New Card Fronts from Stamplorations

Hello crafters, 

If you missed the news, after a long pause STAMPlorations is back in business and new products have been released this week: 14 new card fronts are available on the store here.

I have been playing with the Vintage Roses set:

 

I like those images so much I would be happy to use them as is, even as postcards since the cardstock is heavy enough. But, if you so desire, you can make them your own in so many different ways... A few ideas: 

- add glitter, foiling or embossing accents

- add small die-cuts (I was thinking bees or lady birds for the roses)

- add stamping or stencilling

- cut them up 

- use the inlay technique

and more...

For my first card I decided to add glitter (Tim Holtz Distress Rock Candy) to the rose:

I added a sentiment word and embossed it with Wow! EP in Violet Aurora (WS419X) and when that didn't show up so well against the card front I embossed on top with Ray of Sunshine (WS416R). And then, because it still didn't show up that well, I added a black shadow with another die-cut offset from the embossed one.

I tried to capture the glitter and the shine in these photos: 

 

My second card follows my current obsession with doors... I visualised a door opening to a rose garden full of morning dew...

For this card front I added dew drops on flowers with liquid glass and nothing else...
For the door mouldings I used some of the dies in the Basic A2 Panels Nesting Dies set, adding doorknobs made of Enamel Accents (Ranger). 

 
Finally, I found the courage to take my scissors to my last card front... 

It's not because the card front is a rectangle that you cannot use it as a square, circle etc.. or cut it in many pieces... I am quite partial to the square format so that is what I did and used the "waste" to make a matching tag.

All the embellishment is in the frames created. I made them so that I would lose only a very small margin of the image.

In conclusion, if the Card Fronts are a godsend for quick cards "as is", don't let that stop you from getting creative with them! And if Vintage Roses is not your thing there are many different styles on offer and at least one is bound to tempt you.

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Leave a comment on this post, my teamie's post and the STAMPlorations blog for a chance to win either the Vintage Roses or the Touch of Spring sets. 

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Whenever you shop for STAMPlorations products you can get 20% off with my code: STAMPGIRLCRAFTY

Thanks for coming by,
 Craftyfield   

     

STAMPlorations challenge is back!

Hello crafters, it is with great pleasure I welcome you to our new STAMPlorations challenge. This is a monthly challenge with an Anything Goes theme and I hope lots of you will join in. To inspire you I made this card:

My base is Neenah Kraft cardstock and I cut it with the largest die of the  Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies.

I then stamped once directly on the base panel and once on white cardstock one of the design of the Coffee To Go: Fall and Winter stamp set with the cup itself in grey-ish ink.

I used pencils for the colouring.
Finally the sentiment is from the stamp set Thank You Coffee, embossed with Wow! EP in Vanilla.

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

- a discount code worth $25 chosen by a STAMPgirl from entries that use STAMPlorations products

- and a $10 discount code for a randomly selected entry (need not feature a STAMPlorations product)

(discount codes apply to shipping & products)

Do check your entry abide by the rules on STAMPlorations blog here

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Whenever you shop for STAMPlorations products you can get 20% off with my code: STAMPGIRLCRAFTY

Thanks for coming by,
 Craftyfield   I am entering the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday, 

                                                          Stamping Sensations, and The Outlawz Twisted (my inspiration

                                                          song is "Coffee & Friends") challenges

     

Mini tag book

The last 2 weeks I have been following the tutorials published for the Fodder Challenge #3. You can still register (it's free) to access the tutorials until the 4th of August, after which they will form part of their next Fodder school lessons.

This project is using the tutorial no 9 by  @meganquinlanstudio and some of the items I made in lesson 1.

Inside pages:

With the tags out of the pocket pages:

Quite an easy project and I thoroughly enjoyed using "old" stamps to decorate it, mostly STAMPlorations but also Rubber Dance (front cover) and Polkadoodles (Back cover) as well as a Unity sentiment (centre tag).

I had hoped the Fodder Challenge would help kick my creativity back into action and spur me into crafting and yes, it did that and took me out of my comfort zone too! Well worth doing, even if "fodder" is not your go to style of crafting.

Thanks for coming by,

 Craftyfield   I am entering the Allsorts and SSS Wednesday challenges

Winter sentiment

No this is not an old post... Untypically for me I have started Christmas crafting early... well last year I hardly had any time to craft, resorting to actually BUYING some cards! 

This card fits our Country View Challenge blog where the theme is "Be Sentimental" (not just romance but any sentiment, phrase or inspirational quote): 

I just had to test some of the supplies I grabbed during the fabulous Advent Calendar sales at Country View Crafts (if you've never heard of it before, Susan does a special offer from the 1st to the 24th of December). 
I die-cut the Paper Panda Craft Die - Meadow Frame (Creative Expressions) and used the inside oval as a shield to my brushos when I created the background. The paper I used for the die-cut is a specialty Self adhesive paper, thin enough that it will die-cut without too many passes. This is a game changer for these detailed dies and at less than £10 for 25 sheets a bargain to boot! 
When that dried I simply stamped the Sentiment (STAMPlorations) in Versafine Black. 

