ATC's for Happy Little Stampers ....

Hello again ......

I do hope you've enjoyed the weekend.  Ours has been lovely but it's coming to a close.  Monday is just around the corner and I'm looking forward to another busy week because .......  two weeks today I shall be away on holiday .... whoo hoo!!! (the countdown begins)

There's still lots to do though ...... like Blog challenges for instance.  Tonight sees the start of the September Happy Little Stampers ATC Challenge

Have you played along yet?  If not make this the month that you give ATC's a go, they're so much fun to do.
As you can see the theme this month is .... Shapes
What's your favourite shape then .... do you find yourself using circles a lot in your designs, or are you more for the clean lines of squares or rectangles?

I've gone for a mixture here ....... there's circles, squares and hexagons .... I like to make sets of ATC's, usually in 3's

The hexagon background is actually a piece of cardstock from my bit box.  It's been done using the embossing folder stamping technique ....... inking up a simple embossing folder, spritzing it with water and then using it to stamp the design instead of putting it through a machine to create the texture ......

I then stamped over the top with the little bee stamp, adding colour to the image with ZIG markers and a touch of sparkle to the wings.

The sentiment was stamped onto a snippet of white card, cut in half, and then attached to the ATC.

Circles next .......

Another piece of card from the bit box ..... coloured with blue distress inks.  I then went for the Bokeh effect using a circle stencil and more distress inks in various shades of blues and pinks.
I then stamped the words and heat embossed in clear before adding another layer of circles over the top using the stencil again, only this time I used clear texture paste through it to give some shine to the circles.
A few sequins here and there add a touch of sparkle.

And finally ...... squares

This is a fab little Memory Box stencil over the top of a coloured piece of card.
I then used a pretty leaf stamp to add detail around the edges and stamped the words on top using a black archival ink.
I finished off by adding a touch of Glossy Accents here and there to highlight some of the squares.

As with all the HLS Blog challenges the winner of the ATC challenge will win a $20 Gift Certificate to spend in the Happy Little Stampers store

Happy stamping!

Thanks for popping by .... enjoy the rest of your day.
Time for a nice glass of red I think and some catch up TV.

Cheerio until next time ........

Let it shine ........

Hello there again .......

I'm back with another challenge for you (told you it was a busy week!) .... this time it's the Happy Little Stampers Mixed Media Challenge, where the theme for May is ......

Like all HLS challenges, we're sponsored by the Happy Little Stampers store, and the winner of the challenge will receive a fabulous HLS stamp set.

There's a few ways to add shine to your projects ....... use mirri card, glitter, glossy accents or a glaze. Emboss with metallic powders, use metallic paints or add foil.
I've used Gilding Flakes to give the shine on my project .......

A few weeks ago I ran a small workshop, where we played around with embossing folders, using them to print/stamp with.  It's such a fun technique with different results every time.

You simply rub your coloured ink onto your embossing folder, spritz with water, place your white card in the middle, close the folder and press ..... and voila!  a great background to work with.

I used the fabulous honeycomb folder from SU which unfortunately has appeared on the latest Retirement List ..... shame!  Inked it with Wild Honey Distress giving me the perfect background for those busy little bees

The shine part comes from the IndigoBlu Gilding Flakes in the Chariot of Fire option ...... I love the rich gold colour.
I simply die cut the word from white card, covered it with Flitter Glu and then dipped it into the flakes. I made sure the word was completely covered, then rubbed away the excess using a soft sponge.
I layered the gilded word onto one cut in black to give it some depth, and then attached it to a strip of black card before adding it to the front of my card.

I then stamped the bees onto the honeycomb, stamped them again onto white card and coloured them before fussy cutting them out and layering them onto the card ..... Bee Happy .... get it!!!?

There's a little bit more of the design on the inside ....

with the words from the HLS Bold Birthday Sentiments

Now it's your turn.  Pop over to the HLS Blog for more inspiration from the Design Team along with our lovely Guest Designer this month .......  KalySto.  You must check out her inspiration piece ... it's amazing!
Happy Stamping!

OK .... that's me done for today.  I've got an early start tomorrow and a shopping list to write ...... not that I'll be sticking to it!!

Thanks for popping by again .....
Not only have I got the craft show to look forward tomorrow but, on Sunday I'm doing a workshop with the lovely Maria Simms .... more crafty fun!

Cheerio until next time .....

XX

Embossing Folder Stamping ......

Hi there folks,

It's time for a new Happy Little Stampers CAS challenge.  This month it's all about using your Embossing Folders as stamps

Yes that's right ....... don't just stick to putting them through your machines to get those lovely embossed designs, why not put a bit of ink on them and use them as stamps.  Create fabulous backgrounds for your cards with a lovely watercolour effect .... it's easy!

Pop over to the HLS blog and you'll find some useful links to some great tutorials on this really fun technique along with more inspiration from the rest of the DT.

We've got a fabulous Guest Designer this month .... the lovely Cornelia (Stempel Spass) is joining in the fun ...... why not pop over and say Hi.

As always the challenge is sponsored by the Happy Little Stampers Store 

and the challenge winner will receive a $15 voucher to spend in the store.

OK ..... Embossing Folder stamping ....... it's always great when you find another use for a piece of craft stash

I've used the Stampin Up! Brick Wall embossing folder to create my background ..... inked with Shabby Shutters Distress Ink.
Simply open up your embossing folder, cover the side with the raised bits with some ink (it's the side that gives the embossed effect when put it through your machine ........ it's usually the one with the brand name on too!)
You can ink either side, it's up to you .... you'll just get a different effect.  Play around with your folders see which you like best!
Once you've got the ink on, spritz the folder with a little water, place your piece of card in the centre and close the folder.
Apply a little pressure, open it up and voila!  a 'stamped' design!!  Simple eh!

Depending on how much water you spritzed, and how much pressure, and where it was applied will determine the results you get.  I really like the random, not quite perfect finished look.

I added a few gold glitter dots here and there for added interest.

I stamped one of the butterflies from the HLS Butterfly Birthday set onto a piece of coloured card from my stash, and then cut it out using the matching die 

I added some gathered gold thread behind .....

And finished off with one of the HLS Fun Birthday Sentiments

You can be quite specific where you 'stamp' your embossing folder design.
Inside my card, I wanted to keep the brickwall more or less in the centre, so that's where I applied my ink ....

Another stamped greeting  and one of those gorgeous butterflies again and I'm done!

Now it's your turn.  Get those folders out and get stamping!

Thanks for popping by ... enjoy the rest of your day.

Cheerio until next time ......

XX