Tuesday 27 July 2010

Sneak Peeks!

With the next issue due on sale soon (6th August) I thought I'd tease you a bit with a couple of sneaky peeks at the content! These pictures are from two of my personal favourite projects from the magazine - both stunning, though completely different in style.

We also have a new feature starting up in the Sept issue called 'Designer's Palette' which will focus on colour schemes, with a little nod to colour theory too. Three of our regular team are taking turns on this article, and I think it will be a nice addition to magazine. I know some of our readers struggle to find new colour combinations, so hopefully it will be useful too.

Last but of course not least, you'll find full details of our Stamper of the Year competition in the magazine. This year we've made it easier to enter and also introduced a new category so NO EXCUSES - I want your entry here pronto!!!

Katy x

Thursday 22 July 2010

Inspired by Craft Stamper

Do you enjoy seeing other people's interpretations of projects from Craft Stamper? I know I do and if you are the same way inclined, do pop over and have a look at a blog called Craft Stamping Quartet.

Via this blog, four friends craft together, choosing a project from Craft Stamper as their inspiration each month. The artwork produced is lovely and it's interesting to see the different approach each artists takes to the challenges.

Enjoy!

Katy

Monday 12 July 2010

Can you guess what I've been doing today?

I've been prepping all the info for the STAMPER OF THE YEAR 2010 competition! Woo hoo!

I love this competition as we always get a great response and opening all the packages full of yummyness is one of the highlights of my year.

This year we've got four categories in the competition:
-Stamper of the Year (overall winner);
-Cardmaker of the Year;
-Altered/Mixed Media Artist of the Year;
-Scrapbooker of the Year (this is a new category for 2010).

Prizes are worth over £1700 and there are lots and lots of gorgeous goodies up for grabs that would keep any stamper happy for many an hour.

Full details will be in the Sept issue - sorry, you've got to wait until 6th August for that!

Wednesday 7 July 2010

The Digi Debate

Digital stamping is becoming more popular lately, with lots of companies moving into the digital field or offering digi versions of their 'real' stamps.

I've been holding back on including digi stamps in the magazine as I am not sure about how our readership would feel about them. What do you think?

For me, in the same way as I could never get into digi scrapbooking, I like the feel of real supplies in my hands; somehow I can't get excited about a digital file in the same way as a real piece of rubber (does that sound dubious!). The last thing I want to do after a day sitting in front of a screen at work is to use the computer in my crafting when I get home. Also digi stamps/images just can't ever be as versatile as real stamps. You can't achieve that handmade look as readily and for things like backgrounds it's hard to get the same level of depth and complexity as you can achieve layering real stamps.

However, on the other side of the debate there are clear advantages. They can be resized to an appropriate scale for your project, so no more hunting for a stamp that fits your Nestie perfectly. They are inexpensive so you can afford to get more images, and buy images that perhaps you'd only use once or twice and therefore wouldn't necessarily want to buy in rubber - I could see me getting a digi stamp for that one and only graduation card I'll ever make. There is no storage to worry about (OK there is digital storage but the files are not exactly huge and you could store squillions of images on a standard spec PC). And finally, of course there is no waiting for the postie to come as your download is instantaneous in most cases. Great for the impatient crafter!

So should we be exploring digi stamps in Craft Stamper magazine? What do you think?

Katy x

Sunday 4 July 2010

Introducing...

...Morag Cutts!

Morag is another new member we are welcoming to the design team this month. I know Morag from her absolutely stunning scrapbook pages (she guested on our Stamping for Scrapbookers feature in the June issue) but she also does some beautiful stamping work too. Morag will be an occasional contributor to the magazine, and her next feature, for the Sept issue, is a stunner. That's all I am saying, you'll have to get the magazine to find out more! Aren't I mean?

I asked Morag to say a few words about herself and here's what she said:

"I discovered scrapbooking by chance around 5 years ago which has now expanded into passion for all sorts of paper crafting.

It took me a while to get the knack with stamps, but I was soon hooked. I love the versatility of stamping - the way that you can do so many things and achieve so many looks. I now have a large collection of all sorts of lovely stamps. One of the best aspects of crafting is that I have made wonderful new friends and enjoy getting together to share ideas."

Check out Morag's blog for more info and to see more of her lovely creations.

Welcome to the CS team Morag!

Katy x

Friday 2 July 2010

New issue out today

Oh dear, I seem to have not managed to blog for a whole month. Must try harder...

Today is official on-sale date for a brand new issue of Craft Stamper. August issue is now on sale and full of bright, summery projects to bring a smile to your face. There are lots of things to enjoy but my favourite this month is Gail Milburn's adorable ribbon reel cakes. Guess who has something else to squirrel away in the 'it might come in useful' box?! I can see my other half rolling his eyes...
The free stamp this month is gorgeous and designed by a lovely lady called Betsy from US stamp company Innovative Stamp Creations. It's a really versatile image and one I am sure to reach for again and again (I am a sucker for flower stamps though!).

Hope you are enjoying the sunshine.
Katy x