Christmas Issue sneak peek!

Our December issue goes on sale next Friday 7th November and is full of Christmas inspiration! Are you making Christmas cards and gifts already? Here are a few sneak peeks at a few of the beautiful projects we have for you....

Cards wanted for Ready, Set, Stamp!

We are looking for submissions for our Ready, Set, Stamp feature on the following themes for the January and February issues of Craft Stamper. If you've always wanted to see YOUR card in print, now is your chance!!!

January

Warm ‘n’ Fuzzy – to warm you up when it’s cold outside! This can be anything from a nice log-fire to a warm-hearted message. Using red, orange and yellow.

Deadline for submissions = 3rd October 2014

February

Cross My Heart – stamped, punched or die-cut, your design should include at least one heart! Using violet, lilac and primrose yellow.

Deadline for submissions = 27th October 2014

· Please email your submissions to cs@traplet.com

· We are looking for new and unpublished work ONLY please

· Please put 'Ready Set Stamp' followed by the theme in the subject line

· Please note that due to the number of submissions it's not possible to contact every entrant individually - if you have not heard from us within one week of the closing date please try again next time

Guidelines:

· Please make cards only for this gallery

· Cards which are selected need to be posted to the Craft Stamper offices in the UK

· This call IS open internationally

· Note that we do choose artwork as it arrives, so please don't wait until the last minute to submit if your cards are ready

· Cards will be returned at our expense, along with a complimentary copy of the magazine in which your card features. Note this can take approx. three month

· All cards should be suitable for an intermediate crafter to complete in around 20 minutes including drying time. Please keep your cards simple and remember that you may be a quicker than average worker

· Please follow both the theme AND the colour scheme when creating your cards. The colour scheme is a guide only – you don’t have to be exact but try to be as close as possible. You can use the colours in any proportions to suit your design as long as all three are used. You can add black, white and metallics to any of the schemes

· Text for this article is required (don't worry - it is short!) and should be entered into the document provided – this will be sent to you if you are selected

Cards wanted for Ready, Set, Stamp!

We are looking for submissions for our Ready, Set, Stamp feature on the following theme for the December issue of Craft Stamper. If you've always wanted to see YOUR card in print, now is your chance!!!

Santa Baby: Traditional Christmas cards featuring good old Saint Nick Colours = Traditional Xmas – red, green and gold (gold, not yellow!)

Deadline for submissions = 1st September 2014

· Please email your submissions to cs@traplet.com

· We are looking for new and unpublished work ONLY please

· Please put 'Ready Set Stamp' followed by the theme in the subject line

· Please note that due to the number of submissions it's not possible to contact every entrant individually - if you have not heard from us within one week of the closing date please try again next time

Guidelines:

· Please make cards only for this gallery

· Cards which are selected need to be posted to the Craft Stamper offices in the UK

· This call IS open internationally

· Note that we do choose artwork as it arrives, so please don't wait until the last minute to submit if your cards are ready

· Cards will be returned at our expense, along with a complimentary copy of the magazine in which your card features. Note this can take approx. three month

· All cards should be suitable for an intermediate crafter to complete in around 20 minutes including drying time. Please keep your cards simple and remember that you may be a quicker than average worker

· Please follow both the theme AND the colour scheme when creating your cards. The colour scheme is a guide only – you don’t have to be exact but try to be as close as possible. You can use the colours in any proportions to suit your design as long as all three are used. You can add black, white and metallics to any of the schemes

· Text for this article is required (don't worry - it is short!) and should be entered into the document provided – this will be sent to you if you are selected

Around the House: Bonus Projects!

Our September issue is on sale now! Available from WHSmith and many good craft shops as well as from our shop with free UK P&P for a limited time, or as a digital download. In this issue we have a fantastic ‘Around the House’ project from Jenny Marples (p.44-45) using forks to create amazing, unique backgrounds. Here we bring you two bonus project ideas from Jenny using this fun technique. So get your forks at the ready!

Jenny's main project in the September issue of Craft Stamper p.44-45

Materials
Stamps Jenny used...
Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Stamp Set: Nautical Blueprint
Other materials...
IndigoBlu Gee-Sso Good!: Black
IndigoBlu English Cottage Artist’s Acrylics Paint: Goldfinger
Distress Paints: Black Soot, Forest Moss, Peeled Paint, Pine Needles, Peacock Feathers, Antique Linen, Tattered Rose
Distress Ink: Wild Honey
Archival Ink: Jet Black

Ranger Embossing Powder: Clear
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Grungepaper
Core’dinations Card Tim Holtz Distress Collection
Shells
Studio 490 Wendy Vecchi Embossing Paste: Black
Distress Glitter: Clear Rock Candy
Glossy Accents
Twine

Rope 

Fork

Seaside Chalkboard

1 

Having painted the board with Black Gee-Sso Good and dried it thoroughly, apply black embossing paste to the bottom in a random fashion with a palette knife and leave to dry.

