Darkroom Door

Ten Days of Giveaways Day 10 - Enjoy Life Rubber Stamps

We're up to the last day of the giveaways! Reading all of your stories from yesterdays post has been hilarious! People turning up to the wrong weddings and parties, cakes being dropped, slip n slide adventures (way too funny!)... it certainly has made for some great reading! If you haven't read the comments from yesterday, do yourself a favour and go read them here. You'll belly laugh for sure! 

So the last stamp set we have to show is the Enjoy Life rubber stamps:

The images from this set are from the Netherlands and Denmark - two places where we loved riding our bikes to explore the cities and landscape. The quotes are all about enjoying life (of course!!), meeting up with friends, staying young, letting the wind rush through your hair...

Here's a couple of samples I've made:

 

The bike image was stamped onto an alcohol ink background (Butterscotch & Lettuce) using Jet Black ink. Mounted onto black then fawn cardstock and adhered to a folded rosey card. Stamped 'Enjoy Life' and cut them into separate words. Mounted onto black cardstock and adhered to the card with foam adhesive. 

Here's another card:

 

I stamped this bike image on an alcohol ink background (same as last card: Butterscotch and Lettuce). Then mounted onto Burgundy cardstock, then black. Tied some ribbon around the left side and adhered to a folded brown card. Stamped the quote onto the alcohol ink background, mounted to black cardstock and adhered to the card with foam adhesive.

And here's an ATC using that same stamp:

This was stamped onto an alcohol inked background that I had left over from previous projects. I can't recall the exact inks used, but there is some Metallic Copper in there. Looks yummy in real life. I stamped the bike image, trimmed it down and mounted onto some green cardstock, then onto black cardstock. Stamped the quote onto some more of the alcohol ink background and trimmed each word separately. Adhered them over the stamped image. Mounted the entire panel onto a brown ATC base.

So what do you think? To be entered in today's giveaway, leave a comment here and tell us how you enjoy life! A winner will be drawn randomly from today's comments... and will win the Enjoy Life stamp set!

Winners will be announced on 1st August 2009. There will be a different prize each day and your comments are only valid for that days drawing. So for more chances of winning a prize, check back each day and leave a comment to be in each draw!!!

Unlock the artist within!

Ten Days of Giveaways Day 9 - All Occasions Rubber Stamps

Loved reading your comments from yesterdays post with the techniques you'd like to use. Bleach stamping was a popular choice! I love that effect and I think it would be great technique for the Wildflowers Vol 2 stamps! 

Today I'm showing you the All Occasions stamp set:

How's this for value? There's 47 stamps on this set! How many times have you wanted to make a card but didn't have the right sentiment? Look no further - or as my 8 yr old son would say 'problem solved'! I wanted to do a set that includes the most popular occasions I could think of, with a few little picture stamps to make it even more useful and fun. This would be an essential set to have in everyone's stamp collection, I know I'll be using it over and over!

The sentiments from the All Occasions stamp set can be combined with any picture stamp from other sets, but for today's samples, I wanted to show you how you can create cards using JUST this stamp set. Here's the first sample:

See the small candle stamp on the stamp set? I used this one stamp to make a row of candles. I used Marvy Le Plume II pens to it ink up as it was a lot easier using the pens rather than big inkpads. The flame was coloured with 43 Brilliant Yellow, and the base of the candle was coloured with (from left to right): 97 Apple Green, 46 Crimson Lake, 100 Sapphire, 96 Jungle Green, 49 Vermilion, 31 Pale Violet. I stamped Happy Birthday underneath in Jet Black ink. Trimmed the white cardstock, mounted onto Sweetheart cardstock and wrapped white ribbon around the bottom. Mounted onto green cardstock, added some photo corners and attached to a folded Sweetheart card!

Here's an ATC:

I stamped the tiny little heart using pink ink onto light pink cardstock. The cardstock measured 2" x 3" and 5 hearts fitted perfectly from left to right, with 7 rows. I stamped one of the hearts in white just to give it a focal point! Mounted it onto black then white cardstock. Stamped 'love' onto pink cardstock with Jet Black ink, mounted onto black cardstock and wrapped ribbon around the right hand side. Adhered to white cardstock and onto the ATC!

