Thursday 31 October 2013

Christmas Special out tomorrow!

Don't miss our special Christmas issue, on sale in the shop tomorrow (1st Nov).

December 2013 Issue
Our cover girl this month is Joanne Allison, who has a tutorial for some really elegant decorations for your festive tree. Plus there are lots of card designs, packaging ideas and an adorable Advent Village to countdown the days.

The free stamp is a gorgeous collage designed for us by myStampBox.

Plus we have altered bottles (great for crafty storage), a gorgeous embossing technique using glue, our crackle Masterclass and an adorable address book made from upcycled materials by reader Sharon Dobson.

I hope this issue makes you very merry!
Katy x

Wednesday 30 October 2013

Feeling chilly?

Artwork by Sylvia Blum

Ready Set Stamp Bonus Project!

If you loved our Glitter and Sparkle RSS gallery in the November issue, then you'll love this adorable card by Sylvia Blum. We think it's brrrrrrr...illiant!

You’re Brrr-fect 
By Sylvia Blum

Materials
STAMPS: Lawn Fawn – Critters in the Snow; Paper Smooches – Chilly Chums.
INKS: VersaFine – Onyx Black; VersaMark. OTHER: white cardstock; Spellbinders Die – Labels One; We R Memory Keepers – Corner Chomper; Kaisercraft – rhinestones purple; paper piercing tool; UniBall Signo white gel pen; Stickles – Stardust; black detail embossing powder, heat tool; Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist – Pashmina, Patina.


Create a white card blank and round the lower corners. Die cut a label from white cardstock. Cut a square from white cardstock and paint with purple Glimmer Mist. Let dry and sprinkle on some blue Glimmer Mist speckles. Create faux stitching using a paper piercing tool and white gel pen. Cut a banner from white cardstock and paint with blue Glimmer Mist. Stamp a sentiment onto the banner, add rhinestones and adhere to the purple square. Stamp, black emboss and cut out the polar bear. ‘Colour’ him with Stardust Stickles. Mount everything to a card blank as shown, using foam pads for dimension.

Wednesday 23 October 2013

Distress to Impress

Artwork by Hels Sheridan
This stunning seasonal tag by the super talented Hels Sheridan was made using the technique demonstrated in this month's Distress to Impress feature. It's all about making a custom inkpad - a technique that makes production-line stamping for Xmas a breeze! If you want to learn how you'll need to get your hands on the November issue!

Happy stamping!
Katy x

Friday 11 October 2013

Take It, Make It Challenge Five!

Hello everyone!
It was great to see all your entries for our acetate challenge, we can't wait to see what you all come up with for this one!

What Can You Win?  
This month, we are delighted to again be sponsored by A Sprinkle Of Imagination!


A Sprinkle Of Imagination are online retailers of all things mixed media, art journalling, scrapbooking and general altered art. Lots of fabulous stash to be found in the shop!
The prize for the winning entry in this months challenge is a voucher to spend in the shop....you'll be spoiled for choice!


PLUS:The Design Team will have a look at all your gorgeous work, and choose their Top Three..... and the overall Winner will get published in Craft Stamper magazine! Yep, the winning entry will appear in the UK's number one stamping magazine! Did you see our third winner in print? Tracy's fantabulous card was featured as the editors choice on page 60 of the November issue..... that could be you!
AND: We have decided to add another little incentive into the pot! Our winner will be the featured Guest Designer for the midway reminder post for the next challenge! (so that our previous winners don't feel left out, could the winners of challenges 1,2 and 3 Email me for more details about this!)
So to recap....a prize, publication AND a Guest DT spot? Sounds good to me!

Now for the Challenge details!
We want to see how you lovely lot tackle a technique showcased in Craft Stamper magazine.
Paula Whittaker has shared three fabulous projects using different splatter techniques, on pages 80/1 of the current issue of Craft Stamper (November 2013 issue). Don't panic if you haven't got hold of this issue yet, the challenge lasts for a good few weeks, so you have plenty of time to grab a copy, get inspired and enter!

So, we would love to see your creations using a splatter technique!......your project can be anything at all, card, layout, 3D item etc, any theme or colour, AS LONG AS YOU HAVE USED SPLATTERING ON THERE SOMEWHERE! Oh, and stamping too, this is a Craft Stamper challenge after all! 
You DO NOT have to use the techniques showcased by Paula, (although you could if you wanted) As long as you use splatters somewhere, somehow, you're in! 

