STAMPlorations Christmas Release Day 5

Hello Crafty Friends!

STAMPlorations are doing a Christmas in August Release. They are releaasing 6 stamp sets and 8 CUTplorations dies and, of course, are celebrating in style with a Blog Hop. Welcome to Day 5!

Today my teamies and I are showcasing the 8 new CUTplorations Dies of which I personaaly am showcasing 4. First up is a little lantern using the Christmas Icons - Christmas Angel die. Here it is:

I used my handmade box template from my Spotlight Post here and tuned it into a lantern by die-cutting the angel and backing the negative with vellum after embossing the panels with the Oh, My Stars! ARTplorations Stencil. To finish I added a touch of gilding wax and Stickles.

Next up is a card using the beautiful Merry Christmas Word Art Die ...

I clear embossed the poinsettia from the Christmas Flower set, cut the sentiment twice from white card, layered as seen and finished off with a couple of clear gems.

Next up is a shaker card using the Christmas Bauble #2 Layering Die ...

I first cut the doodled bauble and then the solid one,attached acetate to the back and pieced them in. I used glass glitter to add to my shaker element and finished off with a die-cut Merry Christmas and a little matching bow.

Next up are three cards using the super gorgeous Christmas Icons - Christmas Tree #2 die ...

I simply assembled all the cut out bits on a sponged background, added a sentiment from the Holiday Artsy set, a doodled line and gems to finish.

This card was made by simply cutting the tree into the base card finishing offwith gems and peel-off sentiment.

My last card turns the tree into a shaker card using silver glass glitter and a peel-off sentiment.

That's all my projects for today.

Here is a pre-view of all the CUTplorations Dies from this release:
:

Christmas Icons - Christmas Angel, Christmas Tree #2, Nativity

  

Christmas Tree #1

Word Art Dies - Merry Christmas

Plate Dies - Holiday Words

Layering Dies - Christmas Baubles #2, Christmas Baubles #1

 

And here is a little reminder of everything from this week's release, links to previous days can be found towards the end of my post:

As with any blog hop, it is best to comment on all the participating blogs, Facebook and Instagram, links to which can be found here on the STAMPlorations Blog.

Commenting closes on Monday 21st August at 11.55 pm Pacific (that's British Summer Time 7.55am Tuesday 22nd August) with winners being announced on August 24.

Here is what you can win:

Winners randomly drawn from all the comments left on the STAMPlorations Blog and participating designers blogs:

- THREE (3) winners of a $10 gift certificate to the STAMPlorations store

- ONE (1) winner of her choice of 1 stamp set and 1 CUTplorations die from the new release

- ONE (1) winner of a $25 gift certificate to the STAMPlorations store

Extra prizes:

- TWO (2) winners of their choice of 1 CUTplorations die from the new release -- drawn from STAMPlorations Facebook page (for commenting, sharing, and tagging a friend)

- ONE (1) winner of her choice of 1 stamp set from the new release -- drawn from STAMPlorations Instagram post (commenting, liking, tagging a friend)

Well. it's over to you now, you can find all the info and links here on the STAMPlorations Blog.
Enjoy your day and happy hopping!

hugs
Monika xxx

links to previous days: Day1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4

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:

Christmas Icons - Christmas Angel, Merry Christmas Word Art Die, Christmas Bauble #2 Layering Die
  

Christmas Icons - Christmas Tree #2, Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies
 

Holiday Sketches: Christmas Flower, Holiday Artsy, Oh, My Stars! ARTplorations Stencil
  

*** Discount code works on sale items too

Holiday TAGplorations Day 1

Hello Crafty Friends!

STAMPlorations are hosting a festive party, Holiday TAGplorations.

It's all about TAGS and HOLIDAYS. For my DT project, I choose to make a Christmas tag using their Artsy Borders: Poinsettia Row, Holiday Sketches: Christmas Flower and Oh, Christmas Tree! sets in combination with the largest of their CUTplorations Luggage Tag Nesting Dies.

Here it is ...

I tried my hand at a spot of watercolouring. It was actually pretty easy ...

• stamp the Poinsttia Border in Archival on the die-cut tag, watercolour and edge with gold leaf pen
• stamp and watercolour two Christmas Flowers, edge with gold leaf pen and attach
• stamp, cut and attach sentiment from the Oh, Christmas Tree! set
• finish off with golden twine and Stickles

Now more about the event ...

Holiday TAGplorations is a blog hop and linky party starting today and reminder posts finishing on Tuesday 8th November.

What can you do to participate? ... 

