{Spotlight Project} Monika Creates 3 Cards Using a Fun Background Technique!

Hi, everyone. Hope you all had a lovely Christmas. This is a quick post from me today as a result of some playtime before the festive season where I played with my small ColorBox pigment inks and some stamps. They arrived through the post the week before Christmas, and I couldn't help but playing. Here are the two cards I made using the Distressed Damask Background and the Distressed Floral Swirls plus a couple of stamps to keep you looking forward to the New Year.

{Spotlight Project} Guest Designer Kim Makes A Couple More Christmas Thank You Cards

Hey, everyone! So happy to be here again sharing another Spotlight Project with you all. I have two more Christmas thank you cards to share. This time I'm playing with the Christmas bells stamp. I have had this set for a while but hadn't inked up the bells until now. I wanted to show you how just by changing the colour scheme you can make two cards with the exact same design look so different.

{Spotlight Project} Maria Explores Loo Rolls and Masterboards

Meet the loo roll. My teamie Shirley enlightened me that that is what spray-ink-goddess-Dyan-Reaveley would call the common toilet paper roll. Ever decorate a tree in someone's front yard with 'em? Or was that just a Michigan thing? I digress.

Actually, this all came about because of the pattern that I noticed on the TP. See the leaves?

I had wanted to make a mixed media card and decided to play with my Dylusions spray inks and see if I could get that TP design to show up on my background when I "rolled" the loo roll over the puddles of ink. (You can watch the spray-ink-goddess herself in action in this video). The design didn't show up. But that's OK, cuz the process was oh-so-fun and the result looks oh-so-cool anyhow!

{Preview} January Sneak Peek + Introducing ARTplorations!

We're excited to share the new products coming to the shop in 2015.

For one, we're introducing a new product line to complement our stamps: ARTplorations stencils!

The January 2015 release will include 8 super-fun stencils. Check them out!

{After Christmas Sale} & Another Round of Inspiration Projects

We're bringing back the free shipping on any order (no minimum!), as we've received several requests for it from those who missed out on the Black Friday Sale we did last month.

So from now until Wednesday, December 31, all orders ship for free anywhere in the world! No minimum order amount -- buy 1 or 3 or 5 stamp sets...shipping is free!

Use coupon code SHIP4FREE on checkout.

And if you're a stamp club subscriber, use your personal coupon code to get 15% off on all products in the shop. Our shopping cart accepts multiple coupons :o)

Visit the shop

And this post wouldn't be complete without our usual dose of inspiration from the STAMPlorations girls!

Deepti

Maria

Later today, we'll reveal the new product we're introducing to the shop in 2015. If you're a stamp club subscriber, your package will include $10 worth of this new product the next time your subscription renews in 2015 at no additional cost to you!

We're also giving a sneak peek of the stamp sets that are coming to the shop in January and sharing a few projects featuring a couple of the sets. Fun stamping times ahead!

Hope you're all enjoying the holidays!

Merry Christmas from STAMPlorations!

From all of us at STAMPlorations, we wish you a love-filled, joyful, and merry Christmas and bright year ahead. We hope you have a wonderful time this season with your loved ones. Thank you so much for your support this year, and we hope you'll continue to support us next year. We thank you for inspiring us too whenever you share your projects with us here on the blog. The new year promises many great things ahead. We are looking forward to sharing more inspiration projects, as well as providing more ways for you to share your creativity with us.

Stamp Club Inspiration Roundup

So how's your Christmas shopping going? Are you all ready for Christmas? If you're like the STAMPlorations girls, you're crafting through the holidays! Check out these non-holiday cards we made :o)

        
  

Christmas Inspiration Roundup

Hey there, creative stampers! Christmas is only 3 days away, but if you're still trying to get a few more Christmas cards done, we've got inspiration projects for you from the STAMPlorations girls!

                    

{Christmas Sale} STAMPlorations Gift Certificates are the Perfect Last-Minute Gifts!

If you're still looking for the perfect gift for the paper crafter(s) in your life or for yourself, we've got an awesome Christmas sale for you!

From today until December 24, all gift certificate orders get an extra 20%!

