STAMPlorations Christmas Release - Yuletide Deer

I hope you enjoyed all the delicious cookie creations yesterday. Welcome to day two of the big STAMPlorations Christmas Release! Today we are spreading some Yuletide Deer using Deepti's new fabulous stamp set. I absolutely love these gorgeous deer, perfect for heat embossing (and of course many other things as well). I hope you enjoy all the fantastic inspiration from the DT and leave a few comments on your way for a chance to win some of the fun Christmas sets or dies.

For my card, I created a watercolour background using a mix of Distress Inks and Oxides on watercolour paper. Then I stamped the deer and some grungy background stamps from Scribbly Splattery Grunge in Versamark and heat embossed in copper. I die cut the panel using Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangles and attached it to a red card base. For the sentiment, I die cut the Merry using CUTplorations Merry Christmas Phrase Die in copper card and heat embossed the word Christmas from Homespun Christmas (which you will see more of in just a few day's time!) in copper onto a strip of red card. 

For my tag, I die cut the tag using Luggage Tags Nesting Dies and heat embossed another deer from Yuletide Deer, this time in gold. I coloured the deer and the tag using Copics (I couldn't resist a bit of rainbow...) and added the sentiment as I did to the card. I added some gold ribbon from my stash as a finishing touch.

Card: Daler&Rowney 300 gsm watercolour paper, red card stock, 250 gsm white card, scrap of gold mirri card and copper card
Stamps: STAMPlorations Yuletide Deer, Scribbly Splattery Grunge, Homespun Christmas
Dies: Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangles, Merry Christmas Phrase Die, Luggage Tags Nesting Dies
Ink and colouring: Tsukineko Versamark, Tim Holtz Distress Ink Aged Mahogany, Festive Berries, Barn Door, Distress Oxide Fired Brick, Worn Lipstick, Copics
Other: gold and copper embossing powder from my stash, gold ribbon

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.

April STAMPlorations CAS Challenge - Mid-Month Inspiration

Welcome to my little mid-month reminder for the April STAMPlorations CAS Challenge. Absolutely loving the beautiful pastel creations in the gallery! And the great news is that you still have a few more weeks to link up. Don't forget that if you combine our pastel colour CAS challenge with winged things, you can also link up with the Things With Wings Spring Hop. Why not double your chances of winning some great prizes.

This time I thought I would create a one layer card with the super-cute Hello You stamp set. I started by stamping the retro typewriter and coloured it with Gansai Tambi watercolours. I added the sentiment below the typewriter. I thought it all looked a bit bare so I added stamps from the fantastic Scribbly Splattery Grunge set in pastel colours to the background. I just love the grunge-y alphabet, I think it works so well with the typewriter theme. 

Card: 250 gsm white hammered card

Stamps: STAMPlorations Hello You, Scribbly Splattery Grunge

Ink and colouring: Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black, Stampin' Up So Saffron, Soft Sky, Blushing Bride, Gansai Tambi watercolours

Love TAGplorations Day 3

Another day, another tag! Welcome to day three of the week long STAMPlorations Love TAGplorations event. By now you probably already know there are plenty of prices to be won by commenting on the projects the DT has created to inspire you and for linking up your own projects as well. There are more details over at the STAMPlorations blog where you can see all the gorgeous projects the DT has created for your inspiration. There is still plenty of time to join in as the commenting and linking is open until February 14th.

For today's tag I used the new Pocket Blooms stamp set together with a watercolour background I had in my UFO (UnFinished Objects) box. You know when you make something that doesn't actually turn out at all like you wanted it for the project you are doing at the moment, but it's too pretty to throw away. Sometimes I like to challenge myself by deciding that I have to use something from my UFO box. And the watercolour background was perfect for this tag. It looked a bit bare though, so I grabbed some of the gorgeous new Scribbly Splattery Grunge stamps and randomly stamped them in the background using neutral colours. I die cut the pocket from jeans blue card and stamped the flowers on white card, coloured them with Copics and fussy cut them. I also used a scrap of orange card from the UFO box for the die cut sentiment, adding some Ice Stickles for extra bling. I also added a bit of Ice Stickles around the edges of the flowers.

Card: 250 gsm watercolour paper, scrap of Tim Holtz Chipped Sapphire card, scrap of orange card, 250 gsm white card

Stamps: STAMPlorations Pocket Blooms with matching die, Scribbly Splattery Grunge

Dies: Hugs Word Die, Luggage Tags Nesting Dies

Ink and colouring: Tsukineko Versafine Onyx Black, Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics, Gansai Tambi Watercolours, Tim Holtz Distress Inks Hickory Smoke, Antique Linen

Other: Ranger Coffee Ice Stickles, orange ribbon from my stash, Papermania Seafoam White embossing powder

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. If you have any questions or problems, just let me know!

