Craft Stamper Magazine - TIMI Challenge January Reminder

Morning all,

A little post from me this morning with a reminder piece for the Craft Stamper Challenge DT.  I made a very simple card using the triple stamping technique, and using the free daisy stamp from a previous cover of Craft Stamper Magazine.  I stamped in green versafine over three layers of card, then separated the card and mounted with foam mounts.

My centre consists of a piece of sequin waste, cut randomly, and covered with a domino, which I've painted with DecoArt paints, and used Andy Skinner's 'Toxic' stamp set on, for the texture on the domino and the heart.

I added a sentiment from a PaperArtsy stamp set, and edged the card in peeled paint distress ink.

Hope you like it, don't forget to join us on the main Challenge page, where you can find all the details on how to enter, and see the rest of the team's fantastic inspiration.

Best Wishes,

Nikki
xx

Craft Stamper TIMI challenge Reminder - June - Take a Technique - Get Inky!

Hi everyone,

It's Craft Stamper challenge reminder time, and I love this month's technique - Get Inky!  Use more than one TYPE of ink on your creation, ink pads, spray inks, alcohol inks, reinkers, drawing inks, ink crystal powders, or acrylic inks etc, OR, use more than one COLOUR of ink.  Then join in and enter over on the Challenge blog.

The prizes up for grabs this month are:

Firstly the Sponsor Prize, and the winner of this will be randomly chosen from all the eligible entries of the challenge. To make sure your project is eligible to win, make sure you have followed our challenge guidelines. These can be found HERE.

We are proud to announce our sponsor this month is....

PaperArtsy 

PaperArtsy are a UK based brand, selling a HUGE range of stamps by some wonderful designers, as well as their own signature line of chalk finish paints! The online store is just full of amazing product, well worth a visit! The latest (and very very popular) range to be launched is the Infusions range....
Infusions are water soluble particles with 2 components: dye colour pigment suitable for paper/ fabric, mixed with Walnut Stain.
The colour powder particles dissolve faster than the walnut crystals, so you can control the colour-to-brown stain ratio!
These amazing little bottles of fabulousness have been flying off the shelves, but we have a selection as the prize this month! This is the whole colour range:

The prize is a set of FIVE Infusions as seen here:

Lemoncello, Black Currant, A Bit Jaded, Are You Cerice and Emerald Isle.

And second, As always, we will also have a Design Winner this month.

This winner is chosen by our DT, who all vote for their favourite design from all of the entries. This winner will have their winning project published in Craft Stamper Magazine, (with a 2 page spread of their very own!), they will have a GDT slot for an upcoming challenge, and will also feature in their very own Winners Profile blog post! 

Here is my inspiration piece for the Challenge:

I used both colours of inks, and types of inks on this tag.  The background was created with Dylusions spray inks in Fresh Lime, Squeezed Orange, and Lemon Zest.  I sprayed a piece of A4 card and made a masterboard, so I can use other pieces where I want too.

I then stamped the text from Indigoblu's Tasty Texture's background stamp, in Stazon Pumpkin Orange and Cactus Green.  The Honeycomb background is IB too and stamped in the same colours.

The dots stamp is PaperArtsy HotPics, stamped in Versafine Onyx black,  as are the white Stazon Opaque Cotton white circles.

I used Distress inks in Spiced Marmalade and Shabby shutters on the wording, flowers and edges, and added a little washi tape to the background for interest.  

I did use embossing ink, and embossed the flowers, but didn't like the gloss look so went back over with DecoArt's Ultra Matte Varnish, which took the finish right back again.  The flowers still look raised but aren't so shiny against the matt tag. 

I think this is the most stamps and inks I've ever got on one small tag :) 

I hope you can join us at Craft Stamper Magazine this month! 

Best Wishes,

Nikki

xxx

Indigoblu October Challenge - Magical Masking!

Morning everyone,

It's new challenge time over at Indigoblu, and it's a nice simple one for you, but one you can do so much with, it's magical masking.

All you need to do is either mask an area of card, or mask your stamps, we don't mind which, but they must be Indigoblu stamps of course.

I chose to mask a panel of my card, from top to bottom, with large post it notes (you could use paper and repositionable adhesive if you have it).

I used three colours of distress inks to blend into each other in the panel.  I then stamped the flowers at the bottom, while it was still masked.

I peeled the masks off, and then stamped the dragonfly only, from the bottom of the Butterfly Collector panel.  I was brave and cut him out separately, I can always add him to my stamp block again under the rest!  I love dragonflies, probably one of my favourite things, so he will get used.

I stamped him over the masked area, poking out from the sides, to give a little dimension.

And that's it - simples!  Such a quick card to make, but nice and clean.  You could add a sentiment for any occasion.

Come and join us and share your cards with us at the Challenge blog this month, anyone can win and we love seeing your work.

Most importantly, have a great time playing!

