Fall in for our latest challenge at Stamping Sensations!

I can't say that autumn is my favourite season of the year (mainly because it's followed by winter!) but it does have aspects that I appreciate, including the misty mornings and mellow fruitfulness. Most of all, though, I like the colours. It's quite strange, as normally I prefer the cooler shades: blues, purples and greens. I think it is the combination of the autumn hues which appeals to me. So this month's theme at Stamping Sensations is right up my street, as it is

s qti   AUTUMN COLOURS  i tq s

Naturally you can interpret this in any way you like, as long as we can see some stamping as the main element of your project, along with typical autumn shades of green, yellow, orange, brown and red.

Our fab sponsor for October is Foil Play, who have a massive selection of products for card making and crafts, and they have very generously donated a £35 voucher for the lucky winner to spend in their online shop.

The main image on my card is the gorgeous Year Of Stamping Issue 9 - September stamp from Chocolate Baroque.

 I coloured the poppy pods with pencils (for some reason the colours are much brighter in real life than they appear on the photo) and added just a little colour at the top and bottom behind them to give a bit of depth to the background. I used Promarkers on the butterfly to make it stand out. The large poppy pod stamp is also by Chocolate Baroque and the sentiment is by Inkylicious. Leaves die by Cheery Lynn, and the background paper is from the Autumn Song Collection by Bo Bunny. Real poppy pod tops from my garden.

You'll find plenty of autumn inspiration over on the Stamping Sensations Challenge Blog, and my teamies would love it if you would visit their individual blogs too, where you will find all the details of how they created their beautiful projects. I look forward to seeing yours!

Sew it goes

Wow, what a lot of gorgeous entries we had for our Stamp and Die challenge last month at Stamping Sensations There were some stunning projects and it was certainly hard to choose a winner. However, it's on to September, and this month we'd like to see your creations on a sewing theme, as our topic is

###  SEW SPECIAL   ###

This could include real or faux sewing, sewing related images or embellishments, but it is your choice as to how you interpret the theme. However, please do remember that we are a stamping challenge, so your entry must include a stamped image, sentiment or quote as the focal element of your project, otherwise it will not be eligible for the prize or top 3.

We have not one, but two fabulous prizes this month! The overall winner will receive a fantastic £35 voucher generously donated by Stamp Addicts, our September sponsors, and the second prize will be a ticket for two people to the November Hobbycrafts show at the NEC.

I just happened to have a pad of sewing themed papers, which was a magazine freebie, and I used one of the sheets as the basis of my card.

The stamp is an oldie by Hero Arts (sadly, I think, no longer available). I stamped it with Elderberry Memento ink and just lightly coloured the dresses with pencils. A few buttons, a couple of fabric scraps and a scissor charm to embellish and a sentiment by Rubber Stamp Tapestry completed the picture.

The Design Team once again have come up with some superb samples. You'll find them here on the Stamping Sensations Challenge Blog, and do have a look at them if you are in need of inspiration. I think this will be a very popular topic, and I'm looking forward to seeing lots of entries!

Orange!

It's my turn to make a mid-month sample for Stamping Sensations. The current challenge for the DT mid-month posts is to create a project using our least favourite colour to work with.

My first thought was, of course, that it would have to be pink. I'm certainly not a lover of pink.My favourite colour is blue, followed by purples and greens, cool colours. However, I do use pink now and again in my cards, albeit the softer, dusky shades which, depending on what I'm making and in combination with certain other colours, I actually quite like. It's the hot, bright pinks that I really dislike. However, the colour even less likely to figure in my work is orange. I would use it in small amounts along with greens, reds, yellows and browns for an autumn theme, but not as a main colour, so I decided to go with it for my mid-month sample.


Hmm! Easier said than done! I have very little in the way of orange card or papers in my stash! A search produced a few sheets in shades of coral, peach and apricot in a 6"x 6" multi pack, and an odd A4 sheet in a slightly brighter orange which I used to cover the front of the card.