2
Beginning at the bottom of the board drag your fork through the paste in a wavy motion, repeating this process to create a pattern of curved channels. Allow this to dry.

3

Allow a mix of water and Forest Moss, Pine Needles and Evergreen Bough Distress Paints to run through the paste channels in turn drying thoroughly between each colour.

To finish the chalkboard:

Add some of the nautical shapes, clear embossed and shaped, with die cut fronds and Grungepaper letters covered in Goldfinger paint. Having punched holes in the top of the board thread with a piece of rope and knot.

The finished chalkboard project

Seashell Card

1

Apply Pine Needles, Peeled Paint and Forest Moss Distress Paints to your craft mat then drag your card through it. Mist with water and allow it to blend.

2

Once the first layer of paint is completely dry, apply a layer of Peacock Feathers Distress Paint across your card, ensuring you cover it completely.

3 

Whilst the paint is still wet drag your fork through it both horizontally and vertically in different areas to create a hatched pattern over the card.

To finish the card:
Stamp one of the nautical shapes onto the base with Archival Ink. Add pieces of twine before layering over the corresponding nautical shape, covered in Rock Candy glitter and die cut frond shapes. Finally adhere the corresponding word, covered in Glossy Accents, and mat the background onto coordinating card.

The finished seashell card

Go Shopping!
Tim Holtz Nautical Blueprints stamps and Ranger Clear Embossing Powder available from Art From The Heart, 01423 873739
IndigoBlu paints and gesso available from IndigoBlu, 01777 701980
Distress products and Archival Inks and Grungepaper available from The Artistic Stamper, 01795 597757

We hope you enjoy these extra design ideas and the other fabulous projects in our September issue! To see more of Jenny's work, visit her blog.

Stamping Contrasts: Darkroom Door

In our Stamping Contrasts article this month (September 2014, p.20-23) our designers got to experiment with these cute, chunky Carved Houses stamps from Darkroom Door. Here Rachel Greig, one of the owners of Darkroom Door, shows us another example of how these versatile stamps can be used! Don't forget to enter our Facebook competition where you could win a set of these fantastic stamps for yourself!

Sunshine Street Card 

By Rachel Greig

Materials
Rubber Stamps: Darkroom Door – Carved Houses (DDRS130); Alphabet Medley (DDRS026); Simply Circles (DDRS071); Sunshine Background (DDBS033); Dots Background (DDBS004); Brick Wall Background (DDBS034). Inks: Archival Ink – Jet Black, Chrome Yellow, Aquamarine, Vermillion, Sienna, Viridian. Other: White and yellow cardstock; foam adhesive; double sided adhesive; Sizzix Dies – Tattered Banners #657179; EK Success Scallop Circle Punch

1. Stamp two different sized Darkroom Door Carved Houses using Viridian and Aquamarine ink pads onto white cardstock. Stamp the house rooftops a second time onto white cardstock using Vermillion and Sienna ink pads.

2. Ink up a Carved House using Vermillion and using the ‘kissing’ stamp technique, press a clean Darkroom Door Dots Background stamp onto the inked stamp. Stamp the house onto white cardstock and you will see the faint dots pattern show up on the stamped house. Repeat this technique on a different house using Sienna ink pad and 'kissing' the house stamp with the Darkroom Door Brick Wall background stamp to create the look of a brick home. Trim all houses and contrasting rooftops with scissors.

3. Stamp the Darkroom Door Sunshine Background onto 13.5cm x 9.5cm light yellow cardstock using Chrome Yellow Archival Ink pad. Adhere to white cardstock and onto a folded yellow card.

4. Assemble the stamped houses onto the bottom of the stamped Sunshine Background. Adhere the houses using double sided adhesive and the rooftops with 3D foam adhesive.

5. Stamp a small circle from Darkroom Door Simply Circles stamp set onto white cardstock using Chrome Yellow Archival Ink. Punch out using a scallop punch. Adhere to centre of sun ray with 3D foam adhesive.

6. Die cut a tattered label using white cardstock. Stamp ‘Sunshine Street’ using Darkroom Door Alphabet Medley stamps and Jet Black Archival Ink. Adhere to top of the card.

Insider Secrets: Chris Dark

Design Team member Chris Dark reviews her favourite stamping product and tells us what she loves most about embossing ink and some exciting ways of using it!

Heat Embossing with embossing ink was one of the first techniques I came across when I started paper crafting, there’s something about watching embossing powder melt on top of an image stamped with embossing ink that’s magical. The formulation of embossing ink is designed to make it sticky and slow drying in order to catch and hold onto embossing powder prior to heating but there are lots of ways of using embossing ink that make it a foundation item for an ink collection.

