craftstamperjanuary2015

January 201458 INSPIRING MAKES

STEP–BY–STEPTUTORIALS31 CARDS

INSIDE 10

Create beautiful depth with layers of stamps, paint and paperCreate beautiful depth with layers

SEE OUR ANGEL POLICY ON PAGE 41

January 2015 £4.99

Get to grips with FlitterGlu in this month’s marvellous Masterclass

PLUS:

By Sue WherryFree stamp

FreeSTAMP

craftstamper.com ● craftstamper.blogspot.co.uk ● facebook.com/craftstamper

stamperJanuary 2015

Tea & coffee

Colouring

Dinner partyPerfection

COVER_FINAL_CSJAN15.indd 1 10/11/14 14:36:37

DesignHouse_CS0115.indd 2 7/11/14 12:51:58

EDITORS

Alix [email protected] ASSISTANTRosa [email protected] DIRECTORTony StephensonOPERATIONS DIRECTORTom StephensonDESIGN AND PRODUCTION MANAGERNick PowellMAGAZINE DESIGN AND LAYOUTSteve HarbronPHOTOGRAPHYKevin PriceADVERTISING SALES & MARKETING MANAGERViv Hill Tel: 01684 588544email: [email protected] EXECUTIVE Lara Hunter Tel: 01684 588550email: [email protected] COPY CONTROLLERCindi Griffiths Tel: 01684 588517 email: [email protected] SALES EXECUTIVEAngela Price Tel: 01684 588568email: [email protected] plcNEWSSTAND DISTRIBUTIONSeymour Distribution Ltd. (020 7429 4000)US DISTRIBUTIONTraplet Distribution USA Ltd., 816 N. Country Fair Drive, Suite 5, Champaign, Illinois 61821 Tel: (001) 217 355 2970 Fax: (001) 217-954-0472email: [email protected] DISTRIBUTIONTraplet Publications & Hobbies, P.O. Box 501, Engadine, NSW 2233, Australia. Tel: (02) 9520 0933 Fax: (02) 9520 0032 email: [email protected] AFRICAN DISTRIBUTIONTraplet Publications South Africa (PTY) Ltd, P.O. Box 1067, Oudtshoorn, 6620, South AfricaTel/Fax: +27 44 272 5978 email: [email protected] BYTraplet Publications Limited, Traplet House, Pendragon Close, Malvern, Worcestershire, WR14 1GA, England. Tel: 01684 588599 Fax: 01684 578558 email: [email protected] Year subscription prices:UK £59.88 Europe £82.68W/Wide £86.28 USA & Canada $132.602 Years subscription prices:UK £119.76 Europe £165.36W/Wide £172.56 USA & Canada $265.20BACK ISSUESUK £4.50/US $9.99Order Hotline: 01684 588599Online Ordering: www.trapletshop.comISSN 1469-3992

This magazine is sold subject to the following conditions: that it shall not without written consent of the publishers be lent, resold or otherwise disposed of by way of trade in excess of the recommended maximum retail price. All rights strictly reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any way without the prior agreement of the publisher. All letters must be accompanied by the sender’s full name and address. The publisher cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited correspondence nor some of the opinions expressed. All material and artwork originated by Traplet Publications Ltd., photographs, drawings, plans used in this magazine become the publishers copyright under Copyright law. Some photographs may have been digitally re-mastered. The Company reserves the right to suspend or refuse any advertisements without giving reasons. Whilst every care is taken to avoid mistakes, Traplet Publications Ltd. cannot be liable in any way for errors or omissions. Nor can the Publisher accept any responsibility for the bona fides of advertisers.© Traplet Publications Limited 2015 ISSN 1469-3992

2015 Traplet Publications Limited. All rights reserved.

3www.craftstamper.com

stamper

And what a cracking issue we have for you to start off 2015! As regular readers will notice, we’ve given ourselves a little New Year makeover to bring you a fresh new look,

with funky fonts, enticing pages and tons more gorgeous detail photos of our amazing DT’s creations. I LOVE the finished result (well done, Steve!), and hope you do too.

We start you off with Helen Chilton’s fabulous homemade stencils project on p.6, showing you the amazing versatility of blank stencil sheets. You can hand-cut them, use dies or even punches to create no end of custom-made stencils.Inspiring stuff indeed!

Then turn to page 30 where Lydia Brooke Evans’ beautiful Krafty Vellum Embossing project shows how you can achieve a crisp, perfect finish when heat-embossing vellum. Unbelievably, Trish Latimer’s brilliant wire art dolls (p.48) are created out of just three basic materials – wire, book pages and Glossy Accents – yet seem to have personalities all of their own! And for some more mixed media goodness, you must take a look at Ellen Schrik’s gorgeous art journal cover and card project on page 58, it’s simply stunning.

The mag’s not the only thing to get a makeover, our monthly Take It, Make It Blog Challenge has too. It’s bigger and better, with an ENORMOUS bunch of fantastic prizes to kick-start our first new-look challenge! If you’ve never entered before, why not give it a try? Turn to page 33 where you’ll find all the details.

All this plus tons more inspiring creations and giveaways await you. I do hope you enjoy the first edition of 2015.

Happy New Year!

Alix Merriman Editor

A note from the Editor

Editor’s Pick – p.41I just adore this month’s Free Stamp, and its designer Sue Wherry’s can-can girl card is just beautiful.

Hello & welcome!

facebook.com/craftstamper

pinterest.com/craftstamper

craftstamper.blogspot.co.uk

@craftstampermag

Want to get the latest news and special offers from Traplet Publications?

Sign up for our newsletter! It's free and secure (we don't pass your details to third parties). Scan the QR code to go right to the sign up page!

Check out page 28 for details on

this month’s fabulous subs offer

p3_WELCOME_CSJAN15.indd 3 10/11/14 14:38:18

36

67

6

30

52

58

45

contents_CSjan15.indd 4 10/11/14 14:40:47

January 2015 • Issue 176stamper

Projects

Regular & Features


Follow our BLOGwww.craftstamper.blogspot.com

or Facebook Pagefacebook.com/craftstamper

In Every Issue14 First Impressions Our monthly round-up of delicious new products and tempting giveaways.

28 Subscribe to Craft Stamper Check out this month’s fantastic subscription gift!

82 Take a Peek Take a look at what we’ve got lined up for you in February’s issue.

Visit www.craftstamper.com

to see what's new!

Share your projects in ourMADE BY ME

reader gallery

ON THE

WEB

20 Stamping Contrasts Brighten someone’s day with these uplifting sunshine-y makes using

Paperbabe Stamps.

33 TIMI Challenge promotion Find out all about our brand new Take It Make It Challenge!

36 Journal Your Art Out By Anneke De Clerck Use black gesso to add depth to your pages.

41 Free Stamp Makes Be inspired by these captivating creations using this month’s free stamp

from Sue Wherry.

45 Just One Layer By Jennifer Mullens Use masking to make this stunning woodland scene.

61 Ready, Set, Stamp! Beat the chill with this month's wonderfully Warm & Fuzzy designer gallery.

67 Masterclass: FlitterGlu By Jenny Marples Learn some of the many ways in which FlitterGlu can bring sparkle to

your projects

72 Quick Make By Kate Bentley Bring stamping to the party with these pretty napkins and table

decorations.

79 All in the Details Your chance to have a closer look at the exquisite details in our DT’s

fantastic projects this month.

6 Stencil DIY By Helen Chilton What to do if you can’t find that perfect stencil? Make your own!

10 Pencil Perfection By Kim Costello Use coloured pencils with your stamping for a lovely hand drawn effect.

16 Winter Fairy By Elizabeth Borer Add a touch of Art Nouveau to your home decor.

24 Saturday Night Snowmen By Claudia Neubacher Bring your cards to life with these groovy snowmen!

30 Krafty Vellum Stamping By Lydia Brooke Evans Stay on trend with these versatile vellum techniques.

34 It’s a Date! By Georgina Ford Get crafty and organised with these fun, floral calendar surrounds.

48 Lets Get Wired! By Trish Latimer Fill wire with Glossy Accents to make cute and quirky art dolls.

52 Feathered Friends By Jean Hardy forCrafty Individuals

This month’s designer gallery is dedicated to the big man himself, in traditional red, green and gold.

56 Houses with Heart By Alix Merriman Organise your supplies in style with this desktop craft storage kit from

Tando Creative.

58 Soul Stamping By Ellen Schrik Layer up with mixed media to create depth and interest.

74 Rings with WOW By Trish Latimer Use embossing powders and moulds to make fabulous cocktail rings.

77 Time for Tea By Riikka Kovasin Get thrifty and use tea and coffee to create a unique watercolour effect.

Enter ourGIVEAWAYS online click the 'win' link on the

homepage.

On the coverFree Stamp Makes p.41

Soul Stamping p.58

Masterclass p.67

Quick Make p.72

Time for Tea p.77

On the cover

contents_CSjan15.indd 5 10/11/14 14:41:19

6 www.craftstamper.comwww.craftstamper.com

Can’t seem to find a stencil that floats your boat? Then why not try your hand at cutting some of your own! By Helen Chilton

Make Your Own Stencils

Masterclass:

6 www.craftstamper.com

p6-9_chilton_STENCILS_CSJAN15.indd 6 10/11/14 14:42:10


Project: DIY Stencil

Stamps Helen used... • Kaisercraft Clear Stamps: Script; Dictionary

Meanings; Edges; Film Edges; Curiosity

Other materials... • The Crafters Workshop 12x12 Stencil

Sheets TCW340

• Smooth white card

• PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Acrylic Paints: Antarctic; Ice Blue; Sky; Snowflake

• StazOn Inkpad: Jet Black

• Distress Inkpads: Wild Honey; Festive Berries; Faded Jeans; Chipped Sapphire

• Spectrum Noir Blendable pencils

• Pebeo A4 canvas pad

• Mount board

• Re-positionable spray glue

• Key embellishments

• Punches: circle; diamond

• Sizzix Frameworks Die: Trellis by Tim Holtz

• Scrapbook paper

• Ribbon

• Beads

Draw your designs on paper and trace onto the stencil plastic. Cut out with a sharp craft knife..

Try out the stencil with an inkpad to see if the design works, whether you need to cut out more or if you've cut out too much and need to start again.

For the double layered stencil (see intro), cut out the basic house shape for the first stencil. Trace the house, windows and doors onto another sheet and cut out just the windows and doors for the second stencil.

Blend colour through the first block stencil in Wild Honey then overlay the second window stencil.

Colour the windows and doors on top in a darker colour so that it looks like this.

Die-cut the Frameworks die three times from a sheet of plastic. Use a repositionable spray glue on the back of the three die cuts.

S tencils for one-off use can be made out of paper or card, but if you want them to be durable and take all sorts of media, then plastic is best. For the stencils in this project I’ve used The Crafters Workshop Blank Stencil Sheets, available in 12x12 and 6x6, three sheets to a pack. Before I started this project,

I had no idea how the plastic would cut, but I was pleasantly surprised. It's easy to cut with a craft knife, but it can also be die-cut and punched.

I started off hand-cutting some stencils. The easiest way to do this is to draw your design onto the plastic and then cut it out. It's worth just having a go as you soon learn which bits to cut and where you need to leave tabs to hold it all together.

The second lot of houses I made were using double stencils: first I cut out the whole house shape from one sheet, then cut another stencil with just the windows and door. This was definitely easier than trying to cut the windows and door from the house altogether.

Next I decided to look at dies. I was amazed that even thin dies like Memory Box would cut through the plastic. My best results were with some of the Sizzix Decorative Strip dies and the Tim Holtz Frameworks dies. Although the latter only cut a relatively small piece, if you die-cut three times then lay the die cuts next to each other, you've got a 6x6 stencil. A bit of spray glue holds them in place.

Die cut results can be interesting. Sometimes what looks like a really good design cuts out too much leaving a lot of loose ends or spaces. However don't despair, the die cut itself can still be used as a mask.

Lastly I tried punching shapes. Although limited by the reach of the punch, you can cut a 5cm (2”) wide border stencil by punching along both sides. Again, just cut several strips and put them together. I found that the lever punches were easier to use for this than the push-down ones.

MaterialsMake Your Own Stencils

“Stencils, masks, templates, whatever their name, have become a huge part of the paper crafting/mixed media world. They come in all patterns, designs and

sizes, but, if you can't find exactly what you're looking for, you can also have great fun creating your own.”

Step–by–step... Creating Stencils

1 2 3

4 5 6



Use a circle punch to partially punch out the corner of a sheet of plastic. Hand-draw sun rays as shown.

Cut out the stencil and then blend colour through, moving the stencil round as often as you wish.

Here are some other dies to try. Note that the alphabet die is a stencil font.

Stick to your surface (they create a repeating pattern) and blend some colour through.

Cut a 5cm (2”) strip of plastic and punch out diamonds from the centre and side. Turn the strip round and repeat along the other side.

Colour through to get a slightly random pattern. Move the stencil repeatedly to cover a larger area.

To create the project... Street TriptychAdhere sections of canvas to three pieces of mount board, cut to shape and paint in Antarctic Fresco Finish paint. Stencil on the houses and sun as shown, first in Snowflake paint, then in Wild Honey and Festive Berries Distress inks. Add details with coloured pencils, and some highlights in more Snowflake.

Stencil the punched diamonds in Festive Berries and the Frameworks stencil in Chipped Sapphire onto the background. Stamp the Dictionary Meanings over the background in Faded Jeans. Stamp the Film Edges in black across the top and bottom and the Script down the sides. Stamp some Curiosity words in various colours onto smooth card and cut out. (Notice I’ve curved the middle phrase when mounting onto my stamping block.)

Join the three pieces together using lengths of ribbon threaded with a central bead. Cover the back with scrapbook paper.

7 8 9

10 11 12



Project: DIY Stencil

Go Shopping!Blank stencil sheet and Spectrum Noir blendable pencils are available from That's Crafty atwww.thatscrafty.co.uk, 01708 344146

Kaisercraft stamps available from Merly Impressions at www.merlyimpressions.co.uk, 07913 394451

Additional materials...• Card: light blue; dark blue

• Brads

FURTHER IDEAS:

Hanging HeartCut a mount board heart and cover with smooth card. Colour with Wild Honey and Festive Berries Distress Inks. Stencil in the tall house, (another double stencil) using the block layer first in Snowflake paint, allowing to dry, then stencil over again in blue. Once dry, lay over the window stencil and use Faded Jeans to colour. Add details to the windows and door with coloured pencils and white paint. Add layers of stencilling to the background, diamonds in blue, Frameworks in red. Stamp over in red and black. Add text and embellishments to finish.

House CardCut out a smooth piece of card with cloud-shaped edges as for the triptych. Colour the background and then stencil the two block houses, first in white and then in blue. Add windows in darker blue. Add coloured pencil and white paint details. Add stencilling and stamping to the background as before and then stamp and cut out text for the top. Layer onto both light and dark card before adding brads. Adhere to a white card blank and trim the top edge.

DESIGNER TIP…

Stencilling over a coloured background? Stencil first

in opaque white and then in colour to keep your colours

true, as I’ve done for all three projects



Use coloured pencils with your stamping to create a striking hand-drawn effect. By Kim Costello

Pencil Perfection

Masterclass:


p10-12_costello_PENCIL DRWINGS_CSJAN15.indd 10 10/11/14 14:45:19


Project: Hand-Drawn Colouring

Stamps Kim used... • Paperbabe Stamps: Mayleedee Knit Dress

Other materials... • VersaFine Ink: Onyx Black

• Prismacolor Coloured Pencils: Black; White; Blush Pink; Sky Blue; Copenhagen Blue

• Tortillon or paper blending stump• Posca Paint Pen: White

• Kraft cardstock

• My Mind’s Eye Patterned Papers: Collectable

• Buttons

• Tracing Tool

Begin by stamping your image in VersaFine Ink on kraft cardstock. Decide where the light source is coming from and use a black coloured pencil to add colour to the parts of the dress that would be in shade.

Use a blending stump to blend the black pencil into the lighter areas, simply rub the pencil to soften and blend the edge.

Add more shadow on the inner part of the boots, the overlap of the toe and a little under the lip of the top of the boot. Soften and blend again using the paper stump.

Add black pencil to her bow. Use an eraser to really define the highlights on the creases of the ribbon, apply more pencil if you rub too much off to increase the shadows.

Apply black pencil under her hairline and under her chin and some on the rest of her skin. For her legs follow the shadows on the boots. Apply shade to the inner arm touching the dress.

Add a little of the blush coloured pencil here to give her rosy cheeks, then soften and blend with the paper stump.

I t is so easy to achieve the hand-drawn look with this technique. There are no special skills required, just a few pencils and a good white paint pen. The idea is to add shadows and highlights; have a look at a black and white photo to help guide you with your colouring. I added a glow around my images to help

make them pop.

