STAMPlorations Inspiration #136

It's inspiration time on the STAMPlorations blog, and today I've been playing with Distress Oxides.  Stencilling, sloshing, spritzing.  Good fun!

I used ARTplorations Happy Flowers stencil, and performed a bit of surgery on the 'choose happy' stamp from Noteworthy 2.  'Birthday' is from Sentiment Builders: Happy.

Pop on over to the STAMPlorations blog for some more fabulous inspiration from the design team, and don't forget to leave a comment for your chance to win a gift voucher to the store.

Urban Landscape

I'm playing along with a couple of challenges for fun today, and getting to use some NBUS.  My first bit of NBUS is the Tim Holtz Cityscape Skyline die set.  I cut them from mixed media paper and dipped and smooshed them in pools of Distress Oxides.  Once they'd dried I adhered them to my card and added a strip of my second bit of NBUS, this fabulous Tube washi tape.  Cool, eh?

I'm entering this into Inkspirational - Urban

and The Male Room - Die Cuts.

Seize The birthday - Something Sweet

Are you ready for something sweet at Seize The Birthday Challenge?  You can't get much sweeter than a ginormous sponge cake laden with fruit.  I've had this stamp for ages and never inked it up before.  I sloshed some Distress Inks on it for a bit of colour, keeping it a very simple one-layer card.

Our surprise party guest is Cathy of Cathy's Card Spot.  Pop on over to the Seize The birthday blog to see what sweetness Cathy and the rest of the Design Team have created for you, and join in the fun.  If you're sweet enough already, you could just create any birthday project.

STAMPlorations Inspiration #135

It's time for some more inspiration from the STAMPlorations team, and this week we're focusing on Shery's stamps.  For the next seven days, all of Shery's designs are 10% off, except for A Cup of Roses 4x4 set and Many Blessings coordinating stamp and die set, which are 20% off.

For my background I inked the Distressed Damask background stamp with Distress Oxides, spritzed and stamped, then cut out a panel using the Crazy Double Stitched Rectangle die.  I stamped the Sketched: Birthday Cake on spare white card, watercoloured with Distress Inks and fussy cut it out.  The happy die was cut from white card then dipped and smooshed into Distress Inks, and the birthday sentiment strip fixed over the top.

Pop on over to the STAMPlorations blog for some more fabulous inspiration from the design team, and don't forget to comment for a chance to win a gift certificate to the store.  And any time you feel like having a splurge in the store, use my code STAMPGIRLSHIRLEY for an extra 20% off all stamps, stencils and dies.

This also serves as a reminder for the current CUTplorations challenge.  All you need to do to play along is use this inspiration photo, any STAMPlorations product and any make of diecut.

STAMPlorations Inspiration #134

It's Inspiration Tuesday at STAMPlorations, and we're focusing on Deepti's stamps.  For the next week, all Deepti's stamps are 10% off, except Rise and Grind and Power of Words, which are 20% off.  No codes needed for these savings.

I've used Deepti's Tweet Love and co-ordinating dies to create this little framed tableau.  Confession time: I'd been cutting giraffes from a strip of leftover card, and there wasn't quite enough to get a full giraffe out of the last bit of card, so I just got the maximum I could out of the space.  Then I had to decide what to do with half a giraffe!  Aha, peeping out of a frame (CUTplorations Crazy Double Running Stitched Rectangle).

It's not like I don't have much card, but I hate wasting any!  At least I'm one layer less on the Mt NBUS background paper mountain ;)

Pop on over to the STAMPlorations blog for some more fabulous inspiration from the team, and don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win a gift certificate to the store.  And next time you'e shopping at STAMPlorations, use my code STAMPGIRLSHIRLEY for 20% off all stamps, dies and stencils, including already discounted prices.  Bargain!

CUTplorations Challenge Reminder

Are you playing along with the CUTplorations challenge?  All you need is some STAMPlorations product (there's always a digi on our never-ending Anything Goes challenge) and a die (can be any make), and inspiration from the photo above.

Here's where it took me today.

I did some no-line watercolouring with the single stem and leaves from my Rosebuds set, then fussy cut it and mounted it onto a panel which was heavily spritzed with PaperArtsy Infusions - Are You Cerise (hehe).  Added the Wonderful word die cut from silver card.

Play along with us for your chance to win.  And if next time you're shopping in the STAMPlorations store, use my code STAMPGIRLSHIRLEY for an extra 20% off any stamps, stencils and dies.
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Inspired by Michele

It all started when I saw this card by Michele...

credit: Michele Ferguson

... and another one she'd posted on Instagram (but more about that in another post).  And I said it had inspired me to get the Distress Inks out and start sloshing.  So that's what I did, and this the result.

I'd been wondering how best to use the solid floral shaped stamps in the Concord & 9th Hello Lovely, and as soon as I saw Michele's card, I knew!

I inked the stamps with Distress Inks, spritzed and stamped onto mixed media paper which I'd taped down.  The large leaf/petal works well for building up a camellia/rose-type flower (the pink one on the right) as well as for splodgy leaves.  To finish the panel I added some colour with a paintbrush up to the taped edges, then once it was dry, mounted it onto my card base.

I'm adding this to Where Creativity Meets Concord & 9th - Forals

and The Heart Desires Challenge 12.  Ooh, look - a nice big pink rose!

I may be back with a couple more over the next few days...