New England Stamper

Valentine Mini Journal

2012-02-11T08:09:00.004-05:00

I created this mini Valentine art journal a while ago for a class I offered at a local community education program. It's actually one of my photo albums from my store and I created little panels each each page. Here are some close-ups:

I included a variety of different things - silk flowers, buttons, photos, scrabble tiles and stamped images.

Here's a picture of the whole thing open:

Happy Valentine's Day!

What's New in the Store

2012-02-05T07:00:00.001-05:00

It was another busy week in the shop making custom map albums for the Philippines, North America and Turkey!

I finally found time to add some cute vintage paper bundles that I created a while ago. These are a great size for card makers and mixed media artists. I was inspired by the Basic Grey 6" x 6" pads of patterned paper and as I use so much vintage paper in the cards I make, I figured that others might want to do the same.

I also added a new size spiral bound photo album - a mini 4" x 4" version with the popular map cover. Don't you love that vintage suitcase I found at a thrift store last week :)

Finally, this week I got a brand new look! Meredith at Jack & Molly created a great new logo and banner for me, plus a cute Facebook avatar. Head on over there and give me a "like".

Have a great week,

Ali

Tea Dyed Tag Collage

2012-02-02T13:27:00.009-05:00

I created a bunch of mixed media tags this week and decided to mount them onto a canvas to make a quick wall hanging.

The tags all started out plain white from the office supply store before I dyed them in strong tea. It was messy but fun!

I used lots of different thing to decorate the nine tags. I'll tell you what they are under each picture:

Top row, left to right
Tag 1: stamped text plus vintage saver stamps
Tag 2: stamping (Oxford Impressions) plus little bundle of sticks
Tag 3: stamping (Artistic Outpost) plus a dried flower and pearl

Middle Row, left to right
Tag 1: stamping, fabric flower and vintage button
Tag 2: pre-printed transparency on stamped text
Tag 3: vintage sheet music, lace and button

Bottom Row, left to right
Tag 1: stamping (Artistic Outpost), patterned paper and dried flower plus pearl
Tag 2: stamping (Crafty Individuals), vintage lace and pearls
Tag 3: stamping, fabric flowers, vintage button and a hat pin

Here are a few close up pictures:

I attached a piece of vintage French dictionary page to painted a canvas board and mounted the tags on top. It was a fun project - now I just need to find it a home in my house!

Hope you like it :)

Ali

Dragonfly Card

2012-01-26T07:00:00.002-05:00

As promised, here's the other card I made using this cute dragonfly stamp from Stampotique Originals. I made it for the Gingersnaps Supply challenge (ribbon) a couple of weeks ago, but didn't have the chance to blog it here.

Happy stamping!

Ali

New Card

2012-01-25T07:00:00.001-05:00

This is only the second card I've made this year - can you believe that? I'll blog the other one tomorrow!

It's for today's Gingersnaps Color Challenge (green) and uses our sponsor's stamps, Stampotique Originals.

The reasons I haven't been blogging are many, including a new job and moving my studio again! But I won't go into that here, suffice to say, I hope that I can start stamping again soon!

Have a wonderful day,

Ali

Merry Christmas

2011-12-23T15:36:00.005-05:00

It's been a bit quiet around here! My Etsy store, holiday fairs and family stuff have been keeping me busy of late and while I'd love to be super woman and maintain two blogs, I have to be honest with myself and admit that I can't.

So, I've decided to just maintain one blog for now, the Vintage Page Designs blog. If you're a follower or subscriber here, please hop on over and say "hi". There will less cards, but still plenty of inspiration (I hope). Here's a sneak peek at today's post :"6 Ways to Wrap Gifts Using Vintage Paper"

Merry Christmas!

Swedish Christmas

2011-11-28T10:51:00.005-05:00

Do you have stamps that you buy and then they sit unused for months? I do and today I unearthed a stamp and some paper that I bought a year ago when I took a trip to Sweden to visit my brother and his family.

My sister-in-law, Helene, is a scrapbooker and she took me to a store called Panduro Hobby, which is similar to the Michaels or Hobby Craft. I can't believe I've had this stamp for a year and not used it - I have 2 others that I bought as well that I should blow the dust off!

The card base is a Fabriano watercolor card and the extras are from Stampin' Up! - a rhinestone and some cherry cobbler seam binding.

I made this card for today's Splitcoast CAS Challenge and Our Creative Corner's Christmas Tree Challenge.

Note: I have a Cyber Monday sale going on in my Etsy store today. And don't forget to check out my new Vintage Page Facebook page.

Happy Stamping!

Ali

Final Fall Card

2011-11-25T21:29:00.007-05:00

As November comes to a close, I'm sharing one last Fall card before it's Christmas all the way! I made it for the Gingersnaps Farm Fresh challenge.

The main image is from Artistic Outpost - the Home plate - and I stamped it on a sponged book page background. This is simply mounted on black c/stock and then onto a vintage dictionary page.

Hope everyone in the States had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Ali

Rogue Book Mark Card

2011-11-20T08:03:00.001-05:00

Creating a book mark card is a first for me. I'd been experimenting making some dictionary paper tags for my store and decided they might look good with images stamped on them. I reached for the new Rogue Redhead plate, Milliner Misses and liked how it looked.

I created a holder for the tag by stamping Congratulations (from Rogue's Bits & Pieces plate) on a strip of paper and attaching it on 3 sides to form a shallow pocket.

Hope you like it. I'm entering this into Simon Says Show Some Women Only challenge.

Thanks for stopping by - hope you're having a wonderful weekend!

Ali

Book Pages and Napkins

2011-11-14T20:23:00.005-05:00

Angela from the Stamp Man blog showed a great project with napkins last week and the minute I saw it, I knew I had to get out some napkins and play!

But you know me, I had to use old book pages for my project - it's a sickness you understand! I did a quick step-by-step for this card and posted it on my Vintage Page blog, if you want to take a look.

Here's a close up:

I'm entering the card into the Stamp Man collage challenge and Our Creative Corner's Pumpkin challenge.

Thanks for visiting!

Ali

Farm Fresh Creations

2011-11-11T19:48:00.001-05:00

Here are a pair of cards I made for Gingersnaps this month, where our theme is Farm Fresh.

The first uses an image from Artistic Outpost from their Home plate. I stamped the main image with black ink onto a sponged panel highlighted with white gel pen (they're meant to be stars!)

I can't for the life of me remember where I got this image of a barn from. If anyone knows, feel free to let me know in the comments. I stamped it onto watercolor paper and water colored the image with Distress inks. I do know that the sentiment is from the Artistic Outpost plate, Old Grist Mill.

I've had a busy week at Vintage Page Designs this week getting out Thanksgiving favor orders. And launching the Vintage Page Designs blog. It's still pretty bare, but pop in and say hello!

Have a wonderful weekend,

Ali

First Xmas Card

2011-11-07T20:21:00.006-05:00

I made my first Christmas card of the season today for the Splitcoaststampers Clean and Simple Challenge, which was a sketch this week.

You'll be amazed to read that this is actually a current SU stamp set called Beautiful Season - I know I usually use my trusted retired sets. I really needed some new holiday stamps, so I treated myself to this one and I love it!

The red c/stock and ribbon are Cherry Cobbler, but I didn't have the ink, so I substituted it with Ranger Distress ink in Barn Red and the match is pretty good. I popped up the little bird on dimensionals and gave the holly berries some pizzazz with Ranger's Rock Candy.

Have you started your Christmas or holiday cards yet? I'm sure you probably have, but at least I've made a start :)

Thanks for stopping by,

Ali

Happy Birthday Rogue Redhead

2011-11-04T10:51:00.004-04:00

Rogue Redhead Designs, run by good friend Shar, turned one year old this week. Happy Birthday Rogue! To celebrate, she has launched a brand new website, released two new stamp plate and is offering some awesome deals.

I was lucky enough to play with the new release Milliner Misses and made this 8" x 8" inchie hanging:

Here's the info on the plate:

"This mini plate packs a lot of style into just a few images. Capture distinctive fashion and panache of the twenties with these great elegant ladies and their fabulous hats. Perfect for gal pal cards and fashionable greetings of all kinds." It retails for $7.50, but is on sale for $6 until the end of the year.

I stamped images from the Milliner Misses and Relish Reading plates onto the edges of old book pages, inked the edges and mounted them onto pre-cut matboard inchies. I also cut out inchies from old dress patterns and embellished some of the squares with a hat pin, buttons, fabric and lace.

All sixteen inchies were mounted onto a piece of watercolor paper with a salted background. Tutorial here. I stitched it to a piece of dark brown card stock and hung it with some beautiful seam binding from Blue Bird Lane.

Check out the other awesome artwork by the DT on the Rogue blog and wish them a Happy Birthday!

I'm linking to the following challenges:

Three Muses
Anything Goes Challenge

The storm passed...

2011-11-02T22:37:00.003-04:00

Well, we've had a fun few days here in New England with an October snow storm. We were without power for three days and it wasn't much fun. But, the main thing is that we're all safe. There were so many trees and power lines down that it was pretty scary for a while. The power is now restored, we're finally warm and best of all, school is open!

Here's a picture of my girl with some of the fallen branches in our yard. Instead of trick or treating, she was playing in the snow.

One positive thing was that I had some time to stamp during daylight hours, so I have lots to post over the next few days. Come back tomorrow for a couple of farm fresh creations!

Ali

Fall Snow

2011-10-28T16:03:00.004-04:00

What's the scoop? It's not even Halloween and we've had our first snow! You've got to love New England weather. Here are a few pictures taken on my walk in the forest this morning:

Keep warm!

Ali

Holiday Ornaments

2011-10-27T11:21:00.009-04:00

Long time, no post! I've been having computer issues - my new laptop got a nasty virus and it needed a few days R&R. Well, actually, the nice Sys Admin at my husband's work and my husband have been been working on it. And it's still not properly fixed, sigh.....

But it has left me time to make stuff. It's amazing how much you can get done without a computer there to distract you. I've realized how much I get sucked into cyberspace and wind up wasting a lot of time!