With pencils you can put light colours over dark and the white pencil enables you to add highlights, or lighten colours if you need a lighter shade. The highlights from using white pencil are much softer than using opaque white from a paint pen. There is also the added advantage that coloured pencil errors can be rubbed out without losing any of the original stamped image.

I had a set of Karisma pencils long before my love of card making took over, and although they are no longer on the market Prismacolor pencils are the closest colour match to the palette I have used in this step-by-step.

I have stamped the images with VersaFine Ink for a crisp line. I have also used a tortillon, or paper blending stump, which helps to blend the colours without adding more colour.

Another advantage of this technique is that you can stamp on any coloured cardstock you may have in your crafty stash. I have stamped on kraft for this step-by-step but you can also get great results on cream and even patterned papers.

Materials

Pencil Perfection

“I love this technique for its simplicity and

speed. You can achieve a beautiful ‘hand-

drawn’ art style with any stamped image by

simply adding in the shadows and highlights.”

Step–by–step... Hand-Drawn Art Style

1 2 3

4 5 6

t is so easy to achieve the hand-drawn look with this technique. There are no special skills required, just a few pencils and a good white paint pen. The idea is to add shadows and highlights; have a look at a black and white photo to help guide you with your colouring. I added a glow around my images to help

Another advantage of this technique is that you can stamp on any coloured cardstock you may have in your crafty stash. I have stamped on kraft for this step-by-step but you can also get great results on cream and

DESIGNER TIP…

Matching your pencil colours to your ink pad colour helps to define

the hand-drawn appearance.



Go Shopping!Papebabe Stamps available from Etsy atwww.etsy.com/uk/shop/PaperbabeStamps

Prismacolor Pencils available from Prismacolor UK at www.prismacolor.co.uk

Patterned papers available from Clare Curd Craft Shop at www.clarecurdcrafts.co.uk, 01469 532002

Apply a substantial amount of black pencil to the darkest parts of her hair to give dimension to the head. Then add lighter pencil to give highlights, and again soften and blend.

Using your white coloured pencil apply highlights to the rest of your image. Think about the areas where light would bounce off such as her fringe, the tip of her nose and chin, the sides of her face and the whites of her eyes.

Colour the eyes blue before adding white highlights. Make your image pop by drawing a white glow following the outline of your image, using a paint pen.

FURTHER IDEAS:

Magical WishesUse the technique from the step-by-step

to colour the stamped character. Again, decide where your light source is to know where the shadows and highlights should be. Use a blue coloured pencil to add the pop to the image, as white just wouldn’t show up on this card

base. Stamp the sentiment with black ink, trim the coloured image,

round the corners and embellish.

7 8 9

Additional materials...• Paperbabe Stamps: Dillon Magic

• Memento Ink: London Fog

• Distress Marker: Tumbled Glass

• White cardstock

• Corner Rounder punch

To finish the card... Trim your coloured image and score the left-hand side with a tracing tool. Use white pen to create faux stitching. Cover a standard A6 card base with patterned papers and adhere the coloured image with dimensional adhesive. Stamp the sentiment onto patterned paper, trim into a ribbon shape and add to the front of the card. Embellish with a couple of buttons.

Magical WishesUse the technique from the step-by-step

to colour the stamped character. Again, decide where your light

base. Stamp the sentiment with black ink, trim the coloured image,

round the corners and embellish.


“THEeventstovisitforeverythingcrafty”

SAVE£1.50

Stitch,Beading&Papercraftincludingsuppliesandmaterials forSewing,Quilting,Kniing,CrossStitch,StampingCardmakingandSugarcraftwithWorkshops,DemonstrationsandMake& Takes

Stitch,Beading&Papercraftincludingsuppliesandmaterials forSewing,Quilting,Kniing,CrossStitch,StampingCardmakingandSugarcraftwithWorkshops,DemonstrationsandMake& Takes

____

buy tickets at www.sccshows.co.uk or call 01822 617744and quote TRPLT Standard £6.50 £8 Concessions £5.50 £7

To find your nearest showgo to thewebsite

sccshows.co.uk

SandownParkRacecourse,Esher,Surrey22nd-24th JANUARY 2015

Thursday to Saturday

FiveLakes,CrownePlaza,nrTiptree,Essex12th-14th FEBRUARY 2015


MalvernShowground26th-28th FEBRUARY 2015


King’sHallComplex,Belfast16th-18th APRIL 2015


SheptonMallet,Bath&WestShowground23rd-26th APRIL 2015

Thursday to Sunday - 4 day show

14/15 ads:A4 No 14ss 15/10/14 12:57 Page 1

creative craft show_CS0115.indd 2 7/11/14 12:53:07

Regular: First Impressions

• giveaway! • giveaw

ay! • giveaway! • g

ivea

way

!

2



ivea

way

!

1• g

iveaway! • giveaway! • giveaway! •

giv

eaw

ay!

3

First Impressions Here’s where you’ll find the lowdown on new stamp designs, the latest arts and crafts products and forthcoming shows, plus giveaways galore!

2Wishy-WashiHere’s another nifty little title from the Twenty To Make series, written by the lovely

and talented Sara Naumann. Washi Tape Cards showcases a multitude of bright and beautiful card projects all utilising this most versatile yet easy-to-use crafting product. Despite its compact size, there’s still plenty packed into this book, including an introduction to washi tape with guides to the basic equipment and materials you’ll need to get started. The designs are all wonderfully colourful and fresh, and just the thing if you’re looking to get more from your washi tapes.

Available from www.searchpress.com, the book is priced at £4.99.

Giveaway! We have a copy of Washi Tape Cards to give away to one lucky reader.

1Make It Your Own Make It is one of the biggest paper crafting events in the South of England. Held at the

massive FIVE venue in Farnborough, in conjunction with Knit & Stitch It, you get two shows for the price of one! With over 100 exhibitors, free parking, workshops and free demos aplenty, there’s a veritable abundance of fun to be had for stampers, papercrafters, jewellery makers, knitters and more! Both shows run from 27th February until 1st March 2015.

Advance tickets from £6 per adult. To book tickets and for full details of opening times and ticket prices, visit www.make-it.org.uk

Giveaway! We have 10 pairs of Make It tickets available to give away to 10 lucky readers.

3Latest docrafts ProductsDocrafts has introduced tons of new additions to many of their ranges this month, including

Locks & Keys dies and a fab Honeycomb embossing folder as part of their XCut range, cork tags and alphabet rub ons for their popular Bare Basics range, and cute little Chalkboard Arrows for their on-trend Chalk Craft range. All these new products are available in docrafts UK Creativity Stores from November.

For full details of all this season’s new docrafts products, visit www.docrafts.com

Giveaway! We have the pictured docrafts items to give away to one lucky reader.

www.craftstamper.com14

p14-15_firstimpressions_CSJAN15.indd 14 10/11/14 14:47:47

Regular: First Impressions



ivea

way

!

4• g

iveaway! • giveaway! • giveaway! •

giv

eaw

ay!



ivea

way

!

5



ivea

way

!6

First Impressions

5Stick It To ‘Em!At last, the perfect adhesive for your die cuts! Those clever peeps at Craft Obsessions

have been working in conjunction with US artist and designer Ken Oliver to bring you Stick It, a sheet adhesive created especially for using with die cuts. Applying glue to tiny spaces can be tricky and fiddly, but Stick It makes adhering your die cuts to projects easy-peasy. The adhesive is acid-free, water-based and is also formulated to remain repositionable for a period, allowing you time to create the perfect layout or card. Once dry, the adhesive is permanent.

Priced from £3.99 a pack, the sheets are available in large and small sizes. For further details visitwww.stickitadhesive.com

Giveaway! We have two sets of each size of Stick It adhesive sheets to give away to two lucky readers.

How to enter our giveaways:Visit www.craftstamper.com and fill out the online form. Or send a postcard to: Giveaways/January 2015,

Craft Stamper, Traplet Publications, Traplet House, Malvern WR14 1GA. Write the names of all the items you would like to win on the postcard (keywords are printed in bold), along with your full postal address.

(Please note: the form must be completed in full to be considered. Only one entry per person, per month is permitted. Full terms and conditions can be found at www.craftstamper.com By entering the giveaways you are deemed to have

read and understood these terms and conditions.)

CLOSING DATE IS 31st January 2015

4Embossing Gets Bigger!Now you can get even more embossing goodness for your money with the latest

Creative Expressions embossing folders. These fantastically fresh and usable new design by Sue Wilson will create a deep and crisp pattern in all types of cardstock, paper, vellum, metal and foil. No more careful lining up of patterns – with these A4-size quality folders, you’ll be able to emboss larger pieces with ease.

The RRP of these embossing folders is £9.99.To find your nearest stockist visitwww.creative-expressions.uk.com

Giveaway! We have one of each pictured Sue Wilson folder to give away to one lucky reader.

6Background NoiseTSome more gorgeous designs fromDarkroom Door! Here we bring you their

latest Background stamps, all available ready-mounted in deeply etched red rubber. There are six fabulously usable new designs just perfect for creating interesting backgrounds to any crafting project. From Pebbles to Fallen Leaves, Torn Textto Christmas Script, you’re sure to fall in love with each and every one!

For stockist information visitwww.darkroomdoor.com

aayyyaya !!

••gggii

eaawwwwawaawa

aayy


p14-15_firstimpressions_CSJAN15.indd 15 10/11/14 14:48:10


Decorate a frame and add a touch of Art Nouveau with these ethereal winter fairy stamps. By Elizabeth Borer

Winter Fairy

Masterclass:


p16-18_borer_ART NOUVEAU_CSJAN15.indd 16 10/11/14 14:49:44


Project: Art Nouveau Home Decor

Stamps Elizabeth used... • PaperArtsyEclectica³:EEB01;EEB02

Other materials... • PaperArtsyFrescoFinishAcrylicPaints:Little

BlackDress;SquidInk;VintageLace

• ArchivalInk:JetBlack

• Embossinginkpad

• AdirondackPigmentInk:Mushroom

• Woodenpictureframe

• CosmicShimmerEmbossingPowder:ViolaBlackAurora

• Goldembossingpowder

• Thickcard

• Die-cutcard/chipboardshapes

• Stampingcard:white;black

• Metalcardsheets

• Embossingfolder

• Paperflowersandembellishmentsofchoice

• TreasureGold:Silver

• Colouringmediumofchoice

• Heattool

Painttheframe–bothpieces–withVintageLace.Cutapieceofstrongcardtofitintheapertureoftheframe(asshown)thatwillsupportthedie-cutorchipboardpiece.StickinplaceandpaintwithVintageLace.

UsingMushroomInkstamptheivyrandomlyoverthewholeframe.Oncedry,stampagainusingembossinginkandembosswithViolaBlackembossingpowder;thishasaslighthintofgreenandvioletonceheated.

Arrangesectionsofthedie-cutcardorchipboardtocreateaframearoundtheaperture,butdon’tstickdownyet.PaintallpieceswithSquidInk.Whendrydabembossinginkovereachpiece,leavingsomeareasbare,andembosswithViolaBlack.RubTreasureGoldaroundtheedgesthenadheretotheframe.

Maketheflowersbystampingandheat-embossingingoldeachofthebaublestampsontoblackcard.Stampfiveofeachsizeforthelargestflower,fiveofthetwosmallerpetalsforthesmallerflowers.Cutablackcardcircletostickthepetalsonto.Curlandbendpetalstocreatedimensionandlayerthemupusingstrongadhesive.Addembellishmentstothecentresasshown.

Dry-embosssomemetalcardandcuttofittheinsidebackoftheframe.PaintwithSquidInkandwhendryrubwithTreasureGold.StickthemetalinplacebeforerubbingmoreTreasureGoldaroundtheedgesoftheframe.

Stampthefairyimageandcolourwithpurplesandplums.Trimroundtheimageandadheretothebacksectionusingfoampads.Gluetheframeinplace.Adheretheblackandgoldflowerswithdimensionalglue,andaddsomepaperflowersandphotocornerstofinish.

ForaslongasIcanrememberIhavelovedanyformofartanddesignintheArtNouveaustyle.WhenIfirststartedtopaintanddrawmyselfitwasfromthisstylethatItookinspiration.SoIfeelveryluckyandhonouredtohavedesignedtwosetsofstamps,bothofwhichwereinspiredbymyloveofArtNouveau,

madebythelovelypeopleatPaperArtsy!

Thesedesignsweretobepartofthewinterreleaseandsohadtofitintoawintery/Christmastheme.SoIdesignedsomewinterfairiesalongwithotherimagesthatcouldbeusedforChristmasdesigns.HoweverIwantedthedesignstobeversatileandsointhisprojectIhaveusedthemtocreatehomedécorpiecessuitableforanytimeofyear.

Ihaveusedalotofembossingtomakethedesignsshowupandlookrichonthepaintedbackgrounds.The3Dpaperflowerswerealsocreatedusingstamped,embossedimagessothedesignsstoodoutontheblackcard.IstampedandembossedtheimagesthatwereintendedtobeChristmasbaublestomaketheflowerpetals.

Thecandlestick(seeFurtherProjects)wasmadefromtworatherunlikelypieces;thetopawoodenblocktealightholder,thebaseacurtaintiebackholderthatcanbeobtainedfromanyDIYshop.Thesecomeindifferentshapesandsizes,andareheavyenoughtomakethewholepiecestable.

Materials

“These fairy stamps are inspired by my love of Art Nouveau. As I love using faces in my projects these

designs appeal to my style. Art Nouveau also features a lot of leaves and flowers that are on curving stems,

from which it is easy to create larger designs by repeated stamping of the smaller stamps.”

Step–by–step... Art Nouveau Fairy Frame

1 2 3

4 5 6



Go Shopping!Elizabeth Borer Eclectica³ stamps and Metal Card Sheets available from PaperArtsy at www.paperartsy.co.uk

For an embossing folder of a similar design to the one Elizabeth used, try Sizzix’s Vintaj DecoEmboss Nouveau Roses, available from Amazon at www.amazon.co.uk

Wooden frame, tealight holder, wooden door hanger and oval frame available from It’s Crafting Time at www.itscraftingtime.co.uk, 01763 262417

Curtain tieback holder available from most larger DIY stores.

FURTHER IDEAS:

Classy CandlestickThe wooden tealight holder is hollow so it should be relatively easy to cut a hole in the base. Glue the curtain tieback holder in the hole and allow to dry. Paint the whole piece with Squid Ink paint.

Mix the Treasure Gold with some Alcohol Blending Solution to make a paint and use this to paint sections of the base as shown. Once dry, rub very gently with sandpaper to distress it. Repeat for the oval frame.

Using embossing ink stamp the ivy randomly over all four sides and emboss with gold powder. (It’s easiest to do this one side at a time.) Stamp the fairy onto white stamping card and colour with your choice of medium. Press embossing ink over the image and triple emboss with clear powder. Make one large gold flower as for the main item.

Rub Treasure Gold around the top of the metal tealight holder. Adhere the image in the oval frame and stick this to one side of the holder. Adhere the gold flower and some paper flowers as shown.

Decorative Door HangerPaint the whole door hanger, front and back, with Vintage Lace paint and allow to dry. Stamp the ivy with embossing ink all over the hanger and heat-emboss with Viola Black.

Cover the small frame with dry-embossed metal and paint with Squid Ink; allow to dry before rubbing Treasure Gold over the raised areas. Stamp the image of the fairy onto white card and colour. Triple-emboss the image as before and adhere it to the back of the frame.

Use some more homemade gold ‘paint’ (see Classy Candlestick) to add touches to the white paper flowers. Finally adhere the frame to the hanger and then stick the white paper flowers and some smaller flowers around the picture. Rub Treasure Gold around the edges of the hanger.

Additional materials...• Wooden door hanger • Small rectangular frame

Additional materials...• Wooden tealight holder • Curtain tieback holder• Oval frame• Adirondack Alcohol Blending Solution• Clear embossing powder• Sandpaper• Treasure Gold: Classic Gold



STOCKTAKING SALEStarts 1st December Personal Shoppers only. Bazzill Cardstock 40p each • Stamp offers – 3for2,

or up to 70% more • Patterned papers reduced• Sizzix and other die clearance • Kaiser Paints £1

each • Modge Podge 35% off • Fat Quarters & Fabric 40% off • Decopatch Papers 80p each • Selected

Scrapbook paper and collection packs reduced.... and much, much more

www.itscraftingtime.com

Craftingtime

Supplying craft materials for today’s crafter

Unit 8, Dunsbridge Business Park Units, Dunsbridge Turnpike (A10 Road), Shepreth, Cambridge, SG8 6RA ph: 01763262417

Lots of free parking and located in the unit behind Carpet Weavers Shed

Join us on Facebook

- its easy just click

the FB button on our

website to be linked

into info on events,

workshops, sales and

more........

*CS JAN0115 ADS.indd 19 10/11/14 16:34:37


To brighten up your gloomy January we’ve got some

beautiful sunshine-y makes for you using Paperbabe Stamps’ High In The Sky set.