New Year, New Journal

And so it's 2017. Do you feel different? You would think that in all my many, many years I would already have learned that nothing magically changes when that clock strikes 12, but every year I have this tiny little hope that maybe somehow it will feel different. And again, I will try to go into the new year hopeful that next year will be better than the last. That things will keep on changing to the better. I think it's really important to remember that things won't magically change. For things to change, you need to change things. A good motivational read about it here. Also, when thinking back on 2016 all I could think of was the bad things. But we should focus on the positives! 

Before I go on with my musings, I have some very exciting news to share with you. I can offer you a 20% discount code for the STAMPlorations shop. If you want to indulge in a bit of shopping, all you need to do is enter the code STAMPGIRLKAROLA when checking out. The discount will apply to both normal price and discounted stamps, stencils and dies. The discount cannot be combined with other codes in the STAMPlorations store. If you have any questions or problems with the code, just let me know.

As usual there will be no New Year's promises from me. But I will continue on my journey on trying to live healthily most of the time. And enjoy the good things. This year I will try to focus more on being present. Not trying to multi-task everything. Focus on the person in front of me or the task in hand. It will be hard - I always type away on my blog posts while watching TV, or read emails while I'm in meetings. I will try my best to do less of that.

I will continue to journal. I loved having an analog calendar. I will continue to write more by hand. And I will try to incorporate some art in my journal - at least one page a month. However, I have struggled to get started with the new journal - I carried it with me on my Christmas trip but didn't write anything in it at all. I guess it's similar to a writer's block. When I received my recent crafty stash from STAMPlorations that seemed to break the block. I got so inspired that I just crafted without thinking and created my journal title page which is very different from anything I usually create. I even used my Tim Holtz Distress Crayons which I have been hiding in my desk drawer for months and months. I just kept colouring, stamping and adding stuff like there's no tomorrow. 

I started by smudging the crayons thorough the stunning ARTplorations Two Feathers mask, blending the crayons as I went. Then I used the gorgeous new Scribbly Splattery Grunge stamp set in black and grey around the edge of the stencilled image. I die cut the panel using the Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies. I stamped a sentiment from the Life In Full Colour stamp set in black and stamped the paintbrush from the same set on another piece of paper. I coloured the brush using Copics and fussy cut it. Then I stamped and fussy cut the numbers for the year using Sketchy Alphabet from a scrap piece of rainbow coloured card I created last summer and haven't been able to throw away. I used the same leftover piece of coloured card to die cut the Hello, Seriously and Awesome and then die cut the same sentiments from black card which I used to layer the sentiments. I added loads of Ice Stickles on the "2017" as a finishing touch. I also used grey ink though the feather mask to create the background for my brightly coloured panel. I sure don't know what 2017 will bring but at least I'll receive it in psychedelic colours!

I'm linking up with the Time Out challenge where the challenge is to be inspired by the sentence "With each sunrise we are given a chance for a new beginning". I was inspired by the words "new beginning". I'm also linking up over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge, C.R.A.F.T, Brown Sugar and 4 Crafty Chicks where anything goes. Last but not least I'm linking up with Cut It Up challenge where the theme is Out with the old, in with the new (my old thing - those old Distress Crayons which have been in my drawer for at least six months, my new things - Scribbly Splattery Grunge and Life in Full Colour stamp sets have never been used)

Paper: Hobbycraft 160 gsm white card, scraps of black card, scraps of rainbow coloured card created with Tim Holtz Distress Paints
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Stampin' Up Slate Grey, Tim Holtz Distress Crayons, Tim Holtz Distress Ink Hickory Smoke, Copics
Stamps: STAMPlorations Scribbly Splattery Grunge, Life In Full Colour, Sketchy Alphabet
Dies: STAMPlorations Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies, Hello Word Die, Seriously Word Die, Awesome Word die
Other: STAMPlorations Two Feathers mask, Ranger Ice Stickles

STAMPlorations discount code: If you want to save 20% when shopping for STAMPlorations products you can use the code STAMPGIRLKAROLA at the checkout. The discount applies to all normal priced and discounted stamps, stencils and dies. The code cannot be combined with other discount codes. If you have any questions or problems, just let me know!