Best Wishes,

Nikki.
xx

Craft Stamper 'Emboss Resist' Challenge Reminder

Hi all,

It's reminder time over at the Craft Stamper blog Challengehttp://craftstamper.blogspot.com/2014/07/take-it-make-it-july-challenge.html, so the DT have got together to show you some more inspiration (don't we spoil you!).  We would love to see your entries for this oh so easy challenge, emboss resist is the theme, any colour you like, on any surface, as long as stamping is involved!

So my offering is using Wow embossing powder, in Pearl white, they are the sponsors of our prize this month and I love all the colours you can get, they have some fab new ones out currently too.

I stamped stylised flowers from Indigoblu all the way round the edge of both of my panels with versamark, and embossed.  Then used evergreen bough and squeezed lemonade distress inks on the panels.  On the top panel I did this a little lighter, and placed the Daisy stencil from Indigoblu on the panel.  I went over again with evergreen bough, blending it up into the yellow so there were no hard lines.  The sentiment is stamped on a separate piece of inked card, and cut out.  I distressed the main centre panel with my scissors, and mounted it on a small piece of yellow card before adding to the background.

I hope you like it, don't forget to hop over and see the Design team's inspiration and join us!

Best Wishes,

Nikki K.

Craft Stamper Take It, Make It Challenge - May - Stamping with Potatoes!

Hi everyone,

It was back to childhood for me this week, and a great, fun piece to make for the Craft Stamper Take It, Make It Challenge.

The theme is stamping with Potatoes!

You can see all the Design Team's inspiration here, and we really would love you to join us this month and just have fun with this challenge!

For my piece, I started with Distress inks in Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seed, and Picked Raspberry, and covered a piece of white card randomly.  Once done, I spritzed the card with a secret ingredient. . .Dettol!  It's just the clear kitchen spray dettol, but I stumbled upon the idea one day when I couldn't find my water spritzer, and just happened to grab the nearest spray. . .

Blot the card after a few seconds, and it leaves a lovely distressed effect.  I edged the panel in spiced marmalade distress ink.

After this, I carved my potato stamp, and chose Indigoblu's Goldfinger paint to stamp in.  I painted a thin layer onto my stamping mat,

Then stamped randomly over the background.

I had repeated the distress ink pattern onto another piece of card, but adding dusty concord for a bit of contrast.  The edge of the card is stamped with English Florish, and on top of that I stamped Indigoblu's Big Butterfly, and clear embossed it.  I used the sentiment from BFF, and also clear embossed it and edged it in spiced marmalade.

This is the final card, hope you like it!

You have a whole month to join in the challenge and play with potatoes, how much fun is that?

Best Wishes,

Nikki K.
xx

Indigoblu Blog Challenge 14 - Spring Blossoms

Hi everyone,

It's that time again, the blog challenge over at Indigoblu is fresh up, this month the theme is 'Spring Blossoms', and the design team have created some lovely zingy inspiration for you.  Why not come over and join us and show us your style.  All we ask is you use Indigoblu stamps and the rest is up to you.  Canvasses, cards, altered art, jewellery even, anything goes.

Here is my card for this months theme.

I used mustard seed, evergreen bough and picked raspberry distress inks, and then splashed with water to distress further.  I stamped the Best wishes, from Nottingham Lace, in picked raspberry, 2nd gen stamping.  The tulip was stamped and embossed twice, in a pearl white, and the same distress inks used to colour the panel.  The second tulip was cut out and layered over the first image.

A bright and zingy card for spring!

Now I'm sure you can show us some amazing spring cards, and lift your spirits at the same time, so pop over to the Blog Challenge and join us.

Best Wishes,

Nikki K

xx

Torn and Tattered. .

Over at Craft Stamper Magazine there is a new 'Take It, Make It' challenge, where you can win fab prizes and if you win, see your work in the magazine!  The inspiration for this months challenge is by Helen Chilton, and it's her Terrific Tearing article which is on page 78 of the May issue.

I immediately sprung to life when I got my copy, as there's nothing more fun than a bit of ripping and tearing to make you feel great, especially if it's allowed!

This is my finished card for the challenge, it uses Papermania Kraft Basics 12 x 12 papers, and Papermania Urban Stamps (Bird Print).  The number's paper is called Mackenzie by Kanban, and was from the lovely Pink Tulip Creations.  The embellishments are all from Indigoblu (cogs, wire heart).  I have used Tim Holtz Distress ink in Black Soot around the edges of my torn paper.  And the glitter is from http://www.glittermagic.co.uk/, it's anti-static and a really lovely glitter to use, it doesn't stick to the stuff you don't want it to! 

I stamped the central image on white cardstock, and distressed it slightly.  The frame was torn, and I added a peeled back 'door' with fastening.  The cardstock is all distresssed, the flower's are printed with music from the same stamp set, and the main large flower is hand torn and layered.

There is still plenty of time to enter as the competition has only just started, and you have two months to enter, so pop across to Craft Stamper and have a go yourself!

Best Wishes,

Nikki xx