STAMPlorations Inspiration

Hi crafters! For this week's STAMPlorations Inspiration post I'm doing some serious stash diving in my UFO box. I decided to create Christmas cards using as many different bits and bobs which I have already made for something else but didn't get used. It was a fun way to challenge myself and to give a new life to things. 

I started by selecting three tags I have created in the past using Distress Oxides and Inks and ARTplorations stencils. One of these already had the stag's head from Yuletide Deer heat embossed on it, so it was perfect to go as it was. I also found a stamped image of the Poinsettia Row which I had watercoloured and then abandoned, so I die cut the middle of the image into a fourth tag. I also found some stamped and heat embossed but not yet coloured images from Joyful which I watercoloured and fussy cut for the two other tags. Next, I used some leftover printouts from a friend's wedding invitation I made many years ago and used the reverse of those as the card backs (the kraft panels). To create some texture, I ran the panels through my die-cut machine using the Circles All Over Texture Cover Plate and inked some Vintage Photo Distress Ink around the edges. Last, I used a mix of sentiments I had pre-cut in the past and also die cut a few new sentiments using scrap pieces of coloured card to finish the cards. Not too bad for a pile of unfinished objects! Below you can see close-ups of the cards.

Stamps: STAMOplorations Joyful, Yuletide Deer, Poinsettia Row

Stencils: ARTplorations All Swirls Slimline Stencil, Flair Slimline Stencil, Tribal Triangles

Dies: CUTplorations Stitched Tag Nesting Dies, Circles All Over Texture Cover Plate, Christmas Sentiments Phrase Dies

Ink and colouring: All the inks....

Note that I have received some of the stamps and other craft supplies for free as a member of the STAMPlorations Design Team, therefore this blog post has to be identified as an ad. I have been using STAMPlorations products for years before joining the Desing Team at which time I paid for all my STAMPlorations products and I love them as much today as I did then. 

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

 

And so we are here - it's almost Christmas! December has flown by, hasn't it? We are all facing a different and weird Christmas this year given the (sometimes rather last-minute) lockdowns we face. I hope whatever you do for Christmas you stay safe, wash your hands, keep a distance and all that. If you decided to not see family this Christmas to keep safe, I send you big hugs. And as always if you are one of the heroes keeping us safe or alive over the holidays, you have my big thanks for sacrificing your time for the benefit of us all.

This year I gave almost exclusively home-made presents (if you follow me on Instagram you will know I'm an avid knitter and struggling crocheter). Socks, hats, hand warmers, even a few crocheted blankets (never again, I'll tell you!). And this year all of my gifts had hand-made tags on them (probably a first!) as I was inspired by my exceedingly talented DT colleague Deepti of Dees Art Utopia and her amazing use of stencils and Distress Inks/Oxides. I tried (poorly) to imitate her genius and you already saw a batch of my tags last week and here are some more for this week's STAMPlorations Inspiration post. Don't forget to leave a comment on the post to be entered into a monthly draw for a $15 prize code.

For my tags, I started by inking tags using Distress Inks and Distress Oxides and cutting the tags using Stitched Tags Nesting Dies. I then used various STAMPlortions stencils (there are so many amazing stencils to choose from!) and either sprayed them with water to make impressions of the stencil in the ink or inked through the stencil in the same colour as my background tag to make a subtle stencil pattern on the background of the tags. After letting the tags dry thoroughly, I stamped the wreath from Joyful in Versamark and heat embossed in gold. Last, I die cut a sentiment using Christmas Sentiments Phrase Dies in shimmery card. I think these turned out quite nice!

Stamps: STAMPlorations Joyful

Stencils: ARTplorations All Swirls Slimline Stencil, Burst Slimline Stencil, Flair Slimline Stencil, 

Placid Stencil

Dies: CUTplorations Christmas Sentiments Phrase Dies, Stitched Tags Nesting Dies

Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Inks and Oxides, 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

Hi, how are you this fine Tuesday? I'm ok, excited about the upcoming holidays. I'm taking a bit of time away from work over the second half of December and I'm really looking forward to it after this ****show of a year.

