STAMPlorations Inspiration

 

Happy Tuesday! I hope you are feeling crafty. We are here with the STAMPlorations DT, as usual, to play with our crafty goodies for the STAMPlorations Inspiration post. This time I decided to go a bit more mixed media than usual to challenge myself a bit. And I made some ATCs rather than cards, although I do think these could just be slapped onto a card front to make a card. As always, don't forget by leaving a comment on the  STAMPlorations Inspiration post you are entered into a monthly draw for a $15 prize code to the STAMPlorations store

I started with watercolour card which I die cut with Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies and matted onto black card. I stamped and heat embossed in black using flowers from Big Dreamer and watercoloured them with Distress inks in a messy way, letting the colours bleed over the edges of the images. Next, I inked through Clouds Stencil and Burst Slimline Stencil in multiple colours to create some interest in the background, and I also stamped in black using Art Marks 3 for an additional layer and creating more interest. Last I splattered some ink and white acrylic paint and heat embossed the sentiments in white on strips of black card from It's A Girl Thing: Kindness. I don't usually like how my mixed media projects come out, but for some reason, I really like this little scene. 

Stamps: STAMPlorations Art Marks 3, It's A Girl Thing: Kindness, Big Dreamer, 
Stencils: ARTplorations Clouds Stencil, Burst Slimline Stencil
Dies: CUTplorations Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies

Ink and colouring: Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black, Tim Holtz Distress Inks

Note that I have received some of the stamps and other craft supplies for free as a member of the STAMPlorations Design Team.

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

 

Happy Tuesday! How are you doing? I'm not sure, I really feel a bit all over the place. I feel quite sentimental about the nights starting to come in earlier and earlier, but at the same time, it's great to be able to start wearing wool socks and light candles again. And of course, it's less than 100 days to Christmas and I'm really looking forward to my two-week Christmas break... a bit premature maybe but I feel a bit exhausted by work at the moment so I can't wait. In the meantime, I will be grateful for having a job, even if it sucks the life out of me from time to time. 

For today's STAMPlorations Inspiration post I have been playing with stencils and Distress Inks. I started by Sanna's new Rainbows stencil and inked a rainbow of Distress inks through it. I then added some clouds using Clouds. Last, I added the Be A Rainbow stamp in bold black ink and that's it! A super easy and fun card with just a few stencils and stamps. 

As always, don't forget to comment on the STAMPlorations Inspiration post as you will be in a monthly random draw for a $15 gift code to the STAMPlorations store. And don't forget you get 20% off regular priced items using my code STAMPGIRLKAROLA at checkout, and in addition there are lots of great offers in the store at the moment.

Stamps: STAMPlorations Be A Rainbow

Stencils: ARTplorations Rainbows, Clouds

Ink: Tsukineko Versafine Onyx Black, Tim Holtz Distress Inks

This month you get 25% off clear stamps using code STAMP25 and 15% off stencils with code STENCIL15  in the STAMPlorations store. Using my discount code STAMPGIRLKAROLA you get 20% off all non-discounted products! There is even a freebie of the month which you get totally free (as long as you pay for shipping). Take an extra 20% off items in the Outlet Store with code EXTRA20.

STAMPlorations Inspiration

It's Tuesday and you know what that means. It's time for a new STAMPlorations Inspiration post. Today I went for something slightly different as I thought you might be inspired to make some bookmarks for yourself or to give away to friends. A lot of people seem to be reading a lot more these days which is great! I have to admit I have been trying to read more but I haven't been able to concentrate very well due to... oh well, I bet you can imagine! I did read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo recently which was a really great read, I didn't want to put down the book at all. But apart from that, I have only been reading Moomin books before bed to ensure I'm thinking of something other than news in the evening. I warmly recommend the Moomin books if you haven't read them, great for children and adults alike and will take you to a magical and lovely world.

About my bookmarks, I used a regular card front and inked a rainbow of Distress inks through the Clouds Stencil. Then I split the card front into two bookmarks, shaped the corners and die-cut the hole using one of the dies from ATC Tag Builder. For one of the bookmarks, I added two suitable sentiments from Literary Caffeine-ations and the super cute coffee-drinking bunny from Bunnies 'N Beans. A bit of purple ribbon finishes off the bookmarks.

Stamps: STAMPlorations Bunnies 'N Beans, Literary Caffeine-ations

Stencil: ARTplorations Clouds Stencil

Dies: CUTplorations ATC Tag Builder

Ink and colouring: Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics, Tim Holtz Distress Inks

 

Stamps in the SPRING CLEARANCE section are 50% off

 

Use code SPRING50 on checkout.

 

Code cannot  be combined with other codes. Code is good for one-time use per customer/shipping address. Code expires 4/30.