STAMPlorations Inspiration

 

Happy STAMPlorations Inspiration Post day! Have you been crafting this week? I have to admit I haven't yet but it's only Tuesday so there is still plenty of time! 

I'm showing you two super quick birthday cards I created the other week. Sometimes you may find yourself in a situation where you may have inadvertently managed to get very close to someone's birthday and then all of a sudden remember you needed to create them a card. These cards will only take you about 10 minutes or so to create.

Let's start with the card at the top of this post. I started by stamping the Layered Cake Bake cake slice in black and coloured ink, which took about 30 seconds. I then grabbed the  Oh My Stars! Mini Stencil and randomly inked some yellows and oranges with a sponge through the stencil. Next, I stamped the numbers using Sketchy Alphabet onto a scrap piece of paper. Fussy cutting them is what took the longest on this card, several minutes. If you are in a super hurry, you could always stamp directly onto the card rather than faffing around with fussy cutting. I then inked up the flames and stamped them on top of the letters so they look like candles. Last, I splattered some brown ink for added texture to the background, and die cut the sentiment using Everyday Sentiments Dies. Again, glueing the die cuts could be skipped by just quickly stamping a sentiment, or even using one of the fab Clear Stickers, which would take you half a second!

For my second card, I started by stamping the numbers from Sketchy Alphabet all over the card background. I then stamped the yummy cake slice from Sweet Cravings onto some leftover white card, quickly coloured with Copics and fussy cut. The sentiment is super quick to die cut using the fun Skinny Sentiments Dies, again if you really need to save time, stamp a sentiment or use Clear Stickers to take out those extra few minutes, as needed. 

I hope you feel inspired to create and don't forget that if you comment on the Inspiration Post you are in a draw to win a monthly $15 gift code to the STAMPlortions store. And, have you seen the big October $50 giveaway in the STAMPlorations store?!? Not to be missed :) 

Stamps: STAMPlorations Sketchy Alphabet, Sweet Cravings, Layered Cake Bake

Dies: CUTplorations Skinny Sentiments Dies, Everyday Sentiments Dies

Stencil: ARTplorations Oh My Stars! Mini Stencil

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

STAMPlorations discount code: If you want to save 20% when shopping at the STAMPlorations store you can use the code STAMPGIRLKAROLA at checkout. This excludes some of the promotions, which specifically mention that additional discounts are not applicable.

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

Welcome to this week's STAMPlorations Inspiration Post! I feel we are now getting into the drudgery of winter. That dark, damp, cold time when it feels the work week just drags and drags and then the weekend is lost in binge-watching Netflix under several blankets while sipping hot chocolate. What do you do to get out of that funk? I use sugar to get me through until the sun appears again. Probably not the best solution from a population health perspective, and if you deal by overindulging in running, or going to the gym or meditating or something else respectable, please ignore me and keep doing what you are doing. But if not... maybe just have something sweet?

I created the background using Distress Oxides and splattered it with water. I then added a clear sticker from the Sweet Backgrounds set. I stamped one of the delicious ice creams from Sweet Cravings and coloured it with Copics. Last, I heat embossed the sentiment from Bold Sentiments: Sweet

Stamps: STAMPlorations Sweet Cravings, Bold Sentiments: Sweet, 
Stickers: STAMPlorations Sweet Backgrounds
Ink and colouring: Tim Holtz Distress Oxides, Copics, Tsukineko Versamark

For all STAMPlorations offers, check out the Current Promotions Page here.

Cupcake Inspiration Challenge #447

It's time for another Cupcake Inspirations Challenge, and STAMPlorations is the sponsor this time, so I'm excited to be one of the STAMPlorations designers guesting over at CIC. The theme is Food and Drink, my favourite! I could not resist inking up the delicious ice cream cone from STAMPlorations Sweet Cravings using Distress Markers. I stamped a sentiment from the same set in black and added Washi tape.

Stamps: STAMPlorations Sweet Cravings

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

My Ice Cream is Melting!!

I can't recall a summer like this for the whole time I've lived in the UK. No rain, no clouds, just glorious sunshine! Everyone says that it will rain now, with Wimbledon starting... I know the garden could use some rain, but I'm loving the sunshine and warmth. I will think fondly on these sweaty, glorious, days when it gets cold and rainy and miserable again.

