'm linking up with the following challenges:
CAS on Sunday - Butterflies
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Animal Magic
One Layer Simplicity Challenge - Stencil
Cute Card Thursday - Bugs or Butterflies


Card: 300 gsm watercolour card, 240 gsm black card
Stamps: STAMPlorations Fond Expressions 2
Stencils: STAMPlorations Shower of Flutters
Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Inks Abandoned Coral, Black Soot, Blueprint Sketch, Bundled Sage, Fossilized Amber, Hickory Smoke, Scattered Straw, Shaded Lilac, Spun Sugar, Twisted Citron, Victorian Velvet, Wilted Violet, Tsukineko Versamark
Other: Papermania Silver tinsel embossing powder, Lawn Fawn Stitched Rectangle dies

June STAMPlorations CAS Challenge - Mid-month inspiration

Welcome to our mid-month inspiration post for the STAMPlorations June CAS challenge which as usual is Anything Goes and our optional colour twist is blue. The DT is again brimming with inspiration to show off some gorgeous products from STAMPlorations. Remember that you don't have to use STAMPlorations products to take part, but if you have any we always love to see them used. You can take part up to three times, and a randomly picked winner will win a $10 gift card to the STAMPlorations shop ($15 if you use STAMPlorations products on your entry). The DT will also pick favourites who get a badge to display on their blog. All you have to do is create a CAS card, and optionally use the colour twist. We also ask that you display the challenge badge on your blog post and link back to the main challenge page to let others join in the fun.

For my card I used the gorgeous Lotus Love stamp set. I love this set as it's so versatile. This time I started by stamping and masking in Versafine Onyx Black and then coloured in the scene with my Faber Castell watercolour pencils. I selected a sentiment from Blossom Overture and stamped it in Versafine. Last, I spritzed some blue ink onto the background, as it looked a bit too white and I thought it looks a bit like it's raining. 

I'm linking up with the following challenges:
Artistic Inspirations - Anything Goes
Crafting From the Heart - Anything Goes
Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes
Our Crafty Corner - Anything Goes
Addicted to Stamps - Flower

Card: White 300 gms textured card
Stamps: STAMPlorations Lotus Love and Blossom Overture
Ink and Colouring: Versafine Onyx Black, Faber Castell Albrecht Dürer watercolour pencils

Disclaimer: I have received some STAMPlorations products for free in exchange for creating cards for the challenge. All opinions however are completely my own. As you can see by browsing my blog, I have been using STAMPlorations products (which I bought myself) way before my time on the DT and I wouldn't recommend them unless I absolutely loved them myself.

Bleeding watercolours

A bit of watercolouring to start Sunday! Unfortunately, next I have to deal with the reality of our house being a complete mess, so instead of reaching for my watercolour brush I have to reach for the vacuum cleaner. Sigh. 

Today's card was inspired by the gorgeous image over Inspired By All The Little Things. I'm also linking up with AAA Cards where the theme is watercolour and Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge where the theme is Summer Garden. 

Card: 300 gsm watercolour card

Stamps: Stampin' Up So Very Grateful, Lawn Fawn Thank You Tags

Ink: Tim Holtz Distress ink Spun Sugar, Seedless Preserve, Dusty Concord, Wilted Violet, Twisted Citron, Peeled Paint

Flamingo-a-go-go

Happy Saturday! I have finally managed to create a card, after at least two weeks out of the craft room. I've said it before and I'll say it again - working full time really poo-poos any attempts to enjoy the fun things in life. I have also lately been busy in the garden as the weather has finally turned a bit more summer-y which is lovely but is definitely time away from the craft room. And I had to take some drastic measures as I wasn't able to zip up my jeans any longer, so I've spent quite a bit of time in the gym and out running. And food prepping - after all weight loss is 90% about the nutrition. So I stand in my kitchen all evening, prepping salads and veg for the next day. Somehow all of this combined has left zero time for crafting! 

