The Stamp Man's 2nd Annual Blog Awards Event

Hi everyone and welcome to The Stamp Man's 2nd Annual Blog Awards Event!!  We do hope that you will all join in with us as this is open to everybody. We had such a lovely response to this event last year that we thought it would be fun to do it again. 

We would love it if you would enter what you consider to be your best crafting project of the year over on The Stamp Man's Challenge Blog via the Inlinkz button, then take this award blinkie and pop it onto your blog for entering the challenge and post the event blinkie (above) with your best crafting project on your own blog. 

Plus today is the start of The Stamp Man's Blog Hop which begins over on The Stamp Man's blog. Now if you are already hopping along then you should have got here via Lisa and the letter that you need from me is R. 

Don't forget to collect all your letters as you hop along and then rearrange the letters and email your answer to: thestampman@btconnect.com by 9pm (GMT) on Thursday 13th January 2011. Please put 'bloghop answer' as the title.  You will need to leave a comment on ALL of the blogs in the blog hop to be eligible to win a prize! (Details of the prizes are listed on The Stamp Man's blog.) 

Now I had a hard time choosing my best project as I don't think I've got one this year but in the end I decided to go with this one, which is the Mother's Day card that I made for my Mum this year. The picture above shows one side of the concertina card and the picture below shows the other side.  The stamps featured on this are from my own stamp range - Aspects of Design No.56 Funky Flowers and Aspects of Design No.58 Fancy Flourishes. (The middle panel under 'Mum' lifts up and this is where I wrote my message.)

Now this is probably a little confusing as there is lots to remember for the blog hop and awards event!! So here is a run down of what you need to do to be eligible for one of the fabulous prizes:

• Join in the actual challenge on The Challenge Blog with your best/favourite projected linked with Inlinkz
• Follow your way around the blog hop collecting all the letters you will find on each blog. Write these down then work out the answer when the hop is finished.
• Leave a comment on ALL the blogs you visit in the blog hop
• Post our event blinkie onto your blogs or a post about the event with your best/favourite project
• Take your award blinkie with pride
• Email the answer to: thestampman@btconnect.com by 9pm (GMT) on Thursday 13th January 2011. Please put bloghop answer as the title

Lastly you need to now hop on over to Sarah

Good luck!

The Stamp Man's Blog Hop

Hi everyone.  I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas and got everything that you wanted!

I just wanted to let you all know that The Stamp Man are going to be running a blog hop this Friday where you will be in with a chance of winning some super prizes!  Please feel free to take this piccie to let all your friends know about the event.  More details will be announced on Friday!!

Merry Christmas!!!

Hi everyone!  I just want to take the opportunity to wish everyone who stops by a very Merry Christmas and to thank all of you who have become followers and an extra special thank you to those of you who have left me comments this past year - I do so enjoy reading them!

So sorry that I haven't been blogging as much recently - I'll try to do better next year!!  I've still got loads of Christmas cards to show you so you may find that I post a few of them up over the next couple of weeks!

This particular card was one that I made for The Craft Barn's September Extravaganza using one of the fantastic Gorjuss Girls stamps!  The background around the stamp was created using a Katzelcraft flourish stamp and a Stampendous snowflake and for the background of the card I used the Papermania Snowflake embossing folder along with that same flourish stamp.  The snowflake embellishments are a mixture of a Woodware snowflake punch, a Martha Stewart Glacial Snowflake punch and a Marianne Design Creatables die.

The image as you've probably already guessed was coloured using Copic markers and the background around her was done using my Watercolour Resist technique with the markers. (See the December issue of Craft Stamper!)  All products used on this card came from The Craft Barn.

Have a great Christmas everyone and once again thank you for following my blog and leaving me wonderful comments - I truly appreciate all your support.

Allsorts Free and Easy Challenge

Morning everyone.  Bet you can't believe this can you - two posts in two days!!  Well today is  my last stint as guest designer for Allsorts and I'm sure you are all going to love this challenge as it is called Free and Easy!  As always to find out how to enter and what prizes are up for grabs simply click here to go to the Allsorts Challenge blog.  Whilst you are there you'll see the fabulous artwork that the Allsorts DT have created for you.

Without further ado here is the card that I've created for this one.  I couldn't believe how long it took me to colour this so I definitely wouldn't recommend creating this as a last minute thing!  The backing papers came from The Glitter Pot but I don't have any of them left now and can't recall whose they were!  All the stamps used on the card are by Penny Black (Gift of Giving, Winter Whites and Greens and Snow Scroll) and again came from The Glitter Pot.  I started by sticking the papers together and then stamping Snow Scroll along the top and bottom using Moonlight White Brilliance.

For the main panel, I stamped Gift of Giving with black Memento ink and coloured using Copic markers.  Then I created a background around the girl and sleigh using my Watercolour Resist technique with Copic markers. (See the December issue of Craft Stamper on how to do this.)

The snowflake embellishments are a mixture of Martha Stewart Glacial Snowflake and Woodware's Snowflake with a 5mm self-adhesive pearl coloured  with a red Copic to match the red in the image.