Anyway, here are the ornaments I made for the Gingersnap Creations Holiday Ornament Art Exchange:

The tag bases are chipboard with vintage sheet music, gesso and lots of stamping and ink. I'm going to post a tutorial on how to make them on Gingersnaps this month.

I hope you'll sign up and join our exchange - it should be a lot fun!

Details:

Stamps: Snow Swirled (SU), Script & Postmark (Hero Arts), Postcard (Artistic Outpost)
Paper: Chipboard, vintage sheet music
Ink & Paint: Gesso, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel (SU)
Accessories: Red seam binding (SU), Silver dew drops, Poinsettia flowers (Hero Arts)
Tools: Cropadile, sponges

Weekend Inspiration: Etsy Treasuries

2011-10-23T00:01:00.002-04:00

I had some fun this week creating a couple of treasury lists on Etsy this week. If you're not familiar with Treasury, is a member-curated shopping gallery comprised of lists of items. Each treasury list can feature your favorite items or those based on a theme. For my lists, I chose color themes.

Some of the photography on Etsy is so inspiring - I think these lists are great inspiration for whatever artwork you're creating - cards, journal pages, scrapbook layouts, altered book projects etc. Enoy!

Aqua & Orange

Silver & Garnet

Pink

You can click on any of the items if you need to take a closer look at them.

Sneak Peek - Milliner Misses

2011-10-21T13:17:00.005-04:00

Rogue Redhead Designs has a couple of new stamp plates coming out next month and here's a sneak peek at one of them - Milliner Misses. It's a mini plate and it's adorable. This might be my favorite Rogue set so far!

I used the sketch challenge on Splitcoast as my inspiration for the layout.

Got to run - I'm heading to New York City today for an art-filled weekend - should be fun! Have a wonderful weekend,

Ali

Double Challenge Card

2011-10-18T15:38:00.007-04:00

Just a quick post today....

I fell in love with the colors for this week's Playdate Cafe challenge: Rust, Storm and Deep Sea and I also really like the Clean and Simple Stamping Sketch challenge too, so I combined 'em and came up with this Fall card.

The colors I used were Dusty Durango (ink and c/stock), Night of Navy (c/stock) and Basic Grey taffeta ribbon to approximate the colors. The leaf is from a retired SU set.

Thanks for stopping by!

Ali

Cupcake Challenge and a Giveaway

2011-10-17T12:05:00.006-04:00

Good morning!

I have a clean and simple card to share this morning and a chance to win some of my notebooks.

Janice over at Artisan Crafted wrote a very nice post about my store today and if you scroll to the bottom you have a chance to win a stack of my music notebooks! Head over there and take a peek. While you're there, take a good look around because there's a ton of inspiration on this lovely blog. Thank you, Janice!

Here's today's quick card. It's for the Splitcoast CAS challenge, which is to use cupcakes. This couldn't have come at a better time because my daughter just got invited to a birthday party at a bakery - how much fun is that going to be? They didn't have parties at bakeries when I was 12, but that is a very long time ago :)

The stamp set I used is an old SU hostess set called Out of the Box and the Valentine patterned paper is also a retired SU paper. At least I'm using up my old stuff, right?

Have a wonderful day and don't forget to head over to Artisan Crafted!

Ali

Mini Art Journal with Twinchies and Things I Love

2011-10-16T15:38:00.008-04:00

Happy weekend everyone! I didn't have time to make a "Weekend Inspiration" post today, but it'll be back next week.

I found time for a play date with my supplies this week and made this little art journal. I'm really happy with how it turned out.

It came about because I had just filled a big order for my Mini Thanksgiving Journals and had a couple "seconds" leftover on my desk. You know - the ones that don't quite make the grade!

The journal itself is an accordion which measures 2.5" x 2.5" and the inside pages measure 2.25" x 2.25". So I created a bunch of mini collages measuring 2" x 2" (also known as twinchies) and adhered them to the journal pages.

There is really not rhyme or reason to the items I picked - just things I love! Lace, tags, quotes, buttons, transparencies, music, text etc.

I'm itching to make another! Hope you liked it :)

Ali

Halloween Cone Tutorial

2011-10-13T00:01:00.001-04:00

Good morning! I going to share a Halloween cone tutorial with you today. The instructions on the photos aren't very clear, so I'll write them underneath too.

Glue a square of paper (not card stock) to a piece of vintage paper.

Draw a quarter circle as shown using something circular as a template.

Have a cup of tea while the glue dries!

Cut out the cone and decorate with stamps.

Bend the cone around something round to break the paper
fibers before forming the cone, otherwise the paper might crack.

Place a piece of strong adhesive, such as Scor Tape, along one of the long edges.

Carefully bring together edges to form a cone. Often there
is a gap at the bottom - it's okay - we can let it go :)

Finish cone as desired with ribbon, trim and doodads.

Halloween Tag

2011-10-12T00:01:00.003-04:00

Hi folks,

it's challenge day over at Gingersnap Creations and this month's supply challenge is alcohol inks. I made this little number using stamps from Oxford Impressions and some vintage text using a coffee dyed manila tag for the base.

I finished it off with a metal washer from the hardware store and some satin ribbon. But where is the alcohol ink you ask? I colored the metal washer with two shades of green ink.

Hope you liked it! I'm also entering the tag into the following challenges:

Vicki's challenge #27 - Halloween
Art With No Boundaries - Halloween

Come back tomorrow because I have a Halloween cone with tutorial planned :)

Weekend Inspiration

2011-10-08T20:40:00.015-04:00

Happy weekend! It's so warm and sunny here in New England - it feels like summer. I think we're being lulled into a false sense of security before all the snow comes!

I haven't had time to stamp any more this week because I've been wicked busy with my Etsy store filling orders and getting ready for the holidays. I listed some adorable (well I think so) mini journals this week:

And my products have been featured in over a dozen Etsy Treasury List this week - it's been amazing! My Halloween Treat Boxes were featured on Design Wotcha and my Gothic Halloween paper was shown on the Spanish language site, Bueno, Bonito y Barato. Both sites have lots of eye candy!

Here's the final installment of Halloween inspiration for you. Next week we'll move onto other Fall themes - promise!

Check out this awesome Book Page Pumpkin - just up my street. Click on the link below for the tutorial.

Source: Creations by Kara

Aren't these strawberry ghosts a riot? Click on the link below for the recipe.

Source: Taste of Home

We are definitely making these Mummy Candy bars in our house this year - Hershey Bars are my girl's favorite :)

Source: The Idea Room

Who would have thunk it? Cover Dixie cups with paper, attach some lights and you've got an inexpensive holiday light fixture. Just change it out the cups for each holiday - very clever!

Source: Good Housekeeping

If you're hosting a party, this would be the hilarious to play!

Source: Jeanetics

Last but not least for us paper crafters, check out this awesome wreath! Sigh......

Source: Vacuuming in High Heels and Pearls

Enjoy your Halloween preparation!

Clean and Simple Halloween Card

2011-10-03T15:37:00.007-04:00

I've been away all weekend in Vermont scouring antique stores for vintage paper goodies :) And man, did I get some beauties. I can't wait to photograph them and put them in the store. They are so awesome! I've been busy catching up on emails and orders and didn't think I'd have to stamp, but.....

I couldn't resist today's Splitcoast Clean and Simple challenge because it was a really great CAS sketch. My desk was still covered in Halloween items, so I pulled this together this afternoon.

The main image is from an SU set called House of Haunts and so is all the c/stock. The strip of text is the gothic text from my Etsy store and the main image is stamped on this too (an edge piece with no text on it).

Note: I don't have many of these packs of gothic text left. Get 'em while you can :)

I created the moon in the background by creating a reverse circle mask from a 1 1/4" circle punch and a post-it note, then sponged Dusty Durango ink to create the moon.

I was also intrigued by today's Ways to Use It challenge, which was to use a #2 or HB pencil on your project. I immediately thought of fog and mist with this image, you can see the close up here (hopefully). I shaded with the pencil and then used a blending stump to blur it.

Hope you're having a good start to your week :)

Ali

Halloween Weekend Inspiration

2011-10-02T00:01:00.018-04:00

In keeping with the Poe piece yesterday, I have some spooky inspiration for you today from Etsy. Etsy is just filled to the brim with amazing Halloween items and I thought I'd share a few of my favorites with you.

This cute little guy makes me smile every time I look at him. He's definitely on my Halloween wish list! Lisa from Anna Belle Arts created him and a whole host of adorable needle felted creatures, pumpkins and acorns.

Needle Felted Jack-O-Lantern Assemblage

This skull pendant would be such a cool Halloween gift for a teen or preteen instead of candy. It was created by Sarah-Lambert Cook of Tuckoo and Moo Cow

Día de los Muertos Hand Painted Pendant

If you decorate your home for Halloween, then this bat covered pillow, created by Rachel from Out on a Limb, would be an awesome addition.

Halloween Bat Pillow

How much fun is this guy? or gal? Sallie from That Sallie creates the most adorable primitive dolls and this Raggedy Mummy really caught my eye!

Raggedy Mummy Primitive Country Doll

Lots of you are already familiar with Lynn Steven's work. When I saw her Halloween Collage Box, it really blew me away! I love how she included those half burned candles. You can see more of her work in her store Trash to Treasure and her blog of the same name.

Halloween Collage Box

Robin from rrizzart creates mixed media art and jewelry - don't you love this funky coffin jewelry box?

Coffin Jewelry Box

Are you planning a Fright Night party? These cup cake toppers would make the evening really special. Debbie at Ephemera's Vintage Garden created this fun vintage collage sheet and she has lots more spooky fun in her store.

Cup Cake Toppers/Treat Bag Stickers

I saved my favorite for last. Isn't he adorable? His name is Hal and he's a Zombie Sock Monster. I know my 5 year old niece would love this guy just as much as I do! Melinda from Maddie's Minions created him plus lots of other quirky, one-of-a kind creatures.

Halloween Zombie Sock Monster

I hope this post put you in the mood for a little Halloween fun! Enjoy your weekend,

Ali

Poe

2011-10-01T00:01:00.001-04:00

Happy October! Edgar Alan Poe is the theme on Gingersnaps this month and I created this collage to kick it off.