To give you a little inspiration, some of the Craft Stamper Design Team have come up with some rather fabulous projects to share... (if you click on the artists name, it will take you to their blogs, where there may well be loads more pics of these gorgeous creations!)


CHRIS DARK
CHRISSIE STOKES


                                Have we inspired you to have a play and enter? Yay!!!
All you need to do now is have a read through the boring (but essential!) rules and guidelines, then upload your entry using the Mr Linky tool at the end of the post! Can't wait to see what you create!


Do you love our challenges as much as we do? Feel free to grab the button and display it with pride!

Guidelines for Craft Stamper Take It, Make It Challenge
  • Entry dates: Friday October 11th 2013 -  midnight Friday December 6th 2013
  • Winner to be announced in a blog post here: 10am Monday December 9th 2013 
  • All entries must feature a splatter technique AND stamping. No digi stamps please, unless combined with actual stamping.
  • The winning entry MUST be posted to the magazine for photography before it can be published. Please keep hold of your entry, we cannot publish in the magazine images sent via computer.
  • Entry is via the linking tool at the end of the post. We are very sorry that we can't accept email entries to this challenge. Please provide deep links to your actual project post, not just a link to your blog (to do this, click on the title of the relevant blog entry and copy/paste the URL in the relevant box when uploading your entry). When judging many entries, the DT do not have time to go searching your entire blog for the project we want to see!
  • No backlinking, new work only please.
  • Entry is welcome from anywhere in the world.
  • Multiple entry is fine, as long as each piece is original and fulfills all the entry requirements.
  • Entries can be combined with other blog challenges, as long as a link back to the Craft Stamper challenge is included in your blog post.
  • The sixth challenge will be announced here on Friday December 13th 2013.
PLEASE consider turning off word verification on your blog. It is very difficult for the DT to comment on as many blogs as we would like to when word verification slows us down!

Competition rules: Competitions/giveaways are open to all (including overseas readers) except employees of Traplet Publications Ltd and their families; regular contributors to any of Traplet Publications’ magazines; employees of our printers; or anyone connected with the prizes offered. By entering the competition you accept that your project may be printed in the magazine. All entries must be received by midnight on the specified closing date. There are no cash alternatives and prizes are non-transferable. We reserve the right to use the winners’ name/work in any Traplet-produced literature including, but not exclusive to, our website and marketing materials. Judges decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Wednesday 9 October 2013

Design Team Call!

Hi folks,
Yes, it's that time again! We are looking for fresh new talent to join our Craft Stamper Design Team for 2014.

We are looking for:
-Experienced stampers with a flair for design
-Originality in design
-Good writing skills
-An ability to work to deadlines!

This is a freelance, paid position on a page rate basis and designers additionally receive a complimentary copy of those issues in which they are featured.

Initially DT appointments are for 3 articles over 6 months with the possibility of extension for some designers.

If you are interested please send an email with THREE examples of your best work to Katy at cs@traplet.com

Please include in your email some brief information about yourself and your work, as well as a statement about what you can offer Craft Stamper magazine.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Closing date: 1st November 2013

Best wishes,
Katy

Monday 7 October 2013

Take it, Make It Challenge Four- The Winner!

Hello everyone!
Thank you so much to all those who played along with our fourth challenge -Acetate.
The DT were blown away by the standard of the entries, but there can only be one winner! That honour goes to.........

                                                               Congratulations Elly!
We loved the detail that has gone into this piece, so much to look at, and so beautifully made too!
The winning entry will be published in Craft Stamper Magazine (I hope you kept it somewhere safe Elly!), and the winner will also receive a £10 gift voucher from our sponsor:

 
Loads of fabulous stash to be had in the shop, you'll be spoiled for choice!
As well as our worthy winner, we also have the remaining two spots in our Top Three to reveal! In no particular order, they are..... drum roll......

Congratulations ladies!
If the Top Three could Email me (just click the 'posted by' name at the bottom of the post), then I will pass on  details of how to claim the prize to the winner, and Take It, Make It winners buttons you can all display on your own blogs should you wish! For anyone else who would like to, please feel free to grab the button below!

A huge THANK YOU to all those of you that took part in our fourth challenge, and we can't wait to see what you come up with for our next one. You don't have to wait long for that either, check back here on FRIDAY this week for the big reveal!

Trish xxxxx