Seize The Birthday - Sweet Treats

(I'm multi-tasking today, posting a few cards because I'm running out of time to get them all in!)

Sweet treat anyone?  Low no calorie?  Yup, thought so :)  It's time for a new challenge at Seize The Birthday, and this time the toppings option is Sweet Treats.  What does that bring to mind?  Cake, ice cream, macarons, chocolate, all of the above?

I used an old Stampendous stamp, Tiers of Treats, and drew a matching scribbly border.  The sentiment is from Ladybug Crafts, It's Only Words.  I added some glossy accents to the strawberries and cherries, which doesn't show up on the photo above, but you can see better on this close-up.

If you don't have a sweet tooth, you can still play along, as long as it's a birthday project.  Pop on over to the Seize The birthday blog to see the sweet treats that the rest of the Design Team have lined up for you, and join in the fun.

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Here's a leftovers card.  When I was stamping my dragonfly for my 12 Tags of 2014, I stamped an extra one just in case.  So I added some alcohol inks to the back, cut it out and added it to a base panel.

I had made the base panel way back in the Online Card Class Stencilled class and it's been sitting around since then.  I had mixed gold paint in with the Polyfilla and pasted through the leaf cluster stencil, then sprayed gold glimmer mist over the panel.  And there it sat, waiting patiently to be used.  So this week I sponged some Distress Inks over the panel (the gold glimmer mist still shines through, although you can't see in this photo).  I stapled some of the cutout acetate to the top of the card panel.

I'm entering this into The Paper Players - Happy Fall Y'all

and Inspiration Emporium - Fall Is In The Air

and The Male Room - Autumn/Fall

and Mixed Media Mojo - Fall/Autumn and Embossing Paste

(and a quick reminder for you that the Mixed Media Card Challenge for September is Autumn - check it out.)

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My third card is for Papertake Weekly - Repeat Repeat (I've repeated the text stamp for my background)

and for Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Create Your Own Background

I used STAMPlorations Vignette: Christmas Block for the background and Holiday Sketches: Christmas Bells.  And another reminder that the STAMPlorations blog hop is still on.  Click here to hop.)

STAMPlorations September Stamp Release Blog Hop

It's stamp release month at STAMPlorations! The other STAMPlorations girls and I are sharing projects we created featuring the new stamps. Visit and leave a comment on all the stops on the hop for a chance to win.

THREE (3) lucky hoppers randomly drawn from the designers' blogs will each win a stamp set of their choice from the new release and ONE (1) lucky hopper randomly drawn from the STAMPlorations blog will win a $25 gift certificate to use towards products in the STAMPlorations shop. You have until Monday, September 15, 11:55 p.m. PDT (GMT -700) to comment here and on my fellow designers' posts for a chance to win. Winners will be announced on the STAMPlorations blog on Thursday, September 18.

For my project, to show that stamps aren't just for cards, I've used the daisy stamp which is available as part of the Bloom Sketches set, or as a single.  I stamped the daisy three times with Antique Linen Distress Ink on mixed media paper, then masked them, then sprinkled on Brusho powders and spritzed.

I entered this in the village show, where it got second place!  Here's a look at it in the frame (it was difficult to get a good photo because of all the reflection).  For an idea of scale, the painting is 7.5 x 9.5 inches (190 x 240 mm) and the frame is 12 x 15 inches (300 x 380 mm).

This was my third and favourite attempt.

First attempt

Second attempt

If you haven't started the hop from the beginning, you're missing some fabulous inspiration from the design team.  Get hopping and commenting for your chance to win!

*** The stops in the hop*** 

STAMPlorations Blog

Cornelia | Debra | Deepti | Kylie | Maria | Monika | Nonni | Shery | Shirley |Vicki

Turning Leaves

It's that time of year in my part of the world.  Although we're getting lovely weather, the leaves are starting to turn.  I love autumn colours and rustling through dry leaves :)

I'm playing along with a few challenges with this card.  First off is Curtain Call - Lovely Leaves,

Next, a new challenge to me, Inspiration Emporium - Fall Is In The Air,

Then there's Just Us Girls - Word Week - Leaves,

And Mixed Media Mojo - Fall theme and paste,

And finally Mixed Media Monthly Challenge - Photo Inspiration.