As we can't have a Christmas party at work this year, we have been invited to take part in various online organised activities - there is a choice of 12 different activities, of which we can pick 2. I did mine last week, I did a wreath making session (we were sent a beautiful kit with wreath making supplies and then given an instructional Zoom session where we assembled our wreaths) and I also did cocktails and quiz where we were sent supplies to make our own cocktails and then we all had to prepare questions for the Christmas quiz. That was fun! Have you had any fun socially distanced Christmas activities?

For today's crafty activities, I continued to expand my Christmas tag stash to share with you as part of today's STAMPlorations Inspiration post. Don't forget to leave a comment on the STAMPlorations post for a chance to win a $15 prize code. I have been so inspired by all the beautiful inked backgrounds created by my DT teamie Deepti. She is amazing! so I took a stab at creating some inked and stencilled backgrounds too. 

I started by smooshing various colours of distress ink onto white card. That's always super fun and messy, my fingers looked like a rainbow! After the ink had dried well, I used the Stitched Tags Nesting Dies to cut my tags. Next, I took out a few of my STAMPlorations stencils and inked through them in a completely non-planned and random fashion on the tags. I used  All Swirls Slimline Stencil, Flair Slimline Stencil, 

Trees Slimline Stencil, Dots All Over Stencil and Honeycomb Delight Mini Stencil. I used my anti-static tool on the tags and then stamped the Yuletide Deer and heat embossed in dark grey. Last, I heat embossed sentiments from Joy in white on black card and added these to the tags. A bit more mixed media than I usually do, but fun none the less and the end product turned out quite ok. I can't wait to add these to my Christmas presents!

Stamps: STAMPlorations Yuletide Deer, Joy, 

Stencils: ARTplorations All Swirls Slimline Stencil, Flair Slimline Stencil, Trees Slimline Stencil, Dots All Over Stencil, Honeycomb Delight Mini Stencil

Dies: CUTplorations Stitched Tags Nesting Dies

Ink and colouring: Tsukineko Versafine, Tim Holtz Distress Oxides and 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

Hi, how are you feeling about the impending festivities? Excited? Stressed? Strexcited (that's half stressed, half excited, with a bit of Brexit anxiety thrown in there...)? I got my international batch of cards and parcels shipped just over a week ago, and it felt good to tick all of those things off my to-do list. Now I only need to worry about domestic cards and wrapping the presents for my partner's family. And wrapping presents, of course, brings me to the need of having gift tags at the ready. I prefer to make a few batches of tags rather than make them as I wrap - it may be a bit industrialized, but if it works, don't question it. 

So from now until Christmas, for the STAMPlorations Inspiration posts, I will be sharing some Christmas tag designs from this year's batch with you, I hope they will inspire you in case you are in need of tags too. Today, I'm sharing some quick and easy poinsettia tags. I started by colouring the Framed Christmas (digi) three times with Copics. Then I ran white card through my Sizzix using the Wonky Stitched Grid Texture Cover Plate Die and die cut the tags using Stitched Tags Nesting Dies. I attached the poinsettias and a sentiment I die cut using Christmas Sentiments Phrase Dies in red. I added some red ribbon and a bit of bling as a finishing touch. These little cuties are now ready to be attached to any present as needed. As always, don't forget to leave a comment on the STAMPlorations Inspiration post to be entered into a draw of the monthly $15 prize code.

Stamps: STAMPlorations Framed Christmas (digi), 

Dies: CUTplorations Wonky Stitched Grid Texture Cover Plate Die,  Stitched Tags Nesting Dies, Christmas Sentiments Phrase Dies

Ink and colouring: Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics

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.

