STAMPlorations inspiration #218

Welcome to another Tuesday inspiration from the STAMPlorations inspiration team. Hope you'll forgive me. Today our theme is Things with Wings. Well. A space shuttle has wings, doesn't it? I guess I'm actually showcasing the line of Typografia stamps available in the store though.

Just so you know, til May 31, products in the Things with Wings section of the store are 15% off  and with my STAMPGIRLMARIA code you can get up to 35% off.   

And also til May 31, products in the Typografia section of the store are 15% off instantly + with my STAMPGIRLMARIA code you can get up to 35% off! There are so many great ones to choose from. Since I needed a graduation card I chose one that always brings a Dr. Seuss induced smile to my face...

 STAMPlorations Oh The Places stamp

 STAMPlorations Wanderlust Hipster Icons stamp

So darn easy. Especially with a stamping tool to ensure good coverage on the solid areas. His school colors are black and orange. Hope he "gets" it ;)

I've used Typografia sentiment stamps in this post too.

You could win yourself a $10 GC to the store by leaving a comment on today's inspiration posts. Check out today's post here. Thanks for looking.

altenew beautiful day

My beautiful DD just celebrated her 21st birthday. I decided to go all out on her birthday card. For me that means... add layers ;)

Inspired by this lovely by Kathleen, I set about to do something similar using a new-to-me Altenew set called Beautiful Day. Keeping the May Inspiration Challenge at Altenew in mind, this is what happened. Everything but the kitchen sink!

Altenew Beautiful Day stamp

STAMPlorations Mixed Media Grunge stamp

Momenta XL Alpha Uppercase die

STAMPlorations Manila Tag die

Altenew and Simon Says Stamp inks

Heidi Swapp black Color Shine

patterned paper, washi, doily, sticker, ribbon

I started with an oversized off-white pearlescent cardbase. And I knew DD likes rose gold. So I took it from there. Die cut the monogram. Added splatters to the cardbase and set it aside to dry. Stamped the peony and leaves and die cut them.  Arranged the pieces and decided to add some stamping to the cardbase to peek out. Took me forever to get it all figured out (layers are not my forte!) but DD liked it. And appreciated it (she's such a good kid!).

Thanks for visiting today. Hope you had a nice holiday weekend.

I'm also playing at:
Happy Little Stampers - May AG with Dies
A2Z Scrapbooking - May Flowers
Cuttlebug Mania - Orange

blossom spray for time out

I'm still lovin'  the latest Time Out Challenge ...

Ahhhh those colors ...

  STAMPlorations Blossom Sprays #2 stamp

STAMPlorations Bloom Happy stamp
Zig Clean Color pens
white embossing powder
old pattern stamp
Tumbled Glass DOX

So, following the textured tiles idea in the photo, I pulled out an ancient multi-squares rubber stamp and inked it up with DOX. Stamped that on my cardbase (this is actually a second-generation impression cuz the first one didn't show enough texture).

Then using my MISTI, I colored up each portion of the flower spray stamp with Zigs and stamped it. I added some more color to the images with the Zigs and spread it out with a waterbrush and then added a bit of yellow BG behind the blooms.

The heat embossed sentiment on a yellow die cut circle completed my design. Kinda reminds me of the sun ;)

Thanks for looking. Hope you're having a nice Memorial Day weekend.

I'm also playing at:

SSS Wednesday Challenge - Bright Colors

simon says stamp - parental props time out

Back with another make from the latest SSS release, Celebrate You. I received a fun stamp set from CZ Design to play with, Parental Props.

I'm still lovin' those dots, and I happened to see the latest Time Out Challenge and fall in love...

  SSS Parental Props stamp

SSS Cottage Stems die
SSS You die

Altenew watercolors

Decided to give a nod to the lovely blue tiles by painting watercolor onto the dot stamp and creating a border. Love the nuances. And those bright flowers? Be still my heart. Somehow just what I needed this time of year. So I watercolored the die cut.

The subtle die cut "you" on the front supports the simple but powerful sentiment on the inside. 

Although this set is intended for Mother's and Father's Day, it is really very versatile.Check out the release if you haven't, and all the makes with it in the gallery at Simon Says Stamp. Thanks mucho, Simon.

I'm also playing at:

SSS Wednesday Challenge - Bright Colors

CAS on Sunday - Polka Dots (I couldn't resist though this might not really be CAS)
AAA Cards - One Third

simon says stamp - parental props goes beachy

Have you seen the latest SSS release, Celebrate You? I'm back with another make with the stamp set from CZ Design, Parental Props.

This time I focused on the abundance of wonderful sentiments. Thinking this would be for my Dad this year for Father's Day and since he lives on Lake Huron, I took a background (marbled with Alcohol Inks) from my stash that reminded me of the lake and horizon, and keeping it clean and simple let the message do all the work.

