ATSM Hidden Happy ...

As quickly as my summer holiday passes so does the time between challenges ... yes, you've guessed it is time again for a new challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More!!  This week it is everyone's favourite - Anything Goes.  My card is created using one of my favourite techniques combining inlaid die cuts with stamping.  I hope you will pop along to the blog and check out all the wonderful cards that the design team have created to inspire and delight.  This is my card:

I appreciate that it is difficult to see the 'Happy' hidden in the flowers but you can in real life, I promise.  This card is based on one of my 'go to' designs as it works with lots of different stamps and images.

If you are inspired and have the time why not join in with the challenge.



Enjoy!

ATSM Mark Your Mark ...

It is simply amazing how quickly the weeks speed by ... it is time for a new challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More ... it's Make Your Mark time!

Fancy joining in?  Why not pop along and see all the wonderful inspiring creations by the Design Team ... this is my card, hopefully it will inspire you!

I stamped the row of deckchairs and coloured them using Zig markers. I die cut 'Happy' from the middle and additional letters out of a scrap of card before stacking and adhering them together and placing them back into the panel.  I stamped the birthday sentiment and adhered the panel to the card base.

I used:

Simple Homemade Magazine free stamp set

Die-namics High Rise Alpha Dies

Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers

I hope you will be inspired to join the challenge and I look forward to seeing your cards.

Enjoy!

ATSM Photo Inspiration ...

Whoosh ... that's the sound of another week flying by ... so it must be time for another challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More!  This week we have a photograph to inspire you:

What do you see ... for me it is all about the colours and shapes.  So this is the card I created to inspire:

I used:

Distress Inks - Picked Raspberry, Twisted Citron, Mermaid Lagoon and Wilted Violet

Simon Says Stamp - Sketch Ranunculus

Lawn Cuts - Stitched Borders

Do pop along to the blog and check out the awesome designs from the team ... then get out your supplies and create!!

Enjoy!

ASTM Holiday Challenge ...

Are you getting ahead with you Christmas cards? What about Halloween? or Thanksgiving? If you haven't made a start yet and need a reason then why not join this week's challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More as it is all about holidays!

As I'm still trying to get ahead with my Christmas cards that is the holiday I'm celebrating ... I know it is only June but we are half way to Christmas!!

A very CAS design - a stamped image coloured with markers and a die cut sentiment.  I would like to say that it was quick to make (something I always look for in a Christmas card) but it seemed to take ages!

I used:

Sheena Douglas - Christmas Visitors Stamp Set

Creative Expressions - Happy Christmas Die

Lawn Cuts - Stitched Rectangles

ZIG Clean Color Real Brush Markers.

I hope you'll find the time to join in with the challenge.

Enjoy!

ASTM Anything Goes ...

Another week whizzes by and it is time for a new challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More ... this time it is Anything Goes>

Why not get out your card supplies and create a card for the challenge ... hopefully my card will inspire you to have a go.  Need more inspiration? then pop over to the blog and check out the brilliant cards from all the design team.

It is unusual for me to use a coloured base for my card but I felt that the flowers worked well on the softness of the Kraft card.  I wanted to use some black embossing paste through a stencil as a backdrop and sometimes black looks very harsh against a white background. The flowers were created by inking the back of a stencil with distress inks and then spritzing with water before placing on some water colour card - when this was dry I stamped the matching images with versafine onyx black ink.

I used:

STAMPlorations - Bloom Sketches Stamp Set

STAMPlorations - Dots all Over and Daisy Dance Stencils

Dreamweaver - Matt Black Embossing Paste

Distress Inks - Ripe Persimmon, Spiced Marmalade and Carved Pumpkin

Clearly Besotted - Notebook Edge Die

I hope you will join in with the challenge and look forward to seeing your creations.

Enjoy!

CAS time at Addicted to Stamps and More ...

