Spreading A Little Love

Happy Valentine's Day, my Crafty Friends!

I just want to spread a little love today by sharing two cards with you, I made whilst playing with bits from my desk. It is much easier to make cards using them than tidying them away. 😄

I used pearlised card, a bit of sponging, spritzing, a die-cut, some nail embellishment hearts and one of Becca's great sentiments. It looks a bit like fireworks of love going off.

This card simply used up some die-cut clustered hearts with a bit of bling.

That's it from me for today. Thanks so much for being there. Hope you are being spoiled.

Enjoy your Valentine's Day!

hugs

Monika xxx

here is what I used:

Centura Pearl card - Crafter's Companion

Bermuda Bay and Melon Mambo inks, Melon Mambo Stamp'n'write Marker, Cherry Cobbler and Pretty In Pink card - Stampin'Up!

Black Versafine ink - stash

large hearts die - ALI Express

Zutter corner rounder

from STAMPlorations:

For a 20% discount on their stamps,dies and stencils remember to use my personal discount code STAMPGIRLMONIKA at checkout.

Clustered Hearts Die, Reindeer Games, Sentiment Builder LOVE (retired)

 

Mistle-doe

Hello Crafty Friends!

It's Inspiration Time over at STAMPlorations. This week my teamies and I are showcasing stamps by Becca under her label 'Big Grins By Becca Cruger'.

I decided to work with the Christmas Cookies & Cheer and the Reindeer Games sets to create a fun Christmas card. Here it is ...

A bit of stamping, masking, colouring and fuzzy cutting finished off with a die-cut frame, Stickles and gems.
The idea of Rudolph with an apron really tickled me. TIP!: It was easiest to cut off the apron strings rather than masking them hence the fuzzy cutting.

STAMPlorations have a special Thanksgiving Offer starting tomorrow with the Thanksgiving Blog Hop And Wishlist Linky Party. Keep checking their blog here for the start time at 7am Pacific (3pm GMT).

There will be a coupon code BIGTHANKS which can be used once per customer/shipping address for a whopping 40% discount. This offer excludes products from the New Release and Retiring category, Coloring Books and Gift Certificates.

The BIGTHANKS coupon code cannot be combined with any other coupon codes you might have.

Should you wish to purchase products from the New Release you can always use my personal discount code STAMPGIRLMONIKA at checkout for a 20% discount. This code can be used more than once and works on sale items too, but cannot be combined with any other discount code.

Of course Shery will still draw a winner at random from all the comments left on this month's Inspiration Posts over on the STAMPlorations Blog. Pop over to see what my teamies created and to leave a comment for your entry into their prize draw.

That's it from me for today. I shall be back again tomorrow with my Thanksgiving projects.

Have a lovely day!
hugs
Monika xxx


here is what I used from the STAMPlorations Shop
Christmas Cookies & Cheer, Reindeer Games, Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies
  

You're Tough

Hello Crafty Friends!

It's Inspiration Time over at STAMPlorations. This week my treamies and I are showcasing stamps designed for STAMPlorations by Becca under her label 'Big Grins By Becca Cruger'. I decided to work with Reindeer Games and Buttercups And Butterflies. Here it is ...

It's pretty straight forward:

• using the middle die, die-cut a Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle
• stamp and colour the reindeer
• stamp sentiment
• add doodles and doodled flowers including extra message
• add white gel highlights
• layer on matching base card

New for this year, the STAMPlorations Inspiration DT are showcasing stamps from one designer. All the stamps by that designer will be reduced by 10% for that one week apart from one set which will have a 20% discount. No coupon is needed at check out, and you still can apply my personal discount code STAMPGIRLMONIKA -which doesn't expire, by the way- for an extra 20% off all stamps, dies and stencils!

As mentioned earlier, this week we are showcasing stamps designed by my friend Becca under her label 'Big Grins By Becca Cruger. All her sets will be reduced by 10% and the Bunnies 'N Beans set will be 20% off.

