Hope you're having a good week. What can I say? ... the gremlins have moved in again this week. Have you ever had one of those weeks where everything you start just seems to end in nothing? ... where all your ideas just don't seem to work???
Well, I had one of those or was it simply that I was preoccupied with trying to implement some changes. More about this when I can talk about it in more detail. Hopefully soon!
First up for today's inspiration is a collage stamped card I made to cheer myself up a little ...
I was working with several STAMPlorations sets at the time: Mixed Media Elements, Balloons and Banners, World Birthday Cakes, Trendy Butterflies and Bold Sentiments: Journey. All my background stamping was done using Smokey Slate ink, and I started off using 2nd generation stamping for the script, my cake, some of the hearts and my background sentiments. I then stamped my main sentiment in Rose Red and Black ink before adding the heart and stamps in first generation Smokey Slate.
For more inspiration check out the STAMPlorations Blog especially if you like CASEing or challenges. There is always something you can play along with or comment to win.
I shall be back again soon.
Have a lovely weekend!
It's inspiration time over at STAMPlorations. I thought I'd do something a little different today and opted for a slightly fussy card using the Hope Blooms stamp set and Retro Circles ARTplorations stencil with a hint of Mixed Media Elements. Sounds a bit like a cooking recipe ....
I dry embossed and sponged the Retro Circles, die cut a swirl, stamped and coloured the butterflies, added a piece of burlap, stamped my sentiment, added some doodles, decided the base card needed a mixed media style border, layered everything up, added a few sequins and finished off with a touch of glossy accents on the sentiment.
Pop over to the STAMPlorations Blog to see the fabulous creations my teamies are sharing there plus if you like challenges or CASEing, there is always some fun to be had. Check it out!
Keeping it short again today, Whilst my energy levels have improved, typing using my right hand is still a little challenging.
Have a lovely day!
hugs
Monika xxx
what I used, links as ususal in the text above
swirls - Tim Holtz by Sizzix
just a quick post for Inspiration Time over at STAMPlorations. Today we are featuring some of their older sets. It is always nice to go back and see them in a different light. As you can see I am treating you to another tall and skinny one ...
My card had to be quick. Earlier this week I went to a Chiropractor and ended up being no good for anything for two whole days!!! Feeling much better now, and my energy levels have improved a lot. My joints are less sore, and I am feeling a lot more flexible too.
Back to my card now ... I had the idea of creating a curtain of flowers and stamped my blooms from the Eclectic Florals set in Regal Rose with the view to create chains of flowers. I then added the lines using a matching marker and my sentiment from the Blossom Overture set before finishing off with a flower sequin.
Just a quick reminder, there is still time to join the blog hop and Linky Party ...
If you like CASEing pop over to the STAMPlorations Blog and check out the Inspiration Projects for October and all the other fun stuff that is going on over there.
That's it from me for today. I shall be back soon.
Have a lovely weekend!
hugs
Monika xxx
here is what I used:
stamp sets from STAMPlorations, links are in the above text:
Regal Rose ink and Stamp'n'write Marker - Stampin'Up!
Welcome to Day 3 of the STAMPlorations Stamp Release Blog Hop and Flash Fall Flowers Linky Party! Today we'll be shining the spotlight on FOLK FLOWERS by The Bee's Knees designs by Shirley.
Given that good things are supposed to come in batches 3's, I am hoping to delight you with a third offering of two projects for your inspiration. First up today is a square card using the Folk Flowers set to create my own pattern.
I started by stamping the swirl into the center. I then added the tulip style flower and the teardrop leaf to create my main image. Once coloured with my alcohol markers, I felt that it needed something extra, and I added the mustard stamped dots and white gel pen doodles. To finish I simply added some gems and layered as seen.
Next up is a folksy paper pieced bloom, another one of my skinny card creations.
I stamped and fuzzy cut all of my elements and layered them on an outline stamped flower on my base card. I then used a stem to add the 'stitched' border and grounding before stamping my sentiment (Graphic Squares) in place and adding crystal effects to my leaves and bloom. Once this had dried, I felt that a doodled border around my flower and some stamped dots would enhance the overall appearance of my card. The flower ended up being quite cute, as if it was waving.
TIP!: Next time I shall be using Archival ink. My black dye ink has bled out a little due to the application of glossy accents.
As always with a blog hop there are prizes to be won for commenting on the posts. Commenting will close on Sunday 25th October. You can also link up a floral themed project (one entry per person, you can use stamps from other companies) for an extra chance to win one of the sets from the release, the link up will close on the same day commenting closes, October 25th. The winners will be announced on October 27th.