I could keep going on and on for samples... but will share more in the Gallery soon. Here's some other ideas for using this stamp set:

• Stamp the flowers in different colours all over a background to make a garden of flowers. Stamp any sentiment on top!
• The base of the candle (or the arrow) could be used to create a 'house' - like bricks. Use 'new home' for the sentiment!
  
• Combine the sentiments from any of our other stamp sets. For instance, use Happy Father's Day from this set with the Vintage Automobiles. Or Happy Mother's Day with any of our flower sets! Really, the options are endless...

So what do you think? To be entered in today's giveaway, leave a comment here and tell us a funny story from any occasion you've been to or experienced. A birthday cake disaster? Wedding day catastrophes?  A very merry Christmas? A winner will be drawn randomly from today's comments... and will win the All Occasions stamp set!

Winners will be announced on 1st August 2009. There will be a different prize each day and your comments are only valid for that days drawing. So for more chances of winning a prize, check back each day and leave a comment to be in each draw!!!

Unlock the artist within!

Ten Days of Giveaways Day 8 - Wildflower Vol 2 Rubber Stamps

It's getting really busy here at darkroom door... we're madly preparing all of the stock ready for shipping and Stew is pressing rubber like crazy! We love reading all of your comments each day - your own stories are taking us on a journey too. And you're making us even more excited about giving away these prizes!

Today I'm showing you the Wildflower Vol 2 Stamp set:

More wildflowers from my morning walks! We've included a few clusters of flowers too for something different to our other stamp sets. See the long stemmed cluster in the bottom left corner? I see them every morning at our school bus stop and I've always thought they'd make a great stamp! And I was right... check out this card using that stamp:

This was created by stamping the stems using Brilliance Moonlight White ink onto the light pink cardstock. I stamped it three times to create a bigger cluster of stems. I stamped the butterfly from the Wildflowers Vol 1 stamp set in the top right corner. Mount onto green cardstock and wrap ribbons around the bottom and tie at the front. I stamped the 'Carefree' word using Adirondack Raisin ink. Adhere completed panel to a Sweetheart Bazzill folded card to complete!

Here's another card:

This card is created using Stampbord and Alcohol inks. Firstly, cover the Stampbord with a combination of TerraCotta, Lettuce, Red Pepper and Butterscotch Alcohol Inks. Stamp flower with Jet Black ink. Allow to dry. Stampbord is a clay based product that can be scratched to reveal white underneath. I scratched the right hand side of the flowers to give them highlights. Adhere the Stampbord to green then orange cardstock. Attach to a folded green card. Stamp words and attach to the card as shown.

Here's some other ideas for using this stamp set:

• Stamp the flowers repeatedly without re-inking to give a shadow effect. This creates a whole field of flowers!
• Ink the flowers using a colour for the petals and green for the stems to give a more realistic look. For the smaller flowers, use a fine tip pen like Marvy Le Plume II to get into the smaller areas easily.
• Combine a variety of flowers from the stamp set to create a field of different flowers.

Here's lastly, here's an ATC:

 

Simple ATC using the Brushless Watercolour technique. I used Caramel, Raisin and Meadow Adirondack Inks to ink up the stamp, then sprizted the stamp with water and stamped onto watercolour cardstock. Dry with heat tool. Then stamped the words over the top using Jet Black ink. Adhere to red cardstock then black cardstock. Added some german scrap to complete. Simple and fun :)

So what do you think? To be entered in today's giveaway, leave a comment here and tell us what technique you'd like to use with these stamps! A winner will be drawn randomly from today's comments... and will win the Wildflowers Vol 2 stamp set.

Winners will be announced on 1st August 2009. There will be a different prize each day and your comments are only valid for that days drawing. So for more chances of winning a prize, check back each day and leave a comment to be in each draw!!!

Unlock the artist within!

Ten Days of Giveaways Day 7 - Vintage Automobiles Rubber Stamps

Well here we are at Day 7! Isn't this going so quickly? I'm having so much fun making up the samples let me tell you!! Thank you so much for dropping by here each day to check out the new stuff...