Of course Shery will still draw a winner at random from all the comments left on this month's Inspiration Posts over on the STAMPlorations Blog. Pop over to see what my teamies created and to leave a comment for your entry into their prize draw.

That's it from me for today. 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:

Reindeer Games, Buttercups And Butterflies, Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies
  

December Stencil Sunday

Hello, Crafty Friends!

Welcome to another Stencil Sunday in December. 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 ... gift wrapping

I had these bags for a while, and they came in very handy when I was looking to dress up handmade chocolate lollies for Nick's great nieces and nephew. Nope, I didn't make them myself, but I can certainly vouch for their quality as this is about the third lot we bought from our local corner shop. The others never made it as far ...

Using the large reindeer from Reindeer Games and Fuchsia Pink StazOn, I stamped the front of the bag being careful not to move to much as it is easy to 'slip' on a non-porous surface when stamping. Note to self: Try using MISTI

Next I created a tab to fold over the top. I cut a piece of kraft card and embossed it using my embossing mat and the Oh, My Stars! stencil in the correct Big Shot sandwich before lightly swiping it with white Craft Ink to pick out the stars.

I added some white faux stitching, a strip of Washi and a die-cut Art Edges border.

Next I dry embossed a gold pearlescent star using the Dots All Over stencil. This time, I decided to put my sandwich through the Big Shot twice going in the same direction and I ended up with a really cool 'shadow' double embossing effect. Due to the rubber mat stretching, my star got pulled along a little and the dots ended up either very close to each other or partially overlapping. It also made the dots look more random which was perfect for my use of the star.

I then edged my star with Versamark and sprinkled it with a mix of Snowflake (Heat It Up!) embossing powder and Primary Apple Red (WOW) embossing enamel which I was left over from my card here before heat setting and layering on my tab.

Next I stamped, coloured and fuzzy cut my reindeer and gave it some googly eyes, popped it up on 3D foam pads and finished off with the die-cut name, Stickles and gems .... perfectly girly ...

Here is a close-up of my tab ...

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.

You can also link your stencil make up with the ARTplorations Stencil Hop Linky Party, which closed at 11.55pm Pacific on Friday 23rd December (7.55am GMT Saturday 24th December)

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: Oh, My Stars!, Dots All Over
 

STAMPlorations Stamps: Reindeer Games


CUTplorations Dies: Art Edges

Chikoo's Pearls Of Wisdom

... and special Stamp Release Blog Hop at STAMPlorations!!!

Hi All,

Over at STAMPlorations we are having a Special Stamp Release Blog Hop.

Deepti from Dee's Artsy Impressions has designed a most adorable stamp set called Chikoo Goes Bananas. I am sure it will fast become one of your favourites, Chikoo had me giggling with delight whilst making my sample cards. What better way to enjoy crafting!

First up: Chikoo on Ageing

Banana cakes and banana bunting are in the spotlight ... I first stamped and coloured Chikoo, the cakes from the Party Mates set and the bananas before applying a coat of Mod Podge as a mask and a way of adding some texture. Once dry, I masked off my circle, sponged a little pink ink, grounded Chikoo using a stamp from the Mixed Media Grunge set, stamped my sentiment and added a few tiny hearts to finish.

next up: Chikoo on Life

To get his point across, Chikoo enlisted the help of his best friend Rudolph from the Reindeer Games set for a toothy smile. Both were stamped, coloured with promarkers and masked off with a coat of Mod Podge before sponging the spotlight and stars, ARTplorations stencil Oh, My Stars! As before I used a stamp from the Mixed Media Grunge set to ground Chikoo before finishing off with some tiny stars.

last but not least ... Chikoo on Healthy Eating

I don't think there is much to say about this ... simple stamping, masking and colouring. The sentiment is handwritten on strips of card to show that there is always room for telling your own story!

