My Favourite Stamp Giveaway!

Hello everyone,

As my two year 'blogiversary' approached, I thought I would like to do a little something to show my appreciation to all of my blog's followers and visitors.  That date has come and gone, but better late then never :o).

I first started blogging for fun and because I was so inspired by other crafters and challenges.  I had no idea that I would get invited to join some amazing design teams and I would meet so many wonderful crafters in blogland.  I want to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for your support, visits and comments.  I truly appreciate each one of you!

As a small token, I thought I would host a giveaway of my favourite stamp.  Of course, monogamy is reserved strictly for my husband and when it comes to stamps I have plenty of love to go around.  As new stamps are released, my favourite stamp changes (those designers are so clever and talented!).  So, I decided that each time I have a new favourite stamp, I would have a new giveaway!  This way, there are more chances of winning for everyone :o).  I will continue this giveaway until my next blogiversary in February.

Let's get to my first favourite stamp then, shall we?  I have to confess, this project has been done for a while now but I've struggled with finding time to post it so it isn't as fresh off the press as I would have liked.  I'll do better next time :o).

First up is this adorable Dreamy Dragon by Wee Stamps for Whimsy.  I just love Sylvia Zet's illustration style, so I wouldn't be surprised if more of her images make it to my favourites list.  I thought this Dreamy Dragon would make a cute little lantern/night light for my son's room - he likes a little light left on when he goes to bed.  After dark, it looks like the little dragon is sleeping in front of a full moon:

Supplies:

Paper - white Bazzill card, vellum, DP is from the Cabana line by Inque Boutique (in my stash from ages ago)

Stamps - Dreamy Dragon by Wee Stamps for Whimsy stamped with Memento ink and coloured with Prismas, sentiment is from a Crafter's Companion Popcorn the Bear set

Other - Martha Stewart border punch, Stampin' Up Floral Frames die for the base and the frame around the moon is from the Elegant Edges Cricut cartridge.

Entering this giveaway is super easy!  Here is what you need to know:

- All you need to do to enter is leave a comment on this post telling me what your current favourite stamp or stamp company/artist is. I will draw randomly from all the qualifying comments.  If you do not comment about your favourite stamp/company/artist, I will assume you do not wish to be entered in the draw.

And if you like reading the fine print, here you go:

- My favourite stamp giveaway is open to all of my followers and visitors.  If you are reading this right now, you can enter.  You do not have to be a follower, but if you like my projects, I would love it if you would.  Please do not follow me with a 'blog candy only' account.

- There is no requirement to post about this on your blog, or put a link in your side bar or anything else that requires effort, but if you want to then go ahead.

- I will ship anywhere in the world that Canada Post will allow.  Please give up to 3-4 weeks for delivery depending on where you live.

- Anonymous comments have been blocked as a result of spam issues.  If you do not have an account to leave a comment you can still enter by sending me an e-mail at dlb5555athotmaildotcom.  Put My Favourite Stamp Giveaway in the subject line and tell me your current favourite stamp/company/artist.

- This giveaway will remain open until midnight (mountain daylight time) April 30, 2013.  I will announce the winner shortly thereafter, and if your comment allows e-mail replies, I will also send you an e-mail notifying you.  If you are set up as no reply, then please be sure to check back.  

- You will have 1 week to claim your stamp.  If you don't, I will draw a new name from the hat.

Thanks so much for stopping by and for all your comments and support!  

Hugs,

Dawn  

PS - my newest favourite is already on order, so a new giveaway will be coming soon!

PPC 114 Springtime Joy

Hello everyone and a big welcome to my blog's newest followers!

I hope everyone had a good week!  Mine was a little rough, but looking up now.  I'm a little behind on crafting and blogging as a result, so sorry if I haven't been around for a visit.  I'm hoping to catch up with everyone on the weekend.

A new Playing in Paradise challenge begins today and this will be the last of our weekly challenges. Starting on the second Friday in May, we will be having monthly sketch challenges instead.  I hope you will join us for those.

For this last weekly challenge, the talented Linda is hosting and she has chosen Springtime Joy for the theme.  When I think of Spring, mud and snow mold allergies always come to mind but those don't make for a pretty card :o) so I went with my second thoughts of flowers and yellow (think dandelions).

 
Supplies:

Paper - Stampin' Up (grey) and Creative Imaginations from the Warm Dots & Stripes Signature Collection (yellow)
Stamp - Penny Black stamped on 300g hot pressed watercolour paper with black Stazon and coloured with Distress inks (scattered straw, black soot, tattered rose, stormy sky, tumbled glass, vintage photo, rusty hinge, barn door and peeled paint).  The colouring looks a little washed out in the photo - it is darker IRL.
Dies - Spellbinders Fantastic Flourish two and A2 Bracket Borders one
Other - flower from my stash, button from Bazzill (I think yellow is out of stock, but the clear ones are on clearance here)

The team has made some beautiful projects to inspire you, so I hope you will pop by the Playing in Paradise challenge and check them out.  As always there is a wonderful prize up for grabs, so I hope you will join in the fun.  I'm looking forward to seeing what you create!