 SSS Parental Props stamp

Lil Inker Stitched rectangles die

Alcohol inks

black embossing powder

Easy peasy. Used my MISTI to line up all the sentiments. Stamped and heat embossed them then die cut the center of the panel and popped it up with craft foam. Added the gold star from my stash cuz, you know, "award"... "best in class"... "gold star from the teacher"...

So check out the release if you haven't, and all the makes with it in the gallery at Simon Says Stamp. I'll be back with more. Thanks mucho, Simon.

I'm playing at:

Creative Friday - For a Man

simon says stamp - parental props goes dotty

Have you seen the latest SSS release, Celebrate You? I think my favorite item from the whole release is the Confetti Stencil. So simple, but packs a punch. I was lucky to receive a stamp set from CZ Design to play with, Parental Props.

I don't know exactly what Cathy intended with those dots, but polka dots are always good in my book. I revisited a design I'd used a bit ago. Can you see what I did for my background?

 SSS Parental Props stamp

Lil Inker Stitched rectangles die

Distress inks and oxides

white embossing powder

No. You probably can't. Looks like a hot mess you say? Let me tell ya what I did. I used two strips of painter's tape to mark off triangular shaped areas on the cardbase. Then I used the line of solid circles to stamp a polka dot design in the area. Then I marked off another area and used another color to stamp that triangular area. Get it? I like the play of inks and oxides for transparency and opacity. I used the outline circles with black to add more interest.

I was actually going to keep it one layer. But the slender sentiment got lost in the midst of all those dots so I heat embossed it and popped it up in the center.

So check out the release if you haven't, and all the makes with it in the gallery at Simon Says Stamp. I'll have a few more makes for you with this stamp set. Thanks mucho, Simon.

I'm playing at:

SSS Wednesday Challenge - Stitches

CAS on Sunday - Polka Dots (I couldn't resist though this might not really be CAS)

Creative Friday - For a Man

STAMPlorations inspiration #217

Welcome to another Tuesday inspiration from the STAMPlorations inspiration team. Today we're having fun with all the wonderful flower stamps available in the store.
  

Until May 31, products in the Flower Power section of the store will be 15% off instantly + with my STAMPGIRLMARIA code you can get yourself up to 35% off! There are so many to choose from. I chose a floral bouquet for a technique that I wanted to try.

 STAMPlorations In Bloom: Precious Plumerias stamp
STAMPlorations Lotus Love stamp

Distress Inks

The whole point of this technique is that it works great with a stamp positioner. First you ink a stamp with multiple colors (or make multiple passes inking only a portion of the stamp each time), spritz the stamp with water and then stamp onto damp watercolor paper. I did that. The colors bleed a bit which is the desired effect. Then when it's dried, you stamp again with black ink.

I pulled the panel out to dry it with my heat tool and apparently didn't line it up right when I put it back in my MISTI. The black outline is offset. It kinda looks like it's all blurry. Worse in the photo than IRL ;) Must give it another try.

Anyhoo, I added some watered down ink to some of the blooms and then splattered the panel too. I tore the edges and ran my paintbrush along them. I just love the sentiment.

I've used this floral bouquet stamp in a completely different way in this post and colored it with Zigs  in this post too.

You could win yourself a $10 GC to the store by leaving a comment on today's inspiration posts. Check out today's post here. Thanks for looking.

STAMPlorations special release - big grins by becca cruger

There are a couple new sketchy stamp sets being released over at STAMPlorations. They're from our own Becca Cruger and here's the Ton of Fun I got to play with today.

I immediately zeroed in on the "I whaley like you" sentiment and thought there'd be no better way to emphasize the "whaley" than with a whole pod of whales.

STAMPlorations Ton of Fun stamp

Distress oxides - Lucky Clover, Pistaschio, Twisted Citron

I blended the three colors of oxides and then stamped and masked and stamped the whales, using the same colors I'd used for blending. Popped the sentiment with Versafine black on the crisp white.

Then I wanted to use the "Huge Thanks" sentiment and went for more stamping and masking and stamping. This time with the wave image. I added some dots too to strengthen the churning waves idea.

STAMPlorations Ton of Fun stamp

dotty stamp

Distress oxides - Salty Ocean, Broken China, Tumbled Glass

Becca has a second new set out today (both new sets are 10% off til the end of the month). Visit the STAMPlorations blog to see more inspiration using both sets. By commenting here and there you could also win yourself a prize! Thanks for coming by.

STAMPlorations inspiration #216

Welcome to another Tuesday inspiration from the STAMPlorations inspiration team. Today we're showcasing the line of Typografia stamps available in the store.
  

From May 14 to May 31, products in the Typografia section of the store will be 15% off instantly + with my STAMPGIRLMARIA code you can get up to 35% off! There are so many to choose from. I chose one that I thought would work well for a graduation card, encouraging the young gal going on to study law. What an adventure!