Stamping Contrasts

Sending You SunshineBy Kim Costello

Place all three clouds onto your acrylic block and stamp a background

pattern all over the vellum using VersaMark ink. Apply white embossing

powder and heat to cure.

Create two masks for the clouds from scrap paper. Stamp the Large cloud

first, then the coordinating shadow stamps in place. Next stamp the

medium cloud and add its coordinating shadow too. Cover these two clouds

with their masks; using the rainbow stamp begin with the first colour so the

two clouds join, then clean and continue with the next. Repeat until you

have a full rainbow. Cut this image out leaving a small border to give the

appearance of a die-cut topper.

Add a little Wink of Stella glitter to the colours. Stamp the sun and cut with

a border. Adhere the vellum to some patterned paper, applying adhesive to

the very edges, then use a tracer tool for faux stitching. Stamp the sentiment

and add a small cloud.

MaterialsSTAMPS: Paperbabe Stamps – High in the Sky. INKS: VersaFine – Black; VersaMark; Memento – Love Letter, Morocco, Dandelion, Pear Tart, Bahama Blu; Adirondack Lights – Cloudy Blue. OTHER: White embossing powder; vellum; My Mind’s Eye – Collectable Unforgettable; Wink of Stella glitter – clear; tracer tool; heat gun.

THIS MONTH'S STAMPSIt’s sunshine and blue skies all the way here at Stamping Contrasts this issue. This month our team have been set to play with this scrumptious Paperbabe Stamps High In The Sky set. Created by our amazingly talented regular Kim Costello, they feature five sunshine-themed sentiments and a dazzling array of images, from clouds to birds to the man himself, Mr Sunshine! The sentiment stamps are just perfect for cards of all occasions, as our team have demonstrated, while the images would be suitable for creating backgrounds, as Kim has, as well as to make outstanding card toppers and standalone embellishments.

This stamp set is available from Paperbabe Stamps atwww.etsy.com/uk/shop/PaperbabeStamps, retailing at £9.00.

p20-23_stamping contrasts_CSJAN15.indd 20 10/11/14 14:51:46


Regular: Stamping Contrasts

DesigneR Tip…

When cutting out the stamped elements by

hand, move the cardstock around when cutting

instead of the scissors, the results are much

cleaner.

Rainbow shine By Clare Buswell

I went for a bright and vibrant look with these fun and graphic stamps.

All the various elements in the stamp set are perfect for creating different

scenes. I did some direct stamping to the background and also stamped

and cut out certain elements, attaching them using foam pads to create

some dimension. I kept the colours bold and bright.

I stamped the elements and cut around them leaving a border the same

width around each. Once I was happy with the composition, I stamped

the background elements directly onto the card. These included the sun,

which I inked in yellow then added some red ink to the stamp edges before

stamping, the birds, and the raindrops which I stamped in blue. I also

stamped the sentiment directly. Then I positioned the cut out pieces and

attached using foam pads.

Warm & sunny Rays By Clare Buswell

For this card I made the sun the focal point of the composition. The

bold lines of the sun’s rays really add to the dramatic effect of this

card. Again I inked the sun in yellow then added some red ink to the

stamp edges before stamping. I also did this for the rays. I stamped

the clouds in black and added the grey shadows using the shadow

stamp. I cut these out and added them using foam pads to create

some dimension. For the sentiment I stamped the word ‘sunshine’

in yellow first to create the drop shadow, then again in black for a

bolder effect.

MaterialsSTAMPS: Paperbabe Stamps – High in the Sky. INKS: Memento Luxe – Dandelion, Morocco, Gray Flannel, Bahama Blue, Pear Tart, Love Letter. OTHER: White, yellow and turquoise cardstocks; foam pads.

“ I really like the versatility of these stamps. The rainbow is so much fun to stamp. I love the shadow stamps for the clouds and the little details like the raindrops and birds.”



DiD you know?…

A rainbow is actually a full circle – we usually see an arch because the

horizon cuts through the circle.

Filled with Sunshine

By Joanne Allison

Choosing a spot on the card as a centre (mark it with a pencil if you

like) makes it easy to stamp the rays from the set – just put the point

of the stamp on the spot each time. It gives a fun effect with subtle

lines radiating out when you overstamp the circle, since dye ink has a

transparent quality.

Trim a little off the long edge of the card blank so that the cloud image

can overhang the left-hand side but so the finished card can still fit in a

standard envelope. Piercing and neutral, iridescent sequins make great

finishing touches for this bold, graphic style.

Whoops! One of Chrissie Stokes' cards

was listed as made by Chris Dark in

December's Stamping Contrasts.

We offer sincere apologies to both

designers for this error.

your Day to Shine

By Joanne Allison

When positioning the rainbow over a sentiment like this, it’s

easiest to stamp the bottom stripe first; therefore you’ll need

to reverse your mnemonic if you use one for the colours of

the rainbow! Don’t worry if the tips and ends of your rainbow

aren’t perfectly aligned – cut-out clouds stuck on with a bit of

dimensional glue make the perfect cover. Crystal Stickles or

Glossy Accents will give your raindrops a slick finish, too.

MaterialsSTAMPS: PaperBabe Stamps – High in the Sky. INKS: Brilliance Pearlescent Chocolate; Adirondack Sunshine Yellow; Distress Ink – Barn Door, Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seed, Mowed Lawn, Salty Ocean, Chipped Sapphire, Dusty Concord, Tumbled Glass. OTHER: Iridescent sequins; piercing tool; Pinflair Glue Gel; Nestabilities Square dies; Crystal Stickles; C1 Copic marker.

DeSigner tip…

when aligning stamps such as the rainbow

stripes, get your head directly over where you’re

stamping for the best results, avoiding ‘parallax errors’!



Regular: Stamping Contrasts

Why not tRy?…

the same technique can be used with any water-based dye ink. try it with Distress

Inks maybe.

Sun From Behind the Clouds By Jaine Drake

The clouds were stamped with Pebble ink and

heat-embossed with a clear powder. I then

‘painted’ them in with more Pebble ink by simply

putting some of the ink on a craft mat and giving it a spritz so I could pick it up with a

paintbrush. They were masked by stamping again onto a Post-it note and cut out.

With the clouds covered by the mask, the sunburst was stamped over it.

The birds and sentiment were stamped over the top.

you Are My Sunshine By Jaine Drake

For this card I’ve focused on watercolour painting using ink instead

of paint. For convenience and speed I stamped the sunburst onto

watercolour card with the Adirondack ink, giving it a quick mist with

water before stamping it down. The ink starts to bleed out but to help it

along even more I gave it another mist with water. I stamped the birds

and title with black VersaFine directly on the background.

The card was mounted onto a second piece of watercolour card which

had also been given the watercolour treatment with Adirondack Sail

Boat Blue. The card topper was offset slightly to one side, and the card

was finished off with a blue ribbon and blue baker’s twine.

MaterialsSTAMPS: PaperBabe Stamps – High in the Sky. INKS: Adirondack Brights – Sailboat Blue, Sunset Orange, Red Pepper, Pebble; VersaFine. OTHER: Watercolour card; black card; card base; ribbon; baker’s twine; water mister; clear embossing powder; heat gun.



Have fun stamping some seriously groovy snowmen! By Claudia Neubacher

Saturday Night Snowmen

Masterclass:


“A friend asked what on earth made me think of John Travolta when creating a stamped snowmen project. Well, if I were to

build a snowman I definitely wouldn’t go for the more usual static snowman, but try to breathe some life into it by creating one that has been somehow captured in wild motion. So disco dancing

was the next logical thought.”

p24-26_Neubacher_SNOWMEN_CSJAN15.indd 24 10/11/14 14:56:31


Project: Stamping Snowmen

MaterialsStamps Claudia used... • Impression Obsession Clear Stamp Set:

Snowman Set (MC145) Alphabet stamps

Other materials... • White card

• Embossing powders: orange; white; silver; gold; turquoise

• Clear embossing ink

• Embossing pen

• Daler Rowney Watercolour pencils

• Ranger Archival Ink Pad: Jet Black

• Staedtler permanent marker: Black

• White Sharpie

• Heat gun

• Fine tipped brush

• Paper distressing tool

Stamp all three circles with black archival ink and cut out. These will be used as masks in the next step.

Moving from head to bottom, stamp your snowmen onto some white card: use the cut out circles as masks, stamping the head first, masking this, then stamping the middle and so on.

Stamp the faces in black archival ink. Allow to dry thoroughly, then stamp the noses using clear embossing ink and heat-emboss with orange embossing powder.

Stamp a top hat and scarf on the centre snowman, and some snowy ground beneath each snowman in clear embossing ink. Heat-emboss using black, turquoise and white embossing powders respectively.

Cut the card to size. Add some snowflakes in white and gold embossing powder. Stamp one of the snowman balls as the mirror ball and draw on some lines with a black marker.

Draw a halo around the mirror ball using yellow and orange watercolour pencils. Try not to draw too evenly here.

R emember John Travolta doing the fabulous Night Fever move in his white suit? Well, when I recently stumbled upon the lovely Build a Snowman stamp set I had bought a year ago and never used, my brain suddenly connected the two ‘whites’ and I instantly knew which kind of snowman I wanted to

build for a fun winter card. I loved the idea of having stamped snowmen do weird or funny things – which is obviously anything else other than simply standing around or melting in the sun!

The first thing I did was to look for a picture of John Travolta doing the Saturday Night Fever poses, and find out how to position the body parts of my snowmen so the pose and theme of my card would be recognized immediately. It looked very easy at first, but I found that I had to do several sketches before I came up with a result that had all the body tension I was aiming for.

Studying the human body in motion is a rewarding thing to do as it helps enhance your drawings of humans a lot! Once you put all the important elements (shoulder and hip lines, curve of the spine, centre line ofthe head, supporting leg and free leg and so on) into the correct angles and in relation to one another,your characters look so much more natural!

Of course snowmen have no supporting or free legs, but they do have an imaginary spine. By using their coal buttons to mark the curve of their spines, positioning the three snowballs that create their bodies to give the impression of body tension, and marking the positions of the shoulders by stamping the arms in the right places, you can create yourself some terrifically sportive and agile snowmen. Have fun!

Step–by–step... Saturday Night Snowmen

1 2 3

4 5 6

Did you know that snow

is one of the hardest things to paint? It’s never pure white, as it always depends upon the light and the surroundings

which colours the snow reflects..



Go Shopping!Impression Obsession stamps available from Stamps & Memories atwww.stampsandmemories.co.uk, 01488 658728

Embossing powders available from BG Payne Crafts atwww.bgpaynecrafts.co.uk, 01282 691090

Daler Rowney Watercolour Pencils available from Artist Trading Post atwww.artisttradingpost.com, 01629 826533

Stamp (or print) your quote onto some white card, cut out and distress the edges using a distress tool. Distress the edges of the snowmen-stamped card too.

Glue the quote panels to your card using double-sided tape. Add colour around the edges with a yellow watercolour pencil and clear water.

Glue the finished snowmen panel to a white card blank using double-sided tape.

Load a soft brush with water and activate the drawn lines. Add some blinking stars to the mirror ball using silver and gold embossing powders and an embossing pen.

Lightly apply some light blue around the white embossed ground images with a watercolour pencil, then activate it with the soft brush andsome water.

Using a white Sharpie add some tiny white dots in some of the coloured areas. This will help blend in the coloured areas with the white background and add some interest.

FURTHER IDEAS: Up, Up and Away!Stamp the individual body sections of your snowman using black archival ink.Finish stamping and heat-embossing the face before cutting the head out, then cutout the other two circles. Stamp the arms individually and cut out.

Prepare the tag background using the same techniques as shown for the main project. Distress the tag edges and glue it to another piece of white card. Trim around the tag leaving a narrow border. Punch the hole and thread a length of white ribbon through. Glue your snowman to the tag using sticky foam pads. Add the snowman's arms and a stamped or printed quote.

TOP TIP…Drawing outlines with

watersoluble pencils and acitivating the pigments

with brush and water afterwards adds a lovely whimsical touch to your

creations.

7 8 9

10 11 12

Additional materials...• White card

• White size #8 card tag

• Ribbon



Craft ObsessionsINDULGE YOUR SCRAPBOOKING AND CARDMAKING OBSESSIONS

"Applying glue to intricate die cut pieces can be a sticky mess... not with Stick it! Use Stick it with all of your die cuts... it makes applying them to your projects perfect and easy, everytime!" - Ken Oliver

Ken Oliver Artist & Designer

Stick it is a brand new adhesive product that makes the whole process of applying adhesive to intricate die-cut shapes so quick and easy.

• Micro thin sheets • Easy to apply • Repositionable • Made in the UK!• Available in 2 pack sizes – 5 sheets per pack • Ultra thin sheets of adhesive, only slightly thicker than photocopy paper

Developed specifically for use with intricate die-cuts and electronic cutting machines

www.craftobsessions.co.uk

TEL: 01202 814061

WORKSHOPPREVIEW DAY

13th December10-4pm

10% OFF ALL NEW WORKSHOPSbooked on the day

Major stockists ofDylusions, Ranger, Tim Holtz & Dina Wakley

W W W . A F T H . C O . U K

Studio 4, The Zone, Hornbeam Park Ave, Harrogate, HG2 8QTTel: 01423 873739 • Email: [email protected]

Facebook: facebook.com/Artfromtheheartuk • Twitter: AFTH_Harrogate

Bricks & MortarShop, Website &Teaching Studio

WinterWorkshops

now available

*CS JAN0115 ADS.indd 27 10/11/14 16:35:49

Region 1 Year 2 YearsEurope £62 £119USA & Canada US$89 US$169Worldwide £63 £123

OVERSEAS SUBS RATES

Overseas orders: please complete coupon and return to Traplet Publications Ltd., Traplet House, Pendragon Close,

Malvern, Worcestershire, WR14 1GA, UK **based on a 2 year cover price

Not in the UK? Don’t worry here are our overseas subscription rates

✽ Spread the cost with Direct Debit

✽ Get all your inspiration hot-off-the-press

✽ Every issue delivered straight to your door

✽ Get your magazines before they hit the shops

SUBSCRIBE TODAY!AND SAVE OVER £25.00**

Online: www.trapletshop.comCall: 01684 588599; Overseas +44(0)1684 588599

Or Complete the coupon opposite and send to: (UK Only) FREEPOST RLYE-ZLBC-RACS, CS Subscriptions, Traplet Publications Ltd., Malvern, WR14 1GA, UK

Direct Debit (UK only) £10.70 every 3 months and Save 20%

UK 1 year (12 issues) only £42.95 and Save 20%

UK 2 years (24 issues) only £82.95 and Save 23%

Add a binder for only £9.95 + p&pSavings based on newsstand cover price.

For overseas prices see ‘Not in the UK’

CHEQUE I enclose a cheque for ____________________ (made payable to Traplet Publications Ltd.)

CREDIT/DEBIT CARD Please debit the amount of ______________ from my: Visa Mastercard American Express Switch/Maestro

CARD NUMBER

EXPIRY DATE VALID FROM SEC. No ISSUE. No

ORDER TODAY

My details:Title...................... Forename ..............................................................................................

Surname................................................ Address ..............................................................

............................................................................................................................................

Postcode ............................................... Country ...............................................................

Telephone incl. area code ...................................................................................................

E-mail...................................................................................................................................

Title...................... Forename ..............................................................................................

Surname ................................................. Address .............................................................

............................................................................................................................................

Postcode ................................................ Country ..............................................................

Telephone incl. Std code ....................................................................................................

E-mail ..................................................................................................................................

I understand that £10.70 will be debited from my account every 3 months.

Please complete the Direct Debit form below.

Signature ____________________________________ Date __________________

(SWITCH/MAESTRO ONLY)

(FROM BACK OF CARD)

The Direct Debit Guarantee (This guarantee should be detached and retained by the Payer)

Region: Price £/US$:

Please also fi ll out ‘My Details’ section above. To give more than one gift subscription, please supply address details on a separate sheet.

I would like to send a gift subscription to:

I am using the following payment method:

• This Guarantee is offered by all banks and building societies that accept instructions to pay Direct Debits• If there are any changes to the amount, date or frequency of your Direct Debit Traplet Publications Ltd. will notify you seven working

days in advance of your account being debited or as otherwise agreed. If you request Traplet Publications Ltd. to collect a payment, confi rmation of the amount and date will be given to you at the time of the request.

• If an error is made in the payment of your Direct Debit, by Traplet Publications Ltd. or your bank or building society, you are entitled to a full and immediate refund of the amount paid from your bank or building society

– If you receive a refund you are not entitled to, you must pay it back when Traplet Publications Ltd. asks you to• You can cancel a Direct Debit at any time by simply contacting your bank or building society. Written confi rmation may be required.

Please also notify us.

