ARTplorations Blog Hop - Day 1

Did you know that STAMPlorations has its own range of stencils, called ARTplorations?  You do now!  We're having a three-day blog hop to showcase these stencils, and there will be plenty of chances to win if you hop along.

I started by layering some papers onto my card, then outlined one of the flowers from the Bold Florals stencil, and one leaf from the Leaf Prints stencil, using a fineliner.  Then I traced over the lines with a black Posca pen and added a stalk.  I added colour and shading to the flower and leaf with Distress Markers, and stamped the sentiment from Hashtag Authentic.  The little zigzag in the top left is from Patchwork Frenzy: Graphic Pentagons.

So pop on over to the STAMPlorations blog to see the fabulous inspiration from the rest of the design team, but before you go, leave me a comment for a chance to win:

SIX (6) winners (2 winners per day) will receive their choice of ARTplorations stencil. Winners will be randomly drawn from all comments left on the designers' blogs.

THREE (3) winners will each win a $15 gift certificate. Winners will be randomly drawn from comments left on the STAMPlorations blog.

And there may well be some surprise prizes!

Craft Stamper March Challenge - Take a Stamp

It's challenge time at Craft Stamper Take It Make It, and this month it's Take a Stamp.  Any stamp.  One stamp, lots of stamps, your choice.  I used a bird stamp from Dina Wakley Scribbly Birds, a netting stamp from Stampendous and a sentiment from Waltzingmouse Little Trees.  The background is sloshed watercolours (yay!).  Added a diecut branch from Simon Says Stamp, distressed the edges of the panel and layered it all on to yellow card.

Our sponsor this month is Paper Artsy, and here's the prize for one randomly chosen lucky winner - a limited edition set of paints and stamp set by Darcy Wilkinson:

If yours is the winning entry voted by the Design Team, it will be published in the Craft Stamper magazine (so hold on to it!) together with a profile post all about you, and you'll get a guest design spot in a future challenge.

Pop on over to the blog for some fabulous inspiration from the rest of the design team, and join in to win!

Happy Scribbles

What makes me happy?  Playing with Distress Inks, definitely.  Stamping, yup.  Scribbling, uh huh.  So today I'm very happy making this card.

Inked up the stamp with Distress Inks, spritzed and stamped, then scribbled à la Papertrey Make It Monday #203 inspiration by Ashley- doodling with stamps.  I used one of the wildflowers from Larger Than Life, and the sentiment from Wet Paint.

There's a hint of clover in there (if you ignore the shape of the leaves.  Just look at the flowers.) so I'm playing along with Simon Says Monday Challenge - A Hint of Clover.

And it all makes me happy.  So I'm playing along at Less Is More - This Makes Me Happy :)

Spring Coffee Lovers Blog Hop - Take Two

I'm back again at the Spring Coffee Lovers Blog Hop.  I was rummaging through my stash of stamped images looking for inspiration for another card when I saw this stamped piece.  They're holding coffee cups.  Too good an opportunity to miss.

It's a really old stamp by Stamps Happen (now defunct?) but I love it.  I coloured it with Tombow pens and a water brush, then mounted it onto chocolatey brown card which has a lovely pearlescent sheen to it, which doesn't show up here, unfortunately.  Added some designer paper mounted on to the card base, and stamped the sentiment from STAMPlorations Vignette: Eat Drink Be Merry.  I've curled the lower edge of the stamped panel up, which you can just about make out in the photo.

I'm also entering it into Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Special Lady/Girly.

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I'm over at STAMPlorations tonight, this time inspired by Pablo Picasso.  Here's a sneak peek.

Spring Coffee Lovers Blog Hop

I'm playing along with The Spring Coffee Lovers Blog Hop.  I shouldn't be here - I don't like coffee, in fact I hate it.  But fortunately for me and other coffee haters (I can't be the only one, can I?) the hop is open to tea drinkers as well.

I have very few coffee-related stamps, which isn't surprising, but I don't have many tea-related stamps either, which is surprising.  This stamp is from an old Kanban set.  I inked it up with Distress Inks and spritzed it, then stamped it off the edge of the card.  I sloshed some watered-down ink for a base, and added some splatters (yay!) and a sentiment.

I'm also entering it into Less is More - This Makes Me Happy.  Sloshing and splattering on cards makes me very happy.  Drinking tea makes me happy (nothing like a good cuppa).  Drinking wine makes me very happy - I may have to make another card ;)

And Inkspirational - Sprinkle.  I'm hoping that splattering also counts as sprinkling!

Mixed Media Card Challenge - Spring

I've got two posts going live at the same time today.  Click here for my CASEplorations post.

It's the Mixed Media Card Challenge, and this month the theme is Spring, with the optional element of bird.

For my card, I used a Gelli plate print which was mainly a bubblewrap pattern, then brayered chalk paints over it, and when it was dry I stencilled modelling paste through the Dot Fade stencil.  The flowers and leaves (JOFY 09 and JOFY 12) were in my stamped stash, just on white card, so I brayered matching translucent paints over them and added highlighting with blood orange translucent paint.

I traced a chipboard bird shape onto another Gelli plate print, added a branch and cut it out, then added detail with a black fineliner (0.5) and a white Signo pen.

Pop on over to the Mixed Media Card Challenge blog for some fabulous inspiration from the design team, and join in to win!

I'm adding my card to Simon Says Work It Wednesday where the theme is Spring.

The Mixed Media Monthly challenge, Birds of a Feather

and The Paper Players, Spring.

CASEplorations March

I've got two posts going live today.  Click here for my Mixed Media Card Challenge post.

Welcome to our second CASEplorations challenge.  This month we're CASEing this gorgeous card by Loll:

source: Loll Thompson

So, what are the elements from Loll's card that could be CASEd?  Background (stencil, pattern, texture, colour), popped up focal image, sentiment, matted panel, theme (Christmas).

Background: I stayed loosely with the circles pattern by inking up the ARTplorations Bubbles stencil with Distress Inks, then spritzed it and took a print with it on mixed media paper.
Popped Up Focal Image: this was in my leftover stash from making these cards, and was the starting point for my CASE.
Sentiment: Also in my stash were all these snippets of sentiments, which were no use individually, but I thought they would make a great garland.  I stuck them to a length of yellow cord, with the pink snippet over to the left to balance out the pink baubles on the right.
Matted panel: I angled the mat to contrast with the vertical ribbed base card.
Theme (Christmas): I stuck with Christmas purely because of the snippets I was using, but the design of Loll's card lends itself to pretty much any theme.

Come and join us at the CASEplorations challenge, and if you use STAMPlorations stamps, why not enter it into the ongoing Anything Goes challenge?