Friday 26 September 2014

Take It Make It September Challenge: The Winner!

Hello everyone!
Thank you so much to all those who played along with our September  challenge - Tissue Stamping! Using stamped tissue in your art work is a really useful technique to master, we loved seeing all of you having a go!
The standard of the entries was really high this time, but there can only be one winner! That honour goes to.........
Entry number 8: Carol
Congratulations Carol!
We loved all the texture in the background, and the collaged Zettiology image is fabulous!
The winning entry will be published in Craft Stamper Magazine (I hope you kept it somewhere safe), and the winner will also receive the fabulous prize from our sponsor Julie Kirk:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/JulieKirk

The prize is a set of TWO washi tape rings as in the picture, and all the washi tape you can see! (but not my tote, sorry!)
As well as our worthy winner, we also have the remaining two spots in our Top Three to reveal! In no particular order, they are..... drum roll......
If the Winner could Email me (just click the 'posted by' name at the bottom of the post), then I can pass on all the details about the prize, publication and of course the Guest DT slot! Top Three, please Email me for your winners buttons to display on your blogs!  For anyone else who would like to, please feel free to grab the button below....
 A huge THANK YOU to all those of you that took part in the September challenge!
Don't forget, Take It, Make It challenges are now monthly! The first Friday of every month will see the start of the next challenge.... so check back here next Friday, 3rd October to see which technique is next!

Wednesday 24 September 2014

Cards wanted for Ready, Set, Stamp!

We are looking for submissions for our Ready, Set, Stamp feature on the following themes for the January and February issues of Craft Stamper. If you've always wanted to see YOUR card in print, now is your chance!!!

January
Warm ‘n’ Fuzzy – to warm you up when it’s cold outside! This can be anything from a nice log-fire to a warm-hearted message. Using red, orange and yellow.


Deadline for submissions = 3rd October 2014

February
Cross My Heart – stamped, punched or die-cut, your design should include at least one heart! Using violet, lilac and primrose yellow.


Deadline for submissions = 27th October 2014

· Please email your submissions to cs@traplet.com

· We are looking for new and unpublished work ONLY please

· Please put 'Ready Set Stamp' followed by the theme in the subject line

· Please note that due to the number of submissions it's not possible to contact every entrant individually - if you have not heard from us within one week of the closing date please try again next time

Guidelines:

· Please make cards only for this gallery

· Cards which are selected need to be posted to the Craft Stamper offices in the UK

· This call IS open internationally

· Note that we do choose artwork as it arrives, so please don't wait until the last minute to submit if your cards are ready

· Cards will be returned at our expense, along with a complimentary copy of the magazine in which your card features. Note this can take approx. three month

· All cards should be suitable for an intermediate crafter to complete in around 20 minutes including drying time. Please keep your cards simple and remember that you may be a quicker than average worker

· Please follow both the theme AND the colour scheme when creating your cards. The colour scheme is a guide only – you don’t have to be exact but try to be as close as possible. You can use the colours in any proportions to suit your design as long as all three are used. You can add black, white and metallics to any of the schemes

· Text for this article is required (don't worry - it is short!) and should be entered into the document provided – this will be sent to you if you are selected

Friday 12 September 2014

Take It Make It September Challenge: Inspiration!

Hello!
Our current Take It, Make It challenge is all about stamping.....now there's a surprise, it's AWAYS about the stamping !!
This is very specific stamping though, stamping onto tissue paper!
We would love you to have a go at stamping an image onto tissue, then using that tissue somewhere on your art!
The DT have been having loads of fun creating some more projects for you to feast your eyes upon, brace yourself, there is rather a lot of eye candy on show!
Don't forget, when tissue is wet glued onto a project it turns transparent as it dries...so you may find it hard to actually see where the tissue has been used on the projects, but it IS there, I promise! 

