Ten Minute Dominos By Carol Fox

We all lead very busy lives and sometimes we just don't get the time we would like to sit down and enjoy our hobbies, with this in mind I have a very short and sharp project for you today, literally a quick little ten minute make for when you can grab a little bit of crafty time.

• Using a piece of Cut-N-Dry Foam, sponge PaperArtsy Fresco Finish paint in Snowflake over the front and sides of your domino, heat dry. Sponging on the paint gives a slightly textured finish to it.
• Use Black Archival Ink stamp your image, either leave to dry or heat set.
• Unscrew the top of your chosen colours of Dylusions Ink Spray and drop a tiny spot onto your craft mat, pick up the colour with a water brush and colour in your image. Heat dry between each colour to avoid the colours running into each other.
• Finish with a quick coat of Freso Finish Satin Sealer, do not brush to hard as you will make the colours bleed, just a quick flick over is all that is needed to protect your domino, or use a spray varnish.
• Add a magnet to the back if you want to use it as a fridge magnet, or just stick it to a surface with a piece of blue tack if you don't have a magnet.

I had not used paint and Dylusions inks on dominos before doing this, but I wanted to keep the colours bright - I was quite please with the result.

I used:

Prima Cling stamps: Songbird
A domino from a games set
PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Paint and Satin Sealer

Dylusions Ink Sprays
Water brush

Black Archival In

Thank you for your visit today, Carol x

Take It Make It Challenge Three!

Hello everyone!
It was great to see all your entries for our second challenge, we can't wait to see what you all come up with for this one!

What Can You Win?  
We are delighted to again be sponsored by Indigo Blu

Creators of fabulous deep etched rubber stamps, Indigo Blu have provided not one, but THREE of the prizes for the challenge.... these beautiful images:

PLUS:The Design Team will have a look at all your gorgeous work, and choose their Top Three..... and the overall Winner will get published in Craft Stamper magazine! Yep, the winning entry will appear in the UK's number one stamping magazine! Did you see our first winner in print? Jo's stunning card was featured on page 59 of the July issue..... that could be you!

Now for the Challenge details!
We want to see how you lovely lot tackle a technique showcased in Craft Stamper magazine. This challenge will concentrate on the fab Embossing Powder technique demonstrated so beautifully by Birgit Koopsen on pages 30-31 of the July 2013 issue. Don't panic if you haven't got hold of this issue yet, the challenge lasts for a good few weeks, so you have plenty of time to grab a copy, get inspired and enter!

We would love to see your creations using this technique......your project can be anything at all, card, layout, 3D item etc, any theme or colour, AS LONG AS YOU HAVE USED THE EMBOSSING POWDER TECHNIQUE ON THERE SOMEWHERE! Oh, and stamping too, this is a Craft Stamper challenge after all! Don't forget, for this challenge we would like ALL the colour on your project to come from the embossing powder.

To give you a little inspiration, some of the Craft Stamper Design Team have come up with some rather fabulous projects to share... (if you click on the artists name, it will take you to their blogs, where there may well be loads more pics of these gorgeous creations!)

Birgit Koopsen

Chris Dark

Hels Sheridan

Jaine Drake

Trish Latimer

Have we inspired you to have a play and enter? Yay!!!
All you need to do now is have a read through the boring (but essential!) rules and guidelines, then upload your entry using the Mr Linky tool at the end of the post! Can't wait to see what you create!

Love Trish xx

Do you love our challenges as much as we do? Feel free to grab the button and display it with pride!

Guidelines for Craft Stamper Take It, Make It Challenge

• Entry dates: Friday June 14th 2013 -  midnight Friday August 2nd 2013
• Winner to be announced in a blog post here: 10am Monday August 5th 2013 
• All entries must feature the colourful embossing powder technique AND stamping. No digi stamps please, unless combined with actual stamping.
• The winning entry MUST be posted to the magazine for photography before it can be published. Please keep hold of your entry, we cannot publish in the magazine images sent via computer.
• Entry is via the linking tool at the end of the post. We are very sorry that we can't accept email entries to this challenge. Please provide deep links to your actual project post, not just a link to your blog (to do this, click on the title of the relevant blog entry and copy/paste the URL).
• No backlinking, new work only please.
• Entry is welcome from anywhere in the world.
• Multiple entry is fine, as long as each piece is original and fulfills all the entry requirements.
• Entries can be combined with other blog challenges, as long as a link back to the Craft Stamper challenge is included in your blog post.
• The fourth challenge will be announced here on Friday August 9th 2013.

