{Spotlight Project} Shirley's Seeing Things

Hi folks, here's a quick and fun card I made when I started seeing things in the Mixed Media Grunge set.

See that 'bullseye' image next to the chevrons? Don't you think it looks like an eye? And the double-chevron image next to it - how about a beak? Invert it and you've got some feet. And here's what happened:

A quick burst of Dylusions Lemon Zest for a body, a couple of eyes, a beak, a couple of feet, two legs drawn with a Posca pen, and you've got a (scary?) little chick! The dotty grunge stamp is one of my favourite stamps for grounding images, so I stamped that in grey at the bottom. The HB2U stamp comes from the Vignette: Celebrate Artsy set. I stamped the barcode strip around the edges of my card base, then mounted the stamped panel onto the base.

Fancy having a go yourself? How about making a furry monster card using the same stamps? You could stamp the eyes first, mask them then spritz green or purple ink (do monsters come in other colours?) then add some arms and feet. And then you could enter it into our Spotlight Projects Showcase, a never-ending gallery, where you could be in with a chance of winning a gift certificate or a guest design spot.

{Preview} ARTSY BORDERS + Sample Inspiration Projects

Hey, STAMPlorations friends! Today I'm excited to give a preview of the new stamps coming to the shop beginning April 8. They're called Artsy Borders. Monika and I (Shery) are sharing a few projects we made using these stamps. Well, it's actually a lot -- we got a little carried away, as you'll see, especially Monika ;o)

I came up with these artsy border stamps out of a need: I love masking, but I wanted a way to quickly create something (especially when I don't have a lot of time to spare) where I wouldn't need to do a lot of masking and still get that artsy collage look. I played around with some images, starting with ones that were already stamps, and used them to create border stamps. And you all know me...I love grunge, artsy, distressed backgrounds and all that, so I added in some newsprint, sheet music, the works...and we've got four to start off this fun line of stamps:

{Inspiration Project Post #68}

If you love CASEing, there is still time to enter March's CASEplorations challenge here.

Happy Tuesday! We're here today with another round of projects from the Inspiration team. Have a look and leave a comment for your entry to win a $10 gift certificate.

  

 

Winners - Spring Coffee Lovers Blog Hop + Special Stamp Release Mini Hop

  

Thanks a bunches to everyone who left comments on our Spring Coffee Lovers Blog Hop and Special Stamp Release post! Mr. Random.org has picked the 3 lucky winners:

Winner of the $10 gift certificate to the shop:

Lisa

Winner of the Bunnies 'N Beans stamp set:

Lucy

Winner of the Always Tea Time stamp set:

Bunny

Congratulations, ladies! Please claim your prize by Tuesday, April 5.  Send an e-mail to sheryruss@gmail.com with the subject, "Spring Coffee Lovers Blog Hop & Special Stamp Release Winner".

Stencil Sunday #39

Hey there, fellow creatives! We've got a new edition of Stencil Sunday,  a weekly feature brought to you by the STAMPlorations girls in the Mixed Media design team. Every Sunday, they share their mixed media projects showcasing ARTplorations stencils and STAMPlorations stamps. Today, Kim, Lee-Anne, and Asmah are sharing their mixed media projects. You'll find more information about their projects by visiting their blogs -- do check them out!

  

  

{PREVIEW} April/May 2016 Stamp Club Set - BORN TO ROAM

Next week we'll be welcoming April, the start of a new quarter -- how fast the months have flown by! With the new month comes a new stamp club set: BORN TO ROAM.

BORN TO ROAM is a 5" by 7" stamp set featuring 8 images and 9 word art style sentiments. It's a travel-themed set that's perfect for creating not just cards but also ATCs, journal pages, scrapbook layouts, and more.

The images showcase my hand-drawn/sketchy style and the sentiments reflect my love for grunge and typography. This set was a year in the making. Early last year, I had sketched the stack of suitcases and camera and then promptly let them sit in my "working illustrations" folder (which literally has hundreds of sketches waiting for me to finish) because I didn't know exactly what I was going to do with them yet. Then in early January, I took a look at the folder and I began thinking of what set I could create with my camera and suitcases drawings. A travel set came to mind. And so when I had a few hours to myself (meaning, in the wee hours of the morning when my baby was asleep) I did a few more images. There were 3 other drawings that didn't make it into the set because of space :o) 

You'll soon see the STAMPlorations girls feature this set in their spotlight projects. 

BORN TO ROAM will be available to non-stamp club subscribers starting April 8. But right now, it's available to current stamp club subscribers.

Want this stamp set now at a great price with a couple of ARTplorations stencils of your choice and free shipping? Just sign up for the stamp club here. Stamp club subscribers get to enjoy lots of perks :o)

By the way, we are adding a new perk in April -- you'll get a preview of this new perk on Tuesday, March 29. Also the stamp club subscription price will increase on April 15, so if you've been thinking of joining, now's the best time because you'll be locked in at the current price. Plus, we will be introducing a couple of stamp club plans -- these new plans won't have the same perks as the ones we offer in our current premium plan but you can bet that they'll be perfect for budget-conscious crafters.

If you're already a stamp club subscriber, thanks so much for your support! If your subscription is set to renew sometime later this month (or it has already renewed), you can pick Born to Roam instead of the current set, Sketchy Alphabet -- it's up to you!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

PS: The Spring Coffee Lovers Blog Hop ends tonight. Have you linked up a spring-themed coffee (or tea or chocolate) project yet? Lots of prizes to be won, and STAMPlorations is just one of 50 sponsors of this fun hop! Check it out here.

PPS: And we also have our own mini hop going here on the blog with the release of Becca's Bunnies 'N Beans and my Always Tea Time sets. The hop ends today as well and we're going to pick winners of these sets. Read all about it here.