Winner of the July Challenge: Marjan Küppers
Elina Stromberg
Elizabeth Robinson
Jackie Payne
Jolande van Oosterhout
Kymona Tracey
Linda Walmsley
Nikki Killinger
 Renee Zarate
 Shirley Bampton
Tracy Easson 
Trish Latimer
Zoey Scarpelli


 Wow! Now THAT'S what I call inspiration!
Why not have a go, then enter your creation into our challenge?
We are sponsored this month by the fabulous Julie Kirk:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/JulieKirk

The prize is TWO of these brilliant washi tape rings, AND all the tape you can see in the picture!


 There is also the chance to be published, AND a guest DT slot up for grabs....so why not get out that tissue paper and get stamping?
All the details can be found HERE....
Have fun!

Friday 5 September 2014

Take It Make It Challenge: September!

Hello!
I am very excited to announce.... *cue drum roll*..

The brand new September Challenge!

This month is a very exciting one, as the brand new Blog Challenge DT are sharing their first creations with us! Please hop on over to their own blogs if you get a chance, and show them a little love, they deserve it!
All our challenges have a prize on offer, and this is no different!
So....

What Can You Win?
For the September challenge, we are delighted to be sponsored by Julie Kirk!
As well as writing her very entertaining and informative blog, notes on paper, Julie has a store selling, in her own words, 'unique creative supplies with a history...and a future'. 
Lots and lots of glorious ephemera, ready and waiting to be used in all your crafty endeavours! We would thoroughly recommend a visit!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/JulieKirk



The prize for the September challenge is a set of two washi tape rings!
'Washi tape rings?' I hear you ask? 
I'll show you....
See the very large silver book ring type thing that's holding the tape? THAT'S a washi tape ring! I have these, and they are very much admired whenever me and my tote go teaching! In order to get you started off, you will also win the washi tape pictured:
Red spot, red stripe, yellow stripe, lime spot, lime vertical stripe,sky spot, sky stripe, lilac spot, pink stripe, pink diagonal stripe, black stripe, black spot AND bird on a wire!
Just to be clear... the prize this month is TWO washi tape rings, and the set of 13 tapes pictured above!
(and no, you're not getting my tote that's in the picture!!)

PLUS:The Design Team will have a look at all your gorgeous work, and choose their Top Three..... and the overall Winner will get published in Craft Stamper magazine! Yes, the winning entry will appear in the UK's number one stamping magazine!
AND: The Challenge winner will be offered a Guest Designer spot for an upcoming challenge!

So, to recap....2 washi tape rings, 13 washi tapes, Publication AND a Guest DT spot? Sounds good to me!

Phew! After all that, it's time for the Challenge details!  
We want to see how you lovely lot tackle a technique showcased in Craft Stamper magazine.
After all, that's the name of the challenge- Take a technique, and Make it your own!
Eizabeth Borer has a wonderful article in the October 2014 issue of the magazine, showcasing fabulous projects using the stamping on tissue paper technique
 So, we would love to see your creations using 
 The Stamping On Tissue Paper technique!
Stamping onto tissue paper is a fabulous way of getting a perfect stamped image onto a surface that would normally be tricky to stamp onto, a curved surface for example. Or, if you would rather, simply use tissue as a regular stamping surface, in order to give a different texture to your art!

Along with some of the regular Craft Stamper DT, the BRAND NEW Take It , Make It DT have created some fabulous art using stamped tissue paper!
If you click on the artists name, it will take you to their blogs, where there may well be loads more pics of these gorgeous creations. 
Don't forget, once glued down the tissue looks like it has vanished into the background. It may be impossible to see the tissue in these samples, but trust me, it IS there!
From the October 2014 Issue: Elizabeth Borer
 Anneke De Clerck
Elina Stromberg
Elizabeth Robinson
 Georgina Ford
Jackie Payne
Jolande van Oosterhout
Kymona Tracey
Linda Walmsley
Nikki Killinger
Renee Zarate
 Shirley Bampton
Tracy Easson
Zoey Scarpelli

WOW... now THAT'S what I call Design Team inspiration!  

  Have we inspired YOU to have a play and enter? Yay!!!
All you need to do now is have a read through the boring (but essential!) rules and guidelines, then upload your entry using the Linky tool at the end of the post! Can't wait to see what you create!