Here's a closer look at the colouring for you.  The white detail on the coat, hat and ribbons was done using a Ranger Inkssentials White Opaque pen - just love this pen as it is great for adding detail such as this over dark colours.

You won't believe this but I actually thought it would be lovely to recreate this card to send out as my Christmas cards this year - however once I realised how long it took me to do this card I soon re-thought that idea!!

Anything Goes Tag

Hi everyone.  Can you believe that it is only a week until Christmas Eve!  Oohhhhhhhhhh!!  Can't wait!

Meanwhile though today is the start of a brand new challenge over at The Stamp Man's Challenge Blog and the theme this time around is Anything Goes Tag.  This is what I came up with for this challenge using another of my Christmas stamp sheets - A Winter's Bouquet.  I started by stamping the holly bouquet in black Memento and coloured it with Copic markers. I then embossed around the holly bouquet using the Papermania snowflake embossing folder.  The actual tag was cut using a Labels 10 Nestabilities die and embossed with the snowflake folder before lightly swiping a Moonlight White Brilliance inkpad over it.

Here's a closer look at the colouring for you!  As you can see the holly leaves were simply block coloured using two shades of blue/green markers but the bow was shaded using 3 shades of red then lots of glitter glue was applied over the top.

Christmas Eve

Ok so it isn't Christmas Eve yet but this is what this sweet image by Penny Johnson reminds me of!  This is one of the cards we did at The Craft Barn in November.  The green backing paper is by Prima, the holly leaves are from the Snowflakes and Candies clear stamp sheet, the wording is from Woodware's Must Have Xmas Words and the jewels and pearls are cut from Crystal Clusters - all from The Craft Barn.

The main image was stamped onto smooth white Copic card using black Memento ink and coloured using Copic markers. (Can't give you the colours I'm afraid due to this being a class card.)

Here's a closer look at the colouring for you. 

Last Minute Christmas Challenge

Good morning everyone.  Here I am again with my second card as my stint as guest designer for Allsorts. This time the theme is Last Minute Christmas so for this I chose to go with a favourite Penny Black stamp of mine called Christmas Park. Because this is a Brushstroke stamp it is really quick to do as you just colour the stamp with waterbased markers, stamp it out and hey presto you've got a lovely coloured image already for you to mount up!

For the rest of the card I simply tore a piece of Magnolia paper (one of last years designs) and stuck it to a white landscape card and added some scraps of co-ordinating card along with tiny punched out snowflakes.  The wording is also a Penny Black stamp but I omitted the word 'Merry' and just inked up 'Christmas'.  Then of course with it being a Christmas card I added lots of stickles glitter glue!

Here's a closer look at those trees for you.

As you can see I inked them up with blue and purple coloured water-based pens (Tombows) to give a frosty/icy feel to them.

Don't forget to nip on over to the Allsorts Challenge Blog to see the rest of the wonderful cards that the DT have created and also to find out what you can win if you enter!  Have a great weekend!

More Sarah Kay

Hi guys!  A little while ago I showed you one of the Sarah Kay cards that we made when I was last at The Craft Barn.  Here is the other one that we made as well, although to be honest the ladies only had chance to colour up one of the images as there is quite a lot of colouring to do with these little works of art!  I must say though that they did a really fantastic job!

I just love the Sarah Kay stamps as the detail is just incredible so as soon as I saw this image (which is called Eloise and Mimi Saying Hello) I just had to have it, although as it takes a little while to colour I don't think I'll be using it on my own Christmas cards this year!

The papers are by Bo Bunny (the brown one which I decorated by stamping snowflakes onto it with white ink) and Prima which I stamped with the wording and ivy using brown ink.  (The Prima papers are absolutely gorgeous - so pretty and pastel.  I want them all!!) The snowflakes and ivy came from the Personal Impressions Snowflakes and Candies clear stamp set and the wording and small snowflake is from Woodware's Must Have Christmas Words clear stamp set.

Here's a slightly closer look of the papers. As you can see I used my Martha Stewart Snowfall edging punch as well to add some decoration to the Prima paper. (Just love this punch set.)

As you've no doubt already guessed the image was coloured using Copic markers and then stickles was added to the snow area.  (Once again I'm afraid that I can't tell you the Copic colours used due to it being a class card but I chose markers that would match the papers.)

All products on this card came from The Craft Barn.  I hope you like it!

So how is everyone's Christmas cards coming along then?  I've only just begun to make a start on mine!!

The Craft Barn's Christmas Challenge

Hi everyone.  I hope you are all keeping warm in these cold temperatures that we are having in the UK at the moment.

I've just popped on to let you know that The Craft Barn are currently running a Christmas Embellishment Challenge this week!  To find out all about it click here to go and visit The Craft Barn's blog.

If you enter here's a little taster of what you could win!

Light Up The Night

Hi everyone.  I bet you can't believe that I am actually doing two posts in two days!!  Well the reason for this is because I have been asked to Guest Design this month over on the Allsorts Challenge Blog!  So without further ado here is the card I made for the Light Up The Night challenge theme using the very sweet Popcorn Bear stamp set.

