STAMPlorations Inspiration - Newlyweds

It's time for some more STAMPlorations inspiration!  Today I've used The Bee's Knees Newlyweds.  I stamped the image onto white card, then made a palette with Black Soot, Tattered Rose, Worn Lipstick and Scattered Straw, then sloshed the colours on.  The little hearts in the top left corner of the panel are from Deepti's new set, Balloons and Banners.

I matted the panel onto silver mirri card, then matted that onto white card.

If you fancy CASEing this, or any other card by the Design Team, why not link it up to the CASE playground for a chance to win?

Happy Birthday Nancy!

Today our Lovely Leader on the Seize The Birthday design team, Nancy, is celebrating her 50th birthday.  Now we couldn't let such an occasion pass without a mention, could we?  Nancy keeps us all under control ;) and shepherds us along when we're lagging a bit, and she always remembers everybody else's birthday.  So we've been working behind the scenes to get together a little surprise blog hop for her.  Pop on over to the rest of the Design Team's blogs to see their birthday creations, then pop over to Nancy's and say hi and happy birthday!

Colleen

Glenda

Hannelie

JoAnn

Jodene

Macarena

Sharyn

Nancy's blog

Happy 50th birthday Nancy - hope you have a wonderful time!

Christmas Comes Early

Muse Christmas Visions is up to its 14th challenge, and I don't think I've played along once yet.  Something to do with my Christmas stamps usually staying in the attic until November.  But I'd made a Christmas card for a magazine submission (which was accepted, yay!), the stamps were out, and Kimberly (who is the muse for the current challenge) asked me ever so nicely if I wanted to play along, and with such a fab card from her, who could resist??

Kimberly's card

I kept pretty much to the format, but inking in black rather than white, and sloshing Distress Inks onto the background.  I added a bit of stencilling, some Glossy Accents to the star, the snowflake and the reindeer's garland, then added some white pen to the sentiment.

I'm also entering this into Simon Says Monday Challenge - Make A Plan.  Not just about planners, it can be about getting a jump start on Christmas cards.  Yup, that's me - looks like I'm planning my Christmas cards a bit better this year...

It's rather apt, actually, because we're having "Christmas" dinner tomorrow with DS2 who is over from Australia. Not quite Christmas in July, but close enough.

Craft Stamper Take It Make It - Take Pens or Pencils

Hello, and welcome to Craft Stamper's Take It Make It Challenge for August.

This month, we want you to take a technique - Pens and Pencils.  We're not just limiting it to pens and pencils - you can use Copics, Distress Markers, Spectrum Noirs, watercolour pencil, fineliners, gel pens, Sharpies - whatever your favourite mark-making medium is.  You could draw or sketch your own design, or use them for colouring.  Just remember to use physical stamps (digital stamps are allowed, but you must still have used a 'proper' stamp).  And remember, just one project in your post.  Full guidelines are on the blog.

Our sponsor this month is Chocolate Baroque, and the prize for one randomly selected entry is this fabulous sentiment stamp set:

The winner selected by the design team gets their project published in a two-page feature in the magazine (so keep it safe just in case it's yours!), gets a profile on the blog and a guest design slot in a future challenge.

So pop on over to the blog for some fabulous inspiration from the rest of the design team, then get out those pens and pencils and get creating!

ETA:  Sorry, forgot to say how I made it.  A mix of Distress Markers direct to stamp (Rubbernecker), then spritzed.  I emphasised the flower centres by dotting with the thin end of Distress Markers.  And then I added some splatters ;)  The sentiment is from STAMPlorations Fond Expressions 2.

STAMPlorations Spotlight With Drippy Distress Inks

I'm over at STAMPlorations with these two cards tonight using the new STAMP Club 5x7 set, Floral Bliss.  Click here for more details.

The Mixed Media CardChallenge - Butterflies

We've got a new challenge for you at the Mixed Media Card Challenge, and the theme is Butterflies with an option of Gold.

I diecut the leaves from mixed media paper, then adhered them to another piece of mixed media paper, covered with gesso then painted with Distress Paints and spritzed and mopped the colours.  I diecut a butterfly from a piece of watercoloured mixed media paper, adhered it to the panel, then matted the panel onto textured card.  I wrote the sentiment with black pen and infilled some of the letters with white pen.  My nod to gold is one of the self-adhesive pearls.

How will you interpret the theme?  Pop over to the blog for more inspiration from the team, and to add your card to the gallery.

CASEplorations August

It's time for a new CASEplorations, and this month we're CASEing one of my favourite cardmakers, Karen Dunbrook of Snippets.  Here's Karen's card:

So, what are the elements of Karen's card? Inked stencil background, white border, overstamped panel down the left, die cut focal point.

For my CASE, I covered a card panel in Cracked Pistachio and Tumbled Glass direct to paper, then rubbed the ink in and gave it a quick blast with the heat gun.  I spritzed the ARTplorations Tribal Triangles stencil with water and laid it over the panel so that it removed the colour where it touched.  For my overstamped panel, I used some of the stamps from the Artsy Border Maker set.  I stamped a gift image from Dee's Party Mates set and fussy cut it, and a sentiment from Shery's Party Time set.

Pop on over to the blog to see how Karen has CASEd her own card, and how the rest of the design team have interpreted the CASE.  Play along and add your card to the CASE playground for a chance to win prizes!