Today I'm showing you the Vintage Automobiles Rubber Stamps:

 

Here's a stamp set for all the guys! My Great Grandfather owned a series of T-Fords and my Grandfather has fond memories of driving around in them. Apparently a few days after my Grandfather was born, he was brought home in one of these cars. He still has that car in his shed today :)

Here's some ideas on how to use this stamp set:

• The automobiles are in two different sizes. A larger size, perfect for cards or layouts, and a smaller size perfect for ATC's, Tags, Gift Cards or smaller embellishments. Mix and match for your own needs!
•  We've added the 'hill' quotes as a fun birthday greeting. You could stamp the 'Over the hill?' quote on the outside of the card and the 'Just remember' quote would work well on the inside too!
• The 'Old Friends' quote is great for... friends!! Likewise the journey quote could be used for any occasion - travel, bon voyage, general life. With all of these quotes it makes it a versatile set for different occasions.
• While the vintage images look great in vintage colours such as brown & black, they would also look great stamped in red, blue, and other more contemporary colours for other generations!
• Combine the images with the 'Happy Father's Day' sentiment from the All Occasions stamp set! (or any other occasion that suits!)

Here's a card I created using this stamp set:

I stamped the convertible onto Fawn cardstock with Black Ink, then mounted it onto green and brown cardstock. Inked the edges with Sepia ink. Stamp the quote onto Fawn cardstock with black ink. Mount onto brown cardstock and ink the edges. I've used the Esplori paper from the Venetian Collection as a background - I think the map works well! Wrapped some ribbon around the right side, and adhered it all as shown. 

Here's a quick and easy artist trading card:

I stamped the quote (a little crooked!) with Black ink on fawn cardstock. Then stamped the smaller automobiles with sepia ink. I stamped them first onto scrap paper, then onto the fawn cardstock so they were lighter. Ink the edges with sepia ink, adhered to black then red cardstock. Added some german scrap to complete! 

So what do you think? To be entered in today's giveaway, leave a comment here and tell us what journey you'd like to go on in one of these old automobiles!

A winner will be drawn randomly from today's comments... and will win the Vintage Automobiles stamp set!

Winners will be announced on 1st August 2009. There will be a different prize each day and your comments are only valid for that days drawing. So for more chances of winning a prize, check back each day and leave a comment to be in each draw!!!

Unlock the artist within!

Ten Days of Giveaways Day 6: Yuletide Collection

Has anyone wondered why we called our Christmas release the Yuletide Collection? Stew's surname (and my married name) is Yule! So of course we had to use it :) Stewart really is Father Christmas in this house!!! He's been known to dress in the red & white suit for Christmas Day too - except he doesn't quite have the big jolly belly that the real Santa has! But it certainly makes the day fun!

So...today I'm showing you the Yuletide paper products which include the Photochips, Montage, Filmstrips and Wordstrips:

 

 

When I was dreaming up this collection, I wanted to do a series of photos that were mainly red & white with a hint of green here and there. I wanted to create a collection that could be used for scrapbook layouts, Christmas Cards, gift tags, tree ornaments... the list goes on! I'm so happy with how everything looks together, and as you can see, we added a red Wordstrip into the mix! I love it!!!

Here's a couple of samples:

When you want to send handmade cards but don't want to spend too much time making them, then use Photochips! This card is so quick to make. Simply adhere the Photochip to light green cardstock, tie red ribbon around the right hand side and attach to a dark green folded card. Trim a word off the Wordstrip and adhere to light green cardstock. Attach to the card to complete! Doesn't get easier or quicker than that!! You'd have all your Christmas cards made in no time at all :)

Here's a card showing the Montage and Red Wordstrip:

For this I used one of the larger images from the Yuletide Montage. I trimmed the light green cardstock long enough to allow some of the white sheer ribbon to wrap around the bottom. Adhered the light green cardstock to red cardstock. Attach the Montage image and wrap the sheer ribbon around the bottom. Trim a word off the Yuletide Vol 2 Wordstrip and attach to the ribbon. Adhere entire piece to white cardstock, then onto a folded green card.

I wanted to share some ideas using the Filmstrips too... but I've had a huge weekend away and haven't had time to complete them. But I'll finish them soon and will put them up in the Gallery next week. In the meantime, here's some other ideas for this whole Yuletide Collection:

• Any of the products can be used as accents or embellishments on scrapboook layouts. 
• The Filmstrips and Wordstrips are a full 12" strip, so they can be used as an entire border on a layout. There is one vertical and one horizontal Filmstrip so you can have a border that goes up and down, or left to right on your layout.
• Trim the Filmstrip into singular images for smaller accents on tags etc.
• The tiny Montage images look fabulous on gift tags on your Christmas gifts!
• Create Christmas tree ornaments with the Filmstrips by creating bottlecap accents. You can see the Prague ones here. Just drill a hole in the edge of the bottlecap, thread some ribbon through it to hang from a tree!
• You can also create more tree ornaments by trimming two of the same sized Montage images and sticking them back to back so there is an image on both sides. Punch a hole at the top and thread some ribbon through to hang from the tree.