To fit in with this month's theme of Anything Goes With A Stamp And A Die, I chose a couple of Spellbinder dies, and the gorgeous poppy stamp from Technique Tuesday. I coloured the image with Promarkers and was unable to resist adding a touch of pale turquoise for contrast. In the end I was happy wih the result, in fact I quite liked it, but I don't think I'll be rushing out to buy more orange papers!

We've had lots of lovely entries already for our August Challenge, but there is still plenty of time to enter if you are inspired by this or any of my teamies' beautiful projects on the Challenge Blog, and don't forget that there is the fabulous prize of a £50 voucher from Tattered Lace for the lucky winner! Thanks for looking!

Anything Goes with a twist!

It's time for our August Challenge at Stamping Sensations, and this month we thought we'd leave the theme up to you, but - there's a twist! It's

* * * * * ANYTHING GOES WITH A STAMP AND A DIE * * * * *

Your topic can be anything you choose, but you must use at least one stamp and one die in your project.

Our sponsor this time is Tattered Lace, who have the most beautiful dies designed by Stephanie Weightman. They have generously donated a fantastic £50 voucher for the winner to spend in their Online Store.

I've used a Tattered Lace Owl die on my card (one of a set of two), I believe this set  - Owls -  is exclusive to Hobbycraft. I adhered the owl to brown card and then cut round it by hand.

The background was made with my Gelli Plate and a Crafter's Workshop stencil. The "branch" is by Inky Doodles, All other stamps by Chocolate Baroque, except for the tiny butterfly with the sentiment, which is by Just Rite. The tag die was a freebie from Papercraft Essentials magazine. The "moon" was stamped with white acrylic paint to get a good opaque colour. I gave the owl some twinkly eyes with a couple of stick on gems.

My lovely teamies have some stunning samples for you this month, don't forget to check them out on the Challenge Blog, and I will look forward to seeing all your wonderful stamp and die creations!

Poppy Parade

The poppies in our garden are glorious just now.

Stamping Sensations July Challenge

Another month at Stamping Sensations has flown by! We had some stunning entries for June, but now it's time for a new challenge, in which we would like you to

* * * * * FEATURE A CREATURE * * * * *

Show us your projects featuring a creature (or creatures!) of land, sea or air!

Please do remember that as we are a stamping challenge, your entry must include some stamping if you wish it to be considered for our prize or Top 3 positions. It would be a shame to miss out, as our sponsor this month is once again Little Claire Designs, who have very kindly given us a most generous £35 voucher for the lucky winner to spend on their website.

As soon as I saw our topic for this month, I knew which creatures I would feature! The fabulous owls on Little Claire's Silhouette Owl Tree.

Background papers from my stash were used to create a landscape, over which  the Owl Tree was stamped in Memento ink. It was cut out with a Spellbinders die and the base of the tree design was extended a little to either side to fit the square, using a Memento pen. It was then matted and layered on to the base card, which had first been stamped twice with the Owl Tree, in opposite corners. A suitable sentiment (Woodware), cut out by hand, completed the card.

I love the thought of a treeful of owls, just sitting there, watching, ready for their close up!



However, I'm looking forward to seeing all types of creatures in your entries this month, and of course remember you can enter up to three times with any type of cards or projects. The DT have featured some simply adorable creatures in their samples, so do go over to the Challenge Blog and have a look at them.

I'll leave you with a picture of a recent visitor to our garden, who seemed to be having a very earnest conversation with a hoverfly!

June Challenge at Stamping Sensations

Well, flaming June it certainly isn't up here! We have had a few sunny spells between the showers, but it's so unseasonably cold and windy. However, last month's bumper crop of flowers (well over 200 entries) for our floral challenge at Stamping Sensations certainly brightened things up! I'm confidently expecting this month's theme to be equally popular, as it is

* * * * * DIES AND PUNCHES * * * * *

You can use either just dies, just punches, or a combination of both. And of course, as we are a stamping challenge, we need to see some rubber stamping on your project as well. Making a welcome return visit to sponsor us for June is Tonic Studios, who have given us a full set of their Pretoria Alphabet Dies for the lucky winner! What a fabulous prize!

 

I have used a die (Celtic Circle) and a punch (Celtic Strip), both by Tonic Studios, for my card.

