Friday 23 December 2016

Your Next Stamp Sketch/Colour Challenge #54 - Hot Cocoa Phoebe

Hello and welcome to another week of the Your Next Stamp sketch/colour challenge #54. This is our extended December edition which is running into the new year!

Every two weeks, there is a new challenge that features a sketch and colour inspiration. Pick the one that inspires you most, or try both for an added challenge. The best part of these challenges is you could win a gift certificate to the YNS store!


This week I used Hot Cocoa Phoebe and play around with the sketch. When I see a sketch, I often look for a different way to interpret and give it my own flare. For this sketch, changing out shapes is an easy way to make a change. Instead of a circle, I used a cluster of rectangle pattern papers.



For the sketch/colour challenge # 54, you will have until Thursday January 5th (midnight EST) to play along. Head over to the Your Next Stamp blog for more inspiration and to link up your creation.

One random participant will win a $15 gift card to the YNS store. If you feature YNS products (it must be the main focus of your project), you will receive an additional $5. When you use a YNS stamp/die, there is a chance of being selected as the YNS top pick. The winner and top pick are announced on the YNS blog, the Sunday after the close of the challenge.

If you use YNS products on your project, you can also take part in the YNS Social Media challenge. Simply showcase your YNS sketch/colour challenge #54 project on Instagram, Splitcoast Stampers or Facebook. Check out the currently challenge post at the YNS blog for more details on the social media challenge.

Have a wonderful and crafty day!


Thursday 22 December 2016

Your Next Stamp Featured Fav of 2016 (Magical Unicorn)

Welcome to the year ending Your Next Stamp feature post. Most months the design team will use specific stamps, dies or themes to create projects to inspire. 

For the final feature post of the year, we are doing something a little different. This month the design team is featuring our favourite YNS creation from 2016.

This was not an easy task. There was so many fun creations to  select from. I enlisted the help of my children to narrow down choices. Our final winner, was the first card I made using the Magical Unicorn stamp and die. On this card, I think it was a combination of this amazing stamp and the fun distress ink background which I truly love so much.


You can find the original post for this card here!

Here are a few other projects using this stamp:


Head over to the Your Next Stamp blog to see our Design Team Best of feature. Leave a comment on the feature post and you may win a prize. One lucky commenter will WIN a stamp set of their choice!

Thank you for stopping by.


Wednesday 14 December 2016

Your Next Stamp - Winter Wonderland Showcase (Waddles Winter Happiness) + Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop

Hello everyone and welcome to today's Winter Wonderland Showcase project.

If you are an avid coffee drinker like me, you may look forward to the delicious holiday drinks and the seasonal red coffee cups making an appearance this time of year. For my project today, I have created a festive coffee 'to go' cup card. These cute cards would be great for gift cards!



To make the coffee card you will cut your card base to make a top fold card. My cardstock was cut at 4 x 11 inches, scoring on the long side at 5 1/2 inches.


If you want to create a tapered looked to your coffee cup, along the bottom (open end) measure a little bit in on both sides of the card. For my card I marked a point 1/4 inches from each side on the bottom. From you mark on the bottom of the card, you are going to cut up up to the top corner on an angle.


Once you cut your angles on both side, the bottom of the card will measure smaller than the top. You can ink the edges of the card and round the bottom corners if you wish! Set your base aside


To make you coffee cup lids, you will make the following cuts to your cardstock:

Two at 3 3/4 inches by 1 3/4 inches
Two at 4 1/4 inches by 1 1/4 inches


With the cardstock measuring 3 3/4 by 1 3/4 inches similar to the cup you want to trim the short side on an angle. I measured 1/4 inches one of the long sides and cut on an angle. The picture below shows what it will look like. Repeat with the second piece.


To create a finished look to the card from front and back, I like to take the two angled lid pieces and tape them together. Again you can ink the edges.


For the two pieces measuring 4 1/4 by 1 1/4 inches, round the corners (I used a 1/4 inch corner rounder on mine).

Take one of your narrow pieces and tape it on top of the other lid piece. You can see the shape of the cup and lid coming together.


Tape the front half of your lid to the front of you card at the top (fold end). You will still have one of the 4 1/4 x 1 1/4 cardstock left. This will be taped to the back of your card. Line it up with the portion on the front. You can leave off the back part of the cup if you are not picky about a pretty backside!


Grab some pretty holiday paper, or craft cardstock and create a sleeve for you cup. Mine is about 2 inches high. I inked the paper, taped it down to the front portion of my card and trimmed off the excess. I also added another to the back of the card. The front and back are both pretty to look at!


Once you have all that, decorate your card as desired.


Here is another example of the coffee to go cup, this one using Hot Cocoa Phoebe. The original post for this card is here. There are so many fun ways to decorate your coffee cup!