STAMPlorations Inspiration

As we are coming to the end of July, we are also coming to an end of my Christmas in July Inspiration posts as part of our weekly STAMPlorations Inspiration Posts. Have you started working on your Christmas card stash yet? I haven't really, just the few cards I showcased the last few weeks. I should probably mass produce one of them to ensure I have some cars available when December sneaks up on me, I always think it's a good idea in theory to mass-produce a specific card design, but when I have done a few I always get bored!

This week for the STAMPlorations Inspiration Post I created a Christmas tag - well, in fact, two tags but I'm not 100% sure if I like the second one. I used one of my Distress Oxide backgrounds for my tags, die cut them with Stitched Tags Nesting Dies and inked the edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. I heat embossed the Christmas tree from Sketchy Yule Trees, deer from Yuletide Deer and Christmas bells from Jingle Bells in copper and watercoloured with Gansai Tambi watercolours before fussy cutting and adding to the tags. Last, I added die cut sentiments using Christmas Sentiments.

Stamps: STAMPlorations Sketchy Yule Trees, Yuletide Deer and Jingle Bells

Dies: CUTplorations Christmas Sentiments, Stitched Tags Nesting Dies

Ink and colouring: Distress Oxides, Gansai Tambi watercolours, Tsukineko Versafine

Don't forget to use my discount code STAMPGIRLKAROLA for 20% off normal price products in the STAMPlorations store.

STAMPlorations Inspiration

Happy Tuesday, aka STAMPlorations Inspiration Post day! Today I have a really sweet project to share with you. Don't forget, if you comment on the STAMPlorations Inspiration Post and the designer's blogs (including mine!!) you can win a $10 gift certificate to the STAMPlorations store.

I started by picking out a bright pink and cheery Distress Oxide background from my stash. I die cut it using one of the Stitched Tags Nesting Dies. Then I stamped and heat embossed the sweet cupcakes from Shery's new Sweet Kindness stamp set in gold, watercoloured with Distress Inks and fussy cut the image. I created a sentiment by die cutting Happy Birthday using Everyday Sentiments dies in gold mirri card. This turned out to be a really bright and fun project, and a great way to use up some of those backgrounds you made but didn't quite know what they should be used for. I know you have them stashed away somewhere :) 

Stamps: STAMPlorations Sweet Kindness
Dies: CUTplorations Everyday Sentiments,  Stitched Tags Nesting Dies
Ink and colouring: Tsukineko Versamark, Distress Oxides, Distress Inks

Last Minute Inspiration

Every year I promise myself I won't leave Christmas things to the last minute, and every year that's how it turns out. This year I wouldn't even have sent out Christmas cards, but as my dearest set to write some cards, I thought that as a card crafter I simply cannot skip that duty. But to my shame, we did send out some shop-bought cards in addition to some handmade ones, and the majority of cards I had were from the stash I made inspired by our Christmas in July event over at STAMPlorations. Future me, please take note for next year...

I made a batch of snowflake tags for my presents this year. I used Stitched Tags Nesting dies on offcuts of kraft card which had been laying around in my UFO box forever. I stamped the lovely snowflakes using Stampin' Up Endless Wishes and heat embossed them in white. I added some of the small sentiments from the same stamp set which I stamped on a scrap piece of blue card. These were really quick to mass-produce and I think they matched the wrapping paper really well.

Anyhow, I have tried to be a bit more thoughtful about gift wrapping this year. I bought some recycled wrapping paper without any glitter or foil so it's compostable or recyclable. However, I had one very big gift and it would have used up the whole roll of that wrapping paper, so instead, I decided to use some of the brown paper that you get with your Amazon parcels. I simply smoothed out the paper and stamped the lovely images from Joyful in Distress Oxides. (sorry about the horrible pictures, this was literally last minute late in the evening...) 

I then added some nice festive ribbon, which can be re-used over and over (I already had tons of this in my stash, so no new ribbon was bought for any of the presents this year). I used a scrap of the store-bought wrapping paper, and die cut a tag using Stitched Tags Nesting dies, which I attached to a tag I had die cut from scrap cardboard from a chocolate bar! I used one of the Christmas Sentiments dies to cut the red sentiment. Super easy and super quick!

