Tuesday 26 November 2019

STAMPlorations Inspiration


Happy Tuesday! It's time for this week's STAMPlorations Inspiration post. This week I was inspired by the colours of the leaves, although we are getting to the end of leaf season, to be honest. Most trees are quite naked by now, and I even had to scrape my car windscreen a few times already so I guess it's time to admit that winter is truly coming.

I used the faux watercolour technique to create my leafy background. I used Distress Markers to colour the Trendy Leaves and spritzed with water before stamping. I used the super useful Basics A2 Panels Nesting Dies to cut the panels for the front. I die cut one of the Gratitude Trees in various autumnal colours. For the sentiment, I coloured a scrap piece of card with Distress Markers and blended with water before die cutting with the Skinny Sentiments.

Stamps: STAMPlorations Trendy Leaves
Dies: CUTplorations Gratitude Trees DiesSkinny SentimentsBasics A2 Panels Nesting Dies
Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Markers

You a few more days to take advantage of the STAMPlorations huge Thanksgiving sale. Also, don't forget to take part in the Giving Thanks Giveaway and you could win a year's supply of STAMPlorations products.

Order at least $50 worth of products then use code THANKS25 and pay just $37.50 + free shipping (US)
Order at least $100 worth of products then use code THANKS30 and pay just $70 + free worldwide shipping
Order at least $150 worth of products then use code THANKS40 and pay just $90 + free worldwide shipping
Order at least $200 worth of products then use code THANKS50 and pay just $100 + free worldwide shipping
Order at least $300 worth of product then use code THANKS60 and pay just $120 + free worldwide shipping


Ends December 8.




Tuesday 19 November 2019

STAMPlorations Inspiration - Christmas Dies Redux


This week we have another fun blog hop for you as part of the STAMPlorations Inspiration Post. Did you already play along with our Giving Thanks Giveaway? If you haven't you have to check it out, the prizes are fantastic!


This week we are getting ready for Christmas by creating Christmas crafts with CUTplorations dies. For my project, I used three dies - Stitched Winter Landscape for the snowy landscape, Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies to die cut the front panel and Christmas Sentiments dies for the shimmery blue sentiment. I created the starry night sky using Distress Inks. I stamped the stars using a stamp from Art Marks and heat embossed in white before splattering the whole night sky with white gouache paint. Last, I couldn't resist adding some stickles to the landscape.

For your chance to win some Christmas dies, you can hop along to all the designer's blogs and leave comments. All the details you need are over on the STAMPloratios blog in today's Inspiration Post. You have until December 8th to comment!

Stamps: STAMPlorations Art Marks
Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Inks

There are so many different events going on over at STAMPlorations, Shery has kindly summarised them all at the top of the STAMPblog! They are:




Win a 1 year supply of STAMPlorations products
 (ends 12/8)
5th Giving Thanks Blog Hop (ends 12/8)
25 Days of Christmas Tags (ends 12/8)
Christmas in the Air with Nancy and Monika + comment to win (ends 12/8)
Sticker Monday with Terri Koszler + comment to win (ends 12/8)
Stencil Sunday with Helen Gullett + comment to win (ends 12/8)

Last but not least, don't forget to use the discount code STAMPGIRLKAROLA at checkout in the STAMPlorations store for a little extra discount!!

Friday 15 November 2019

STAMPlorations November CAS Challenge - Reminder


How can it be mid-November? What happened? I am completely, 110%, sure the November challenge started maybe two or three days ago. Therefore I have to accept that someone has stolen at least a week from my November. Maybe instead of putting the clocks back one hour, someone forwarded a full week? 


Whatever the explanation is, I guess I better accept it's the 15th and therefore I'm happy to share my mid-month reminder and additional inspiration project for the STAMPlorations November CAS challenge. Our optional colour twist this month is brown and I used Sanna's gorgeous Barley stencil to create a fun one layer CAS card by inking Distress Inks through the stencil. I added a sentiment from Noteworthy 3.