Name of Bank: ____________________________________________________

Address: __________________________________________________________

____________________________________ Postcode: ____________________

Account Name: ____________________________________________________

Sort Code:

Instruction to your Bank or Building Society to pay by Direct DebitFor offi ce use only – Service User No. 599211Ref. No. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Account No:Please pay Traplet Publications Ltd., Direct Debits from the account detailed in this instruction subject to the safeguards assured by the Direct Debit Guarantee. I understand that this Instruction may remain with Traplet Publications Ltd., and if so, details will be passed electronically to my Bank/Building Society

Signature ____________________________________ Date __________________

Please fi ll in the form and send to Traplet Publications Ltd, Traplet House, Pendragon Close, Malvern, Worcestershire, WR14 1GA.

CODE:CSJAN15

Yes! I want to subscribe to Craft Stamper magazine

Traplet Publications Ltd may contact you with relevant information about other products and services related to your interests.Please tick this box if you DO NOT want to be contacted by Traplet Publications . Traplet Publications will never sell your details to any third party.

A subscription makes the

perfect gift!

Sometimes you just have the need to create. There are no photos or stories in mind, you simply want to make something. I tend to find that if I’ve had a difficult day, hiding away for a short while at my scrap desk with pretty papers around me really helps. I like to call this scrap-therapy. I know that some therapists do use scrapbooking to help with bereavement and many other aspects of therapy too. It’s good to use your hands and get how you are feeling down onto paper. Whether it be sad, angry, frustrated or elated you can get all those emotions down onto a page. No one need ever see it, it is something solely for you and it can really help.

When I scrapbook for ‘therapy’ I like to use hidden journaling. It gives me peace of mind to know that it’s tucked away; that way no-one will accidentally see what I am thinking! I slide it in behind layers of papers, collected ephemera or into a good old fashioned envelope.

When you think of scrapbooking, you usually think of photos. It isn’t always possible or necessary to use photos though. Most of our phones have cameras and with access to apps such as Instagram, we take a lot more photos than we did a few years back. However, there are times when you may want to document a moment but you don’t have a photo...where is the rule that says a scrapbooker has to use a photo on every layout?

How about using ephemera in place of a photo? Tickets from travel and events, receipts, anything that works to replace the photos that you don’t have. Putting them onto a layout is also a really good way of keeping the odds and ends that we like to collect; it’s better than hoarding them away in a box or drawer and never looking at them!

Historically scrapbooks held letters and memorabilia long before photography came along; so why not take a leaf out of the old books and create your own photo-less layout and get a little therapy in the process?

Designer:

Lisa Saunders

Go Shopping!Simple Stories available from Papermaze, www.papermaze.co.uk, 01473 892195

Maya Road Mists available from Carole’s Crafts, www.carolescrafts.co.uk, 02392 318097

Scrapbook a letter or a note that someone has sent you. Photocopy your child’s drawing, reduce the size if it’s too large, print and use it on a layout. Document how you are feeling right now!

Futher Ideas:


A HeAling ProcessScrapbooking is more than just a hobby, it’s a much need therapy!

Bumper Bi-monthly issuesALSO INCLUDED

Every other month you will get a fantastic

16 page Scrap 365 supplement included in your magazine – WOW – even more inspiration to enjoy!

HSAD.SUBS.CS.JAN15.indd 28 10/11/14 10:04:02

SUBSCRIBE TODAY!AND SAVE OVER £25.00**

Online: www.trapletshop.comCall: 01684 588599; Overseas +44(0)1684 588599

Or Complete the coupon opposite and send to: (UK Only) FREEPOST RLYE-ZLBC-RACS, CS Subscriptions, Traplet Publications Ltd., Malvern, WR14 1GA, UK

Valid until 2nd January 2015 ** Saving based on news-stand cover price of 24 issues. Your fi rst 3 issues will cost just £6. The subscription will go back to the normal quarterly price of £10.70. If you wish to cancel your subscription, please notify us to make arrangements. Direct Debit cancellations can be carried out, but no refund will be issued. For one-off payments, requests for a refund must be made in writing. Refunds will be made at the Publisher’s discretion. An administration charge of 15% of the remaining

credit may be deducted from the refund issued. Prices correct at time of going to press and may be subject to change without further notifi cation. This offer is not to be used in conjunction with any other offer.

HSAD

.SUB

S.CS

.JAN

15

Subscribe to Craft Stamper today toget your fi rst 3 issues for just £6

SUBSCRIBE TODAYand save over £25.00

Sometimes you just have the need to create. There are no photos or stories in mind, you simply want to make something. I tend to find that if I’ve had a difficult day, hiding away for a short while at my scrap desk with pretty papers around me really helps. I like to call this scrap-therapy. I know that some therapists do use scrapbooking to help with bereavement and many other aspects of therapy too. It’s good to use your hands and get how you are feeling down onto paper. Whether it be sad, angry, frustrated or elated you can get all those emotions down onto a page. No one need ever see it, it is something solely for you and it can really help.

When I scrapbook for ‘therapy’ I like to use hidden journaling. It gives me peace of mind to know that it’s tucked away; that way no-one will accidentally see what I am thinking! I slide it in behind layers of papers, collected ephemera or into a good old fashioned envelope.

When you think of scrapbooking, you usually think of photos. It isn’t always possible or necessary to use photos though. Most of our phones have cameras and with access to apps such as Instagram, we take a lot more photos than we did a few years back. However, there are times when you may want to document a moment but you don’t have a photo...where is the rule that says a scrapbooker has to use a photo on every layout?

How about using ephemera in place of a photo? Tickets from travel and events, receipts, anything that works to replace the photos that you don’t have. Putting them onto a layout is also a really good way of keeping the odds and ends that we like to collect; it’s better than hoarding them away in a box or drawer and never looking at them!

Historically scrapbooks held letters and memorabilia long before photography came along; so why not take a leaf out of the old books and create your own photo-less layout and get a little therapy in the process?

Designer:

Lisa Saunders

Go Shopping!Simple Stories available from Papermaze, www.papermaze.co.uk, 01473 892195

Maya Road Mists available from Carole’s Crafts, www.carolescrafts.co.uk, 02392 318097

Scrapbook a letter or a note that someone has sent you. Photocopy your child’s drawing, reduce the size if it’s too large, print and use it on a layout. Document how you are feeling right now!

Futher Ideas:


A HeAling ProcessScrapbooking is more than just a hobby, it’s a much need therapy!

To Receive this great offer, just call our customer service team

on 01684 588599 and quote CS0115 or go online to

shop.inspiredtomake.com and click on subscribe.

January 2014

56 INSPIRING MAKES


INSIDE 12

Add warmth, texture and

colour to Christmas cards

with some simple stitching


Dece

mbe

r 201

4 £

4.99

Fab Faux L e a t h e r

By Visible ImageFREE STAMP

FREE STAMP

craftstamper.com • craftstamper.blogspot.co.uk • facebook.com/craftstamper

stamperDecember 2014

She's Nailed It!

STITCHED SENTIMENTS

OUR BI-MONTHLY SUPPLEMENT

FROM SISTER MAG 6BONUS PROJECTS

BONUS CONTENT: EXTRA 16 PAGES

CoverIdea2.indd 1

14/10/14 10:33:06

January 2014

62 INSPIRING MAKES


INSIDE 13

Make multi-media magic in part

5 of our Scenic Stamping series


November 2014 £4.99

Nail polish perfection!

Turn trash into treasure with our cat food tin-flower tutorial!

PLUS:

perfection!perfection!

By Claudia NeubacherFREE STAMP

FREE STAMP


stamperNovember 2014

Whimsical watercolour stamping

SNOWY LAYERS

CoverIdea.indd 1

8/9/14 10:12:14

Make this adorable Halloween shaker card


October 2014 £4.99

Beautiful one layer poppies

January 2014

NEW! OUR BI-MONTHLY SUPPLEMENT

FROM SISTER MAG 10BONUS PROJECTS

By R Maria SabinaFREE STAMP

NEW!FREE STAMP


stamperOctober 2014

Autumnal cheese box chic!

SHIVER & SHAKE!

CoverIdea.indd 1

11/8/14 11:17:12


Fab Faux Fab Faux Fab Faux L e a t h e rL e a t h e rL e a t h e rFREE STAMP

STAMP

craftstamper.com

stamperstamperstamperstamperstamperstamperstamperstamperstamper

She's Nailed It!She's Nailed It!She's Nailed It!She's Nailed It!She's Nailed It!

HSAD.SUBS.CS.JAN15.indd 29 10/11/14 10:04:52


Create an excuisite clean, crisp look by learning kraft card with white embossed vellums. By Lydia Brooke Evans

Krafty Vellum Stamping

Masterclass:


p30-32_l brookes_VELLUM_CSJAN15.indd 30 10/11/14 14:58:28


Project: Heat-embossing Vellum

Stamps Lydia used... • Paper Smooches: Blossoming Buds

Other materials... • Card blank

• Kraft card

• White card

• Paper Smooches: Kudos Word Dies

• Lawn Fawn Die: Stitched Scallop Borders

• Tsukineko: VersaMark Ink

• Crafter’s Companion: Neenah Solar White Card; Neenah Desert Storm

• Ranger: White Enamel Accents

• Vellum

• Anti-static bag

• WOW! Bright White Embossing Powder

• Heat gun

• Washi tape

Measure your card blank. Cut a piece of vellum about 1cm shorter in length and width than your card blank and dust with an anti-static bag. Stamp a repeating pattern with the large floral cluster and VersaMark ink.

Add white embossing powder over the stamped images, shake off the excess powder, then melt the powder with a heat tool.

Die-cut the word ‘beautiful’ from white cardstock. Add Enamel Accents to the die-cut by ‘tracing’ over the word. Allow to dry.

Using the medium scallop border die, cut one length of kraft card as shown; this will be the sentiment strip.

Using strips of washi tape, mask off the edges and along the centre of the kraft strip to leave two thin exposed areas. Cover with VersaMark directly from the ink pad.

Cover with white embossing powder and melt with the heat tool. Once cooled, remove the washi tape.

I am all about trends in papercrafting. I love to see the latest 'in' thing and really love to see how it will work with my style in my cards and crafting. Although it’s been out of fashion for a few years, vellum has once again become a big trend in the crafty community. Whether it’s for adding layers or simply

somewhere to add a sentiment, vellum has returned with a vengeance and I don't think it will be going anywhere soon. It can be used on all manner of papercrafts and works well for all occasions and genders, it's just so usable.

There are a couple of cautionary points to note when working with vellum. Firstly, you can see adhesive through it. There are adhesives available that say they can be used on vellum that will be invisible once applied, but I just find it simpler to use the adhesive only in places where I will be adding something on top to hide it from view. The second point is, when heat-embossing you need to take extra care when using your heat tool, as the vellum can warp and curl up. To prevent this, use thicker vellum that can stand up to the heat better. You can also try allowing the heat tool to come to its optimum temperature before embossing, or heating from underneath the vellum. If all else fails, put the vellum under some heavy books to flatten it out.

I love the look of tone-on-tone especially white-on-white, and this look is greatly enhanced with white heat-embossing on vellum. Just adding in some natural kraft card gives such an elegant and classy look that could be used for all manner of cards.

I love to mix and match sentiments by using different fonts or ink colours, and using stamped and die-cut sentiments together is a fun twist on this. Adding Enamel Accents to the die-cut words is a great way to add extra interest and dimension to them but they do take a while to dry so maybe if creating these cards in a hurry you could skip this step to finish your card quickly.

MaterialsKrafty Vellum Stamping

“Kraft and white is such a classic and timeless look. Add to this some white heat-embossed vellum and

you have a look that just screams luxury that will work for any occasion and either gender.”

Step–by–step... Creating Stencils

1 2 3

4 5 6

Penny SaverS…

you can always use good old masking tape

in place of washi tape!



Go Shopping!Paper Smooches and Lawn Fawn stamps and dies available from Make The Day Special Stamp Store at www.makethedayspecial.co.uk

Take a piece of white card slightly wider than the kraft sentiment strip, die-cut one edge with the border die and adhere the piece of kraft card on top.

Once it’s dry add the die-cut sentiment from Step 3 to the strip. Stamp and heat-emboss the 'You're' just above.

Cut a kraft panel slightly larger than the vellum. Adhere the vellum to the kraft card, placing the adhesive where the strip will go so it’s hidden.Add the sentiment strip with foam pads as shown. Trim the overhang and add to the card blank.

FURTHER IDEAS:

Wonderful WhiteCreate a stamped and embossed vellum background as shown in the main project but larger to act as the card layer. Cut a wider piece of kraft card and die-cut both the top and bottom with the same scallop border die. Mask off the scallops and the centre of the kraft strip and, using VersaMark and white embossing powder, heat-emboss the exposed pieces of card. Die-cut 'wonderful' from white card and add white Enamel Accents as for the main card. When dry add this to the strip, and finish with the rest of the sentiment heat-embossed in white.

Krafty LoveCreate a stamped and embossed vellum background as shown in the main project but stamp just around the edges as this will be the only part that will be seen. Cut a piece of kraft card smaller than the vellum and stamp two of the smaller clusters in the centre with VersaMark. Heat-emboss these with clear embossing powder. Die-cut the 'you' and 'are' from the set and trace over the words with Enamel Accents as for the main project. Cut a strip of vellum and heat-emboss in white the large sentiment. In addition stamp, heat-emboss and cut out a flower from the stamp set to act as a little embellishment.

7 8 9

Additional materials...• WOW! Clear Embossing Powder

• White paint pen



New-look Blog Challenge

Our monthly Take It, Make It blog challenge is having a makeover for 2015. Read on to discover how you can win the

chance to get your creations published in your favourite stamping magazine, become a Guest DT member as well as win a ton of craftroom goodies!

Our Brand-NewBlog Challenge!

Back in February 2013 we launched our very own blog design challenge,the Take It, Make It Challenge, where every month we take a particular technique featured in the magazine and challenge our readers to use this technique in their submission. Beginning life as a bi-monthly challenge it quickly grew to become monthly, and every month we have a new sponsor and some corking prizes for the lucky winner!

As we ease ourselves into 2015 we think it’s time for a little shake-up, and so we are very excited to announce our fantastic new-look TIMI Blog Challenge! As of January 2015, we will be alternating the technique challenge with a straightforward stamping challenge, giving you even more scope to show us your stupendous stamping skills! So the January challenge will be to“Take a Stamp…” and February’s to “Take a Technique…” and so on

throughout the year.

Now for the really exciting part… every month we will be picking TWO winners with two very

different prizes. One winner will be picked totally at random using a number generator and they will win our fabulous sponsor’s prize. The second winner will be voted for by our brilliant Blog DT, and he or she will not only get to have their winning creation published in the magazine but

also have a Winner’s Profile posted on our blog!

The first of our new-style challenges begins on Friday 9th January, so be sure to head over to the Craft Stamper blog then to get all the details on how to enter from the very lovely and talented Trish Latimer. Remember, it’s just Take A Stamp for the first challenge, so anything goes. Use any technique, style, colours or item – it can be ANYTHING, not just a card – so long as there is stamping involved you can enter. And to whet your appetite further, just have a look at some of the prizes you could win...

More prizes are to follow too, so keep a close eye on our blog atwww.craftstamper.blogspot.co.uk for further details of what you could win. That’s bound to get your new year off to a cracking start!

Carol FaggOur September Challenge Winner. Challenge theme: Stamping on Tissue Paper

We can’twait to see what YOU’LL come up with for ournew-look challenge this year! Get involved, get stamping and you never know you might get

lucky!

p33_TMI CHALLENGE_CSJAN15.indd 33 10/11/14 15:00:27


It’s A Date!

Masterclass:


Start the New Year as you mean to go on by getting organised and crafty in one fell swoop. By Georgina Ford

Hanging CalendarPaint sections of stamping card with different colours of Fresco Finish paints, these will be for stamping the flowers, leaves and mushrooms onto before cutting them out and attaching them to the projects. I painted a whole A4 and A5 piece with different colours and found this was enough for all three of my projects.

Mask off a 1cm border around the edge of the Icon to create a frame around the central stamped panel. Paint the centre section with gesso, and once this is dry apply the Fresco Finish paints to create a sky and grass background. Once the background is dry, stamp the mushroom and flower strip directly onto the Icon. Adhere the calendar blank in place.

Stamp flowers, stems and mushroom stamps onto the different coloured painted card sections. Cut out each item individually and attach to the Icon. To finish add Glossy Accents to the tall grasses and flower centres.

DESIGNER TIP…

If you only want a single flower from a row, place the

stamp face up and just ink up the flower you want. Cut a piece of coloured card roughly the same size as the flower and press this

down onto the inked part of the stamp.