Starting with a piece of watercolor paper as my base, I added a stamped and grunged up piece of green patterned paper, then layered on gothic German text and some mesh.

I found a photograph of Poe on the internet, re-sized and printed it onto the same German text (in my Etsy store). The paper is from an old copy of Goethe's Faust from the 1800s and is quite fragile, so I glued it onto a piece of copy paper before running it through my printer. It worked like a charm! I added some stamping, stitching and an old optical lens to the photo.

I finished the piece with a vintage pen nib and aged scrabble tiles. Not my normal style, but I hope you like it :)

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!

Ali

Miniature Inchie Notecards

2011-09-27T06:00:00.001-04:00

I created some miniature note cards for the Gingersnap Art Exchange participants last week and thought I'd pop them on my blog.

I glued my Vintage Page Inchies onto a piece of c/stock in groups of four and cut them out with a Nestabilities label die.

I mounted the die cut inchies onto black c/stock and then onto 2.5" x 2.5" folded cards.

Very quick and easy, especially when you need to make a large batch of cards and they're a nice size to slip into a package.

Thanks for stopping by!

Ali

Paper Pieced Bird Cage

2011-09-26T20:19:00.007-04:00

Monday is Splitcoast's Clean and Simple challenge day - my favorite (non Gingersnaps) challenge! I was in danger of missing it because of an emergency visit to the vet with my friend's dog, who we are looking after. Thankfully, all is well and I finally finished my card at 8pm.

The challenge is to use paper piecing on a clean and simple card. It turned out rather understated, but I like it nonetheless.

The bird cage stamp is from B Line Designs and the sentiment is Amuse. The patterned paper is a 6x6 pad called Queen Bee by Pink Paislee.

That's all for now - off to give the poorly dog his medicine :(

Have a good night!

Ali

Halloween ATC Card

2011-09-24T20:46:00.007-04:00

I haven't had a minute to stamp all week, but today I squeezed in a little fun. Well, I say fun because Halloween projects are always a challenge for me. I'm more of a butterflies and flowers kind of gal, not dark and grungy, but I gave it a shot and created a Halloween ATC.

I stamped the Artistic Outpost image (Generation Redux plate) onto a piece of "spooky gothic text" and mounted it onto a piece of pattered paper that must be at least 5 years old :) I stamped some text and numbers on the paper and grunged it up a little bit too.

I gave the ladies gold hats (cut from an old Christmas envelope) and embellished them with black rhinestones. A button here and a sentiment (Vintage Halloween plate) there and it was all done. Not too painful.

But wait, I had to mount it onto a card so that I could send it someone and because I was missing my white space!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Ali

Candy Winner & Leaf Card

2011-09-19T20:41:00.007-04:00

The winner of my blog candy is.....comment #11, Donna from Paper Crows and Dragonflies! Congratulations, Donna! Send me an email at alimanning@charter.net with your address and I will mail out your prize.

Today's card was made for the Splitcoaststampers Clean and Simple challenge, which is to use leaves.

I had just been fooling around with some of that French dictionary paper that was still on my desk from the butterfly card a couple of days ago (yes, can you believe I didn't clean up?!)

I mounted a piece of the dictionary paper onto c/stock because I knew I was going to abuse it. I sponged on various Fall colored dye inks, dry brushed on gesso and once dry, sponged a little more ink around the edges.

I then ran the colored dictionary page through my Big Shot with a leaf die. While I had the Big Shot out, I embossed a square on the card base with a Nestabilities die.

The sentiment is from Amuse. That's it - quick and easy!

What's New & Weekend Inspiration

2011-09-18T06:00:00.001-04:00

Blog candy reminder: you have until midnight tonight to enter for a chance to win my blog candy. Just click on this link and scroll down to the end of the post to enter. I'll post the winner tomorrow.

I've been having fun this week making more goodies for my Etsy store, including more of the Music Notebooks and Halloween kits, both of which were featured in several Treasuries! But it's these little babies I'm super excited about today, my mini accordion journals. If you have a chance, stop by the store and check out the other pictures of them.

And of course, they're made with vintage book pages! Talking of old books, here's some jaw dropping weekend inspiration for you. Enjoy!

Isn't Sue Blackwell's art stunning? Check out her more of her amazing book sculptures.

Here is more butterfly inspired art by Louise Richardson. Check out more of her work on Flickr.

I've tried my hand at altered books, but not quite in this league!! This beauty was created by Jennifer Hibbard.

Source: Painted Fish Studio

I came across this amazing piece of couture on Katie's Rose Cottage blog. Ain't it pretty!

And for the girl who has everything - a pair of shoes to match! I really encourage you to visit Jennifer Collier's site and check out everything - you'll be amazed - really!

Source: Jennifer Collier

Enjoy your Sunday!

Ali

Vintage Dictionary Butterflies

2011-09-17T20:55:00.006-04:00

Blog candy reminder: you have until midnight tomorrow, September 18, 2011 to enter for a chance to win my blog candy, which includes some of the dictionary pages you'll see below. Just click on this link and scroll down to the end of the post to enter. Thanks :)

Here's a card I made this week using the Vintage French/English dictionary pages from my store. I sponged various shades of Stampin' Up! and Distress inks in blue, green and yellow onto half a sheet and punched out a bunch of butterflies with a Martha Stewart punch. Pretty simple, but it's just the kind of card I like - lots of white space!

Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes (Stampin' Up!)
Paper: Fabriano watercolor cards, vintage French/English dictionary, watercolor paper
Ink: Various shades of blue, green and yellow dye inks, black
Embellishments: rhinestones (Stampin' up!)
Tools: Nestabilities, butterfly punch (Martha Stewart), Big Shot, Word Window punch

Have a wonderful weekend!

Ali

Trisha's Challenge

2011-09-15T13:30:00.002-04:00

Blog Candy Reminder: There are only a couple of days left to win some blog candy. Check out this post.

I recently participated in a challenge called "What would you make with my stuff?" set Trisha from Easily Amused, Hard to Offend (a fellow Gingersnaps DT member). She sent the participants an envelope full of goodies to play with and we had to incorporate at least three items that she'd given us.

Here's the card I made. I wound up using five of the items, although I'm embarrassed to see that the other participants use way more than I did.

The image is from Altered Pages and the patterned paper from Basic Grey. I added the sentiment, it's a retired SU set called Happy Harmony.

Check out what everyone else made - they look awesome.

Thanks for a great challenge, Trisha!

Crimper Challenge

2011-09-14T14:32:00.007-04:00

Blog Candy Reminder: There are only a couple of days left to win some blog candy. Check out this post.

Today I hosted the Gingersnaps Supply Challenge and this month we're using crimpers. I had a hard time finding mine - it's one of those tools that seemed to go out of fashion when the new die cutting machines came along with all those gorgeous embossing folders. But it's an underrated tool that can add great texture to a project. Check out all the other samples that the design team came up with.

I wanted to see if I could crimp some old book pages, so I experimented a bit. I used some of the French dictionary pages I have in my Etsy store and found that the old paper is too delicate for the crimper. You can see in the picture that it splits along the creases.

I came up with a easy solution. Glue it onto a piece of paper first and then run it through the crimping machine. I chose a 50lb paper (writing paper weight) rather than cardstock because that would have been too thick. You could also do the same when putting old paper through a Big Shot with an embossing folder.

Onto the card, for the main panel, I used a technique called Textured Spectrum from the Aug/Sept 09 Technique Junkies Newsletter. This involves brayering ink from a spectrum pad onto c/stock, dry brushing with gesso and once dry, running it through an embossing folder. I added a twist by flattening the panel by running it through my Big Shot several times and then stamping my main image on it. The image is from Viva LasVegastamps.

If that doesn't make sense, ask me in the comments and I can explain it a bit better. Hope you like it!

Have a wonderful day!

Ali

Inchie Reader

2011-09-13T06:00:00.001-04:00

Here's a Splitcoaststampers challenge card I made over the weekend. Chrissy Dickinson, a Technique Junkies Design Team Member, was picked as Featured Stamper a couple of weeks ago and the challenge is to CASE one of her cards. I chose a gorgeous Christmas card she made using the By The Inch technique.

I used the By The Inch (Oct/Nov 10) technique on a background of Antiqued Glimmers (Dec 09/Jan 10). I created the Antiqued Glimmers background by pressing Distress Ink pads onto a non-stick surface, spritzing it with Glimmmer Mist and pressing the cardstock into the wet inky mess. Each one turns out differently and that's why it's such a cool technique. Unfortunately, you can't see the sparkle from the Glimmer Mist in my picture :(

The main image is from the Rogue Redhead plate Relish Reading.

Don't forget to enter to win the blog candy a couple of posts down! I'm drawing the winner on Sunday.

Have a wonderful week,

Ali

Herringbone Card

2011-09-12T13:35:00.004-04:00

It's been ages since I took part in one of my favourite challenges, the Splitcoaststampers Clean and Simple Challenge. But I took advantage of a free half an hour this morning to participate. This week it's a sketch challenge.

To create the panel, I used the Herringbone technique (Technique Junkies newsletter Dec 09/Jan 10) with strips of a retired Stampin' Up! paper cut into 1/4" strips. I love this technique for using up the piles of patterned paper I have, especially SU packs or 6x6 pads from companies, such as Basic Grey. Because all the colors coordinate, it takes the guess work out of choosing different papers from different manufacturers and making sure the colors and patterns look good together.

The sentiment is also Stampin' Up! from the Upsy Daisy set.

Don't forget to enter to win my blog candy in the post below - there are only 6 days left!

Thanks for stopping by!

Ali

Candy, Store & Coupon

2011-09-10T11:50:00.021-04:00

I'm really excited to announce that I opened my new Etsy store this week - Vintage Page Designs!

If you follow my blog you'll know that I love to create things with old book pages. I have a real passion for collecting interesting old books, illustrations and ephemera. Trouble is, these things just seem to follow me home from flea markets and thrift stores, and now my house is full :) So, "why not share the love on Etsy?", I asked myself.

