Your Next Stamp - Sketch and Colour Challenge

Gday folks!

Only a 3 more days until the big day - my kids are besides themselves with excitement!  I'm hoping they don't beat last years record and come into our room at 4am to tell us Santa's visited!

Your Next Stamp's current challenge is open until Thursday January 5th 2017 so plenty of time to get your entry in and be in with the chance of winning a YNS gift certificate to the store.

I was a little over making Christmas cards when I made this card so opted to use the sketch with this cute set of stamps called Blast Off. I sponged a moon and sky using distress inks, then added lots of stars using the Mini Star Ink Splatter with some pewter embossing powder.  Dont forget you can use the sketch or the colours or even both together. 

Hope Santa's good to you this year - Merry Christmas!

Claire x

Your Next Stamp - Fave of 2016

Hello bloggers!

As Guest Designer for December I've been asked to post my favourite YNS creation for 2016. I had quite a few to choose from but actually made a new card using some stamps from their latest release: Mini Merry Chris-Moose and Cool Backgrounds:

I use this design again and again for quick cards - it's so versatile and can be used with almost any image. The little square backgrounds are perfect for it so I can see myself using this set a lot in the future.

Hope you're getting into the Christmas spirit of things!

Thanks for popping by,

Claire x

Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop

G'day from a very hot and sticky Sydney!

In an attempt to cool down I had to make a snowy themed Christmas card for the Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop:

This cute little penguin is from a new set by Your Next Stamp called Waddles Winter Happiness. He looks very happy with his hot cup of coffee - perhaps he's added a tot of whisky to it to warm himself up.  Go and check out the YNS blog where they are having a Winter Wonderland themed showcase - make a comment and you could win a prize.

Over at Simon Says Stamp Monday blog, there's a snow themed challenge so I'm going to pop this little fellow over there too. I created a glittery, snowy background using a Winnie and Walter snow stencil with some gesso, then sprinkled it with glitter before it dried.

Thanks for calling by,

Claire x

All Spaced Out

Hello!

It really is getting to that time of year where the cards are few and far between isn't it? Thank goodness for clean and simple challenges like Casology! This week's cue word is 'space:'

I had a completely different vision for this card - let's just say the idea I had failed miserably! I masked a heart of 'space' with distress inks, then added a scattering of gold stars from Your Next Stamp and a couple of die cut hearts smothered in Glossy Accents.  The inside of the card continues the sentiment with 'to the moon and back.' 

Have a wonderful week!

Claire x

Your Next Stamp - Design Team Dare

Hello bloggers!

So today is Design Team Dare day over at the Your Next Stamp blog. I've been dared to CASE a card from 2016 made by one of the YNS Design Team. The card I've chosen to CASE is by the very talented Dian:

After making this card, I had a picture in my mind of our little fisherman from Keepin' it Reel doing a spot of ice fishing.   I like the way Dian created the snowy background and the snow drifts with her die cut so that's the direction I went in.  I blended a Wintry sky, then used a snowy background stencil and some Gesso to create the snow. I edged the snowdrifts with some glue and added some chunky glitter for some snowy sparkle. I'm wondering if this little fella is perhaps Santa in disguise? Perhaps he shaved his beard off and went to do a spot of ice fishing for a well earned rest? Somebody really needs to tell him that long sleeved clothes are more suitable in the North Pole!

Make sure you go and check out what the YNS Design Team have been up to!

Thanks for calling by,

Claire x

Candles for Casology

Hello folks!

Hope you are feeling relaxed in the lead up to Christmas.  It's been so busy lately,  I haven't had time to play along at Casology for weeks.  Their latest cue word is 'candle' so I combined it with this week's Less is More challenge,  which is a colour challenge using only primary colours:

Primary Colours

The candles have come from Whimsy Stamps Happy Everything and the sentiment is from PTI's Birthday Sentiments. I added a little sparkle to the flames using some KindyGlitz - otherwise it's nothing but stamps and ink.

I'm also popping it over to the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge where they have an 'anything goes' theme.

Thanks for calling by!

Claire x

Your Next Stamp - Year in Review Blog Hop

Hello!

Welcome to the Your Next Stamp Year in Review Blog Hop! You should have hopped over here from  Dian's blog. The very talented YNS design team have each put together a project using their very favourite product from 2016 so make a comment on any of their blogs before 12 midnight on December 6th and you could be in with the chance of winning a $25.00 YNS store gift certificate. The more blogs you comment on, the greater the chance of winning! 

My absolute favourite set for 2016 is Keepin' it Reel.  I find it really difficult to find masculine sets that I like but as soon as I saw this one I just knew I had to get my inky little mitts on it! I love creating little scenes with the stamps and the sentiments aren't just restricted to birthdays so it's a really versatile set.  On the card above I coloured the cheeky little fisherman with Copics, sponged the clouds, hills and water using Distress Inks and then matted it on to some masculine patterned papers. Bless him, he looks so pleased with himself and he's only caught a boot!

Next on the hop is Holly so why not leave a comment below for the chance of winning and then pop on over to her blog to send her some love!

Thanks for popping by!

Claire x

An InLinkz Link-up

Your Next Stamp - Sketch and Colour Challenge

Hello bloggers!

Your Next Stamp have a bi-monthly Sketch and Colour challenge so as this month's Guest Designer, I've played along with the current challenge which you can find here:

As you can see, I went with the sketch but you have the choice of using the sketch or the colours or  even both together. 

For this card I used Silly Monsters, perfect for all kinds of little (and big) monsters in your life.  I masked the background using all four monsters from the set, then coloured three of them with Copics and added lots of Glossy Accents to their eyes. 

Link up your project for the chance to randomly win a $15.00 YNS Store gift certificate and if you use YNS proucts as the main focus you can increase this to $20.00!

Hope you get the chance to get inky!

Thanks for stopping by,

Claire x

Guest Designer - Your Next Stamp!

Morning folks!

I'm chuffed to bits to be Guest Designer over on the Your Next Stamp blog this month. I've been a big fan of their whimsical stamps for quite a while now - they're full of fun images and many of the sentiments are clever puns that will bring a smile to anyone's face:

This little set is no exception - it's called Fishy Fun. It's one of those sets that feeds my Copic addiction with lots of fish-shaped outline stamps to practise my colouring.  There's also an additional fish on this card that's from another Your Next Stamp set called Keepin' It Reel.  More of that set later in the month...

Make sure you go and check out the store won't you and I'll be back tomorrow with another card to show you for their latest blog challenge!

Thanks for popping by,

Claire x