As with every blog hop commenting will give you entry in the prize draw, commenting will close on Friday 11th March 11.55pm Pacific Time, and the winner of Chikoo Goes Bananas will be announced on Sunday 13th March. For everyone else Chikoo Goes Bananas will be in the STAMPlorations Shop at a 10% discount until 16th March.

Pop over to the STAMPlorations Blog for all the links and rules.

Good Luck and Happy Hopping!
hugs
Monika xxx

here is what I used:
Chikoo Goes Bananas, Party Mates, Mixed Media Grunge, Reindeer Games, ARTplorations Stencil: Oh, My Stars!

    

Deer Cupcakes

Hi All,

back again with another helping of Inspiration. Today I have two cards for you which I made as my DT projects for STAMPlorations. First up is one using the Reindeer Games set in combination with the script from the Mixed Media Elements and the hearts from the Balloons and Banners sets ...

I stamped the reindeer, coloured it using Promarkers and gave it a coat of glossy Mod Podge which gave me the resist I needed for the antlers. Once dry, I masked off a circle and sponged with a little Pool Party, stamped the script and little hearts in the same colour and my sentiment in black before adding the embossed heart and layering on kraft base card to finish.

The little heart is cut from thick cardboard from which I removed the top layer. I then embossed it with Frantage and red embossing powders.

I am entering my card at:
Craft Stamper Make It Take It - Text me!, must have text or script in the background
Crafty Calendar - Love is in the Air

Next up is a sparkly cupcake card inspired by the Cupcake Inspirations and Inkspirational challenges ...

I spritzed my base card with gold Artiste Spritzing Ink, die cut a golden doily, stamped and fuzzy cut my cupcakes and added some sparkle to their wrappers using my clear rainbow Sakura gel pen. layered everything up, stamped my sentiment and added a confetti heart to finish. The stamps used are from the Sketched Cupcake set.

I am entering my card at:
Cupcake Inspirations - Photo
Inkspirational - Pop, red heart

Here is the photo I took my inspiration from:

For more inspiration pop over to the STAMPlorations blog where leaving a comment will get you an entry into their monthly random prize draw for a $10 gift certificate.

That's it from me for today. I shall be back soon with some more Gelli Plate experiments ... until then ...

Have a lovely day!
hugs
Monika xxx

here is what I used in today's projects
Reindeer Games, Mixed Media Elements, Balloons and Banners, Sketched Cupcake
   

Love And More Love

Hi All,

It's time for a little more inspiration over at STAMPlorations. Today I made two projects for you, nothing daring just good sturdy cards ...

The first one is a very girly shaker card ...

... the idea was to make the heart as big as possible. It is not one of my best cards, but there are a few good ideas here. I backed the heart with some paper from the Love and Lipstick collection (All About Scrapping, STAMPlorations' sister shop), which I think works quite well. I also like the way the little deer (Reindeer Games) stretches out its arms and legs ready for an embrace, I achieved this effect by only attaching the body and head with foam dots, this makes the arms and legs curve up naturally. The banner over the heart is a kind of cute too ... and that's when I became a little unstuck ... I am now wondering what it might look like having the little deer partially inside the heart .... guess I'll just have to make another card. :-D

Next up is an engagement card for Katie, which I shall give to her mum Dianne to pass on ...

I stamped the border in Pool Party using a stamp from the Grunge Floral Strips before silver embossing the ring from the Newlyweds Extras set and adding a diamond in the form of silver Perfect Pearls sprinkled with very sparkly glitter. To finish, I added a peel-off, silver twine and layered on my linen effect base card.

That's it from me for today, pop over to the STAMPlorations Blog for more inspiration provided by my teamies. Whilst there, leave a comment (each month a randomly drawn commenter will win a $10 gift certificate) and have a good look around for current challenges, tutorials etc

Back soon. Have a lovely day!
hugs
Monika xxx

here is what I used in today's projects, links are in the above text
   

STAMPlorations Blog Hop

Hi All!