Then I peeled off the backing of my die-cut and applied to the background before sticking both onto my base card. 
I am so pleased the stamp fits so well in that frame and I am planning a series so I will not be caught out without hand made cards next Christmas... 

Over to you now, visit the Country View Challenge blog for more inspiration, the DT posts every other day for the first 3 weeks. and join us by linking  your project here for the chance to win a £20 voucher for the Country View Craft shop, just make sure you follow the rules!

Thanks for coming by,

 Craftyfield   I am entering the Allsorts (I love playing with new supplies...),   

  Stamping Sensations and SSS Wednesday challenges                                

In the stars

This is a post I didn't think I would be able to write following a family bereavement, but, serendipity played its hand and here is a second inspiration make for our Country View Challenge. 

As I thought about the theme, it seemed fitting. Souls are often referred as stars in the sky and I took it as a sign. 

I used a Paper Artsy star stamp (JM06), the Art Marks and Noteworthy 2 stamps sets, both by STAMPlorations, to create the sentiment. All were stamped and embossed with white EP. 

For added colour I applied some Versamark with a sponge on top of the stars and added mica powders, in different colours. Here's the shine shot: 

Do enter the Country View Challenge with a starry make of your own for the chance to win a £ 20 voucher to the online shop but be quick there is only a week left...  

Thanks for coming by,

 Craftyfield   I am entering the challenge

Thursday Throwback - Stencils and powders

Welcome to my second Thursday Throwback posts on the STAMPlorations blog. 
Here are my takes on Shirley's card. 

Card 1 supplies;  Flutter Zen 1 Layering Dies and ARTplorations stencil Senecio 1 

Card 2: same as before: Flutter Zen 1 Layering Dies and ARTplorations stencil Senecio 1 

Card 3: Beyond the Trees – ARTplorations Slimline stencil and For the Birds Dies - CUTplorations. 

Do hop onto the STAMPlorations blog for the full details.

Thanks for coming by,

 Craftyfield   

Creative use of dies

Today is my first of 4 Thursday Throwback posts which will pop up on the STAMPlorations blog once a month. 

My crafting is usually stamp based but this Thursday I chose this die-cut based creation by Maureen that had me fascinated.  

You can check the original post here. 

First I created a camera with my favourite designer papers and used it as a topper on a card front: 

I used  the ATC Tag builder die set and the Tag O'Coffee to cut my pieces and the sentiment is from the Fond Expressions 2 stamp set. 

Next, I made an attempt at making the camera as realistic as I could, taking inspiration from my own camera's colours. 

I used the ATC Tag Builder , the Tag O'Coffee set and Liquid Glass (DecoArt).

Another view showing the dimensional lens:

And for fun I tried my own die-cut recipe for a boat... naive but still recognisable:

Dies are from the ATC Tag Builder, Tag O'Coffee, Stitched Snow Hills and Basic A2 Panels Nesting Dies sets. The background is Distress Inks with clouds made with Gesso and the Clouds stencil.

You can find out the details for all 3 makes on the STAMPlorations blog. Come back in 4 weeks for my next Throwback Thursday!

Thanks for coming by,
I am entering the SSS Wednesday challenge and Addicted to Stamps challenge.

Add depth to your stencilling

Hello crafters, today I am showing the last tutorial in my Mixed Media series on the STAMPlorations blog. I made 2 cards as examples of the technique I used. 

First this slimline card:  

Supplies:

Bamboo – ARTplorations Slimline stencil

CUTploration phrase - Art Happens

Die-cutting machine and embossing mat

Colouring medium

I reversed the process for my second card (with similar results)

Supplies:

All Blooms - ARTplorations Stencil

Birthday Wishes Phrase Die - CUTplorations

Die-cutting machine and embossing mat

Colouring medium

Hop on over to the STAMPlorations blog to find out how I made those and leave me a comment telling me what your thought of this and the previous posts of the series. 

Thanks for coming by,

Craftyfield      I am entering the SSS Wednesday challenge. 

          

Stencils and foils double the fun

Today I am featuring on the STAMPlorations blog with a Mixed Media tutorial. Just in time for Christmas, I chose a technique full of shine.

And best of all it's a two-fer!!!

For the most reflective, metallic, shine, foils are the best. Today I am using Hot foils, which require the use of a laminator. (I think it is possible to use an iron but I  wouldn't risk it!)

Supplies:

Winter Flowers ARTplorations stencil

CUT-plorations Stitched Snow Hills

Stitched Spring Landscape 

Jingle All The Way Phrase Die - CUTplorations 

Tag O'Coffee

Gel medium (thick)

Hot Foils 

I made this card with the "positive" motif of the stencil:

 

The foil gives a mirror like finish which is difficult to photograph,

 so here's a picture showing the shine:

Then there is the "negative" which I used to make those tags to match:

And a picture without the sun reflection:

 

If you want details on the technique(s) I used , hop to the STAMPlorations blog to follow my tutorial.

Thanks for coming by,

 Craftyfield  I am entering the Addicted to Stamps, SSS Wednesday 

                                                          and River of creativity challenges.