I've only just begun to fill the store, but the kinds of items you can expect to find are vintage book pages of all kinds, ephemera, old photographs, kits and pre-made journals and cards. I plan to offer some digital content in the near future. I put new items in every day, so you never know what you might find!

As a thank you to those of you who visit my blog, I'm offering up some blog candy and a special 20% coupon for the store. The code is newenglandstamper and you enter it at check out. It applies to all items in the store, but not on shipping. The code will be valid for one week until midnight on Sunday, September 18th, 2011.

And now to the blog candy.....I'm giving away a selection items from my store and some stamps (because it's all about the stamping, right?)

The package includes: packages of my vintage French and school dictionary pages, vintage botanical illustrations, three Victorian children cabinet cards, some vintage lace and pink buttons plus one my handmade sheet music notebooks.

Plus, two sets of acrylic stamps from Inkadinkadoo and 6 unmounted rubber stamps from Crafty Individuals.

All y0u need to do is visit the Vintage Page Designs store and select your favorite item. Leave a comment here letting me know what your fave item is and you'll be in with a chance to win the blog candy. I'll randomly draw the winner next Sunday and announce it on the blog on Monday, September 19, 2011 . Good luck!

Weekend Inspiration: Memo Boards

2011-09-10T10:54:00.014-04:00

On my cyber travels this week I came across some awesome memo boards for the home and craft spaces. And I figured I'd share the inspiration with you!

Quick note before we get started: check out the next post for BLOG CANDY and an exciting announcement.

Check out this budget friendly memo board - a repurposed drawer! A piece of galvanized metal was cut to fit the inside and it was covered with wall paper. I love how it creates a little shelf at the bottom too.

Source: Better Homes & Gardens

Who would think to use a baby's crib to create a memo board? Not me, but Ashley and Jamin over at The Handmade Home did. And they even created a tutorial to show how's it's done.

I love these elegant silver trays used to post reminders and artwork!

Source: Mechant Design

Ashley Ann from Under the Sycamore shows how to make this fun chicken wire memo board in a great tutorial on her blog.

Don't these burlap boards look like expensive pieces from Pottery Barn? They are in fact pieces of cork wrapped in burlap, stapled on the back, then decorated with nail heads.

Source: iVillage

I saved my favorite for last. Rebecca Sower uses the back of a vintage basket as memo or inspiration board in her studio - this makes me swoon :)

Source: Flickr

Happy weekend and remember to sign up for the blog candy in the next post!

Ali

Vintage Dictionary Silhouettes

2011-09-07T06:00:00.001-04:00

I just had to try the Colorful Silhouettes technique again with some Crafty Individuals stamps. The other two cards I made with this technique are here.

This technique is in the August/September edition of the Technique Junkies newsletter, but basically it involves covering a piece of c/stock with various inks, heat embossing a background in white and then embossing a silhouette image in black.

I covered both card bases with a vintage dictionary pages before mounting them main images.

Happy stamping,

Ali

Weekend Inspiration - Ribbon Storage

2011-09-04T08:39:00.001-04:00

Happy weekend! I've got some more storage ideas to share with you - this week I've been looking at ribbon.

Personally, I store mine in the jars (above) and in vintage wooden boxes (below).

Here are some more ingenious ribbon and twine storage methods that caught my eye. Enjoy!

Cathe from Just Something I Made created this fantastic storage item from an old yard stick, cup hooks and drapery rings.

Check out this cool way to store a ball of twine - a sugar dispenser!

Source: Whisker Graphics

KraftyBuns wraps her ribbon around manila tags from the office supply store. What a great inexpensive storage method!

Michelle Allen from Close 2 My Heart created this great ribbon holder from an old crate. Check out the step-by-step instructions on her blog.

Here's my favorite: Mamie Jane uses paint sticks and rulers to organize her lace and trim. I love it!

Last but not least, how much fun is this straw dispenser?

Source: All People Quilt

Have you come across an unusual or neat way to store ribbon? Send me an email with a link or leave a comment and I'll include them in next inspiration week's post.

Ali

Vintage Mill

2011-08-31T14:43:00.004-04:00

While we hunkered down during the hurricane at the weekend, I tried a new Technique Junkies technique called Vintage Art. It was inspired by old pencil and ink artwork. The technique involves sponging the background in various shades of yellow and brown, then highlighting with white pencil.

I thought this Artistic Outpost image from their plate called Old Grist Mill would work well with this vintage looking technique. The paper in the background is from an old dictionary page showing the definition for 'mill'.

I have exciting news to share at the weekend plus some more cards to share later in the week, so I hope you can stop by again soon!

Ali

Weekend Inspiration - more storage ideas

2011-08-25T19:20:00.001-04:00

Happy weekend everyone! We're waiting for hurricane Irene to hit us here on the East Coast. Lots of rain so far, no wind yet, but we're bracing ourselves! We've put away everything in the yard and are sitting it out at home. So while I'm stuck inside, I thought I'd share some more imaginative storage ideas I found this week.

Amy Powers created this adorable suitcase to house her craft supplies - isn't it just to die for! She shows how she made it step-by-step on her blog.

And another adorable suitcase was spotted over at Grey Likes Wedding. Now, I just need to find a cute vintage suitcase to repurpose!

This next item made me squeal - how much fun is it to store supplies in a brush like this? Better than cleaning with it!

Source: Fitzsu

And here's another one that left me speechless - why not put your pencils in a vintage cheese grater?

Source: Rae Rae Sisters

The glitter season will be upon us soon! Arlette at Polka Dot Pineapple stores hers in salt and pepper shakers - how clever and pretty is that?

Here's a way to use those cute ice cube trays that the kids make us buy at the store, then it's impossible to the ice cubes out of them. Instead of letting them gather dust in the cupboard, you could use them store little doodads on your desk. I bet your kids would love to use them too!

Source: Better Homes & Gardens

This last piece of inspiration isn't exactly a storage item, but it sure is pretty! Tina from Sweet Floweret decided to pretty up the trash cans in her home with this fun trash bag holder. She has a tutorial on her blog if you want to create some too.

Thanks for stopping by - have a wonderful weekend. Stay warm and dry if you're in the path of the hurricane!

Ali

Beach Babes

2011-08-25T07:49:00.005-04:00

It's time for a little Rogue Redhead action because now my studio is semi-operational again, I was finally able to mount their new set, Beach Babes. The images in this set are beautiful and as always they stamp really nicely. You can still purchase it at the special price of $17.60 by visiting their store and while you're there, check out the other fabulous plates!

I made a trio of cards using a TJ technique called Scene Silhouettes (August/September 09 newsletter):

The cards themselves are very clean and simple. I felt like the images were so stunning alone that I didn't need to add any embellishments. The backgrounds are sponged and the images colored with Prisma pencils.

I can't wait to play with this set some more - stay tuned for more Beach Babes....

Have a fun day,

Ali

Colorful Silhouettes

2011-08-24T15:05:00.010-04:00

I tried a new technique called Colorful Silhouettes and I LOVE it! It's from the Technique Junkies most current newsletter. The basic technique is as follows:

1. Cover c/stock with several colors of ink.
2. Stamp a background and heat emboss with white e/p.
3. Stamp a silhouette image and heat emboss with black e/p.

It's a bit fiddly, but so worth the results.

The first card is for today's Gingersnaps Color Challenge, which I hosted. The colors to use are red, blue and yellow - the three primary colors. Check it out if you have a chance plus the rest of the Design Team's awesome work.

I'm also entering this card into a sketch challenge - Karen Giron's Sweet Sunday Sketch. She always has great layouts. The main image in this card is from the SU set Just Believe and the background stamp is the retired French Script.

My second card was also made using this technique and I'm entering it into the Stamping 411 sketch challenge. Again, I love their sketches, but remember it's an SU only site!

The main image in this card is from SU's Inspired by Nature, the background is the retired French Script and the image is from Trendy Trees.

Hope you're having a fantastic week!

Ali

Weekend Inspiration - Clever Storage

2011-08-21T06:00:00.012-04:00

I've been looking at a lot of different craft spaces to get ideas for my new studio. Thank you to those of you sent me links to various sites - they were fab! On my internet travels I've come across some really fun, innovative storage solutions and I thought I'd share some with you today.

Here's my #1 favorite - using colorful colanders to store your bits and bobs. I bet you could spray paint some plain ones instead of paying a premium for colored ones.

Source: Ellesstudio

Jenny Harris uses this mug rack to store scissors and a cup cake holder for embellishments. I love it!

Source: Allsorts

This next idea is genius - Maureen Wong stores her Copic markers in plastic cups and a wine rack - seriously!

Source: My CASE Studies

Here's another real favorite of mine because it's from a flea market. Who would think to use a bird cage to store crafting supplies?

Source: Better Homes & Gardens

Soup cans and a cookie sheet were used to make this funky storage unit. I'd better start drinking more soup!

Source: HGTV

I hope you enjoyed this bit of weekend inspiration. Now to get organizing!

Paint Chip Hanging

2011-08-19T09:39:00.001-04:00

You can tell that I'm behind with my blogging because here's a project that I made months ago and it was published in the Spring issue of Stampers' Sampler catch up issue.

It's a set of paint chips/samples from Farrow & Ball that I've altered. Most of the images are from the now closed Cornish Heritage Farms and the words are from Stamp Camp, I believe.

I can't get a decent picture of the whole thing - the light is really poor today, but it's on page 83 if you have a copy and want to take a look.

I did manage to get a few close up shots:

Thanks for stopping by!

Ali

First Card from New Studio

2011-08-17T21:22:00.008-04:00

I finally made a card today in my new studio. It still looks like a bomb site, so no pictures yet....but I did manage to clear a small space to make a thank you card for my buddy Sharon. She has the patience of saint putting up with me while I took a 6 month+ sabbatical from Gingersnaps.

I unearthed the current Technique Junkies newsletter and tried a technique called Back-to-Back. It involves stamping 3 different background stamps in various shades of ink. I used a background from Rogue Redhead's Relish Reading, a script from Hero Arts and finally a postmark stamped several times because I couldn't find quite the right large stamp for the final layer. The sentiment is from Stampin' Up!