Hope you like the ideas! To be entered in today's giveaway, leave a comment here and tell us: what would you like to create with the Yuletide Collection? A winner will be drawn randomly from today's comments... and will win a goodie pack that includes Yuletide Photochips, Yuletide Montage, Yuletide Filmstrips and Wordstrips. 

Winners will be announced on 1st August 2009. There will be a different prize each day and your comments are only valid for that days drawing. So for more chances of winning a prize, check back each day and leave a comment to be in each draw!!!

Unlock the artist within!

Ten Days of Giveaways Day 5 - Yuletide Vol 2 Rubber Stamps

Love reading your thoughts about Christmas and what you love the most! I love the fact it is the one day where I will eat whatever I want, no guilt (that happens later!!) Last year my Mum made the best mango cheesecake, and I swear I put on 3 kilos just from that cheesecake! But it was worth it. Yum :) I also love being with family and seeing our kids with all of their aunts and uncles (they have 8 of them!) and cousins. They'll have a new cousin this Christmas too... he'll be born next month! 

Anyway, today I'm showing you the Yuletide Vol 2 Rubber Stamps:

Judging by the amount of pre-orders we have for this stamp set - you must like it already! I'm with you on that, I love this set. There's collage, quotes, pine leaf, and some ornaments which can be used in so many ways. The collage stamps can be so versatile. You can just stamp them as is onto cardstock, or you can layer them and use different colours, depending on how detailed you want to go. I love the pine leaf too, so great for adding a bit of nature into your creations! And the ornaments.... oh I love those! I'll talk more about them in a moment though.

Firstly, here's a card I created using the Santa Claus stamp:

I stamped the Santa image into fawn cardstock with Sepia ink. Then mounted it onto green cardstock. Stamped the pine leaf randomly over the red folded card background using Olive ink. Adhered the mounted Santa image to the front. Stamped 'Believe', mounted it onto green cardstock and attached it to the card. Done! 

Here's a card showing the hanging ornaments:

 

First stamp one of the quotes in Olive cardstock. Then you know where you can stamp the ornaments. I simply stamped them in Crimson and alternated them in height. Once they're stamped, draw the line through the top loop to show they are actually hanging! These stamps would look fabulous embossed in a glitter embossing powder too. Or covered in a light layer of Stickles. 

Hope you like the ideas! To be entered in today's giveaway, leave a comment here and tell us: what is the best present Santa has ever given you? Or what is your favourite memory of Christmas? A winner will be drawn randomly from today's comments... and will win the Yuletide Vol 2 stamp set!

Winners will be announced on 1st August 2009. There will be a different prize each day and your comments are only valid for that days drawing. So for more chances of winning a prize, check back each day and leave a comment to be in each draw!!!

Unlock the artist within!

Ten Days of Giveaways Day 4 - Yuletide Vol 1 Rubber Stamps

It has been fun reading your comments from yesterdays post about your favourite Prague image. I wouldn't be able to pick a favourite. Many of you mentioned that some images looked so mysterious. I agree, and that's exactly what I love about the Prague Collection. One thing that I love to do is photograph cities with the absence of people. Of course I do like having people in my pictures too, but I think a lot of places take on a different 'feel' when there are no people. It becomes more timeless. More mysterious. More enchanting. (notice all of these words are on the Prague Wordstrip!) To have no people in the images can be a bit tricky. But all I do is wake up before dawn and shoot just after daybreak. There's barely anyone around. On our last night in Prague, I mentioned to Stew that I thought I hadn't finished photographing it. I had photographed Prague by night and day, but I knew there was something I was missing. I told Stew I was going to get up early and go back to Charles Bridge for one last shoot. So on our last morning there, I was up before dawn and made my way to Charles bridge. I was alone, Stew was still asleep. There were barely any people there, and I was right: the city was serene, quiet, peaceful, mysterious, calm, just the way I wanted it to be. It was beautiful. Many of the images you see in the Prague Collection are from that morning. It was a wonderful way to spend my last day in Prague.

