TAWS March Release Blog Hop: Yappy

Welome to The Alley Way Stamps March 2015 release BLOG HOP!

The TAWS DT have been sharing some fantastic creations made with the fabulous March release stamps over the last 3 days, and today we are celebrating their release with a GRAND BLOG HOP!

The full release will be available to buy from The Alley Way Stamps later tonight!! Woo-hoo!

For my hop card, I used several stamps from the fantastic *NEW* Yappy stamp set to create this "chatty" card:

Supplies
The Alley Way Stamps: Yappy stamp set
Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Versamark ink
WOW Embossing Powder: Bright White Super Fine (WL01SF)
Bazzill cardstock: Coconut Swirl, Blackberry Swirl
Tim Holtz Distress ink pads: Picked Raspberry,
Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seed, Shabby Shutters, Peacock Feathers
Whimsy Stamps Say What? Speech Bubbles die set
Doodlebug Twine: Beetle Black

I trimmed a 99x148mm piece of Coconut Swirl cardstock and used several different colours of distress ink pads (listed above) to create the rainbow background.  I don't have many green distress ink pads, and I think that Mowed Lawn would have worked better for my rainbow, but as I don't have it, I had to use Shabby Shutters.  As this wasn't quite the right colour green, I blended a little Peacock Feathers over the top to change the hue. I then did something I have never done before ... and added some drips of water to the background - eek!!  I spent a good 10 minutes inking and blending the background, and I was worried that I was going to ruin it by adding the water (having never tried this technique before!), but I think it turned out okay in the end ... hopefully, lol!

I heat embossed "friend", "let's chat" and "blah blah blah" from Yappy in white onto some Blackberry Swirl cardstock.  I then used my Whimsy Stamps Say What? Speech Bubbles die set to cut out the sentiments into speech bubbles. This die set also comes with a small "HELLO!" word die, and so I used this to cut the word out of the oval speech bubble and then backed it with some white card so it matched the look of the other speech bubbles.  I then stamped "sweet", "what's up?" and "it's been too long" from Yappy onto the inked background using black ink. Once that was done, I mounted the panel onto a 110x148mm piece of Blackberry Swirl cardstock, added the speech bubbles with foam pads, wrapped the left edge with Doodlebug Beetle Black Twine and fixed it to the front of my card base. 

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

- Lisa B Designs Monthly Challenge: Inked Background Techniques
- Addicted to Stamps #98: Embossing Dry or Heat (I have used heat embossing)
- Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes.
- Addicated to CAS: Distress (I have used distress inks for create my background)
- Less is More #213: Happy (There are LOTS of things that make me happy in my life outside of crafting, but in the world of crafting, using my distress inks to create colourful backgrounds makes me happiest right now!)

This fabulous 3x4" mini stamp set, Buff, is FREE when you spend $40.00 or more (after shipping) at The Alley Way Stamps store during the month of March 2015.  He is the perfect accompaniment to the darling new Wigwam stamp set, don't you think?

PRIZE ALERT ... Would you like to win all 3 new stamp sets? Hop on over to The Alley Way Stamps blog to get all the details and enter the Rafflecopter draw.  Be quick, as the contest is running for TODAY ONLY (28th Feb)!!!!

So now it's time for you to continue the hop by hopping to Tanja's blog, but here is the full hop list, just in case!

Angel
Anni
Chrissie
Dana
Emily
Francine
Heather
Holly
Jeni
Lisa
Marina
Meredith
N@Ali
YOU ARE HERE ---> Simonne <--- YOU ARE HERE
Tanja
Tracy

Thanks for stopping by today and happy hopping!

Hugs,

TAWS March Release Day 1: Hard Boiled

Hi everyone! Welcome to Day 1 of The Alley Way Stamps fantastic March 2015 release - woot woot!!

We are sneak peeking the *NEW* Hard Boiled stamp set today, which will be available to purchase from The Alley Way Stamps store at 10pm (mountain time) on Saturday 28th February.

Hard Boiled is a 4x6" clear stamp set packed full of cute chicken themed stamps.  I have used several of them on today's card:

Supplies
TAWS Hard Boiled stamp set (available 28/02/15)
Memento ink pads: Tuxedo Black, London Fog
Versafine Onyx Black ink pad
Bazzill Smoothies cardstock: Coconut Swirl, Ocean Breeze
Copic Markers: Chick YR24 Y21 Y11 Y00; Eggs E42 E41 E40
Nest Y28 Y57 Y55 Y53 Y51 Y50 E44 E43 E42
Inkadinkado Stamping Masking Paper
Doodlebug Enamel Dots: Bon Bon
Rangers Enamel Accents: Black

First, I created my little hatched chickies scene by masking and stamping several stamps from Hard Boiled.  I coloured the scene using my Copic markers and then fussy cut it out.  I cut a 63x86mm panel of Ocean Breeze cardstock, added the sentiment from Hard Boiled, and then added the stamped and coloured scene using foam pads for dimension.  I added this to the centre of my 105x148mm card base, again using foam pads, then added a few enamel dots and some black enamel accents to finish!

