WLS July#2 - summertime

Good Morning everyone

Time for some mid month inspiration for We Love Stamping where the theme this month is 

SUMMERTIME

Or we also have the anything goes option as long as you use stamps

Here in England we have alot of old houses and stately homes run by the national trust or English Heritage and lots of people like to visit them for a day out in the summer as they often also have very large gardens to explore as well as enjoy the historic house, some even like to take a picnic and make a day of it.  So my card today is loosely based on this summer outing.

Ive used window/door stamp set from Katzelkraft stamped in grey and die cut into an arch to give the feel of an oldie worldie home, looking at it from the garden through the flowers.  All stamped in grey with soft watercolour colouring onto cream linen card.  I think it ended up with the vibe of the end of a long hot summer when everything feels tardy and bleached out😁

Approx size 5x7"

I stamped the window onto cream linen card in grey versafine clair ink and die cut into an arch.  I added some text stamping in grey around the panel to add texture and feel of stone walls and then softly watercoloured with distress inks.  Lightly inked the edges in grey and matted onto cardbase die cut from more cream linen.

I then stamped the flowers in grey, watercoloured with distress inks, cut out and got arranging.  To make the flowers look more natural I cut the heads of some and glued back on the stems at different angles so that they weren't all facing the same way.  Stamped the quote onto more cream linen and added among the flowers.

Just a close up of the flowers, i added shape to the heads and adhered with pinflair glue gel for dimension which also made it easier to tuck the quote inbetween them.

Version 2 using a different door stamp from the set

Items Used:

Katzelkraft stamps 'les portes'

Katzelkraft stamps 'carpe diem quotes'

aall&create stamps #851 'rise & shine'

Distress Inks - cracked pistachio, evergreen bough, shaded lilac, iced spruce, dried marigold, wild honey, ripe persimmon, 

Versafine Clair Ink 'Morning mist'

Crealies XL arch dies

CraftUk Ltd cream linen card

We have this lovely prize from Lavinia for the lucky winner so hop over to We Love Stamping to join in with your stamped makes and be in with a chance of winning

I hope you are all coping ok with the heat here in the UK, just not use to it are we, my MS hates it so Im hibernating in front of the fans.  The farms are getting desperate for some rain now, I expect when it does start raining it won't know when to stop!  Keep cool everyone and carry on crafting. Emmax

Id love to enter the following:

https://thesisterhoodofcrafters.blogspot.com/2026/07/july-2026-flowers-challenge.html

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https://beautifulblossomschallenge.blogspot.com/2026/07/beautiful-blossoms-challenge-anything.html

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https://neglectedstuff.blogspot.com/2026/07/neglected-july-2026-challenge.html - haven't used all 3 sets of stamps for years

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https://mixitupchallenge.blogspot.com/2026/07/miucb-84-anything-goes-optional-shape.html

 

June WLS #2 - Sports and hobbies

 Good Morning everyone

Time for some mid month inspiration for We Love Stamping Where the theme is 

SPORTS & HOBBIES

Once again I've gone down the hobbies route and this time a masculine card.  The men in my family have hobbies including wood and metal work and one brother likes nothing better than tinkering with engines and building things out of metal - he's made some amazing sculptures over the years out of scrap metal, nuts, bolts, cogs and old cutlery and dad can fix pretty much anything which is very useful! This card is ideal for both my dad and brother.  The stamping is the background.

Card size 6x6"

See last photo for how i made my stamped cog background. 

I then die cut the offset scalloped edge die from the front of the card - with the spine at the top so tent fold.  I then die cut the cog background to fit and a matt of black card, adhering to the front ensuring that the scalloped edge lined up each time.

As you cut a piece off the front of the card you can see inside of the card so to this i added more black card and cog design so that when the card is closed it is part of the design - photos below show this better.

I inked up a scrap of white card with the same blue and green distress inks used for the background and then die cut my alphas to spell 'Mr Fix It' matted onto white and then black card.  Cogs die cut from snippets of silver and blue mirror card and the screwdriver and spanners die cut from dark green mirror card scraps and then all arranged in a cascade down the front of the card, some flat and some with glue gel.