I also used some scraps of the store-bought wrapping paper (waste not, want not and all of that) which I die cut using the Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies and added the same sentiment using Christmas Sentiments and adhered everything to a cardbase made from some beautiful handmade paper.

I created a variation on the theme using vellum as the card base and added a hand-lettered greeting inside the card. 

That is a wrap on all my Christmas presents this year (apart from something I ordered from a shop which said they would guarantee delivery by Christmas, but yesterday I got an email to say it won't make it after all. I'm really annoyed, but I guess there are bigger problems in the world after all).

Stamps: Stampin' Up Endless Wishes, STAMPlorations Joyful

Dies: CUTplorations Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies, Stitched Tags Nesting dies and Christmas Sentiments

25 Days of Christmas Tags

I'm excited to share with you my tag for the 8th annual 25 Days of Christmas Tags event. If you are part of the crafting community on the Interwebs you are probably already well familiar with this event but if you aren't, it's run by the amazing Tracey McNeely of In My Creative Opinion. Every year, Tracey brings together the paper crafting community for 25 days of amazing Christmas tag inspiration, and you can take part by hopping along, leaving comments and creating your own tags. 

And for an extra chance to win, hop over to the STAMPlorations blog extra 25 Days of Christmas Tags post and you can win a set of the fantastic new Christmas Sentiments dies I used for my tag!!

Today the sponsor of the day over at 25 Days of Christmas Tags is STAMPlorations and I was lucky to get to contribute to this event. I cut my tag using the STAMPlorations Stitched Tags Nesting Dies and stamped the Christmas presents and wreath from Joyful in black ink, adding a bit of red watercolour to the images. I then die cut the sentiment using the new Christmas Sentiments dies, once in black and once in red and attached them to the tag. I love these dies, they are all you need for your Christmas card sentiments this year. There are several dies, they are a perfect size both for tags and cards and I absolutely love the beautiful lettering. I know this will be my forever love Christmas sentiment, and die-cutting the sentiment really makes it pop off the page.

Don't forget to follow along for the whole 25 days of Tags over at Tracey's blog and comment on the posts and create your own tags to get into the Christmas crafty mood! And after you have done that, hop over to the  STAMPlorations blog extra 25 Days of Christmas Tags post for a chance to win the Christmas Sentiments dies!

Stamps: STAMPlorations Joyful

Dies: CUTplorations Stitched Tags Nesting Dies, Christmas Sentiments

Ink and colouring: Tsukineko Versamark Onyx Black, Tim Holtz Distress Ink Festive Berries

Colourful Swallowtail

The current challenge over at CAS Watercolour is Colourful Butterflies. My absolute favourite butterfly stamp is this old Swallowtail stamp from Stampin' Up which I feel I can use over and over and over, and constantly find new ways of using it. This time I decided to use the faux watercolour technique. 

I coloured the stamp with Tim Holtz Distress markers and spritzed it with water before stamping onto watercolour paper. The first time, I didn't quite manage to place the stamp as I wanted it, so I used that first attempt for my tag, die cutting it with Stitched Tags Nesting Dies. I heat embossed a sentiment in white using STAMPlorations Trendy Butterflies 2 to the tag. 

My second attempt at stamping the swallowtail turned out better as I was patient enough to ensure even pressure all across the stamp and really pressing it into the paper before removing it. I added a sentiment using STAMPlorations Happy Birthday and splattered some ink onto the white space for added interest.

I'm also linking up the card over at Cardz4Galz where the theme is Wings, Seize the Birthday where the theme is Butterflies and Stamping Sensations where the theme is Things with Wings.

Stamps: Stampin' Up Swallowtail, STAMPlorations Trendy Butterflies 2, Happy Birthday

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

Dies: CUTplorations Stitched Tags Nesting Dies

May STAMPlorations TAG challenge - All About Mom

It's time to get your tags ready for the May TAGplorations challenge! This month the theme is All About Mom. There is also an optional twist of vellum, which I decided not to use this time.

