STAMPlorations Inspiration

 It's Tuesday and more than that it's the last Tuesday of the month and I'm still sticking to the challenge I set myself at the beginning of the year to create four Christmas cards for the last STAMPlorations Inspirations post of the month. I'm quite proud I have managed to stick to this for a full quarter of a year!  As I have been playing with kraft card this month, I decided to do this for my Christmas cards too, just to stick with the theme!

I started by stamping the Poinsettia Row in Vintage photo onto kraft card. For two of the cards, I stamped the Poinsettia Row along the long edge of the card, and for the other two, I stamped it twice horizontally instead. Next, I splattered some Vintage photo across the panels and lightly sponged some ink around the edges. Then I heat embossed the poinsettia from Framed Christmas on white card in black embossing powder, watercoloured with Distress Inks and added to the cards. I finished by adding a black die cut sentiment from Christmas Sentiments Phrase Dies, matted the panels onto black card and attached to kraft card bases. Below is a closer look at the cards.

Stamps: STAMPlorations Framed Christmas, Poinsettia Row (I have these as actual stamps but they are discontinued - still available as digi stamps though if you want to use them) 
Dies: CUTplorations Christmas Sentiments Phrase Dies
Ink and colouring: Tsukineko Versamark, 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 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 Inspiration

Happy Tuesday crafty friends! My explorations into kraft cards for the STAMPlorations Inspiration posts continues today with some white Calla Lilies this week. I started by stamping and heat embossing the In Bloom: Classic Calla Lilies in white on kraft card. I used my Polychromos colouring pencils to fill in a bit of colour and splattered a little bit of white acrylic paint. All that was needed was a beautiful sentiment from Lotus Love. That's all from me this week, short and sweet.

Stamps: STAMPlorations In Bloom: Classic Calla Lilies, Lotus Love
Ink and colouring: Tsukineko Versafine, Polychromos colouring pencils

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 Inspiration

 

Today I'll continue my explorations of cards on kraft for this week's STAMPlorations Inspiration post. The weather has been a bit miserable here, but the daffodils are in bloom in the garden now being bright yellow spots of sunshine even when it's grey and rainy. Inspired by them and other early spring blooms I stamped the beautiful lilies from Blossom Sprays #3, heat embossed them in black and coloured them with Polychromos colouring pencils. I love how the white pops on the kraft background! I splattered a bit of brown ink, inked some brown ink around the edges of the card panel and matted it on black before attaching it to a kraft card base. Last, I added a sentiment which I die cut using Everyday Sentiments. 

Stamps: STAMPlorations Blossom Sprays #3

Dies: CUTplorations Everyday Sentiments

Ink and colouring: Tsukineko Versamark, Faber-Castell Polychromos colouring pencils

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 :) 

Reminder March STAMPlorations CAS Challenge

 

Happy Mid-March! Have you had a crafty month? I have learned a new craft this month - I have started to learn yarn dyeing and I love it. I love all the aspects of colour theory it involves, just like I love those aspects of crafting. Which colours to pick and how will they go together? But for today's card I didn't have to think about colours, as I went with the colour twist for the March STAMPlorations CAS challenge.

If you haven't had a chance to play along with the challenges yet this month there is more inspiration for all challenges from the design team over on the STAMPlorations blog today. For my card, I used the dark green and mint green colour twist for my CAS card. I stamped the leaves from Leafy in the two greens, die cut the panel with Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies and sponged some ink around the edges of the panel. I stamped the cute little bunny from Woodland Friends, coloured him with Copics and fussy cut him. Last, I added a sentiment from the same stamp set. I hope you find all the Design Team's creations inspirational and find some time to play along with the challenges this month.