Some of you had asked if that is a clock on one of the Photochips. Yes, it is :) It's the astrological clock that is in the main square. Quite a tourist attraction now and very beautiful in real life. The clock can be seen in some Montage images and also on the Prague Vol 2 stamp set. 

Now... it's time to introduce the Yuletide Collection! Let's begin with Yuletide Vol 1 Rubber Stamps:

 

We've had LOTS of requests for a Christmas themed collection, and I was keen to comply! Usually Christmas cards are made in large quantities, so I wanted to design stamps that were easy to use and still versatile so you can do more complex creations if needed. This first set concentrates mainly on trees and stars, with a holly sprig too. 

Here's some ideas on how to use this stamp set:

• Stamp the tall tree a few times without reinking to get a shaded effect that looks like a forest. 
• The smallest star fits perfectly on top of the tall tree. Stamp in gold or silver to make it a Christmas tree!
• The forest of trees look great stamped on a landscape style card and also stamped again if you want a longer or larger forest.
• The stars can be stamped to create a whole background, stamped and trimmed then adhered to cards with foam tape to make them stand out, stamped on gift tags... endless possibilities!
• Combine all three stars together to form a star cluster.
• Ink the holly with red and green ink or pens to make it look more realistic.
• The quotes can be mixed and matched. We have included the '&' symbol so you can create things like 'Merry Christmas & Happy New Year' or "Love & Hope'

Here's a card I created using this stamp set:

I stamped the tall tree onto cream cardstock using Olive ink, then stamped to the left and right without re-inking. I stamped the small star in gold ink at the top of the middle tree. Stamped a quote onto cream card using Olive ink then inked all sides with gold ink. Mounted both pieces onto gold cardstock, then onto the green folded card to complete! 

Here's another card:

For this card I stamped Merry Christmas & Happy New Year onto cream cardstock. The holly was inked up using Marvy Le Plume pens: 15 Olive Green and 46 Crimson Lake. I coloured the leaves green and the berries red. Then stamped around the edges of the card. By stamping the quote first, you then know how much room you have for the holly. You can see I stamped twice in some areas without re-inking just to give a bit more depth to the holly branches.

I want to show you the stars too, so here's an ATC: 

I stamped the background with the flourish stamp from Ornate Elements stamp set using Olive ink. I stamped it first onto scrap paper, then onto the green card so it was just a 'hint' of a pattern. The stars were stamped onto cream cardstock using Crimson ink. I trimmed around them and adhered the large star directly to the ATC, then the smaller star over the top with foam adhesive. Stamped '25th December' onto a strip of red using Olive ink.

So what do you think? To be entered in today's giveaway, leave a comment here and tell us what you love most about Christmas! A winner will be drawn randomly from today's comments... and will win the Yuletide Vol 1 stamp set!

Winners will be announced on 1st August 2009. There will be a different prize each day and your comments are only valid for that days drawing. So for more chances of winning a prize, check back each day and leave a comment to be in each draw!!!

Unlock the artist within!

Ten Days of Giveaways Day 3 - Prague Collection

Loved reading all of your comments from yesterdays post about what era you'd love to time travel to! How great would it be if we could travel anywhere just for a day? There are so many era's I would love to experience, even just for a day - the 20's, 30's, 40's, 50's... and so on! Imagine spending one day in each decade, seeing the changes. Even the difference between 1999 and 2009 is pretty amazing with the different technology so readily available now compared to ten years ago.

Today I'm showing you the Prague paper products which include the Photochips, Montage, Filmstrips and Wordstrips:

As you can probably tell by now, I love European cities, especially ones that have character like Prague. I'm so pleased to be able to share with you my favourite photographs from my time in Prague. The timeless black and white means they will co-ordinate with any project and you can alter the images in so many ways...

Here's a couple of samples:

I tinted the entire Prague Photochip using Antique Linen Distress Ink first, using a blending tool and foam. This gives the Photochip a real warmth - almost a sepia tone. You can do this with any of the Distress Inks, obviously the tint will differ depending on the colour used.

I then stamped 'enjoy the journey' from the Prague Vol 1 Stamp set using Jet Black archival ink. The corners were stamped with the small flourish from the same stamp set. Heat set the ink if it's still a bit wet, then adhere to black card. Wrap ribbons around the bottom and tie at the front. Adhere to a brown card. I've also lightly inked the card to show a little of the texture.

