STAMPlorations Inspiration

 

Hello fellow crafters! It's Tuesday, which of course means it's STAMPlorations Inspiration Post day, but what's more is that it's the last Tuesday of the month and I'm sticking to my 'New Year's resolution' of creating four Christmas cards for my stash to help future me be better prepared for Christmas than I was last year (although I think any failures to do absolutely anything in 2020 should just be automatically forgiven due to you-know-what reasons :). As always don't forget that by leaving a comment on the STAMPlorations Inspiration Post you automatically get entered into a monthly draw of a $15 prize code to the  STAMPlorations store

Today I decided to play with colours and do some layered stamping using Shirley's fun Layered Holly stamp set using non-traditional Christmas colours. I picked my colour combos for every card stamping the solid images in a lighter colour and the outlines in a darker shade of the same-ish general colour (for example the yellow-red combo is Mustard Seed for the solid leaves, Fossilized Amber for the leaf outline, Festive Berries for the solid berries and Aged Mahogany for the outline, and the purple-green combo is Twisted Citron for the solid leaves, Peeled Paint for the leaf outlines, Wilted Violet for the solid berries and Seedless Preserves for the outlines). I added a sentiment from the same set on a matching coloured piece of scrap card (excellent way to use up those little pieces you keep hold of because you can't throw away any scrap pieces. I'm not the only one doing that, surely?). Last, for some added interest I added the fun barcode-like strip at the bottom in a matching colour. It's from Mixed Media Grunge and a super fun way to add that final finishing touch to the edges of cards.

Here is another look at the cards in a bit more detail:

Stamps: STAMPlorations Layered Holly, Mixed Media Grunge

Ink and colouring: Tim Holtz Distress Inks, 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 :) 

STAMPlorations Inspiration

 

One month to Christmas! Are you ready? I have ticked a few things off my list - most Christmas presents are done although not yet wrapped, Christmas menus are planned and a few things are ready in the freezer. The first batch of Finnish Christmas pastries has been made and eaten. First gingerbread candle is almost burned out. One thing I definitely don't have enough of is gift tags, so I'll spend some time over the next few weeks creating tags, and I'll be sure to share my tags with you. Today is of course also the day for the STAMPlorations Inspiration post, hop over to the STAMPlorations blog to see what my incredibly talented DT teamies have created, and leave a comment for your chance to win a $15 prize code. 

Today I was inspired by a leftover piece of wrapping paper. It's a very pretty paper (from the exclusive Ikea store, have you ever heard of it?), brown kraft paper with fun white blobs. I started by running the paper throught my die cutting maching with the Wonky Stitched Grid Texture Cover Plate Die to create texture, and then die cut a tag using Stitched Tags Nesting Dies. I used Distress Oxides and stamped Layered Holly all over the tag. Then I used Vintage Photo Distress Ink around the edges of the tag, and inked through the Snowflakes Stencil. Last, I added a sentiment by sticking Simple Christmas Clear Stickers on green and red card and added red ribbon.

Stamps: STAMPlorations Layered Holly
Stencil: ARTplorations Snowflakes Stencil
Dies: CUTplorations Stitched Tags Nesting Dies, Wonky Stitched Grid Texture Cover Plate Die
Other: STAMPlorations Simple Christmas Clear Stickers
Ink and colouring: Distress Oxides, Distress Ink, 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 :) 

This month there are oodles of discounts, for which you can find codes here, including 30% off word/phrase dies, 25% off square stencils and 40% off clear stickers. There is also a Christmas Special Sale.

December STAMPlorations TAG Challenge - Christmas

Welcome to our December TAGplorations challenge. Our theme is Christmas with an optional twist of glitter. Perfect for crafting those last (or first?) tags of the season. I have to admit I'm better at crafting tags than actually using them! Maybe this year my Christmas resolution should be to use more of my tags, although we have agreed to have a gift-free Christmas this year with family so it might be a bit hard to use tags, come to think of it... 

I decided this close to Christmas I don't have time to create anything time-consuming or elaborate, but I don't want to skimp on making gorgeous projects. The fun layered stamps by Shirley of Bees Knees include many festive images such as the Holly I used here. You can find others, such as layered Mistletoe, Poinsettia or even Snowman in the STAMPloratios shop. It's so much fun to use these artsy stamps and I like using non-traditional Christmas colours for extra wow-factor. The Typgrafia Christmas stamps are perfect to add that big, bold and beautiful sentiment whether you prefer to heat emboss it like I have or stamp it in one, or why not multiple, colours. There are so many gorgeous stamps in this series, but I have to admit Merry Little Christmas has become my all time favourite (but don't tell the other stamps...)

Card: 300 gsm watercolour paper, Dovecraft 110 gsm premium vellum

Stamps: STAMPlorations Layered Holly, Merry Little Christmas Typografia Christmas 

Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink Victorian Velvet, Iced Spruce, Frayed Burlap, Tsukineko Versamark

Dies: CUTplorations Stitched Tags Nesting Dies

Other: Gold embossing powder, adhesive gems and pink ribbon 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.

One Layer Christmas Card

It's been a bit of a crazy year. I guess it always feels like that, so I'm not sure if this year has indeed been any crazier than any other, objectively measured. But indulge me. 

To make a long story short, a crazy year leaves less time for crafting. It also seems to suck the mojo out of me, so even at times when I sat down in the craft room, I didn't manage to produce anything presentable. Today however, I got super inspired by a gorgeous card by the talented Shery of STAMPlorations fame. And luckily for me, over here in craft world, we have this wonderful thing of CASEing someone, rather than saying we just nicked their idea... So thank you Shery for the inspiration, I hope you don't mind! I was also inspired by the inspiration image over at Time Out Challenges and the Big Bold sentiment theme over at Just Add Ink. I'm also linking up over at Stamping Sensations where the theme is (appropriately) Get ready for Christmas and Happy Little Stampers Christmas challenge where the twist is CAS.

Card: white 200 gsm card
Stamps: STAMPlorations Merry Little Christmas Typografia Christmas, Layered Holly, Mixed Media Grunge
Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink Iced Spruce, Fired Brick, Forest Moss

Note that there is currently a 40% off sale in the STAMPlorations store which applies to previously released products. If you want to order from the NEW RELEASE and 5x7 STAMP CLUB categories, use my code above. As all NEW RELEASE products are already 10% off in the store (no code needed), using the code above you will actually get an extra 20% off on top of the standard discount, AND a free thin metal die to add (free die only if you order by November 30th)!