New Men's Stamps by Little Claire - Final Day

There is now only one more stamp left in the current blog showcase dedicated to the new collection of men's stamps by Little Claire: 'Going Out'.

It is again a very versatile stamp that is not just suitable for male cards. What about using it for home related cards, for somebody who is about to go on holiday or perhaps even for a colleague who is moving on?

One of you has the chance to win a 'Going Out' stamp. All you need to do is to leave a comment on the Little Claire blog before midnight today. Just click here to go directly to the post.

And the stamp can, of course, also be ordered via the Little Claire website or by calling the team.

For my card I opted for textured cardstock in white, blue, black and grey. I placed the blue cardstock into the centre of an A6 embossing folder and ran it through the die-cutting machine before finishing the piece with an inverted corner rounder. The grey cardstock was cut into shape with the help of a square label die. I stamped the image onto smooth white cardstock, coloured it in with Spectrum Noir pens and some ProMarkers with ultra-fine nibs, rounded the corners and mounted it onto black cardstock with rounded corners before fixing it onto the card with those fantastic large 3D foam squares by Dovecraft. All that was then left to do was to add Candi in black and white as embellishments.

I hope you have enjoyed this week's Little Claire showcase. And good luck to everybody, who is leaving a comment on the post on the Little Claire blog today!

New Men's Stamps by Little Claire - Day 4

It is time for another image from the new collection of men's stamps by Little Claire. Today the spotlight is on 'DIY'. The image is perfect for house moves, DIY fans and many male cards.

For the card shown in this post I coloured in the image using Spectrum Noir pens and ProMarkers with ultra-fine nibs. And if you think that the paint tray is standing on a bit of newspaper ... well, it really is.

I stamped the section onto a bit of old newspaper, cut it out and fixed it to the image. The paint tray and the wee puddle are stamped separately onto smooth white cardstock, cut out, coloured in as usual and then added to the main image. So there is even a bit of paper piecing included in this project.

The background paper is from a Back to Basics II pad by Dovecraft. The tool shaped brads are by Woodware.

Please remember that you can leave a comment on the Little Claire blog up until midnight today to be in with a chance to win one 'DIY' stamp. And those less lucky can purchase it via the Little Claire website or by calling the team.

New Men's Stamps by Little Claire - Day 3

Today the Little Claire blog preview is dedicated to the new stamp 'In a while ...'. It is again one that is brilliant for cards for male recipients, but is not exclusive to them (there are also sporty ladies with short hair). And it could make a great image for a keen gardener, but also for a less enthusiastic individual who enjoys the breaks more than the actual work in the garden.

Here is the list of 'ingredients' that I used for the card above:

• Little Claire stamp 'In a while ...'
  
• Kraft card
• Core'dinations cardstock
• Watercolour card
• AquaMarkers (applied with a damp brush)
• Black VersaFine ink pad
• Marianne Design dies
• Raffia
  
• File for slight distressing of the birds
• Manual die-cutting machine
• Toolbox essentials
  

And yes, one lucky crafter can again win the stamp featured today. Just click here to go the Little Claire blog, leave a comment before midnight and then keep your fingers crossed.

The stamp 'In a while ...' is available on the Little Claire website. There is currently also a special offer - all six men's stamps for just £29.

Good luck to everybody, who is entering today's competition!

New Men's Stamps by Little Claire - Day 2

Today the Little Claire blog is showcasing the new stamp 'Sunday Morning'. And it is actually one that is not just suitable for male cards. I could also see it turned into a more feminine project. Even we would love to make use of a sign 'Gone back to bed' now and again, wouldn't we?

One lucky winner can again secure a stamp by just leaving a comment on the Little Claire blog before midnight. Just click here to add your text.

And this stamp is now also available on the Little Claire website, so that you can use it for your own creations soon.

For the card above I coloured in the image with Spectrum Noir pens, mounted it onto Core'dinations cardstock and a then with 3D foam onto a die-cut frame created with a Spellbinders die. I added a lilac piece from a Dovecraft coloured paper pack to a white square card blank with rounded corners. Embellishments are silver-coloured nailheads, which I placed into some of the eyelet holes of the die-cut frame.

New Men's Stamps by Little Claire

Little Claire have just launched a new collection of stamps, which are great for cards and other projects for male recipients. And from Monday to Saturday this week one of the new stamps will be introduced in more detail on the Little Claire blog on a daily basis. And there is even a chance to win one of the 'stamps of the day' by just leaving a comment on their blog.

Today's stamp is 'Man Tree', which I also used for the monochrome card above. I combined the image with black Candi, a football die-cut created with QuicKutz 2x2 dies and a decorative border, for which I used a Tonic Studios Simplicity Pattern Punch 'Celtic Border'.

All stamps are now also available on the Little Claire website - including a special multibuy offer, if want to get hold of the full set. But you can, of course, also order over the phone.

Little Claire Monthly Challenge #17

It is time for a new monthly challenge at Little Claire's - the first one for 2012. And to get everybody's juices flowing the topic is 'Anything But A Card'.

Gift boxes, albums, calendars, altered items, anything really you can think of can be entered into the challenge - just no cards. You can enter up to three new projects by 18.00 on Friday, 10 February 2012. Just click here to go directly to the Little Claire blog.



For my DT project I created a milk carton gift box from an A4 sheet of pearlescent cardstock with a die-cut flap made using Spellbinders labels dies. The flap can be closed with the help of a piece of Velcro.

I decorated the gift box with a coloured in image of Cutie Patooties Chimney Sweep (Spectrum Noir pens and ProMarkers were my trusted assistants for this), adhesive gems and paper flowers. For the centres of the flowers and the swirls I used Crealies dies.

I hope you are all enjoying this challenge with a difference and look very much forward to seeing all your wonderful projects.

Shattered?

Oh yes, this Fizzy Moon image from the Fizzy Moon ... with love x 'All About Him' clear stamps reflects just so well how I am feeling today. There is no other explanation for it other than that I must have been fighting with a gorilla last night ...

I coloured in the image using AquaMarkers - and I used just four colours: Mocha, Grape, Storm Blue and Lamp Black. But I was mixing the colours with each other and with water quite a bit. I just think my water brushes and I will go separate ways, as they are just not precious enough and often let too much water come through. For me the good old-fashioned brushes and water provide much better results with much more controlled water application.

A product list and step-by-step instructions are again in my Trimcraft gallery.

Have a good start into the new week!