• Comment on the original Holiday TAGploration Post and participating Designers post, Links and full rules will be on the original Holiday TAGplorations Post.
• Create a Holiday Tag or two or three and join the Linky Party; any holiday not just Christmas.
• Commenting and linking up of your Holiday Tags is from today, 4th November, and finishes 11.55pm Pacific Friday 25th November on the original Holiday TAGplorations Post. Plenty of time to get creative.
• Winners will be announced on Friday 9th December in the November Challenges & Hops Winners Post. Just in time for Christmas!

Prizes:
10 prizes (with a value of $178+) will be distributed among randomly drawn winners:

- (3) randomly drawn winners from all comments left on the STAMPlorations blog and participating designers blog will each receive a $15 gift certificate to the store, links can be found on the original Holiday TAGploration Post

- (3) randomly drawn participants to the TAGplorations linky party will each receive the Luggage Tag Dies, linky party can be found on the original Holiday TAGploration Post

- (3) randomly drawn participants to the TAGplorations linky party will each receive the ATC Tag Builder Dies, linky party can be found on the original Holiday TAGploration Post

- (1) randomly drawn participant to the TAGplorations linky party will receive a $25 gift certificate to the store, linky party can be found on the original Holiday TAGploration Post

- if the event is well-received/we get lots of participants and commenters, Shery may just throw in a few surprise prizes + the event will be repeated next year :o)

Here is another look at my piece of tag inspiration ...

That's it from me for today. Hope you join the party.

Have a lovely weekend!
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: Holiday Sketches: Christmas Flower, Artsy Borders: Poinsettia Row, Oh, Christmas Tree!
  

CUTplorations Dies: Luggage Tags Nesting Dies

Happy Holidays

Hi All,

Back again with more inspiration for you. Over at STAMPlorations it's the last one of this year's Inspiration Posts.

I wanted to take the opportunity to thank you all for your support and lovely comments this year, it really meant a lot to me especially during the last few months. I must also apologize for not visiting your blogs of late. It has been an enormously stressful time mentally and emotionally getting ready for some major changes I need to make. All will be revealed on Christmas Eve, but what I can say say for now is that cardmaking and blogging will still be part of it. I shall also be staying on STAMPlorations' Inspiration Design Team.

Now to today's project inspired by the Christmas decorations in and around Market Street in Hoylake where I live ...

I stamped and gold embossed the stars (Balloons and Banners), stamped and masked the houses (Houses), masked the moon and sponged my sky using Night of Navy and the shadows using Basic Grey inks. I then coloured my houses using Promarkers, first in bright colours before muting them by adding Cool Grey 3 on top with the exception of the windows. Next I used my Starlights Metallic Paints to stencil the tree (ARTplorations Christmas Trees Stencil), added a grey outline and gold glitter highlights before stamping my sentiment (Holiday Sketches: Christmas Flower) and layered on a matching base card to finish.

That's it from me for now. If you like CASEing and you find some time over the festive period, why not CASE one or more of our Inspiration Projects and link them up at the Playground. We, my Teamies and I, would love to see your creations.

Have a lovely Christmas!

hugs
Monika xxx

here is what I used, links are in the above text.
   

Night of Navy and Basic Grey inks - Stampin'Up!
Artiste Gold Shimmer Pearlescent ink Pad - docrafts
Gold Satin Pearl WOW embossing powder
green and red Starlights Metallic Paints - Imagination Crafts
Promarkers

Gremlins Galore

Hi All,

Been entertaining Gremlins again!!! Yesterday that was, when I was trying to get my Spotlight Project done for STAMPlorations. They must find me being quite a good host, providing them with lots of entertainment ....

Lets show you the finished project first ...

It's not a card, but a little vellum envelope/treat bag/gift wrapping/gift card holder .... I am sure that you'll be able to find plenty of uses.

It was in the process of making this that my little guests got plenty to enjoy themselves on. It started with spritzing the vellum and trying to prevent it from curling up. The idea was that I would pick the spritzed vellum up and nicely place it on a radiator to dry ... bad idea .... as soon as I picked said vellum up ... as by magic ... it rolled itself up tightly ...not exactly what one would like to happen given that it was still wet with ink. Lesson learned: I let my second piece dry in situ.

Punching the vellum to create the little bag was a little tricky, but easy enough. Phew!!!

Next up stamping the poinsettia ... in sepia archival ink on vellum and colouring from the reverse with alcohol markers ... nice idea .... that's if the Gremlins hadn't ad other ideas ... Having never really coloured vellum in such a way, I was rather relying on their co-operation ... What I got was mischief!!! First of all the archival ink too seemed to develop a mind of its own and started blurring and running in some odd way. It's never happened to me before, the stamping on the bag looks pretty crisp. I won't even mention my disaster of reverse colouring, I'm too embarrassed to share it hence I went for embossing and picked up my Apple Red Ultra Fine WOW powder ... or so I thought. What I had picked up instead was a pot of granules looking more at home in a kitchen cupboard than in my craft room .... OOOPS! Did I mention??? I hadn't read the label when purchasing the magazine the powder came with a while ago ... I simply assumed.

