Meet the team - Trish Latimer

Welcome to the latest in our regular series throwing the spotlight on some of the designers who create regularly for Craft Stamper. Mixed media with a quirky style and creative approach to all kinds of materials from fabric to wire and paint to book pages - it can only mean that today's spotlight falls on the highly talented and individual Trish Latimer...

Hello!

This feels weird…. A post about little old me on the blog, rather than me writing a post about someone else! 

Anyway…hello out there! I’m Trish Latimer, and I’m a stamp-a-holic… (and a paint-a-holic as well I think!). My first project for Craft Stamper was in the middle of 2008, and I’ve been a regular ever since. I love sharing techniques, ideas and quirky weird stuff with all the CS readers, so long may it continue.

I blame shopping TV for my stamping addiction! Channel surfing on the sofa whilst at home feeding baby number 1, I stumbled across a stamping demo…was very intrigued and the rest is history! It’s actually quite scary thinking that was nearly 20 years ago, I certainly don’t feel old enough to have a baby about to leave her teens!

Favourite Project #1

I chose this one because the technique involved is really messy! I know if I’ve had a fun playtime creating if I’m so painty I need a shower afterwards!

This project is blogged {here}

Q: Do you have a signature style or favourite technique?

A: My style has evolved over the years into a messy, painty colourful kind of affair, with quirky figures, random quotes and (of course) plenty of stamping thrown in for good measure. I just love creating 3D assemblages, with Art Dolls being a firm favourite right now!

Favourite Project #2

I had to include an Art Doll, this is one of my favourites.

This project is blogged {here}

Q: Where do you look for inspiration before you start on a project?

A: My inspiration comes from all over the place. I think my brain stores up all sorts of ideas and images, then turns them into projects, which are guaranteed to pop into my brain just before I go to sleep! Luckily, the ideas are still there in the morning when I wake up!

Favourite Project #3

I really love exploring my bonkers side, and I think this meditating cat sums this up quite well!

 

This project is blogged {here}

Looking through all those old projects has me itching to get back into my studio to get the paints and stamps out again….so see you soon!

Trish

www.inkpaintbeads.blogspot.co.uk

Thanks to Trish for a glimpse into her stamping world and to you for joining us on the Craft Stamper blog today, hope you've enjoyed "meeting" another designer!

Take It Make It Challenge: Winners Profile

Hello!

Welcome to our Winners Profile, showcasing the Design Winner of our last Blog Challenge!

The very talented Design Winner of our February 2015 challenge is

 Amanda Southern

From: www.amanda-momentsofinspiration.blogspot.co.uk

Amanda won the challenge with this fabulous project, showcasing her stunning use of colour and eye for detail:

We asked Amanda a few questions all about stamping (well, we are Craft Stamper after all!)

Q: How long have you been a stamper, and how did you get started?

A: I’ve been stamping for about 5 years and my obsession with rubber stamps started as my 5 year old niece, at the time, wanted to make a card for her teacher and my mum went and bought a few card making bits and bobs to put something together with her. She showed me the finished card and I thought “I wouldn’t mind doing that” and as they say “the rest is history”……..

Q: What are your favourite kinds of stamps, and do you have a favourite stamp company?

A: I have amassed a fabulous collection of stamps over the last few years, some would say bordering on obsessional!! I just call myself a collector! My collection of stamps I would compare to anybody’s music collection, a little bit of this and a little bit of that. My ultimate favourite stamps company is Stampotique I now have over 150 of their wonderful wooden. My current go to stamps are also Carabelle Studio, Dina Wakley and Vivalasvegas stamps.

Q: Describe your style, are you a messy kind of stamper or a more ‘clean and simple’ kind of person?

A: I’m not really a one style sort of stamper I enjoy producing a variety of styles, sometimes the styles I produce depend on the time I am able to spend in my craftroom. I go from multi layered mixed media projects that can take several days to complete to making a clean & simple card in a short time.

Q:What kind of projects do you like creating the most?

A: My favourite project would be one that I have an idea of what I want to do but by playing around with different mediums I watch it evolve into something I hadn’t originally thought of and of course it will always have some method of stamping within it. 

Q: Apart from stamps, what is the one product you wouldn’t be without when you craft?

A: Any type of paints, I love what you can do with paint to create so many different effects and looks to your project either straight from the pot or tube or mixed with something else.

We also asked Amanda to show us one of her favourite stamped creations,  and share why she likes it so much. This is the gorgeous project she has chosen:

"This is one of my favourites as it features stamps from my favourite stamp company, Stampotique. It is an ATB which I love making as you have all the sides to design. All the pieces I have used on it I collected myself from the beach." -Amanda

Congratulations on being our February Design Winner Amanda, and it was lovely to learn a little more about you!

Do YOU fancy having a winners profile all about you on the CS blog? 

The profile is part of the prize package for each Design Winner of our challenges. All you need to do is enter a creation into the challenge, then if you are voted Design Winner everyone will be reading all about you before you know it!

Our current challenge 'Take A Stamp' is still open for a few more days! All the details can be found HERE.

See you next Friday for the announcement of our March Winners! 

