Monday 29 August 2016

Our Awesome October issue hits the shops this Friday!

Hello!

The October issue of Craft Stamper magazine hits the shops this Friday (2nd September), our wonderful subscribers will be receiving their copies very soon, if not already! We thought we would share a little peek at some of the inspirational projects inside :)



We have some amazing stamped projects to share this month,  I’m just going to dive straight in and give you a little teaser of the delights that await you…

Karen Hayselden is sharing the most stunning Butterfly Ball art panel. Her use of colour is second to none, and what can be more relaxing than sitting down and colouring your stamped images?! 



One of our ‘giveaway projects’ this month is the gorgeous sewing themed shadow box creation by Ingrid Vichova. All the bits you need to recreate your own box are included in the giveaway, so don’t forget to enter! We’re offering our readers a chance to win the products used in lots of different features, so keep a lookout for them throughout the magazine. 



Riikka Kovasin shows us that you can never use too many stencils on your artwork in this issue. Her fabulously detailed canvas using six different That’s Crafty stencils is just gorgeous!


Our free images this month are four very varied digital designs! We hope there is something for everyone here, from the sophisticated street scene by Jaine Drake to the adorably quirky cactus designed by Magda Polakow! 



I designed some zentangle leaves that look a bit strange at first glance, but when you see the AMAZING art Keren Baker has created using them, you’ll see just how they can be used! 

 
We also have an altered paintbrush by Gio Zara...



 an amazing paper cutting tutorial from Kim Dellow...



and an inspiring Masterclass featuring real leaves in this issue!



 Lots for you all to experiment with, and don’t forget, I would love to see what you create! Email me, or share on our Facebook page!

 For those who do not subscribe,  copies of the magazine are available here:
Digital copies are also available here:
Craft Stamper: Digital Issues  (October issue will be available from Friday 02/09/16)

Or... why not ask your local craft store to stock the magazine! We supply shops all over the world :) Information on how to stock Craft Stamper can be found on our web site, or email us and we'll help!

Have a wonderfully crafty month everyone!

Friday 26 August 2016

Take It Make It Challenge: August Winners!

Hello everyone!
We are so pleased to announce the winners of our August Challenge: Take A Technique: Stencils and Masks!

As you all know, we have two winners to announce today, so without further ado, let me introduce you to the Design Winner.....

We loved this gorgeous card! The wonderful brusho background works so well with the cracke texture of the fern. Beautiful!
Loll will win a Guest Designer slot here on the blog, her very own Winners Profile, and of course her amazing art will be featured in it's own 2 page spread in Craft Stamper magazine! Congrats Loll!

We also have the remaining two slots in our Top 3 to announce!

In no particular order, please congratulate:

Entry number 30: Caro
Entry number 31: Rosie



Wonderful projects ladies!

We now need to share the randomly chosen winner with you all!
This winner will recieve the prize offered by our sponsor this month:

GiogioCraft




The prize on offer for our randomly selected winner is this set of four stencils!

 

Congratulations to our winner:




      Congrats Karen, we hope you have a lot of stencilling fun :)

Winners, you need to need to get in touch with me in order to claim your prize!  Please email me at: cs@traplet.com , and put TIMI Winner in the subject line, then I'll be sure to spot it! 
Top Four Design Winners, also please contact me if you wish to receive a button to display on your blog.


Our September challenge will be launched next Friday, September 2nd.
We can't wait to see what wonderful art you will all be sharing!

Tuesday 23 August 2016

Reader Submissions Wanted: Ready Set Stamp!

 THANK YOU so much for all the fabulous cards submitted for our last art call, it was so hard to choose just a few to publish! We can now announce the next theme.....
We are looking for submissions for our Ready, Set, Stamp feature on the following theme for our January issue of Craft Stamper. If you've always wanted to see YOUR card in print, now is your chance!! 



Colours:Aloe Green, Pale Aqua, Powder Blue, Silver Grey (it's hard to get a nice silver grey on a computer screen, but thats the shade, NOT beige!!!)

Deadline for submission: 20th September 2016

· Please email your submissions to cs@traplet.com
· 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, your submission has not been successful. Please try again with a different card!

Guidelines:
· Please make cards only for this gallery.
. NEW work only please, we do not accept cards that have been published elsewhere (including online) before submission.  
 . Please do not use stamps that are discontinued for this article.
. We do not accept cards ONLY created with digital imagery for this feature. Digital imagery is welcome, but  MUST be used in conjunction with rubber/polymer stamping to qualify.
· 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 months.
· Please follow both the theme AND the colour scheme when creating your cards. You can add black, white and metallics to any of the schemes. The ideas given are simply that, ideas, and do not have to be followed to the letter!
· 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.


We look forward to seeing all of your beautiful designs!

Friday 19 August 2016

Take It Make It Challenge: Winners Profile


Hello!

Welcome to our Winners Profile, showcasing the Design Winner of our last Blog Challenge!

The very talented Design Winner of our July 2016 challenge is

Anne Redfern  


Anne won the challenge with this amazing piece of 3D art! We loved the level of detail in this piece, the stamped beach hut is so summery!







 We asked Anne a few questions all about stamping (well, we are Craft Stamper after all!)


Q: How long have you been a stamper, and how did you get started?

A: I started stamping/crafting after visiting a local craft shop demonstration about 9 years ago I have not stopped since!



Q: What are your favourite kinds of stamps, and do you have a favourite stamp company?

A:My tastes have changed over the last few years, I love vintage, grungy and also shabby chic.  It is hard to choose a favourite but I do love Tim Holtz, Wendy Vecchi and also IndigoBlu.