Getting back in the craft room was hard - just as getting back to the gym is hard. You need to exercise your crafty muscles to keep them active and I had to really work hard to be able to create anything. Luckily there were a few great challenges to help me get going again. First and foremost I was inspired by the flamingotastic inspiration image over at House of Cards. They have a end-of-term blog hop, there are a few more days to go so make sure you get flamingo-a-go-going and hop the hop! I'm also playing along with the sketch challenge over at Sunday Stamps. I'm also linking up over at Sweet Stampin' where the theme is 3 Or More Layers and That's Crafty where the theme is In The Pink.

Card: 300 gsm textured white card, gold mirri card

Stamps: Your Next Stamp Fred and Ginger

Ink and colouring: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics

Dies: Lawn Fawn Stripey Backdrop, Say Cheese, Scripty Hugs

Paper: Lawn Fawn Let's Polka in the Meadow

Double stamping CAS card

Hiya peeps, have you been enjoying the weekend? The summer seems to have returned at least for the time being so that's great. I've spent the weekend helping my sister move - she has way too much stuff, let me tell you! So unfortunately I haven't had any time to spend in the craft room this weekend. This combined with the fact that I've had a total crazy week at work means that I can't even remember when I last would have created anything. Therefore I'm sharing a card I made a while ago, but I really like it so I thought it deserves a post.

For this card, I started by stamping the gorgeous STAMPlorations French Marigold Large in black Memento ink. Then I created a reverse mask by stamping the flower onto a piece of trash paper and cut out the flower to create a mask. I then used the mask to stamp various stamps from Mixed Media Elements to "colour" the flower. To create the sentiment, I stamped various parts of sentiments from Bloom Sketches and Sugar Rush in a slightly unusual layout for added interest. Last, I splattered some ink and added three tiny rhinestones for that final touch.

I am linking up with the following challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Monochrome
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Mask It
Addicted to Stamps - Flower

Card: 300 gsm hammered card
Stamps: STAMPlorations French Marigold Large, Mixed Media Elements, Bloom Sketches, Sugar Rush
Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink Victorian Velvet, Spun Sugar, Abandoned Coral, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black
Other: Adhesive gems from my stash

June STAMPlorations CAS Challenge - Anything Goes with Blue

Welcome June and welcome new STAMPlorations CAS challenge. I wish someone told mother nature it's summer as we seem to be stuck with weather worthy of February... A perfect time to lock yourself in the craft room and create something for the June challenge! This month our optional colour twist is blue. Blue always makes me think of the sea. It's one of the things I really miss from back home - living in Helsinki meant that the sea was always around the corner. And although we go to the North Norfolk coast from time to time, the sea just doesn't feel the same over here. In Helsinki as you look out to the horizon you see the archipelago and there are all these lovely little islands to visit. Here, it's just an unbroken line. It feels very different, and sometimes I really miss the feel of the sea back home. 

Anyhow, back from my stroll down memory lane - I thought the new Born to Roam stamp set would be perfect for my father out-of-law's birthday card. I started with stamping the ship from Born to Roam in Versafine. The I masked the ship and also masked a rectangle in the middle of the card. Then I inked through the Art Splatters mask with Tim Holtz distress inks. Last I stamped one of the fun sentiments from Born to Roam in Versafine. 

You are welcome to join us with any CAS card, using any products. If you have any STAMPlorations or ARTplorations products we would love to see how you use them. A randomly drawn winner will get a $10 gift card to the STAMPlorations shop, or if you use STAMPlorations products on your card, you get an extra $5. I can't wait to see what you create this month! Please, don't forget to display the challenge graphic on your post and link back to the challenge page. 

I'm linking up with the following challenges:
CASology - CAS (celebrating their 200th challenge, well done CASology!!)
Curtain Call - Sail on inspiration image
One Layer Simplicity Challenge - Stencil 
Shopping Our Stash - The 4 elements (water)
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Monochrome
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Mask It (I masked the ship for the stencilled background)

Card: 300 gsm smooth white card
Stamps: STAMPlorations Born to Roam
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Tim Holtz distress inks in Blueprint Sketch, Broken China, Chipped Sapphire and Mermaid Lagoon

Disclaimer: I have received some STAMPlorations products for free in exchange for creating cards for the challenge. All opinions however are completely my own. As you can see by browsing my blog, I have been using STAMPlorations products (which I bought myself) way before my time on the DT and I wouldn't recommend them unless I absolutely loved them myself.