Showing the card stood up open, the point at the front holds it up nicely. 

Showing it side on

And from the opposite side.  

and onto my stamped background

My stamped cog background

I started with A4 white cardstock and this cog stamp. This is an A7 (4.1x2.9") stamp so i stamped it multiple times in black rotating it as i went so they weren't all facing the same way.  Once the black was completely dry i then over stamped the same cog stamp with distress inks salty ocean and evergreen bough, this added some nice colour to the background and broke up all the black.

Items Used:

aall&create stamp set #664 'Multilayered cogs'

MFT scalloped edge die

Cheerylynn cog dies

Tool dies (?brand)

Alpha dies (?brand)

Distress Inks 'salty ocean' 'evergreen bough'

Versafine Clair black ink

Black and white cardstock

We have these stamps from Visible Image as the prize this month so do hop over to We Love Stamping to join in, we do also have the anything goes option if sports and hobbies not for you but it must include stamping.

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Id love to enter the following:

https://pinspirationalchallenges.blogspot.com/2026/06/pinspirational-challenge-338-june-blue.html

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https://craftingacutabove.blogspot.com/2026/06/june-challenge-and-july-anniversary-news.html

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https://dragonflydreamschallenges.blogspot.com/2026/06/june-challenge-masculine.html

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https://girlzandtheartofletters.blogspot.com/2026/06/challenge-29-de-letter-van-c-van.html -

  C for COGS

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https://sweetstampinchallengeblog.blogspot.com/2026/06/sweet-stampin-something-for-boys.html

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https://craftycalendarchallenge.blogspot.com/2026/06/crafty-calendar-june-challenge-all.html

 

WLS May#2 - All creatures great and small

 Good Morning everyone

Time for some midway inspiration for We Love Stamping where the theme is 

ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL

I went with one of the smallest creatures (mouse) last time so this time its one of the largest creatures and this fabulous whale stamp from aall&create, this is another one thats been neglected for a while too so good to get it out.  I have teamed it up with one of my brusho/pixie powder backgrounds - I have a draw full of backgrounds as I often have sessions making them when i don't feel like properly crafting... plus I make such a mess using brushos that its good to get lots made at once and then one lot of clean up!

Card Size approx 5x7" die cut from navy blue cardstock, I felt the rounded corners on this die set picked up on the curve of the whale nicely. I die cut my brusho & pixie powder background to fit the card front, then stamped the whale stamp with blue versaclair ink and then used a circle embossing folder - this to pick up on bubbles in the water. I then lightly inked over the top with chipped sapphire distress ink to just help the embossing stand out a little bit more - not too heavy as i still wanted it to be in the background.  I used posca paint pens on the background stamping to add a little bit extra colour, using yellow and white on some of the hexagons.

I then stamped the whale onto a pinky patterned paper which is not a very realistic colour I know but a nice contrast to the background!  I added some white pen highlights, curved her body and adhered into place with glue gel.

I then die cut some seaweed bits from green holographic card off cuts that were on my desk.  Sentiments stamped onto white with the same blue ink and adhered into place - these sentiments come from a ZinskiArt mermaid set but fit well i feel.

You can make out the mica of the pixie powders in the background better here and the holographic seaweed, both shimmer & dance when the light hits them like the sparkle of sunshine on the water.

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and version 2 which is more muted

Made almost the same way as the first one but this time i started with a background made using oxide inks so very muted.  I die cut an old tim holtz holey die into the background and matted onto silver holographic cardstock.  The whale was stamped onto card that had been sprayed with blue & purple ink and bright pink mica spray.

Hard to really show off the holographic but you can make it out more on the bottom of the photo, with the matt finish of the oxide background it really shimmers and dances - i went with this to give the effect of bubbles in the water

Items Used:

aall&create stamp #390 'sea life'

Funky Fossil 'ZinskiArt' stamp set 'Making waves'

Funky Fossil stamp set 'weird fish'

Sizzix circle embossing folder (very old!)

