Coffee Lover's Blog Hop: Fall/Winter 2020

 It's been a fair bit since I've hopped along in the Coffee Lover's Blog Hop, so I brushed off the old coffee stamps and got to work. 

Since I'm a lover of all things pun related, I pulled out the Caffeinated Christmas Big Grins by Becca Cruger STAMPlorations set (pssst: this set is on sale for $12 this week AND you can get an additional 20% off by using code STAMPGIRLBECCA)

I don't know about you, but when I make holiday cards, I love using the traditional red and green.

I paper pieced the cute little tea cup from the All You Need is Coffee set using some holiday patterns and added a sweet little holly to jazz it up. Because let's be honest, glitter is always called for. 

I liked this card so much, I made a second one in the same vein. 

Those sentiments just crack me up and these are the perfect quick and simple Christmas cards. 

I'm also linking up to:

Creative Craft Cottages - Christmas/Winter

Dragonfly Dreams - Christmas/Winter

STAMPlorations 7th Birthday Bash - Day 2

It's day 2 of STAMPlorations Belated Birthday Bash and I'm popping in for a quick share! 

I'm always looking for quick and simple Christmas cards because it seems like you have to make a kajillion. This one is extra good, too because it's flat! (or mostly flat if you ignore the sequins, which your mailman will). 

I used the brand new Holly ARTplorations stencil by Sanna Lippert Designs and outlined everything using a white gel pen on black paper. Then I painted in the berries using red Perfect Pearls and added some little red embellies to some of them. I added a strip of washi tape for the sentiment and viola!

Make sure you go join in the fun this week up at the STAMPlorations blog! There are over $150 in prizes being given away!!! Also, if you buy anything from the stamp store, be sure to use code STAMPGIRLBECCA for 20% off your order! 

Glittery Snowflake Holiday Card

Is anyone else busy huffing glitter in their craft rooms this time of year? There's something about the holiday cardmaking season that brings out my innate love of glitter and intensifies it to an all-time high. 

...

Sorry, I got distract by glitter for a second and had to stare at the photo above before I could continue.

Luckily, whether you are a glitter fan or not, STAMPlorations has you covered. Our Theme and Sketch Challenge has two great options for you to craft your heart out AND win some pretty sah-weet prizes. 

This month's theme is:

And this month's sketch is: 

You can choose to play along with either the theme or the sketch, or mash 'em together and play along with both! 

I made this sparkly background using Ken Oliver Color Burst crystals and covered it with a layer of Faber Castell Glass Bead Glitter Gel, smooshed through the Old Rose Prints mini stencil. 

I added some chipboard snowflakes, plus glittery snowflake embellishments and embossed a big ol' sentiment (Merry & Bright - Typografia Christmas) to complete this holiday card. 

All-in-all if you're looking for quick and stunning cards to send out this Holiday season, totally pin this design because it packs a big bold punch while being pretty simple to put together.

Pssssttt right now if you use code DECEMBER2018 you can get 30% off your order of stamps in the STAMPshop. Plus if you use code STAMPGIRLBECCA you get an extra 10% off. So treat yourself or some of your fave crafters to a snazzy and low-cost Christmas present! 

Elegant Poinsettia Stamped Christmas Card

Hello Ladies and Gents,
It's getting sooooo close to Christmas! Anyone else still working on cards? Anyone else trying to decide if they are actually going to address all those envelopes to people this year even though you've made a bunch of cards?

Sigh* sigh*

Alas, my mantle is getting full of Christmas cards and I would feel mighty guilty not returning some joy. I have weekend plans, yo! 

Anyhow, I'm popping in to share a reminder that STAMPlorations is smack dab in the middle of the December Theme & Sketch challenge, which has lots of prizes up for grabs.

For my card, I decided to use the theme, along with a very loose version of the sketch. 

I cut a background using the Stitched Snow Hills CUTplorations dies and then spritzed it with water, then Barn Door Distress Spray Stain.

Next, I used some InkaGold and liberally wet my paintbrush to create some gold splatters in the background. 

I used some decoupage to add lots of chunky gold glitter. I embossed a very merry sentiment (Merry and Bright Typografia) and then added in some elegant poinsettias to complete the look. 

Taaaadaaaa! Now to go address some cards. 

PS! If you want anything in the STAMPloraitons store, definitely give yourself a little giftie because you can use code STAMPGIRLBECCA to get 20% off anything in the STAMPstore.

Jingle All the Way Stamped Christmas Reindeer

Iiiiiiii'm dreaming of a whiiiiiiiite Christmas. 

Seriously, here in the frosty tundra that is North Dakota, things are decidedly... brown. Which is rather uncustomary for this part of the land. Now that it's December, I'm missing the fluffy white stuff. 

And now that it's December, that means it's time for a new Theme & Sketch challenge over at STAMPlorations! wooo! 

This month's theme and sketch are alllll set up to result in some uber elegant designs. The theme is stamps & gold and the sketch involves some scrawling lines and big ol' blooms.

But, naturally, instead of elegant I chose to go goofy and make some reindeer with jingle bell noses. 

I cut three curved lines into my background using Stitched Snow Hills die cuts. Since I also wanted to play along with the challenge over at Shopping Our Stash, which is snow much fun, I stamped some snowflakes from the Christmas Reindeer set and then sponged in two shades of blue Distress Inks. 

I cut out the reindeer and added on some jingly "noses" to accompany the sentiment. Snowy and cheeky! :) 

I hope you come play along this month at STAMPlorations because there are TONS of prizes, yo! You can use any stamps you'd like. 

