Crafty Stamps Sneak Peek 2

Our move is now in full swing (and that although the work at the house is still continuing), so time to craft is very limited. And it does not help when a lot of craft items are already packed up or already at the house. And this weekend is so bad with very little sleep that I just had to escape into my own little world for a few minutes and make a quick card.

For this card I used again a brand-new image by Crafty Stamps, which is due to be released soon. I have been trying to find an image of a decanter and a whisky glass for many, many years, so I am absolutely over the moon about the stamp featured in this sneak peek.

In addition to the new image by Crafty Stamps I used the following products for this card:

* White textured cradstock
* Green textured cardstock
* Tartan paper
* White glass-smooth cardstock by Southfield
* Memento ink pad
* ProMarkers
* Sakura Gelly Roll pen 'Clear Star'
* Octagon dies
* Die-cutting machine
* Adhesive
* Toolbox essentials

And if you have a chance to go to the Sincerely Yours show in Edinburgh on 20 and 21 April 2013, please have a look at the Stampers Grove/Crafty Stamps stand and say hello to the team.

Crafty Stamps Sneak Peek

Do you like to incorporate Scottish images into your crafts? They are not only great for patriotic Scots and holiday keepsakes, but also brilliant for elegant cards in general. Some images make good focal points for quirky cards.

Today I would like to give you a sneak peek on a new stamps by Crafty Stamps, the Edinburgh based stamp manufacturer that is at home at the craft shop Stampers Grove.

I just love this image of a Highland dancer, which reflects all the grace and elegance connected with this beautiful skill.I coloured her in using ProMarkers with ultra-fine nibs and used the paper piecing technique for the kilt and kilt hoses (I stamped the image onto tartan paper, cut out the relevant sections and added them to the card).

And here are the ingredients used for this project:
* Square white card blank
* Tartan paper
* Core'dinations Black Magic cardstock
* Glass-smooth white cardstock from Southfield
* Die'sire Emobossalicious embossing folder
* Label die set
* Organza ribbon
* Adhesive pearls

If you like this stamp, please keep an eye on the Crafty Stamps website or the Stampers Grove website for this and many other new releases that will be available in the near future.

Border Collie

I really like the new border collie image by Crafty Stamps (AN113F). It pictures such a beautiful furry friend. When I saw the stamp my very first thought was to use it in combination with peg stamps - and so I had a play this afternoon.

The stamped image only needed a bit of colouring with Spectrum Noir pens, so I brought in some colour with the peg stamps which I used with Distress Markers. This also allowed me to use more than one colour for some of the stamped images, which are included in the 'Butterfly Blooms' set by Rubber Stamp Tapestry and the 'Highland Winter' Majestix set by Card-io.

Apart from round dies I also used a decorative Die'sire die by Crafter's Companion.

The embellishments are deliberately kept simple with heather and thistles joined together with organza ribbon by Woodware to avoid covering up too much of the stamping.

Quilled Flowers

My first project during this Easter weekend (yes, I plan to add more than one blog post) concentrates on the First Edition J'Adore paper pad by Trimcraft and floral quilling dies.

I built up the card around the gorgeous embossed and delicately patterned paper that I mounted onto black cardstock and combined with a square ivory card blank. I added a decorative corner created from black cardstock using a Heartfelt Creations die and a sentiment cut with a set by Britannia Dies.

The quilled flowers and the leaves are created with Die'sire quilling dies by Crafter's Companion. For the large flower I used one stamen strip. one strip cut with the small rose die and two strips cut with the large rose die. One stamen strip and two strips prepared with the small rose die are the elements for the small flower.

I finished the card off by setting large adhesive pearls from Trimcraft's London Line collection into the centres of the flowers with the help of gel glue and by adding some small grey pearls from my stash.

A product list and step-by-step instructions for this project can be found in my Trimcraft gallery.

More Action from the Riverbank

Riverbank Revels - Duckling

It is time to share with you some cards that I created this week. And I could again not bypass those lovely Riverbank Revels products by Trimcraft. The winter is still holding us firm in its grip, and it has been bitterly cold, very windy, damp and grey. So a hint of spring and sunshine was really needed.

If anybody would like to re-create these projects you are very welcome to do so. Product lists and step-by-step instructions can be found in my Trimcraft gallery. But please do not give out the designs as your own or enter them into challenges or competitions.

Riverbank Revels - Hello You

And for those, who would like a bit more 'insider' information about the products used for these cards:

The leaves on the duckling card are created using a die by Crealies. The embossing folder is a Die'sire Embossalicious 6"x6" folder by Crafter's Companion.

On the 'Hello You' card is used a D-Lites die by Spellbinders for the decorative corners. But many decorative corners of different sizes and by other manufacturers will be suitable for this style, as the ends of the corners are hidden under the decoupage topper anyway. Or perhaps try this design with other decorative die-cut shapes.

Riverbank Revels - Picnic

The decorative square on the picnic card is created using Grand Nestabilities by Spellbinders.

'Feel Good' Riverbank Revels

Today has been an absolutely awful day here. It has been cold, windy, dark and very wet. So I just felt the need to bring a bit of colour into my crafting to cheer me up. And the new Riverbank Revels collection by Trimcraft is just perfect for that.

I have again written up a product list and step-by-step instructions for this card featuring this summery image with the cute wee mouse created by the so talented Helz Cuppleditch. You can view them in my Trimcraft gallery.

And for those, who are interested in the details of used craft items: For the leaves I used a Pick of the Bunch die ('Window Basket') by Tonic Studios. For the embossing I opted for the grass embossing folder by Darice.

Domestic Goddess

Today I would like to share a few more cards with you that I made with images from the new 'Domestic Goddess' collection by Crafty Stamps over the recent weeks.

For the card above I used the image 'Dishes' (DG103M) in combination with textured cardstock, which is partly embossed, organza ribbon and a border die-cut created with a die by Cottage Cutz.

Next up is a hair salon card created with the stmp 'Pampered' (DG107M). Here I used textured cardstock, a Die'sire embossing folder and dies by Marianne Designs. I also added quilled flowers created from patterned paper with the help of Die'sire quilling dies. These dies are great for creating embellishments by using up patterned papers with lovely colours but perhaps not so nice designs. And adhesive gems complete the centres of the flowers.

Or could it be something a wee bit saucy?

The stamp 'Seductive Lady' (DG109M) could also come in handy for some cheeky male cards. I coloured in the image using Spectrum Noir pens and combined it with textured cardstock, a Die'sire embossing folder, Marianne Designs dies, paper roses, fabric leaves and decorative pins.

I hope you like these cards.