Buy a $5 GC and its value becomes $6*

Buy a $10 GC and its value becomes $12*

Buy a $15 GC and its value becomes $18*

Buy a $25 GC and its value becomes $30*

Buy a $35 GC and its value becomes $42*

Buy a $50 GC and its value becomes $60*

ORDER A GIFT CERTIFICATE

*We'll adjust the GC value manually within 24 hours before emailing the GC code to your recipient. If you are buying the GC for yourself, we'll let you know too when the extra 20% has been added to your GC code.

Holiday Coffee Lovers Blog Hop Blog Candy Winners + Deadline for STAMPlorations Challenge DT Applications

Time to announce the winners of the blog candy we offered to the Holiday Coffee Lovers Blog Hop! Thank you so much to everyone who commented and joined us in the hop hosted by Amy Tsuruta! There were over 100 lovely ladies who shared their favorite holiday drinks on our post :o)

Two winners of a $10 gift certificate each to the STAMPlorations shop:

Renee' Morris-Dezember (blog comment)

Carol Dunham (Facebook comment)

*****

Winner of the Vignette: Eat Drink Be Merry stamp set:

Janis (Pinterest board)

Congratulations, ladies! I'll be contacting you shortly with information on claiming your prize. You can also email me at sheryruss@gmail.com.

Also, here's a reminder that the deadline to send in your application to the STAMPlorations Challenge Design Team is tomorrow, December 21, at 11:55 pm PST (GMT -800). 

We're gearing up for some exciting and big changes in the new year, and if you'd like to be part of STAMPlorations, we've got a few openings in the STAMPlorations Challenge Design Team. We're a nice and friendly bunch! Details on how to apply are here.

Hope you're all having a great weekend!

{Spotlight Project} Monika Shares Last-Minute Stocking Fillers!

Hi, everyone! Today I'm focusing on some last-minute gifts to brighten up everyone's day. I used stamps from Sugar Rush, our current stamp club set, for a non-calorific daily pick-me-up.

The colours from the paper I used have a slight retro feel about them, similar to the 'Sunday, Sunday' song I kept hearing in my mind when I was working on these :) You should be able to get the little calendar tabs in any stationary shop, I found mine in a pound shop; here's me hoping that there will be something similar where you live, like a dollar or euro shop.

{Spotlight Project} Shirley's Loving the Calories!

I've got a non-Christmas card for you today featuring the latest stamp club set, Sugar Rush. So far, I've used the ice cream sundae and this waffle-cone sundae, and I can't wait to get my hands on the doughnuts and macarons! It's true, I've never met a calorie I didn't like, even when they're virtual calories :)

{Spotlight Project} Guest Designer Kim Creates a Post-Holiday Thank You Card Using the Old School Paper Tole Technique!

Hello again, STAMPlorations friends! Wasn't yesterday's spotlight project brought to us by guest designer Becca Cruger awesome? 

We're back today with one of two spotlight projects by another talented cardmaker: Kim Makortoff of Art Keeps Me Sane. (She'll be back with her second spotlight project on December 29.) It's a pleasure to have Kim sharing her talents with us today. Please stop by her blog afterwards to give her some love!

Hi there! My name is Kim Makortoff and I live in New Brunswick, Canada with my husband and son. I'm a SAHM at the moment and spending time in my craft room is my way of getting away from it all :-) That's how the name of my blog, Art Keeps Me Sane, came about. Arts and crafts have always been my go-to method of relaxing. If left to my own devices, I'd probably go into my craft room and never come out! I lived and breathed art for four wonderful years getting my Fine Arts degree where I specialized in painting.About 15 years ago, I was sucked into the card-making world and have never looked backed. I've been lucky and honored to win some great challenges and be published in a paper crafting magazine. I'm so honored and happy to have been invited by STAMPlorations to be a guest for their spotlight segment. Thank you, STAMPlorations!  :-)

And here's Kim's spotlight project. Enjoy and be inspired!

Hey everyone! I'm sure excited to be here as a guest designer at STAMPlorations for my very own Spotlight Project. I was very honoured when Shery asked me. The task was to create a Christmas/Holiday thank you card. So, with this in mind, I have a tutorial that shows you how to incorporate old school paper tole in your cards. If you're not familiar with that term, paper tole is the art of making three dimensional pictures from flat prints. Stamps lend themselves well to this old-fashioned technique.