 STAMPlorations Be Somebody stamp

MFT Radial Stitched Circle die

embossing powder

Distress Inks

Typografia stamps are a great way to use up those artsy backgrounds we all create so many of! I chose this smooshed inks BG with the funky colors. To pep up the design a bit I die cut the embossed sentiment with a circle die and popped it up on fun foam. Added a few Nuvo drops too. Voila!

I've used this sentiment stamp (and a couple others) in this post too.

You could win yourself a $10 GC to the store by leaving a comment on today's inspiration posts. Check out today's post here. Thanks for looking.

I'm joining the fun at:
Inkspirational - Adventure

Happy Little Stampers - May AG with Dies

Craft Stamper - May Take it Make it

STAMPlorations inspiration #215

Welcome to this Tuesday inspiration from the STAMPlorations inspiration team. Are you joining the fun over at the Coffee Lovers Blog Hop? STAMPlorations is one of the super sponsors. The inspiration DT has created some coffee projects for your enjoyment today...
  

From May 3 to May 17, products in the Coffee Tea Lovers section of the store will be 20% off instantly + with my STAMPGIRLMARIA code you can get up to 40% off! You should check out the section if you haven't. Shery has tons of  fabulous coffee-themed products.

STAMPlorations Zen Coffee Cup die 

cardstock scraps

Have you ever dreamed of designing your own coffee cup? Well this set of dies let's you do just that. I admit, I was a bit intimidated at first. My spatial thinking leaves a lot to be desired. But I chose a Spring-y color palette, did some die cutting using the dryer sheet trick and then just started inlaying pieces.

I started with the decision to use royal blue for the mug and coral on those two "blooms". Then I decided I'd use the lighter pink for the top portions of the "blooms". A little bit of white here and there adds to the interest. Even if you (like me) can't see it at first, as you go along, the pattern you want to emphasize becomes apparent. Trust me ;) 

I cut an additional solid piece, scored it on the left edge and attached it to the inlaid piece, creating this sweet little shaped card. Yep, it took awhile. And yep, it makes me happy ;)

This is the first time I've used this die, but if you're interested in inlaid die cutting, you might like this project. It was a bit easier.

You could win yourself a $10 GC to the store by leaving a comment on today's inspiration posts. Check out today's post here. Thanks for visiting. Grab a cuppa and get creating!

I'm joining the fun over at the whopper 2019 Spring Summer Coffee Lovers Blog Hop. Are you?

CUTplorations may

Howdy friends! It's time for a new challenge over at STAMPlorations CUTplorations! Here's the inspiration for the month of May.

image source: Ellen Giggenbach

I hope there is something in this photo that makes you want to play with us, whether owls, leaves, graphic squares or circles, Egyptian columns. Egyptian columns???

Well, give me a chance to go graphic and I'm gone, right?

 STAMPlorations Coffee Petites die

STAMPlorations Double Stitched Rectangle die

STAMPlorations Mixed Media Grunge stamp

STAMPlorations Little Owls stamp (coming soon)
Copics

This one was fun to make. I let myself be randomly inspired by the photo. A teal card front. An orange and pink owl. Some wispy green die cuts. And four die cuts to provide the graphic backdrop like in the photo, albeit in a very different way. I dry embossed a rectangle to frame my collage in a nod to the rectangular blocks of color in the photo.

I cannot wait to see what you come up with for this challenge! 

Create a project based on the inspiration using at least one die cut and at least one STAMPlorations product. Your project might be chosen as the winner of a $15 GC to the shop. Check out how the CUTplorations DT was inspired by this month's photo here.

And don't forget about my STAMPlorations discount code STAMPGIRLMARIA for 20% off should you find yourself shopping;)  All products in the Things with Wings section of the store are 15% off all month ;) Thanks for coming by. See you in the gallery.

STAMPlorations inspiration #214

Welcome to an extra inspiration post from the STAMPlorations inspiration team. Since May has arrived (not really yet here in chilly and wet MI), it's time for our annual Things with Wings event. This month, all products in the Things with Wings section of the store will be 15% off instantly. Which means... if you use my STAMPGIRLMARIA code, you can get up to 35% off!
  

Remember April's CUTplorations challenge? It was my inspiration for today's card. Actually it was the inspiration for this card, and today's was made using up leftovers ;) I just love this die.

STAMPlorations For the Birds die 

STAMPlorations  For the Birds stamp
cardstock scraps

The colors are more true in this close up. I wanted to pick up on the dark blue so stamped the sentiment in dark blue too. It's a nice change from black. I think this will work as a masculine birthday card.

If you'd like to see a completely different use of this bird die check out this card.

So with our Things with Wings event you could win yourself various prizes by leaving a comment and/or playing along with us. Check out today's post here for the details and the link up. Thanks for coming by today. Happy May Day!

I'm joining the fun at:
Addicted to CAS - Contrast (what a cool challenge)

AAA Cards - #139