This particular set is called Beary Merry Christmas (from The Glitter Pot). The wording and the pine branches that I've stamped around the background paper using sepia ink are both Penny Black stamps - again from The Glitter Pot. The background paper is by Bo Bunny from their Winter Joy range and the snowflakes are Martha Stewart punches - Glacial Snowflake and Himalayan Snowflake.  I think I got the ribbon from Fantastic Ribbons at one of the stamp shows.

This is actually quite a large square card as it is roughly 8x8 inches in size so here is a slightly closer look at the main panel and the surrounding area.  The white dots on the wording and main panel were done with white Liquid Pearls and I used self-adhesive rhinestones for the centres of the snowflakes. (The Hobby House) I edged the punched out snowflakes with Tiara glitter glue so that they really catch the light and sparkle.

For the main panel, I began by stamping the bears with Tuxedo black ink and coloured them using Copic markers - I did this a little while ago now so I'm afraid I can't remember the colours for them but I think for their fur I used E35, E33, E31 and E50. For the blue hat and scarf I used B97, B95 and B93 and I think for the pink scarf it was RV34 and RV10.  For the sky area I used B63 and B60. Once I'd done all my Copic colouring I stamped the music notes using Starlite Black Brilliance and stamped the snowflakes using a light blue chalk inkpad then finished off some areas with the Clear Spica Copic pen and lots of Stardust glitter glue.

So if you fancy joining in with the Allsorts Light Up The Night challenge click here to visit their blog and see what gorgeous creations the rest of the DT have made to inspire you and find out what you can win if you enter.

Enjoy your weekend and stay warm!!  Unfortunately my class today at The Glitter Pot had to be cancelled due to the amount of snow, so I'm sure I won't be straying very far from our log burner today!

The Stamp Man - Challenge 11

Hi guys. I hope you are all managing to keep warm! First of all I must just say that I am SO pleased that I went Christmas shopping on Wednesday as yesterday we were snowed in and couldn't have gone!  Also it was an absolute dream going around the shops as there was hardly anyone about.  I think it was my best Christmas shopping experience ever!  The shops were deserted, Christmas music was playing and I think it is the first time I've Christmas shopped in the snow - VERY seasonal indeed!  The only drawback is that it was absolutely bitter so I can sort of understand why everyone else had stayed at home!!

Onto my card for The Stamp Man's latest Challenge over on their Challenge Blog which is Take Any 3 Colours on a Christmas theme.  Now by now you probably know that I just LOVE Christmas and have loads of Christmas stamps but I thought it would be nice to use one of my sets again. This time I used my 'A Winter's Night' stamp sheet and as you can see I kept an icy theme on my card by using white, aqua and purple - one of my favourite colour schemes especially for Christmas cards.

I started by sticking a purple panel to an aqua panel then tore a strip of white card to go across the join of the panels and to emulate snow. Next I stamped and embossed the wording (from the sheet) onto a panel of aqua vellum using a white pigment inkpad and White Detail embossing powder, which I attached to the main card using brads. For the main panel I simply stamped the trees in dark grey and watercoloured them using Tombow pens and a water brush and applied lots of glitter glue afterwards!  Quite a simple card really but I hope you like it.

Don't forget to hop on over to The Stamp Man's Challenge Blog and find out how you can enter the Take Any 3 Colours Christmas theme and see the rest of the DT's stunning work!

Oh by the way The Craft Barn are currently running a really fun competition over on their blog called Find The Owl so you may want to head on over there to find out all about it!!  Click here for the Find The Owl details!

'Tis The Season

Hi everyone.  Can you believe that today is the 1st of December!!  (Oooooooohhhh!!  Not long to go until Father Christmas comes!!)  The trouble is we have got Christmas weather now and I just know that all this Christmassy white stuff will have vanished by the time Christmas gets here - it always does!!  Oh for a proper white Christmas!!

Anyway enough of me whittering on about Christmas - today I've popped on to tell you that as it is the 1st of December it means that it is the start of a brand new ATC swap over on The Stamp Man's ATC Swap blog.  The theme for this one is 'Tis The Season so as you can see I opted to go for a wintery looking Christmas tree using my Swirly Trees stamp set.

I embossed my actual ATC using a Papermania Snowflake embossing folder and very lightly coloured the embossed snowflakes using a pale lilac Copic marker. I stamped and embossed the tree border using a white inkpad and Detail White embossing powder onto mauve Bazzill card.  For the main image, I stamped using black Memento ink and then coloured the image using Copics before cutting it out and mounting it to my ATC.

Once I'd coloured my tree I then used my Ranger Inkssentials White Opaque pen to trace over the branches of the tree and also to make the background dots white to emulate snow.

Here's a slightly closer look so you can see what I mean!

However I'm sure that all you ATC'ers out there can do a much better job than I can so why don't you hop on over to The Stamp Man's ATC Swap blog to find out how you can participate.

Until my next post - try and keep warm and think of me battling the -10c wind chill factor whilst doing some Christmas shopping!  That is of course if I can get the car out of the drive!!