Hugs and happy crafting!

Dawn

PPC 113 - Use Something Recycled

Hello everyone,

A new Playing in Paradise challenge starts today and, as Earth Day is coming up on April 22nd, this week we challenge you to use something recycled.  Everyone is invited to play and you can use whatever product you like (no requirements) as long as your new project follows the theme.  I hope you will join in!

I have (make that had) lots of pressed board that I save from the bases of various artist's paper pads that I use in my projects.

I cut some up to make a box base and lid:

I painted the edges that would remain visible with gesso, covered it with some worn looking paper and pulled out my Tim Holtz stash to transform it into a vintage valise.

Product used:

- Recycled pressed board
Paper - Glitz design - Yours Truly chevron and ephemera (I used the back side of these)
Tim Holtz stuff - grunge paper (for all the trim, straps, handle etc.), tissue tape (I'm not sure what the one I used is called; it isn't in stock at the moment), locket keys, box corners, hinges, ball chain, destinations salvage stickers, buckles, D-rings, DI ink in walnut stain and gathered twigs
Other - American Crafts pewter mini brads, Cricut Elegant Edges cartridge and Ribbons and Rosettes cartridge

I hope you will pop by Playing in Paradise Challenge to take in the beautiful projects the team has made to inspire you.  As always, there is a wonderful prize up for grabs, so I hope you will join in the fun!

Thanks for popping by and for taking the time to leave a comment.  I really appreciate them and love having the chance to visit you too.  Also, just a reminder of 'My Favourite Stamp Giveaway' - everyone is invited to enter!  Deadline is April 30th.

Hugs & happy crafting,

Dawn

Let's Bake a Cake at Creatalicious

Hello everyone,

I hope you all had a great weekend!  We woke up to more snow on Saturday morning :(  Well, it is perfect weather for 'baking a cake' which is the theme this month at Creatalicious challenges.  Here is the recipe - use at least these ingredients in your project:

- 1 ribbon/bow

- 2 buttons

- 2 flowers

- 1 clip/stich/fastening

- 2 patterned paper

- glitter (any kind)

This challenge is sponsored by Sassy Studio Designs and the DT were provided with images to use.  For my project, I used Effie Trinket Sassy 2.  I haven't actually read the books or seen the movie, so at first I did not realize she was a character from the Hunger Games.  I thought she was a Christmas image because of the poinsettia-like flower in her hair and I was going to make a Christmas card.  Luckily, I did a little research and ended up making a bookmark instead - much more appropriate :o)

Here is what went in my cake:

Paper - white card, pale yellow card, 4 papers from MME Miss Caroline collection (the lace is paper too - not sure if it shows).

Image - Effie Trinket Sassy 2 from Sassy Studio Designs coloured with Prismas.  She is a full length image, but I cut her off at the knees.

Flowers, buttons & glitter - flowers are a poinsettia die cut by Spellbinders.  I put some Stampin' Up buttons in the centers and gave them a spritzing with Lindy's Stamp Gang Glitz Spritz in Blazing Sun for my glitter.

Ribbon/bow - I used seam binding ribbon died with DI scattered straw and milled lavender and added a bow make from gold cord.

Clip/stitch/fastening:  I used a magnetic fastening which holds the bookmark closed and in place in the book.  I placed a piece of magnet between the image and papers on the top and the other is placed on the inside.  I left it uncovered to show that there was a fastening:

Other - flourish is Darrington Corner by Memory box.  OMGosh - I have never had a die cut just fall out of the die the way this one did!  I didn't have to poke it out or fight with it - it literally just fell out all by itself.  I will definitely be getting more Memory Box dies!  For this one, I just cut off the bits I wanted as it is a large corner die.

The team created some beautiful projects for your inspiration, so do pop by Creatalicious to check them out.  Sassy Studio Designs is providing our lucky winner with 4 digi images of their choice!  I hope you will join us this month and I look forward to seeing your creations.

I would also like to enter my bookmark in the following challenges:

Allsorts - Letter of your name - I used D for digi image

Challenges 4 Everybody - Anything Goes

One Stop Craft Challenge - Pastels

Papertake Weekly - Bingo - I used glitter, die cuts and blooms

Thanks so much for stopping by and for taking the time to leave a comment.  I really appreciate them and love having the chance to visit you too.

Hugs, 

Dawn

Playing in Paradise Sketch

Hello everyone,

I hope you had a great week and have some fun stuff planned for the weekend.  We are supposed to get 10 cm of snow.... again.  Grumble.

It is Friday, so a new Playing in Paradise challenge begins.  This week, the talented Allison is hosting and, as always, she has another great sketch to play with.  The challenge is open to everyone and there is no product requirement to play along; simply create anything you like following the sketch.  I hope you will join in!

I still had my kraft supplies out from my last card and was feeling krafty, so decided to go for it.

I was a little coloured out, so instead I made another card using a sentiment as the focal point.  These are lots of fun to create and I love how they look.  