Other supplies used -
Celtic bird stamp: Non Sequitur
Small Celtic circle stamp: unknown
Background text stamp: Judikins
Sentiment: Innovative Stamp Creations
Background paper: Paper Cellar
I used Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink for all the stamping and to ink around the edge of the BP

I'm still on a mission to revisit/use up old stash, and everything on this card is at least a couple of years old, and some things many years! Had another mini clear out of my craftroom the other week, but still don't seem to have any more space on my shelves! As long as I can keep things from encroaching too much on to the floor, though, I'm happy! I think back to my old tiny craft room, where I had to step over boxes to get to my desk, on which there was never more than about a square foot clear to work in, and remember how lucky I am to have so much more lovely space in the new one.

Here's a closer view of the gorgeous Celtic bird stamp. I've always liked it, don't know why I don't use it more often!

Anyway, as ever, there's plenty of inspiration for you over on the Challenge Blog My brilliant teamies would love it if you visited their individual blogs too, and we look forward to seeing what you can do with your dies and punches.

Floral Delights

Our May Challenge at Stamping Sensations has one of my favourite topics! It is

 * * * * * FLOWER POWER * * * * *

We will be looking for entries with flowers being the main element of your design. Spring is my favourite time of year for flowers, with so many beautiful blossoms bursting into new life, but you can show us flowers from any time of year.

I doubt that there are many people who don't like flowers, so I think this will be a popular theme. It also happens that this month's sponsor is one of my favourite stamp companies, Crafty Individuals.

Once again, Jean and Malcolm have generously donated a fantastic £35 voucher for the lucky winner to spend in their online shop, where they have tons of the most gorgeous stamps, papers and accessories to choose from.

For my card I've used one of their beautiful floral stamps CI-422 , along with a background paper from their "Shades Of Summer" book.

I coloured the image with Promarkers, matted it with contrasting borders and added a simple ribbon bow to finish.

I am looking forward very much to seeing lots of lovely floral entries! The Design Team's samples are a flower-filled feast for the eyes, so do go and check them out on the Challenge Blog. I'll leave you with a photo of one of my favourite flowers, primroses, which have been glorious up here this spring, both wild and cultivated, and which are still blooming beautifully in our garden.

Stunning Sunsets

The weather over the past few days has been absolutely gorgeous, producing some incredible sunsets! Driving home from choir practice on a Monday evening I pass one of our local lochs. I noticed on my way by it yesterday that the sun had gone down right behind the hills overlooking the loch, and the colours were reflected in the water. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me, so I decided that if the conditions were similar this evening I would go down there and take some photos.

If anything, it was even more beautiful today!

 

Pink!

April already! A very busy last few weeks of term have meant I've had little time for blogging, or indeed crafting, but the Easter holidays are here at last, and so is our April Challenge at Stamping Sensations. I think our latest theme will be very popular, as it is

* * * * * PRETTY IN PINK * * * * *

Making a welcome return visit as our sponsor this month is PDA Card & Craft,

who are giving the lucky winner a fantastic £40 voucher to spend on their website or in their shop, where you will most definitely be spoilt for choice!

Pink is not one of my preferred colours, even though it does occasionally make an appearance on my cards, albeit in small amounts. However, I wouldn't normally use it as a main colour, so I had to step outside my comfort zone a bit here!

The focal image was created with Card-io Majestix stamps, from the Secret Garden set and Golden Daffodils set, both sets available from PDA here. I lightly sponged a background with pigment inks on a circular diecut while the paper was still in the die, and then stamped the scene with various stamps from the two sets. This was then matted on to a scalloped circle cut from patterned paper. Both it and the background paper were magazine freebies. The sentiments were also freebies (Simply Cards & Papercraft magazine). Plain Circle and Scallop Circle dies are by Spellbinders, Butterfly by Cheery Lynn and Bluebell by Wild Rose Studio.

It may not be my favourite colour, but I am certainly hoping to see lots of lovely pink creations for our challenge! The DT have some gorgeous samples for you over on the Challenge Blog, so do go and have a look at them and while you're there say hello to our two brilliant new teamies, Gerrina and Viv.

Happy Easter everybody!