Do you love our challenges as much as we do? Feel free to grab the button and display it with pride!
 Guidelines for Craft Stamper Take It, Make It Challenge
  • Entry dates: Friday September 5th 2014 - midnight Wednesday 24th September 2014
  • Winner to be announced in a blog post here: 9am Friday 26th September 2014
  • All entries must feature the Stamping On Tissue Paper technique.
  •  No digi stamps please, unless combined with actual stamping. 
  • Projects can be of any theme, any colour. 
  • Projects can be a card, layout, journal page, art panel, tag, 3D item, anything at all, as long as it follows all guidelines and features that months technique.
  • The winning entry MUST be posted to the magazine for photography before it can be published. Please keep hold of your entry, we cannot publish in the magazine images sent via computer.
  • Entry is via the linking tool at the end of the post. We are very sorry that we can't accept email entries to this challenge. Please provide deep links to your actual project post, not just a link to your blog (to do this, click on the title of the relevant blog entry and copy/paste the URL in the relevant box when uploading your entry). The DT will not go searching your entire blog for the project we want to see!
  • No backlinking.
  • New work only please, not work previously published anywhere else.
  • Entry is welcome from anywhere in the world.
  • You may enter more than once, each entry MUST have it's own blog post and fulfill all rules
  • Please do not blog more than one finished example of the technique in a single blog post. We only want to see the project you are submitting for the challenge!
  • Entries can be combined with other blog challenges.
  • An obvious link back to the Craft Stamper Blog must be included in your blog post.
  • The October 2014 challenge will be announced here on Friday October 3rd 2014, at 9am.
PLEASE consider turning off word verification on your blog. It is very difficult for the DT to comment on as many blogs as we would like to when word verification slows us down!


Competition rules: Competitions/giveaways are open to all (including overseas readers) except employees of Traplet Publications Ltd and their families; regular contributors to any of Traplet Publications’ magazines; employees of our printers; or anyone connected with the prizes offered. By entering the competition you accept that your project may be printed in the magazine. All entries must be received by midnight on the specified closing date. There are no cash alternatives and prizes are non-transferable. We reserve the right to use the winners’ name/work in any Traplet-produced literature including, but not exclusive to, our website and marketing materials. Judges decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Thursday 4 September 2014

Taking It A Little Further With Lydia

By Lydia Brooke Evans

Well today is the first Thursday of the month so that means I get to post over of the Craft Stamper Magazine Blog. In September's Issue I had an article showing some cards using the 'Geek Chic' trends that seems to be re-emerging again. I do love this trend so have another 'Dorky' card to share.


I have used the same set as the magazine but mixed and matched it a little more.

Thank you so much for stopping by and I would so love to see any of your cards that have been inspired by my article!

Hugs Lydia xxx

Tuesday 2 September 2014

October 2014 Issue Out This Friday!

Good afternoon, all you beautiful stamping peeps! It's your Editor here bursting with excitement to share some details of the next issue of your favourite mag.



We've got:

  • Making mixed media stands for all your 3D creations with Trish Latimer
  • Image Transfers Masterclass with Jaine Drake 
  • Fun and cheeky sentiment stamps for our team to play with in Stamping Contrasts
  • Part 4 of our fantastic Scenic Stamping series with Anna-Karin Evaldsson
  • Altering a chocolate box to create a toy theatre with Claudia Neubacher
  • Heating, stamping and embossing copper sheets for some rich, sumptuous autumn shades with Helen Chilton's inspiring tutorial.
All this plus our cute and quirky Free Stamp, this month designed by our DT member R. Maria Sabina. Don't forget to check out our Free Stamp Makes feature for inspiring ideas on how to use it! Until then here's a little sneaky peek...


Craft Stamper is available in WH Smith's and all good craft stores across the UK from Friday 5th September. Or if you want to subscribe so you never miss a copy, call our friendly Customer Service team on 01684 588599 to put in your order now.

Until next month, happy stamping!