Dimensional Blooms

Hello crafters, 

This fortnight, the Allsorts challenge optional theme, chosen by Ellie is "Blooms/Birds/Butterflies". As usual, you can also enter with an "anything goes" theme.
Blooms are favourite for any occasion so I decided to have another go at creating realistic-looking pom pom dahlias:

I used Spellbinders Pom Pom Dahlia and Ladybugs Etched Dies s4-1317 to create the focal cluster and the Everyday Sentiments from the STAMPLorations set.

The whole is matted on an embossed panel with the Sizzix/Tim Holtz 3D Texture Fades Embossing Folder (665734) and a green cardstock mat.

I think I need more layers in my pom pom (The darkest flower has 3 layers of each size of flower, 15 layers in total) to get the fully rounded effect, but I have to say it takes a lot of time to form each petal with stylus and tweezers! 

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Hop over to the Allsorts challenge blog to see all the DT inspiration and upload your projects. A lucky winner will receive the Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Glorious Bouquet stamp set available from Buddly Crafts pictured below!

Thanks for coming by,

 Craftyfield     I am entering the Addicted to stamps & more and 

                                                         Polkadoodles challenges

Allsorts 17th Birthday

Hello crafters, 
This fortnight, the Allsorts challenge optional theme, chosen by Lynn is "17th Birthday", since it is Allsorts challenge Birthday! As usual, you can also enter with an "anything goes" theme.

I took the opportunity to make a card I am not going to send but keep as a proof of concept. 

You might have thought you recognised an AALL & Create die, released in March but you would be wrong...
I used the #91- Film Drip and after a few partial die-cuts for the burgundy mat, adjusted the tab with scissors. I die-cut the white card with the other die in the set, also with several passes to get the right proportion to the mat.

 

Whilst this did not turn out exactly like the #106 Layers of Air, I was happy to hold off buying said die-set. Still tempted though...

The focal image is Memories Collage, a stamp by Fern Studios, inked with various colours of ink.

I added the word Birthday on the tab (STAMPLorations Everyday Sentiments) and the 17th (Die'sire  Number Suffixes and Numbers) on a label created with the #30 Taggletastic die set.

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Hop over to the Allsorts challenge blog to see all the DT inspiration and upload your projects. There is a fantastic line-up of prizes to be won...

Lavinia stamps, The Lavinia experience is a magical journey where you can learn a new skill and create enchanting artwork, thereby opening the door to your imagination – a truly captivating experience. Please note, we (Lavinia) cannot provide exchanges/replacements/refunds for any products received through this third-party giveaway.

Buddly Crafts £25 store voucher. Founded in 2003, we've grown from a digital downloads store into the online craft supplies shop we are today sending out orders to our discerning, creative customers across the UK and worldwide. We stock a wide range of exciting products for card making and mixed media art carefully selected from the world’s most creative and time-tested arts and crafts brands.

Art Impressions $30 store voucher. Art Impressions is a rubber stamp manufacturer based in Salem, OR since 1987. The company began as our sole designer, Bonnie Krebs, created and sold educational stamps at craft fairs around the Northwest, now sold Worldwide.

Highlight Crafts, dies with artwork downloads. Own brand products designed in the UK and an on line store offering a fabulous variety of brands to cover a multitude of crafty techniques.

Plus, Surprise Goody Bags containing, stamps, dies and other crafty items.

Thanks for coming by,

 Craftyfield   I am entering the Polkadoodles and  

                                                      Lost Coast Designs challenges

Designing with Springtime Coffee ATCs

Hello crafters, 

First let me remind you that the STAMPLorations Spring Fling blog hop and linky party is still opened until Wednesday evening (20th May 12pm PDT) with prizes awarded for both commenters and uploaded crafty makes. DON'T DELAY!!! 

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Today I have a special post showcasing the Springtime Coffee ATCs newly added to the STAMPlorations range this year. The simplest design can be just an ATCs on a card blank and a sentiment, but if you fancy adding your creativity... there is a world of possibilities!

