STAMPlorations Inspiration

 

So was that a great STAMPlorations Belated 7th Birthday week or what? And don't forget that you still have time to play along with the festivities if you want to link up your projects or comment on the posts - the details are here.

I'm almost all crafted out after last week's projects, so for today's STAMPlorations Inspiration Post I'm sharing two relatively quick and easy cards while my mojo recovers :) These cards were made for a request I had for people moving into new homes. And it also highlighted a fatal flaw in my crafty stash as I don't seem to have a single "happy new home" sentiment stamp or die. But limitation only breeds creativity and I think they turned out quite well in any case!

For both of my cards, I used the fun Houses stamps, some watercolour splatters and Lawn Fawn rainbow patterned paper. I used the Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Die to cut the panels for my cards from white paper and rainbow patterned paper. Then for my top card, I stamped the house, masked it and splattered a rainbow of watercolours. For the card below I splattered the watercolours first, then stamped the house on a scrap of the patterned paper and fussy cut it. I added a die-cut sentiment using Everyday Sentiments Dies to both of my cards.  

Note that all products (including the new release products) in the STAMPlorations store are 10% off instantly throughout October. BUT you can get 20% off by using my discount code STAMPGIRLKAROLA at checkout. If you use my discount code you will also receive the Just Plaid square stencil FOR FREE (see image below)!

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.

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 :) 

Products used

Stamps: STAMPlorations Houses

Dies: CUTplorations Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Die, Everyday Sentiments Die

Ink and colouring: Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black, Gansai Tambi watercolours

Twofer Wreath

I always mean to play along with the Twofer challenge when I see it pop up on my blog feed, and then the next thing I know I see the winner's post. I have no idea where the days go right now, it seems like the last two months have been going past in extra fast forward. There are so many things going on, both at work and with family and I can't keep up. One of the things which unfortunately always suffer is crafty time. Today I decided to ignore all the dust around the house and spend a few hours in art therapy, a healthy mind is more important right now than a clean house.

So today I finally managed to play along with this month's Twofer challenge where the theme is wreath. I created a Christmas card and new home one. I love the little Lawn Fawn wreath die, but don't use it enough. My Christmas card was also inspired by the colour challenge over at Lawn Fawnatics. I recently ordered the Really Rainbow paper, but haven't had a chance to use it yet so it was a great reason to break out the paper. I'm a really bad paper hoarder so I tried to use various bits and bobs from my patterned paper drawer (I have a full drawer of just Lawn Fawn patterned paper which only seems to grow).

For my first card I used a light grey card base and Really Rainbow Christmas patterned paper. I die cut the wreath out of the paper as well and used a scrap of polka dot pink paper for the bow and the berries on the wreath. I also stamped the Christmas presents from Toboggan Together and coloured them to go with the colours on the patterned paper. 

For my second card I created a scene with a door with a wreath and a dog sitting outside as I thought it would be a nice little scene for a happy new home card. I die cut the door from Knock on Wood paper using the Stitched Rectangle dies and die cut a bigger rectangle from yellow paper from the same set for the background. I coloured the pooch with Copics and stamped the banner from Bannerific onto Knit Picky patterned paper. The sentiment is a combination of a few different sentiments as I realised I don't have any stamp set with a "happy new home" sentiment. I'm also linking this card up over at Shopping Our Stash where the theme is "It's raining cats and dogs"

Card and patterend paper: White 200gsm card, Neenah Solar white, light grey card, Lawn Fawn Knit Picky, Knock on Wood, Really Rainbow Christmas and scraps of Perfectly Plaid Fall, Perfectly Plaid Christmas and Let's Polka Mon Amie
Stamps: Lawn Fawn Bannerific, Critters at the Dog Park and Toboggan Together and matching dies
Ink and colouring: Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black and Copics
Dies: Lawn Fawn Stitched Rectangle Dies, Stitched Circle dies, Mini Wreath

Home Is Where The Cherry Tree Blossoms Are

Dear Webstagram Hivemind, do any of you have any experience with Wifi enabled memory cards? My poor old computer is reaching a state where it's having frequent strokes and I fear it is nearing that time it goes to the great big junkyard in the sky. Well, it will go to recycling but anyhow... I pretty much know which computer I want to spend my life's savings on but it doesn't have an SD card slot. Yes, I could get a separate card reader, but why do that if I could just get a wifi memory card instead? So any experiences you have, good or bad let me know, please. 