Thank you for stopping by today.  Head over to the Your Next Stamp blog and check out all of the Winter Wonderland Showcase posts for more inspiration. Leave a comment on each of the feature posts, there will be one winner selected from the comments on each of the features to win a $10 gift certificate to the store. That would make a lovely present for you!
 I would also like to submit my card for the Winter Coffee Lovers Blog hop!

Have a wonderful and crafty day!



Wednesday 7 December 2016

Design Team Dare - Cased card (Fairy Dust)


It's once again time for the Your Next Stamp Design Team Dare. Each month the design team is given a special challenge to help show off the new release stamps and dies.

For December's DT Dare theme, we are creating projects by CASING a creation made this year by one of our teammates.

I pulled inspiration for my card from one created by our newest designers Dian Ratna Sari (see her card below). Seeing her distress background really got me excited about creating my own winter scene. My card feature the Winter fairy from the Fairy Dust set and the Penguin from Winter Wonderland PhoebeI also used the Double Stitched Hills, Stitched Rectangle dies and White Sugar and Sparkle Gumdrops.




Here is a look at Dian's card which inspired me. You can find Dian's lovely creation on the YNS blog here.


Head over to the Your Next Stamp blog and look for the December DT Dare post. Leave a comment on the blog post for the change to WIN a stamp set of your choice!

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!


Supplies Used
Stamps: Fairy Dust, Winter Wonderland Phoebe, Waddles Winter Happiness (Sentiment)
Dies: Double Stitched Hills Dies Stitched Rectangles
Ink: YNS (Black Olive, Blueberry Breeze), Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Picked Raspberry, Twisted Citron, Dusty Concord, Faded Jeans, Black Soot)
Paper: Bo Bunny Altitude
Other: White Sugar and Sparkle Gumdrops

Sunday 4 December 2016

Your Next Stamp - Year in Review Blog Hop (Birthday Phoebe)


Hello everyone and welcome to the Your Next Stamp December Year in Review hop.

We don't have new stamps releasing this month, however the Design Team is sharing their favourite stamp and/or die set from this year!

At first, I thought this was going to be a tough decision. There have been so many amazing sets this year which I absolutely love. However, when I started to go over all of my YNS creations for 2016, one stamp set jump out as my most used. My most used is usually my most loved (for that year).

Now you may be surprised that it's not a coffee related stamp, however it does involve BOOKS!

My favourite stamp set for this year is BIRTHDAY PHOEBE! This set really should be called Bookworm Phoebe, because I have only used little Miss Phoebe sitting on that stack of books. As an avid reader and living in a house of bookworms, this stamp is hardly tucked away before I drag it back out.



Here are a few of my other Birthday Phoebe projects from this year:

Phoebe Bookmark, original post here

 Phoebe Notepad holder, original post here

 Phoebe and Monster book themed gift set, original post here

Thanks for joining us for our walk down memory lane with our favourite sets from 2016. I hope you found some of your own favourites and maybe a few new ones to add to your Christmas crafty wish list!

Leave a comment on each of the blogs as you are hoping along. There is a giveaway of a $25 YNS Gift Certificate for one lucky crafter. The more blogs you comment on, the greater your chance to WIN!

Have a super crafty day!



Friday 2 December 2016

YNS Sketch/Colour Challenge # 53 (Holiday Reindeers)

Hello and welcome to another week of the Your Next Stamp sketch/colour challenge #53.

Every two weeks, there is a new challenge that features a sketch and colour inspiration. Pick the one that inspires you most, or try both for an added challenge. The best part of these challenges is you could win a gift certificate to the YNS store!

 When using the colour inspiration, you must use at least 3 colours. You may also add neutrals

I am still trying to finishing up a few handmade cards for Christmas. Unfortunately it's been very busy time and I think I may have to pop out a few simple ones this year.

For this card I used the sketch and the darling Holiday Reindeers and the Scrapwork Strips die set.



For the sketch/colour challenge # 53, you will have until Thursday December 8th (midnight EST) to play along. Head over to the Your Next Stamp blog for more inspiration and to link up your creation.

One random participant will win a $15 gift card to the YNS store. If you feature YNS products (it must be the main focus of your project), you will receive an additional $5. When you use a YNS stamp/die, there is a chance of being selected as the YNS top pick. The winner and top pick are announced on the YNS blog, the Sunday after the close of the challenge.

If you use YNS products on your project, you can also take part in the YNS Social Media challenge. Simply showcase your YNS sketch/colour challenge #53 project on Instagram, Splitcoast Stampers or Facebook. Check out the currently challenge post at the YNS blog for more details on the social media challenge.

Have a wonderful and crafty day!


Supplies Used
Stamps: Holiday Reindeers
Dies: Scrapwork Strips
Paper: Fancy Pants Oh Deer
Ink: YNS Black Olive