I hope you feel inspired to play along with the challenge, you have until the end of the month to link up. You don't have to use STAMPlorations products, but if you have them we would love to see how you are inspired to use them. Don't forget to make it a CAS card!

Stamps: STAMPlorations Noteworthy 3
Stencil: ARTplorations Barley
Ink: Tsukineko Versafine Onyx Black, Tim Holtz Distress Ink Squeezed Lemonade, Mustard Seed, Fossilized Amber, Spiced Marmalade, Vintage Photo

25 Days of Christmas Tags


I'm excited to share with you my tag for the 8th annual 25 Days of Christmas Tags event. If you are part of the crafting community on the Interwebs you are probably already well familiar with this event but if you aren't, it's run by the amazing Tracey McNeely of In My Creative Opinion. Every year, Tracey brings together the paper crafting community for 25 days of amazing Christmas tag inspiration, and you can take part by hopping along, leaving comments and creating your own tags. 

And for an extra chance to win, hop over to the STAMPlorations blog extra 25 Days of Christmas Tags post and you can win a set of the fantastic new Christmas Sentiments dies I used for my tag!!


Today the sponsor of the day over at 25 Days of Christmas Tags is STAMPlorations and I was lucky to get to contribute to this event. I cut my tag using the STAMPlorations Stitched Tags Nesting Dies and stamped the Christmas presents and wreath from Joyful in black ink, adding a bit of red watercolour to the images. I then die cut the sentiment using the new Christmas Sentiments dies, once in black and once in red and attached them to the tag. I love these dies, they are all you need for your Christmas card sentiments this year. There are several dies, they are a perfect size both for tags and cards and I absolutely love the beautiful lettering. I know this will be my forever love Christmas sentiment, and die-cutting the sentiment really makes it pop off the page.

Don't forget to follow along for the whole 25 days of Tags over at Tracey's blog and comment on the posts and create your own tags to get into the Christmas crafty mood! And after you have done that, hop over to the  STAMPlorations blog extra 25 Days of Christmas Tags post for a chance to win the Christmas Sentiments dies!



Stamps: STAMPlorations Joyful
Ink and colouring: Tsukineko Versamark Onyx Black, Tim Holtz Distress Ink Festive Berries




Tuesday 12 November 2019

STAMPlorations Inspiration


Welcome to this Tuesday's STAMPlorations Inspiration Post. This week we have a little something extra for you - we are kicking off the 5th STAMPlorations Giving Thanks Blog Hop. And it's not just a blog hop, but a really incredible Giveaway too. Shery is giving away the most amazing prizes! 


I created a card using the new Gratitude Trees Dies. Of course, I couldn't resist a little bit of paper piecing for the trees. I created a background panel by inking with Distress Inks and die cut my inked panel using Stitched Spring Landscape. Last, I added a sentiment from Words of Gratitude using Distress Oxide.

For the full set of rules for the giveaway, as well as the prizes, hop over to the STAMPlorations Inspiration Post. The main prize is a whopping one year's supply of STAMPlorations products, up to $180 combined MSRP value!! That is one huge prize, and there are other prizes too so I hope you will be inspired top Hop Along for the Giving Thanks Blog Hop and Giveaway.

Stamps: STAMPlorations Words of Gratitude, 
Ink and Colouring: Distress Inks and Oxides

Don't forget to check out all the current STAMPlorations offers over on the STAMPlorations store current promotions page. You can use my code STAMPGIRLKAROLA at check-out for 20% off non-reduced products.

Order at least $50 worth of products then use code THANKS25 and pay just $37.50 + free shipping (US)
Order at least $100 worth of products then use code THANKS30 and pay just $70 + free worldwide shipping
Order at least $150 worth of products then use code THANKS40 and pay just $90 + free worldwide shipping
Order at least $200 worth of products then use code THANKS50 and pay just $100 + free worldwide shipping
Order at least $300 worth of product then use code THANKS60 and pay just $120 + free worldwide shipping



Wednesday 6 November 2019

More Coffee Lovers Fall/Winter 2019 Blog hop


I'm having so much fun creating with my STAMPlorations for the Zen Coffee Cups Layering Dies for the Coffee Lovers Fall/Winter Blog Hop that I couldn't stop at the one project I made the other day. I chose another die and paper pieced it using Tim Holtz Distress card. I find it so incredibly meditative to pick up those tiny little pieces of card and put them together into beautiful projects. A good cup of coffee, a few biscuits, a nice podcast and me and my tweezers. Saturday morning bliss is what it is! This time I added a sentiment from Coffee Happy and used the Dots n' Beans stencil to create the background for my card.



