A Big Thanks!

Hello Crafty Friends!

Yay, we are back!! It's Inspiration Time over at STAMPlorations. This week my teamies and I are showcasing stamps by our very own Shirley under her label 'The Bee's Knees'.

I decided to work with the Winged Things to create a CAS card. Here it is ...

I needed a quick Thank You card for the staff at the gym. This one was made really quickly by sponging the masked strip using Melon Mambo, Crushed Curry and Bermuda Bay inks and stamping the smaller dragonfly randomly in Crushed Curry. I removed the mask, stamped the large dragonfly in black Versafine, die-cut the word 'thanks' and layered on my base card.

Originally I had intended to inlay the die-cut word and raise it slightly, but I rather liked the negative image and decided to leave it.

As mentioned earlier, this week we are showcasing stamps designed by our very own Shirley under her label 'The Bee's Knees'. All her sets will be reduced by 15% until Monday 9th October..

Of course Shery will still draw a winner of a $10 gift certificate 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:
Winged Things, Thanks CUTplorations Word Die

 

*** Discount code works on sale items too

Things With Wings 3

Hello Crafty Friends!

The Things With Wings Spring Blog Hop And Linky Party over at STAMPlorations is in full swing. As a little reminder, I made today's card using Dragonfly CUTplorations Layering Dies with a little help from the Winged Things, Art Marks and Noteworthy 2 stamp sets.

What do you think of my third make for the 25 days of celebrating Spring with all things winged?

Here is How it was made:

• I masked and sponged a wedge shape
• stamped the dragonfly using the same ink
• removed the masks and stamped the border and sentiment
• die-cut the outline dragonfly from gold mirror card and the solid one from vellum, layered them up and attached them to my card to finish

Apart from the new range of Layering Dies, STAMPlorations have released some great Spring themed sentiment dies, floral dies and stamps too. Pop over to the STAMPlorations Blog to check them out and, of course, to join the party through commenting and linking up your winged projects. Commenting and linking up is from Wednesday 5th April to Sunday 30th April, 11.55 pm Pacific.

As always there are prizes to be won: 

• (3) randomly drawn winners from all comments left on the STAMPlorations blog and participating designers blog will each receive a $10 gift certificate to the store
• (1) randomly drawn participant in the Things with Wings Spring linky party will receive Trendy Butterflies 2 + either Flutter Zen 1 or Flutter Zen 2 layering dies
• (1) randomly drawn participant in the Things with Wings Spring linky party will receive Sweet Spring Wishes stamp set + Dragonfly layering dies
• (1) randomly drawn participant in the Things with Wings Spring linky party will receive the Trendy Spring Blooms dies
• (1) randomly drawn participant in the Things with Wings Spring linky party will receive the Sweet Spring Wishes phrase dies
• (1) randomly drawn participant in the Things with Wings Spring linky party will receive a $20 gift certificate to the store.

All the links you need to comment and join the party can be found on the STAMPlorations Blog. For more winged inspiration, check out their post here too.

Hop along and have fun!

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:
Dragonfly Layering Dies

STAMPlorations Stamps:

Art Marks, Winged Things, Noteworthy 2

  

*** Discount code works on sale items too

January Mixed Media Challenge

... and sprinkling a little fairy dust ...

Hello, Crafty Friends!

Welcome to January 2017 and the start of a new 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 January is ... an Art Journey page ....

I wanted to do a piece of work on canvas trying out a few things, and given that this week the Inspiration Girls were showcasing Shirley's stamps from The Bee's Knees Range, which are still available at a 10% discount apart from World Birthday Cakes at 20% discount until Monday 9th January, I thought I might go for some sprinkling of magic.

I made a little slide show video to take you through my process ...

Well the Art Journey page is based on the idea of an art journal, but I had to give it my own spin. Check back tomorrow for my Mixed Media Tutorial to find out more.

I am entering my little canvas at:
Craft Stamper Make It Take It - Anything Goes
Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #32 - Put A Stencil On It 

I hope you feel inspired to dig into your crafty resourcefulness and create something to enjoy  .... why not link it up with the Mixed Media Challenge over at STAMPlorations. The theme for the Mixed Media Challenge 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.

Ooops, almost forgot to mention the prizes: one winner as chosen by the Mixed Media DT will receive a $10 gift certificate and two Top Picks will receive a $5 gift certificate each, all of course redeemable at the STAMPlorations Shop ... but that's not all ... if there are 25 or more entries one lucky randomly drawn winner will receive two standard sized stencils of their choice.

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: Bubble Dance, Delicate Links
 

STAMPlorations Stamps: Faerie Door, Birds Of Paradise, Folk Flowers, Winged Things
   

CUTplorations Dies: Magical Word Die

*** The personal discount coupon STAMPGIRLMONIKA works on already reduced items too, but can not be combined with any other coupon codes.

Dragonfly Dance

Hi All,

It's Inspiration Time over at STAMPlorations. As my DT contribution I worked with one of the dragonflies from the Winged Things set, a sentiment from the Hope Blooms set and some added bits from the Mixed Media Elements and Mixed Media Grunge sets.