Stamps Georgina used... • PaperArtsy: JOFY Collection 24

Other materials... • 2015 calendar inserts

• Large slate sign

• Papier Mache Icon (measures 20.2cm x 10cm x 1.3cm)

• Kraft card

• PaperArtsy: Smooth white stamping card

• PaperArtsy Fresco Finish paint: Yellow Submarine; Sherbet; Very Berry; Pansy; Guacamole; Tinned Peas; Ice Blue; Inky Pool

• White gesso

• Ranger Archival Ink Pad: Jet Black;Fern Green

• Glossy Accents

• Black fineliner

• Post-it notes

• Score border and scorer

Materials

p34-35_G Ford_ITS A DATE!_CSJAN15_V2.indd 34 10/11/14 15:01:00


Project: Calendar Blanks

“Every year I always buy these little calendar inserts. I have big plans for them but then the New Year starts and I have done

nothing with them. If you are like me, here are a few ideas for projects that hopefully will inspire you to use your little calendars.”

Go Shopping!Papier Mache Icons available from The Artistic Stamper at www.theartisticstamper.com, 01795 597757

Slate sign and calendar inserts available from Hobbycraft at www.hobbycraft.co.uk, stores across the UK.

JOFY stamps available from PaperArtsy, www.paperartsy.co.uk, 01277 212911

Desk CalendarCut a piece of kraft card measuring 10cm x 29cm. Score and fold the card at 2cm, 4cm, 16cm and 28cm. Fold the card to form a tent shape. Use the 1cm overhang strip to add glue to, to secure the whole thing together.

Stamp the flower heads onto the different coloured painted card sections (from the Hanging Calendar instructions) and cut these out. Mount the calendar onto a panel of kraft card. Attach the flowers and calendar to the two large panels. The different flower shape helps create an interesting background. To finish add faux stitching around the edge of the calendar mount.

Slate CalendarStamp the mushroom and flower stamp three times onto some stamping card. Cut out two complete images and just the grass section from the third. I left a small white border around the edge as this makes the stamped image stand out against the slate background.

Paint the grass and tall grasses. When dry attach them and the calendar insert to the Slate sign. Stamp the circle-and-cross stamp onto the grass; this helps to mask any visible joins between the three stamped sections.

Stamp the flowers and mushrooms onto the painted card and cut out. Attach to the slate. To finish add Glossy Accents to the tall grasses and flower centres.

Project: Calendar Blanks


p34-35_G Ford_ITS A DATE!_CSJAN15_V2.indd 35 10/11/14 15:01:25


U ntil two years ago I had never worked in an Art Journal, but after joining an online course by Christy Tomlinson I was addicted. I’m now working in three different journals. I have two Strathmore Mixed Media

Journals and recently I started in a large Dyan Reaveley Dylusions Journal.

I’ve learned a lot from very talented ladies such as Donna Downey, Kate Crane, Dina Wakley and Junelle Jacobsen.They taught me their tips and tricks through online classes. In my journal I try out their mixed media techniques and the media they recommend, but I always add lots of personal touches to create my own pages.

Art journalling is all about building layers. The more layers you add, the better the end result is. It took me a while to believe that but it’s so true. My favourite supplies are gesso, modelling paste, paper or tissue paper scraps to

collage with, and acrylic paint. Most of the time I use a variety of stamps on my spreads.

Working in my journal is very relaxing. It doesn’t have to be as perfect as my other work and I like that way of experimenting. I do love the mess it creates and the dirty fingers! My journals have also become a reference document, I use them as inspiration for my cards and canvases. Art Journals are wonderful keepsakes that you can treasure for the rest of your life.

I love simple designs. That’s part of my style. My pages are always colourful, I’m addicted to bright colours. That’s why I’m so happy with the Dina Wakley Media Paints. I used them for this project, they were just perfect to create the playful landscape I had in mind. I designed some cute stylised trees and used the Darkroom Door bird stamps in order to increase the playfulness.

Try using black gesso to prime your art journal and add some extra pizzazz to your pages. By Anneke De Clerck

Black Gesso BaseJournal Your Art Out


p36-39_JOURNAL YOUR ART_CSJAN15.indd 36 10/11/14 15:02:50


Project: Journal Your Art Out

MaterialsStamps Anneke used... • Darkroom Door: Carved Birds Vol 1 & 2;

Buttons Background Stamp

• Hero Arts: CL519 Many Dots

• Hand-carved stamp (fence)

Other materials... • StazOn Ink: Fuchsia Pink; Cherry Pink; Cactus

Green; Teal Blue

• Royal Talens Amsterdam Acrylics: Titanium White Heavy Body

• Dina Wakley Media Heavy Body Acrylic Paint: Turquoise; Sky; Night; Ruby; Tangerine; Magenta; Lemon; Lime

• Claudine Hellmuth Studio: Black Gesso

• The Crafter’s Workshop stencils: Mini Layered Circles; Mini Squircle

• Ranger Distress Markers: Ripe Persimmon; Peeled Paint; Barn Door; Picked Raspberry; Squeezed Lemonade

• Caran d’Ache: Black water soluble pencil

• Micron fine liner 01-02

• White Sharpie pen

• Masking tape

• Sculpture flowers

• Washi tapes

Black Gesso Base

Step–by–step...

DESIGNER TIP…In my Art Journal I’m telling stories through images and quotes, I

rarely add text. But if you fancy journalling I would

encourage you! Try adding some handwriting in the

trees, it would look fabulous!

“I want to show you a background technique with black gesso. I learned more about the properties of black gesso in the online class by Julie Fei-Fan Balzer

“Getting Started With Gesso”. The use of black gesso (as well as white) makes the next layers so much easier to handle. But especially the black gesso adds a lot of

depth to the finished project, it really does the trick!”

Add black gesso to the pages with a flat brush. Make rough brush strokes, both horizontally and vertically. Don’t cover the pages completely.

Add a second layer with the Dina Wakley paint. Use Lime, Sky and Turquoise. Make big brush strokes again horizontally and vertically.Important: let the layers dry in between.

Add white acrylic paint in combination with another layer of Lime, Sky and Turquoise paints. Try to build some lighter and darker areas. Continue until you’re happy. Do not cover the black gesso totally.

1 2 3



To finish the project...

To finish the project... Street Triptych

Stamp the birds twice, once with white paint and once with the Dina Wakley paint. Add more colour with Distress Markers.

Overstamp the tree crowns with the Darkroom Door Buttons stamp in Fuchsia Pink and Carnation Red inks. Use the circle stencil as a mask. Create a frame to the edges of the pages with Dina Wakley Night paint and your fingers. Add touches by stamping with the edge of an old credit card and white paint.

Stamp a few dark blue dots randomly with a bottle lid. Stamp circles with the open side of the bottle lid and white paint. Overstamp the trees in some places, this helps brings them down into the background. Outline the trees and birds with a black water soluble pencil. Use Distress Markers to add shadow to the trees and the fence.

Add pen work with a Micron pen as shown. Add highlights to the trees, buttons and birds with a white Sharpie pen. Finish the page by adding torn strips of washi tape, sculpture flowers and some paint splashes.

Randomly sponge through a stencil to add dots to the background. Use the same colours as you used for the background.

Stamp with the Hero Arts stamps and green and blue StazOn inks to create some texture. The stamping adds interest to the background.

Decide where you want the trees. Use a circle stencil and a pencil to draw the crown areas. Add extra texture to the background by stamping randomly with a bottle lid and paint.

To ensure bright colours, add a coat of white heavy body acrylic paint to the trees first. Work through a circle stencil and use a sponge.

Paint the tree trunks. Use pieces of paper to mask off the trunks and a sponge for colouring.

Colour the trees with Ruby, Tangerine and Lemon paints. Stamp the fence with a homemade stamp or look for an appropriate stamp in your stash. Think outside the box!

4

7

5

8

6

9

PENNY SAVERS…

Use the negative card from a die-cut circle as a stencil. If you want more durability, use a clear presentation binding cover instead. Solid sheets of blank stencil material are available from The Crafter’s

Workshop.

No need to buy expensive art

journals. Transform an old book into a

journal. Glue a few pages together and add a coat

of gesso to make the pages sturdier.



Project: Journal Your Art Out

Go Shopping!Hero Arts stamps and Darkroom Door stamps available from A Sprinkle of Imagination, www.asprinkleofimagination.com, 01759 306213

TAKE A CLOSER LOOK ...



Regular: Free Stamp MakesRegular: Free Stamp MakesFree Stamp Makes

We’re going all frou-frou, French and fancy with this month’s divine corset stamp, designed exclusively for Craft Stamper by Sue Wherry.

Ooh La La!Free Stamp Makes


Regular: Free Stamp Makes

Ooh La La Assemblage By Sue WherryHere I’ve created a lavish-looking assemblage piece from a sardine tin and various haberdashery odds and ends, including fasteners from some old suspender belts for added ‘Ooh la la’ and a zip.

Start by preparing your thoroughly washed and dried sardine tin; I sprayed mine black but you could also cover all over with paper. I also added a bit of dowel painted black to attach the corset to but some thick card layered up would work just as well. Next stick washi tape all around the outer edge, then an old zip cut in half on top of the washi tape. Add a piece of patterned paper to the inside of tin.

Stamp and heat-emboss the corset onto scrap card. Colour the corset and some die-cut leaves with Pro Markers. Adhere to the outside edge of the tin as shown. I used half a black suspender and half a white one, adding colour to the white one with Pro Markers. I also coloured some white lace to thread through the top. Adhere to the back of the tin, along with two leaves and a rose as shown.

Create a stand from a cotton reel, colouring it black, adding washi tape and decorative strip to finish.

We’re starting this new year off with a bang thanks to these lavish and titillating

creations made using our fantastic Free Stamp! This saucy but stunning corset design by Sue Wherry is just the thing for instantly adding a more feminine vibe to any make. Here our designers have displayed a more opulent and rich vibe, but how about trying it to create wedding stationery

with white or cream lace? Or you could add some delicate

flowers and butterflies to turn it into a fairy dress. Have fun playing

with this fantastic design!

Wcreations made using our fantastic

Free Stamp! This saucy but stunning corset design by Sue Wherry is just the thing

with white or cream lace? Or you could add some delicate

flowers and butterflies to turn it into a fairy dress. Have fun playing

with this fantastic design!

DESIGNER TIP…

If you have any sharp edges on your sardine

tin just pinch them inwards with some

pliers.

p41-44_FREE STAMP_CSJAN15.indd 41 10/11/14 15:05:17


HANDY TIP…

Add a little clear glue to secure the washi tape firmly before sticking the embossed card over the

mirror.

Laced Up MirrorBy Sue Wherry

Start by using washi tape all around the outer edge of the mirror. Cover both sides with embossed card, coloured with Distress Inks. Before sticking this down, cut straight down the back piece, and cut out a curve as shown. Add eyelets and thread with some purple twine. Add black lace along the curved edge.

Stamp and emboss the corset onto music paper twice. Cut out and add some colour with Distress Inks on the edges to give shape. Adhere one corset to the front as shown, and the other to the back with a gold hanger embellishment.



Regular: Free Stamp Makes

Can-Can CardBy Sue Wherry

Mat some music paper edged with Distress Inks onto a black card blank. Stamp and emboss a postcard background stamp onto cream card. Use Distress ink around the edges. Adhere to the card blank using foam tape.

Stamp and emboss the corset and colour with Pro Markers. Gather up some pink lace with a few stitches and adhere to the back of the corset with strong tape. Attach to the card and add metal charms and red stones as shown.

Butterfly CharmBy Sue Wherry

Here I’ve used my corset stamp to add a little frisson to a humble chipboard butterfly. Cover the butterfly with patterned paper, lightly colouring the edges with some Distress Ink. Stamp and heat-emboss the corset in black onto scrap card. Colour with Pro Markers and cut out.

Secure the corset to the butterfly as shown, and add some flat-backed gems to decorate the wings and for little buttons on the laced-up bodice part of the corset. Adhere a loop threaded with decorative beads to the back so your butterfly can be hung up.



Too CloseBy Trish Latimer

My wistful-looking girl on the plaque started off as a very quick sketched shape, that I then painted. I drew around a roughly stamped bodice shape to make sure I was painting the background dress in the right places, so when the bodice was glued down it matched up.

As for the Circus Girl, the bodice was stamped onto tissue, so once glued down the background could still be seen through it. I cut out the girl, then attached it to my ready prepared plaque. The plaque had been smeared with paint and stamped in places before the girl was added. Once she was nicely stuck down, I outlined her with a smudgy black pencil, then carefully stamped some white dots in a few places to unify the figure with the background.

Circus GirlBy Trish Latimer

For my Circus Girl Art Doll, I stamped the bodice onto tissue paper before adhering it to the painted dress. That way all the painty colourfulness still shows through, but the detailed lines of the bodice design are very much front and centre! The doll was very simply created by sketching out shapes onto card, then cutting them out.

The stripes were painted on, then once all the paint was dry I glued down the bodice. I used gloss Mod Podge for this, and was careful to give everything a coat, not just the tissue! This way, the finish of the whole piece is uniform. I doodled some lines over her stripy legs and arms, then glued on a glittered star (this is mainly because I can’t draw hands!). I added a face, then attached the doll to a stand. This was done by drilling a hole in the stand, gluing a length of wire in the hole, then gluing the doll to the wire.

Useful information... I have used the stamping onto tissue method for both of my projects, meaning none of the stamped detail is lost, but the image can still blend in seamlessly with the background.


Just One Layer

Go Shopping!Mama Elephant and Avery Elle Stamps available from Make the Day Special Stamp Store,www.makethedayspecial.co.uk

Use masking paper to give the illusion of snowy drifts in the moonlight. By Jennifer Mullens

Project: Just One Layer


“Snowy scenes aren’t just for Christmas cards so I thought I’d use masking, inks and stamping to make this moonlit woodland scene.

The tranquillity of the snowy landscape just draws you in.”

MaterialsSTAMPS: Mama Elephant – Winter Wonderland; Avery Elle – Let it Snow. INKS: Distress Inks – Faded Jeans; Stampin Up! – Soft Sky; Memento Luxe – Espresso Truffle, Flannel Gray; VersaFine – Smokey Grey. OTHER: Frosted Lace Stickles; Prismacolor Coloured pencils; Inkadinkado masking paper; Small circle punches.

Start by freehand cutting wavy lines across a piece of masking paper which is cut to the width of the card and punch a small circle out for your moon mask.

Place the moon mask and the wavy horizon mask onto the card base and apply blue inks for the sky, starting with the lightest through to darkest.

Remove your landscape mask and reposition as required, each time lightly apply the soft sky ink to create the illusion of hollows and shadows in the snow.

With the mask still in place, stamp the solid deer image into one of the hollows. Remove the mask from over the moon and do the same for the tree trunks in different areas of the scene.

Use Prismacolor pencils or similar ‘soft lead’ coloured pencils to add shadows to the tree trunks and deer – not too much detail, just light and dark areas to give some dimension to the images.

Stamp the sentiment and apply small dots of Frosted Lace Stickles randomly across the card.

1 4

25

3

6

p45_j mullens_JUST ONE LAYER_CSJAN15_V2.indd 45 10/11/14 15:07:45


Visit Suffolk’s newest Independent Craft Retailer

Workshops offered every week instore.

We specialise in products for Papercrafting, Beading and Scrapbooking.

Specialist knowledge for Die Cutting. Stockists of Tattered Lace, Sue Wilson, spellbinders dies and

more!

Large variety of in stock items with new lines being added every week.

Free P&P online at

Enter XMAS10 for 10% discount when

shopping online

98a Risbygate St. Bury St Edmunds Suffolk IP33 3AATel 01284 701101Email: [email protected]

www.keeponcrafting.co.uk

Oak House Studio a Yorkshire Stamp and Ink Company

Inspiring your creativity one stamp at a time

Buy online or at your local craft shop

Telephone: 0795 637 5733 Email: [email protected]

www.oakhousestudio.com

Save 10% before end of December with code CS3012

*CS JAN0115 ADS.indd 46 10/11/14 16:37:15


Advertisement: Craftstamper issue: January 2015

9203 AN Drachten

The Netherlands

Tel. +31 512 512662

Products You Want, Brands You Trust

Classes, free demonstrationsGuest demonstrators

Join us atUnit D10-3 Main AvenueNext to NatWest Bank

Treforest Industrial EstatePontypridd CF37 5UR

Tel - 01443 842785

www.dandiecrafts.co.uk

Email [email protected]

Products You Want, Brands You Trust

Classes, free demonstrationsGuest demonstrators

Join us atUnit D10-3 Main AvenueNext to NatWest Bank

Treforest Industrial EstatePontypridd CF37 5UR

Tel - 01443 842785

www.dandiecrafts.co.uk

Email [email protected]

*CS JAN0115 ADS.indd 47 10/11/14 16:37:34


Use this simple yet ingenious technique to make some cute and quirky wire Art Dolls. By Trish Latimer

Let’s Get Wired!

