Create a Smile Stamps Challenge: Stamp a background

Hi Everyone,

Can you believe that it's already March?! Time is flying, it seems to me like Christmas was just a short while away... Madness!

It's also time for another CAS challenge, and this time the theme is "stamp a background". It's super easy, really, as you could stamp a background with pretty much any stamp set by Create a Smile you might own, or you could even use the freebies. So make sure you join in, as you never know - you might be the winner of a €25 gift certificate to the Create a Smile store!

I couldn't help myself, and I had to use the adorable Bear Mail stamp set again. I just love this cute set so much! 

Here's what I made:

There's a bit of everything in this card - heat embossing, colouring with pencils and alcohol markers, stamping, fussy cutting... you name it! ;o) You can also clearly see that I am longing for spring - I used bright and cheerful colours on my details, the bear and the sentiments. 

I hope you like it, and please remember to join in on the challenge fun!

Mirella

SUPPLY LIST (please see affiliate disclaimer & essential supplies info here):

Wild Honey Distress Oxide Ink at CraftStash 
Twisted Citron Distress Oxide Ink at CraftStash 
Peacock Feather DIstress Oxide Ink at CraftStash
Polychromos Pencil at CraftStash (great prices!) 
Tonic Trimmer at CraftStash 

Create a Smile Stamps Challenge: A sketch

Hi Everyone,

It's time for another challenge over at Create a Smile Stamps - how exciting! This time, we have a sketch that we would like you to follow. 

Personally, I find the sketch themes really and truly challenging - as they should be, of course, that's the whole fun part of it! I find myself struggling at times with coming up with a design that would follow the sketch, and at the same time be my own... And, truth be told, I quite often end up with an exact replica of the suggested layout or design. 

Every now and again, however, I really like to try thinking outside the box, and this is where the real fun starts!

Let's have a look at the sketch from this week's challenge, shall we?

I had quite a few ideas for that one, but almost all of them followed the sketch exactly, and I wanted to do something slightly different... And then, suddenly - wham! A totally mad idea came to my head... I went with it, and here's the result:

As you can see, it's a VERY loose interpretation of the sketch, but you can still see it there, can't you? I hope you can, haha! :o) 

I must tell you, I am pretty chuffed with this idea, and of the whole design, too! All I used were two stencils (Blossom for the "pine branches" and Huge Polka Dots for the "baubles"), and an add-on stamp set (Vinyl Christmas greetings), some Distress Inks, and a bit of heat embossing. And voila! My first Christmas card of the year! :o)

Hope that you like it, and that you'll play along. Will you follow the sketch more precisely, or rather loosely? I can't wait to see!

Have a great day,

Mirella

SUPPLY LIST (please see affiliate disclaimer & essential supplies info here):

Satin gold paper - from my stash (I want to try the Tonic one when my supply is finished)

" "

Create a Smile Stamps Challenge: Friendship

Hi Everyone,

Time is truly flying, and it's time for another challenge over at Create a Smile Stamps! This time, we're focusing on friendship. A really lovely theme, and it opens a lot of possibilities in terms of interpretation which is always great, isn't it?

I decided to play with the Cart full of treasures stamp set - it's so adorable, and so versatile, too! I love it when one stamp set can be used for many occasions! 

I coloured my images with Copic markers and then fussy cut them. It took me a while before I decided on the final layout and design of the card, but I am really happy with how it turned out. To ground my images, I used a tag using the Pocket Tag die set. I cut one in white and blended some Distress Inks on top, to create a mini scene. And then, I cut another tag from blue glitter paper - for some additional interest. I used the same die set to create the little "Surprise" banner that goes along the cart --> I was pretty chuffed with this idea, and I think it is a nice little detail on my card. 

The sentiment is a combination of a stamped message from this set (yes, I know, technically koalas are not bears, but we do call them "koala bears", so I thought that for the purpose of the cute card, it was allowed!), and I also used the cool Alphabet stickers by CAS - they come really handy, and their size is perfect for cards, so I reach for these quite often (especially when I want to personalise the card with the recipient's name). 

Finally, I added some sparkle here and there, and a few accents with my white gel pen.

And here's the finished card:

I hope you like my interpretation of the "Friendship" theme. Will you join the challenge, and try for your chance to win €25 to the Create a Smile store? 

Have a great day,

Mirella

SUPPLY LIST (please see affiliate disclaimer & essential supplies info here):

Glitter paper - DCWV Glitzy Glitter 6x6 pad

" "