Snowmen love

I've had so much fun playing with this image. I don't have that many Christmasstamps and every year I want to get some new ones I realize I still have some that haven't seen ink yet. So I promise myself that if there is a sale on Christmasstamps after the holidays I will get some. Somehow there never is...

This stamp from whiff of joy was still in its packaging and I must have had it for ages. Sorting through my stamps really helped as I have a better view of what I have and from which companies. No more doubles :)

The image is colored with promarkers and I used papers from prima. The sentiment/reindeer stamp is a freebie stamp from craft stamper. I only colored the image partially leaving the space between the snowmen white as if their love was glowing. I just love how adorable this stamp is. It's drawn by Elisabeth Bell for whiff of joy.

Below you can see a better pic of some glitterglue I used to create a frosty effect on the top and bottom of the brown paper (got the idea from Claudia) Looks like icicles and snow.

Challenges:

Belles n whistles - Christmas
Bunny Zoe's - Anything Christmas with pearls
Crafty catz - Snowmen
Everybody art - Christmas card
I love promarkers - Anything goes
Midnight madness - Sketch
Paper sundaes - Winter wonderland
Papertake weekly - Christmas crackers
Simon says stamp - Tag you're it
Stampin for the weekend - Friends
Stamptacular - Anything Christmas
Totally papercrafts - Christmas
Whiff of joy - Pins and lace

Enchantment from sweetpea stamps

Nice of you to stop by my blog today. I have taken a little break in my Christmascards, or at least in the planning of my Christmascards, and played with this beautiful image by Meredith Dillman plate 98 (which is currently on sale at sweetpea stamps, wohoo) Besides ching chou this is one of my favorite illustrators so I was happy to ink this image that I haven't played with before. I still have so many images that haven't seen ink yet, poor things.

Good thing is that I have totally cleaned up my crafttable. It's so big and spacious I can sleep on it :D Before I just had a 30x30cm space (if that) to do my cards on. The rest was filled with mountains of paper and stuff. I actually found a couple of Christmaspapers in there from last year. HU! It is so inspirin gto sit there now. I've been having so much fun colouring which I haven't enjoyed for ages. Still the rest of the corner to do, but the most imoprtant things are done and I'm so glad. Even got almost all my unmounted stamps sorted in binders. You can see how HERE, but will try to show you the rest some other time.

I'm so superpleased with how this card turned out, especially the coloring. I used oilpencils and a rubbing medium. I've struggled long to get the glow in my images, so I was over the moon of finally succeeding.

The sentiment is from ching chou kuik's plate 38, also by sweetpea stamps. It is stamped with distress ink as is the image and the edges of the image. Papers are from prima.

Challenges:

Crafts and me - vintage/shabby

Elisabeth Bell at sweetpea stamps

I hope you haven't missed that sweetpea stamps are carrying stamps drawn by Elisabeth Bell? Right now we have three new images. They can be used for Christmas and New Year's cards, but can also be used all year around. Don't you just love those kind of stamps? And as an extra bonus, if you preorder all three of them by nov 24:th (today) you will be entered in a drawing for sheet #31 that goes beautifully with these stamps.

I also want to let you know about the huge 40% off sale. All sheets from 1-126 are on sale! Time to get those Christmasgifts for your crafting friends or why not a gift for yourself? I always buy myself a craftinggift for Christmas as my family can't find their way around all the stuff that are out there :) A good way to spoil myself

And don't forget about the 20 stamps grab bags for $22.50. Visit the blog for more details and inspiration or go straight to the shop.

Dreamy bookmark

As Christmas is approaching I've been thinking about quick and easy gifts to make as going away presents. I think a pretty bookmark is always appreciated, because who doesn't like to read once in a while at least? I often find bookmarks too bulky with flowers and decorations. They look very pretty, but are not very practical.

So for my project today I used Meredith Dillman's Peridot from plate 137 by sweetpea stamps. The image is stamped off two times before stamping on the paper to give that invisible edge look. I coloured the image with copics (which I can't figure out, but I guess I need to practice more. My promarkers weren't cooperating with me in the beginning either). I used a die to cut out the pretty shapes, added a ribbon in between two pieces of cardstock and glued them together. The pink parts on this bookmark have beautiful dryembossed swirls that I accentuated with a glitterpen. I like when things look pretty from all sides.

I added a rhinestone on the hanging flower as I imagine it to be hanging out of the book. I also added glitter to parts of the image and around the biggest shape.

Challenges:
ABC challenge - D is for dazzle
Pile it on - Anything with P (pink/purple)
Totally Gorjuss - swirly whirly

Season's greetings

Welcome to my weekly post of sweetpea stamps. This week we are focusing on the images of Conie Fong. This one is called Buttercup and looks very much like a summerstamp, especially as it comes with a little butterfly hovering around the girl's head. I decided to cut the image out instead making it a Christmas one. Doesn't she look like she's waiting for Santa?