I followed the fab sketch at CAS(E) this Sketch #111 for my layout, and I would also like to enter this card into this week's Addicted to CAS #57: Mask challenge, Less is More #212: Wings, and Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes.

   

If you hop on over to today's sneak peek post on the The Alley Way Stamps blog, you will be able to see the rest of the team's awesome Hard Boiled sneak peek cards, plus there is an opportunity to WIN this fantastic stamp set! Be quick, as the contest is running for today only and will close at 7pm mountain time tonight (that's 2am tomorrow morning for my UK friends!).

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Hugs,

TAWS: Night Owl

Happy Saturday everyone! The TAWS DT are busy making samples for our March release sneak peeks ... that start on Wednesday! Eek! So exciting - I know you are going to LOVE this new release, but in the meantime, I have one last card from our February release to share using the adorable owl from Moosing You (this stamp set is FREE when you spend $40 or more before shipping in the TAWS store!):

Supplies
The Alley Way Stamps: Moosing You (owl)
The Alley Way Stamps: Branching Out (branch & sentiment)
Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pads: Chipped Sapphire, Dusty Concord
Ranger Mini Ink Blending Tool
Ranger Mini Ink Blending Foam
Inkadinkado Stamping Masking Paper
Spellbinders Nestabilities: Circles
Memory Box Stencil: Starry Nights (88537)
Imagination Crafts Sparkle Medium: Diamond (SM003)
Amy Tangerine Plus One 6x6 paper pad
Bazzill cardstock: Blackberry Swirl
Memento Ink: Tuxedo Black
Copic Markers: Owl W7 W5 W3 W2 W1; 
Leaves BG99 BG96 BG93 G21; Branch E49 E47 E44 E43

I took an 85x113mm piece of white card and added a "moon" mask cut from my Inkadinkado Stamping Mask Paper using a 48mm circle nestabilities die. I then set to work inking the background using Dusty Concord and Chipped Sapphire distress inks together with my Ranger Mini Ink Blending Tool.  Once the ink was dry, I used my Memory Box Starry Nights stencil and some sparkle medium to create a starry night sky.  I used a plastic palette knife to apply the sparkle paste to the stencil, which meant I could very carefully not add paste to the larger stars of the stencil (as I felt they were too big for this project).  Whilst the background was drying, I stamped the darling owl from Moosing You and the single tree from Branching Out onto my Copic colouring paper, together with the leaves from both sets, coloured them using Copic Markers (colours listed above) and fussy cut them out.  Once my stencilling was dry, I removed the "moon" mask and stamped the "today is your day" sentiment from Branching Out in Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  Finally, I layered the panel onto a 89x117mm piece of Bazzill Blackberry Swirl cardstock, and then fixed it to the centre of a 105x133mm card base (covered with some paper from my Amy Tangerine Plus One 6x6 pad) using foam pads for dimension.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Hugs,

TAWS: Tootharina

Supplies
The Alley Way Stamps: Tootharina stamp set
Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pads: Chipped Sapphire, Picked Raspberry
Ranger Mini Ink Blending Tool
Ranger Mini Ink Blending Foam
Memory Box Stencil: Starry Nights (88537)
Imagination Crafts Sparkle Medium: Diamond (SM003)
Memento Ink: Tuxedo Black
Copic Markers: 
Skirt: RV69 RV09 RV04 RV63, BG78 BG49 BG13 BG11, 
BV29 BV17 BV13 BV11 BV01.
Hair: BV29 BV17 BV13 BV11 
Skin: E13 E11 E00 E000 (blush E02 R20 R30)
Wings: RV63 RV61 BG01 BG11
Wand: BV17 BV13 BV13 BV11