? Nesting dies

Dawn Bibby die set DBC0371 'Into the deep' embellishment set

Brusho Powders

Cosmic shimmer pixie powder

Chipped Sapphire distress ink

Distress Oxide - shaded lilac, cracked pistachio, tumbled glass & iced spruce

Versafine Clair ink 'Medieval blue'

Silver & green holographic card from Aldi

Navy cardstock

We have these lovely stamps from aall&create as the prize this month so hop over to We love stamping to join in, as well as the all creatures great and small theme we always have the anything goes option as long as you include stamping.

Id love to enter card one into the following:

https://craftrocketchallenges.blogspot.com/2026/05/challenge-136-not-square.html

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https://2craftycrittercrazies.blogspot.com/2026/05/critter-crazy-challenges-110-anything.html

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https://craftyanimals.blogspot.com/2026/05/challenge-105.html

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https://creativefriday.blogspot.com/2026/05/creative-friday-411-jedes-tier-ist.html - all animals permitted

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Tri-fold shutter card for Creative Creases

Good Morning to you all.

I have 2 posts today and both very different so be sure to check them both out...or hop over here

Im honoured to be guest DT over at Creative Creases Challenge once again

This time I decided to use an old tattered lace die set to make an A4 tri fold shutter card.  Its years old and was preloved when I bought it so it must be over 10yrs old and been gathering dust!

I also wanted to use some old paperartsy flower stamps so have gone for a full on summer vibe.

A4 white die cut card base.  I then made my own blue sky background which you can see at the end of the post, this i then die cut with the matt layer dies from the set.

I stamped the flowers with dark blue ink so a bit softer than black and coloured with alcohol markers. I then fussy cut the flowers and got arranging, adhering some flat and some with pinflair glue gel for dimension.  I added them in 2 different bunches so that depending on what angle the card is stood at you mostly see different flowers.

I stamped 2 butterflies in purple, added soft colour, cut out and added to the panels along with 2 flower heads.

The quote was stamped in blue and added to the middle.  Touches of diamond stickles glitter glue added to the flower centres and butterfly wings for a little bit of sparkle to finish. 

The quote 'There are always flowers for those who want to see them' - it was originally a vertical stamp but wouldn't fit the middle panel so by cutting the words up I made it fit😁.

I coloured these flowers more like red poppies.  The foliage was such a fine stamp I didn't fancy fussy cutting so i stamped it in green ink and coloured completely over the top with green alcohol marker and then cut out.  To make my arrangements i cut the heads and stems off some so that i could stick at different angles and make more realistic, the foliage i cut into small pieces and tucked in among the flowers.  

and onto my background below

My background.  I started with a sheet of white A4 and added turquoise and ultramarine brusho powders.  Once completely dry and to soften the vibrancy a little i used an A4 shell stencil with matt lilac acrylic paint.  I then added lots of stamping with various inks and stamps using 1st,2nd&3rd generation stamping - basically just stamping until no ink left on the stamp.  The main text reads 'spread a little happiness wherever you go' this is an aall&create stamp set.

To finish the background i took this sun swirly stencil and used gold acrylic paint, sadly photos don't pick up how shiny it it, but when the light hits it, it adds a subtle bling to the background

Items Used:

Tattered lace A4 shutter die set (very old)

Paperartsy stamps 'JOFY 11' 'JOFY14' 'EKC03'

aall&create stamps #851 'rise&shine #628 'spread a little happiness'

Shell and swirl stencils (?brand?)

Decoart gold paint

Folkart matt paint

Alcohol markers

Brusho powders 'turquoise, ultramarine'

Versafine Clair inks 'medieval blue' 'green oasis''monarch''purple delight'

Ranger stickles 'diamond'

 

Hop over to Creative Creases to see what the talented DT created and to join in with your fancy folds.