My first card has a stencilled background and a paper backing:

I stencilled Distress Inks through the All Blooms stencil, added the ATC matted to the same cardstock and layered the whole on a piece of (antique) paper. 

The "Hello" sentiment is die-cut with the Skinny Sentiments die set.

My second card is a variation of the same design, this time with white cardstock instead of vanilla:

I used Distress Inks again, this time with the Petal 1 stencil and the sentiment is from the same Skinny Sentiments die set.

In the same way the stencil provides a background for both cards above, I decided to use the Dragonfly Cover Plate Die to add a lacy design to my background:

To mat the ATC I used the Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies set and added a teapot die-cut from the Tag O'Coffee die set. The paper peeping through the cover plate die-cut is a very old one from my scraps collection. A very good way to use these unloved papers when only the colours matter and not the motifs!

Finally a second variation of this last design: 

This time I added a stamped sentiment to the ATC's mat from the Thank you Coffee stamp set and matted the whole on my chosen paper as well as adding a piece of the paper on top of the right hand side of the Dragonfly die-cut.

For my faithful readers you will be surprised that although there is no stamping of note in these cards, I actually have enjoyed the process of designing around the ATCs, especially as I find these images so beautiful.

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If you fancy trying out the ATCs in your makes, think about the ATC VIP Subscription service to receive your choice of set every 4 weeks. The plan is flexible as you don't have to commit to a length of time and there are also added perks (all the details here).
I am personally trialling this and love the (almost) surprise landing on my doorstep! The other sets I am planning to use are just as pretty as the Springtime Coffee... watch this space for more inspiration!
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P.S You can get the cover plate I used (and others) with a Buy 1 and get one at half price offer!  Other offers are available for stencils, stamps and word dies with the Spring Cleaning Blowout event.

Thanks for coming by,

 Craftyfield   I am entering the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge
               

STAMPlorations spring fling

Hello crafters, welcome to a special STAMPlorations event!

I created a card with one of the ATC released in March, aptly called Color me Spring:

I used a piece of vellum and die-cut it around the edges with the Art Border #1.

I added stencilling with the Leaf Print 3 stencil using coloured pencils (vellum hates any kind of wet medium so I didn't take the risk of using inks, even the quick drying dye inks).

I placed the Color Me Spring ATC  matted on black card on the vellum and added 2 birds cut with the For the Birds Dies . The bottom bird is actually the same as the top left just reversed and I cut the branch out.

Finally I stitched thread in some of the holes from the die-cut which helps with the vellum sticking to the base card whilst adding a little decorative detail. 

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So hop on over to the STAMPLorations Spring Fling blog hop and linky party and start commenting and/or creating for the chance to win prizes!

Thanks for coming by,

 Craftyfield   I am entering the Addicted to stamps & more and 

                                                         Simon Says Stamp Monday challenges

       

New STAMPLorations ATCs

Hello crafters,

I am so pleased to introduce you to the latest addition to the STAMPlorations line-up: ATCs, a collection of 3 themed packs. The release post is on the STAMPlorations blog

For my first make I used the Retro Femme ATC:

I combined this colourful image with acetate and alcohol inks, using the Retro Circles stencil with Alcohol Lift ink to get the background motif.

I applied double sided adhesive to the back of the first ATC and placed it on the acetate.

Then I placed a second ATC, with the adhesive on the image this time on the inside of the card, to allow for a message to be written: 

It also means the back of the card is just as nice as the front!

My second card features the Whimsical Homes ATCs and a new shape for me... the Double pillar card, chosen to showcase the ATC sized image as best as I could.

This is the front of the card, which folds flat, well almost, because the inside has a few layers, decorated with an image from the Spring Florals A2 Card Fronts set.