Masterclass:


p48-51_latimer_WIRE ART DOLLS_CSJAN15.indd 48 10/11/14 15:08:43


Project: Wire Art Dolls

Stamps Trish used... • Carabelle Studios Mini Stamps: Texture

Etoiles; Mon Coeur Étoilé

Other materials... • Wire

• Acrylic paint: white; yellow; orange; red; magenta

• Book pages

• Glossy Accents

• Driftwood discs

• Ranger Archival Ink: Jet Black

Twist and bend the wire into the required shapes. For best results do this with one length of wire, alternatively join two lengths together by using more wire to wrap around the joins to keep secure.

Create the background for your filled in shape.I have smeared paint over an old book page.

Lightly sketch in pencil the shape of your wire form on the background to help with stamp placement.Stamp the chosen images with Jet Black Archival Ink.

A few months ago, I shared a technique with you all that involved creating wire shapes, then filling these in with Glossy Accents to create embellishments. I wanted to take this technique that little bit further, creating larger shapes that are integral to the whole project, not just as

something to add on later!

As lots of you probably know, I have a passion for making Art Dolls, so I’m sure it will come as no surprise to see I have created figures to share with you today! Of course, this technique will work with any shape you choose to create from wire, not just part of a person, so why not get out the wire, have a play about and see what shapes you come up with?

With larger spaces to fill, it means you can get really creative with your backgrounds. Plenty of colour, detail and imagery can be used when you have the space to show it off! The really important thing to remember, though, is that the ultimate aim is to cover your background with a thick glazed layer. I use Glossy Accents for this, and I know from past experience that this adhesive can react with certain products and colours to give a result you really weren’t aiming for! I have therefore found it is best to use permanent products underneath the Glossy Accents layer.Water-based things like spray inks, Distress Inks and Markers will bleed out and change colour. I use acrylic paint for my colour, and stamp with waterproof Archival ink. No problems so far!

Another top tip with a project such as this is patience! I have very little patience, I’m always hurrying things along with heat guns, or poking things to see if they are set, which is really not a good idea with Glossy Accents! It may look nice and clear and set hard, but pressing a finger on it often results in a massive fingerprint… so try and wait at least 24 hours before you prod it!

Materials

Let’s Get Wired!

Step–by–step... Creating 3D Wire Forms

1 2 3

DESIGNER TIP…

Book pages are ideal for using as the background, as

is copy paper. The thinner the substrate, the easier it is to adhere to the shape of the wire. Thicker

card, for example, is not as flexible so it is harder to achieve the seamless adhesion needed

around the whole wire shape.

“I love using wire in my work, I could sit for hours playing around bending and twisting to see what

shapes I can create! I decided to combine wire and my love of creating Art Dolls together, and came

up with some wonderfully whimsical wire people!”



FURTHER IDEAS:

To finish the project... Give the doll some hair by cutting a few short lengths of wire, and fixing them to the top of the head. Wrapping some more wire around both the ‘hairs’ and head will keep them secure. Create a flower using the same technique as described in the step-by-step directions, but using a small circle of wire and three small petal shapes. Glue the flower to the head, at a jaunty angle!

Drill two holes in a driftwood disc, then glue the wire legs of the doll into the holes. Add a cut out word on the disc as shown to finish.

Happy DollBend and twist some wire into a doll shape, with a simple triangle shape for a dress. Fill in the dress shape as described in the step-by-step directions. Create balloons for the doll to hold too using three small circles of wire. Attach the balloons to the doll’s hand, using twisted wire and a spot of glue if necessary. Attach the doll to the base, and add a cut out word to finish.

Glue the background to the wire using Glossy Accents. Make sure all the wire is adhered to the background, with no gaps. If there are gaps, the next layer of Glossy Accents will run straight out!

Fill in the shape with a thick layer of Glossy Accents, being very careful not to overfill and go over the edges.

Once totally set (see introduction), trim away any excess paper from around the shape.

4 5 6

DESIGNER TIP…

If it becomes obvious that the Glossy Accents is thicker in some places, carefully add

more layers to the thinner parts. As it is self-levelling,

this should help achieve an even finish.

DESIGNER TIP…

When creating your wire shapes, try to make them

as flat as possible. This makes it much easier to attach the book pages

and fill in the shape later on.



Project: Wire Art Dolls

Go Shopping!A huge selection of different wires is available at www.wires.co.uk, 01371 238013

Carabelle Studios stamps, acrylic paints and Glossy Accents all available fromThat’s Crafty at www.thatscrafty.co.uk, 01708 344146

Driftwood Discs available from Sticky Tiger at www.stickytiger.co.uk, 0115 880 0700

Calm AngelBend and twist wire into the shape of an angel, using modified heart shapes as wings. Fill in the wings using the technique described in the step-by-step directions. Stamp the heart onto a scrap of book page, adhere to some white cardstock and cut out. Glaze with Glossy Accents before adhering to the hands of the angel. Attach the angel to the base, and add a cut out word to finish.

Additional materials...• White cardstock



Make an adorable, dimensional wall hanging using mini canvases on a wooden plaque. By Jean Hardy for Crafty Individuals

Feathered Friends

Masterclass:


“I love to make decorative stamped hangings to display in the home, as they look very pretty in situ, and also make great

personal presents for special friends or relatives. This one is fairly quick to make and is made more interesting by adding

the extra dimension of the canvases and flowers.”

p52-53_Hardy_FEATH FRIENDS_CSJAN15.indd 52 10/11/14 15:11:15


Project: Wall Hanging


MaterialsStamps Jean used... • Crafty Individuals: CI-206 Flower Heads

• Crafty Individuals: CI-416 Feathered Friends

Other materials... • Thick wood measuring 20cm x 12.5cm

• Pale blue acrylic paint

• Distress Ink: Salty Ocean

• Archival Ink: Jet Black

• Stencil brush

• Crafty Individuals Mask: Delicate Grasses 2

• Crafty Individuals: Ivory Silk Card‘Queen of Arts’

• Silver filigree corner charms

• Four large silver leaf charms

• 3 Mini canvases

• Distress Markers (or colouring tools ofyour choice)

• Ribbon

• Electric drill

Drill two holes through the top of your wooden plaqueas shown so you can thread through the ribbon for hanging later.

Paint the plaque and the three mini canvasses with pale blue acrylic paint. Allow to dry. You may need to apply more than one layer depending on the opacity of your paint.

Use the larger of the Grasses masks as a stencil to decorate the surface of the painted plaque. Place the stencil on the surface and use the Distress Ink Pad and stencil brush to create the pattern, moving the stencil around and brushing the ink over as you go.

Glue the four silver corner charms to the corners of the plaque with strong clear glue. Glue the three painted mini canvasses in place on the front of the plaque as shown.

Stamp out six flowers from CI-206 in Archival ink onto the Ivory Silk Card, colour and cut out. Add dimension to each following the stepped photos below. Stamp the birds and branches from CI-416 on the same card, colour and cut out.

Glue the silver metal leaves and stamped images in place on the three canvases as shown. Thread the ribbon through the holes in the plaque and secure with double knots at either end to hang.

I wanted to design and make a decorative project to hang using a fairly recent and lovely addition

to the Crafty Individuals stamp collection, Feathered Friends. I decided to limit myself to using just

a couple of colours for this project as a bit of a personal challenge (I love lots of colour) and chose

to work in the complementary colours of blue and orange, which are definite favourites of mine. I also

allowed myself a nice touch of bright silver in the form of metal filigree corners and leaves.

I already had some appropriate plain wooden plaques in my stash and to add extra dimension I also

thought I would add some mini canvases to the plaque to help display the main chosen images of

the birds and the flowers effectively. A friend and member of the CI Design Team Daniele often gives

dimension to our Elements stamp Flower Heads by cutting into the petals of the larger flowers and

overlapping and gluing them back together. I really like this technique and I thought it would be an

effective and pretty choice for my blue and orange project too.

How To...

1

2

3

4

5

6

Distress Markers (or colouring tools of



Go Shopping!The stamps, ink pads, stencil brush, mask, card, mini canvases, and charms used in this project are all available to buy from www.craftyindividuals.co.uk, 01642 789955

Stamp, colour and fussy-cut out the required number of flowers. Select one of the larger flowers and carefully snip down between two of the petals as shown.

Overlap one petal slightly over the other, curving the rest of the flower around as you do so so all the petals now stand proud.

Secure the overlapping petals with a tiny blob of adhesive and hold until set. Carefully bend each petal downwards at its tip for added realism.

Step–by–step... Adding dimension to cut-out flowers

1 2 3

Rubber stamps from... IndigoBlu • Creative Expressions • Woodware • Wild Rose Studio • Crafty Individuals • Stampendous •

HobbyArt • And many others

Products from: Craftwork Cards, Graphic 45, Tattered Lace and others. Masks from Crafters Workshop,

Tando Creative, Imagination Crafts & Andy Skinner.

Altered Art supplies

Unit 6, Laura House, Jengers Mead, Billingshurst, West Sussex, RH14 9NZ Email - [email protected] • Tel 01403 784674

For details of our full product range please visit our website -w w w . c r a f t y s n i p p e t s . c o . u k

The One Stop Crafting Store *Too Good to Ignore! FULL LIST OF REGULAR CLASSES & WORKSHOPS

Lavinia*Graphic45*Memorybox*Kaisercraft *Pion Spellbinders*Visible Image*Sweet Poppy*Britannia **FREE INSPIRATIONAL DEMO DAYS **

* 100’s of PAPERS *MDF project kits by Candy Box Crafts Always a warm welcome, with friendly help & advice

Spernal Ash Nurseries, Alcester Rd, Studley, Warwickshire B80 7PD Open Mon-Sat 9.30am-4.00pm Tel: 01527 852052

www.pinktulipcreations.co.uk

Follow us on Facebook * Mail Order Available

Card Making * Scrapbooking * Altered Art Supplies*Extensive Programme of Workshops*

*Inspirational Free Demo Days*1000's of Products * Your One Stop Crafting Shop!* Fabulous Candy Box Crafts Project Kits*

We would like to wish all of our customersA Very Happy Christmas

& A Bright New YearSpernal Ash Nurseries, Alcester Rd, Studley,

Warwickshire, B80 7PDOpen Mon-Sat 9.30am-4.00pm Tel: 01527 852052

www.pinktulipcreations.co.ukFollow us on Facebook * Mail Order Available

Stocking a huge range of card making, scrapbooking, altered art and Decopatch

supplies.New Christmas stock now in!

Regular classes and workshops - call for details01525 838535

www.loobicrafts.co.uk6 Ryland Mews, Lake Street, Leighton Buzzard, Beds, LU7 1SP

Loobi Crafts


RETAIL THERAPY • RETAIL THERAPY • RETAIL THERAPY • RETAIL THERAPY • RETAIL THERAPY • RETAIL THERAPY • RETAIL THERAPY •

55www.craftstamper.comTo advertise here please contact Viv on 01684 588544 or email: [email protected] 55www.craftstamper.com

Rainbow Ribbons & Crafts5 mins off jct.3 M42

Classes held on Tuesday, Friday and SaturdayWe stock Spellbinders, rubber stamps from Indigo Blu, Chocolate Baroque,

Crafters Companion, Creative Expressions, Joanna Sheen and more. Stamping accessories, tools and equipment for card making and scrapbooking. Pick & pack card from Payperbox, embellishments and a wide selection of ribbons.

Open: Tuesday 1pm—8.30pm • Wednesday to Saturday 10am—4.30pm

Sunday 12—4pm • Monday Closed

Tel: 01564 700008email: [email protected]

www.rainbowribbonsandcrafts.comEarlswood Lakes Craft Centre, Wood Lane, Solihull B94 5JH

Blade Rubber StampsLondon’s Rubber Stamp Store

12 Bury Place • London • WC1A 2JLwww.bladerubber.co.uk

020 7831 4123

Our wonderful shop is full of fabulous stamps and cardmaking products.

Exciting classes every weekend!

This year make your cards unique with a custom made stamp.

Mon - Sat 10.30-6 Sun 11.30-4.30

your cards unique We stock Tim Holtz,

Judikins,Catslife Press,and many more!

*CS JAN0115 ADS.indd 55 10/11/14 16:40:23


I f you’re anything like me you can never have enough storage, especially when it comes to crafting goodies. Never has this been more true than since I started work as Editor of Craft Stamper. Now I am at the coalface

so to speak, and am literally bombarded by the most amazing creations at all stages of development, from initial ideas to commissioning to actually receiving and holding in my hands the finished item in all its glory. It’s so exciting and inspiring to me and naturally I want to try out any new products that the DT members might be using, a) so I can find out exactly how they work which helps me when I’m editing articles, and b) because everything looks so much fun to use! So my stamping and papercrafting armoury has now grown to outrageous proportions, and therefore I need more crafting storage. Simples!

That’s where Tando Creative has stepped in to help. This fantastic range of sturdy chipboard desktop craft storage has everything you need to keep your work area looking neat and tidy. From paint holders to handbags (yes, really!), there are all sorts of styles and themes to keep crafters of all types happy.

Here I have decorated a Triple Birdhouse desktop storage kit, which was really simple and straightforward to put together (even for this spacially-challenged stamper) with the help of my trusty glue gun. I decorated all the pieces first before assembling, covering each part with a thin layer of white gesso first before allowing to dry. Once dry, I started to add colour using PaperArtsy Fresco Finish acrylic paints – plus a smidgeon of Distress Paint in Mustard Seed to create a fresh green for the grass – before stamping my chosen images onto plain white and patterned tissue papers in Jet Black Archival Ink. I then ‘watercoloured’ the images using a waterbrush and Distress Inks, before adhering the stamped tissue in place with Mod Podge.

I used some Grunge Paste through a stencil to add a bit of texture to the centre roof panels, before blending a generous amount of Gathered Twigs Distress Ink over to colour this too. I now use this to house all my brushes, pens, pencils, craft knives, and anything else I can cram in there! The removable roofs make it easy to fit even more stuff in should I need more space in the future. And I think there’s every likelihood I will do…

Indulge your crafting needs and get organised in one fell swoop by decorating this adorable desktop craft storage kit from Tando Creative. By Alix Merriman

Houses With Heart

Masterclass:


p56-57_Alix_TANDO_CSJAN15.indd 56 10/11/14 15:13:04


Project: Tando Creative Craft Storage

Stamps Alix used... • PaperArtsy Stamps: Eclectica³ Darcy 01;

JOFY 24; JOFY Minis 12

Other materials... • Tando Creative Desktop Storage: Triple

Birdhouse Kit

• Gesso

• PaperArtsy Fresco Finish acrylic paints: Mermaid; Sherbet; Moonlight

• Distress Paint: Mustard Seed

• Distress Inks: Picked Raspberry; Festive Berries; Gathered Twigs

• StazOn Ink: Jet Black

• Ranger Archival Ink: Jet Black

• PaperArtsy: Grunge Paste

• Papermania Tissue Paper

• Crate Paper: Snow Day Collection – Candy

• Acetate sheet

• Adirondack Alcohol Ink: Wild Plum

• Glue gun

• Mod Podge – Matte

Materials

Project: Tando Creative Craft Storage

Go Shopping!For the full range of Desktop Storage Kitsvisit Tando Creative Ltd atwww.tando-creative.co.uk/catalog/or call 07813 363498.

TAKE A CLOSER LOOK ...

p56-57_Alix_TANDO_CSJAN15.indd 57 10/11/14 15:13:45


Go to town with lots of layers of lovely stamping to decorate a mini art journal and card. By Ellen Schrik

Soul Stamping

Masterclass:


p58-59_E Schrik_SOUL JOURNEY_CSJAN15.indd 58 10/11/14 15:14:40


Project: Mixed Media Stamping

Stamps Ellen used... • Art Journey: Eyes; Baroque Swirl; Brushes

and Pencils

Other materials... • Kraft paper note book

• Kraft paper

• Purple card

• Black card base

• White gesso

• Acrylic paints: Turquoise; Blue Violet, Gold

• Book page

• Posca black acrylic paint pen (PC1m, 7 mm)

• Posca white acrylic paint pen (PC1m, 7 mm)

• Inktense black pencil

• StazOn: Jet Black

• Sequin waste or template

• 1” circle punch

• Brad and eyelet

• Gold string

• Beads

F or this journal cover I wanted to create depth without adding too much texture. So I put a little blob of gesso on the cover, and I spread it around by scraping with an old credit card, leaving the edges free. Once dry, I added large patches of turquoise and violet paint with a brush, in horizontal and

vertical strokes, keeping the ends of the brush strokes visible.

I found it rather ‘flat’ when I finished these layers, so I added sponging through sequin waste in the same three colours (white, turquoise and purple) and glued on torn pieces of book pages.

And still I was not satisfied, so another layer had to be added. This time I drew black lines with an Inktense pencil around the torn edges of the pieces of paper and some horizontal and vertical lines where the two colours met. With a wet finger I followed the lines to smudge them a bit.

