March STAMPlorations challenges - Mid-Month Reminder

This year just keeps speeding through. Can you believe we are halfway through March already! It's great to move into warmer weather though, isn't it? Have you had time to play along with our STAMPlorations March challenges yet? If not, don't worry as you still have a few more week's to play along. If you played along earlier, maybe you are inspired again and would like to share another project with us? If your mojo is lost, check in the March challenge reminder post over on the STAMPlorations blog where the design team are sharing our latest projects for inspiration!

The theme for our March TAGplorations challenge is All About Spring with an optional twist of birds. I created bird tags using Distress Oxide smooshed backgrounds I found in my UFO box. I used the Stitched Tags Nesting Dies to cut the tags, stamped one of the birds from the For the Birds stamp set using Versafine black ink and die cut the Thanks sentiment using Thanks word die from matching pieces of leftover card. The second part of the sentiment is also from the For the Birds stamp set.

The optional colour twist for the March CAS challenge is Coral Pink. I thought a coral pink scooter would be really cool so I stamped the scooter from Born To Roam and watercoloured it with Abandoned Coral and Vintage Photo Distress Ink. I added a sentiment from the same stamp set. Last, I stencilled Vintage Photo Distress Ink through the Retro Circles stencil for added interest.

Stamps: STAMPlorations For the Birds, Born To Roam
Dies: CUTplorations Stitched Tags Nesting Dies, Thanks word die
Stencil: ARTplorations Retro Circles
Ink and colouring: Tsukineko Versafine Onyx Black, Distress Ink, Distress Oxides

Don't forget the Spring Clean March Sale in the STAMPlorations Store, where most stamps and dies are 30% off until the end of March. 

March STAMPlorations CAS Challenge - Coral Pink

Welcome to the STAMPlorations March CAS Challenge. Spring is in the air and our optional colour twist this month is a nice spring colour - coral pink. Spring inspires me to use lots of florals. There is nothing like that spring green shooting from the dark soil to make it feel like we are going towards warmer times. 

I used the lovely Blossom Sprays #3 stamp for my card. I stamped the image in Versamark Onyx Black and coloured with Gansai Tambi watercolours and pearl watercolours. They give such a lovely subtle shimmer. I added a very light splattering of coral pink to the background, before cutting the watercolour card panel using Crazy Double Running Stitch Nesting Rectangle dies. Last, I used the same watercolours I used for the flowers to create a banner for the sentiment and added a hashtag from Sparkly.

I hope you are inspired to play along with us over on STAMPlorations blog!

Stamps: STAMPlorations Blossom Sprays #3, Sparkly

Dies: Crazy Double Running Stitch Nesting Rectangle 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.

March STAMPlorations TAG challenge - Spring

Welcome to the STAMPlorations March TAGplorations challenge. Our theme is spring, with an optional twist of birds. Is it getting spring-y where you are? I love March as spring starts to show just a little bit with nature turning green and early spring flowers shyly make their way above ground. Thank you for playing along with our February Love challenge, you certainly made it hard to pick our favourites! 

I started by stamping Hummingbird - Large onto watercolour paper and coloured him with Gansai Tambi watercolour and pearl watercolours. For the background, I watercoloured through the Honeycomb Delight Mini stencil and then went a bit overboard with splattering lots of watercolour onto the remaining tag for interest. The sentiments are from Bold Sentiments: Hashtag Authentic and Noteworthy 2.

Stamps: STAMPlorations Hummingbird - Large, Bold Sentiments: Hashtag Authentic, Noteworthy 2
Stencil: ARTplorations Honeycomb Delight Mini
Dies: CUTplorations Luggage 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.

Rainbows, Rainbows, Rainbows

Long time no see! How are you? Has spring caught up with you yet? The daffodils are already in bloom in the garden and the conservatory is nice and warm in the afternoon. And it's getting lighter in the mornings which is great, it's just that little bit easier to head off to work when it isn't completely pitch dark.  

I believe, from the bottom of my heart, that you can never have too many unicorns or rainbows in your life. So I thought I would send a few countless rainbows your way today.

Today's card is inspired by several challenges. Firstly, I cannot resist a good rainbow so I had to play along with the current Fusion challenge. I'm also linking up with Lawn Fawnatics where the theme is "What's the weather" and Just Us Girls where the theme is Birthday. 

Stamps: Lawn Fawn Winter Unicorn and matching die

Dies: Lawn Fawn Stitched Rectangles, Rainbow, Puffy Cloud Border die, Simple Puffy Clouds, Simple Puffy Cloud Frames, Happy Birthday Line Border

Ink and Colouring: Distress Paints, Copics, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black, gold and silver Sharpie

Paper: Lawn Fawn Let's Polka, Let's Polka in the Dark, Really Rainbow, silver glitter card

Spring Coffee Blowout

Is there anything better than a hot cup of coffee? In the morning, while crafting, with a big piece of chocolate cake, or all of those three combined!

In honour of coffee and the STAMPlorations Coffee Stamps Blowout Sale which starts today, I created two cards using Sanna's gorgeous Dots n' Beans stencil as the centrepiece. I sprinkled Light and Dark Brown Brushos onto watercolour paper covered by the stencil and spritzed generously with water. I haven't had much success with this technique but after watching Loll's video I realised the secret is to remove the stencil quickly before the water starts seeping under the stencil. I then die cut the panel using Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies and added a coffee cup and sentiment from What's Brewing. I'm linking up my card over at CAS Stencil where the theme is Powdered Inks.

For my second card, I used the monoprint from the stencil. I watercoloured the Nature Having Coffee stamp using Gansai Tambi watercolours, and added a sentiment from Literary Caffeine-ations along with some doodles. Inspired by the sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches I also added some die cuts using Trendy Spring Bloom Dies.

If you got inspired to create some caffeinated creations of your own, you can use the code COFFEEBLOWOUT in the STAMPlorations store.

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.

Welcome Baby Girls

I created this card a while ago for a friend who was having twin baby girls. I have completely forgotten to blog about it and thought now is a good time with all the heart/love themed challenges.

I stamped the cute balloons from STAMPlorations Tweet Love and watercoloured with Distress Inks. I also splattered watercolours onto the panel for added interest. I added a sentiment from Lawn Fawn Critters Down Under. I die cut the second part of the sentiment using Lawn Fawn Cole's ABCs, using a piece of cardstock inked with the same colours I used for colouring the balloons. I die cut the panel using a Lawn Fawn Stitched Rectangle Die. I die cut a piece of patterned paper from Lawn Fawn Perfectly Plaid Spring using the Scalloped Rectangle dies for added colour.

I'm linking up with the following challenges:

Brown Sugar - Love and/or Valentine's day

Simply Create Too - ATG/optional twist of hearts

Cute Card Thursday - ATG

Crafty Gals Corner - CAS

Unicorn Challenge - Include a Heart

Dragonfly Dreams - Include a Heart

Stamps: STAMPlorations Tweet Love, Lawn Fawn Critters Down Under

Dies: Lawn Fawn Scalloped Rectangle Stackables, Stitched Rectangle Stackables, Cole's ABCs

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.