Some Die-Cutting Play Time

Hello Crafty Friends!

Just a very quick post. I got some new dies today and simply had to have a play. Ended up making 3 cards using all the left over bits too! 😁

Here they are:

I used up some Brusho backgrounds I had from a while back, simply die-cut the heart branches, cut them again from white card and layered them up only attaching the branches at the bottom. This gives a great 3D effect without adding bulk. Doodles and stamped sentiments finished the cards off.

This one was made using the left over bit from cutting the white heart branches. Stamped border and sentiment finished the card off.

That's it from me. Enjoy!!

hugs
Monika xxx

Special Release Blog Hop Day 3

Hello Crafty Friends!

Welcome to DAY 3 of the CUTplorations Christmas Release Blog Hop & Linky Party over at STAMPlorations. Today my teamies and I are showcasing 15 Holiday Themed Word & Phrase Dies, 1 Dual Stitched Edge/Border Die and 1 ATC & Gift Card Envelope Die from their CUTplorations Range. Get ready for some real eye candy!

I am showcasing six of the dies mentioned starting off with the ATC & Gift Card Envelope Die ...

I made some gift cards with matching envelopes ...

• cut the envelope from pretty paper and assemble
• create a label to sit just inside the beautifully stitched frame and decorate using stamps from the Gone Postal and Large Snowman (stamp lab stamp) sets 

• create a matching gift card using the above stamps plus the snowflakes from the Christmas Block set

These cards and envelopes are perfect for gifting notes, earrings .... too.

Next up is a card using the 'Warm Winter Wishes' Phrase Die ...

This card is Cased from our CASEplorations Challenge featured card by Ksenija. Details of the challenge can be found here. 

• on the medium Luggage Tags Nesting Die stamp the Sketchy Coffee Cups and watercolour
• stamp the small snowflake from the Christmas Reindeer set
• die cut Cutplorations 'Warm Winter Wishes' from white card
• add twine and layer on kraft base card

Next up is a card mainly featuring the 'Merry Christmas' Phrase Die ...

• from a brusho background die-cut the words 'Magical' and 'Wonderful'
• attach to matching base card and inlay the die-cut words
• cut 'Merry Christmas' from gold mirror card and attach
• stamp the large star from the Christmas Reindeer set in matching ink and finish off with glimmer dot

Next up is my card featuring the Word Die 'Wonderful' ...

• die-cut a panel using the medium Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangular Nesting Dies from a brusho background
• stamp the snowflakes from the Christmas Block set in matching ink
• die-cut the phrase 'Merry Christmas' from matching card and snip off the 'Merry'
• die-cut the word 'Wonderful' from frosted shrink plastic glossy side up as it gives a beautiful glossy shimmer once catching the light
• layer as seen on white linen effect base card (I used glue to attach the shink plastic)
• stamp the word 'Time' from the Sentiment Builders: Christmas & New Year in matching ink
• finish off with some glimmer dots

Next up is my card featuring the Word Die 'Magical'... 

• on a brusho background stencil the bubble tree from the Christmas Trees ARTplorations Stencil in matching ink
• add shimmer to the bubbles by first applying gold eyeliner and then a coat of glossy accents. It really brings out the shimmer when catching the light
• die-cut the word 'Magical' and attach to your card
• stamp the rest of the sentiment using stamps from the Sentiment Builders: Christmas & New Year
• stamp the large star from the Christmas Reindeer set and finish off with sequins, pearls or gems, should you wish to 

I tried capturing the glimmer in the photograph below, hope you can see what I mean.

Please note: There will be a Mixed Media tutorial on the STAMPlorations Blog here from 12 noon Pacific (8pm BST) later today featuring the 'Magical' Word Die with some added magic.

Last, but not least is my card featuring the 'Peace On Earth' Phrase Die ...

• stamp the Christmas Candles in Archival ink and watercolour adding some splatters too
• die-cut 'Peace On Earth' from your panel and once more in red
• layer on red base card and inlay the red diecut as you go along
• finish off by adding some glitter glue and sequins

It's over to you now ,,, All you have to do is ... leave a comment on my blog, pop over to the STAMPlorations Blog to leave a comment there and to find the links to all the other participating blogs, then pop over to leave some love there too. You might even want to join in with the linky party. Commenting closes 20th September, and the winners will be announced 22nd September. All the info will be here on the STAMPlorations Blog.

Prizes:

• THREE (3) commenters randomly drawn from all comments left on the STAMP blog and designers' blogs (Days 1 to 3 posts) wins a $10 gift certificate to the shop
• ONE (1) winner randomly drawn from the flash diecut linky party wins her choice of any 3 holiday-themed word dies
• ONE (1) winner randomly drawn from the flash diecut linky party wins her choice of stamp set & coordinating dies (Christmas Reindeer or Warm Hands, Warm Hearts)

Flash Die-cut Linky Party:

The flash diecut linky party starts September 14 and ends on September 20.  Anyone can link up to 3 new projects featuring diecuts (any brand).