I stamped the eyes, swirls and vertical brushes, made a separate ‘note’ stamped on kraft paper and hand-wrote the word ‘journal’ straight on the cover with my Posca pens. Some white doodles around the stamped swirl and text and still I was missing something.

The whole thing needed some bling, as it was rather sombre. I thinned gold acrylic paint to a wash and flicked on some drops with a brush. The gold coloured eyelet I used to fasten the punched circle, the brad for the note and string to close the book now matched the cover. The red bead stands out, I like the effect it has. And finally, after many layers, I was satisfied.

Materials

“Mixed media is absolutely my thing at the moment. Adding several layers on top of each other

using different media gave interesting

depth to this project. In this case, my motto was: “When in doubt, add more layers” and it

turned out great!”

Mini Art Journal

Why not try other colour

combinations, like hot pink and orange for a

bright and cheery card, or blue and green for a more fresh

look?

Eyes of the SoulThis matching card is made in the same way as my mini art journal, except that I added a doodled line around the edge with my paint markers. I also attached the text with staples instead of brads. Mat the finished piece onto purple cardstock before adding to a black card base for the finishing touch.

Go Shopping!Stamps available from Art Journey atwww.artjourney.nl, 0031591367682.

using different media gave interesting

depth to this project. In this

turned out great!”

Go Shopping!

p58-59_E Schrik_SOUL JOURNEY_CSJAN15.indd 59 10/11/14 15:15:05

Check out our site for more images www.artjourney.nl

ArtJourney CS0115.indd 60 7/11/14 14:37:54

Regular: Ready, Set, Stamp!Regular: Ready, Set, Stamp!Ready, Set, Stamp!

Be inspired by our DT's quick and simple designs to warm you up this winter

Warm and FuzzyReady, Set, Stamp!


Regular: Ready, Set, Stamp!

Fuzzy Jumper By Kim Costello

I had my Fun Flock out on my desk for another project and it just jumped at me to attempt a fuzzy jumper.

I used the ribbed background stamp with FlitterGlu, then applied the Fun Flock in an ombre colour effect.

Pressing the Fun Flock helps to give it a pile and then rub in small circles. I also created two little pom

poms and stamped the sentiment from the DesignA Knit set. The black mat layer really made the fluff pop.

It has a definite tactile texture, warm and fuzzy indeed.

MaterialsSTAMPS: Paperbabe – Ribbed Background, DesignA Knit. INKS: IndigoBlu – FlitterGlu; VersaFine – Black. OTHER: Stampendous – Fun Flock

p61-66_ready, set, stamp!_CSJAN15.indd 61 10/11/14 15:16:05


Sitting ComfortablyBy Shirley Bampton

Stamp the All Connected image in VersaFine Onyx Black onto the white

card panel then stamp off onto spare copy paper. Dab Distress Ink

Minis onto an acrylic block to use as a watercolour palette. Load the

paintbrush well with diluted colour and use a loose stroke, deliberately

going outside some lines and leaving gaps inside others. Add another

layer in places to create shadow and depth. Paint in a shadow under

the chair. Cut out the stamped-off image from the copy paper and

mask the main image. Stamp the grunge floral strip repeatedly in

VersaFine Onyx Black to create a background. Don’t mount the stamp

onto a block – keep hold of the stamp and bend and roll it so that

you’re just stamping a portion of the image. Overlap where necessary

to fill in any gaps. While the mask is in place, run the long edge of an

old credit card over the black ink then stamp it across the card to give

the impression of floorboards. Remove mask and mount panel onto

red card.

MaterialsSTAMPS: Penny Black – All Connected; STAMPlorations – Live Love Laugh. INKS: VersaFine – Onyx Black; Distress Ink Minis – Barn Door, Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seed. OTHER: Red card; white card panel; paintbrush; water; old credit card; spare copy paper for masking.

MaterialsSTAMPS: Hobby Art – Floral Sketch set; Scene-it Sentiments stamp set. INKS: Distress Ink – Barn Door, Dried Marigold, Mustard Seed. OTHER: Card blank; Post-it note; white card; Stickles Glitter Glue – Star Dust.

May the Road…By Georgina Ford

Stamp the sentiment with the Dried Marigold ink pad onto the card blank

and a Post-it note. Cut the Post-it note into a rectangle shape which is

slightly larger than the stamped sentiment. Place onto the card blank over

the stamped sentiment which will create a mask. Stamp large and small

flowers around the edge of the Post-it note. Remove the Post-it note. Stamp

the large flower using the Barn Door and Mustard Seed ink pads. Cut out the

centre of the Mustard Seed flower and attach it the centre of the other flower

before attaching them to the card blank. Add Stickles to the centre of the

flower to finish.




You’re a Great FriendBy Jaine Drake

To create a fabric effect background, stamp first one way then the

other with two different border stamps to create the plaid pattern.

Use the Big Brush Pens to ink the stamps by colouring directly onto

the stamp itself, firstly with the pink and then with the orange. The

pens are lovely and juicy to stamp with but once they dry are pretty

permanent. Stamp little flowers in the spaces and sewing lines across

the front. It looks as if it’s taken ages but in fact it took seconds to

create the plaid effect. Stamp the jar onto a piece of clear acrylic with

StazOn. Fix this down to the card with Glossy Accents and use the

sentiment to hide any visible glue. Finish off the card with a piece of

lace ribbon, baker's twine and buttons.

MaterialsSTAMPS: Art Impressions – Girlfriends; alphabet stamp. INKS: Distress Ink – Spiced Marmalade, Barn Door, Fired Brick, Mustard Seed; Archival Ink – Jet Black. OTHER: Tando Creative Stencil – Eighties; Stickles Glitter Glue – Gold; waterbrush.

MaterialsSTAMPS: Waltzingmouse – Off Beat Backgrounds, Pic-Nic Patterns, Candy Jar. INKS: StazOn – Jet Black. OTHER: Faber Castell Big Brush Pens – Middle Purple Pink 125, Orange Glaze 113; clear acrylic; Glossy Accents; buttons; lace ribbon; baker's twine.

Orange is the New BlackBy Giovanna Zara

Cut a piece of white cardstock to size. Stamp the girlfriends image with Black Jet Archival Ink positioning it at the centre. Colour

the stamped image with several colours of Distress Inks using a waterbrush. Lay the stencil to the left and with a sponge pick the

Distress Inks starting with the lightest colour and rub through the stencil. Repeat to the right. Add some sparkling details to the

girlfriends with the glitter glue. Stamp the sentiment using an alphabet stamp.



Warm HeartBy Jennifer Mullens

Stamp the mitten randomly over a separate piece of ProMarker-

friendly cardstock and use two shades of pink, orange and yellow to

quickly colour them in. This could be done with other media like inks

or coloured pencils too. By using a separate piece of card you prevent

the markers bleeding through the card base onto the inside and then

simply stick the patterned piece under the die cut panel which is raised

up on foam pads. Stamp and emboss the sentiment on a strip of vellum

and wrap around the edge of the card panel so as to hide the adhesive

holding it in place.

Beauty in Nature By Lisa Winnard

Create the background by mixing IndigoBlu English Cottage Paint

with water in a 1 to 4 part ratio in spray bottles. Randomly spray

each colour on to IndigoBlu white Perfect Stamping card, drying each

layer with a heat gun until happy with the colour. Ink the IndigoBlu

Nature I grass stamp with black Archival Ink and stamp along the

bottom of the card. ‘Ink’ the grass stamp with IndigoBlu FlitterGlu

on a piece of Phat Foam. Stamp slightly offset over the top of the

black stamped grass to create a shadow effect. Stamp the butterfly

at the top corner. Stamp the butterfly on to acetate using FlitterGlu

and cover it with IndigoBlu Lancashire Rose Mega Flakes, cut it out

and adhere it in the centre of the black stamped butterfly. Mat onto

black card. Take the Phat Foam with FlitterGlu on and drag it around

the edge of the card, add Mega Flakes. Recreate the background on

another piece of card to fit the sentiment. Stamp with black ink. Mat

onto black card. On a piece of black card, do as above to create the

Mega Flake border. Adhere to a black 8x8 card blank.

MaterialsSTAMPS: Paper Smooches – Warm Hearts; Lawn Fawn – Frosty Friends. INKS: Memento – Tuxedo Black; VersaFine – Onyx Black. OTHER: ProMarkers; vellum; WOW! Clear Embossing Powder; MFT Dienamics – Heart Stax dies.

MaterialsSTAMPS: IndigoBlu – Nature I. INKS: Archival Ink – Black. OTHER: IndigoBlu English Cottage Artist Acrylic Paint – Burning Bonfire, Post Box Red, Ruby Slippers (metallic), Cinderella (metallic); IndigoBlu Mega Flakes – Lancashire Rose; IndigoBlu – FlitterGlu; IndigoBlu – Phat Foam; IndigoBlu – white 300gsm Perfect Stamping Card.




The Sun Will SmileBy Sylvia Blum

Create a top folded square card blank from white cardstock.

Colour the card front with Morocco and Love Letter inks, using an

InkBlusher tool. Cut a rectangle from white cardstock, approx. 1”

smaller than card front and create a frame using a ruler and a paper

piercing tool. Stamp sunbeams with Dandelion ink, creating a sun.

Stamp sentiment with Love Letter ink over sun. Stamp smile with

Love Letter in lower right corner of panel. Embellish with rhinestones.

Mount the panel onto the card base using dimensional foam pads.

A Cup Of Warm WishesBy Lydia Brooke Evans

As the theme for this gallery was 'warm and fuzzy' I wanted to add

patterned paper to the background of my card but found I had no papers

of the right colour. So I created my own with the Argyle Backdrops stamp

using yellow ink for the solid diamonds and red for the dashed lined

diamonds. To blend the colours together a little, go over this piece with

the orange Distress Ink using a blending tool. Colour the cup using three

Copic Markers (Y11, Y15, Y17). Start with the darkest at the edges, then

use the mid colour to blend it out a little, then go over the remaining area

with the lightest colour. Use the same colours for the plate but use the

darkest colour in the middle under the cup where a shadow would be, use

the mid yellow to blend this out and then cover the area with the lightest

tone as before. To make the sentiment stand out, first stamp in black ink,

then over-stamp with VersaMark and heat-emboss with clear embossing

powder.

MaterialsSTAMPS: CAS-ual Fridays – Sunbeams. INKS: Memento Luxe – Dandelion, Morocco, Love Letter. OTHER: Clairefontaine – cardstock white; Kaisercraft rhinestones – orange, red; Imagine Crafts InkBlusher tool; paper piercing tool; dimensional foam pads.

MaterialsSTAMPS: Lawn Fawn – Love You A Latte, Argyle Backdrops. INKS: Memento – Tuxedo Black; Hero Arts Shadow Ink – Red Royal, Butterbar; Distress Ink – Spiced Marmalade; VersaMark. OTHER: Copic Markers – Y11, Y15, Y17; Blending Tool, Orange Twine, WOW! – Clear Embossing Powder.



Warm ThoughtsBy Sylvia Blum

Create a top folded card blank from white cardstock. Cut a panel from

white cardstock, approx. 1” smaller than the card front. Spritz the

white panel with irRESISTible texture spray in Dandelion and let dry.

Colour the panel with Memento Luxe Morocco and Love Letter inks,

using an InkBlusher tool. Stamp the sentiment with VersaMark ink

onto the panel, sprinkle on white embossing powder and melt with a

heat tool. Wrap around a length of white seam binding and tie into a

bow. Embellish with pearls and Twinkle Goosebumps. Mount panel

onto card base using dimensional foam pads.

Winter FoxBy Joanne Allison

If you need a quick card, you can get fast results by choosing a smallish image that can be

coloured with a single marker for the main area. Let the layer of orange dry and then add a little

shadow under the fox’s chin and along the base of her body with the same marker. Doodling

an image on the mug and adding white highlights at the tips of her ears make cute and easy

finishing touches. When you selectively stamp a sentiment by partially inking the stamp, don’t

forget to give it a good clean before stamping the second bit!

MaterialsSTAMPS: Paper Smooches – Sentiment Sampler. INKS: irRESISTible texture spray – Dandelion; Memento Luxe – Morocco, Love Letter; VersaMark. OTHER: Clairefontaine – cardstock white; Imagine Crafts Embossing Powder – White; heat tool; Hug Snug – seam binding white; Kaisercraft pearls – yellow, red; Queen&Co Twinkle Goosebumps – orange; Imagine Crafts InkBlusher tool; dimensional foam pads.

MaterialsSTAMPS: Lawn Fawn – Winter Fox. INKS: Brilliance – Pearlescent Chocolate; Distress – Fired Brick. OTHER: Copic Markers; Crafter’s Workshop Hearts and Arrows stencil; fineline marker; Posca white pen.


Regular: MasterclassRegular: Masterclass

Get the lowdown on FlitterGlu, the great gilding and glittering glue! By Jenny Marples

Stamping with FlitterGlu

Masterclass:


Regular: Masterclass

p67-71_MASTERCLASS_CSJAN15.indd 67 10/11/14 15:20:15


MaterialsStamps Jenny used...

IndigoBlu: Itsy Bitsy • Backgrounds; Butterfly Collector

Other materials...IndigoBlu: FlitterGlu Starter Kit • (includes FlitterGlu, Phat Foam, Scoochy and Spatula)

IndigoBlu Mega Flakes: • Chocolate Box; Chariot of Fire

IndigoBlu English Cottage • Artist’s Acrylic Paints: Townhouse Teal; Pantry White

Ranger Archival Ink: Plum • Ranger Perfect Pearls Powder: • Heirloom Gold

Ranger Embossing Powder: • Gold

Gold mica powder • Size 10 white tag • White card blank • White card• Thread• Ribbon• Heat gun• Paper distressing tool•

Ilove using lots of different types of media on my projects as they add interest and texture to simple stamping. To do this I need a reliable adhesive that will ‘grab’ these products without affecting the end results.

FlitterGlu has been developed by IndigoBlu to provide a unique stamping adhesive which is easy to use and extremely effective. It can be used with all types of stamps (red rubber, acrylic and wood mounted) to reproduce even the most finely detailed designs.

Unless you are using FlitterGlu in combination with embossing powders you don’t need to use a heat gun to set the media. This means you can use it on all sorts of surfaces including acetate, vellum, glass, metal and wood as well as your regular card and paper. And it remains tacky so you don’t have to worry about it drying out. However, it is important to ensure your stamped FlitterGlu has turned from white to clear before adding other media, as before this point it will still be too wet to get the best results.

FlitterGlu is water-soluble which makes it easy to clean off your stamps and tools. Make sure you use cold water and wash it off immediately after stamping. It is also non-toxic and pH neutral which is great if you want to use FlitterGlu on your scrapbooking layouts.

You will probably be familiar with seeing FlitterGlu used in combination with IndigoBlu’s Mega Flakes to produce beautiful gilded projects. As FlitterGlu can be used on so many different surfaces this means you can gild your home décor items too, such as frames, furniture, even costume jewellery! I love that you can also use it with lots of other media such as ultra fine glitter, flock, mica powders and embossing powders too.

Technique 1: Application ofFlitterGluUsing the FlitterGlu correctly when stamping is absolutely essential to achieving professional-looking results with the other techniques I’m about to show you. So don’t skip this step!

Add a teaspoon of FlitterGlu to the Phat Foam and work it in with a spatula to create a glue ‘inkpad’.

Stamp your image quickly, just ‘kissing’ the card, and wash your stamp immediately in cold water.

Lightly dab the ‘inked’ Phat Foam across your stamp in one pass to avoid applying too much.

“I’ve found using FlitterGlu has taken a little time to perfect as it

works slightly differently to regular stamping methods. However, with

a little practise, the results are quite simply stunning.”

DID YOU KNOW…

As long as you leave your Phat Foam ‘ink pad’ on a glazed or non-porous surface in between use it will remain workable for

between 2-4 hours.

1

2

3

the other techniques I’m about to show you. So don’t skip this step!




1

Technique 2: Mega Flake TechniqueAdding Mega Flakes to your FlitterGlu stamped image produces a beautiful gilded effect.

Technique 3: Flinky TechniqueCombining Mega Flakes with your choice of inks adds a whole new dimension to your stamping.

2

3

Sprinkle a few flakes onto your FlitterGlu-stamped area, spreading them across the whole image.

With your chosen ink pad apply patches of ink to your stamp. VersaFine, StazOn and Archival inks work well for this technique.

‘Ink’ the remaining areas of your stamp with FlitterGlu using the same method described in Technique 1.

Apply Mega Flakes as described in Technique 2. As you remove the excess Flakes, the inked areas will emerge.

To ensure the Mega Flakes and FlitterGlu bond together, rub the surface gently with your fingers.

Gently rub over the Flittered image in a circular motion with the Scoochy to refine and reveal the detail.

