music card for Happy Daze

To fit with the "march to your own tune" theme this month at the Happy Daze challenge, I have made this easy music themed card using Scrolls Work Stamps. Scrolls Work Stamps are not trading anymore, but Happy Daze still have a limited amount in stock.

for this card I used Sheet Music and Knapp music Chart.

To make the card I masked off a strip of the card and inked with various brown distress inks and overstamped with the sheet music stamp. I then stamped the knapp music chart with sepia versafine ink. I embossed two lines down the sides of the strip to make it stand out more,

to make the embellishment, I stamped the sheet music stamp onto white thin card. I ripped it into strips, and inked with distress inks, rolled it up and glued the rolls. I tied a ribbon around them added a charm (these are similar to what I used)and then glued to the card. I have left it sentiment free, but a sentiment could be added for any occasion for a music lover.

I am also entering this for the Less Is More "neutrals" challenge

By The Seaside for Happy Daze

I made this piece for this month's challenge theme beside the seaside.
I've made a really simple piece using starfish and words by Jo Capper-Sandon for Stampotique, and mesh from Scrolls Work.

I finished it with a scrap of blue vellum, a scrap of sandpaper and a few dots of liquid pearls

I am also entering this for The St Luke's Charity challenge (Oh I do like to be beside the seaside) and a last minute entry to the Kraft Journal's anything goes challenge.

Happy Daze Dollies Challenge

I made this card both for the Dolly challenge at Happy Daze's Facebook Challenge, and it was also one of my samples for Happy Stampers.
I used a crafters workshop stencil, as well as stamps from Scrolls Work, tabitha and netting

Scrolls Work Stamps is now in it's 50% off part of the closing down sale, so there are some real bargains to be had

LIM : Part 3..

I've become thoroughly obsessed with finding images I can use in the top right hand corner of cards thanks to the LIM Challenge. (this one has actually gone a bit over the space that's allowed, but I won't tell if your don't)
This time I've gone a bit steampunk.

These stamps are from the new Scrolls work plate, Scrolls work are in the middle of a going out of business sale, so all their stamps are 40% off at the moment. I'm not sure if the stamps are still available individually or if they have already sold out.
This really couldn't be an easier card. Words stamped in black, and then the image stamped with a second impression with grey ink. and that's it. maybe I should add more to it...

scene stamping at gingersnaps

This week's new theme at Gingersnaps is scene stamping. I decided to make a miniature scene on my one layer card, by masking of a square with post it notes which I had torn along the sticky edge. I stamped the grass and sky with green and blues, and then I inked over all of the area using pumice stone distress ink (I used this colour and this technique a lot at port sunlight)
I then over stamped whte quote and swallows

All of the stamps are from Scrollswork. The closing down sale has now started to stocks of favourite stamps will drop quickly, so if there's something you have your eye on, don't leave it!!

Happy Stampers Sneak Peeks

As I've mentioned (several times) I am going to be demonstrating at the Happy Stampers Show this weekend at port sunlight.
I plan to demo my floating front cards (as seen in craft stamper magazine), using scrolls work stamps, for Happy Daze (stand 32). I shall be demoing when Jo Capper-Sandon takes a break.
here's a few examples of the kind of thing I'm thinking of doing.

sugar and spice

Well I've managed to get back into my tidy craft room, well it was tidy until I started making something. The base of this card is made from a handmade card pack that has been in my drawer for ages, so it was USE IT OR THROW IT!!
This card is made using Scrolls Work Stamps.

Don't forget that Scrolls Work Stamps will soon be starting their closing down sale, so if there's a stamp you particularly want you shouldn't wait....

The girl stamp is also available from Happy Daze

little cowboy

This week's new theme at Gingersnap creations is cowboys. I used this cute stamp from Scrolls Work Stamps. A really simple card.

*Sigh* Scrolls Work is Going out of Business

Scrolls Work Stamps

is going out of business

It is with a sad and heavy heart that Scrolls Work is announcing our going out of business sale.

We gave it a strong go with a lot of hard work, and our love of stamps. Unfortunately with the economy and the soon to be addition to the family we are having to close our doors.

The good new for you.... Our Going Out of Business Sale.

• Once the sale starts it is first come first serve. So once we are out of stock on a stamp it will no longer be available. Make sure you buy them ASAP!!

Sale Dates:

• It starts May 15th with a 40% discount.
• June 1st it will go to a 50% discount
• June 15th starts the 60% discount.
• July 1st ends with a 70% discount.
• July 15th we are closing the site.

gingersnap red and gold

I know I said when I did the Gingersnap mists challenge that I don't really do oriental. But this week the gingersnap challenge is red and gold, so I thought I would go for it, as I do have some oriental gems of stamps hidden in my collection. One of my favoutite of which is the floral poet(#6532) stamp on this card. I love the way it looks like oriental writing but is actually just drawings of flowers
The oriental lady is Sorana (#4059)


The base is crumpled card inked with distress ink and then wet with glitz spritz spray. I ironed this to dry it and flatten it a bit. I then ran a versamark pad lightly over the surface and used gold embossing powder.
I finished with a long knot which is glued in place. because of this I am entering it for created by hand's ribbon theme


both stamps are available from Scrolls Work stamps

less is more- off centre

An easy-peasy challenge this week at less is more, all you have to do is make something "off centre". However, that's almost too easy..... where to start?? Well it's such a gorgeous spring day today that I felt that I just had to start with this lovely quote. Then I decided to add some leaves... but then a strange thing happened, I had an urge to revisit a technique that I haven't done for ages...chalking... mostly because I just didn't have the right shade of green ink to stamp the leaves, lol. I stamped the leaves in versamark ink and used three shades of green chalk applied with a cotton wool ball. I finished with some spring flower soft.


