STAMPlorations Inspiration #42

Got some more inspiration for you on the STAMPlorations blog today.  This yummy image is from The Bee's Knees World Birthday Cakes.  I just added a hint of shading using Black Soot, Mustard Seed for the candle flames, and a bit of Dried Marigold for the icing around the base.  The background is designer paper - I need to reduce the mountain of it!

Pop on over to the STAMPlorations blog for more fabulous inspiration from the Design Team, and if you want to CASE this or any of the DT cards, link it up to the CASE playground for a chance to win prizes.

Orange and Autumn's Graffiti

I've got a couple of cards for you today.  The first one is a reminder about the Mixed Media Card Challenge, which has a theme of Black and Orange with an option of glitter.  I'm entering it into the following challenges:

Virginia's View - All Things Coloured

and Colour Me... Monochromatic

Just Us Girls - Stencilling

and Simon Says World Cardmaking Day

My second card is my design piece over at A Sprinkle of Imagination.  Pop on over to the blog for details on how I made the card.

I'm entering this into Time Out - Inspired by Words "Autumn ... the year's last, loveliest smile",

Simon Says Monday Challenge - Autumn

and Simon Says Work It Wednesday - use a stamp

STAMPlorations Inspiration #41

We've got some inspiration for you over at STAMPlorations.  I've used The Bee's Knees Pets set.  Looks to me like the dog is trying to bother the cat, but the Kitty's having none of it!  Yap yap!

I added colour my usual way (Distress Ink watercolouring), and doodled a border around the panel then mounted onto card covered with patterned paper.

Pop on over to the STAMPlorations blog for some more fabulous inspiration from the team, and if you want to CASE this or any of the DT cards, link yours up to the CASE playground for a chance to win prizes.

Craft Stamper Reminder - Take a Technique

Time for some inspiration for Craft Stamper Take It, Make It Challenge.  This month, it's Take a Technique following the strapline of the revamped Craft Stamper Magazine,

Ink Stitch Paint Collage Print Paper (and include stamping somewhere!)

The challenge is sponsored by Calico Craft Parts

Calico Craft Parts create and stock an incredible array of MDF and greyboard laser cut shapes, soooo many to choose from, and such wonderful quality. From cogs and spiderwebs through to shadow boxes and ATB (Artist Trading Block) kits, there really is something for everyone!

One randomly selected winner will get this wonderful selection of goodies:

Top row left to right: 3" plain ATB cube kit, mini cogs style 1, geometric cut out ATC blank.
Middle row left to right: Mini fancy shapes 1 wood plaques, 2" square aperture ATB cube kit, mini crowns style 3.
Bottom row left to right: Fleur De Lis frame ATC blank, Mini butterflies style 3, Fancy cut out frame ATC blank.

I've used the 2" square aperture ATB cube kit, shown in the centre, and made it into a little snowman shelter.

The snowman is a button with the shank removed, and he's standing on a layer of Ice Krystal.  You can just make out some crystal gems on the inside walls of the ATB.  The ATB pieces got two layers of gesso, followed by a layer of blue chalk paint and Chipped Sapphire Distress paint before being fixed together.  On some mixed media card I stamped some trees from The Bee's Knees Houses Extras and sloshed some Distress Inks on, distressed the edges of each panel and stuck them onto the sides and top.  The metal charms have been in my stash forever.

Don't forget, you don't need to use an ATB for your entry, you just need to use one of the techniques mentioned above.

Pop on over to the Craft Stamper blog for more fabulous inspiration, and get your entry in.  If your entry is chosen by the Design Team, your entry will be published in the magazine, you'll get a two-page feature spread, and a guest designer spot in a future challenge.

Seize The Birthday, with a Surprise Birthday Guest!

Hi, and welcome to a new challenge at Seize The Birthday, and a new feature!  Every month we will have a Surprise Party Guest, and our inaugural guest is none other than the wonderfully talented 

Anita of My Papercraft World

Our topping for this challenge is Splatter.  Be still, my beating heart!  I love me some splatter, even when it's quite understated like today.  For my card, I stamped the baseball boot in Faded Denim, then with a paintbrush I pulled the colour in, deepening it where necessary.  I laid down a wash with Faded Denim and Peacock Feathers, then covered it with glass bead gel, then mounted the panel onto textured card.

Pop on over to the Seize The Birthday blog to see what Anita and the Design Team have created, and join in with your birthday project.  If you're not into splatters, you can still join in, as long as it's a birthday project.

I'm entering my card into Virginia's View - All Things Coloured.

Hop to Stop and a Spotlight

I've gone all purple in honour of The Hop To Stop, a blog hop organised by the Damsel of Distressed herself, Becca Cruger, to raise awareness about domestic violence.  October is Domestic Violence Awareness month, and purple is their chosen colour.

I started off with a piece of white card which had a partial covering of gesso.  Should have been a full covering but I was being a bit stingy with the stuff.  I added some Distress Inks, spritzed and watched it move and soak in to the un-gessoed areas.  It left this pattern, which I decided looked like a flower, so I got out the black fineliner and started drawing.  You can see the first pen mark already made.

So I just kept scribbling and drawing until I had something that resembled flowers.  Added a stamped sentiment, mounted it onto purple card, and it's done.

I'm also entering this into Simon Says Work It Wednesday - Use A Stamp

and Simon Says Stamp - World Cardmaking Day

I'm over at STAMPlorations tonight with a step-by-step on this card.  Pop on over for a closer look!

Winnie & Walter's WCMD-Fest

I'm playing along with Winnie & Walter's World Cardmaking Day fest.  Although I didn't make any cards on WCMD, I spent the day at the stamp festival at Port Sunlight, buying lots of lovely stash to add to Mt NBUS.  I've crammed all the challenges into this post, but there are only three cards.  So far ;)

First up is the craftie/selfie - link a selfie of yourself crafting - er, nope.  Or a photo of your crafting area.  Here's one of my masterboard in progress - the white embossing powder is on, but not yet heated or coloured.

Here's my first card:

It's going into Heather's Colour Challenge and Shay's Masterboard challenge.  I'm also entering it into Simon Says Stamp Work It Wednesday.

On to the second card:

I'm entering this one into Kelly's Partial Stamping challenge - I didn't stamp the deer's feet, and those trees are just the top section of the ginormous tree in the Winter Woodland set.  I'm also entering it into Vanessa's Watercolour Challenge.  I used Distress Inks, spritzing for the trees, adding water on the deer, and painting in footprints and snowbanks.  It's also going into Simon Says Stamp World Cardmaking Day Challenge.

For my third trick card:

This one is going into Julie's Masculine challenge, Lydia's Gold/Metallic challenge, and Gayatri's Sketched challenge.

Still here to the end?  Thank you so much for sticking with me!  I'm off to play with more of my new stash.