Little Miracles

Hello Crafty Friends!

Over at STAMPlorations they are rounding up October with one last helping of projects by the Inspiration team. For my DT project I worked with one of their newly released sets Power Of Words ...

Inspired by the sentiment I had to go for gold and sparkle ... die-cutting a panel from card which had been used to mop up some yellow ink using one of the CUTplorations Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies. I deepened the edges by blending them with a darker shade of yellow, stamped my sentiment, tied some golden twine around my base card and layered mt die-cut panel slightly to one side finishing off with a little golden Stickles.

Pop over to the STAMPlorations Blog to check out the inspiration provided by my teamies and to leave a comment for your chance to win.

That's it from me for today. I shall be back tomorrow with another project to share.
Have a lovely day!
hugs
Monika xxx


here is what I used from the STAMPlorations Shop, remember to apply my personal discount code STAMPGIRLMONIKA (not case sensitive) at check out for a 20% discount on their stamps, stencils and dies:

Power Of Words, CUTplorations Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies
 

October Stamp Release Blog Hop Day 5

Hello Crafty Friends!

Welcome to the STAMPlorations October Stamp Release Blog Hop. Four sets are being released this week, Faerie Door, Power Of Words, Faith Expressions and Funny Kinda Love.

Here are my DT projects ... 

Using the Faerie Door set, I wanted to create a card with a childlike feel and used simple colouring and stamping having the faerie floating above a carpet of flowers.

With this card I was inspired by the word 'soul' from the sentiment, Power Of Words. I immediately thought of purple flame and gold. I applied some yellow ink to my craft mat, spritzed with water and mopped it up with a piece of white card. Once dry I stamped my sentiment on my background and the flame again on a piece of scrap card. I then coloured and fuzzy cut the flame, added it to my card, doodled a border and finished off with sequins, gems and glossy accents. 

Next I die-cut a rectangle using the CUTplorations Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies, sponged it with purple ink, stamped the swirls from the Distressed Floral Swirls set in the same shade and the flowers from the Faith Expressions set in a darker shade before adding my sentiment in an even darker shade. I then added some sparkle gel pen colouring to the flowers and glossy accents to the word 'faith' before finishing off with some sequins.

For my last card using the Funny Kinda Love set, I made a tag to go on my grey splattered base card. I die-cut a tag using the CUTplorations Luggage Tags Nesting Dies from a lightly grey inked piece of card, dry embossed it and picked up some of the pattern with pink before stamping my sentiment. I then inked a piece of white card using the same pink, stamped the other part of my sentiment and the two hearts and fuzzy cut the lot before edging the tag and the sentiment strip with my gold leaf pen. I then added a length of gold twine, assembled my pieces and finished of with a few sparkly hearts.

Check out what the rest of the team made! You'll find links to all our projects here.

Leave a comment on participating blogs for your entry into the Prize draw. There are quite a few prizes up for grabs, and a full list can be found here on the STAMPlorations Blog. This is also where you can follow or subscribe, that way you'll be kept informed about all the hops, tutorials and challenges they have going. It's good to be kept in the loop. Commenting for this hop closes on Tuesday 1st November and the winners will be announced on Friday 9th November.

That's it from me for now. Have a lovely weekend!

hugs

Monika xxx

I am linking my purple card up with:
The Hop To Stop - raising awareness about Domestic Violence, needs purple cards 

Please help turning Blogland purple.

here is what else I used from the STAMPlorations Shop, remember to apply my personal discount code STAMPGIRLMONIKA (not case sensitive) at check out for a 20% discount on their stamps, stencils and dies:

STAMPlorations Stamps: Distressed Floral Swirls

CUTplorations Dies: Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies, Luggage Tags Nesting Dies

Faith

Hello Crafty Friends!

It's Inspiration Time over at STAMPlorations. My DT contribution for today features another purple card ....

... working with two of their most recent additions to the STAMPlorations Shop, the ARTplorations Stencil: A Bloom And Three Buds and one of their new sets, Faith Expressions with a little help from one of my favourites Mixed Media Elements.

I sponged my background using Wilted Violet Distress Ink, stamped the script into the still damp background for a faded look and lightly spritzed with water. Once dry, I stenciled my flower using paste, sprinkled with Enchanted Gold embossing powder and heat set. I then stamped my sentiment using my MISTI in Elegant Eggplant and added a border with my gold leaf pen to finish.

I am linking up with:
The Hop To Stop - raising awareness about Domestic Violence, needs purple cards 

Please help turning Blogland purple. Here is another look at my card ....

That's it from me for today. Pop over to the STAMPlorations Blog to see the wonderful projects my teamies made and to leave a comment there for your entry into their monthly prize draw.

Have a lovely day!
hugs
Monika xxx


here is what I used from the STAMPlorations Shop, remember to apply my personal discount code STAMPGIRLMONIKA (not case sensitive) at check out for a 20% discount on their stamps, stencils and dies:

STAMPlorations Stamps: Faith Expressions, Mixed Media Elements
 

ARTplorations Stencils: A Bloom And Three Buds

October Stencil Sunday

Hello, Crafty Friends!