My daughter and I are going on another field trip to Ikea tomorrow to get some final bits and pieces for my studio. Here's a sneak peek of how it's coming along:

Have a wonderful day!

Ali

Studio Madness

2011-08-10T07:05:00.007-04:00

I've decided to move my studio to another room in the house - my daughter and I are switching rooms. We're at the stage where we looking at each other asking "what were we thinking?". But we know it's going to be worth it, we just need to live in chaos a little longer.

Here's a picture of about half of the contents of my studio on our sunroom. The other half is in our dining room - you can imagine how delightful our home looks right now :(

On a cheerier note - check out these awesome new stamps from Rogue Redhead - Beach Babes. I have them sitting amidst the chaos waiting to be mounted and inked - I can't wait.

As I redesign my studio, does anyone care to share some links to pictures of their studio or ones you may have come across on the web? Please leave any links in the comments - thanks!

Ali

Sympathy Quilt Card

2011-08-07T06:00:00.001-04:00

Unfortunately I have a sympathy card to share today - I made it for a friend who lost their father-in-law.

The "Quilt Card" technique is one I used to do a lot and I wrote a tutorial on my old blog. Here's a link to it if you'd like to know who to make it.

Quilt Card Tutorial

It's an awesome way to use up patterned paper scraps. For this card I used a Basic Grey 6x6 pad that I've had kicking around for years.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great weekend,

Ali

Steam Punk Journal

2011-08-04T11:28:00.005-04:00

I have finally returned from my travels in England - yes, I've been away a long time! My daughter and I had a great time visiting with family and friends - I'll share some pictures in a few days. We're just getting our bags unpacked and all the laundry done - ahhh!

Here's a journal that I made a LONG time ago for Gingersnaps, but didn't have time to share before I left. I had visions of blogging on the road, but my laptop and internet provider were not cooperating :)

I hand bound the journal using my Bind-it-All machine. It measures 8" x 8" and is filled with sketch paper. The front is a page from an Atlas index layered with a piece of patterned paper. The tags are from last month's sponsor Dezinaworld Collage. The embellishments are bits and pieces from my stash - a rusty star and key plus a metal heart.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you're having a happy summer,

Ali

Quote Journal

2011-06-18T21:00:00.001-04:00

I've been having a lot of fun this week making journals and books. I come across good quotes all the time and generally write them on post-it notes and stick them around the house. So, to get rid of some of the visual clutter, I decided to make this little quote book to collect them in one place.

The covers are thick chipboard covered with botanical drawings and dictionary pages. The inside pages are library cards that I found at a teaching supply store. It's simply held together with a metal ring. It was a very quick and easy project,

In my life outside stamping, one of the blogs I read religiously (no pun intended) is called Tiny Buddah. And when I read this post entitled "Creative Types: How to Stop Comparing Yourself to Others", I thought it might resonate with my readers too. Let me know what you think!

Have a fabulous and creative weekend,

Ali

Card for Claire

2011-06-10T12:12:00.005-04:00

Hi folks,

we got back from vacation this week and I've been frantically cleaning my studio. I came back and saw it with fresh eyes, and I didn't like what I saw. It was a total mess. I took some before and after pictures, which I'll post next week.

When it was all done, I was finally able to make a few projects. Today's share is a card for my friend Claire, who moved back to the UK from the US a couple of years ago. I haven't seen her for ages, but we'll be able to get together finally this summer - yeah!

I used the 411 sketch this week, but missed the upload deadline :(. The set is a retired SU one called Essence of Love - it's one of my go-to sets.

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Ali

Travel Journal

2011-06-02T06:11:00.001-04:00

We're still traveling in England, but before we left I made a travel album to record what we did and collect some of the bits & pieces we pick up on the way. The album is from 7 Gypsies and is made up of 10 very thick chipboard pages measuring 5" x 7.5". The patterned paper is a 6"x6" package from Memory Box called Valise.

I love the concept of prepping a journal or scrapbook before a trip for several reasons.

Firstly, I NEVER scrapbook after trips, even though I have the best of intentions. I'm good about printing photos, but I've never been a big 12x12 scrapper. So, these mini albums work great for me. (I should share some others I've created in the past).

Secondly, they're fun to use when you're on the trip. At the end of each day, it's good to spend a few minutes reflecting on what you've done and collating all the memorabilia. We all miss our studios/craft rooms when we're away from home, so it's fun to still be able to play around with paper and glue!

Finally, the preparation for any event - a holiday, vacation or other special occasion is part of the experience. Creating these journals ahead of time just adds to the excitement and sense of anticipation about the upcoming trip.

Here are the inside pages. I've included some binder clips to attach memorabilia.

I'm bringing with me some journaling tags to attach to pages as I go.

I'm also bringing with me some journaling cards to fill in each day.

I attached some clear envelopes to include 4" x 6" photos.

On the final page, I included an envelope for stray bits and pieces.

I'll post the finished album when I get back.....

Happy stamping,

Ali

Brother's Wedding

2011-05-28T05:50:00.008-04:00

I was honored when the eldest of my two brothers, Pat and his finance Louise asked me to create their wedding invitations. This was way back last year, but today is their wedding and we are over in England to share their happy day with them. So, I figured I'd share with my blog readers what I made for them.

Their color scheme is teal, gold and black. They requested a clean, modern look and that a monogram be used. All the supplies came from The Paper Source and the ivory card stock and paper is all textured with the look of watercolor paper (not very visible in the photos).

These are tags, which will be attached to Yankee Candle votives and holders wrapped in tulle and given as favors to female guests.

For the wedding day itself, I created the menus, place cards, table names and all signage.

Have a great weekend,

Ali

Quick and Easy Bits and Pieces

2011-05-25T06:28:00.006-04:00

Sometimes you need to rustle up some quick and easy cards. That's what I did last week using Rogue Redhead's Bits &Pieces set.

I created this set of cards by punching out squares of my favorite book page backgrounds. I added sentiments from the Bits & Pieces set and mounted them onto Fabriano watercolor cards.

It doesn't get any simpler than that!

The second two use my favorite SU embossing folder called Elegant Bouquet. Sorry for the 'blue' pictures - it rained all last week when I photographed these and there was no light anywhere in the house.

That's all for now. We're heading out on vacation today to my brother's wedding, so I'll have all the wedding stationery to share later in the week plus the travel journal I made for the trip.

Happy stamping,

Ali

Emboss Resist Ferns

2011-05-23T13:48:00.010-04:00

I had a little time today between loads of laundry, so I checked out today Clean and Simple challenge on Splitcoaststampers. It's a great sketch by Regina. I still had Rogue Redhead's Floriculture on my work table, so I reached for my favorite from the set, the fern and created an emboss resist panel.

Firstly, I stamped some script onto a cream background, then stamped the ferns with Versamark and heat embossed with clear embossing powder. I sponged Kiwi Kiss and Old Olive (both SU) inks over the entire piece. Finally, I stamped some more ferns on top with Old Olive, stamping off several times to get a shadow effect. Here's a closer look:

Oops - I hear the washing machine beeping. Time for another load - sigh.....

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful week,

Ali

Old Book Fun

2011-05-23T06:09:00.009-04:00

I adore vintage text and creating projects from old book pages. When I saw "Playing with Books" by Jason Thompson at the bookstore several months ago, I bought it and immediately started ripping up books.

Here's the first project I made inspired directly from the book. This basket took a long time! It involved folding 250+ strips of paper, each four times and then weaving them to create this basket. Patience was the order of the day plus lots of old movies and chocolate. It was fun, but probably not something I'd repeat anytime soon.

This project, on the other hand, I'd be happy to repeat. I rolled pieces of 6" x 6" paper into tubes using a dowel and connected them using bobby pins - so much fun!!

I think you can see the bobby pins a little better in this shot.

Watch out for more these babies! I'd really recommend this book - it has a lot more wonderful projects in it that I'm dying to try. Check it out at Amazon, Barnes & Noble or your local library.

Have a wonderful week,

Ali

Rogue Bits and Pieces

2011-05-20T06:00:00.005-04:00

Did you see the new sentiment set from Rogue Redhead? It's called Bits & Pieces and has some fantastic mix and match sentiments for just about every occasion. It's definitely going to be a go-to set for me!Here are a few cards I made with it. The first uses a TJ technique called Texture Duet (Oct/Nov 2010), where you emboss your c/stock using two different embossing folders.

I made a couple of mistakes with the Texture Duet technique, so punched out the rejects to create this anniversary card for my parents' wedding anniversary next month.

In addition to sentiments, the plate also has some solid shapes, including a textured inchie!!! You know I love my inchies. I stamped textured inchie stamp three times and stamped the fern from Floriculture on top, then punched them out with a 1" square stamp - super quick and simple!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great weekend,

Ali

More Floriculture Fun

2011-05-18T14:58:00.008-04:00

I've been having some more fun with Rogue Redhead's new Floriculture plate. I created the background using acrylic paint resist technique. I believe Tim H refers to it as Dabber Resist, but I didn't use the Ranger paints. I sponged some Golden Titan Buff paint onto the stamps, covered a piece of card stock with stamped images and sponged with inks once the paint had dried.

Just remember with this technique to clean off your stamps immediately. I used several baby wipes and a spritz of plain water. Here's how the finished card turned out:

Floriculture and Bits and Pieces

2011-05-07T13:45:00.011-04:00

Rogue Redhead had two new releases out yesterday - a beautiful botanical plate called Floriculture and a sentiment plate called Bits & Pieces. They are both fantastic and I had so much fun playing with them. You might have noticed that I haven't stamped for months now, well these images inspired me to get messy again - they must be good!

They have some special pricing available. Here's the scoop:

We are offering these great half-size plates for the introductory price of $12.00 each, 20% off their regular retail price of $15.00 each, until June 10, 2011. Buy Floriculture and Bits and Pieces as a bundle and save even more! Get both these new releases together for the bundle price of $22.50 until June 10, 2011. That's 25% off their regular retail price!