I took a 105x148mm piece of white card and stamped the fairy and the wand from Tootharina in Memento Tuxedo Black ink in the centre.  (I stamped her there just for placement purposes so that I could see where I needed to ink the background). I then set to work inking the background using Chipped Sapphire and Picked Raspberry distress ink pads and my Ranger Mini Ink Blending Tool.  Once the ink was dry, I used my Memory Box Starry Nights stencil and some sparkle medium (which is like a glittery clear embossing paste) to create the raised, glittery stars.  Then it was just the case of stamping the fairy and the wand onto my Copic colouring paper, colouring them with my Copic markers (colours listed above), fussy cutting them out, and then fixing them over the stamped images on the inked background.  Finally, I added some loose fine glitter to her wings and the star of her wand.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

- Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Add Texture
- Loves Rubber Stamps Challenge #139: Let It Sparkle
- Corrosive Challenge #218: Things With Wings
- Frosted Designs Challenge: 2 "messy" things (I have used distress inks and sparkle paste)
- Southern Girls Challenge 104: Winged Things

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Hugs,

TAWS (Flashback): Love is in the Air

Supplies
The Alley Way Stamps: get MOOvin' stamp set
The Alley Way Stamps: Lighter than Air stamp set
SU cardstock: Real Red, Tempting Turquoise
Bazzill cardstock: Coconut Swirl, Watermelon Sensation, Grapefruit Bliss, Sour Apple
Doodlebug cardstock: Lilac
Memento ink: Grey Flannel
Doodlebug Kraft in Color Sequins: Ladybug, Bumblebee, Limeade, Swimming Pool, Lilac
Whimsy Stamps Stitched Border Trio die set

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!  Today I have a love-themed card to share using a couple of older The Alley Way Stamps stamp sets.  I adore the rainbow coloured cards that seem to be all over blogland at the moment, and so I thought I'd have a go too! 

I started off by trimming six 6mm strips of different coloured cardstock and adhered them at an angle to a 105x148mm piece of Coconut Swirl cardstock.  I made sure that I cut the strips longer than width of the panel, so that once I glued them down, I could easily snip off the ends to line up the edges.   I added a die cut stitched border to a 79x122mm panel of white card using the plain stitch border die from my Whimsy Stamps Stitched Border Trio die set.  I then stamped the cloud from get MOOvin' in grey ink onto a scrap of white card and fussy cut it out. I used the stitch die again to cut 6 staggered stitched lines underneath the cloud and then popped rainbow coloured sequins at the ends.  I decided to swap out the pink sequin for a pink die-cut heart as I thought it went well with the sweet sentiment from the Lighter than Air stamp set.

     

I would like to enter this card into the current CASology challenge #133: Love.

Thanks so much for stopping by today and Happy Valentine's Day!

Hugs,

TAWS: Moosing You

Happy Wednesday! Today I have a TAWS card to share that I made following yesterday's brand new Colour Q challenge #279.

Supplies
The Alley Way Stamps: Moosing You (Moose, HUGS, tiny heart)
The Alley Way Stamps: Stumped (large heart)
The Alley Way Stamps: Tootharina (medium heart)
Cardstock: SU Real Red
Copics: W9 W7 W5 W3 W2 W1 E43 E42 E41 E40
Whimsy Stamps: Love Large Word die
Whimsy Stamps: Stitched Border Trio die set
Memento inks: Love Letter, Tuxedo Black, Gray Flannel
Anitas Clear 3D Gloss
Fine glitter

I stamped the moose from Moosing You in Memento Tuxedo Black in the bottom right corner of a piece of white card, then lined the panel up at an angle onto my piece of 148x105mm SU Real Red cardstock and trimmed it to fit. I then added a die-cut stitched border along each edge of the white panel, using the straight stitched die from the Whimsy Stamps Stitched Border Trio die set, and glued it to the red base.  Moosing You is FREE with any The Alley Way Stamps order of $40 or more (before shipping) during the month of February 2015!

The Colour Q challenge requires "newsprint", but as I don't have any newsprint stamps, I attempted to create my own newsprint (of sorts, lol!) by stamping the "HUGS" stamp from Moosing You in Memento Gray Flannel several times across the bottom of the moose.

I stamped the moose a second time onto my Copic colouring paper, coloured him with Copic markers (colours listed above), fussy cut him out and glued him over the already-stamped moose image. I tend to prefer to do this technique rather than colour and mask, as I find it tricky to stamp over a mask and get the stamping to go right up to the edge of the masked image.

I then stamped 3 different sized hearts from Moosing You, Stumped and Tootharina in Memento Love Letter around the moose. I covered the largest heart in clear gloss and sprinkled it with fine glitter before it dried. Finally, I used my Whimsy Stamps Love Large Word die to cut 2 "love" words from SU Real Red cardstock. I glued them together for a little bit of height, and then added a layer of Clear Gloss. Once the gloss was dry, I glued the word to my card base and the card was done!