Welcome to another Stencil Sunday in October, May I take the opportunity to remind you of the current Mixed Media Challenge over at STAMPlorations. As you know Anything Mixed Media Goes as long as it is not a card and you use at least one stencil.

My DT contribution for this Stencil Sunday is ... a tag ....

... and here is how I made it:

• create a tag in the same way I created the covers for my Die Storage Booklet from my Mixed Media Titorial here using the ATC/Gift Card Envelope CUTplorations Die
• colour the tag using magenta watercolour (Liquarel)
• sponge turquoise ink through the Delicate Links ARTplorations Stencil (Tempting Turquoise SU ink)
• stencil the flying birds from the Some Birds ARTplorations Stencil using paste and lightly colour their edges using turquoise ink
• randomly sprinkle with embossing powders and heat set (Cosmic Shimmer tropic Pink Blaze, WOW Primary Marshmallow, Heat It Up! Enchanted Gold)
• ink up the rose from the Blossom Overture set, sprinkle and heat some Ultra Think Embossing Powder to one side and whilst still hot stamp the rose into it, allow for a little cooling time before lifting the stamp off (Cosmic Shimmer Tropic Pearl, Ink It Up! Lavender Pigment Ink)
• stamp some swirls from the Distressed Floral Swirls using Archival Ink (Blue Violet)
• stamp and attach your sentiment from the Trendy Butterflies set
• finish off with gold edging, sequins and fibers  

Here are a couple of photos from a different perspective:

I hope you feel inspired to create something different, maybe even do some up-cycling or re-purposing .... why not link it up with the Mixed Media Challenge over at STAMPlorations. The theme is always Anything Mixed Media Goes except cards which means projects such as tags, ATCs, canvases, layouts, art journal pages etc,are perfect for entering, and you must have used at least one stencil (any brand) in your project. The challenge will close at the end of the month. You can find the full challenge details plus more Mixed Media inspiration here on the STAMPlorations Blog.

That's it from me for today. I shall be back soon with another project to share.

Have a lovely day!

hugs
Monika xxx


here is what I used from the STAMPlorations Shop, remember to apply my personal discount code STAMPGIRLMONIKA (not case sensitive) at check out for a 20% discount on their stamps, stencils and dies:

ARTplorations Stencils: Delicate Links, Some Birds
 

STAMPlorations Stamps: Blossom Overture, Distressed Floral Swirls, Trendy Butterflies
  

CUTplorations Dies: ATC/Gift Card Envelope

Courage

Hello Crafty Friends!

It's Inspiration Time over at STAMPlorations, and I've opted for monochromatic purple to create this beauty ....

... working with two of their most recent additions to the STAMPlorations Shop, the ARTplorations Stencil: A Bloom And Three Buds and their current Stamp Club set Life In Full Color.

I sponged my background using Shaded Lilac and Wilted Violet Distress Inks and added the circles using my mini blending tool before lightly spritzing with water. Once dry, I stenciled my flower using Elegant Eggplant and shaving brush. I then stamped my sentiment using my MISTI first in Eggplant and then in white Craft ink before clear embossing. I really liked the effect as I didn't want my sentiment to be bold, more often than not it is the quiet courage, the little steps that bring about the desired change ....

I am linking up with:
The Hop To Stop - raising awareness about Domestic Violence, needs purple cards 

Please help turning Blogland purple. Here is another look at my card ....

Pop over to the STAMPlorations Blog for more inspiration and to leave a comment for your entry into their monthly prize draw.

That's it from me, I shall be back soon. Have a lovely week!

hugs
Monika xxx


here is what I used from the STAMPlorations Shop, remember to apply my personal discount code STAMPGIRLMONIKA (not case sensitive) at check out for a 20% discount on their stamps, stencils and dies:

STAMPlorations Stamps: Life In Full Color


ARTplorations Stencils: A Bloom And Three Buds

Make Art

Hello Crafty Friends!

Just a quick post to remind you of the new challenge over at STAMPlorations ... The CUTplorations Challenge ... It's a monthly challenge requiring you to use die(s) and take inspiration from the monthly changing photo which for this month is ...

 

So what have we got ...

• light
• colours, red, orange and blue
• lamp
• curve
• rays
• crossing lines

Here is what I made of it this time ...

I was playing with some new stamps, Life In Full Color, and the CUTplorations Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies. The Challenge Rules, which can be found here in full, require you to use at least one die and at least one STAMPlorations product. If you haven't got any of their products yet, but would love to join their CUTplorations Challenge, there is a digi you can download here ... and, if you got a nesting die to cut it, you're almost there.