We are also offering a Spring Sale Big Vintage Bundle - Relish Reading, Floriculture and Bits and Pieces - all for the low price of $42.00 plus shipping and handling. Get yours now! The sale only lasts until June 10, 2011.

I made the set of three cards above using the Lily of the Valley stamp from Floriculture. Here's a close up of the blue one:

I created a Distressed Colorblocking background (TJ newsletter Feb/Mar 2011) and stamped a variety of images from the Floriculture set onto it. I punched out random inchies and created the square panel.

Be sure to visit the Rogue Redhead blog for more inspiration!

Thanks for stopping by.

Ali

Coffee & Cream Challenge

2011-02-19T19:41:00.004-05:00

I love the current Gingersnaps Color Challenge - Coffee & Cream - those colors are just up my street. It ends today - hurry if you want to play!

I needed a thinking of you/get well card for a friend from church, so created this one using Vintage Cream (PTI) and Soft Suede c/stock (SU) with the SU stamp set Thoughts and Prayers.

To add some texture, I spritzed the card base with Soft Suede marker and added strip of embossed cream c/stock along the bottom. I included sheer ribbon and flat coffee colored pearls as accents.

Hope you had time to get messy with your stamps this weekend!

Ali

One Layer Christmas Card

2011-02-19T15:29:00.005-05:00

I played Susan's One Layer Wednesday challenge this week. The challenge was to make a one-layer Christmas card using only green and red. Well, I strayed a little by including a hint of brown and blue, but hopefully she'll forgive me!

I stamped the image directly onto the watercolor card base with black Archival Ink by Ranger and colored with reinkers and a water brush. The image is wood mounted stamp from Stampington.

Have an ink-filled weekend!

Ali

Finally, Some New Cards

2011-02-17T16:37:00.005-05:00

I finally stamped! These are the first cards I've made in 2011 - can you believe that? I think I've had stampers' block or may be I just needed a break! Anyhow, I'm happy with how this trio turned out. They're very clean and simple - just how I like it.

The first card is for the Gingersnap's Supply Challenge - charms. I included two silver leaf charms, which I tied onto a piece of Kiwi Kiss satin ribbon with linen thread.

The other two cards are for this week's Splitcoast Clean and Simple challenge. All three cards have Fabriano watercolor card bases and the main panel is also 140lb Fabriano watercolor paper. I love this stuff!

The leaf image is from Memory Box and is watercolored with various shades of green ink. All sentiments on the cards are from Stampin' Up!

Note: We are having a Design Team Call at Gingersnap Creations at the moment. Check it out!

Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful day!

Ali

Just My Type

2011-01-30T21:57:00.004-05:00

I have a few more 'new to the blog' projects to share with you today. I made them last Fall and it's more from the 'unblogged series'. This time I made the cards for an inspiration challenge and color challenge, but missed both deadlines and didn't like them very much at the time!

The stamp set, called 'From The Desk Of', is from the now closed Cornish Heritage Farms. I like these cards because they're masculine and I rarely make cards for men. So, it's good to have them in my stash.

There's no special technique used - just layered stamped images, not even any masking. Sometimes it's okay just to stamp!

Hope you had a fabulous weekend!

Got to keep stampin'...

2011-01-26T14:00:00.000-05:00

What's a stamper to do when she's lost her stamping and blogging mojo? Take a break, I guess. I haven't blogged or stamped now for two months and I truly miss it! My life has been and still is totally crazy and out of whack, but I realized today that to keep myself sane, I gotta keep stampin'.

I've taken a 6 month sabbatical from Gingersnap Creations. My fellow Founding Femme, Sharon, has been very supportive and gracious, especially as I've left her to deal with everything. Luckily the fabulous DT over there have stepped up to the plate to help her out. Thank guys!

So, I'm going to start the slow process of stamping and blogging again to keep myself sane. I can't promise amazing work or posts everyday; I can't promise to visit everyone's blog; I can't promise to enter a dozen challenge a week; but I promise that I'll set a side a little time each week for myself to get my fingers dirty and play with some rubber!

Over the next few weeks I'll share with you some about techniques for finding inspiration when you've mislaid your stamping and blogging mojo. The first tip is:

Blog 'Unblogged' Projects

Dig out those projects that you made a while ago and didn't share. You know you have some in your photo albums!

The ho-hum one that didn't make the cut the first time around;
The challenge project that you made but missed the deadline;
The magazine submission that didn't get published;
The 20 projects you did for one tutorial, then didn't have space to include them all;
The 'crappy photo of the great project' - the one with orange glow that looks like your 4-year old took it - with a throwaway camera!
The project that you just plain forgot about or got lost in the pile.

You get the idea. Dig into your stash and you'll be surprised what you find. I unearthed about 20 projects without trying very hard - wow!

The 3 projects I've shown here today are scraplings I made back in September last year. Hope you like them. For more about scraplings, check out this great post.

Until next time.....

Ali

Fabric on Cards

2010-11-29T00:01:00.001-05:00

I wrote a tutorial for Gingersnaps last week about using fabric on cards. You can find it here. This is the card I made for it - I adore this fabric from Liberty of London. I don't think I'll be able to give it away!

Have a wonderful week!

Sepia Day Dreamer

2010-11-26T20:28:00.006-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! If you celebrated yesterday, I hope you enjoyed your turkey and the time spent with family.

Here's the piece I created for this week's color challenge on Gingersnaps - Vintage Hues. I used a TJ technique called Sepia (Oct/Nov 09) to create the main panel and the image is from Rogue Redhead's Relish Reading.

Check out the rest of the Design Team's beautiful vintage creations. And have a wonderful weekend!

Ali

More Rogue Redhead Projects

2010-11-21T08:08:00.008-05:00

I'm woefully behind on blogging projects I've made for Gingersnaps and Rogue Redhead. I've been busy with classes, family and traveling overseas.

I should have some time this week for blogging my back log of stamping projects because unlike most American homes, our Thanksgiving week is usually quiet. It's not a traditional holiday for us (cos we're Brits) and we have no family here. We do celebrate it because we like the spirit of the holiday and I'll cook up something nice on Thursday, but it won't be a mad house here, thank goodness!

Today's projects are a pair of over sized tags that I made for a Gingersnaps post revisiting our old tutorials. [Check it out here.] The backgrounds are made using a technique by Jo Capper-Sandon called String Background. It's a lot of fun and you can play around with fibers, ribbon and sprays until you're heart is content and your fingers very messy!

The main images are from the new Rogue Redhead plate, Relish Reading.

Thanks for stopping by - happy weekend!

Exciting New Stamps

2010-11-06T00:01:00.001-04:00

Check out this cool new stamp plate from this cool new rubber stamp company called Rogue Redhead Designs, created by bestest buddy Sharon Briss. The release date is TODAY! The vintage images are beautiful, and the rubber is deeply etched and stamps really clearly.

Here is the official announcement:

"Announcing Rogue Redhead Designs, a brand-new stamp company! RRD offers deeply etched unmounted stamps on high quality rubber. You’ll love the level of detail!

Started by avid stamper, Sharon Briss, this new company will feature stamps in several different styles including vintage, eclectic and modern. Our first full plate release is a tribute to the literature lovers in our midst. The “Relish Reading” unmounted plate is perfect for creating hand-made bookmarks, adding a personal touch to journals and creating beautiful note cards. This 8" x 10" plate includes images and elements to get you stamping right away from a full-sized background to focal images to sentiments. “Relish Reading” is available at the Rogue Redhead Etsy store. As part of our initial release, RRD is offering this brand-new plate on sale for 20% off the regular retail price of $22.00 until December 15, 2010. Get yours now for the introductory price of $17.60!

Want to see some samples with the Relish Reading plate? Check out our new Rogue Redhead blog to see what the Rogue Crew has been creating. We’ll be having new art regularly from our scandalously talented team! Watch out too for our Rogues at Large as they drop in on us to tempt us with some of their own amazing art!"

Here's the first card I made using this plate. I combined two TJ techniques to create the inchies - Glimmer Mist Watercolor background (April/May 2010) and By The Inch (October/November).

Thanks for stopping by! Now go and check out the samples by the rest of the Design Team and then go buy this fantastic stamp plate - you'll love it!

Ali

Double Bugged Halloween

2010-10-31T11:30:00.001-04:00

Happy Halloween everyone!

I have a quick card to share with you today using the Double Bugging technique. This TJ technique involves running a piece of c/stock through two different embossing folders. I've described it a little more below:

Firstly I embossed the purple c/stock using the Distress Stripes folder, then dragged white ink along the embossed portions. Once dry, I flattened the whole piece by running it through my embossing machine several times. I then embossed this smooth piece of c/stock using the Spider Web folder and highlighted the raised areas with black ink.

I finished the card off with a spooky image of a tree from Stampin' Up! that I stamped on a sponged background.

We'll be trick or treating around our neighborhood later today after dinner with friends - should be a fun time! I hope you have a spooky Halloween!

Ali

New Card

2010-10-30T21:12:00.008-04:00

Okay, how come it's over two weeks since I last posted? Where has the time gone? I've been busy with other projects unrelated to stamping and just lost track of time, I guess!

I created a card for this week's Gingersnap Creations Color Challenge using pumpkin, avocado and eggplant. I love these rich colors, although purple is always a struggle for me. I couldn't for the life of me find any purple ribbon in the house and let me tell you, I have a lot of ribbon!

The leaf in the center of the card was created using a Tim Holz die and some patterned paper that I sponged and clear embossed. Here's a closer look:

I hope you get more time to stamp than I do at the moment and can play the challenge!

Happy stamping,

Ali

Versamark Challenge

2010-10-14T21:15:00.006-04:00

It's time for another Spicy Supply Challenge on Gingersnap Creations and this month we're using Versamark.

I created a couple of 3" x 3" Halloween cards for the challenge. Firstly, I stamped and colored the images with markers. I pressed the entire piece into a Versamark ink pad, covered it the Iridescent Ice embossing powder (from SU) and melted it with a heat gun. I believe this technique is called Diamond Dust. It's usually a technique I reserve for Christmas cards, but I think it works well for Halloween too - you can never have too much bling!