Check out what the rest of the team made! You'll find links to all our projects here.
Prizes:
SEVEN (7) commenters randomly drawn from the designers' blogs will each win a $10 gift certificate.
ONE (1) commenter randomly drawn from the STAMPlorations blog will win a $25 gift certificate.
THREE (3) players randomly drawn from the Fall Flower Flash Linky Party will each win a stamp set from the new release.
Welcome to Day 2 of the STAMPlorations Stamp Release Blog Hop and Flash Fall Flowers Linky Party! Today we'll be shining the spotlight on HOPE BLOOMS by Shery Russ Designs.
Again I made two cards for you starting with another tall slim one. I recently discovered a pack of these base cards in my stash somewhere at the back of a cupboard. They are coming in very handy.
For my first card, I simply stamped the brush stroke from the Celebrate Artsy set in pale yellows and a greyish green before stamping my main image and sentiment (Friends and Flowers) in black and finishing off with a couple of sequins.
TIP!: When using stronger colours for the brush strokes, use the 2nd or 3rd generation images for your card. This helps to keep the focus on the flowers.
For my next card, I combined the Hope Blooms set with the Retro Circles ARTplorations stencil which is dry embossed as part of my background.
I simply stamped and coloured the butterflies using alcohol markers before adding some glossy accents to one of them. It slightly changed the colours which adds a little more interest. I then stamped my sentiment down one side of my base card, edged my panel using a gold leaf pen, another treasure I recently found, and layered everything as seen.
As always with a blog hop there are prizes to be won for commenting on the posts. Commenting will close on Sunday 25th October. You can also link up a floral themed project (one entry per person, you can use stamps from other companies) for an extra chance to win one of the sets from the release, the link up will close on the same day commenting closes, October 25th. The winners will be announced on October 27th.
Check out what the rest of the team made! You'll find links to all our projects here.
Prizes:
SEVEN (7) commenters randomly drawn from the designers' blogs will each win a $10 gift certificate.
ONE (1) commenter randomly drawn from the STAMPlorations blog will win a $25 gift certificate.
THREE (3) players randomly drawn from the Fall Flower Flash Linky Party will each win a stamp set from the new release.
Welcome to Day 1 of the STAMPlorations Stamp Release Blog Hop and Flash Fall Flowers Linky Party! Today we'll be shining the spotlight on FRIENDS AND FLOWERS by Dee's Artsy Impressions designs by Deepti.
Here is what I made using two of the three beautiful stamps from the set. First up is another one of my tall slim cards which I thought would suit the umbrella perfectly ...
I inked up an acrylic block with Tumbled Glass Distress ink and stamped it directly on my textured base card. I then added some stitching from the Graphic Squares set in Regal Rose, stamped my sentiment in black and attached my coloured and fuzzy cut umbrella to finish.
For my next card, I white embossed the watering can image on kraft card and coloured it with alcohol markers. Apart from that I used simple die cutting and layering to create this card ...
As always with a blog hop there are prizes to be won for commenting on the posts. Commenting will close on Sunday 25th October. You can also link up a floral themed project (one entry per person, you can use stamps from other companies) for an extra chance to win one of the sets from the release, the link up will close on the same day commenting closes, October 25th. The winners will be announced on October 27th.
Check out what the rest of the team made! You'll find links to all our projects here.
Prizes:
SEVEN (7) commenters randomly drawn from the designers' blogs will each win a $10 gift certificate.
ONE (1) commenter randomly drawn from the STAMPlorations blog will win a $25 gift certificate.
THREE (3) players randomly drawn from the Fall Flower Flash Linky Party will each win a stamp set from the new release.
It's inspiration time again over at STAMPlorations. For today's project I opted to make an ultra slim DL card, a shape I don't often work with yet I felt it would suit the stamps from the HOPE BLOOMS set very well. Hope Blooms is one of the new October release sets we'll be showcasing next week with a Blog Hop starting Tuesday 20th October.
I opted to keep things simple and adding only a splash of colour using the large butterfly from the Blossom Like A Butterfly set.
I stamped the boxed butterfly image several times in Smoky Slate directly on my slightly textured base card and added the border from the Mixed Media Elements set. I stamped the large butterfly and sentiment in Tuxedo Black Memento ink, coloured (Tinge Alcohol Markers) and fuzzy cut my large butterfly, layered my elements as shown and my card was finished.