Stamps: STAMPlorations Leafy, Woodland Friends

Dies: CUTplorations Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies

Ink and colouring: Tim Holtz Distress Oxides, Copics, Tsukineko Versamark

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 :) 

New Release - Bonus project

 

It's been an exciting week over at STAMPlorations with the release of three new super-cool stamp sets. Today there is an extra post over on the STAMPlorations blog with more projects using the new stamp sets - we had so much fun creating with them that Shery had to add an extra blog post for all our cards :) 

For my extra card, I was inspired by Shery's Art Marks 3 stamp set. I started by creating a background by stamping the solid stamp from Art Marks 3 in Distress Oxide on kraft card. I also created a background using Distress Oxides and stamps from Art Marks 3 using my Gelli plate. I die-cut the panel using Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies, stamped some more in black using another stamp from Art Marks 3 (they are so much fun, I just couldn't stop) and finally added a sentiment from Words of Gratitude.

And don't forget, there is a chance for you to win 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 Art Marks 3, Words of Gratitude

Dies: CUTplorations Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies

Ink and colouring: Distress Oxides,  Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black

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 :) 

New Release Art Marks 3

Welcome to day three of the STAMPlorations March stamp release! I hope you have enjoyed seeing projects using Shirley's Super Hero and Dee's Life Is Sweeter. And today over on the STAMPlorations blog we are sharing projects using Shery's new stamp set Art Marks 3. These grungy stamps are perfect for creating all kinds of fun cards - scroll below for two examples where I have used them to enhance my cards, and the design team is sharing many other ways over on the STAMPlorations blog.

 

For my first card, I used the zigzag stamp from Art Marks 3 and stamped it in Distress Oxides to create a background. Next, I stamped the cupcakes from Sweet Kindness, watercoloured them with Distress Oxides and fussy cut them. Last, I added a sentiment using Skinny Sentiments in matching colours.

For my second card, I used a background from my UFO box which I created using Distress Oxides and my Gelli plate. I die cut the background using Basic A2 Panels Nesting Dies and created a fun notepad edge using Art Edges Dies. Next, I used stamps from Art Marks 3 on the white card background and the die-cut panel to create some grungy texture. The coffee cup is from  What's Brewing?. I coloured it with Copics and fussy cut it. Last, I heat embossed a matching sentiment in white on black card using a stamp from What's Brewing?.

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 Art Marks 3, Sweet Kindness, Bloomin' Coffee and You, What's Brewing?

Dies: CUTplorations Skinny Sentiments, Basic A2 Panels Nesting Dies, Art Edges Dies

Ink and colouring: Distress Oxides, 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 :) 

New Release Life is Sweeter

 

Happy Tuesday fellow crafters! Today we have replaced the usual STAMPlorations Inspiration post with something extra special. We continue the new release introduction, which we began yesterday with Shirley's fun Super Hero (check it out here if you missed it). And today we are showing you Deepti's new stamp set Life is Sweeter - hop over to the STAMPlorations blog to see all the gorgeous projects the DT has created using this set. This is such a lovely stamp set to use if you want to send some love to friends and family who seem to be so very far away right now. Just a little note to cheer them up, and with the lovely stamps, it's really easy to create quick and easy cards, like the ones I have created here today.

For my first card, I used Distress Markers to colour directly on the stamps. Before stamping onto watercolour card, I spritzed the coloured stamp with a bit of water. I started by stamping the peach, masked it, stamped the pear, masked it too and then stamped the pineapple. Last, I added a sentiment and splattered some of the inks I used to colour the stamps.  

For my second card, I started by masking my card front using the Rectangles Flexi-Template and inked Cracked Pistachio and Spun Sugar Distress Ink in the bottom right and top left corners, fading as I went along. Next, I used Tim Holtz Distress Markes to colour the stamps, spritzed them wiht water and stamped then onto my card. I added a sentiment from the same set as a finishing touch. 