To construct this card, add the pillars to the inside of a standard base card and add "springs" made out of cardboard to attach the ATC to:

The finished card:

My final make features one of the 6 designs in the Color Me Spring ATC set:

I used the Shower of Flutters stencil with Distress inks to create the background and die-cut a mat with one of the border from the ATC Tag builder set:

I added a sentiment composed from 2 word dies, Life is Good and You are my sunshine.

Phew... that is a looong post! I hope you stayed to the end and like what you see.

Thanks for coming by,
 Craftyfield   

     
     

Tower card and door sign with Faded Botanicals

Hello crafters, 

I am so pleased to introduce you to the latest addition to the STAMPlorations line-up: The Artistic Crafter's Collage Paper Anthology, vol. 1, a collection of 9 collage paper packs each with a different theme. I have been playing with the Faded Botanicals featuring Soft Victorian florals, which you can get at a 30% discount within the Botanical maker's trio until the official release on the 15th of March.

 

First up is a tower card:

I sized my card so I could use dies to cut the panels. It is simple to make with 1 piece of cardstock 6"1/2 wide by 5"1/4, score at 1", 2", 3" and 4" to make the tower shape. 

3 panels from cardstock cut with the widest of the rectangles in the Basic A2 Panels Nesting Dies set, using the size down to cut the paper.

For the small side of the tower I used the narrow rectangle die to cut the paper. 

One of the panel is reserved for the message, which I stamped with the Happy birthday from the A Snarky Birthday To You set, chosen for its small size.

I added a rose stamped in colour from the Wooded stamp set. 

The card folds flat at 5"1/2 wide by 5"1/4 tall which doesn't fit a standard envelope but I don't mind  making a custom envelope. 

For a quick video of all sides of the card visit my Instagram. 

My second project is a door sign, since I thought this paper would lend itself to image transfer. I wasn't disappointed!

To make this I applied gel medium to my wooden substrate and placed the paper face down on it smoothing it as much as I could to ensure best adhesion. 

When dry the white paper layer is removed by wetting and rubbing. Fingers are best in the latter stages to avoid rubbing the design as well as the white! I had to retouch the centre of my flower after too vigorous rubbing... but it all adds to the Vintage/distressed look.

I couldn't bring myself to cover the background and added only a quote from the Art Is stamp set mounted on foam pads over a piece of lace.

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Love these new collage papers from @stamplorations? 🎨 The Anthology is now available in Project Trios so you can grab the vibe that fits your style for just $21!
✨ THE ART JOURNALER: Love grit & type? Get the Essentials Trio.
✨ THE STORYTELLER: Love vintage & travel? Get the Heritage Trio.
✨ THE BOTANICAL MAKER: Love florals & patterns? Get the Botanical Trio.
Everything is IN STOCK and shipping now! No more pre-orders. Grab yours at stamplorations.com 📦

Thanks for coming by,

 Craftyfield   

Time for Coffee

Hello crafters, 

New month, new challenge at STAMPlorations, anything goes, any type of project, any style, just remember you need to use stamps (unless using exclusively STAMPLorations products).

I couldn't resist using some of the new papers released by STAMPLorations and stamped on a piece of Faded Botanicals to make a pretty mug:

I tweaked the colours with Distress Crayons to make the butterfly pop.

The mug and sentiment are from the After Coffee set stamped with Versafine in blue and fussy cut. I added gel pen on the handle and top and bottom where the china would be white.

Simply matted on cardstock die-cuts with all 3 of the Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies

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If you missed out on ordering the whole Anthology paper collection during the pre-release, no fear as you can grab a Project Trio Bundle TODAY for just $21! 💸  That’s 3 full packs (45 sheets!) curated by project type: Art Journaling, Vintage Storytelling, or Botanical Bliss. Ships immediately! Get them before the launch on the 15th of March when you can buy buy the Faded Botanicals pack individually as well as all other paper packs.

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Hop on over to the STAMPlorations™ Blog to check what my teamies' inspiration makes and link up your  creations! There are prizes to be won....

Thanks for coming by,

 Craftyfield   I am entering the The Outlawz Twisted challenge