When I made this a few weeks ago it was wild, wet & windy so I was thinking of sunnier days, since then my mojo has gone on holiday...hopefully it returns soon as I do have birthdays to make for!  Its been beautiful weather last couple of weeks in Cornwall - windy but that is ideal for drying the washing as long as you add plenty of pegs😁 And hat it definitely needed for my walks but it was beautifully and sunny so you can forgive the wind.  I hope you all have a wonderful month of May. Emma

 

Id love to also enter the following:

https://www.simplyellibelle.com/2026/04/ellibelles-garden-party-no-14-anything.html

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https://do-allkreatives.blogspot.com/2026/05/113-blumen-als-blickfang.html

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https://mixitupchallenge.blogspot.com/2026/05/miucb-83-anything-goes-optional-stamp.html - stamped background

 

WLS April #1 - Wakey Wakey spring is here

Happy Easter to you all.

Welcome to April and our theme over at We Love Stamping this month is 

SPRING

Or you can always go with the anything goes option as long as you use stamping

Ive gone a bit outside the box this time and not used a spring designed stamp or my usual spring florals and instead had the idea to use this bear stamp who is waking up and drinking his coffee after coming out of hibernation.  I was also on a mission to use some very old paper pads which had spring colours in them.

Sorry for the bit blurry photos, my camera just kept focusing on the bear as the focal point and not the whole card....after nearly 50 attempts I had to accept defeat and the camera won😒

Approx size 6x6"  I used 300gsm A4 cream linen card, I folded in half and cut to 6" tall, on the right hand side of the front panel I die cut the tulip edge die - just to add interest and also use the die again! 

I took one of the papers from the 6x6 pad to line the inside which peeks through the tulip, i kept it a plain paper so can be written on.  I then cut another paper to fit the front, using the tulip die to get the right curve on the right hand side and also cut a smaller panel of cream card and embossed with a leaf embossing folder - I matted these and adhered to the card front.

I stamped the bear onto more of the cream card used for the base and one of the patterned papers, i coloured the bear with alcohol markers, cut out his pj's and pieced onto the base image.  I die cut this into an oval and matted onto another oval and added to the card front.

Computer printed sentiment 'wakey wakey' & 'spring is here' as the bear comes out of hibernation.

Showing it stood up and the lovely tulip edge 

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I made a few versions so made a little dent in some papers!

A more pink version.  Im quite pleased as managed to use really busy patterned papers that get left in paper pads and by having them as the matt layer behind my embossed panel its not too overwhelming

A more blue and green version, again behind the embossed panel I used a paper which is lovely but the pattern made my eyes go funny....these are double sided papers so I actually die cut the oval heart out of the middle of the patterned paper mat layer as i knew it would be hidden behind the embossed panel - thus making those luxury papers go further

Items Used:

aall&create stamp set #253 'Morning'

Technique Tuesday Tulip edge die

Sizzix leaf embossing folder (very old)

crafters companion 3d lace embossing folder

Paper pads - all very old and some loose left over pages

Ivory linen 300gsm card

Alcohol markers

white gel pen

We have lovely prizes from Lavinia for the lucky winner this month so hop over to We Love Stamping to join in and in with a chance of winning

I hope you all have a wonderful month of April.  Big hugs Emmaxx

Id love to enter card #1 into the following:

https://allsortschallenge.blogspot.com/2026/03/challenge-846.html

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https://fabnfunkychallenges.blogspot.com/2026/04/challenge-634-easterspring.html

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https://daranddiane.blogspot.com/2026/04/double-d-humor-challenge-2026.html - I think my card is humous and tongue in cheek😁

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https://creativeknockouts.blogspot.com/2026/04/568-april-2-embossing-delight-rachelle.html

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https://paper-rocks-scissors.blogspot.com/2026/04/april-15-challenge.html - used paper for the background & bears PJ's and scissors to cut out the bear

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https://sweetstampinchallengeblog.blogspot.com/2026/03/sweet-stampin-spring-or-easter-creations.html

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