Have you tried stamping with embossing ink and then dusting over mica powder, chalks or pastels? These products are great for using over both light and dark card and give a lovely rich look to projects. Self colour stamping with embossing ink for subtle interest is great for backgrounds (I’ve found that repeat patterns work well) and on a mid to dark tone of card you get an elegant finish. 

Add an embossing folder and brayer into the mix and there’s another interesting way to put pattern onto card with embossing ink. Use the inked brayer to transfer the embossing ink onto the flat side of an embossing folder and then add coloured ink, mica powder or pastel to highlight the pattern. Embossing ink also works brilliantly as a resist, as well as being an aide for stamping with rubber stamps into hot melted ultra thick embossing powder. The embossing ink acts as a release agent for the stamp once the ultra thick has cooled allowing the stamp to be easily removed.

For my card I initially created a pattern using IndioBlu stamps on black card using the embossing ink to stamp. When the stamping was complete I brushed on Ranger Perfect Pearls powders in cream, gold and blue and dusted off the excess with a tissue to leave a lovely shimmery floral pattern of flowers and leaves on my card. I repeated the process onto a white card blank this time only using the gold powder. Then I assembled the card and embellished with gold cord, dots and lines of relief paste to the centres of the flowers and edges of the leaves. I only used half of the patterned black card that I created so I had some leftover to make a tag.

Above I’ve shown how the stamping looks after applying the mica powder and before cutting my piece for the card. I love the rich effect achieved with this technique which is an old one, but one that gives very pleasing results.

Thanks for looking in at the Craft Stamper blog and have creative day.

To see more of Chris’ work visit www.sketchingstamper.blogspot.co.uk

Stamping Contrasts - Guest Designer

In our August issue our designers had the chance to get creative with these lovely, versatile sentiment stamps from Visible Image. This stamp set is perfect to brighten up someone's day and the flower is separated into flower-head and stem to make it even more adaptable for your own designs.

We gave one lucky reader the chance to play along with this month's stamping contrasts and here are the results. We love the original way in which Hellen Pearce has used this set!

Materials…
STAMPS: Visible Image – Thinking of You set. INKS: Adirondack; VersaFine - Black. OTHER: Memory Box Dies – Butterfly Vine and Kensington Border; DecoArt Glamour Dust; cardstock – black, white, pale blue, silver.

Because Every Cloud Should Have a Silver Lining
I felt that the sentiment stamp needed an understated background to ensure it was the main focus. I played around with a few techniques but in the end chose this one made by marbling ink and water as it gives a ‘floaty’ feel which I feel suits the sentiment’s reference to ‘skies’. I continued with this theme using silver card to create a ‘silver lining’. I stamped onto the dried background using black ink and arranged the matted and layered pieces onto a card base. I also added some die cut butterflies because when I watch butterflies in the garden they make me smile, and I would use these stamps for a card to cheer somebody up.

Butterfly Love

My tag was made to compliment the card. I used the same techniques but with a few different butterflies and a sprinkle of glitter. All the butterflies used on both the card and tag came from border dies which I cut up – I always try to buy products that are versatile and good value for money!

Thank you Hellen for these beautiful makes – visit Hellen's blog to see more of her work. If you haven't seen the article in our August issue, then grab a copy and get even more fabulous inspiration from Kim Bacon, Chris Dark, Chrissie Stokes and Joanne Allison! Available to buy from WHSmith, many craft shops or with free P&P for a limited time from our shop! Also available as a digital download here.

Visible Image Thinking of You set costs £8.99. To purchase this or to see other stamps from Visible Image  visit www.visibleimage.co.uk.

June issue on sale this Friday!

Don't miss the latest issue of Craft Stamper, on sale Friday 2nd May!

Your free cover gift is a stunning blue tit stamp by Crafty Individuals

PLUS Loads to explore in this issue: 

-Plenty of inspiration for Father's Day

-Super retro potato stamping

-Bright and cheery home decor makes

-Step-by-step tutorials for eroded metal effect, blistered paint, Sparkle Paste, Angelina Fibres...

-WIN fantastic Zutter Stamp & Die Storage

AND MORE!

New issue out this Friday!

Don't miss the May issue, out this Friday, 4th April!

In this issue:

• Make your own peg stamps from rubber-topped pencils
• Make tactile projects with knitting yarn
• Create a gorgeous background with leftover letter stickers
• Part Two of our Gelatos Masterclass
• AND MUCH MORE!

Our cover stamp is designed by R. Maria Sabina and our featured cover girl is Lydia Brooke Evans.

Available from Traplet shop, selected WH Smith and Hobbycraft stores, and independent newsagents and craft stores