Happy Stamping!!
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I just wanted to let you know that all orders have been sent unless you received an email from me today to say otherwise.
Some customers have been concerned that they haven't received notifications.
For customers who pay by credit card I am able to easily send 'shipped' notifications but for those who pay by paypal, I can't seem to efficiently send notifications. But I will look into it!
Have a spooky evening and a great weekend!
I've been extremely busy with orders this week as you can imagine. I've received a lot of emails but if they're not related to orders / ordering or of an urgent nature, I'm having to leave answering them until the weekend. I'm REALLY sorry for this, I will get to it just as soon as I can :)
Thanks for your patience.
I was looking forward to trying this challenge but I haven't had the time to play along, so here are my favourite's from the DT.
As always, all the cards can be viewed in the challenge gallery on the right side bar.
The next challenge is paper piecing! View details HERE
The name randomly picked from the list of all our customers to date is Morag Cutts and the name randomly picked from all the comments left is Monika who wrote:
Happy Birthday or how we say in Switzerland: alles Liebi zum Geburi...!!!
Monika
I wanted to set a special challenge for the design team to create something other than a card. So I asked that they create some sort of stamped gift packaging for any occasion or theme of their choice.
Here's what I came up with (click on the images for a larger view)
I decorated a pringles crisps tin! They're so sturdy, so make a perfect packaging base for a Christmas gift - or how about some homemade fudge . . . mmmm. No one would ever know that it was a recycled tin (as long as you don't get a stinky flavour, lol).
I coloured the images using my koh-i-noor pencils. Definitely my favourite medium at the moment. I used the same method as my tutorial, using narrow blending stumps for colouring.
As the lid is see through, I placed a piece of white card inside. That way you don't see the tape from the other side - and why not stamp a message in this space!
A tip when covering the length of the tin is to make sure your paper edges and your ribbon ends all meet in the same place at the back or the bottom of the tin. That way you can just cover them with one strip of card to keep it neat.
I used my nestabilities for the top and the base. As all pringles tins are a standard size I've listed which nesties I used for each part. I hope you find this useful and time saving should you want to give it a go:
BASE:
LID:
INSIDE LID:
Small classic circles set - 2nd largest circle die
Be sure to check out the challenge gallery to see the DT's creations and visit their blogs for more information / instructions.
I'll be back this evening to announce the final two winners!
Melanie Ware!! Congrats Melanie, your blog candy will be sent first thing on Monday.
I hope everyone is having a great weekend. Thank you all for your wonderful birthday wishes! Tomorrow we have a special DT challenge, so be sure to pop back.
Plus, I will be picking not one but two blog candy winners. The first draw will be from a list of all our customers to date. For an extra chance to win or if you've not ordered from us yet, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post and I will randomly pick a winner!
See you tomorrow xx
I just wanted to pop on quickly to say that as the free shipping offer is valid 'til Sunday and I won't be in the office over the weekend, if you have any questions or problems ordering, please email me on this email address - elzybells@aol.com as I will check this over the weekend so you won't miss out :)
Big happy celebratory hugs!
Sorry it's a little late in the day, I got sidetracked with all your orders, he he!!
I'd like to share two very different ways of masking, depending on the effect you would like to achieve.
The first method uses post-it notes. It's a quick and easy method if you want one stamped image to look as though it is behind another. It's a great way of creating a scene and makes the use of many stamps much more versatile.
First stamp the image that will be in the foreground of your scene onto a post-it note. I have used the Sheep celebrations 1 clear set.
Stamp the same image onto your cardstock, keeping in mind how much room you will need around it for the other elements you'll be stamping.
Trim around the image on the post-it and stick it onto the card stock, precisely over the your stamped image.
Stamp the image which you'd like to be behind the main image, over lapping the post-it .
When you peel off the post-it, here's how it looks
Using the same method I stamped the fence on the other side of the sheep. I also stamped some extra flowers and grass blades from the stamp set to complete the scene.
The second method of masking works very well with watercolours and is great if you want to create a flowing background wash behind your images without them being coloured.
You just need some masking fluid, available from any good art & crafts shop.
First stamp your image onto cardstock using a permanent inkpad. I've created a field full of sheep and flowers using the Sheep celebrations 1 clear set.
Before opening, shake the bottle of masking fluid well. The consistency should be liquid. If there are any thick bits, shake again.
Using either an old paint brush or a manicure stick, dip into the fluid and start filling the areas you wish to remain white. You don't need to put a thick layer of fluid on, just make sure there are no gaps.
Leave to dry (it should only take about 10 minutes). Here's how my card looks with all the parts that I wish to remain uncoloured, masked.
Paint your background wash over the entire card. You will see that the mask resists the watercolour.
I used several shades of green and yellow marvey le plume pens with water. If you wish to keep the edge of the card clean just stick down a couple of post it notes along the fold before colouring.
Leave to dry thoroughly.
It's so easy to remove the mask. Simply rub your finger or an eraser lightly over the masked areas and it peels away from the cardstock without any damage to the card at all. So your images are now left white for you to colour.
Note, it is important to ensure the masking fluid is completely dry before you begin colouring and that the watercolour is completely dry before you peel the mask away. Otherwise the cardstock will peel away with the mask and be damaged.
Another cool thing about the mask is that you don't have to mask your image to keep it white. You can stamp and colour your background first and add the mask and paint another colour on top.
Again, be sure that the colour and the mask are completely dry before moving to the next step.
Congratulations to June Barton!! Your blog candy goodies will be sent on Monday!
I'll be randomly picking another winner from all our customers tomorrow. The list is kept up to date so if you place an order before tomorrow you will automatically be added to the list and in with a chance to win!
This is so much fun!! I love giving away goodies and your birthday wishes have been fantastic, I'm so touched. A few of you have given me a giggle - you know who you are!!
My next tutorial is coming up shortly...
The first blog candy winner, picked by random.org, is Pam Harvey!
Congrats Pam, I'll pop your goodie bag in the post tomorrow so you should have it in time for the weekend!
Pop back tomorrow for another tutorial and another winner will be picked for some blog candy!