The July challenge over at House of Cards is lovely cold ice cream and all I could think about today was ice cream melting in the heat, so I went a bit wild with my watercolouring. I'm also linking up with the Ice Cream challenge over at Make My Monday and the Warm theme over at Time Out.

My card is super simple, I stamped the delicious ice creams from STAMPlorations Sweet Cravings using Antique Linen Distress Ink onto watercolour paper and watercoloured them using the colour scheme from the challenge, pulling the colours outside of the outlines of the images. After the watercolours dried (which is not long in this heat!), I stamped the sentiment from Bold Sentiments Sweet. Watercolouring is so much fun!

Card: Daler&Rowney 300gsm watercolour paper, white 250 gsm card

Stamps: STAMPlorations Sweet Cravings, Bold Sentiments Sweet

Ink and colouring: Tsukineko Versafine Onyx Black, Tim Holtz Distress 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 discount applies to all normal priced and discounted stamps, stencils and dies. The code cannot be combined with other discount codes.

Box of Cake

I'm super excited to have another sweet spotlight over on the STAMPlorations blog. If you are interested in either cake and/or box cards, hop over for a look!

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.

Pastel Cake

I had some fun with cakes and watercolour the other day, inspired by Inspired By The Little Things and AAA Cards where the theme is Perfect Day. If you have been following my blog, you know my idea of a perfect day has something sweet in it, and one of the most perfect sweet things would be cake!

I started by brushing water onto the top of my watercolour card panel, adding turquoise, pink and purple watercolour, letting the colours run down the card. I then splattered a bit of watercolour onto the card. Next, I used a water brush and black watercolour to brush letter the sentiment. I'm trying to be a bit more brave about lettering my own sentiments. I stamped the piece of cake onto another piece of watercolour card and coloured with watercolours. I die cut the stitching around the edges and popped up the piece of cake using 3D foam dots.

Card: 300 gsm watercolour card
Ink and colouring: Versafine Onyx Black, Gansai Tambi Watercolours
Stamps: STAMPlorations Sweet Cravings
Other: Lawn Fawn Stitched border dies 

Spotlight on Ice Cream

I'm super excited to show you a sneak peek of my first ever Spotlight project over on the STAMPlorations blog, which is live now. Hop over and see the delicious crafts I created using STAMPlorations Sweet Cravings. It will involve a whole lot of ice cream!

STAMPlorations Giving Thanks Blog Hop

I'm super excited to be part of the 3rd annual STAMPlorations Giving Thanks Blog Hop and Wishlist Linky Party. If you are following the hop, you should have arrived here from the wonderful Sarah Platt of Sazzle Dazzle Crafts. You can see all the hop stops in the linky below.

It wouldn't be a linky party without a lot of prizes! There are way too many prizes to list here, but you can find all the info over at STAMPlorations Giving Thanks Blog Hop and Wishlist Linky Party. You can win prizes by commenting and sharing on social media.

There is a bunch of new STAMPlorations products which are showcased along the hop. You can find them all in the New Releases category in the STAMPlorations shop. I got to play with the Words of Gratitude stamp set which has six wonderful sentiments, perfect to use on your cards or other crafting projects.

For my first card, I started by stamping the frame from STAMPlorations Floral Bliss (retired) in Versafine Onyx Black. Then I masked the frame, and stamped plenty of sweet goodies from Sweet Cravings and Sugar Rush, which I coloured with Copics. Then I inked the inside of the frame in a rainbow with Distress Inks and stamped the wonderful sentiment. All in one layer. 

For my second card, I inked yellow, orange and red Distress ink through the Fall Floral Trio stencil. I used the same inks with some more red and some brown thrown in to ink up a scrap piece of card and then die cut the leaves using the Trendy Leaves 2 coordinating dies. For the sentiment, I used a ombre blue piece of card, stamped the frame and sentiment and fussy cut it all. 