It is time for the new challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More ... and it is my favourite:

This is my card:

This is a simple CAS card with just a stamped image (coloured with Inktense pencils), a die cut panel adhered with foam for dimension and a sentiment.  One focal point and lots of 'white space'.  If you are unsure as to what constitutes CAS the following explains what we at ATSM look for:

Why not get out your materials and join in ... pop across to the blog and check out the design team cards.

Enjoy!

Make Your Mark ...

It's time for a new challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More  - it's time to get out your pens, markers, paints, pastels whatever you have to make a mark and create!

I used my Zig markers to create this card:

I stamped the image and coloured it using Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers.  I stitched a border to the panel before adhering it to the card base using some fun foam to add dimension. 

I used:

Inkylicious - Calla Lily Stamp Set

Versafine Onyx Black Ink

Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers

I hope that you will pop along and have a look at the wonderful designs from the team.  Why not get out your pens and join in.

Enjoy!

Black and Gold Wedding ...

As the weeks whizz by it is time for a new challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More and this week we have a photograph to inspire you.

What catches your eye and imagination?  For me it was the balloons, black and gold and finally I thought it was all set for a wedding celebration - so I incorporated all of these elements into my card:

It is difficult to see the gold but trust me it is there!!  The sentiment is heat embossed with gold embossing powder and the balloon strings are metallic gold thread.  It's a bit of an unusual colour combination for a wedding card but it is beginning to grow on me.

I hope you will pop over to the challenge and take a look at the design teams beautiful cards - why not get your supplies out and join in with the challenge.

Enjoy!

Christmas in April ...

... four months into the year and I'm already failing with one of my New Year Resolutions ... I was supposed to make one Christmas card a week ... I still have time to catch up! At least my design team responsibilities mean that I have created a Christmas card this week ... yes you've guessed correctly we are back to the 'Holiday' challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More.

Why not join the challenge and get ahead with your Christmas cards ... it can be other holidays as well!  This is my card:

First I heat embossed the snowflakes with white embossing powder before smooshing them with distress inks to create a soft watercolour background.  I used a small piece of acetate to control where the ink went.   I heat embossed the sentiment onto a small piece of vellum which I wrapped around the panel before adhering it to the card base.

I hope you are inspired to join the challenge.

Enjoy!

Epic Stamping ...

Another month ... can you believe we've made it to April already?!  In the UK it's a month of sunshine and showers ... and that, of course, creates rainbows and that is my inspiration for this card.  I hope that this will inspire you to join in with the new challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More - this week it is your choice as Anything Goes 

I hope you will feel inspired to join the challenge.  This is my card:

This card is all about stamping - three stamps and six distress inks.  I treated myself to a stamp positioner and it proved to be invaluable for creating this card.

I used:

STAMPlorations - Grunge Floral Strip

Distress Inks - Squeezed Lemonade, Twisted Citron, Salty Ocean, Candied Apple, Carved Pumpkin and Wilted Violet.

I hope you will pop along and join in with the challenge.

Enjoy!

Daffodil ...

Another week has whizzed by and it is time for a new challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More - this week it is all about CAS possibly my most favourite style.

Here is my card:

This card is all about the flower!!  I stamped the daffodil using Mustard Seed distress ink before heat embossing with clear powder.  I find heat embossed images easier to water colour as the embossing acts as a barrier to the water.  I then water coloured the image using more distress inks - I also ink blended another piece of card to create the mat and the die cut stick frame.  I adhered the flower with fun foam behind it to add some dimension.

I used:
STAMPlorations Boxed Blooms
WOW Clear Embossing Powder
Distress inks - Twisted Citron, Carved Pumpkin and Mustard Seed
Poppystamps - Stick Frame die

I hope that I have inspired you and that you will join us in this week's challenge - do visit the blog and see all of the design teams fabulous cards.

Enjoy!

Golden delight ...

It's time for a new challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More, this week's challenge is:

I hope to inspire you to pop along and join in with the challenge.

It is a very simple design ... I just thought that the beautiful flower should be left to shine!

