TAWS Blog Hop - WIN 3 sets of stamps!

Had to have a BUNNY card for the TAWS blog HOP!  Don't you just LOVE this cute little guy from the The Alley Way Stamps Cover Ups set, seen here with Alphabet Soup sentiment.  Love the gorgeous green Echo Park paper too.  I hand cut the letters with a craft knife using the chipboard letters from Scenic Route as a template - you can achieve a similar effect by printing a template on the computer using Berkley or a similar block letter font. Broke out my washi tapes for the first time - the checks were a freebie with a magazine, but I think there will be some more washi on my wishi list!!!

Don't forget - One lucky person will win ALL 3 NEW TAWS sets TODAY!! So if you want that person to be you.. all you have to do is comment on the hop!
There are many ways you can win...
1. Comment on The Alley Way Stamps Blog
2. Comment on the DT blogs (links below)
3. Post about it on facebook or your blog
4. Like TAWS on Facebook
(leave a separate comment for each thing you do)
You have until July 31st 9:30pm TAWS time (August 1st at 1:30pm EST in Australia) to leave comments.

TAWS DT Blogs to visit:

Hop on over to Tracy for your next dollop of FABULOUS TAWS inspiration!

Joining in the fun at:
Catered Crop - Washi's Up Recipe Swap
Pile It On - Cute as Can Be Challenge
Stampin' for the Weekend - Gorgeous pink & green {heart} Photo inspiration
Simon Says Stamp Anything Goes

Win Stamps, TAWS Sneak Peeks Day 3...

Over at The Alley Way Stamps Sneak Peeks, each day you will have the chance to win a free set.. All the comments posted today will go into a random drawing and one of you will win a new August set. We are doing this for every sneak peek, and it get's better. On our blog hop tomorrow, you have a chance to win ALL 3 Sets! 

Sneaking a peek at the FAB new The Alley Way Stamps Admit One set, seen here with Jibber Jabber and Chatterbox sentiment... isn't it a blast!!!  Love these papers by Echo Park and Bella, and inspiration from these FAB colours at CAS-ual Fridays this week.  Added texture with Craft Concepts Starry Night embossing folder too, so it's perfect for The Paper Players Tic Tac Toe - Blue, Dry Embossing, Masculine.

Bee my Honey...

Couldn't resist using The Alley Way Stamps new Cover Ups hexagon stamp for the Hooked on Hexagon Challenge over at Moxie Fab World, Paper Crafts Shaped Card Challenge and Shaping Up Blog Hop & Give Away.  Papers are a combination of Bo Bunny and  Echo Park, stamped with sentiment from Alphabet Soup and Chatterbox, with the little bee from ei-ei-o.  Used the neat trick of laying down a glue line to create my bee trail using The Twinery Stone twine.

Hope you had a FAB weekend!

Sunshine, Freedom & A Little Flower...

Inspired by the colours from this fortnights floral CR84FN Challenge and this versatile sketch from The Paper Players, I christened my Gorjuss Little Foxes girl and flower in Stampin' Up Chocolate and paper pieced them using a mix of Authentique, Basic Grey and Studio Calico papers, with her hair coloured using Copic E59 Walnut. The sentiment sticker is also from Authentique Carefree, finished off with dark brown hemp cord from The Ribbon Carousel.

Hope you have a FABULOUSLY crafty weekend & don't forget to stop by 

The Alley Way Stamps blog for your chance to win some great new stamps!

You Light Up My Life, Tea-Light Holder

As soon as I saw this gorgeous reindeer and "You light up my life" sentiment in the The Alley Way Stamps Fa-la-la set I knew I wanted to make a tea-light holder - where the candlelight can be seen flickering through Rudolph's nose. Too easy with the fab new battery-operated tea-lights on the market!

Papers are Prima's North Country - I used an 8"x8" paper to ensure it fitted around the outside of my tea-light holder, and cut out the hole for Rudolph's nose before stamping and hand-cutting the tag then wrapping it around the holder using some gorgeous Ribbon Carousel twine.

Joining in the fun at Party Time Tuesdays Christmas in July Challenge too!

Don't forget - only one day til The Alley Ways Behind the Alley Sneak Peeks - 

highlighting the fab new AUGUST sets plenty of opportunities to WIN!!  

Each day you will have the chance to win a free set, 

and on the TAWS blog hop you have a chance to win ALL 3 SETS...

A CAS-ually Dynamic Moxie Fab I {heart} You...

  

Inspired by this weeks Stamp It! Cards Week The Love Card Challenge, CAS-ual Fridays Back in Black and Dynamic Duos Poppy Parade & Basic Black.  Really tried to focus just on the stamping today!  This card was created using The Alley Way Stamps Alphabet Soup and Jibber Jabber.  Stamped my alphabet (minus I {o} U) in Basic Black, then lined up my I {heart} U and stamped in Stampin' Up Poppy Parade.  The love sentiment was stamped in Versamark Watermark and clear embossed for added texture, and finished off with this gorgeous gingham ribbon :)

Hope you have a FAB week, with plenty of crafting time!

Life is Beautiful, BE Inspired...

Side view of handbag card

It's BE Inspired time at The Alley Way Stamps, and I was inspired to create a handbag shaped and folded card.  I cut out this fun sun shape using Bo Bunny Country Garden Collection on the front body and top folding flap of my card.  I punched a second sun circle and stamped it with the gorgeous sentiment from The Alley Way Stamps Talk to Me, then pop-dotted it on the bottom half of the circle only so that the top flap of the card can be folded into the space between the two sun circle layers. 

Why don't you head over to The Alley Ways Stamps to check out how the rest of the team were Inspired, and join in for your chance to win some FAB stamps!