For my last, bright, rainbow card, I started by inking Distress ink through the Layered Petals stencil. Then I stamped the sentiment in Versafine Onyx Black, and added some die cut flowers and leaves cut from coloured card using Trendy Spring Blooms Dies. A few small rhinestones completes the card.

If you got inspired to do some shopping, now is a perfect time as Shery is having a Thanksgiving Sale over in the STAMPlorations shop. 

Card: 300 gsm white card, scraps of coloured card, blue ombre card
Stamps: STAMPlorations Words of Gratitude, Sweet Cravings, Sugar Rush, Floral Bliss (retired)
Ink and colouring: Tsukineko Versamark, Tim Holtz Distress Inks, Copics
Stencils: ARTplorations Fall Floral Trio, Layered Petals
Dies: CUTplorations Trendy Leaves 2 coordinating dies, Trendy Spring Blooms Dies
Other: Adhesive rhinestones from my stash

November STAMPlorations CAS Challenge - Anything Goes With Brown

Welcome to the November STAMPlorations CAS challenge. November? How can it be November already? Thank you for playing along with our October challenge, it was great to see so much amazing inspiration in the gallery. Make sure to check in over at the STAMPlorations blog in a few day's time to see the lucky winners. Hopefully, you'll be playing along with us again this month. Our optional colour twist this month is brown. 

What else could the colour brown mean than choooocolate! For my card I started by stamping the yummy cake and pie from Sweet Cravings, coloured with Copics and die cut with the matching dies. Then I stamped the Bold Sentiments: Sweet in an ombre pink pattern, attaching the cakes to the background. 

Card: Neenah Solar white card, 300 gsm white card

Stamps: STAMPlorations Sweet Cravings and matching Sweet Cravings Dies, Bold Sentiments: Sweet, Bold Sentiments: Hashtag Authentic

Ink and colouring: Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black, Stampin' Up Pink Pirouette, Blushing Bride, Regal Rose, Strawberry Slush, Melon Mambo, 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 discount applies to all normal priced and discounted stamps, stencils and dies. The code cannot be combined with other discount codes.

Thankful for Cake

Today I spent some of my time in the good old craft room which has had way too little use lately. I'm procrastinating as I should be writing job applications. After many weeks of way too much work, I decided I've had enough, and it's time to start looking for something else. So instead of writing applications, I've been eating chocolates and crafting. As you do. 

So today's card was inspired by the delicious chocolates I ate. It's dangerous living close to a chocolate factory outlet shop. They had some really good offers, and in all good conscience, I couldn't leave without taking advantage of them! I can tell you that Eating sugar makes you inspired to colour cakes, which was perfect given the Just Add Cake theme over at Just Add Ink. I'm also linking up with Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge where Anything Goes this week. In addition to using the new Sweet Cravings stamp set from STAMPlorations I also used a sentiment stamp from the Words of Gratitude set which you will be able to find in the STAMPlorations shop very soon. 

Card: 300 gsm white card
Stamps: STAMPlorations Sweet Cravings, Words of Gratitude (coming soon!)
Ink and colouring: Tsukineko Versafine Onyx Black, Tim Holtz Distress Ink Hickory Smoke, Faber Castell Albrech Durer watecolour pencils
Other: sequins 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.

CAAAAKE!!

I've been on a baking spree lately - bacon and mushroom filled breakfast rolls, cheddar and apple bread, cinnamon buns and a delicious brown sugar buttercream iced apple cake. So when I saw the Cake theme over at CASology this week I couldn't resist a bit of baking in the craft room as well and it was the perfect opportunity to play with my new STAMPlorations Sweet Cravings stamps. I'm also linking up with Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge where the theme is CAS. Very basic, nothing but a bit of no-line watercolouring using Distress Inks, a bold black sentiment and a few pink splatters. Now off for a big cup of coffee and large slice of apple cake for this crafter!

Card: Daler&Rowney Aquafine 300 gsm watercolour paper
Stamps: STAMPlorations Sweet Cravings
Ink and colouring: Tim Holtz Distress Ink Vintage Photo, Spun Sugar, Squeezed Lemonade and Picked Raspberry, 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 discount applies to all normal priced and discounted stamps, stencils and dies. The code cannot be combined with other discount codes.