Stamps: STAMPlorations Coffee Happy
Dies: CUTplorations Zen Coffee Cups Layering Dies
Stencil: ARTplorations Dots n' Beans
Ink and colouring: Tim Holtz Distress Ink Vintage Photo, Ground Espresso, Tsukineko Versamark

Tuesday 5 November 2019

STAMPlorations Inspiration


Happy Tuesday, it's time for another Inspiration Post over at STAMPlorations! How is your autumn going? I can't believe we just blasted in November. I hardly got to the point where I got accustomed to writing 2019 and now we are only weeks away from Christmas and having to learn yet another year. At least next year should be easy to remember... 2020. That feels so futuristic. I guess the future is now.

Anyhow, after that dose of philosophical thought it's time for something more crafty. This week I had lots of fun with Distress Inks. I created a background using purples and blues and splattered with water. I inked up another piece of card using pinks and browns, and after splattering it with water, I die cut it with For the Birds Dies and finished the card with a sentiment from a discontinued stamp set.

Stamps: STAMPlorations Tree Silhouettes (discontinued)
Dies: CUTplorations For the Birds Dies
Ink and colouring: Tsukineko Versamark, Tim Holtz Distress Inks

Don't forget to check out the super November discounts in the STAMPlorations store (and you can use my discount code STAMPGIRLKAROLA for 20% off full price items and 20% extra in the coffee lovers sale)







Friday 1 November 2019

Coffee Lovers Fall/Winter Blog Hop 2019


Today is the start of the 2019 Coffee Lovers Fall/Winter Blog Hop and STAMPlorations is again one of the super sponsors! So we are celebrating over at STAMPlorations by sharing lots of {insert your favourite hot drink} themed projects, and if you know anything about STAMPlorations you will know there is most certainly going to be some extra prizes to win too!


I have recently had a coffee revelation. I changed the milk in my latte (yes, I'm one of those people who want my coffee with more milk than coffee) from the cow stuff to oat milk and that has made my coffees so much more enjoyable. As the tub of milk says - oh wow, no cow! 

For my coffee card, I started by die cutting the Zen Coffee Cups Layering Dies using watercolour paper and coloured the die-cut using Gansai Tambi watercolours in autumnal hues. I attached the mug onto a panel I cut using Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies and finished the card with a heat embossed sentiment from What's Brewing.

I'm linking up over at The Card Concept.


Stamps: STAMPlorations What's Brewing
Ink and colouring: Gansai Tambi Watercolours, Tsukineko Versamark

STAMPlorations November CAS Challenge - Brown


Happy November and welcome to the November STAMPlorations CAS challenge. This month our optional colour twist is Any Shade of Brown, which for me meant chocolate cake! I stamped the cake using Layered Cake Bake in Distress Ink and watercoloured with multiple shades of brown Distress Ink and added strawberry icing on top. I added the sentiment using the new  Everyday Sentiments dies. I die cut the sentiment in light brown card and inked darker browns around the edges of the die cuts. I love these new dies, as they are the perfect size for a card where you want to add a die-cut sentiment but don't want the sentiment to take centre stage. I have been looking for smaller sentiment dies which would be perfect for cards or smaller projects like tags and these are absolutely perfect! 


I'm linking up my card over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge where Anything Goes this week.

Stamps: STAMPlorations Layered Cake Bake
Dies: CUTplorations Everyday Sentiments
Ink and colouring: Tim Holtz Distress Ink Vintage Photo, Ground Espresso, Gathered Twigs, Work Lipstick