I am entering my card at: Allsorts - No design Papers
Pop over to the STAMPlorations Blog to see the fabulous creations my teamies are sharing there plus if you like challenges or CASEing, there is always some fun to be had. Check it out!
I'm keeping it short and sweet today, work is a little busy at the moment. Back soon.
Have a lovely day!
hugs
Monika xxx
here is what I used
sets from STAMPlorations, links are in the above text
Smoky Slate ink - Stampin'Up!
Tinge Alcohol Markers - The Works
It's inspiration time over at STAMPlorations. I made another collage card which mainly uses stamping for the effect, her it is ...
Only using Elegant Eggplant ink for my card, I started off stamping the script from the Mixed Media Elements using 2nd generation stamping. Next I picked up the Hope Blooms set (due to be released later this month), chose a couple of sentiments and added them, one in 1st generation and the other ones in second generation stamping. I then stamped and fuzzy cut the flowers and from the Artful Flutters set one gold embossed butterfly on vellum. I die cut my flourish, blended the edges with my ink and placed my elements on my card. That's when I thought it needed a little extra which was easily done using the stamps and double circle stamps from the Mixed Media Elements and 2nd generation stamping and adding a matching pearl to finish.
I am linking my card with The Hop To Stop where it's all about raising awareness about Domestic Violence. The aim is to get people talking about DV which in turn may help someone to make the break and walk away. Help is out there.
How the hop works:
Anyone is eligible for a Super Sponsor prize if they link up a *newly created* papercraft project, no back-linking please. Random.org is used to draw for winners.
In order to be eligible you MUST:
>>Comment on the three entries before your linkup in order to be eligible for a prize (be a good bloggy neighbour!) (unless it's a site that requires a login)
>>Display the sponsor graphic!
>>Provide a direct link back to the hop
If you are not into hopping or want another chance of winning some goodies, pop over to the STAMPlorations Blog to join the fun or simply comment to win. There are challenges and tutorials for you to get your creative teeth into.
That's it from me for today. Back soon ...
Have a lovely weekend!
hugs
Monika xxx
The link for the Hope Blooms will go live Monday 12th October,
here are the sets from STAMPlorations I used, links are in the above text
Hi Everyone!
I am back again for another tutorial over at STAMPlorations. Today I'm going for a monochromatic palette in purple working with the stamp sets Bold Sentiments: Imagine and Mixed Media Elements, our current Stamp Club set, plus the Old Rose Prints ARTplorations Stencil.
Before starting I made myself a little colour swatch on a piece of scrap paper to see how my purples would work together and to decide which ones to use.
This is basically a one-layer card which means I stamped directly on my base card.
I started off by twice stamping the script in Sweet Plum Memento ink having wiped a little ink off along the bottom edge before stamping the second time.
Next I added my splashes in Dusty Concord Distress Ink and stenciled my rose using Dark Orchid Starlights Metallic Paint. Seeing that some of my stamped splashes could make perfect leaves helped in the positioning of the rose.
I then stamped my sentiment in Elegant Eggplant, added some more stamped texture using stamps from the Mixed Media Elements set and sprayed a fine mist using a marker pen and spritzing tool. I then finished off by rounding three corners and adding some extra sparkle in the form of gems and sequins.
Here is a close up of the rose, as you can see the paint is very sparkly which adds lovely interest to the finished project.
TIP!: If you haven't got any ready made paint, you could try adding glitter to acrylic paint which should give you a similar effect.
As always there is a little video where you can craft along. It gives you a little more information on how I create my projects as I go along.
As mentioned in my video, I am linking my card with The Hop To Stop where it's all about raising awareness about Domestic Violence. The aim is to get people talking about DV which in turn may help someone to make the break and walk away. Help is out there.
How the hop works:
Anyone is eligible for a Super Sponsor prize if they link up a *newly created* papercraft project, no back-linking please. Random.org is used to draw for winners.
In order to be eligible you MUST:
>>Comment on the three entries before your linkup in order to be eligible for a prize (be a good bloggy neighbour!) (unless it's a site that requires a login)
>>Display the sponsor graphic!
>>Provide a direct link back to the hop
As you can see STAMPlorations is one of the hop's sponsors, commenting on my post over on their blog will give you another chance of winning a prize.
That's it from me for today. Have a lovely day!
hugs
Monika xxx
here is what I used:
from STAMPloratiuons, links are in the above text