Supplies:

Paper - Black and Kraft Bazzill CS and Graphic 45 DP from the Kraft Reflections line.  Love this stuff; wish I would have bought more.  I inked the edges of anything kraft with DI gathered twigs.

Sentiment - computer generated using text boxes in Word and a free font download called Precious (and commercial use is allowed with this one!).  If you want this sentiment and don't want to recreate it yourself, just leave a comment or drop me an e-mail and I will e-mail you the Word doc.

Stamp - the frame around the sentiment is from the Stampin' Up set called Daydream Medallions.  It was cut out with the coordinating die (see below) and attached with dimensional foam dots.

Dies - Stampin' Up Floral Frames and Spellbinders A2 Bracket Borders One - this die set is just gorgeous!

Other - black satin ribbon, I think the flowers were from Prima but I've had them forever, gold twine from my stash.

The team has created some gorgeous projects to inspire you, so I hope you will pop by Playing in Paradise to have a peak and join in the challenge.  As always, there is a fab prize up for grabs - pop by the blog to find out what it is this week.  And I almost forgot - here is the wonderful sketch:

Thanks for visiting and for taking the time to leave a comment.  I really appreciate each one of them.  Have a great weekend!  Hugs,

Dawn

A Wonderful Time of Year...

Hello everyone,

Wouldn't it be, if it actually were spring?  But, alas, it is still winter at this latitude - or 'sprinter' as some have affectionately dubbed it.  However, my title makes reference to Christmas, which is also a wonderful time of year.  After all, at what other time is it perfectly socially acceptable to swing from baubles after having a little too much eggnog?

A new challenge starts today at Christmas at Sweet Stampin' and the theme is Krafty Christmas.  I decided to pull out my pencils and do some colouring on kraft, which I do find challenging.

Supplies:

Paper - black and kraft Bazzill card, Graphic 45 DP
Image - Wild Rose Studio, stamped with Memento black ink and coloured with Prisma pencils
Sentiment - Amy R Snowman Sayings framed with Spellbinders die from the Timeless Rectangle set
Baubles - were made by cutting some MME paper with Stampin' Up Holiday Ornaments dies.  I inked around the edges with barn door and aged mahogany DI to give a little shading.  I then stamped the tops with a lace stamp from the Technique Tuesday Borderline Vintage Lace set using gold pigment ink by Colorbox and embossed with gold detail embossing powder.
Other - black satin ribbon

This angle shows the colours better as they appear IRL:

We have another fab sponsor; My Mom's Craft Shop is providing one lucky winner with a £10 voucher.

The team has created some gorgeous cards to inspire you, so I hope you will pop by Christmas at Sweet Stampin' to check them out and join in the challenge.  It is so wonderful to have a head start on Christmas cards :)

I would also like to enter my card at:

Weekly Christmas Card Challenges - optional vintage
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra - anything goes
ABC Challenges - K is for Kraft
Lexi's Creations - Use your punches and or dies
Challenges 4 Everybody - Anything goes

Thanks for visiting and for taking the time to leave a comment.  I appreciate each one and love having the chance to visit you too.

Hugs,

Dawn

Playing in Paradise - Embossing

Hello everyone and a big welcome to my blog's newest followers.  So glad to have you! :)

I hope everyone had a great week and that spring has arrived wherever you may be.  We are not so lucky; apparently mother nature has it in for us and we are to get another 10-15 cm of snow today.   Grrrrrrr!

Well, what better excuse do we need to stay inside and do some crafting?  How about a new Playing in Paradise challenge?  This week, the talented Jessi is hosting and she would like to see some embossing - heat or dry or both.  Everyone is welcome to play along and there are no product requirements to enter.  There is always a fun prize up for grabs too, so I hope you will join in!

For my project, I wanted to try some new stuff.  I got some black Core'dinations white wash card and pulled out my favourite embossing folder and tried my hand at sanding.  This didn't exactly go the way I thought it would.  It looked more grey then black - which would be great if you were making a grey card.  I was trying to make a black and white card, so I ended up tracing over the sanded areas with a black marker.  Lesson learned :)  I also wanted to try out the chalkboard technique, so I pulled out my white embossing powder.  I really like how this part turned out - and so easy to do.

Supplies:

Paper - black bazzill, black white wash Core'dinations

Stamp - Tim Holtz Visual Artistry - Heartfelt, stamped with Tsukineko Brilliance Archival ink in moonlight white and embossed with white embossing powder (I used Stampendous white, but I would recommend Stampendous detail white for a better result with any stamp that has fine or detailed lines.  It's on my wish list).

Other - Spellbinders timeless rectangles, Sizzix folder from the vine and flower garden set by Rachel Bright, black marker, flowers and vintage buttons from my stash

The team has created some beautiful projects to inspire you, so please do pop by Playing in Paradise or click on their links in the sidebar.  Then get out your embossing stuff and join in the fun!  I am looking forward to seeing all your creations.

Thanks for popping by and for taking the time to leave a comment.  I really appreciate them and love to visit you too.

Hugs, 

D