Darkroom Door

Wilderness Matchbox

Our Guest Artist Michelle Loffler has created the cutest little altered matchbox using the Wilderness Collection, Venetian Papers and Photography Rubber Stamps. Check it out:

Darkroom Door Supplies used:

Wilderness Montage
Wilderness Wordstrips
Photography Rubber Stamps
Venetian Papers: Rialto (on the lid and outer sides), Ti Amo (for the inside base), San Marco (inside edges)

Thanks for sharing Michelle!

Crayon Resist Class - Erina Scrapbook Store

Last week I taught a Crayon Resist Technique class at the Erina Scrapbook Store... and I was LOVING what the ladies were creating!!! We were using a range of Darkroom Door rubber stamps, along with Ranger inks and of course a crayon to create a bunch of cards. The technique is relatively easy and the results are simply stunning. Check out some of the cards that were made during the class:

Created with Garden Greetings Rubber Stamps, Butterflies Rubber Stamps, Jet Black Archival Ink, Butterscotch Adirondack ink, white crayon.

Card on left uses: Full Bloom Vol 1 rubber stamp set.
Card on right: Friendship Flowers stamp set.



Quote is from the Friendship Flowers stamp set, border is created by various butterflies from the Butterflies stamp set!

See... told you they were amazing! This is only a small sample of what they all created. I am always so inspired by those who attend my classes, from the colours of inks they choose, to the combination of stamps they choose... it's amazing watching their creativity in action! Thanks ladies for another wonderful evening!

(cards shown with permission)

Unlock the artist within!

Daisy Note Holder

Our fabulous guest artist Godelieve Tijskens has an amazing project to share with you! Check it out:

She has decorated a note holder with the Daisies from the Viva La Flora Photochips. The Photochip has been inked and embossed to give it the white edge. The little quote 'enjoy every moment' is from the Viva La Flora Vol 1 stamp set, also stamped and embossed. Here are some more images:

Godelieve has stamped little butterflies on the note paper inside the box too using the Butterflies stamp set. How cute do they look :)

What a great project! I love the simplicity of it - and how elegant it all looks. And it would make great gifts too. Here are the supplies Godelieve has used:

Darkroom Door Photochips: DDPC005 Viva La Flora
Darkroom Door Stamps: DDRS021 Viva La Flora Vol1, DDRS025 Butterflies
 
Tim Holtz :  Hinge Clips TH92692
Ranger :  Seafoam White embossing powder
Stampin'Up :  Gingham ribbon
Versamark Ink
Versafine Smokey Grey

Thanks for sharing with us Godelieve!!! :)

Viva La Flora Card

Yesterday we received a card from Willy Anderson in Spain who was one of the winners from our Ten Days of Giveaways! Willy won the Viva La Flora Vol 2 stamp set and she sent us this wonderful card using those stamps:

Isn't it amazing? I just LOVE seeing how our stamps are used - thank you so much Willy!! We're so pleased that you're enjoying them too!

Birthday Card & Layout

Shelly Williams was one of the lucky winners from our Ten Days of Giveaways in March and has shared some projects she created with her prize!! This card was created using the Wilderness Vol 2 Stamp Set:

And here's a layout created with the Photography stamp set:

Wonderful projects Shelly - thanks for sharing them with us!

Simplify

Supplies:
Darkroom Door: Viva La Flora Vol 2 Rubber Stamps (dandelion stamp)
Tim Holtz: Word Tag, hinge clip, mini fastener
Ranger: Alcohol inks, Archival Jet Black ink
Other: old text book paper, twine

Ten Days of Giveaways: Day 9

So.... today we're looking at the Artist rubber stamp set!

Oh yum, I love this set :) There's lots of elements on here that can be used in so many different ways (that's the recurring theme in all of our stamp sets - we try to make them as versatile as possible!) First of all there's the Artist Trading Card back. Fits an ATC perfectly of course. Other stamps like the quote, 9square art stamp, and the smaller words will fit onto an ATC but can also be used to decorate larger projects such as cards, journals, altered books, layouts... you name it.

Here's some samples to show you how they look...

The ATC on the left uses the 9 square Art stamp. I've embossed it with black embossing powder, then coloured with markers. You could also use Twinkling H2O's for a shimmery effect. The squares could also be cut out individually, in rows of three, or you could also raise some of the squares to give a bit of depth to particular images. Lots of fun to be had! I've photographed the back of an ATC using the Artist Trading Card stamp too.

Here's some of the other stamps in use:

For the ATC on the left, I've stamped the quote with black ink then embossed with Hologram embossing powder, giving it a real shimmer! I stamped around the quote with the splatter stamp. The red gaffer tape is by 7gypsies.

The ATC on the right: I stamped the splatter stamp in blue to cover the complete background, then stamped 'create art', the paintbrush and calligraphy pen in black and embossed with Hologram EP. Inked the edges with Cobalt ink and simply mounted onto black cardstock. I imagine the pen and paintbrush stamp would also look great stamped in different colours. Or in black ink on a white background and coloured in with different colours too. Again... lots of options!

Would you like to win the Artist stamp set? Leave a comment here today and tell us what you love about creating Artist Trading Cards! Also let us know how many you have collected. If you have a gallery of ATC's online, put the link in your comment too so we can all have a look :)

Unlock the artist within!

Ten Days of Giveaways: Day 8

Loved your ideas on how you'd like to use the Butterflies from yesterdays comments! So many things you can create with them :) Our daughter Zoë wants to stamp lots of them and attach them to the walls of her bedroom!