Use any or all of the colours in the photo

I used red, orange, yellow, green from the left-hand side of the photo.  I sponged Distress Inks onto a piece of card then stamped the leaves from Paper Artsy (the text is already on the stamp).  Flicked water over the images, cut them out and wrapped copper thread around them.  On a separate panel I used clear stencilling paste on the circles stencil, and when it was dry, sponged it with Crushed Olive.  I added the sentiment from Paper Smooches and drew squiggly lines with a black Sharpie.

Don't forget, there's also the Mixed Media Card Challenge where the theme is also autumn colours with optional metal/leaves.

STAMPlorations September Challenge - Stamps and Markers

Welcome to the new challenge at STAMPlorations.  This month we want you to use stamps and markers.  Remember those half-price Sharpies that fell into my supermarket trolley and therefore didn't count as a craft spend?  I've actually been using them more than I thought I would.

Here's a simple card that's easy to mass produce.  You could stamp out a whole sheet full of poinsettias and colour them in while you're watching telly.  Then all you need to do is fussy cut them, and add some gold Stickles to the centre.  Stamp your sentiment on the card, then draw a wobbly border with a black Sharpie. I wouldn't normally draw such a thick line, but it's just the right weight to go with the font on the sentiment. Pop the poinsettia on foam dots, overhanging the border slightly.  By not adding any embellishments (or splatters!!!) the bold colours on the poinsettia really stand out.  Less is definitely more in this case.

The stamps are part of the new release - if you're quick you can get them at 25% off.  And if you're a Stamp Club member, you get a further 15% off - how's that for a bargain?

Pop on over to the STAMPlorations blog to see what the design team and our guest designer, Cris G., have created for your inspiration.  Don't forget, if you enter all three challenges this month, apart from chances of winning the challenge, you're in with a chance of a random prize.

I'm entering my card into Simon Says Monday Challenge - bold,

and Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes.

Craft Stamper Take It, Make It - Stamping on Tissue

It's time for a new challenge at Craft Stamper Take It, Make It.  This month we want you to include stamping onto tissue in your creation.  A word to the wise - make sure you put some scrap paper under the tissue when you're stamping, as the ink will seep through the fine tissue fibres.  Ask me how I know ;)

The main image is Paper Artsy Hot Picks 1207.  The stamping on tissue part is the invoice (Tim Holtz) across the bottom-right corner.  The smaller stamps are also Tim Holtz, and the sentiment is STAMPlorations.  I added some plus signs at the end of each sentiment to make it look like telex printout.

Pop on over to the Craft Stamper blog to see the fabulous inspiration from the rest of the design team, and then join in for a chance to win a prize, be published in Craft Stamper magazine and be a future guest designer!  Here's the prize that's up for grabs, sponsored by Julie Kirk - you'll get TWO washi tape rings to hold your washi tape, and the washi tapes that are included in the picture.  The bad news is that you don't get Trish's tote ;)

I love the idea of washi tape rings - I've got mine stored on a kitchen roll tube with ribbon threaded through it but this looks much classier!

One Layer Jingle Bells

Another Christmas card from me.  At this rate, I'll have all my christmas cards done by November - what will I do in December instead of panicking?

I'm playing along with One Layer Simplicity Challenge, where it's Hip To Be Square.  I've used a square card and also drawn a wobbly square around the edges of the card with a Sharpie.  I stamped the bells image first, then the sentiment, then drew in the wobbly square.  I watercoloured the image with Distress Inks and added Wink of Stella to the middle nut/pinecone thingies.  You can just about make out the WOS in the close-up below.

I'm also playing at AAA Card Challenge, Watercolours

and Allsorts, Early Christmas Makes.

Stamps: STAMPlorations Holiday Sketches: Christmas Bells

Wraparound Village

Did you see this card by Michele of I Card Everyone?  I loved the quirky wraparound village and the hidden message dancing over the rooftops, and I had to CASE it.  I used my little houses stamp, masking and repeating across the front and back of the card and coloured them with Sharpies.  The sentiments are from STAMPlorations Sentiment Builders: Christmas and New Year.  I joined the words up with black pen dots.

I'm entering this into Simon Says Monday Challenge - Bold

Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes

and Allsorts - Early Christmas Makes

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I've got another Christmas card with a tutorial over at STAMPlorations if you fancy taking a look.  Here's a sneak peek.