Let's brighten things up!

Wow, we had a bumper bunch of floral entries for last month's challenge at Stamping Sensations! It was a real delight to view them all. Hopefully we will have a similarly copious crop for our June challenge, the theme for which is

* * * * * MAKE IT COLOURFUL * * * * *

This should be a nice, easy challenge! We want to see lots of colour in your projects. However, please remember our challenge rules. We are a stamping challenge, so the main element of your design must be stamped, and must reflect the theme. (We prefer hand stamping, but hand coloured digital images are acceptable). Your entry should contain a link to Stamping Sensations Challenge. The full list of rules can be found here. Sadly we had to discount several entries last month which did not adhere to our rules, such a shame as it meant they were not eligible for our prizes or top 3 spots.

This month we have a return visit from our wonderful sponsors Visible Image, who have generously offered a fab voucher for our lucky winner to spend in their online shop. They have the most amazing stamps and stencils, so please do check that your entry qualifies to be in with a chance of winning.

All stamps and stencils on my card are by Visible Image.

I began the design with only the vaguest of ideas as to how it would proceed. First I stamped the flower, stem, butterflies and sentiments and embossed them with clear embossing powder. During my most recent craft room tidy up I rediscovered my Twinkling H2Os. Couldn't remember the last time I used them. I had forgotten how bright and pretty they are! I decided they would be perfect for colouring the elements of my design. Unfortunately their beautiful sheen doesn't really show up in the photo. 

It turned into a bit of a back to front card, as I did the background last! With the embossing protecting the main elements, I was able to paint the background with Brushos, which I then overstamped (the yellow dots) and stencilled (the purple blobs along the bottom, which are part of the Butterfly Ink stencil). Finally I sponged pigment ink around the edges to pull it all together. The finished card is nothing like I had originally envisaged, but I quite like it, and it is certainly colourful!

Another Favourite Stamp

Here's another sample for this month's Stamping Sensations Challenge, where the theme is "Favourite Stamps. We've had some superb entries so far, and there's still plenty of time to enter and be in with a chance of winning a fabulous prize from our January sponsor Tattered Lace. Full details, including our challenge rules, are on the challenge blog.

 I think I like this Aall & Create stamp (#206 Hexagon Stem), again by Tracy Evans, even more than the one in my previous post.

I made another background on a gel plate, this time the 5" x 3" one, which I attached to an acrylic mount so I could use it like a stamp. I brayered distress oxide inks on to the plate, flicked some Brushos on to it with a fan brush, sponged some ink through an AAll & Create stencil (#39 Lotza Dotz) to add a bit of texture and then pressed it down on to a piece of Cass Art hot press watercolour paper, which is very smooth and excellent for stamping on.

The stamp is quite large and needed an A5 size base card to accommodate it. I stamped it over my background and lightly flicked some more Brushos over the whole piece. I then stamped the stamp a second time on a separate piece of the watercolour paper. I coloured the flower head and several of the hexagons with my favourite Arteza Watercolour Pencils, cut them out and decoupaged them over the main image with foam pads. Having tied a strip of raffia down one side, I matted it with a thin purple border on to the base card. The sentiment, by the way, is part of the stamp.

The Aall & Create range is quite different from the styles I usually go for, but I think it's good to step outside the comfort zone now and then. It makes one think in different ways and stops boredom creeping in. I'm really enjoying working with these stamps and stencils.

New Favourite Stamps For The New Year!

Happy New Year, everyone, and happy new challenge at Stamping Sensations! For our first challenge of 2020, we would like you to showcase your

* * * * * FAVOURITE STAMPS * * * * *

For this challenge, your favourite stamp should be the main element of your design, and must also follow our challenge rules, which can be found HERE, if you want it to be eligible for our prize or top 3 place. Our sponsor this month is Tattered Lace, and there will be a fab prize for the winner. Full details on the Challenge Blog. 

Now, I thought this would be an easy challenge! But trying to single out a favourite from all my thousands of stamps (I've been collecting them for over 30 years!) proved well-nigh impossible! So I decided I would have to choose one from my latest favourite stamp range, which is Aall & Create, and in particular the stamps designed for them by Tracy Evans.

I've used one of Tracy's most recent designs, the gorgeous teasel from set #240, for my card.

The circular part of the background was made with distress oxide inks, brushos and an Aall & Create stencil (#61) on my round gel plate. The corners were sponged with ink and some detail added with another A&C stencil (#27). The leaves and flower head were lightly coloured with Arteza coloured pencils. The sentiment is from Aall & create set #213.

As usual, there's plenty of inspiration for you over on the Stamping Sensations Challenge Blog. It's really interesting to see the variety of stamps which the DT have chosen as their favourites. We look forward to seeing yours!

Blue, Purple, Turquoise

It's hard to believe, but already we are halfway through our 2019 challenges at Stamping Sensations! This year is flying by! We've had some great themes so far, and loads of wonderful entries, and there are plenty more to come.

For June we would like you to

* * * * * SHOW YOUR TRUE COLOURS * * * * *

By, that, we mean use your favourite colours in your project! This is a nice and easy theme, and one you probably shouldn't have to think too hard about. However, please do remember that your entry/entries must still follow our challenge rules, which you can read here on the challenge blog. 

We are delighted to welcome back Visible Image as our fab sponsor this month. They are offering a super £25 voucher for the very lucky winner to spend in their online shop. I'm a big fan of their amazing stamps, several of which I have used for my card.

My favourite colours have always been those at the cool end of the spectrum - blues, purples, turquoises, and greens. Shades of the sky and the sea, and of the earth and the trees. Calming and soothing hues. I think one of the reasons I feel so much more relaxed living in this beautiful rural area than in the city which was our previous home is that I look out every day over rolling green fields, majestic trees and distant hills, with stunning big skies overhead, although the latter are looking pretty grey at this moment!

My card reflects those heavenly colours. The circle background was done on a gel plate, with Distress Oxide inks, then I used a fan brush to flick some diluted Brushos over the whole square. I stamped elements from Visible Image's "Creative Chaos", "Wings of Change" and "Random Art of Kindness" sets, using Versafine Clair ink, and coloured them with Arteza coloured pencils (my new favourite art medium!). I sponged the edges of the picture with pigment ink to define them before matting it onto a background made with alcohol inks. No, I hadn't intended seeing how many different media I could use on one card, that's just how it turned out!

Occasionally I like to challenge myself and tiptoe outside my comfort zone with a different colour scheme, but I did so enjoy creating this card! I can tell by my teamies' beautiful samples that they also enjoyed indulging themselves, and I'm sure you won't be disappointed if you nip over to the Challenge Blog and have a look at them. I am looking forward to a rainbow of entries!

I Spy With My Little Eye......

And I hope lots of you will join in the game too, as our September challenge theme at Stamping Sensations is 

* * * * * SOMETHING BEGINNING WITH "B" * * * * *

Your project may contain as many elements beginning with "B" as you wish, but one of them should be the main feature of your design, which must be stamped, to comply with our challenge rules. We don't want to have to look too hard to find them!

We are sponsored this month by the wonderful Bee Crafty, (details on the challenge blog) and I've used some of their beautiful stamps for my card, on which you'll spot Butterflies, Brushos and Blue!

All stamps are by Bee Crafty, except for the sentiment, which is from Prickley Pear.

Remember, you can enter up to three projects for the challenge, and they don't have to be cards, as long as the main element is stamped and fits the theme. Should you need any inspiration, my very talented teamies have plenty for you on the Challenge Blog, and they would be delighted if you were able to visit their individual blogs too. I can't wait to see this month's entries - wonder how many "B"s I will be able to spy!