For my card, I die-cut the panel and left the die in place as a mask whilst stamping the brushes. They are not fully stamped as I didn't want them to be dominant hence I used my fingers only to apply a little uneven pressure, no acrylic block in sight. I then coloured them using alcohol markers, added the wavy lines, stamped my sentiment and layered on my base card.

Here is a last look ...

Pop over to the STAMPlorations Blog to see how my teamies interpreted the photo and to link up your entry too. A little birdie told me that you could win some of the word/phrase dies we used in our projects from the original post in their random draw.

That's it from me for now.
Have a lovely day!
hugs
Monika xxx


here is what I usd from the STAMPlorations Shop, remember to apply my personal discount code STAMPGIRLMONIKA (not case sensitive) at check out for a 20% discount on their stamps, stencils and dies:

CUTplorations Dies:
Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies

STAMPlorations Stamps:
Life In Full Color

A 5-Minute Card

... inspired by embroidery ...

Hello Crafty Friends! For today's Spotlight Feature over st STAMPlorations I made a super quick embroidery inspired card using their Artsy Tribal Doodles set.

It all started off with me playing aimlessly with the stitched triangles using bright colours. Whilst my mind was wandering and wondering I must have been thinking how easy it would be to use stamps from the Artsy Tribal Doodles set as a base for simple stitch embroidery, something I must try for real one day.

Anyway, pop over to the STAMPloratiosn Blog for a full tutorial ....

That's it from me for today. If you feel like giving buttons and stitching a try, make sure you link your project up with their Spotlight Project Showcase.

Have a lovely day!
hugs
Monika xxx


here is what I used from the STAMPlorations Shop, remember to apply my personal discount code STAMPGIRLMONIKA (not case sensitive) at check out for a 20% discount on their stamps, stencils and dies:

Artsy Tribal Doodles, Blossom Overture
 

Pretty In Pink

Hello Crafty Friends!

Over at STAMPlorations, we are celebrating .... 100 Inspiration Project Posts!

For my DT project, I decided to play with their Pets set. That's when one card became two ...

For my first card I sprinkled the cats with Are You Cerise Infusion Powder (PaperArtsy) and spritzed with water. Having two kittens getting themselves into mischief in mind, I set about die-cutting the big splash and splattering my card with matching watercolour. I then stamped my sentiment and arranged my elements as seen.

The next card is actually very girlie as the cats are slightly glittered. For one of the cats, the canter on, I tried some mirror stamping using my MISTI and the reverse of a larger stamp to stamp the original image on. It's a little sketchy, but not bad, just a different effect. I loosely masked my cats, sprinkled Infusion Powder around them, spritzed with water and ended up with a somewhat fireworks type look ... purrfect for a birthday card.

Of course the dogs from the Pets set would look good too on these cards. Here is a last look ...

Given that there is a little celebration, Shery, STAMPlorations owner, has a surprise for you ... simply leave a comment here on my blog, pop over to the STAMPlorations Blog, leave a comment there and visit the one's of my teamies too .... for your chance to win ...

That's it from me for today. I shall be back again tomorrow.

Have a lovely day!
hugs
Monika xxx


here is what I used from the STAMPlorations Shop, remember to apply my personal discount code STAMPGIRLMONIKA (not case sensitive) at check out for a 20% discount on their stamps, stencils and dies:
Pets

Watercolour Angel

Hello Crafty Friends!

Just a quick one. My Visible Image stamps were in the post and I had to play. Here is what I made:

When I ordered the Angels set I had intended to make some watercolour effect cards using my MISTI. Of course this is what I made :-)

I also recorded a little video on how I stamped an angel like this ...

I would like to enter my card at Visible Image Show And Tell September Facebook Challenge

That's it from me for today.Have a lovely weekend!

hugs
Monika xxx

CUTplorations November Challenge

.... or without getting ahead of my self .... October Challenge!

Hello Crafty Friends!

Over at STAMPlorations they have a new challenge ... The CUTplorations Challenge ... It's a monthly challenge requiring you to use die(s) and take inspiration from the monthly changing photo which for this month is ...

 

So what have we got ...

• light
• colours
• lamp
• curve
• rays
• crossing lines

I went with colours against a dark background, curve and tried to hint at the second beam of light coming in at an angle through the placement of my sequins ...

I die cut my black border, created a watercolour panel to match the curve, used inlaid die cutting for my sentiment Thanks and added some sequins. The blending on my white base card didn't go as well as I had envisaged. I have used this type of card before with better results, but not for washes. It could also be that the brush I used was to small. Learning as I go along. :-)

Pop over to the STAMPlorations Blog to see how my teamies interpreted the photo and to link up your entry too. A little birdie told me that you could win some of the word/phrase dies we used in our projects in their random draw.

That's it from me for now.
Have a lovely day!
hugs
Monika xxx


here is what I used from the STAMPlorations Shop, remember to apply my personal discount code STAMPGIRLMONIKA (not case sensitive) at check out for a 20% discount on their stamps, stencils and dies:

CUTplorations Dies:
Word Die Thanks