All of the stamps are available from Scrolls work stamps
The quote (springtime #1607)
the leaves (vine #45305)

OLW green, pink and never been inked

The challenge at One Layer Wednesday is to use green and pink and a stamp you heven't used yet.
I actually have a scary amount of stamps that I haven't used yet. Including lots of the new Children Stamps from Scrolls Work.
Both the sentiment and the image are from Scrolls Work and may also be available from Happy Daze in the UK.

it's hard to see on the photos, but there is a some glitter spray across the bottom of the card (to represent water)

And I'm also delighted to announce that I have been invited to join the permanent DT of Scrolls Work. I've been a massive fan of Scrolls Work (and previously Inka) for so long so this is such an honour.

yooohoooo I'm back!!

a whole week without blogging, that doesn't happen often... well, I have been away on holiday to lovely Somerset.
So first thing I need to do is check in with some of my favourite challenges and see what I can combine.

aha, wednesday stampers "cake" and Less is more "one layer card with sentiment as the focus"
I chose the smallest cupcake I could find, so that the sentiment stayed the focus on the card, but it did need the cupcake.
The sentiment is off the Children Plate from Scrolls work (expect to see a lot more of that plate...) and the cupcake is a free papermania one that came with the docrafts mag a while back. The embossing is a papermania embossing folder. I've coloured the cake with pencils and highlighted with stickles

I actually thought this would be a good card for a little girl's first birthday

gild your doodles: a tutorial for gingersnap

on the gingersnap creations blog today I have a tutorial for using gilding flakes on your doodling using a quickie glue pen.
I hope you enjoy it.
stamps are by scrolls work, also available at Happy Daze.

April Craft Stamper is out today

I have an article this month called Floating Fronts. it's just a little idea I had to make 3D cards which go flat in an envelope (I like it when things go flat in envelopes, it's just one of those things..)

All of the instructions are in the magazine, and they must make some sense as Netty has already made one!

The stamps I used are by Scrolls Work and Stampotique and they are all available from Happy Daze in the UK.

I can fly

I have made this for two purposes.
1) Scrolls Work stamps are currently running a competition on facebook where you can win $50 worth of stamps. you have to upload a card made only with Scrolls Work stamps to their wall today and tomorrow and then the cards will be voted on.
2 ) Wednesday Stamper has a "I can Fly" theme

I hadn't used Erica for a while and she's still my favourite, so I decided it was time she came out to play. The wings and words are also from Scrolls Work. And I have used my "paper sculpture" technique again

I am also going to enter this into less is more's spring theme, butterfly wings and blossom, very spring and lots of white space to satisfy the less is more principle.

chocolate heart card

My book group meets on the second Monday of each month and of course that means that it falls on valentine's day this month. We considered moving it, but then decided that really we might as well be with friends than forcing our husbands to treat us to overpriced meals full of loved up youngies.
I decided though that I wanted to mark the date with a little valentine something for the members of the group. I found these little chocolate hearts, and then decided to make them into cards. I used a book page for the heart, and used this fabulous Mark Twain quote, which could have been made for book groups! both the floral heart and quote are from Scrolls Work Stamps.


These cards were so quick to make, I'm thinking they would make the coolest wedding invitations.

I decided not to put these cards in envelopes, as they are so bulky, but make little brown paper bags


After they were all finished I closed the bags with a presonalised embellishment stapled to the bag

This fits many challenges this week, including
Papertake weekly - have a heart
Crazy Amigo - valentine
Created by hand - queen of hearts (As I'm "in charge" of the reading group lol)
wednesday Stamper - expressions of love
theme thursday - words


it also fits the stampotique challenge, so don't forget to check that out, you could win $30 of stamps!! I haven't shown my piece for this yet as the stampotique team is so big at the moment, the designers' pieces are being staggered on the blog, so keep checking back for inspiration.

One layer wednesday : 2 for the show

I love the challenge at one layer wedneday this week. You have to use 2 image stamps, just 2 stamps, no more, no less. No embellishments. The only things you are allowed to do are colour images with markers, and heat embossing.

I chose to use two Scrolls Work images. I used Emma in a recent collage article in craft stamper, and I think she's lovely.

I stamped the music stamp in grey ink and the Emma in black. I coloured her bow with whispers marker, and then sprinkled a little cranberry embossing powder loosely on the image and heated from the back.
Both of these ScrollsWork stamps are available directly from ScrollsWork or from Happy Daze in the UK


.... and not a hippopotamus in sight (you'd have to have come from the OLW challenge to get that!)

barely there

This week's challenge at One Layer Wednesday is "barely there" and the challenge is to use a bare tree.
Unbelievably I actually have very few bare tree stamps. This one is a paperbag studio one that I've had for ages! The quote is from Scrolls Work. I stamped the tree in cosmic copper brilliance ink and the quote in versafine black. I then shaded the corners of the quote box, which seems to somehow lift it off the card, don't ask me to explain how!

February Craft Stamper sneak peek

I haven't actually seen the new craft stamper yet, but it's out today and I have an article in it. Just a short one about "clean collage" i.e collage with lots of white space. Think of it as collage for beginners!!
I've used stamps from Crafty Individuals, scrolls work and Stampotique (the scrolls work and stampotique stamps are available from Happy Daze). The picture shows a small sample of each of these.

unfortunately in the magazine there obviously wasn't quite enough room to print the introduction I had written, so I will add it here for anyone who is interested

Collage is a very popular art form, but can be a bit intimidating to inexperienced crafters. The thought of covering a whole card and still making sure it all looks good together can be a bit daunting.

I like white space on my cards, so I decided to play with collage in a more controlled form. One of the joys of collage is being able to use anything on your work. If you can glue it, you can use it. As most crafters are also hoarders you will find all sorts of bits and bobs to use alongside your stamped images and papers.