I started by cutting a tag from kraft card using the Stitched Tags Nesting Dies. I also die cut a piece of scrap card using the Bloomtangled #1 Cover Plate Die which I then used as a stencil. I coloured thought the makeshift stencil using Distress Crayons and used my fingers to smudge the colours. I then added some splatters by painting using gold watercolour through Dots All Over. I created the sentiment by die cutting using Thinking Of You Phrase Die from grey card, and fussy cut the "you" from that sentiment. I then stamped the LOVE from Trendy Butterflies onto a scrap of light blue card and doodled using a black marker. I added leftover blue and violet ribbon from my stash. 

Stamps: STAMPlorations Trendy Butterflies

Dies: CUTplorations Bloomtangled #1 Cover Plate Die, Stitched Tags Nesting Dies, Thinking Of You Phrase Die

Stencils: ARTplorations Dots All Over

Ink and colouring: Tim Holtz Distress Crayons, Tsukineko Versamark Onyx Black, Gansai Tambi Starry Colours

Don't forget the Things With Wings sale in the STAMPlorations store, and my discount code STAMPGIRLKAROLA which will give you a 20% discount. Lots of good reasons to stock up on new crafty goodies for spring!

April STAMPlorations TAG challenge - Recycling

Happy April! Are you experiencing the proverbial April showers? Hopefully you have April flowers rather than showers, I don't see why April flowers couldn't be followed by May flowers! If you are still missing the spring flowers, here is a tag filled to the brim with flowers for you, and for the April STAMPlorations TAG challenge. Our theme this month is recycling.

I started by covering a tag I created using Stitched Tags Nesting Dies in recycled tissue paper. I have started ordering my loo roll from a company who do plastic free, recycled toilet paper and they donate a part of their profits to build toilets. The paper comes wrapped in brightly coloured tissue paper which is perfect for crafting - I used two different striped patterns to cover my tag. I then stamped my flowers using Bloom Doodles onto white paper which had some unsuccessful previous stamped images on the other side of the paper. I try to use the other side of the paper/card if this happens. Waste not, want not and all that. If you colour your images in darker colours with Copics, the stamped outline won't show through from the other side. I die cut the sentiment from a scrap of dark blue card from my UFO pile using Thanks Word Die. Last, I added some ribbon which I rescued from a chocolate box. Do you hold on to all ribbon you find as well, accumulating loads of it but never getting around to using it? If you do, the April STAMPlorations TAG challenge is a great opportunity to use up some of that ribbon. Or any other recycled bits and bobs! 

Stamps: STAMPlorations Bloom Doodles
Dies: CUTplorations Thanks Word Die, Stitched Tags Nesting Dies

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.

February STAMPlorations challenges - Mid-Month Reminder

Hi, how are you? Can you believe we have already made it halfway through February? This is your official and only reminder that you have less than two weeks to play along with our STAMPlorations February challenges (that's the difficulty with the shortest month of the year, less time to play along with challenges. 

My first card is for the February CAS challenge where the colour twist is Cerulean Blue. I used Deepti's stunning stamp set Live, Love, Ride. I coloured the gorgeous horse with Gansai Tambi blue water colours, and had a lot of fun splattering the colours and making a mess in general. I added a sentiment using Bold Sentiments: Hashtag Authentic and die cut the panel using Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies.

My second project is for our February TAGploratoins challenge where the theme is love. I used  the gorgeous stamp from Becca's Funny Kinda Love, the background is created by painting Gansai Tabi pearl pink watercolour through the ARTplorations Hearts All Over Mini stencil and the tag was cut using Stitched Tags Nesting Dies. 

I made a prototype for the blue horse card, but it didn't turn out quite how I wanted it. However, it helped me get to the card at the top, so it wasn't a complete waste of time after all.

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.