Here's an artist trading card:

 

For this I used one of the larger images from the Prague Montage. Simply wrapped the brown ribbon around the bottom and adhered to brown card, then onto a black ATC. Have you noticed we have introduced a BLACK Wordstrip for this collection? I just LOVE it!!! Not only the black, but also the size of the words. I've been wanting some really tiny words for ages, so finally I was able to incorporate some into this wordstrip. Perfect for ATC's!

Speaking of the small words on the Prague Wordstrips... here I've used them in bottlecaps:

To create the bottlecaps, punch out an image from the Prague Filmstrip using a 1" circle punch. Adhere inside the bottlecap using some Glossy Accents. trim a word from the Prague Wordstrip and adhere inside. Then fill the bottlecap with Glossy Accents and allow to dry!

One more card:

 

Simple card made with a Photochip and a section from the Prague Wordstrip. Did I mention how much I love the Prague Wordstrips???

Hope you like the ideas! To be entered in today's giveaway, leave a comment here and tell us: which is your favourite image from the Prague Photochips or Montage? A winner will be drawn randomly from today's comments... and will win a goodie pack that includes Prague Photochips, Prague Montage, Prague Filmstrips and Wordstrips. 

Winners will be announced on 1st August 2009. There will be a different prize each day and your comments are only valid for that days drawing. So for more chances of winning a prize, check back each day and leave a comment to be in each draw!!!

Unlock the artist within!

Ten Days of Giveaways Day 2 - Prague Vol 2 Rubber Stamps

Well we certainly have some INXS fans in the midst! You are correct, the answer to yesterdays post is INXS. They filmed Never Tear Us Apart, New Sensation and Guns In The Sky in Prague. Here's the clip for Never Tear Us Apart. Here's New Sensation, and Guns In The Sky.

Here are some other interesting facts to do with us and INXS:

• My first date with Stew was to an INXS concert. (The X concert in Sydney, 9th May 1991)
• We have seen INXS in concert at least 10 times. The last time we saw them was in Newcastle in the UK. We had just arrived on a ship from Norway (with our Kombi van) and we parked outside the Newcastle show arena to have dinner in the van. We saw INXS were playing there that night. We thought it may be sold out, but we managed to get two really great seats. And it was probably my most favourite INXS concert. Hutcho was in fine form!
• We have also seen the 'new' INXS with JD Fortune. They were still good!
• Never Tear Us Apart was our wedding bridal dance song. 
• and I can play the sax solo from Never Tear Us Apart! ha - just some useless info there!
• Garry Gary Beers lived only 5 minutes drive from our house for a while.
• When we were in Prague we found as many locations from the film clips as possible. It was fun scouting them out!

Anyway, that's all great, but let's get back onto Prague and the Prague Vol 2 Rubber Stamps:

One thing I just LOVE about European cities are the cobblestoned streets and alleyways that lead you on amazing and wonderous adventures. I wanted to create a stamp that was like a pathway that leads you to.... anywhere! That is the basis for this stamp set. The bottom image is of a street in Prague, but really, it could be anywhere. So this set is rather generic and you could turn the scene into all sorts of places.

The circle in the top right is the Astrological Clock that is in the main square of Prague. It represents the 12 astrological signs of the zodiac. Pair this with the lamp post, small flourish and a few quotes and single words and you have a versatile stamp set.

Here's some ideas on how to use this stamp set:

• Stamp the street scene in black ink on light cardstock and colour with Marvy Le Plume pens.
• Stamp the street scene in other colours such as sepia or olive for a more rustic tone look.
• Use the clock as a background stamp, or stamp and punch out to make it the centrepiece.
• The four single words at the top of the set can be mixed and matched according to your needs.
• The quotes are small enough to be used on ATC's yet large enough to be used as a sentiment on cards. They are a nice size so they can also be used with the street scene and not take up too much room.
• Stamp the quotes as is, or trim into separate parts for more different uses. Use some of the words on their own.
• Stamp the flourish repeatedly for a background.
• This small flourish would also make great jewelry by stamping into UTEE or polymer clay.

