STAMPlorations Stamp Release Blog Hop

So glad you can join us in the STAMPlorations Stamp Release Blog Hop! The other STAMPlorations girls and I are sharing projects we've created that feature the 5 sets released this month. Visit all the stops on the hop and leave a comment for a chance to win 1 of the new stamp sets!

FIVE (5) lucky hoppers randomly drawn from the designers' blogs will each win a stamp set and TWO (2) lucky hoppers randomly drawn from the STAMPlorations blog will win a stamp set of their choice. You have until Sunday, May 11, 11:55 p.m. PDT to comment here and on my fellow designers' posts for a chance to win. Winners will be announced on the STAMPlorations blog on Monday, May 12.

For my card I've used sentiments from the Thanks Sentiment Builder Set and the four narrow strips from Vignette: Grunge Floral Strips.

*** The stops in the hop *** 

STAMPlorations Blog | Cornelia | Debra | Monika

Nonni | Sandie | Shery | Shirley (that's me!) | Vicki

Wonderful Watercolour

I've joined the Online Card Class - Watercolour For Cardmakers.  The techniques are good for watercolour paints or Distress Inks, so you can guess which I went for.  I prefer them to paints, they're more fun to use and more versatile.

Anyway, I tried Jen Rzasa's technique using stencils.  Yep, happy.  Like it.

I'm entering this into Less Is More - use 3 colours or 3 shades of one colour.  I've used Worn Lipstick, Squeezed Lemonade and Wild Honey.

I'm also entering it into Keep It Simple where the theme is Watercolour,

And Simon Says Wednesday Challenge Anything Goes.

The stamps are from the new release by STAMPlorations.  We're having a blog hop tomorrow, so come back for your chance to win some of the new goodies.

STAMPlorations Sketch #11

We've got a new sketch for you at STAMPlorations:

I only altered it slightly - used two tabs instead of three, and moved the sentiment to centre stage.  I used two of the new release sets, Thanks Sentiment Builder and Vignette: Grunge Floral Strips.  Come back on Wednesday to take part in our blog hop and be in with a chance of winning some of the new goodies.

Our guest designer for this challenge is Mynnette.  Pop on over to the STAMPlorations blog to see what Mynnette and the design team have created for your inspiration.

PRIZE
The sketch challenges are sponsored by our sister shop, All About Scrapping. The winner gets to pick 3 DIGITAL products from the shop — any combination of printable sheets, Photoshop templates, and digital paper packs. The winner will also be invited to be a Guest Designer in next month's sketch challenge.

Don't forget, if you entered our last sketch, and you also enter this sketch and our monthly challenge, you could be in with a chance of winning this random prize.

Birthday Waves

A quick and easy card today.  A couple of stamps, paint some Distress Ink waves and you're done!  I'll probably make a few of these in different colour schemes - they'd be great for male cards.  I'm playing along with CAS(E) This Sketch:

I've used one of the three colour options from Make The Day Special:

I'm also entering it into Winnie & Walter Join In To Win

And Simon Says Wednesday Challenge, Anything Goes

And another entry into Keep It Simple - Watercolour.

Stamps: Winnie & Walter The Big, The Bold and The Happy
Distress Inks: Scattered Straw, Bundled Sage, Evergreen Bough

STAMPlorations Challenge - Stamps and Flowers

It's time for our new challenge at STAMPlorations, and this month's theme is stamps and flowers.  Our Guest Designer this month is the winner of the March challenge, Sue V.

You don't have to use STAMPlorations stamps to join in the challenge, but we'd love it if you do! The prize for the challenge is two sets of stamps.  And don't forget, if you enter the monthly challenge as well as both sketch challenges in May, you're also in with a chance of winning this package:

May Prize
Cloud9 Design Epoxy Accent Stickers, K&Co. Blue Awning Die-Cut Cardstock Tags, Elle's Studio Day to Day Tabs, Bella Blvd Crochet Flowers, The Card Co. Funky Lipstick Paper Flowers, and Heidi Grace Printed Flowers

See the sentiment on my card?  It's from one of the fabulous new stamp sets being released in May.  And we'll be having a blog hop to celebrate the release - click here for a sneaky peek of the full release and how you can be in with a chance of winning one of the new sets.

I used a technique that I've seen on Karen Dunbrook's blog, Snippets, where you use an embossing folder as an inking plate. It's great fun and a way to get more mileage from your embossing folders.

Click on over to the STAMPlorations blog to see what the rest of the design team have created, and join in to win!

Craft Stamper Take It, Make It Challenge - Potato Stamps

It's a new month and a new challenge at Craft Stamper Take It, Make It Challenge Blog.  And this one will take you back to primary school days.  We want you to carve your own stamp - from a potato!  Remember cutting primitive shapes from half a potato and inking it up with that horrible smelly poster paint?  Well that's exactly what we want you to do for this challenge.  With nicer paint.

I drew around the half potato on scratch paper then drew my design within the shape.  I couldn't get a good transfer image so I cut the shape away in bits then placed the pattern on the potato so that I could carve some of the lines.  I used a Speedball lino cutter but you could use a craft knife (carefully!).

It's probably easiest to use acrylic paints but I wanted to try Distress Inks.  I pressed some Distress Inks onto an acetate block (Peacock Feathers, Peeled Paint, Gathered Twigs) and painted the colours onto the potato with a paintbrush.  You can see the practice images where I was getting the colour placement and saturation right.

Surprisingly, the Distress Inks worked ok - but don't try applying the ink pad directly to the potato, the starch will soak into the pad.  You need to get the ink onto an acetate block or a ceramic tile - anything non-porous.  When the image dried, I could feel a layer of starch on on the card, so I just brushed it off.

The leaves are rubber stamps from Paper Artsy - I thought they go so well with my stamp!
Words from Winnie & Walter - The Big, The Bold and The Happy

Next Friday I'll show you what I did with the other half of the potato...

One Layer Flowers

I've been sloshing Distress Inks around again, this time on a one layer card.  I'm trying to use colour combinations that I wouldn't think to use (or that I think wouldn't work together) and I'm getting some surprisingly nice results.  For this card I used Shaded Lilac, Faded Jeans, Pine Needles and Forest Moss.  I start with a very wet brush loaded with Shaded Lilac, then without cleaning the brush,  I pick up some of Faded Jeans.  When it's half-dry, I drop in a bit more of the Faded Jeans.  Then I did the same with the leaves: Pine Needles first, then Forest Moss (that was the surprising bit, I didn't think those two colours would work together but I like the effect).

I'm entering this into the new One Layer Simplicity Challenge - Fabulous Flowers;

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

And Colour Me... Creative - use up to 5 colours of your choice.