PPPS: And last, today is the last day of our Spring Sale for Coffee Lovers -- where all stamps and stencils in the shop are 15% off (no minimum) when you use the code SPRINGCLBH. If you're a stamp club subscriber, don't forget to use your personal code to get another 15% off. Our shopping cart accepts multiple coupons :o) Just click on the graphic below to start shopping. We have new products added to the shop!

{Spotlight Project} Create Stamped Skies with Deepti

For the Spring Coffee Lovers Blog Hop + Bunnies 'N Beans & Always Tea Time Special Stamp Release, CLICK HERE.

Hello, friends! Deepti here and welcome to another spotlight feature. Today I am sharing a fun and quick way to create sky. I made a card set to showcase different colors of the sky. So, here's a look at the finished card set.

Spring Coffee Lovers Hop + Special Stamp Release Hop + Spring Sale

Hey, STAMPlorations friends! The spring coffee lovers hop is ending on Friday -- have you linked up a spring-themed coffee (or tea or chocolate) project yet? Lots of prizes to be won, and STAMPlorations is just one of 50 sponsors of this fun hop! Check it out here.

Need inspiration? Check out these fabulous makes by the STAMPlorations girls:

    

BECCA | LEE-ANNE | MARIA F.

And we also have our own mini hop going here on the blog with the release of Becca's Bunnies 'N Beans and my Always Tea Time sets. We're going to pick winners of these sets. Read all about it here.

  

And last, there are two more days to our Spring Sale for Coffee Lovers -- where all stamps and stencils in the shop are 15% off (no minimum) when you use the code SPRINGCLBH. If  you're a stamp club subscriber, don't forget to use your personal code to get another 15% off. Our shopping cart accepts multiple coupons :o) Just click on the graphic below to start shopping. We have new products added to the shop!

{Spotlight Project} Maria Ghosts a Distress Marker Watercolor Background

For the Spring Coffee Lovers Blog Hop + Bunnies 'N Beans & Always Tea Time Special Stamp Release, CLICK HERE.

I've another project for you using Sketchy Alphabet today. What I love about this set is that it allows you to personalize your cards. That is actually how I got into this whole cardmaking thang... I'd incorporate a photo of the recipient into my design... something I learned from my Dad years ago... but I digress. So you can personalize your projects with names. Or foreign words. Or ages :)

Meet my personalized birthday card.

But today I actually want to share the ghosted background as I promised back in this post.

{Inspiration Project Post #67}

For the Spring Coffee Lovers Blog Hop + Bunnies 'N Beans & Tea Time Special Stamp Release CLICK HERE.

Happy Tuesday! It's time again for more projects from the Inspiration team. The girls have been busy creating some stunning cards. Have a look and leave a comment for an entry to win a $10 gift certificate.

  

 

 

  

Stencil Sunday #38

For the Spring Coffee Lovers Blog Hop + Bunnies 'N Beans & Always Tea Time Special Stamp Release, CLICK HERE.

Hey there, fellow creatives! We've got a new edition of Stencil Sunday,  a weekly feature brought to you by the STAMPlorations girls in the Mixed Media design team. Every Sunday, they share their mixed media projects showcasing ARTplorations stencils and STAMPlorations stamps. Today,  Tanja and Susanne are sharing their mixed media projects. You'll find more information about their projects by visiting their blogs -- do check them out!

  

STAMPlorations and the Spring Coffee Lovers Blog Hop + Special Stamp Release + Comment to Win!

Heads up, STAMPlorations friends! There's a fun blog hop starting today for those of us who love or enjoy a cup of coffee (or tea or chocolate)! The hop is hosted by Amy Tsuruta and Chaitali Narla.

Amy and Chaitali have invited lots of sponsors for the hop, including STAMPlorations, who are offering tons of fabulous prizes! Play along by creating a spring-themed project featuring coffee, tea and/or cocoa images. Post it on your blog and then link it up at the linky found on the Coffee Loving Cardmakers blog. The linky is open until Friday, March 25. Winners of sponsor prizes will be randomly drawn! (Psst! Keep scrolling for a free digi stamp you can use in your projects!)

Link up your spring-themed coffee, tea, and/or cocoa card(s) here

In line with the hop, we're officially releasing coffee and tea stamp sets by Becca Cruger and Shery Russ (me). Take a look:

  

Here's what the STAMPlorations girls have created:

BECCA

   

CORNELIA

KIM

  

LEE-ANNE

MONIKA


  

SHERY
  

BLOG CANDY ALERT!

Guess what? We will randomly pick THREE coffee- (or tea- or chocolate-) loving crafters to win prizes: one will win Becca's Bunnies 'N Beans stamp set, one will win my Always Tea Time stamp set, and one will win a $10 gift certificate to the shop. Simply leave a comment on this post and on the designers' blogs by 11:59 p.m. Friday, March 25. Easy peasy! We'll announce the winners on Sunday, March 27.

Okay, here's that free digi stamp you can use to create coffee projects to link up to the Spring Coffee Lovers blog hop for even more chances at the sponsor prizes. It's the digi stamp we currently offer on our Never-Ending Anything Goes Challenge page. If you use the image, be sure to link up your project there too because we draw two winners of gift certificates or stamp sets whenever we reach entries in multiples of 50 (we're at 768 entries and counting).

Coffee and Spring Basket
Credits: STAMPlorations/Illustrated by Shery Russ

(Right-click and save the image to your computer.)

And finally, just for the Spring Coffee Lovers hop participants, all orders placed on the STAMPlorations store are 15% off until March 25. (No minimum order.) Use the coupon code SPRINGCLBH on checkout.

Happy hopping!