Inspired by Jo

Well, it seems Jo Capper-Sandon's Feb issue cover project has inspired a lot of you. I received an email recently from Galina Varese showing me some work she has made with the same stamps - I just love the 'Aloha' card, which shows just how versatile a stamp can be with a little imagination! Thanks for getting in touch Galina. You can see her lovely work here: http://greensleevesart.blogspot.com/2009/02/ode-to-jo.html

Bye for now,
Katy

Are you a budding stamp designer?

Then why not enter the competition in the March issue of Craft Stamper? Your design could be on the front cover of the magazine in a future issue and you will also get the chance to create samples with your cover stamp for publication in the same issue. Plus you will get £200 worth of stamps from Personal Impressions too!

Your stamp design can be absolutely anything you like, as long as it fits into a 44x44mm square. You can email or post your entries to us. Full details are in the March issue of the magazine. Good luck!

In other news, check out Leandra from PaperArtsy playing with the Taco Tuesday girls from Ten Second Studio in this video.

And look how far the February issue of CS travelled - all the way to Egypt with Deby! (Scroll down for pic).

Catch you soon,
Katy

Better late than never....

Oh dear, I have been very lax this week haven't I? My apologies for the delay, but here are the winners from the February issue challenges (selected at random):

Cuttlebug Challenge

The Winner is...HAZEL!

Sketch Challenge

The Winner is...DEBS!

Well done both! Email me your details (cs@traplet.com) so I can send out your candy.

Thanks to everyone who played along for sharing your gorgeous creations with us.

Katy x

Love Letters

We had a great response to Lana George's Love Letters box in the February issue, but sadly the image in the magazine was quite small compared to the box itself due to the space allowed for the Sketch Challenge article.

So I thought you might like to see the box again in a bigger image in all its splendour (click for a bigger image). Especially apt as it's nearly Valentine's Day and this box is the picture of romance!

Katy x

Valentine card

Here's the Valentine Card I made for my other half. He really likes clean designs, and I tried hard but I had to punch a frilly border. Here's how I made it in case you want to know. I apologise for the dreadful picture, it's actually a lovely warm cream colour...need to practice my photography!!!

Materials:
Daisy Bucket Designs stamps: Friends and Love You
Basic Grey stamps: Halvah
Versamagic inkpads: Pink Petunia, Pixie Dust
Colorbox chalk inks: Chestnut Roan, Creamy Brown, Dark Brown
Archival inkpad: Coffee
Basic Grey Bittersweet paper: Mousse
Fiskars heart border punch
Sizzix Hearts die (or heart punch)
Cream card, brown card (Stampin’ Up)

Stamp the couple (Friends stamp) onto cream card in Coffee ink. Stamp again onto post-it notes, cut out to create masks and stick masks over the original stamped images. Die cut or punch a heart from paper, place the negative over the stamped couple and ink through the aperture with Pixie Dust ink. With the heart stencil and masks still in place, stamp the flower from the Halvah set repeatedly in Petunia ink. Ink around the very edge of the aperture with the Creamy Brown ink and then remove the stencil and masks.

Stamp the greeting below the couple in Coffee ink. Cut the panel into a square, ink the edges and mat onto brown card. Repeatedly stamp the flower stamp onto an A6 card blank in the Pixie Dust ink. Cut and punch a strip of the patterned paper, ink the edges and adhere to the blank. Add the matted panel on foam tape to finish.

Happy Valentine's Day!

New Challenge!

Here's the new SKETCH CHALLENGE to co-incide with the March issue (so sorry it is a little late this month).

All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning some stamps is make something based upon our sketch, shown here. See page 46 of the mag for inspiration!

Please note, we just have the one challenge this month. Closing date is 5th March.

This month's candy has been generously donated by PaperArtsy (see pic for your prize!).

Winners of the previous challenges will be drawn by the end of the week.

Enjoy!

Katy

Notebook tutorial

Hello all,
I loved Jo Wardle's little notebook for the Stamping Contrasts challenge in the Feb issue of Craft Stamper. Jo has now put some step-by-step instructions over on her blog here http://madebyjoanne.blogspot.com/2009/01/tgif-books.html to help you to recreate it.

Enjoy!

Katy

More candy!

From tomorrow, make sure you check out Isa's blog here - http://isabelle-norris.blogspot.com/

There will be tutorials and giveaways for you to enjoy!

I am sooooooooo pleased to tell you that although she has moved to Canada, Isa will still be on the Craft Stamper team and she is back from June issue onwards after a break to allow her to move and settle in her new home. News from Canada is also on her blog.

Take care,
Katy