[Images by Outlines Rubber Stamp Co.]

Have a great day!

Ali

Blog Candy Winner

2010-10-11T22:38:00.005-04:00

Good evening folks! Sorry I didn't draw the blog candy earlier - I was out all day hunting for a Halloween costume with my 10 year old daughter. She wants to be the Greek Goddess Athena this year - go figure!

The randomly drawn winner of the blog candy is #21....... Mari.

Congratulations, Mari. Please send drop me a line at alimanning@charter.net with your address and I'll put your goodies in the mail!

Sunday CASE

2010-10-10T17:27:00.009-04:00

Happy Sunday everyone! It's a very happy weekend here because my brother and his wife finally had their baby yesterday - a healthy baby boy called Oliver. I'm so excited to be an aunt again! I can't wait to see the little cutie.

I managed a quick card today between getting home from church and going to see a movie with my daughter. I checked out the Featured Stamper challenge on Splitcoast and it was a lovely CAS (clean and simple) gallery belonging to Jenn Spencer. Her card can be found by following this link. I changed the color scheme and stamps, but kept the layout pretty much the same.

The panel on the left was created using a TJ technique called Sanded Whitewash. I sponged inks onto a white panel and painted it with a light layer of gesso. I ran it through an embossing folder when it was dry and highlighted the raised areas with ink. I'd made the Sanded Whitewash panel ages ago, so it was a quick and easy Fall card. The sentiment is from SU.

Don't forget it's your last chance for the blog candy today. Enjoy what's left of the weekend!

Ali

Splitcoast Color Challenge

2010-10-05T09:24:00.005-04:00

I was asked by Betty to make a sample for today's Splitcoast color challenge - the colors are Rich Razzleberry, So Saffron and Tango Tangerine.

These colors screamed Halloween to me, so I dug out my Artistic Outpost Vintage Halloween set and made this card. Of course, the base is a Fabriano watercolor card and there's lots of white space!

The pumpkin was stamped onto a piece of bookpage background that I sponged with So Saffron and Pumpkin Pie inks (I didn't have Tango Tangerine). I double matted him onto Pumpkin Pie and Rich Razzleberry c/stock. I added some piercing and white gel pen to mimic the polka dot ribbon.

Hope you have time to play the challenge today.

Happy stamping,

Ali

Faux Letterpress Wedding Card

2010-10-04T11:02:00.009-04:00

I played the Clean and Simple challenge on Splitcoast this morning. This week they challenge you to use a technique called Faux Letterpress.

I've also seen the technique called Brayered Folder and it is almost identical to TJ technique called Cuttlebug Smoosh (Oct/Nov 07), which uses a rainbow ink pad. The basic idea is to ink the inside of a Cuttlebug embossing folder and run it through your die cutting machine with some neutral card stock. Very simple, but very effective.

This is a wedding card I made with the technique - it's for a friend whose getting married this weekend. I used Bashful Blue ink and vanilla c/stock for the piece of Faux Letterpress. I finished it off with an SU sentiment, some taffeta ribbon and flat pearls. Pretty clean and simple, I'd say.

Don't forget to enter for the blog candy in the post below!

Happy stamping,

Ali

Featured Stamper Blog Candy

2010-10-03T10:58:00.005-04:00

I nearly fell off my perch this morning when I found out that I was Featured Stamper on Splitcoaststamper. Wow - what an honor - I'm totally flabbergasted!

In order to celebrate, I'm offering some blog candy. I chose some of my favorite supplies to give away:

Inkadinkadoo Inchie Stamps
Box of inchies from Inchie Art Inc
Box of Stampin Up buttons
Book of collage images from Crafty Individuals
Pearls and gems from Hero Arts
Fabriano watercolor cards and envelopes

I'm happy to ship the blog candy anywhere in the world - just leave a comment below. If you're a Follower and you win, there'll be an extra special prize thrown in there too! Comments close in one week - Sunday, October 10th at midnight. I'll announce the randomly drawn winner on Monday, October 11th.

Winter Art Exchange

2010-10-03T00:01:00.002-04:00

It's my pleasure to host another Art Exchange on Gingersnap Creations! This time around we'll be creating 4" x 4" panels with a Winter Theme. I created my Snow Baby by stamping this adorable Crafty Individuals stamp onto a piece of Antiqued Glimmer (TJ technique - Dec 09). He's mounted onto a piece of white snowflake embossed c/stock and wrapped in some cozy fibers.

For more details, read the Art Exchange Post. I hope we get lots of players!

Happy weekend,

Ali

Inchie Scraplings

2010-10-02T22:19:00.002-04:00

The last art exchange we hosted on Gingersnaps was paint chip scraplings. I made a few extra scraplings to include in the participants' packages. Instead of paint chips, I used inchies and small punched shapes and they work perfectly with the scraplings. These adorable little cards measure just 4.25" x 1.5" and are so handy to include with a gift or package.

I used some left over inchies from this card using my Inchie Collage Technique. Stamps are from Non Sequitur.

The second set are left over from this card. Stamps are Cornish Heritage.

Okay, these aren't inchies, but they're scraplings nonetheless. I punched the butterflies from a piece of dry embossed book page background and embellished them with a rhinestone.

These scraplings are quite addictive - try them if you dare!

Have a great weekend,

Ali

Simple Thanks You Notes

2010-10-01T14:51:00.006-04:00

I needed to make a batch of thank you cards for a wonderful group of women at my church, so I sat and cranked these out this afternoon. I'm really happy with how they turned out and you don't hear me say that very often!

[They also fit nicely into today's Splitcoast Free For All challenge.]

The card bases are my favorite Fabriano Watercolor cards that were embossed using an SU folder. The centers of the flowers were highlighted with chalk and the sentiments were stamped inside using summer sun ink. The cards were finished with a scrap of taffeta ribbon. I also stamped the envelopes for a little more interest.

Thanks for visiting. Have a wonderful weekend!

Ali

Waiting for Baby

2010-09-30T16:15:00.008-04:00

We're waiting patiently for a new member of our family to arrive this week. My brother's wife, Helene, is expecting their second child - a little boy and we are all so excited. They live in Sweden, and I want to get a card in the mail to them as soon as possible.

I was inspired by today's Splitcoast Ways to Use It challenge, which is to use a banner on a project. And I still have Gingersnaps Quilt Challenge on the brain. It's a little more colorful than I normally make and I went a little overboard with the patterned paper, but I think it's my sister-in-law's cup of tea.

If you're wondering how to get the triangles on the banner all the same, this is how I made them. [Originally, I eyeballed it - not such a good way to go.] The white triangles started as 1 1/4" squares and the blue triangles started out as 1 1/2" squares.

Happy Stamping!

Ali

Get Well Card for Lynn

2010-09-29T15:30:00.003-04:00

Many of you in the stamping world know Lynn Stevens. She's been sick and is still in the hospital - here's the card that I mailed to her today.

The image is stamped onto a piece of gessoed Book Page Background and both the image and sentiment are from retired SU sets. You can see a close up below. I used this week's 411 sketch as my inspiration for the layout of the card.

Please keep Lynn in your thoughts - she has a long recovery ahead of her.

On a more cheerful note, check out the blog roll in sidebar. It's the updated Gingersnap Creations Design Team. We welcomed some awesome new members to our team - Helene, Jules, Lucy, Penny, Petra and Stephanie. They are incredibly talented ladies - go visit their blogs and be inspired!

Ali

Quilt Challenge

2010-09-29T00:01:00.003-04:00

The Blue Moon challenge that I posted on Gingersnaps this morning is Quilt Patterns. I was inspired by a log cabin design and also by yesterday's Splitcoast color challenge - rose red, basic grey and daffodil.

Both of these challenges were way out of my comfort zone, but it's good to stretch yourself now and again, right?

Stamps: I Brake for Stamps

Have a wonderful day.

Ali

Winter Trees

2010-09-26T20:55:00.005-04:00

We've had a mini heatwave here in New England over the past couple of days - it's been 80 degrees and humid. In an effort to remind myself of cooler weather, I created a card with some winter trees by Innovative Stamp Creations.

I played along with two challenges - Gingersnaps Holiday Happenings and Featured Stamper on Splitcoaststampers.

The background behind the trees was created by simply sponging four shades of blue ink onto a white panel - nothing fancy, but it's clean and simple the way I like it!

Here's looking forward to some cooler days!

Ali

Creative Connections - Haunted

2010-09-24T16:11:00.004-04:00

There's a new feature on Gingersnap Creations called Creative Connections and the theme is Haunted.

I heard about it from Shar at Ill Tempered Ink. Why not play along? Post a creation to your blog mentioning my post and the Creative Connection post on Gingersnap Creations. Let's all craft it forward and see how far we get this connection to go!

My haunted piece is a simple card using the Scene Silhouette technique (TJs Aug/Sept 09). The background is masked, brayered and sponged for a grungy Halloween look. The image and sentiment are both from Stampin' Up!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Ali

Zig-Zag Accordian Cards

2010-09-24T05:00:00.002-04:00

Here are a couple of cards that I created a while ago for the current TJ newsletter (Aug/Sept 10). It's called Zig-Zag Accordian and is the online bonus technique. It's a fun card that stands up by itself and can be adapted to lots of different occasions. I bet it would be fun with birthday candles popping out for a kid's birthday or snowflakes for the Holidays.

The first uses designer paper from Pink Paislee paired with a sentiment from Flourishes. The butterflies were created with an SU die and my Big Shot, and have dew drop accents.

The second card features an Artistic Outpost image stamped onto a Pulled Glimmer background (TJ technique June/July 10). I kept the background to this one simple by just using embossed c/stock and I didn't include the wired pieces at the front.

If you don't already subscribe to the newsletter, I highly recommend it. It's filled with fantastic ideas and inspiration!

Gingersnaps Color Challenge & Ancient Paper

2010-09-22T10:31:00.005-04:00

The color challenge at Gingersnaps today is Neutrals plus one color - so I deemed brown to be a neutral and paired it with lime green (kiwi kiss).

