going green with stampotique at Gingersnap

I love the combined challenges of using Stampotique stamps with the gingersnap themes, whilst Stampotique are sponsoring the challenges at Gingersnap.

This was such an easy challenge, green is always so easy to use. To make this background I simply applied 3 colours of green ink to a glass mat, spray with mica spray, swirled it around with my finger and then dabbed my card onto it.

Then it was sinply stamped with Jo Capper-Sandon's grass stamp in all three colours. I inked around the edge with the darkest green, added a sentiment some paper ribbon and applied to a card blank.

OLW 76 colour in winter

The Challenge at one layer Wednesday is to use grey and white and a pop of colour,
This fit perfectly with a technique that has been swirling around my head for the last week. I was thinking about colouring on kraft card with pencils and how it would also work nicely on grey card using just grey and white pencils (it does, trust me)
but then I got to thinking if it would work if you created your own grey background with distress ink.

to make this card, I stamped the elephant (lili of the valley) with versafine grey ink. then masked off the area with torn post-it notes, and inked up with pumice stone distress ink. I then coloured with various grey and white pencils, with my pop of red. I finished with glossy accents on the bubbles.

stampotique challenge: Alter Something

This time at Stampotique, we are challenging you to "alter something". To me to alter means to change the purpose of something, but I know that this is not everyone's definition.
so I took a cheap frame, stamped some splatter blob and french text from Jo Capper-Sandon's range at stampotique.


I added some of the flowers which I showed how to make in yesterday's tutorial,

and in the frame I put some squared writing paper. and now it's a cute little dry-wipe memo board.


You could of course use lined or plain paper, but I have a bit of a thing for squared paper.

easy tatty paper flowers

I'm not in anyway claiming any original idea, but I'm posting a piece tomorrow with some of these tatty book page roses, and I thought I'd add a quick tutorial showing how I made them.

all you need is a book page, some glue, and ink if you want to colour them.

tear an "almost" circle out of the paper- no accuracy required



tear into a spiral, starting thin at the edge and increasing thickness as shown


Start rolling tightly from the outside edge, keeping the inside edges aligned.


leave to rest so it unfurls a little
add a blob of glue to centre of spiral and press rest of flower onto it.
you know have a rose..... but.....
I find these to dimensional to use on anything, so the next stage is to squish between finger and thumb
to give a more open tatty rose



you can now ink these as desired, I used the appropriately names "tattered rose"

to give a finished flower. Voila! quick, easy and each one is unique!

you could also add a touch of glitter if required.



come back tomorrow to see the piece that I used three of these flowers on

Hidden message, for Happy Daze

Continuing the "try something new" theme for the Happy Daze challenge, I thought that sometimes the easiest way to give something new a try is to copy something you've seen in a magazine.

I'm cheating a little here as I'm copying my own idea from my article in this month's Craft Stamper Magazine, which used Stampotique Stamps available from Happy Daze.

The card is a tent fold card with a gap at the top to hold a strip of card.
I used the wonderful moon girl, as well as Daisy Daisy, hearts Cubed and Each life, all of which are available from Happy Daze.

The instructions are in this month's craft stamper, which you can also get from Happy Daze

less is more: apertures

So, did less is more make this challenge just for me? I'm really into holes on the front of my cards are the moment (especially my one layer cards) I even did an article about this for craft stamper, not so long ago, and it's actually my personal favourite out of all of my articles.

I decided to use the opportunity to whip up my husband's valentine card.

I was given these felt hearts ages ago, and I thought I liked the idea of them being inside the card, but through an aperture.

The aperture was hand drawn and cut. I wasn't thrilled with it, so I decided to draw a line around it, I still didn't like it so I took inspiration from one of the hearts on Jo Capper-Sandon's Hearts Cubed stamp (which I had out as I have used it on a piece I will blog tomorrow), and drew random short lines all over it.

The Love stamp is from a old Vap! set, and is still one of my favourite words sets.

pocket/handbag calendar challenge at stampotique

The Current Challenge at Stampotique is to make a calendar to fit in your purse/calendar. I made mine really simply by printing off a calendar and over stamping it with a butterfly in a light colour which coordinated with the double sided paper. I then protected the whole thing with laminating film so that it might survive the disaster area that is my handbag.

In Stitches

This card I made for my friend's birthday is a perfect fit for this week's challenge at Paper Play Challenges

I simply stamped the name (see D's) onto patterned paper. then pierced it at regular intervals with a needle, then backstitched it.

next time I'm going to do the same but chain stitch it.

less is more week 50: birds

The theme at Less is more is Birds But it's also One Layer week. I've decided to (yet again) mess with my one layer card by cutting an aperture. This time a circular(ish) one. I really don't like cutting circles, they never quite work, so don't look to closely!!

I've stamped the sentiment inside the aperture.

both stamps are by Stampotique.

one layer wednesday: red and pink

I decided that I must use the gorgeous heart stamp that came with the new issue of Craft Stamper for the theme at One Layer Wednesday

To make this card, I first stamped the ribbon in red (versafine crimson red) and masked it and stamped the heart in versacolor old rose.

I was going to leave it like that at first. I liked it, but I find that other people find flat cards a bit dull, so I decided to make it more interesting yet still keeping it one layer by creating a torn aperture. I did this using the cutting/tearing technique I tried a few days ago. to do this just cut the edges of the shape and tear!

Stampotique meets gingersnap creations : ribbon challenge

two of my favourites combine this month as Stampotique Originals are sponsoring the challenges at Gingersnap creations. The overall theme at Gingersnap creations this month is using up scraps, and this weeks new theme is ribbons...

sooo taking all that into consideration (and the fact that I needed a new baby card for a friend) this is what I came up with.

The stamp is Strolling by Stampotique, and I have finished with just a scrap of knotted ribbon. The image is of course stamped in brown onto kraft card and coloured with pencils.

trying something new

The challenge theme here at Happy Daze this month is "something new"
I saw this technique on Pinterest recently and knew I had to try it.

It's so quick and easy, yet I think it's really effective. Just stamp, cut some detail with a craft knife and then just tear!

The stamp is from Jo Capper-Sandon's range at Stampotique.

Craft stamper February 2012 - on the cover

Well sort of..

My article is about hidden messages cards, and you can see one of the cards in the middle of the pictures along the bottom.

I have used stamps from Stampotique.

This is the hidden message in the one on the cover.

You'll have to get the magazine to see the other two, and how they were made.

couple of things that I forgot to blog..

I really fell behind with my blogging over the last few weeks, so here's a couple of things to catch up.

first of all my DT entry for the gingersnap white and soft yellows challenge. Made with a swipe of jenni bowlin malted milk ink, die cuts and bubble beads from penny wise arts.

secondly is my piece for the last stampotique challenge, which was shimmer and sparkle, practically everything on this card is sparkly!