Take It Make It Challenge: October Inspiration

Hello!

Our current Take It Make It challenge is in full swing, with some amazing entries so far!

Just in case you need a little more inspiration, the DT have come up with some more amazing projects to share today :) First though, a bit of a reminder.....

  This month is:
Take A Theme:
Autmnal (or Fall!) Creations 

Use Autumal (or Fall!) imagery, OR use seasonal/earth tone colours: reds, oranges, greens, yellows, browns.
Show us how unique you can be, create anything your imagination cares to dream up! Share your cards, journal pages, layouts, 3D assemblage or whatever else takes your fancy. Your project can be any colour you want... Follow the theme and stamp somewhere, then you're good to go!

We have two prizes on offer, as always. The first is the Sponsor Prize, and the winner of this will be randomly chosen from all the eligible entries of the challenge. To make sure your project is eligible to win, make sure you have followed our challenge guidelines. These can be found on our sidebar over here ---------->

and also in a tab under the banner at the top.

We are proud to announce our sponsor this month is....

That's Crafty

That's Crafty are a UK based, bricks and mortar shop in Romford, Essex. They also have an extensive online shop for those who live further afield :)
Full to bursting with every kind of crafty stash you could ever dare to wish for , That's Crafty is a wonderful one stop shop for all your needs! That's Crafty also manufacture their own range of stencils and surfaces, and have just launched a fabulous stamp line. Which brings me onto the prize....

The prize this month for our randomly drawn winner is the WHOLE SET of eight brand new stamp releases! Yes, all 8 :)
Wonderful stamps, and a wonderful prize!  

As always, we will also have a Design Winner this month!

This winner is chosen by our DT, who all vote for their favourite design from all of the eligible entries. This winner will have their winning project published in Craft Stamper Magazine, (with a 2 page spread of their very own!), 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 beautifully stamped inspiration! 

Guest Designer Loll Thompson

Cheremane Smith

Elina Stromberg

Elizabeth Robinson

Ellie Knol

Linda Walmsley

Mandi Mance

Nikki Killinger

Shirley Bampton

 
I hope you are all inspired to join in! The link up can be found in last Fridays blog post, HERE!

Throwback Thursday!

Hello!
It's Throwback Thursday again... time to share a wonderful project from the back issues of Craft Stamper Magazine!
Perhaps you're a new reader, or you just want to be reminded... lots of reasons to share AMAZING projects again :)
This week, we're back in November 2014 with Kim Dellow, and a wonderful tutorial for creating your own stamps!

Kim says...

I love making my own stamps: it is so much fun, it’s a total expression of you and your art, and they can be made from the simplest of things. Take these string stamps, for example – with just a ball of string, some sticky tape and a piece of firm cardboard, you can make some great textured stamps to create some unique projects.
String stamps lend themselves perfectly to simple shapes such as lines and curves but don’t discount more complex shapes like sentiments and ‘string drawings’. You may need to think about how to snip and re-join the string to make it sit in place and to make sure that you keep the stamps level  for more complicated patterns. But once you have done a few simple designs, you will be ready to try something more challenging. 

 

Stamps Kim used...
All Kim’s own creations

Other materials...

Kraft card blank

White card

String

Art board or cardboard

Double-sided adhesive sheets

Tsunkineko Memento Ink Pads: Bamboo Leaves; New Sprout; Cantaloupe; Morocco; Rhubarb Stalk

Ranger Archival Ink Pad: Jet Black

Corner rounder

Step By Step Instructions...

Step One: Trim a piece of art board or cardboard to the size you want for your stamp using a sharp knife.

Step Two: For more complex string stamps, doodle or write the design of the stamp you want to make first. (If you’re creating a text stamp, remember to write backwards!)

Step Three: Cover the board with double-sided adhesive sheet and place the string over the design. Trim as needed to make sure it lies flat.

To finish the project:

Swipe the Cantaloupe, New Sprout and Bamboo Leaves ink pads across the bottom section of a panel of white card. Create two coiled string stamps of different sizes using the stepped technique shown. Ink them up as normal with the Morocco or Rhubarb Stalk ink pads and stamp on the panel. Use the same technique to make a simple stamp with several string lines, and use it to stamp a black grid over the coils. Stamp out the string sentiment onto scrap card and cut out carefully. Then mount the stamped panel with the sentiment onto the kraft card blank. 

The string stamps create wonderful designs...