The background behind the flower silhouette (Stampin' Up!) is just sponged with a various shades of yellow and green, then spritzed with a brown marker. Behind the image is a piece of Ancient Paper. This is a TJ technique from the Dec 09/Jan 10 newsletter, which involves brown paper and ink - super duper easy and it creates such a nice texture.

I hope you'll find time to visit Gingersnaps and take part in the challenge!

Back after a Break

2010-09-11T18:00:00.012-04:00

I took a blogging break for a few weeks over the summer to spend time with family and friends. We had family staying with us for best part of a month and we did a bunch of fun things. Here's a brief snapshot:

I just have two Gingersnaps challenge projects to share today - the first for the current color challenge (red and black) and the second for the supply challenge (punches). The color challenge card uses an image from Crafty Individuals and is colored with Prisma pencils and gamasol. The background stamp and sentiment are both from SU.

The second card was made using the Inchie Masterboard technique and a retired SU set called Architectural Elements. It probably needs a sentiment or another embellishment, but I literally had five minutes to make it. The punch I used was a 1" square punch.

I hope to start stamping again next week if I can find some mojo from somewhere - it's been months since I've sat down and made something just for fun. Sigh.....

Happy weekend!

Ali

Gingersnap Creations Paint Challenge

2010-08-11T21:52:00.005-04:00

This month's Spicy Supply Challenge on Gingersnaps is Paint and here's the collage I created for it.

The base is 3/4" plywood and measures 8" x 10". I primed the piece and added two coats of Gesso, then layered on paint, paint glazes and vintage papers. The paint colors I used were Titan Buff, Yellow Oxide, Burnt Umber and Raw Sienna.

In this close up, you can see some of the objects that I included - stamped polymer clay tiles that I created, an old key, domino, pen nibs and rusty nails all layered onto an old book page.

Thanks for visiting!

Ali

Gingersnaps Famous Painters Challenge

2010-08-07T18:06:00.005-04:00

Our current Chestnut theme challenge on the Gingersnaps blog right now is Famous Painters and here's the card I made for it. The Leonardo image is from Lost Coast Designs and is called Cosmos Face.

The image was stamped on a piece of cream c/stock that I dyed using coffee - yes, coffee! I had some left in the pot one morning, so poured it into a shallow tray and used it to color some sheets of c/stock. You can have tea-dyed things, right, so why not coffee?

In the new TJ technique newsletter (Aug/Sept '10) there's a super easy technique called Worn Wallpaper, where you stamp a crackle stamp with white ink onto a piece of designer paper. This is what I did for the background using a piece of d/p from Basic Grey and I really like how it turned out. Simple is good!

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Ali

Technique Junkies Newsletter

2010-08-01T08:37:00.006-04:00

I am so thrilled to be a Guest Designer for the current issue of the Technique Junkies newsletter. If you don't already subscribe, I highly recommend it - you won't be disappointed. Click here for more details.

I'll share the cards I made throughout the month, but I'll start off with 2 this morning using a technique called Glitter Ribbons. I used glitter from a combination of different companies - Art Glitter, Martha Stewart and Stampin' Up! And the background I used to adhere the glitter to was Scor-Tape sheets that I purchased from Papertrey. The technique is pretty straightforward and like most glitter projects has a 'wow' factor. Hope you can give it a try!

The first card uses some new Stampin' Up! products - a stamp set called Just Believe and some gorgeous new Antique Brads.

I'm entering this second card into our new Holiday Happenings feature on Gingersnaps. On the 25th of each month, Sharon will challenge us to create a card to get ahead for the holidays. This month the cards have an outdoor theme. I thought this Christmas tree from SU's Lovely as a Tree would work well for it.

I hope you can get ahead for the holidays and play along with our 'Keep Ahead of the Calendar' challenge.

Have a splendid weekend,

Ali

Paper Peeling & Color Challenge

2010-07-31T22:46:00.007-04:00

There's a new color challenge on Gingersnaps - GC64: Yellow, Orange and Red. I posted it last Wednesday, but have been a very flaky blogger and this is the first chance I've had to post my card here.

In fact, I made two cards with this color combination using the Peeled Paper technique (TJ newsletter April/May 2010). I used my favorite Fabriano watercolor cards for the bases and stamps from Crafty Individuals. I used Distress Inks to create the panels - Mustard Seed, Barn Door and Spiced Marmalade.

Here's a closer look at the peeled paper.

Thanks for visiting and have a wonderful weekend!

Ali

Split Stamping Personality

2010-07-26T21:36:00.011-04:00

There hasn't been much stamping or blogging going on here for the past few weeks, I'm afraid. That's what happens during school vacation. I have a little down time this week because my daughter is in camp and I finally managed to stamp today.

I have two cards to share - one I made for a tutorial I wrote on Gingersnaps, but haven't had time to blog. The background behind the woman is a sun print made using a chemically treated paper. You can read how it's done here. I restamped the image (from Artistic Outpost) on cream c/stock and cut out the woman and adhered her on top of the sun print. The pale blue background was made using the Sanded Whitewash technique (TJ newsletter Aug 09).

And the second card is for today's Clean and Simple Challenge on Splitcoast - it's been an age since I did that challenge. It's for my husband because we celebrate our 14th wedding anniversary next week.

Together they highlight my split stamping personality! Generally, I go for botanical, vintage and collage images, but I also have what I call my 'Papertrey' side. I love the clean lines of some of the modern images, such as this one from Stampin' Up (Cute by the Inch).

Quick Tip:

I love these Pitt Artist pens from Faber Castell and use them all the time. They have four different nibs - brush, medium, fine and super fine, and are waterproof and smudge-proof.

I like to run the brush tip along the edge of inchies (or other punched shapes) for definition and these work great. The super fine nib is good for filling in missing parts of a stamped image. Or the dots on this card. Their uses are infinite and at $11 - a real bargain. I got mine at an art supply store, but I'm sure Michaels and other big box retailers sell them too.

Here's hoping for more stamping time tomorrow.

Happy Stamping!

Ali

Marker Challenge

2010-07-14T06:58:00.006-04:00

I hosted the Spicy Supply Challenge on Gingersnaps today and this month we're using markers.

I'm not in a coloring phase right now, so I figured I'd make a background using markers instead. I chose Spritzed Stone from TJs Dec 09 newsletter. It involves scribbling Copic markers onto acetate, spritzing it with alcohol and pressing glossy paper onto to it. I made another card with it a couple of months ago.

I used various shades of blue to create this background - I need cool colors in this oppressive summer heat! The main image is from Crafty Individuals and the sentiment from a retired SU hostess set.

Okay, off to walk the dog and then spend the day with friends. Lunch and a movie in air conditioning sound good to me!

Happy crafting!

Ali

Hot Challenge

2010-07-10T13:58:00.005-04:00

We've been sweltering in the Northeast US this week. It was over 100 degrees on Tuesday. This type of weather does not suit redheads! But my fellow Founding-Femme over at Gingersnaps, Sharon, also a redhead (hence Gingersnaps in case people didn't get that!) set a hot challenge this week.

The challenge theme is heat. You should see the awesome cards Sharon and the rest of the design team came up. Here's mine:

The image is from a stamp set in the current SU Mini Catalog called Elements of Style with French Script underneath. The technique is Brazen Brilliance that's also in the previous post.

It's supposed to a little cooler today and tomorrow, so we'll have some respite to watch the World Cup Final tomorrow. Have a happy weekend!

Ali

Happy Independence Day

2010-07-04T15:11:00.007-04:00

Happy Independence Day! Although we are British, we have lived in the USA for 13 years now and celebrate July 4th each year with our American friends. This is going to be a short post because we're heading out to a cook-out (English translation: barbecue).

I made this card using a technique called Brazen Brilliance, which was this week's Design Junkies' challenge. I never would have tried technique if it hadn't been for the challenge, but I'm really glad I did. It's fun and gives a great effect. Here's closer look:

The main image is from Artistic Outpost and the background is a retired SU stamp called Weathered.

Happy July 4th!

Ali

Washed Color Hydrangea

2010-07-02T07:00:00.002-04:00

This is a card I taught at a stamping class last month and have only just got around to blogging it.

We created a Washed Colors (TJs April/May 10) background on a piece of watercolor paper using Bashful Blue and Certainly Celery reinkers. We added a little sparkle with some Smooch Spritz too. Once dry, the flower was stamped with black Stazon ink.

The vanilla card base is embossed with a new SU embossing folder called Vintage Wallpaper. All images are from a new SU hostess set called Because I Care.

Have a super weekend!

Ali

CASE Challenge

2010-06-29T22:48:00.001-04:00

There's a Blue Moon Challenge on Gingersnaps today and the challenge is to CASE (copy) a card by a fellow Design Team member. I chose a card by Gingersnaps Co-Founder Sharon.

The main image is from Artistic Outpost and is stamped on a panel created with Distress Inks and Glimmer Mist - a technique called Antiqued Glimmers (TJs newsletter Dec 09). I also used the Torn Frame technique (TJ Dec 08)to mat the boy. Here's a closer look at the Antiqued Glimmer panel:

It's a fun challenge to play - the only hard part is deciding who and what to CASE.

Happy Stamping!

Ali

Supplies:

Stamps: Artistic Outpost, Stampin' Up!
Paper: Vintage Cream c/stock (PTI), So Saffron, Early Espresso
Ink: Glimmer Mist, Distress inks, So Saffron
Accessories: metal flower (Ideology), brads
Tools: Word window punch

Stamping in July

2010-06-29T05:01:00.001-04:00

Last week we posted our monthly Reasons to Stamp feature on Gingersnaps Creations. Here's a card I made celebrating one of the flowers for July, the Delphinium. I think this stamp looks like a Delphinium - it's from an old Stampin' Up! hostess set called Echoes of Kindness. The sentiment is a new Amuse stamp.

The background behind the flower was created using watercolor crayons and an aquapainter. It's called Pointillism (TJ newsletter Dec 06) and is this week's Try That Technique challenge on the Design Junkies blog.

If you're looking for some stamping inspiration, check out the Reasons to Stamp in July post - you'll find lots to inspire you!