Take It Make It March Challenge: Inspiration

Hello!

Our current Take It, Make It challenge is a 'Take A Stamp' challenge, which means a very broad Anything Goes theme. You must use a stamp somewhere on your creations, but apart from that, let your imagination go wild!
 We have had fun looking at the entries so far, you lot are very creative!

The DT have been having loads of fun creating some more more projects for you to feast your eyes upon, brace yourself, there is rather a lot of eye candy on show!

Winner of the January Challenge: Hermine Koster

  Elina Stromberg

 Elizabeth Robinson

Jackie Payne 

 Jolande van Oosterhout

 Kymona Tracey

Linda Walmsley

  Nikki Killinger

  Renee Zarate

Shirley Bampton

 Tracy Easson

Trish Latimer  

Wow! Now THAT'S what I call inspiration!

Why not have a go, then enter your creation into our challenge?

We are sponsored this month by 
PaperArtsy

This months randomly chosen entry will win these two fabulous prizes:

How wonderful is that?!

 The Design Winner, voted for by our DT, will have their project published,  have a guest DT slot for an upcoming challenge, and ALSO gets their very own winners profile here on the blog....so why not get stamping, we'd love to see your creation!

All the details can be found HERE....
Have fun!

Take It Make It Challenge : March

Hello!

Welcome to the launch of our March Challenge!

As you might remember, this year our challenge is alternating between 'Take A Stamp', and 'Take A Technique'....and this month our challenge is 'Take A Stamp'!

March Challenge:

'Anything Goes'
(as long as you have used a stamp on your project somewhere!)

So....lets see how creative you lot are...get your stamps out and share your journal pages, layouts, 3D assemblage or whatever else takes your fancy!

*** Sadly, quite a few entries last month did not follow the guidelines, so they could not be considered for a prize. PLEASE remember to only include just the one project in your blog posts, we just want to see the project you are entering, no others! Full guidelines can be found in the right hand sidebar.***

We have two prizes on offer this month, the first is our sponsor prize.This winner will be chosen randomly from all of the entries in the challenge! The sponsor for March is

PaperArtsy!

 PaperArtsy are a wonderfully innovative company, selling all things altered art! Fresco Finish paints in a huge rainbow of colours, substrates and of course their very wide and varied range of rubber stamps. The prize we have on offer is a set of limited edition paints by Lin Brown, designed especially to complement her hugely successful stamp range!

The prize also includes this fabulous stamp set, designed by PaperArtsy signature designer Darcy:

I have to say, I LOVE the stamps, and those paints!...such fabulous colours. Our randomly drawn prize winner will be a very lucky person!

Our second winner is our Design Winner. This winner is chosen by our DT, who all vote for their favourite design from all of the entries. This winner will have their winning project published in Craft Stamper Magazine, they will have a GDT slot for an upcoming challenge, and will also feature in their very own Winners Profile blog post! 

I hope the prizes have given you all an incentive to win...... and how about some eye candy from the DT to give you some stamping inspiration!

Elina Stromberg

Elizabeth Robinson

Georgina Ford

Jackie Payne

Jolande van Oosterhout

 Kymona Tracey

Linda Walmsley

Nikki Killinger

Renee Zarate

Shirley Bampton

Tracy Easson

Trish Latimer

(with a video tutorial for this project on her blog!)

Zoey Scarpelli

WOW! 

I have to say...there are some STUNNERS there, that's what I call inspiration!

So, want to enter?!

All you need to do is have a quick look through all the essential rules and guidelines (on the right hand sidebar), and then link up using the Linky Tool below. We can't wait to see your creations!

April issue out on Friday!

It hardly feels as though we've had time to recover from Christmas and now - lo and behold! - it's nearly Easter! What better way to start off this special (and rather magical) time of year than with some gorgeous and fresh new projects courtesy of our fab Design Team in our April issue!

So in this month's issue you will find...

• Stamps, Stencils & Sparkle where Kay Carley creates the most beautiful allium cards using Sparkle Medium and stencils in this fab tutorial
• Trish Latimer's A Niche Style where you can learn to make your very own custom-made niches in 3D projects using air-dry clay
• A Weapon of Choice where Anna-Karin Evaldsson shares the secrets to perfect stamping using the Sizzix Stamper's Secret Weapon
• Pretty as a Picture where Helen Chilton uses Gesso to soften bright inks
• Fabric Butterflies where Georgina Ford shows you how to use your Gelli Plate to stamp and stitch beautiful butterflies onto fabric
• Elizabeth Borer's Those Crazy Birds project inspired by Chocolate Baroque's Steampunk Birds stamp set
• Clear to See where Lydia Brooke Evans uses Mica powders and golden gilding flakes to bring sparkle and colour to acetate-based cards
• Junk Journal where Anneke De Clerck creates a bespoke junk journal using old envelopes
• And Christine Dark's Gone to Seed wooden box to keep your precious seeds in

Here's a little sneak peak at the details...

The Craft Stamper April issue will be available from 6th March in WHSmith's and all good craft stores across the UK. Or if you want to make sure that you never miss a copy you can call our friendly Customer Service team on 01684 588599 and subscribe!