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 Life is Sweeter 

Stencils: ARTplorations Rectangles Flexi-Template

Ink and colouring: Distress Inks, Distress Markers, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black

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 :) 

Women's Day Blog Hop

 

Hello lovely crafters, and particularly all you wonderful women! I'm popping in today with a creation for the Women's Day Insta Hop, Blog Hop & Linky Party. STAMPlorations is one of the many wonderful sponsors for this hop and you should definitely check out the post over on the STAMPlorations blog as many of my fellow DT members have created projects to celebrate women. I feel very blessed to be part of this beautiful community of crafters, filled with wonderful people - so many of them women - who are supportive and leave comments filled with kindness and encouragement to each other all over social media. If you are a woman, I hope someone will spoil you today, and if you are not a woman, I hope you will consider spoiling the woman/women in your life :) 

 

I created a card inspired by the blog hop motto "Be your own kind of beautiful". I started by inking Distress ink through the Faces: Lovely stencil, blending as I went along. Then I stamped the sentiments from Woodland Friends and heat embossed them in white on black card. I fussy cut the sentiments and added them to the card. I hope you will join the hop and linky party and you can read all about the wonderful prizes of the hop over on Women's Day Insta Hop, Blog Hop & Linky Party and don't forget to pop over to the STAMPlorations blog to see all the lovely projects from the DT. 

Stamps: STAMPlorations Woodland Friends

Stencil: ARTplorations Faces: Lovely

Ink and colouring: Tim Holtz Distress Inks, Tsukineko Versamark

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 :) 

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 Inspiration

 

It's spring! The start of March surely must count as spring, right? We have snowdrops and daffodils in bloom already, it seems like spring is quite early this year. We are so close to April and May which are my favourite time of year, and I'm excited that there are green shoots in the garden and the sun is starting to feel warm again. 

As it's Tuesday, it's also time for another weekly instalment of the STAMPlorations Inspiration post. This month I'm inspired to create various different blooms on kraft card. I was inspired to do so by a beautiful card I saw on Instagram by @kampakreations. Today's card is a direct CASE of that card and for the remaining Tuesdays this month you will see other ways I have been inspired by kraft.

I started by creating all the different sized layers for this card in kraft and black using my paper trimmer. The top layer is actually some left-over from wedding invites I created for my Bestie three years ago. How time flies! But I digress... Next, I stamped the florals from Shery's beautiful Sweetly set in Versamark and heat embossed them in gold. I inked shades of brown Distress Ink around the edges and splattered brown ink on the card. Last, I added heat embossed sentiments from the same stamp set. I hope my card will inspire you to create something using kraft card. And don't forget to leave a comment on the STAMPlorations Inspiration post for a chance to win a $15 prize code to the  STAMPlorations store.

Stamps: STAMPlorations Sweetly

Ink and colouring: Versafine, 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 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 :) 

March STAMPlorations CAS Challenge

March?!?! It's March?!?! March 13th (which incidentally last year happened to be Friday the 13th...) marks one year of working from home for me. I feel so very grateful that I have a job to go to every day but more than that, a job I can safely do from home. And if I'm totally honest, working from home has improved my quality of life a lot as I have a relatively long commute, so I'm saving loads of time and money. We have been told that we will not be expected to return to the office until September, so I will enjoy this spring and summer and the flexibility that working from home gives me for a little while longer. But I'm sure you didn't pop in to hear me talking about work but to see what is going on with the STAMPlorations CAS challenge, and I'm so glad you did.

The optional colour twist for the March CAS challenge is dark green and mint green. I decided to stamp some spring inspired leaves on my card using Deepti's beautiful Leafy stamp set. Sometimes I think it's nice to work with just one stamp set, and also if I'm thinking of buying a stamp set I like seeing examples of that stamp set used on its own to give me ideas of what I can do with it without having a ton of other stash at hand too. So I used two pieces of scrap paper to mask off a strip of my card front and lightly inked it with Cracked Pistachio Distress Ink. Then I stamped the leaves in Lucky Clover Distress Oxide and added a sentiment from the same stamp set. If that isn't CAS, I don't know what is :) 

Stamps: STAMPlorations Leafy

Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink Cracked Pistachio, Distress Oxide Lucky Clover, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black

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 :)