 


Definitely one to try I think!
We hope this has inspired you... and don't forget there are LOADS of brand new projects and tutorials in each and every issue of Craft Stamper :)
See you next week for more blasts from the past!

Take It Make It Challenge: October!

Hello!

Welcome to the Craft Stamper October Take It, Make It challenge!

Take the theme, and then Make it your own :)

This month is a 'Take A Theme' month, and so the theme is:

Autumal creations
(Or Fall depending on where you are!)

Use Autumal (or Fall!) imagery, OR use seasonal/earth tone colours: reds, oranges, greens, yellows, browns.

 Show us how unique you can be, create anything your imagination cares to dream up! Share your cards, journal pages, layouts, 3D assemblage or whatever else takes your fancy.  Follow the theme and stamp somewhere, then you're good to go!

We have two prizes on offer, as always. The first is the Sponsor Prize, and the winner of this will be randomly chosen from all the eligible entries of the challenge. To make sure your project is eligible to win, make sure you have followed our challenge guidelines. These can be found on our sidebar over here ---------->

and also in a tab under the banner at the top.
PLEASE REMEMBER: We only want to see ONE project in each individual blog post entry!
A set counts as more than one :)
 

We are proud to announce our sponsor this month is....

That's Crafty

That's Crafty are a UK based, bricks and mortar shop in Romford, Essex. They also have an extensive online shop for those who live further afield :)
Full to bursting with every kind of crafty stash you could ever dare to wish for , That's Crafty is a wonderful one stop shop for all your needs! That's Crafty also manufacture their own range of stencils and surfaces, and have just launched a fabulous stamp line. Which brings me onto the prize....

The prize this month for our randomly drawn winner is the WHOLE SET of eight brand new stamp releases! Yes, all 8 :)
Wonderful stamps, and a wonderful prize!  


I hope the prize has given you all an incentive to win...... and how about some eye candy from the DT to give you some beautifully Autumnal stamped  inspiration! 

Cheremane Smith

Elina Stromberg

Elizabeth Robinson

Ellie Knol

Jolande van Oosterhout

Kymona Tracey

 Linda Walmsley

Mandi Mance

Shirley Bampton

Wow!

Amazing inspiration from the DT!

Fancy joining in with us this month? You have to be in it to win it, as they say :)

All you need to do is double check you are familiar with all the guidelines, then get linking up using the InLinkz tool below!

  We can't wait to see what you create!

An InLinkz Link-up

Throwback Thursday!

Hello!
Welcome to our regular Throwback Thursday series of tutorials, sharing some wonderful creations from past issues of Craft Stamper Magazine.
This week... we return to the November 2014 issue, and a stunning project by Elizabeth Borer.
Would you believe the inspiration for this piece came from a tin of cat food?!

 Elizabeth says..

"Another cat was added to our household, a very fussy lady who only eats one particular type of cat food. This comes in little round tins, and I found myself staring at them on more than one occasion wondering what I could do with them! The shape of these tins is very pleasing, like a small bowl, and the metal is sturdy but still malleable. The more I looked the more I thought of flowers"

 

Stamps Elizabeth used…

Lavinia Stamps: Zen Toadstool; Zen Thistle

Other materials…

Cat food tins (you will need two per flower)

Ranger Archival Ink Pad: Jet Black

Paper Mache Birdhouse

PaperArtsy Stencils: 001 (ELB); 006 (ELB)

PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Paints

Tim Holtz Alterations On The Edge Dies: Scallops; Scrollwork

Patterned paper

Book pages

Stamping card

Treasure Gold: Classic Gold

Claudine Hellmuth Multi Medium Matte

Tissue paper

Craft metal 

Grey board

Embossing folder

Variety of metal findings and embellishments

Pinflair glue

Step By Step instructions:

Step One: Paint the tins with a mix of Snowflake and Sage plus some Bora Bora. Apply two coats, allow the first to dry before applying the second. Cut down the sides of the tins to separate them into five petals.

 

Step Two: Stamp the Zen Toadstools in black ink onto tissue paper and dry with a heat gun. Roughly cut or tear the tops of the toadstools out and adhere with matte medium to the inside of the tins as shown. Paint another coat of matt medium over the tissue. Once dry, cut around the toadstools and down into the base to create petals.

Step Three: Bend and manipulate the petals to form the flowers. It helps to bend the base of the petal in towards the centre of the flower and then out again to get the right shape. Curve the edges of the petals to give some more shape.