 

Q: Describe your style, are you a messy kind of stamper or a more ‘clean and simple’ kind of person?

A: I don't think I have a 'style' as such so I can only describe it as eclectic – I do love colour and texture and I'll try anything once!  I am very messy when creating but I always tidy up afterwards.



Q:What kind of projects do you like creating the most?

A: My real passion is creating 3D projects, either designing and constructing them myself or using dies, along with stamps and inks of course!



Q: Apart from stamps, what is the one product you wouldn’t be without when you craft?

A: That would have to be ink, without that I would not be able to stamp or to colour my projects.  Ink is so versatile.



We also asked Anne to show us a couple of her favourite stamped creations,  and share why she likes them so much. Here are the gorgeous projects she has chosen:

  
"I love this project because it combines everything I love about crafting – 3D, stamps and paint!  I used Eileen Hull for Sizzix Box, Caddy die, IndigoBlu's Colour Me Daisy stamp and DecoArt Paints and Mediums.  I am also thrilled that it was published in the e-book, '80 Artists Around the World'"- Anne



"I don't journal very often but this is one of my favourites because it celebrates my love of the sea.  I used Tim Holtz Distress Paint and Stains, Tim Holtz dies and IndigoBlu stamps.  I layered up the colours separately, adding some stamping for effect and finally some dies to add texture"- Anne


 Congratulations on being our July Design Winner Anne, and it was lovely to learn a little more about you!


Do YOU fancy having a winners profile all about you on the CS blog? 

The profile is part of the prize package for each Design Winner of our challenges. All you need to do is enter a creation into the challenge, then if you are voted Design Winner everyone will be reading all about you before you know it!



Our current challenge 'Take A Technique: Stencils and Masks' is open for a few more days, so still time to enter! Don't forget the fabulous prize of a set of 3 stencils from GiogioCraft is up for grabs!

  All the details can be found HERE.



 See you back here next Friday, where we will be announcing the winner of the  challenge... Good Luck!

Friday 12 August 2016

Take It Make It August Challenge: Inspiration

Hello!
Our current Take It Make It challenge is in full swing, with some amazing entries so far!
Just in case you need a little more inspiration, the DT have come up with some more amazing projects to share today :) First though, a bit of a reminder.....

 The theme for this month is:
Take A Technique:
Stencils and Masks
(and remember to add stamping on your project somewhere!)


Show us how unique you can be, create anything your imagination cares to dream up! Share your cards, journal pages, layouts, 3D assemblage or whatever else takes your fancy. Your project can be any colour you want... as long as you've stamped somewhere, and used a stencil or a mask somewhere somehow on your project, then you're good to go!

We have two prizes on offer, as always. The first is the Sponsor Prize, and the winner of this will be randomly chosen from all the eligible entries of the challenge. To make sure your project is eligible to win, make sure you have followed our challenge guidelines. These can be found on our sidebar over here ---------->
and also in a tab under the banner at the top.
We are proud to announce our sponsor this month is....

GiogioCraft





GiogioCraft is run by the very talented Craft Stamper designer Gio Zara! As well as creating stunning art for design teams all over the world, Gio has found time to create her own stunning range of stencils!
We love them!

The prize on offer for our randomly selected winner is this set of four stencils!

 

As always, we will also have a Design Winner this month!
This winner is chosen by our DT, who all vote for their favourite design from all of the eligible entries. This winner will have their winning project published in Craft Stamper Magazine, (with a 2 page spread of their very own!), they will have a GDT slot for an upcoming challenge, and will also feature in their very own Winners Profile blog post! 



I hope the prizes have given you all an incentive to win...... and how about some eye candy from the DT to give you some beautifully stamped inspiration! 

Guest Designer Avril Braithwaite






Cheremane Smith











 
I hope you are all inspired to join in! The link up can be found in last Fridays blog post, HERE!

Friday 5 August 2016

Take It Make It Challlenge : August

Hello!
Welcome to the Craft Stamper August Take It, Make It challenge!
Take the theme or technique, and then Make it your own :)

This month is a 'Take A Technique' month, and the theme is:

Stencils and Masks

 Show us how unique you can be, create anything your imagination cares to dream up! Share your cards, journal pages, layouts, 3D assemblage or whatever else takes your fancy. Your project can be any colour you want... as long as you've used a stencil or a mask on your project, and stamped somewhere, then you're good to go!

We have two prizes on offer, as always. The first is the Sponsor Prize, and the winner of this will be randomly chosen from all the eligible entries of the challenge. To make sure your project is eligible to win, make sure you have followed our challenge guidelines. These can be found on our sidebar over here ---------->
and also in a tab under the banner at the top.
PLEASE REMEMBER: We only want to see ONE project in each individual blog post entry!
A set counts as more than one :)
 
We are proud to announce our sponsor this month is....

GiogioCraft




GiogioCraft is run by the very talented Craft Stamper designer Gio Zara! As well as creating stunning art for design teams all over the world, Gio has found time to create her own stunning range of stencils!
We love them!

The prize on offer for our randomly selected winner is this set of four stencils!

 



I hope the prizes have given you all an incentive to win...... and how about some eye candy from the DT to give you some beautifully stamped and stencilled inspiration! 






Wow!
Amazing inspiration from the DT!
(and I swear it is a total coincidence the same stamp has been used on four of the projects! )
Fancy joining in with us this month? You have to be in it to win it, as they say :)
All you need to do is double check you are familiar with all the guidelines, then get linking up using the InLinkz tool below!


  We can't wait to see what you create!