I used:

Happy Little Stampers - Especially for You

STAMPlorations - Smile and Sitched Rectangle dies

Distress Inks - Carved Pumpkin and Mustard Seed

Cosmic Shimmer Gold Embossing Powder

Enjoy!

Blue giraffe ...

It is amazing how quickly the weeks seem to pass ... especially, it seems, when you are on a design team!!  So here I am hopefully to inspire you to join in with the new challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More.  This week we have a photograph to inspire you:

Take inspiration from any aspect - the colours, the chevrons, new baby, the clouds, the mobile - the choice is all yours.  I went with the new baby theme and the colours.

I stamped the giraffe with grey ink and then heat embossed with clear embossing powder.  I water coloured the giraffe using distress ink.  I added some narrow washi tape to the edges to reflect the chevron in the photo.  I used a stitched rectangle die to cut out the giraffe before adhering it to a panel using fun foam to add some dimension.

I used:

Hunkdory, For the Love of Stamps - Another Year Taller

Versafine Smokey Gray Ink

Distress Ink - Tumbled Glass

WOW Clear Embossing Powder

Lawn Fawn - Lawn Cuts Stitched Rectangles

Enjoy!

Christmas in February ,,,

It is time for a new challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More and this week we are looking for cards for Holiday ... that's why it is Christmas in February on my blog!!  I figured if I start this early I might at least have enough cards made by December!  So why not join in the challenge and make a start on your Christmas cards!!  You can, of course, choose to make a card for a different holiday ... Easter, Thanksgiving ... the choice is yours!  

I created my card using my (current) favourite technique of stamping and heat embossing.

The only problem with heat embossing is that the shimmer is very difficult to capture in a photograph but I can assure you that the images do sparkle in real life.

I used:

STAMPlorations - Christmas Bell Medley
Versamark Ink
WOW Silver Embossing Powder
Lawn Cuts Stitched Rectangles
Dienamics Stitched Squares

 I hope my card inspires you to join in ... 

Enjoy!

Exciting News ...

Sometimes life can be very exciting and rewarding ... and the end of 2016 proved to be just that!  You see it went like this ... Addicted to Stamps and More had a call for new design team members ... so I thought I would give it a go and put myself forward for consideration ... guess what happened next ... they invited me to join the team!!   To say that I'm delighted and excited is somewhat of an understatement ... so you join me today for my first official post as a member of the design team hopefully to inspire you all to join in with the challenge.

The new challenge today is:

This is my card to inspire you:

I began by stamping and heat embossing the crocus before water colouring with distress inks.  I then die cut the images and adhered them onto the card base - one straight onto the card and the other two with foam tape to add dimension.  I then stamped the sentiment and considered the card finished!  A simple card created using few techniques.

I used:

Create A Smile - Crokisses stamp set

Distress Inks - Picked Raspberry and Twisted Citron

Simon Says Stamp - Handwritten Borders

Lawn Fawn Stitched Rectangle dies

Versamark ink

Versafine Onyx Black Ink

WOW Gold Embossing Powder

I hope that you will pop along to Addicted to Stamps and More and join in with the challenge.

Enjoy!

All About Christmas Part 3 ...

As the final posting date looms on the horizon ... finishing off making Christmas cards is becoming critical!!  I've been helped and inspired by this week's challenge at "Less is More" - it is One Layer week which, in theory, means each card takes less time to produce!  The challenge also includes using an outline.  This is my contribution:

I almost feel as if I'm cheating entering challenges with this card as I've done very little ... the beauty to me is in the stamp design.  I did want to add just a splash of colour.

I used:

STAMPlorations Joyful stamp set for the image and Christmas Bell Medley set for the sentiment.
Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers
Versafine Onyx Black Ink

I'm entering the following challenges:

"Less is More" #306 One Layer - Outline

Addicted to Stamps and More #223


STAMPlorations Never-Ending Anything Goes


Enjoy!