Welcome to Day 5 of the STAMPlorations January Stamp Release Blog Hop. Today My Teamies and I are showcasing all of the sets with each of us having made 4 cards, one for each set.

Let's start with Becca's Big Grins Reindeer Games. Reindeer are not just for Christmas, right?! Rudolph has to have some fun the rest of the year too ...

I've gone for a folksy look for this belated birthday card and added some flowers from the Folk Flowers set using the reverse side of the flower head stamps to add some colour. The rest is straight forward stamping with a white embossed sentiment plus Promarker colouring and some doodles for the border. I rather like this unconventional colour scheme, it would make a great card for the man in your life. The mischievous part of me feels like adding 'or so you thought...:-D' on the inside.

I am entering my Reindeer card at:

613 Avenue Create - Birthday ... Happy 3rd Birthday to all of the team at 613 Avenue

Time Out Challenges - Birthday with optional twist of sponging

Cardz 4 Guyz - Happy Birthday ... Happy 2nd Birthday to all of the team at Cardz4Guyz 

Next up is Deepti's Dee's Artsy Impressions New Beginning ...

I blended Crushed Curry and Melon Mambo for my background and added some random stamping in Basic Grey using two of the sentiments from Dee's set. Once dry I randomly dabbed Champagne and Frost White All Purpose Ink (Tsukineko) all over hence the shine and sparkle shimmer. Next I stamped the sunrise image on a piece of acetate using Archival ink and coloured it on the reverse using Peel-Off Markers. I then edged my pieces using my gold Tinge Alcohol Marker and attached my acetate image to my background with a couple of star eyelets before layering on my base card and finishing off with a sentiment strip (Vignette Tree Silhouettes) and some sequins.

I am entering my card at:

Crafts Galore Encore - Anything Goes

Addicted to Stamps and More - Anything Goes

Mixed Media Card Challenge - Beginnings with Sequins, it's in the background (with the new day comes new strength and new thoughts; even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise) plus wishing you well could be for your new adventure, new job etc

Next up is Shirley's The Bee's Knees Winged Things ...

I chose to work with the butterflies of the set and arranged them in an arc before stamping them using Jet Black Archival ink on my already sponged background (Soft Sky and Lost Lagoon). I then coloured them using silver metallic acrylic ink from the pound shop which gives a translucent finish and adds a lovely shimmer to the wings. I finished off with a sentiment from the New Beginning set.

I am entering my butterfly card at:

The Sisters of Craft - Anything Goes

Crafty Calendar - Something New, 5 out of the 6 stamps were never used before plus it's my first time of colouring an image with acrylics on a card.

Next up is a card inspired by this week's theme over at Less is More using Shery's Shery Russ Designs Big Greetings ...

... which I simply combined with a flourish from the Distressed Floral Swirls set to create my one-layer card stamped in black Crushed Curry and a hint of Melon Mambo on linen effect card and finished off with a couple of clear gems.

I am entering my one-layer card at:

Less is More - One Layer Card featuring a flourish or two as in my case.

As with every Blog Hop leaving a comment will give you a chance to win one of the fab prizes below. Commenting closes on January 19. Winners will be announced on January 21.
Check out what the rest of the team made! You'll find links to all our projects here.

Prizes:

ONE (1) commenter randomly drawn from all comments left on the STAMPolrations blog and designers' blogs (January 15/Day 5 post) wins a $25 gift certificate to the shop
TWO (2) commenters randomly drawn from all comments left on the STAMPlorations blog and designers' blogs each win a $15 gift certificate to the shop
FOUR (4) commenters randomly drawn from Designer & Stamp Spotlight posts (Days 1 to 4) win the stamp set featured for that day

That's it from me for today. Pop over to the STAMPlorations Blog for all the links you need to participate.

I shall be back again tomorrow with another project. Until then ...

have a lovely day!

hugs

Monika xxx

What I used in today's projects, links are in the above text