Joining in the SUN /MOON challenge at Craftymess too

Perfect for the Shaping Up Blog Hop too!

Freshly Made Paper Players...

Inspired by this versatile Freshly Made sketch, and The Paper Players Wordsmith Challenge.  Using the My Favourite Things stamped quote as my inspiration, I created my "roots" or the striped paper pattern base sheet using triangular strips of MME papers adhered to a plain white paper base for stability.  I die cut the solid butterfly shape using Memory Box Darla Butterfly before die cutting my circle.  Using navy patterned paper I die cut the butterfly overlay using Memory Box Vivienne Butterfly, and a second circle, which sits underneath my striped paper base. 

Hope you have a fantastic weekend :)

A Retro Colour Q Christmas The Alley Way...

Using The Alley Way Stamps Fa-la-la and Snow Much Fun

Inspired by this weeks gorgeous Retro Sketches and Chrstmas colours at Colour Q, to create a Christmas in July card.  How cute is this snowman! I've paired The Alley Way Stamps  Fa-la-la  snow man face with the body from Snow Much Fun, added the gorgeous sprig of holly as his bow tie / scarf and coloured him with Stampin' Up Pear Pizzaz and Real Red. I die-cut the snowflakes after I had applied Ranger Holographic Embossing Powder. I found it's much easier with small fussy pieces to emboss first and cut later :)  To create the tree, I die-cut Nellies Christmas Tree then attached overlapping pieces of overlapping MME Washi Tape.  I couldn't resist using Cuttlebug Snowflakes Embossing Folder to create the background.  I love that the star snowflake lines up just right with the top of the Christmas tree! And topped off with this gorgeously festive Kaisercraft snow spotted paper.

It certainly feels frosty enough to snow in this part of the world!

A Moxie Fabulous Thank You...

Waving a big HELLO and THANK YOU to all my followers :)

Inspired by this weeks Moxie Fab Stamp It! Cards Week Thank You Card Challenge, and The Paper Players Wordsmith Challenge this card was created by using MME Miss Caroline Dilly Dally paper, stamped with The Alley Way Stamps Alphabet Soup in Versamark Watermark Ink, and heat embossed with Rangers Seafoam White.  The letters were coloured using Copics Y17 Golden Yellow and R27 Cadmium Red overlayed with R59 Cardinal.  If I was using this technique again I would probably use a different pen for colouring as the excess ink has a tendency to absorb into the paper.  I kept trying to add more embellishments but they all seemed to detract from the stamping, except for this gorgeous little rose from my stash.

Why don't you play along too!

Hippo-bird Day!

A word to the wise, I first tried stamping my hippo on green paper, and he ended up looking like one very sea-sick hippo LOL!

Discovered The Alley Way Stamps Topic Tropic is the perfect set for "Hippo-bird Day" cards, especially when combined with Alphabet Soup to complete the perfect sentiment.  Papers are a mix of Echo Park Country Drive and American Crafts Dear Lizzy Neapolitan, die cut with Spellbinders scalloped circle and EK Success scalloped border punch. Just had to add a cute button and some googly eyes for the finishing touches :)

Inspired by this weeks Sweet Sunday Sketch, Creative Stamp Friends Paper Piecing, and Fashionista Challenge "Things with Wings".

Hope you have a FAB weekend!

A Freshly Made Play Date for the Mr & Mrs...

Had fun playing with my gold embossing powder, inspired by the metallic colours at Play Date Cafe, and this gorgeous Freshly Made Sketch, and CAS-ual Fridays Text Me.  Don't know why but gold and silver just remind me of weddings :)  Using a cream base, I stamped the background script (from Prima I think?) in Versamark Watermark Dazzle, repeated three times to create the background panel then sprinkled with Metallic Gold powder and heat embossed.  Stamped and heat embossed my cute Kiwi-Impressionz Wedding Couple and The Alley Way Stamps Mr & Mrs sentiment too.  Shaped the stamped image panels to look like an archway, and pop-dotted the top layer of course!  Dry embossed the background with Cuttlebug Stylised Petals, with the join in the embossing hidden under the gorgeous Ribbon Carousel Antique Gold crushed silk ribbon.  I love the way the script just shows through the ribbon too!  Added a couple of silver hearts from my stash to complete.  Couldn't resist getting my fingers just a bit inky with Old Paper Distress Ink to highlight the edges.

Love is in the air...

Poppies are my favourites for a number of reasons, probably more so since we were married on ANZAC day, our youngest is a Remembrance Day baby, and who could forget walking through the fields of redheads in Italy!  But I digress LOL!  For me, poppies are the perfect flower for a love card ;)

Inspired by the gorgeous Tuesday Trigger "Plate of Pretty Poppies", Moxie Fab Stamp It! Cards Week The Love Card Challenge, CAS-ual Fridays Text Me Challenge and Do You Stack Up Red Challenge.

After getting all inky yesterday making this Tuesday Trigger Poppy card, I had a left over poppy which was crying out to be made into a card lol! The poppy had been created by using watercolour paper and stamping Stamp-It poppies in VersamarkDazzle Ink, sprinkled with American Crafts Zing Metallic Pewter embossing powder, and heat set.  I liberally swiped over the poppy with Distress Ink Barn Door and Shabby Shutters for the stems, then let loose with Glimmermist Gold, til the ink pooled. Once this was completely dry, I used Dimensional Magic to create a gloss finish over the image.  After fussy cutting the poppy, I stamped my text stamp (from my stash - not sure which brand) in StazOn Black ink, and over-stamped the Heidi Swapp "Love stamp using The Essential Glue Pad, before sprinkling with ultra fine red glitter. The poppies are pop-dotted, as is the grey cardstock mat.

Come join in the fun!