Flinky TechniqueCombining Mega Flakes with your choice of inks adds a whole new

3

2

1



Technique 4: Mica Powder TechniqueFlitterGlu stamping works really well with mica powders for a detailed and shimmery look.

Technique 5: Heat Embossing TechniqueFlitterGlu is heat stable so it is the perfect medium for use when working with embossing powders.

Add mica powder over the entire FlitterGlu stamped image with a small soft brush, patting down gently.

Pour your choice of fine or regular embossing powder over the whole of the FlitterGlu stamped image.

Use your brush to remove the excess mica powder from your image, catching it on a sheet of scrap paper.

Tap the reverse of your stamped image to remove any excess embossing powder onto a sheet of scrap paper.

Buff the whole stamped area gently with a dry, soft cloth to remove any remaining mica powder.

Heat your embossed image using a heat gun to melt the embossing powder and reveal the stamped detail.

3 3

2 2

1 1

Heat Embossing




PossibilitiesRepeat-stamp the chevron pattern background from the Itsy Bitsy Backgrounds stamp set with FlitterGlu onto a strip of card, gilding it with Chocolate Box Mega Flakes (Techniques 1 and 2).

Splatter a base layer of card with watered down Pantry White paint and layer strips of the Flittered chevron card on top. Stamp lines of Townhouse Teal paint and more splatters of Pantry White paint over the chevrons and add a circle of cotton thread.

Stamp a selection of butterflies and the sentiment from the Butterfly Collector stamp set using Techniques 1, 2, 4 and 5, using gold embossing powder and gold mica powder.Fussy-cut them out, layer them onto paper and add to thecard base as shown.

Layered TagSplatter a plain Size 10 tag with Pantry White paint before layering two matching panels of chevron pattern gilded card, created as described for the Possibilities card. Stamp lines of Townhouse Teal paint and more splatters of Pantry White paint over the chevrons.

Stamp three tulips and a small butterfly from the Butterfly Collector stamp set with FlitterGlu (Technique 1). Gild two of the tulips (Technique 2), add gold mica powder to the remaining tulip (Technique 4), and gold embossing powder to the butterfly (Technique 5). Fussy-cut all of these elements, layering the mica-covered tulip and butterfly onto paper.

Adhere the tulips over the layered background and mount the butterfly onto the central stem with twisted cotton thread. Tie a coordinating ribbon onto the top of the tag.

Go Shopping!IndigoBlu FlitterGlu Starter Kit, Mega Flakes, English Cottage Artist’s Acrylic Paints and IndigoBlu stamp sets available from IndigoBlu at www.indigoblu.com, 01777 701980

Ranger products available from That’s Crafty at www.thatscrafty.co.uk, 01708 344146



Add sparkle to a special meal or party with

stamped napkins and table wear. By Kate Bentley

New Year’s PartyPlace Setting

Quick Make


p72-73_k bentley_QUICK MAKE_CSJAN15.indd 72 10/11/14 15:24:25


Project: Quick Make

A void the dreaded washing up and use the time saved to craft instead by using disposable napkins and cutlery during the party season. With an hour to spare it is cheap and easy to jazz

up the most ordinary supplies in any way you please.

The single most important factor to consider is the ink. You must use a permanent ink because you don’t want people wiping their fingers or faces and ending up with coloured smears on them or their party clothes. I tested several and found Brilliance Ink was best on paper napkins as it didn’t bleed or soak right through. It does need heat setting though which isn’t suitable for the plastic cutlery, so here StazOn is better and has the advantage of drying so quickly.

I used foam letter shapes to create messages to stamp onto the napkins, and mini alphabet stamps to add words to the handles of the cutlery. I practised the arrangement first on some scrap paper to make sure I could fit my phrases into the space available. Finishing on half a word is not a good look, although you can wipe the plastic clean with a little Blending Solution or hand gel and start again if disaster strikes.

The place setting is easily folded from one sheet of A4 card using the knife as a guide to the size. I added some glitz to my formal black and white theme by stamping a random background with FlitterGlu and adding glitter. The rosette embellishment is fast and easy to mass-produce but if you are catering for a dinner party of only a few people you could add even more elaborate decoration such as name plates to indicate your seating plan.

“I simply can’t resist stamping onto things. There is something a little

subversive about marking pristine new items but I love the way a few moments spent with the easiest of stamping techniques can create something quirky and unique.”

Go Shopping!PaperArtsy stamps available from PaperArtsy at www.paperartsy.co.uk, 01277 212911

Hampton Art Stamps Studio G available fromThe Range, stores nationwide.

Brilliance and Stazon ink pads available fromBlade Rubber at www.bladerubberstamps.co.uk, 020 7831 4123

Sizzix die available from The Artist Trading Post, www.artisttradingpost.com, 01629 826533

MaterialsSTAMPS: PaperArtsy – HPXT01; Hampton Art Stamps Studio G – Mini Alphabet. INKS: StazOn – Jet Black; Brilliance – Graphite Black. OTHER: Black cardstock; foam letters; black glitter; FlitterGlu; white napkins; disposable cutlery; Sizzix Rosette die – 656931.

DESIGNER TIP ...

For safety reasons I strongly recommend

replacing the glitter with heat-embossing or plain stamping when making

party items forchildren.

p72-73_k bentley_QUICK MAKE_CSJAN15.indd 73 10/11/14 15:25:06


Here we bring you a special project courtesy of our sister mag Beads & Beyond, where our very own mixed media maestro, Trish Latimer,

uses embossing powders and moulds to create fabulous cocktail rings!

Rings With

WOW!

Masterclass:


p74-76_t latimer_RINGS WITH WOW_CSJAN15.indd 74 10/11/14 15:34:19


Project: Beads & Beyond Promotion

Materials Trish used... • WOW! Embossing powders in your

choice of colours

• WOW! Melt it embossing powder extender

• WOW! Pansy and rose quartet moulds

• Ring finding

• Epoxy resin glue

• Small foil pie dishes

• Clip tool/wooden clothes peg

• Bamboo skewer

• Heat tool

Create a ‘spout’ in the foil dish by pinching one side together. This will be where the melted powder pours from. Attach a clip tool (a wooden clothes peg works too!). This will be your ‘handle’ to hold the dish and control the pouring.

Add the ‘Melt It’ powder extender. The amount will vary. Bigger moulds need more powder. On average, about two heaped teaspoons of powder is enough.

Add the embossing powder in your choice of colour. You do not need as much of this. Around one teaspoon should be about right.

Now mix the powders together thoroughly to ensure an even colour to your ‘melt’. Remember to make sure any tools you use are heatproof. Plastic tools will melt and metal ones conduct heat!

Begin to melt the mixed powder. If you have a nozzle type heat tool and it is a little ‘blowy’, heat from underneath the dish to avoid blowing the powder everywhere. My heat tool isn’t as blowy, so I can heat from above the dish.

Once the powder is very runny, pour it into the mould. Pour as close to the mould as you can, as once you remove the heat source, the melted powder will start to go hard very quickly. This step needs to be done as fast as possible!

I often use melted embossing powder to create 3D embellishments for my mixed media art.It is a simple, fun way to create unique items to suit any project or colour scheme.These embellishments can also be used in jewellery. The simple addition of a brooch back,

bail or ring finding can turn your creation into a wearable piece of art!

WOW! embossing powders come in a vast array of colours and the range of moulds is comprehensive too so you’ll be spoilt for choice. WOW! also manufacture ‘Melt It’ embossing powder extender. You use a lot more powder to fill a 3D mould than you would for regular heat embossing so the extender helps your powder go a lot further, plus it melts quickly!

Rings With

WOW!

Step–by–step... Embossing Powder Cocktail Rings

1 2 3

4 5 6

DESIGNER SECRET…

If you fancy a glitter finish, add a very small amount of unmelted glitter embossing

powder to the mould before adding the melted powder. The heat from the melted powder will melt the

loose powder just enough to bond with the surface of

the finished piece.



Fill right up to the top of the mould, then leave to set. You won’t need to wait long for this to happen – it should only take a matter of minutes.

Once the hardened powder feels cold to the touch you can remove it from the mould. It should come out easily from the silicone mould.

Glue on your preferred jewellery finding. I use a little Blu Tack to attach the flower to the surface of the ring blank. It keeps the flower level whilst the glue is drying!

7 8 9

Go Shopping!WOW! products all available atwww.wowembossingpowder.co.uk,0870 777 8781

Foil dishes available from Mr Kipling apple pies!

Rings With

WOW!


Time for Tea

Masterclass:

Get thrifty and use tea and coffee to create a unique watercolour effect. By Riikka Kovasin

Tea GirlThe easiest way to get the colours of the drinks showing is to use white paper. I stamped the Bloom Girl with waterproof ink and then started to gradually add the colouring layers of tea using a small brush. The drinks work like watercolours, so building up layers is the key. Of course the saturation also depends on the intensity of the drink in the first place. As the paint media you are working with is really moist, it's best to use paper suitable for that like watercolour paper.

After colouring the stamped image I then cut it off the paper and put the card together with a few layers of patterned papers as shown. For a cohesive look I also added tea to the edges of the papers.

DESIGNER TIP…

Not all drinks are the same! Even if the coffee and tea are brown, their

hues are completely different and different brands of tea also give

different effects!

Stamps Riikka used... • Prima: Bloom Girl Joy

• Carabelle Studio: Dentelle d'Ombrelines par Azoline

Other materials... • Archival Ink: Jet Black; Watering Can

• 7 Dots Studio: Nature Walk Cloudy

• 7 Dots Studio: Nature Walk 6x6 pad

• Epiphany Crafts: Metal Charms Round 14• Epiphany Crafts: Bubble Caps Round 14

• Adirondack Ink: Butterscotch

• Essential PITT Artist Pens: Black; Grey

• Kreinik: Metallic thread

• White Sharpie pen

• Card base

• Tea

• Coffee

Materials

Project: Tea & Coffee Colouring


p77-78_r kovasin_TEAS & COFFEE_CSJAN15_V3.indd 77 10/11/14 15:35:42


“Whenever I start to make a canvas, edit a video or

scrapbook, I usually start by making some tea. It sets my mind into the creative mode and while brewing the tea, I'm always also brewing ideas. When I start to

create, the tea usually gets cold, but that's another story. Luckily

in these projects it doesn't matter if the tea is cold or warm!”

Go Shopping!Prima Bloom Girl stamps, 7 Dot Studio papers, Archival Inks,PITT pens and white Sharpie available from Mixed Media Place, http://mixedmediaplace.com, +35387 6432348

LyricalI started this piece by stamping the floral design as the background. Then I added a few epoxy stickers to the piece – they work as a resist to the following layer.

Then I stamped the main image, this time on tissue paper and adhered it to the patterned paper using double-sided tape. Instead of colouring it neatly, inside the lines, I coloured the image as well as the background.

To add some interest to the background I then added a few drops of black India ink to coffee and used a ruling pen to write the lyrics of a song over and over again.

Kraft-teaThe look of the coloured image changes hugely if you use kraft instead of white cardstock. Like in the first card I stamped the image with waterproof ink but this time I didn't cut the image loose after colouring. Instead I shaped the piece into a tag and added embellishments to it.

To give the tag a romantic look I added the ribbon to the top after colouring it with tea, too. I also added some half pearls to the girl's hair and added a lace-like piece of patterned paper to the end of the tag.

Additional materials...• Kraft cardstock

• Half pearls

• Ribbon

Additional materials...• Tissue paper

• Black India Ink

• Ruling pen

• Epoxy stickers


p77-78_r kovasin_TEAS & COFFEE_CSJAN15_V3.indd 78 10/11/14 15:36:05

Get a bit more up-close and personal with some of this month’s amazing makes. Here’s where we get to show you some of the gorgeous details that you might miss at first glance…

All in the Details

Quick Make


Warm & Fuzzy on p.61You can see Kim Costello’s very literal interpretation of our Warm & Fuzzy gallery theme here! Makes you want to reach out and stroke the page, doesn’t it?

Free Stamp Makes on p.41Sue really ramps up the va-va-voom factor with her inclusion of this saucy suspender clip, custom-coloured with ProMarkers.

Soul Stamping on p.58Ellen’s clever use of a black Inktense pencil artfully smudged along the edges of the torn paper pieces really adds to the illusion of depth, and makes the vibrant colours pop even more.

Saturday Night Snowmen on p.24Claudia has used watercolour pencils to add depth and life to her custom-stamped disco-ball!

Houses With Heart on p.56Alix repeat-stamped this JOFY Mini leaf image over tissue paper before adhering it to the base with hefty dollops of Mod Podge, to add texture and to help ground the little birdhouses.

Winter Fairy on p. 16Elizabeth’s Christmas bauble stamps have been used as petal templates to create these magnificent paper flowers. We just love that sumptuous gold embossing against the black card!

Regular: All in the Details

p79_ALL IN DETAIL_CSJAN15.indd 79 10/11/14 15:36:40


WEBSITE DIRECTORYTELEPHONE 01684 588544 TO ADVERTISE HERE

E: [email protected]: 01277 212911

www.paperartsy.co.uk

LONDON’S RUBBER STAMP AND SCRAPBOOK STORE

TEL: 020 7831 4123www.bLadErubbErsTamps.co.uk

One of the largest selections of card making and scrapbooking products

www.birdsinthebarn.co.uk

Tel: 01206 [email protected]

www.artisttradingpost.com ‘Supplies for Scrapbooking, Journaling, Altered Art and Cardmaking.’

Email: [email protected] * Tel. No. 01335 343536

www.aztecthreads.comInspirational ThreadsCreative Craft Workshops SPAINTraining Courses For Sewing Machine Repairs and Servicing

01293 324014

AztecWeb.indd 1 3/3/14 13:57:16

CSDEC_WebDirectory.indd 92 13/10/14 11:34:57

Get mobile with our free APP!

Now you can read Craft Stamper magazine – wherever you are!

Available at pocketmags.co.uk for ipad • Android • Kindle Fire • Windows 8

HSAD

.APP

.CS.

HPJA

N15

*CS JAN0115 ADS.indd 81 10/11/14 16:42:12

Beautiful vintage-style one layer wonder...

Next month’s Free Stamp is this cute ‘n’ quirky heart

designed exclusively for usby Jo Firth Young


YOUR NEW-LOOKCRAFT STAMPER

FEBRUARY ISSUEON SALE 2ND JANUARY 2015DON'T MISS IT!

Contents may be subject to changeArtwork by Chrissie Stokes

A Sprinkle of Imagination 55

Art From The Heart 27

Art Journey 60

Artist Trading Post 47

Birds In The Barn 55

Blade Rubber Stamps 55

Chocolate Baroque 46

Craft Obsessions 27

Crafters Corner 55

Crafts U Love 84

Crafty Individuals 55

Crafty Snippets 54

Dandie Crafts 47

Design House

Papercraft Ltd 2

ICHF 83

Indigo Blu 47

It’s Crafting Time 19

Jacobi 47

Keep On Crafting 46

Loobi Crafts 54

Oak House Studio 46

Once Upon A Time 54

PaperArtsy 19

Pink Tulip Creations 54

Rainbow Ribbons & Crafts 55

Subscriptions 28-29

That’s Crafty 55

The Creative Crafts Shows 13

The Stamp Attic 55

The Stamp Man 46

TPL Digital 81

TPL Products 40

Web Directory 81

ADVERTISERS INDEX

Take a Peek

Free stamp

PLUS:Part 1 of our brand-new heat-• embossing series!Beautiful bokeh-effect backgrounds• Gelli Plate printing•

AND MUCH MORE!

p82_takeapeek_CSJAN15.indd 82 10/11/14 16:46:44

SPRING SHOWS SPRING SHOWS SPRING SPRING SPRING SHOWS SPRING SHOWS

The ultimate stitching, knitting & crafting shows!

STITCHING SEWING & HOBBYCRAFTSEVENTCITY, MANCHESTER :: 6 - 8 FEBRUARY 2015

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

STITCHING, SEWING & QUILTING/HOBBYCRAFTS

SECC, GLASGOW :: 5 - 8 MARCH 2015- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

SEWING FOR PLEASURE/FASHION EMBROIDERY & STITCH/HOBBYCRAFTS

NEC, BIRMINGHAM :: 19 - 22 MARCH 2015- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

STITCHING, SEWING & HOBBYCRAFTS/FASHION & EMBROIDERY

EXCEL, LONDON :: 27 - 29 MARCH 2015

Buy tickets on-line www.ichfevents.co.uk or phone Ticket Hotline 01425 277988

SAVE UP TO £2 OFF!EACH ADULT & SENIOR TICKET IF ORDERED AT LEAST ONE WEEK BEFORE THE SHOW.

Spring Ad 220x300:Layout 1 03/10/2014 11:04 Page 1

ICHF_CS0115.indd 83 7/11/14 14:39:49

CraftsULove_CS0115.indd 84 7/11/14 14:41:33

craftstamperjanuary2015

Documents