      

   

As well as entering this card into this week's Colour Q Challenge #279, I would also like to enter this card into the current Addicted to CAS #56: Hugs & Kisses challenge, as well as the new CASology challenge #133: Love.

            

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Hugs,

TAWS: Branching Out

Hi everyone! Today I have a TAWS card to share using 3 of the small accessory stamps from one of our new February release stamp sets, Branching Out.

Supplies
The Alley Way Stamps: Branching Out stamp set
Versamark ink
WOW Embossing Powders: Pink Fizz (WS46), Totally Teal (WS44), 
Metallic Gold Rich Sparkle (WS07), Bright White (WL01SF)
Bazzill cardstock: Flintstone
Sakura Gelly Roll white pen

I took a 105x148mm piece of Bazzill Flintstone cardstock and drew 3 curved lines using my white gel pen (I used a curved border die as a guide).  I then stamped the the pair of silhouette birds from Branching Out in versamark ink onto each of the lines, embossing each pair with a different colour of glitter embossing powder.  Finally, I stamped the outline heart from Branching Out in versamark ink just above each pair of birds and heat embossed them in white.  A very CAS card!

I would like to enter this card into the current Addicted to CAS #56: Hugs & Kisses challenge, as well as Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: H is for (I have chosen "H is for Heat Embossing").

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Hugs,

SugarPea Designs: Sweet Love

Happy Friday everyone!  I have a card to share that I made for today's SugarPea Designs Sweet 2 Repeat blog hop, where the DT showcase our newest release!

Silly me forgot to add my name to the DT sign up sheet for the hop, so I'm not listed in today's official hop list, but I am still going to post my card!  I made a CAS card using some of the stamps and dies that I designed for our January release.

Supplies
SPD Special Delivery stamp set
SPD Classroom Cupids stamp set
SPD Heart Journal Card die set.
Memento Ink: Angel Pink, Love Letter, Rose Bud
Versamagic Ink: Pumpkin Spice
SU cardstock: Real Red
Bazzill cardstock: Sweet Pea, Watermelon Sensation
Glossy Accents

I used the tiny heart background stamp from my Special Delivery stamp set to create the patterned strip along the left side of the card.  The donuts and "sweet" sentiment are from my Classroom Cupids stamp set, and the love word and the tiny hearts were cut using my Heart Journal Card die set.  I added glossy accents to the love and hearts die cuts, although it may be a little difficult to see in the photo.

I followed the current sketch at CAS(E) this Sketch! #109 for my layout and also followed this week's colour combo at ColourQ #278.  I would also like to enter this card into this week's Less is More #209: Little Ones challenge (I have used tiny hearts on my card) and this week's Addicted to CAS #56: Hugs & Kisses challenge.

      

If you would like to hop along with the rest of the SugarPeas for a chance to win $20 to spend in the SugarPea Designs Online Shoppe, hop on over to the SugarPea Designs blog to start hopping!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Hugs,

TAWS: For You Deer Friend

Hi everyone!  I have a card to share today using the gorgeous *NEW* Stumped stamp set from The Alley Way Stamps February release!

Supplies
TAWS Stumped stamp set
Bazzill cardstock: Coconut Swirl
Memento ink: Tuxedo Black
Tim Holtz Distress ink pads: Peeled Paint, Shabby Shutters, Broken China, Tumbled Glass
Copic Markers: Log E49 E47 E44 E43; Deer E18 E19 E15 E13 E11 E000 W9;
Toadstool: E18 R27 R05 R02
Whimsy Stamps: Stitched Border Trio die set

I die-cut a circle from a 99x142mm piece of Bazzill Coconut Swirl cardstock and added a stitched border around the edges of the panel using the straight stitched die from my Stitched Border Trio die set (I love that this die is 6" long and you can use it to added a straight line of stitching anywhere!).  I then temporarily placed the panel onto my 105x148mm white card base and pencilled in where the circle aperture was going to be onto the card base.  I used a post-it note to mask across the top of pencil circle (where I wanted the sky to be) and then used Peeled Paint and Shabby Shutters distress inks to create some grass.  I moved the masked to cover the grass and then inked in the sky using Broken China and Tumbled Glass dstress inks.

I stamped the deer, log and toadstool stamps from Stumped, plus the smaller toadstool stamp from Branching Out, coloured them with Copics (colours listed above), and fussy cut them out.  Then I created the scene, finally adding some glossy accents to the tops of the toadstools (a bit difficult to see in the photo - sorry!).

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Hugs,