I coloured her with oilpencils and used basic grey papers. The big piece with flowers is from the jovial collection and the smaller one is also BG, but I can't remember the name of it. All I know is that it's from a very old collection as I bought it years ago.

Challenges:
Basic Grey - mix'n'match
Everybody art - advent
Papertake weekly - first Christmas
Simon says stamp - red/green/blue
Stamptacular - sketch
Totally gorjuss - Christmas traditions
Wags n whiskers - Christmas themed

Holiday sale and free shipping at sweetpea stamps

Selected Thanksgiving & Christmas stamps @ 40% off

Plus free shipping continues thru Sunday

(free shipping for International on orders over $30)

GO HERE

I'm FALLing for you

I've had so much fun and been so creative with my card today. It's been a while since I've been up late at night crafting. And even though I know my inspiration is best then, I just haven't had the energy or time to be up so late. But today I finished my homeexam (YEY!) so I allowed myself some crafting time without pressure.

I'm superproud of my card today that I made mainly for the house-mouse challenge blog. They are looking for a guest designer and I would love the opportunity to play more with my mice. The challenge was to make a fall-theme card and as house mouse likes to play with words I just had to us the "FALLing for you" sentiment. Thought it was very clever. I originally thought about making a lovecard, but combining it with fall colours and image only adds dimension to it. I thought it was brilliant if I may say so myself, but maybe I'm not that objective at 2 in the morning :D
I started by cutting out the image with a qk shape (heart and scalloped frame) and then coloring the image with oilpencils. This kind of coloring technique is perfect for fur or if you want colors to blend nicely together. I was actually a bit surprised over how great the leaves turned out. I inked the image with distress ink to take away the white background. After that I inked the frame more so it got a stronger color and embossed with clear ink. The other heart is dryembossed with a cuttlebug die and inked aswell. Finally I cut out some shapes with a cuttlebug and nestabilities die and handwrote the sentiment.

The image I have used is called fall commuters and it was one of my first favourites. The frame is cut out from the same image as the rest of the heart so you can actually see the rest of the image on the frame. I thought it was a cool detail.

Challenges:
Crafty catz - anything goes
House-mouse - fall
Papertake weekly - anything
Stampavie and more - anything goes
Stampin for the weekend - sketch (I started with it, but had to move the green decorations as they didn't fit otherwise, so unsure if I'll qualify, but that's what I used for inspiration)

Free shipping at sweetpea stamps

Don't miss out this great offer at sweetpea stamps. All through sunday there is free shipping on all orders (international orders free shipping over $30) Make sure to get your favourites.

Kraftin' Kimmie's GDT challenge

One of my absolute dream designteams - Kraftin' Kimmie - are looking for a guest designer for december! I got so excited I got a total creativeblock for a few days, lol. I've been waiting for this chance forever since the last time I didn't make it. Didn't think I would be able to produce anything, you know when you want something so bad you mess it up? But I prevailed and I'm so pleased with the result. The challenge was to use your fav Kraftin' Kimmie stamp and make any card you like. Well, I'm a huuuge fan of the moonlight whispers stamps. I don't have a favourite I must admit as I love them all and get so impressed every time a new collection comes out. I haven't had the chance to play with many of my new KK stamps and here is one of them. I hadn't actually noticed her before, but when shopping last I browsed through the catalogue and fell inlove her straight away. She's called Talullahbelle. Isn't she the cutest?

I love using different stamps for different occasions. This one is a fairy, but I used her as a Christmasstamp. I originally planned to have a text saying: "have a magical Christmas", but I just couldn't fit it in.
She is colored with promarkers and a clear sakura gelly roll for her wings (the glitter). The papers I have used are all from the same collection from my minds eye. I also used two different Martha Stewart punches. Oh, and I coiled a piece of wire to make the little coil for the "Christmas bulb" in the right upper corner. Thought it was a clever idea. I love this zesty and slightly different Christmascard.

Now just keep your fingers crossed that I'll get the GDT spot. In worst case I'll have at least one very pretty Christmascard this year. 


Challenges:
Kraftin' Kimmie - use your fav stamp
Magical monday - circles and stripes
Papertake weekly - sketch
Simon says stamp - anything goes
Stamptacular sunday - borders and frames

Quick and easy matchbox

I have a quick and easy project for you today: a small decorated matchbox. I used one of the tiny collage stamps from plate 19. I don't know if you have seen this idea, but a couple of years ago it was very big in Sweden. Everyone was decorating matchboxes as a going away present. I didn't really get it, but thought I'd give the decorating itself a try. I think that matching (sorry about the pun) this with a candle and a bathgel maybe would be a better going away present. It's such a simple, cheap and great way to personalize your gifts. Maybe an idea for the upcoming holidays?

Challenges:
Basic Grey - anything goes (I used patterned paper from the fruitcake line called "pine branch")
Midnight madness - sketch #127