STAMPlorations Inspiration

Happy Tuesday! It's time for this week's STAMPlorations Inspiration post. This week I am embracing autumn and the change in the colours in nature. I also decided to play a bit with mixed media and some techniques I don't use very often.

I started by inking my background in red, orange and brown Distress Inks. I then created ghosted images on the background using the leaves from Trendy Leaves, stamping with water to bleach the Distress Ink background. To create the colourful leaves, I used Distress Ink pads to ink up the stamps randomly and spritzed with a mini mister before stamping and fussy cutting the leaves. Last, I die cut a sentiment using Everyday Sentiments in dark brown, and then matted my card panel onto red card and then attached to a white card base. You might also have spotted the fun wonky grid I die cut into the background - it's a sneak peek of a new product which you will see more of soon!

Don't forget that by commenting on the STAMPlorations Inspiration post you will enter into a monthly draw for a $15 gift code to the STAMPlorations store.

Stamps: STAMPlorations Trendy Leaves

Dies: CUTplorations Everyday Sentiments

Ink and colouring: Tim Holtz Distress Inks
 

This month you get 25% off clear stamps using code STAMP25 and 15% off stencils with code STENCIL15  in the STAMPlorations store. Using my discount code STAMPGIRLKAROLA you get 20% off all non-discounted products! There is even a freebie of the month which you get totally free (as long as you pay for shipping).

STAMPlorations Inspiration

Happy Tuesday! It's time for this week's STAMPlorations Inspiration post. This week I was inspired by the colours of the leaves, although we are getting to the end of leaf season, to be honest. Most trees are quite naked by now, and I even had to scrape my car windscreen a few times already so I guess it's time to admit that winter is truly coming.

I used the faux watercolour technique to create my leafy background. I used Distress Markers to colour the Trendy Leaves and spritzed with water before stamping. I used the super useful Basics A2 Panels Nesting Dies to cut the panels for the front. I die cut one of the Gratitude Trees in various autumnal colours. For the sentiment, I coloured a scrap piece of card with Distress Markers and blended with water before die cutting with the Skinny Sentiments.

Stamps: STAMPlorations Trendy Leaves
Dies: CUTplorations Gratitude Trees Dies, Skinny Sentiments, Basics A2 Panels Nesting Dies
Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Markers

You a few more days to take advantage of the STAMPlorations huge Thanksgiving sale. Also, don't forget to take part in the Giving Thanks Giveaway and you could win a year's supply of STAMPlorations products.

Order at least $50 worth of products then use code THANKS25 and pay just $37.50 + free shipping (US)

Order at least $100 worth of products then use code THANKS30 and pay just $70 + free worldwide shipping

Order at least $150 worth of products then use code THANKS40 and pay just $90 + free worldwide shipping

Order at least $200 worth of products then use code THANKS50 and pay just $100 + free worldwide shipping

Order at least $300 worth of product then use code THANKS60 and pay just $120 + free worldwide shipping

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Ends December 8.

STAMPlorations Inspiration

It's Tuesday and that means another instalment of the STAMPlorations Inspiration Post. It's starting to look a lot like autumn out there, so this week I was inspired by all the leaves which are starting to turn into those warm autumn colours. 

I used Distress markers in various hues of yellows, oranges, reds and browns to colour the beautiful leaves from Trendy Leaves, spritzed them with water and stamped around the edges of a watercolour paper card front. I also diluted a bit of ink with water and splattered on the card. I created the sentiment by colouring a scrap of watercolour paper with the markers and blended with water before die cutting using the Hello word die.

I'm linking up over at Make My Monday where the theme is Autumn and Crafty Gals Corner where the theme is Fall Colours.

Stamps: STAMPlorations Trendy Leaves

Dies: CUTplorations Hello word die

Ink and colouring: Distress markers

National Coffee Day Blog Hop

To celebrate National Coffee Day, Coffee Loving Cardmakers are hosting a great big blog hop. If you usually participate in the Coffee Loving Cardmakers blog hops you know they usually involve linking up cards, but this time the blog hop is a bit different. All you have to do this time is hop along and leave a comment for all the sponsors and you can win lots of great prizes. STAMPlorations is stop #15 in the hop and by commenting on the main post and the posts from the STAMPlorations designers you can win prizes! And if you don't win a prize, you can always stock up on your coffee themed crafty stash using the 15% discount in the STAMPlorations store (discount applied automatically).

For my coffee themed card, I started by stamping Trendy Leaves in Versafine Onyx Black around the edges of a piece of watercolour card. I coloured the panel with watercolours, and inked Vintage Photo Distress ink through the Leaf Prints Mini stencil. I stamped the big coffee mug from Anywhere There's Coffee on watercolour card, coloured the mug with watercolours, inked Vintage Photo through the very apt Dots n' Beans stencil and added a coffeelicious sentiment from Coffeeology.

Stamps: STAMPlorations Anywhere There's Coffee, Coffeeology, Trendy Leaves

Stencils: ARTplorations Dots n' Beans, Leaf Prints Mini

Ink and colouring: Tsukineko Versafine Onyx Black, Distress Ink Vintage Photo, Ground Espresso, watercolours

October STAMPlorations TAG Challenge - Fall

I'm very excited to be blogging today about the October STAMPlorations TAG Challenge as I have been given a wonderful opportunity to join the design team. Hopefully you have a lot of pent-up TAG mojo in store after our summer break! I can't wait to hop around to all of your blogs and to be inspired by what you create. Our first challenge of the season is All About Fall with an optional twist of red, orange and gold. 

My tag is inspired by the colourful leaves and all the birds migrating to a warmer climate right now. I started by blotting Twisted Citron, Spiced Marmalade, Fossilized Amber and Vintage Photo Distress Oxide onto a craft mat, spritzing and picking up several layers of ink onto white card. Then I used one of the Manila Tags Nesting Dies to cut the tag. I inked up the Trendy Leaves stamps in yellow, orange, red and brown Distress Oxide, spritzed with water before stamping and fussy cut them. I also die cut some leaves using the Trendy Spring Blooms dies. Then I randomly stamped various stamps from Mixed Media Grunge in red, orange and brown around the edges of the tag and added a sentiment from Noteworthy 2. Before attaching the leaves, I used Vintage Photo Distress Ink through the Some Birds stencil and last I stamped and heat embossed some dots in gold in the upper left corner of the tag and added some ribbon and twine.

There are very few rules - please follow the theme and your project has to have a tag in some form. You don't have to use STAMPlorations products but if you have any we would love to see how you were inspired to use them. Don't forget to link back to the challenge and add the challenge graphic to your post if you want to be eligible to win prizes.

I'm linking up my tag over at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge where the theme is Tag It.

Card: 200 gsm white card, Hobbycraft 190 gsm white card
Stamps: STAMPlorations Trendy Leaves, Noteworthy 2, Mixed Media Grunge
Dies: CUTplorations Manila Tags Nesting Dies, Trendy Spring Blooms
Stencils: ARTplorations Some Birds
Ink: Distress Ink Vintage Photo, Distress Oxides Fossilized Amber, Spiced Marmalade, Twisted Citron, Spiced Apple, Barn Door, Vintage Photo, Tsukineko Versamark
Other: gold embossing powder, ribbon, twine, sequin and an adhesive gem 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.