Today we're focusing on the Alphabet Medley stamp set:

An alphabet set is always essential to your stamp collection - and this set has two alphabets in one! :) The larger alphabet measures approximately 18mm (0.7"). The smaller letters are approximately 9mm (0.35"). Here's a few things you can do with this set:

• Create titles for scrapbook layouts with the larger alphabet
• Stamp journaling for scrapbook layouts with the smaller alphabet
• Create your own sentiments for greeting cards
• Stamp gift tags with the recipients name
• Create mail art - address your envelopes with these stamps!
• Create words for ATC's, journals etc
• Stamp dates - for layouts, birthdays, anniversaries.... any occasion!

These are only a few ideas... the good thing about having an alphabet set is it gives you options. Here's a couple of things I created with them:

I've used the Full Bloom Vol 2 paper on the card and have stamped 'Happy' with the large alphabet letters and 'birthday' with the smaller letters using Adirondack Butterscotch ink.

For the ATC - I've just created a number medley and mounted it onto the Robots Stripes paper.

If you're into mail art - here's a cool way to decorate your envelopes:

I've stamped the address using a combination of the large and small alphabet, then added some Butterflies. Sponged the envelope with Olive ink. Now it's ready for me to mail to myself, haha. I'm heading off to New Zealand next week, so perhaps I should use it to send Stew a love letter while I'm away :)

So who wants to win the Alphabet Medley stamp set? Leave a comment here today and tell us who you'd send a love letter or mail art to, or what words you'd like to create with these stamps :) Winner will announced on the 1st March along with all the other winners from the Ten Days of Giveaways!

See you tomorrow...

Unlock the artist within!

Ten Days of Giveaways: Day 7

Welcome to day 7! I have to say, your comments from yesterday have been very inspiring and make me want to travel. I've heard great things about Yosemite National Park, and it seems many of you have been there or want to go. It's already on my to do list. Others that are on my to do list are: Antarctica (can you imagine photographing those icebergs and penguins! Tell me you need a collection like that so I can justify the trip, hehe), Cambodia, Peru, Alaska, and outback Australia. So many wonderful places in the world to explore.

Now, let's move on to the Butterflies stamp set:

There are 13 butterflies in this stamp set - all from photographs that I have taken of butterflies which gives these stamps such realistic detail. :) The hardest thing I found when I started using this stamp set was deciding which butterfly to use first! Then to decide a colour!! The options really are endless.

Here's a card I created:

Using Violet Versacolor ink onto light purple cardstock, then trimmed around the butterflies and bent their wings up a little to give a bit of depth to the image. Adhered them to the card from their bodies only. The quote is from the Wildflowers stamp set. Patterned paper is by Cosmo Cricket.

Here's an ATC:

For this one I simply stamped the butterflies onto the 7gypsies paper. You can still see the detail in the butterflies even over the text pattern. 'Spread your wings' is also from the Wildflowers stamp set.

These are just the tip of the iceberg of what these butterflies are capable of! I've also thought of some other ideas:

• Create your own patterned paper by stamping lots of butterflies (large and small).
• Stamp and emboss with a glitter or holographic embossing powder to give the butterflies some sparkle!
• Add Stickles glitter glue to various parts of the stamped butterfly for bits of bling.
• Ink the butterfly stamp with different inks or pen colours to create a multi-colour butterfly.
• You could also spritz the stamp after inking (as above) to create a watercolour butterfly!
• Stamp the butterflies in a resist ink and brayer or sponge a coloured ink over the top.

There's a couple of ideas to get you started. I'm sure there are plenty more ideas out there too. If you'd like to win the Butterflies stamp set, leave a comment here today and let us know what you'd like to do with these butterflies!

Unlock the artist within!

Ten Days of Giveaways: Day 4

I'm so pleased to see that you're enjoying the projects and products! Thanks again for all the ideas and inspiration that you are bringing with your comments :)

Today we are moving on to the Wilderness Collection... firstly the Wilderness Vol 1 Rubber Stamps:

The Wilderness Collection was born from my love of hiking, nature and wild places. The stamps in this set are very detailed with many possibilities for each one. Here's a couple of cards I've created with them:

The mountain image was stamped onto white glossy cardstock using Archival Jet Black ink. The image was then coloured with Marvy Le Plume markers to give colour to the water and foliage. The quote was stamped with black ink, trimmed into separate strips and adhered over the bottom of the image. Added some fibres, mount the image and it's done! I have a huge stash of fibres that I have collected over the years and these stamps are the perfect reason to bring them out again! Just adds that textured 'wild' look!

Here's another card:

Using the wild trees stamp, it has been stamped with Sepia ink, then sponged the cardstock around all edges. Added some twine - again going for the more natural embellishments. I also think adding some twigs and small sticks would be great too. The quote was stamped in Sepia ink and sponged the edges. I also stamped the quote a second time on scrap cardstock and cut out the two words 'wild' and 'free' and added to the quote with foam tape just to emphasise those words a little more. It's a simple card, but so great for all those people who love earthy colours and love nature! I also think the wild trees stamp would look great embossed in one of the brown Distress Embossing powders! The texture would be fabulous. Something for me to try later.

Moving right along... here's an ATC:

This time I've used the smaller single tree branch stamp to go around the edge of the ATC in Olive ink. Stamped the quote in Sepia ink and trimmed them to be separate words. I've also added a waterfall image from the Wilderness Montage. (Loving those smaller images on the Montage sheets!!)

There's so much that can be done with this stamp set, especially combined with the Wilderness Vol 2 stamp set and other Wilderness images - but we'll move onto those over the next couple of days!

For now - we want someone to go into the wild and win this Wilderness Vol 1 stamp set! To be in the draw, leave a comment here with your ideas for this stamp set and let us know the most remote wilderness place you have ever been. Remember we are reading all your comments (thank you, they are great!!) and we will announce all the winners on March 1st, so please don't forget to drop by each day and leave your comments!

Unlock the artist within!