{Spotlight Project} Guest Designer Becca Creates Thank You Cards Using the Stamping with Sweetened Condensed Milk Technique!

Hello, STAMPlorations friends! Today and tomorrow, we're all in for a treat, as we've got two super-creative crafters guest designing and sharing their spotlight projects! 

First up is Becca Cruger of Damsel of Distressed Cards sharing a fun technique! We're so excited to have her on the blog today! Let us know what you think of Becca's project and then make sure to stop by her blog to leave her some love!

Although I've been crafting ever since I discovered how to attach glitter to paper, I just recently started blogging (in October). The amazing, supportive crafty community I've found on the web has been beyond inspiring! STAMPlorations was one of the first card making challenges I ever participated in, and I fell in love with the sketchy designs that lend themselves to all sorts of stamping aesthetics. My cards are very eclectic - I love all things vintage and distressed, but also find beauty in the simplicity of clean lines and smile when I come across a great pun. No matter what aesthetic I feel like working in, almost all of my designs will be saturated in color or filled with texture. 

And here's Becca's spotlight project! Enjoy and be inspired!

Ahhhh.... it's that time of year again. The Christmas cards have all been created, addressed in your finest print, and stuffed into matching envelopes. Now it's time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the holiday season. But what to do with all of that extra free crafty time now that you're not stamping furiously to make that one last card for Great Aunt Edna?

Thank you cards! I don't know about you, but my holiday season is filled with family get-togethers, present unwrapping, and cookie bakes. I have a lot to be thankful for, and I wanted to get a jump-start on the cards I know I'll be itching to give to thank all of the people involved in creating my Christmas spirit.

This weekend, I sat down to create a set of cards using the Sentiment Builders: Thank You set. I love the sentiment builders because there are so many different sayings you can create with one set! It's one of the (many) reasons I fell in love with STAMPlorations.

I decided to use an old technique my grandmother taught to me: stamping with sweetened condensed milk. It sounds messy (and it is!), but it creates this aged textural feel that will leave people wondering just what the heck is on your card - in a good way.

{Spotlight Project} Cornelia Gets Ready for the New Year!

Hi, Cornelia here with a New Year's card - a change from Christmas!
I had enough of Christmas cards and the New Year is certainly a card-worthy event, so why not prepare for it in time?

I used VIGNETTE: Eat Drink Be Merry, SENTIMENT BUILDERS: Happy, and Sentiment Builders: Christmas & New Year to make this card.

{Spotlight Project} Deepti Plays with Patterned Papers and Sugar Rush!

{Looking for the Holiday Coffee Lovers Blog Hop post? Click here! There are prizes!}

Hello, friends! Deepti here and welcome to my 7th spotlight feature. The new stamp club set, Sugar Rush, has got on me and I couldn't help but create a trendy card with it.

So here's a look at the finished card. The idea is to keep the color scheme simple and use patterned paper for this trendy set.

{Spotlight Project} Shirley Finds A Use for Offcuts!

{Looking for the Holiday Coffee Lovers Blog Hop post? Click here! There are prizes!}

Remember this card?

Well, this is what was left over from cutting the baubles (I know I could have grouped the circles closer together, but I specifically wanted those areas for the baubles):

{Spotlight Project} Nonni Creates A Sweet Print Dress Card!

{Looking for the Holiday Coffee Lovers Blog Hop post? Click here! There are prizes!}

Hi guys! It's Nonni here having inky, girly fun :)

Before going to the details of my card, I want to thank everyone for leaving such encouraging comments on my Spotlight Project posts. I've truly enjoyed reading them all. This will be my last Spotlight Project for now but that doesn't mean I'm leaving STAMPlorations. I'm just concentrating on my DT cards for challenges from now on. A big thank you to you all and I hope to see you all playing along in the challenges with me! 

I used these STAMPlorations sets to make this card: Typografia: Encouragement, Distressed Floral Swirls, and Trendy Butterflies.