PLEASE consider turning off word verification on your blog. It is very difficult for the DT to comment on as many blogs as we would like to when word verification slows us down!

Competition rules: Competitions/giveaways are open to all (including overseas readers) except employees of Traplet Publications Ltd and their families; regular contributors to any of Traplet Publications’ magazines; employees of our printers; or anyone connected with the prizes offered. By entering the competition you accept that your project may be printed in the magazine. All entries must be received by midnight on the specified closing date. There are no cash alternatives and prizes are non-transferable. We reserve the right to use the winners’ name/work in any Traplet-produced literature including, but not exclusive to, our website and marketing materials. Judges decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Card by Elizabeth Borer

We couldn't fit this lovely card from Elizabeth Borer in our seaside-themed gallery in the July issue, so we are sharing it here on the blog instead. I love the use of recycled netting from fruit - it looks so effective!

Seahorses by Elizabeth Borer

MATERIALS: STAMPS: Elusive Images - Underwater. INKS: StazOn - Jet Black, Distress Inks - Peacock Feathers, Dried Marigold, Vintage Photo. OTHER: Graphic45 paper - Tropical Travelogue; old fruit or vegetable bag; acrylic paint - black, copper metallic; mica powders; starfish embellishments; white pen; Pinflair or silicone glue.

Paint the net  black with the paint dauber. Attach the net to a non-porous surface with sticky tape before painting it black and sprinkling it with mica powder whilst the paint is still wet. Leave to dry naturally (don’t heat it or it will melt!). Cover a card base with Graphic45 paper (Oceania) and over-stamp with the shell and seaweed image. Stamp two seahorses onto green card and one starfish onto orange card, cut out, colour and add highlights with white pen. Colour the starfish embellishments with copper metallic paint. Attach the net to the card with wet glue and attach the other pieces using Pinflair or silicone glue.

Take It, Make It Challenge Two - The winner!

Hello everyone!

Thank you so much to everyone who played along with our second challenge -Ripping and Tearing.
The DT were blown away by the standard of the entries, but there can only be one winner! That honour goes to.........

Entry Number 10 - By Maddy

Congratulations Maddy! 

We just loved how the aperture is the perfect resting place for that gorgeous teeny nest!

The winning entry will be published in Craft Stamper Magazine (I hope you kept it somewhere safe Maddy!), and the winner will also receive this gorgeous stamp from our sponsor Indigo Blu

As well as our worthy winner, we also have the remaining two spots in our Top Three to reveal! In no particular order, they are..... drum roll......

Entry Number 1 -Hermine

Entry Number 12- Elly

Congratulations ladies!

If the Top Three could Email me (just click the 'posted by' name at the bottom of the post), then I will pass on a Take It, Make It winners button you can display on your own blogs should you wish! For anyone else who would like to, please feel free to grab the button below!

A huge THANK YOU to all those of you that took part in our first challenge, we can't wait to see what you come up with for our next one. You don't have to wait long for that either, check back here on FRIDAY this week for the big reveal!

Trish xxxxx

 

Bonus Card Project - Paula Whittaker

We hope you enjoyed Paula Whittaker's project in the July issue of the magazine? I always love her projects and was particular taken with these as I do have a secret desire to live by the sea. Paula's home decor pieces would make a wonderful gift for someone who is moving into a new home - why not make this lovely matching card too?

Lighthouse Card By Paula Whittaker

For this card, I’ve gone down the clean and simple route which I think gives it a graphic look but still with a beachside feel. Stamp the lighthouse with black StazOn straight onto a card blank. Stamp it again onto scrap paper, trim out closely and use this as a mask over your original image. Take the ink spray and spritz over to one side of the piece, as shown, and dab dry with a paper towel. Stencil the stripe border using a piece of Cut-n-Dry Foam and Peacock Feathers Distress Ink. Using Black Soot Distress Ink, stencil the numbers and words. Finally, add some rub-on wording to complete the card.

Awesome free stamp!

Love this month's free stamp by Visible Image! It's super versatile for all kinds of projects. Do share what you make with us! We'd absolutely love to see.

New issue out Friday!

The July issue is out this Friday, 7th June. It's a holiday special, packed with gorgeous makes inspired by the seaside. And finally it looks like we have beach weather to go with it!

|In this issue, make your very own DIY stamps, get more from Metallic Distress Stains with Hels' fab Masterclass, create gorgeous layered backgrounds with embossing powder, make awesome wire springs and wings, and give your cards some shimmer with our cheap and cheerful tin foil techniques! Not to be missed I'd say!