Here's a card I created using this stamp set:

I stamped the street image onto white glossy cardstock using Archival Jet Black ink. Then coloured the image using Marvy Le Plume pens. I used: 95 Celadon, 68 Daffodil Yellow, 81 Pale Mauve and a really great colour for the cobblestones is 38 Oyster Grey. I then stamped the words onto white cardstock, mounted them onto light green cardstock and attached them to the stamped image. Mounted onto light blue card, tore the bottom edge. Then mounted onto light green, tore the bottome edge and adhered to a dark blue card.

Here's an artist trading card I completed:

For this I stamped the clock with Olive ink onto the background. To get the light impression I first stamped onto scrap paper then onto the background. This gave it a lighter shade. I did the same with the small flourish, but with Sepia ink. Then stamped the light post, but using the full amount of ink so it was darker. Stamped the quote, trimmed into three pieces, mounted onto brown cardstock and attached to the ATC.

Hope you like the ideas! To be entered in today's giveaway, leave a comment here and tell us: if you could be in a time machine, what date or era would you like to go to and why? In the past? In the future? Let's hear it! A winner will be drawn randomly from today's comments... and will win the Prague Vol 2 stamp set!

Winners will be announced on 1st August 2009. There will be a different prize each day and your comments are only valid for that days drawing. So for more chances of winning a prize, check back each day and leave a comment to be in each draw!!!

Unlock the artist within!

Ten Days of Giveaways Day 1 - Prague Vol 1 Rubber Stamps

Thank you to everyone who has left comments or sent emails about our new releases!! We are so excited that YOU love them just as much as us!!! And yep, you guessed it... we want to share it all around, so it's time for another Ten Days of Giveaways! Over the next ten days we will show you some projects created from each new stamp set and from the paper products. Each day we'll also do a giveaway!!! I know, it's pretty darn exciting!!!

So, let's begin with Prague Vol 1 Rubber Stamps:

Stew and I visited Prague in our blue Kombi van many years ago and spent a week walking through this amazing enchanted city. We loved every minute of it. The history, the old cobblestoned streets, the ornate buildings, the river, the castle, and of course the famous Charles Bridge.

This stamp set includes one of my most favourite photographs that I have ever taken. See the image of Charles Bridge at the bottom? The framed black and white original hangs right here in the Darkroom Door studio. We have been looking at it every day... and now you can stamp it every day! 

Here's some ideas on how to use this stamp set:

• Stamp the bridge scene in black ink on light cardstock and colour with Marvy Le Plume pens.
• This stamp would also look great against a brayered colour background - like a sunset. You could also mask a moon in the sky!
• Use the quotes and smaller words for layering. I always love to include the city definition, as it can be combined with the images to describe the actual location.
• The flourish stamp has been created from elements of the gates at Prague Castle. This can be used as a decorative border, accent or corner element in your stamped artwork. I really want to try this with Distress Embossing Powders, I think the texture and details would be amazing!
• The postage cancellation is from the postcards I sent home from Prague!
• The little trio words are small enough to be punched out with a 1" circle punch, great for bottlecaps, or smaller artworks when you just need a few words. They could also be stamped separately if needed. That would be great for the really tiny mini tags.

Here's a card I created using this stamp set:

I stamped the Charles Bridge image onto white glossy cardstock using Archival Jet Black ink. Then coloured the image using Marvy Le Plume pens. I used: 95 Celadon, 77 Pastel Peach, 68 Daffodil Yellow, 42 Cream Yellow and a really great colour for the cobblestones is 38 Oyster Grey. I then stamped the Prague definition, mounted it all onto dark red card, then onto the dark brown card. Simple, but effective!!

Here's an artist trading card I completed:

For this I just wanted to randomly stamp the different stamps onto a background. They work really well together, and I love the little trio words! I've just used Archival Jet Black, Olive and Sepia inks onto Fawn and Rosey Bazzill cardstock. Inked the edges, and adhered it to a black ATC.

So what do you think? To be entered in today's giveaway, leave a comment here and tell us what Aussie music group filmed some of their music video clips in Prague? I can think of three songs they did clips for in Prague - try and guess at least one song. If you really want to challenge yourself, try and guess all three songs! And guess what - one of those songs was actually played at our wedding! (so there's a hint if you were at our wedding, haha!)

A winner will be drawn randomly from today's comments... and will win the Prague Vol 1 stamp set!

Winners will be announced on 1st August 2009. There will be a different prize each day and your comments are only valid for that days drawing. So for more chances of winning a prize, check back each day and leave a comment to be in each draw!!!

Unlock the artist within!