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

That's it from me for now. I shall be back later with another project to share ... oops, I almost forgot ...STAMPlorations have an offer on  .... just for their blog followers and CUTplorations Christmas release week blog hop participants, from September 14 to 21:

• All orders of at least $20 ship free worldwide. Use code: CHRISTMAS. 
• Both stamp sets are 10% off and all dies in the CUTplorations Christmas release are 5% off -- discounts are automatically applied (no coupon needed)

Make sure you hit that 'follow' button on the STAMPlorations Blog before shopping!!!

Have a lovely day!
hugs
Monika xxx

links to previous days: DAY 1 - DAY 2

here is what I used apart from today's new release products:
STAMPlorations Stamps:
Christmas Reindeer, Gone Postal, VIGNETTE Christmas Block, Sketchy Coffee Cups
   
Sentiment Builders: Christmas & New Year, Holiday Sketches: Christmas Candles
 
CUTplorations Thin Metal Dies:
Luggage Tags Nesting Dies, Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangular Nesting Dies
 
ARTplorations Stencils:
Christmas Trees ARTplorations Stencil

Stamping With Brushos

Hello Craft Friends!

As you can see this post is going to share some projects I made for the Spotlight Tutorial Feature over at STAMPlorations. I am sharing a fun technique which makes it really easy to achieve watercolour look stamping. Their current Stamp Club set Artsy Tribal Doodles is perfect for this technique.

Here are my cards:

If you want to find out how they were made, you can find all the details here on the STAMPlorations Blog.

Have a lovely day!
hugs
Monika xxx

here is what I used:
STAMPlorations Stamps: Artsy Tribal Doodles, Blossom Overture, Buttercups And Butterflies, Chevron And Arrows
   

CUTplorations Thin Metal Dies: Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangles Nesting Dies, Buttercups And Butterflies Coordinating Dies, Word Die Happy, Word Die Magical
  

Special Release Blog Hop Day 1

Hello Crafty Friends!

Welcome to DAY 1 of the CUTplorations Christmas Release Blog Hop & Linky Party over at STAMPlorations. Today my teamies and I are showcasing Christmas Reindeer, a stamp set designed by Shirley with coordinating dies.

Here is my DT contribution:

I love the doodled feel of these reindeer, stars and snowflakes! I shall use these a lot for making my own cards, but back to the hop now and how this card was made.

A quick mopped up brusho background was the perfect companion for these characters. (brief reminder: sprinkle brusho on your craft mat, spritz with water and mop up initially just dunking without swashing around, exactly like mopping up spilled liquid). All that was left to do, was stamping and die-cutting the reindeer, stamping the stars, heat embossing the sentiment in gold and layering up plus adding the obligatory red nose of course.

It's over to you now ,,, All you have to do is ... leave a comment on my blog, pop over to the STAMPlorations Blog to leave a comment there and to find the links to all the other participating blogs, then pop over to leave some love there too. You might even want to join in with the linky party. Commenting closes 20th September, and the winners will be announced 22nd September. All the info will be here on the STAMPlorations Blog.

Prizes:

• THREE (3) commenters randomly drawn from all comments left on the STAMP blog and designers' blogs (Days 1 to 3 posts) wins a $10 gift certificate to the shop
• ONE (1) winner randomly drawn from the flash diecut linky party wins her choice of any 3 holiday-themed word dies
• ONE (1) winner randomly drawn from the flash diecut linky party wins her choice of stamp set & coordinating dies (Christmas Reindeer or Warm Hands, Warm Hearts)

Flash Die-cut Linky Party:

The flash diecut linky party starts September 14 and ends on September 20.  Anyone can link up to 3 new projects featuring diecuts (any brand).

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

That's it from me for now. I shall be back later with another project to share ... oops, I almost forgot ...STAMPlorations have an offer on  .... just for their blog followers and CUTplorations Christmas release week blog hop participants, from September 14 to 21:

• All orders of at least $20 ship free worldwide. Use code: CHRISTMAS. 
• Both stamp sets are 10% off and all dies in the CUTplorations Christmas release are 5% off -- discounts are automatically applied (no coupon needed)

Make sure you hit that 'follow' button on the STAMPlorations Blog before shopping!!!

Have a lovely day!
hugs
Monika xxx

here is what I used:
Christmas Reindeer, Christmas Reindeer Coordinating CUTplorations Dies
 

Brushoitis

Hello Crafty Friends!

It's been a while since my friend Julie diagnosed me with Brushoitis. So far it hasn't shown any signs of fading as you can see from today's DT project for STAMPlorations' Inspirations Post.

Here it is...

I was working playing with the Bubble Dance ARTplorations Stencil, sprinkled it with Brushos and spritzed with water which left me with this lovely multi-coloured background. It as too nice to cover up, but I still wanted to make a bold statement. I decided to use the negative of the CUTplorations Word Die Happy in combination with the die-cut Birthday, layerd it on my background, attached it to my black base card leaving a narrow border on two sides only and added a couple of sequins to finish.

A quick and easy card to make. Pop over to the STAMPlorations Blog for more inspiration on how to use their products and to leave a comment for your entry in their monthly prize draw.

That's it from me for today. I shall be back soon.
Have a lovely day!
hugs
Monika xxx

here is what I used:
CUTplorations Dies: Word Dies Happy and Birthday
 
ARTplorations Stencils: Bubble Dance