And from that let's move on to today's card. What is it with weekends, I woke up at 5am this morning when I could have slept in, whereas during the week I simply cannot bear to drag myself out of bed at 6 am? The one good thing about early Saturday mornings is that my creative mojo seems to be at it's strongest, so I've already made a few cards today, the first which you can see here. It was inspired by the Cosy Home challenge over at Daring Cardmakers. I was also inspired by the sketch over at CAS(E) This Sketch, the colours over at Color Throwdown and the gorgeous Cherry Blossoms inspiration image over at Just Add Ink. 

I started by stamping the cute houses from STAMPloratios Houses in grey ink. Then I stamped the tree from Houses Extra, coloured it with Copics and fussy cut it. I didn't have a stamp with the sentiment I wanted to use, so I printed it onto pink card and added the red die cut heart to the sentiment. 

Card: 250 gsm white card, Hobbycraft 190 gsm white card, scrap of pink card, scrap of red card

Stamps: STAMPlorations Houses, Houses Extras

Ink and Colouring: Stampin' Up Smoky Slate, Copics

Other: Lawn Fawn Critters in the Arctic dies, Ranger Ice Stickles

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.

Happy new bachelor pad!

I made a happy new home card for my Dad who has moved house. I don't have any stamp sets that would directly be for new home cards, so they always require a bit of imagination. This time I was inspired by the sketch over at CAS(E) This Sketch (although I did rotate the sketch into landscape instead to fit my image), the colours over at Color Throwdown, the inspiration image over at Just Add Ink and the elemental inspiration over at Daring Cardmakers (I was inspired by the wooden frames, the wooden wall for my background and the blue wall for the blue banner in my cars). 

Card: White 300 gsm card, kraft card, scraps of Pistachio Pudding and Soft Sky card

Stamps: Stampin' Up Hardwood, Nuts About You and Alphabet Rotary Stamp

Ink: Stampin' Up Chocolate Chip, Crumb Cake, Soft Sky, Marina Mist, Pistachio Pudding, Calypso Coral

Other: Lawn Fawn Congrats scripty die, Stampin' Up Banner punch, Stampin' Up Basic adhesive pearls (coloured with a brown Sharpie)

Happy New Home from the Woods

Today I tried again to tackle an idea that ended up in the bin yesterday. I'm glad I tried again with a slightly different angle as this card made the cut for me.

The card is inspired by the sketch over at My Favourite Things, which like quite a few other participants, I also flipped to it's side. I used the bright colour scheme from Colour Me...!. I'm also linking up at Simon Says Stamp Monday and Wednesday challenges as well as The Pink Elephant where Anything Goes, and at PDE Linky Party where the theme is Any Animal. 

Card: Stampin' Up Tempting Turquoise, Hobbycraft 160 gsm white card, scraps of Stampin' Up Calypso Coral, Daffodil Delight and Strawberry Slush, Dovecraft 110 gsm premium vellum
Stamps: Lawn Fawn Joy to the Woods and matching dies, Stampin' Up Good Greetings
Colouring: Stampin' Up Blendabilities Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo, Calypso Coral
Ink: Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black and StazOn Jet Black
Other: Lawn Fawn Stitched Rectangles dies, Cole's ABCs 

Home Sweet Home

I was asked to make a "Happy New Home" card, and first I thought what on earth am I going to come up with as I didn't think I had any suitable stamps. However, the super versatile Lawn Fawn Joy to the Woods came to the rescue once again. It's such a great set, so far I have used it for fall cards, Christmas cards, cute critter cards and now also for this new home card. The little bird's nests are absolutely adorable. 

For this card, I was inspired mainly by two challenges, the sketch over at CAS(E) this Sketch and the colours at Color Throwdown. I'm also entering the card in this week's CASology where the theme is very appropriately "Home". I'm also submitting to Stampin' Royalty where Anything Goes.

I stamped the trees onto the backgorund cardstock and coloured the outlines using a Tim Holtz Distress Marker in Antique Linen. I stamped the adrable little bird's houses onto another piece of cardstock, coloured them with Stampin' Up Blendabilities in Old Olive and Daffodil Delight and Copic R24 - Prawn. I die cut them with the Joy to the Woods die set. I printed the sentiment and matted everything onto Stampin' Up Summer Starfruit cardstock. For some finishing bling I added a bit of Tim Holtz distress stikcles in Mustard seed to the hearts in the birdhouses and a rhinestone to the sentiment.

Card: Leonardo Stationery 300 gsm white card, Stampin Up Summer Starfruit
Stamps: Lawn Fawn Joy to the Woods
Ink: Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black
Colouring: Tim Holtz Distress Markers Antique Linen, Stampin' Up Blendabilities Daffodil Delight and Old Olive, Copic R24 - Prawn
Other: Tim Holtz Distress Stickles Mustard Seed, Papermania adhesive gems Capsule Sunshine, Lawn Fawn Joy to the Woods matchin die set