Well, as it turns out this WOW Ultra High embossing powder makes your image look as if it was drizzled using thick luscious caramel or chocolate. Not so bad after all.

If you would like to see how my project was made in the end pop over to the STAMPlorations Blog for a photo and video tutorial.

Have a lovely day!

hugs
Monika xxx

stamps I used:
VIGNETTE: Christmas Block, Holiday Sketches: Christmas Flower, Sentiment Builders: Christmas & New Year
  
tools used:
Flower Pinch Board - We R Memory Keepers
there is also a little video showing you how to make a similar bag:

Loving Collage Stamping

Hi Everyone!

Hope you had a lovely weekend. Here on the Wirral it was raining cats and dogs, which makes perfect crafting weather! :-)

Today's post is a two in one venture. First up is a collage stamped card I made as my DT piece for today's Inspiration Post over at the STAMPlorations Blog. It serves also as a reminder for their CASEplorations Challenge, where you are invited to CASE any inspiration projects made by the DT in any given month. You can find more information about this here.

I am currently in collage stamping mode. I absolutely love this technique. it is such fun to combine stamps to create your own image. I love using either one single colour in combination with generational stamping or two matching colours to achieve my desired depth. For today's card I used the latter working with Soft Sky and Lost Lagoon SU inks plus STAMPlorations stamps of course. Here it is...

I started off stamping the script from the Mixed Media Elements set in Soft Sky. Using the same ink I added some snowflakes (VIGNETTE: Christmas Block) and the poinsettia (Holiday Sketches: Christmas Flower). Next, using Lost Lagoon, I stamped my sentiment and and the Christmas Tree (generational stamping) from the Oh, Christmas Tree! set and finished off with the wavy line from the Mixed Media Elements set. To completely finish the look, I rounded three corners, and my card was done!

Pop over to the STAMPlorations Blog to see the brilliant makes my teamies created. Have a good look around as there are quite a few challenges going on and sometimes simply leaving a comment may win you a prize.

I am entering my card at:
Craft Stamper - Take a Stamp/ anything goes as long as it is stamped
One Layer Christmas Card - Anything Goes, optional twist reindeer

These are the STAMPlorations sets I used in my project. the links to which can be found in the above text.
   

to be continued ... once back from the dentist ...

Back from the dentist with a temporary crown fitted, ready to go on to the next projects which was a sort of a two for one thing. I die-cut the ornament (Spellbinders) and used it in both cards. Here they are ...

For my first card I used the frame as a mask to sponge my Daffodil Delight and stamp some snowflakes (Christmas Block) through using the same ink. I removed my mask and placed my ornament to cover my sponged bauble before stamping the Silent Night music (StampCamp) in River Rock. I turned my bauble shape over again covering the sponged are and stamped the trees (Woodland Christmas by Creative Stamping magazine) using the River Rock ink. I removed my mask and stamped my sentiment (SB Christmas & New Year, Joyful) in black into my bauble added the bow (Woodland Christmas by Creative Stamping Magazine) in Cherry Cobbler, added a few little stars (Lavinia Stamps) in River Rock, some ornamental embossed lines (Simply Scored Border Plate by Stampin'Up!) and a red gem to finish.

Next up is the card I made featuring the musically stamped ornament previously used to mask off the bauble ...

I simply added the trees in Always Artichoke, the deer in Soft Suede and my sentiment in black (all stamps from Woodland Christmas by Creative Stamping Magazine). I sponged my base card using Cherry Cobbler ink, added some DP (retired Stampin'Up!), sponged my border (decorative strip by Sizzix) with a mix of Cherry Cobbler and Soft Suede, layered it all up, attached my ribbon (Fantastic Ribbons) in a bow, added a punched glittery snowflake (punch by Creative Memories), pearl and sequins to finish ....

... and then the gremlins moved in ... my card got a little close to a wet wipe ... horror!!! ... it ended up with a stain .... I had to rescue it by adding the unexpected strip of DP to cover up the accident. What do you think? Feedback welcome!

I am entering this accident prone card at:
Allsorts - Ribbons and Bows
Crafty Calendar - Sparkle, Bling and Embellish

That's it from me for today, back again soon with more inspiration. Until then ...
Have a lovely week!

hugs
Monika xxx

PS: Just popped in at the STAMPlorations Shop and saw this ...

.... no guessing what I'll be doing next ... LOL