Step Four; Make washes of colour by mixing Pumpkin Soup, Hyde Park and South Pacific paints with a little water and paint randomly onto the flowers. Finish by rubbing a little Treasure Gold onto the edges of the petals. 

To Create the Birdhouse base:

Step One: Cover the four sides of the birdhouse with paper and paint the inside. Mix Sage and Snowflake to make a pale green and apply randomly over the paper to create opaque areas that cover the design. Stencil some dots randomly using the same colour.

Step Two: Using  the Ferns stencil, add Snowflake-painted ferns randomly over the house. Repeat on alll sides of the house.

Step Three: Using the same colours as for the flowers apply washes randomly all over the house to cover the paint and paper. Start with Pumpkin Soup and then use the other two colours. The colours will blend as they are translucent.

Step Four: Create a base by sticking four squares of grey board together and painting or covering with paper. Use the Scallops edge die to cut a strip of craft metal, paint it with a mix of Bora Bora and South Pacific and rub on some Treasure Gold. Adhere around the base. Stamp Zen Thistles randomly over the house.

Step Five: Cut four triangles of craft metal to cover the sides of the roof and dry-emboss each. Paint with the turquoise colour from Step 3 and then wash the same colours as for the flowers over the embossed metal. Dry-brush some Treasure Gold over the raised areas and adhere to the roof.

       

Step Six: Die-cut some book pages with the scrollwork die and wash colours from the palette over the paper. Dry-brush with more Treasure Gold. Adhere around the top of the house.

Step Seven: Take two more tins, cut out the centres then cut ‘teeth‘ as shown in the photo. Paint with the turquoise mix and wash over Hyde Park and South Pacific. Dry-brush with Treasure Gold. Adhere the frames with glue and by bending the ‘teeth’ over the window aperture.

Step Eight: Stamp toadstools onto stamping card and colour with washes from the palette. Cut out and adhere to the house with pinflair glue. Paint any embellishments with colours from the palette and add Treasure Gold before adhering to the house. Adhere the house to the base, then secure the flowers as shown with pinflair glue.

The finished house...

WOW! How amazing is that... we love it! The flowers are just stunning.

So... any of you tempted to raid the cat food aisle in the shops even though you don't own a cat? Just me then? :)    
Thank you so much for the inspiration Elizabeth... we'll be back next Thursday with some more! 

Our Inspirational November issue hits the shops on Friday!

The November issue of Craft Stamper Magazine hits the shops this Friday (7th)!
Our fabulous subscribers may have their copies already, they are arriving as I type :)

This issue is our special ‘Christmas Gift’ issue! Our talented designers have created some gorgeous stamped projects (as usual!), that would be perfect as a handmade gifts for you to give this Christmas.

We have a couple of jewellery projects for you, Hermine Koster is sharing some amazing stamped wooden bangles with us. This is such a good idea, you can create very professional and very personal gifts for your loved ones!

 Helen Bowen has shared a more delicate jewellery project in this issue. Pretty doll sized china has been combined with stamping to create a fabulously cute pendant!

All this jewellery needs a jewellery stand, of course! Asia King has created an amazing mannequin from a paper mache shape and some chess pieces. The result would be perfect for any ladies’ dressing table, and is well worth having a go! 

Our free images this month are available in both polymer and digital format. Our polymer stamp is a wonderfully useful tag, perfect to be used on your handmade gifts!

The tag is also available in digital format, along with the other three digital images offered this month. As well as another seasonal tag, we have a bird and a flower design that could be used all year round! Tracy Evans has used the flower to amazing effect in this issue! 

We also have a paper plate clock by Claudia Neubacher...

Some fab ideas for frames in our 3D challenge, including the wonderful cover project by Chris Dark...

And an inspiring Masterclass featuring watercolour backgrounds by Anna Karin Evaldsson

Lots for you all to experiment with, and don’t forget, I would love to see what you create! Email me, or share on our Facebook page!

 For those who do not subscribe,  copies of the magazine are available here:

Craft Stamper Magazine Shop

Digital copies are also available here:

Craft Stamper: Digital Issues  (November issue will be available from Friday 07/10/16)

Or... why not ask your local craft store to stock the magazine! We supply shops all over the world :) Information on how to stock Craft Stamper can be found on our web site, or email us and we'll help!