I did some all over stamping of the dragonfly in Smokey Slate, added my sentiment in black, added the circle and the dotty border in SS, doodled a border in black and finished off by adding two coloured, fuzzy cut and slightly shaped dragonflies and a couple of gems.

Pop over to the STAMPlorations Blog for more inspiration and to leave a comment for your entry to win a $10 gift certificate.

That's it from me for today. I shall be back again soon with more makes.
Have a lovely day!

hugs
Monika xxx

stamps I used:
Winged Things, Hope Blooms, Mixed Media Elements, Mixed Media Grunge
   

Acetate Butterfly

Hi All,

I am still liking creating acetate highlights. Today I want to share a card I made as an entry for some challenges. Here it is ...

I would like to enter at:
Addicted to Stamps and More - Make your Mark, coloured acetate with Peel Off Markers
Less is More - Polka Dots
CASology - Washi
Allsorts - Wings
Addicted to CAS - Delicate

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

Here is what I used:
Winged Things - STAMPlorations
Feeling Sentimental - Clearly Besotted
Butterfly punch - retired Stampin'Up!

More Butterfly Arcs

Hi All,

back again with another piece of inspiration for you following on from my last two posts using the Winged Things set from STAMPlorations. I did tell you I really liked the arc hence another card using it ....

I blended my background using Melon Mambo and Daffodil Delight inks. stamped the butterflies first in DD and then again in MM before adding my sentiment from the Big Greetings set in black. Once layered on my base card, I finished off by doodling a white border and adding some gems to the butterflies.

I am entering my card at:
Craft Stamper - Anything Goes with a stamp

I had initially intended to make another project to add to my post, but life had different ideas. It thought that it would be best for me to catch yet another bad cold, which I normally don't get. It is the second since Christmas. Wondering why someone thought I was in need of all this rest ... Hoping to add a few pieces to the Round Up post on Sunday. In the meantime pop over to the STAMPlorations Blog for their Inspiration Post to see and admire the brilliant creativity of my Teamies there. Also don't forget to leave a comment and have a thorough look around whilst you're there ... lots to be seen, enjoyed and learnt.

Have a lovely week!
hugs
Monika xxx

here are the sets I used in today's project, links are in the above text
 

Butterfly Arc Revisited

Hi All,

Here is another card for your Inspiration over at STAMPlorations using the butterflies from the Winged Things set which I arranged in an arc. As soon as I saw the set I wanted to make something using vellum with glitter ...

Let's start with the background ... I used the left over silver metallic acrylic paint from my card here and roughly painted it down the center on a piece of white card. Once dry I blended Milled Lavender all over it rubbing the excess from over the paint off with a piece of kitchen roll. I then stamped my butterflies using matching archival ink and stamped them again on vellum and fuzzy cut. I stamped my sentiment from the Bold Sentiments Discover set in black archival, distressed the edges and layered it to my base card before attaching my vellum butterflies with a little glue and finishing off with liberally applying glitter glue all over them. I love this technique, it makes the vellum crinkle and adds some lovely dimension. Here is a little close-up ...

You can also see the random brushstrokes of the metallic paint adding some subtle interest. The acrylic paint acts as a form of resist when used with dye inks and the two complement each other well.

I am entering my card at:
Craft Stamper - Anything Goes with a stamp

Pop over to the STAMPlorations Blog to see the fabulous projects my Teamies created. There is always such a variety for you to take inspiration from.

That's it from me for today. Off to finish clearing the craft room, having guest staying overnight ...

Have a lovely day!
hugs
Monika xxx

Here is what I used, 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

      

A New Day

Hi All,

Can you believe it, we're almost one week into 2016 already!

For today's inspiration post over at STAMPlorations, I'm sharing a card which was inspired by this month's CASEplorations project featuring a card by Laura Bassen. You can find all the details about January CASEplorations here.

Right, back to my card ... this is where I want to take the opportunity to give you a sneak preview of two of the stamp sets due for release next week with our usual Blog Hop, Winged Things and New Beginning ...

I used Basic Grey and shaded my sponging through the Old Rose Prints ARTplorations Stencil to be darker at the bottom going lighter towards the top edge. Next I stamped my sentiment from the New Beginning set in black, stamped, coloured and fuzzy cut my butterfly from the Winged Things set, added a die cut heart and layered it all up before finishing off with a few silver hearts.

Pop over to the STAMPlorations Blog to find the amazing projects my teamies created, and, if you leave a comment there, you'll be entered in a monthly random prize draw too (Prize: $10 Gift Certificate)

Before I go, a quick reminder ... Blog Hop next week ...

... and a couple of more cards ... just for fun ...

entering at:
Happy Little Stampers Anything Goes - with HLS stamps
Happy Little Stampers CASE - Kylie's card to CASE 

... and another one for a challenge ...

entering at:
Less is More - neutrals

That's it from me for today, back soon.

Have a lovely day!

hugs
Monika xxx

Here is what I used from STAMPlorations, links to the sets are in the above text.

  

everything else I used:
Scribbles and Splat Tim Holtz dies - Sizzix
Butterfly Birthday stamp set - Happy Little Stampers