I'm also going to play along with the following challenges:
Moving along with the times - Christmas Animals
The Merry Christmas Challenge - Anything Goes

Growing in Unity Hop + Prizes

Boy (or in this case girl) - do I ever have an exciting couple of minutes planned for you. I'm so jealous because you guys (or girls in this case) get to hop through some AMAZING talented cardmakers AND you get the chance to win some awesome prizes from Unity Stamp Company.

If you're here from the hop, you're on the caboose of the talent train. 

Here's the official order:

Terri Burson from Waving My Wand

Sarah Vait from Sarah's Stamping and Stuff

Deborah Adams from A Creative Life 

Becca Cruger from Damsel of Distressed <-- YOU ARE HERE

Here in North Dakota, we saw the first snow of the season this week! Naturally that put me in a Christmasy mood (aka the pre-Christmas panic of realizing I haven't made any Christmas cards this season and I now have exactly ONE MONTH to get crack-a-lackin'). 

I bought the Unity Itty Bitty stamp set All is Calm All is Bright stamp set last Christmas season and never opened the package. So now I'm killing two guilt birds with one stone! I get to use a never-before-used-schtuff (in the words of Darnell Knauss) AND start my Christmas card spree. 

I stamped my image and then sponged over it with some Broken China Distress Oxides. Then I spritzed it with a little bit of water. 

To add a little texture and shimmer to my background, I schmeeeared some Heidi Swapp metallic white embossing paste through a stencil. 

Instead of letting it air dry, which would have produces flat circles, I used my heat tool to dry it. You can see that this causes the paste to bubble and crack, producing a yummy texture (and helping impatient crafters like me get on with their business). 

I put it all together, and got this little lovely! I even think I can get away with mailing it with no extra postage. Woot! 

Thanks for popping by! If you're new to my blog, I'd love for you to give me a follow. I love teaching new mixed media techniques and sharing my processes with you all - so you won't be bored! 

Now get to hopping and win some prizes!

STAMPlorations Christmas Release - Day 5

Bloggy friends. Prepare to die... whoa.. whoa. Die Cut guys... die cut. 

Don't worry, this is not murder Friday, so you're all safe reading my blog post for today. 

It's the final day of the STAMPlorations Christmas release party and I'm sad to see this very merry week come to an end. (on the plus side, I'm also happy to be able to start making some birthday cards again).

You're not going to want to miss out on this final day, though, because we're featuring aallllll those Christmasy die cuts displayed above.

Earlier this week, I showcased that awesome Merry Christmas Word Art Die but I've got three more little lovelies to show off. 

For my first design,  I used the brand spankin' new Christmas Baubles #2 die cut in conjunction with The Bee's Knees Christmas Reindeer stamp set to make a snowy background and add a lovely sentiment. 


I'm going to link this card up to the C.R.A.F.T. card challenge - Christmas.

Once I was feeling all jingly inside, I decided to add some joy with the serene Christmas Icons - Nativity die cut.  I painted up its star with some silver Perfect Pearls and added a sentiment from the Holiday Sketches - Christmas Candles stamp set. 

This card is going to play along at People, Quick, or Red challenge at ABC Christmas Challenge because it's quick AND has some peeps in it.

Last, but most certainly not least, I made this glittery confection. I am in LOVE with this Christmas Icons - Christmas Tree #2 die cut. If I could figure out to add some heart eye emojis to this post, I'd put in at least 20. I paired it with a peaceful sentiment from Homespun Christmas and added a glittery gold poinsettia, some splattery gold Distress Spray Stain and some gold sequins. 

This card is going over to the Sweet Stampin' Christmas anything goes challenge and The Merry Christmas Challenge - sparkle.

Well, I feel like I have a good head start on my Christmas card stash, though I'm sure I'll never feel like there's enough! 

Prizes:

**Winners will be randomly drawn from all comments left on the STAMP blog and participating designers blogs

- THREE (3) winners of a $10 gift certificate to the store

- ONE (1) winner of her choice of 1 stamp set and 1 CUTplorations die from the new release

- ONE (1) winner of a $25 gift certificate to the store

**Extra prizes:

- TWO (2) winners of their choice of 1 CUTplorations die from the new release -- drawn from our Facebook page (for commenting, sharing, and tagging a friend)

- ONE (1) winner of her choice of 1 stamp set from the new release -- drawn from our Instagram post (commenting, liking, tagging a friend)

So what are you waiting for? Get to hopping already!  

Oh and double PPPSSSSTTT: You can get 20% off any of the products in the STAMP shop by using code STAMPGIRLBECCA at checkout. Happy shopping! 

STAMPlorations Christmas Release - Day 4

Ho. Ho. HO. 

Meerrrrrryyyy Christmas.

Oh  you think it's not Christmas, yet? Well you, good friends, are sadly mistaken. Because if you look at the sheer amount of green and red and glitter happening on my craft table right about meow,  you'd know that Christmas is indeed a'comin'. 

Up on the STAMPlorations blog, we're helping to give you a gentle reminder that now is the time to start on those much procrastinated Christmas cards. We're enabling you with some pretty awesome holiday stamps and die cuts to get your creative brains a'workin'. 

Today, we're celebrating two new stamp sets - Homespun Christmas and Winter Chill - designed by our fearless leader, Shery Russ.  

From the second I laid eyes on Homespun Christmas, I was in love. The artful sentiments and the peaceful little scenes had me dreaming of sugarplums and all that jazz. 

The scene was so pretty and serene, that I just HAD to keep my designs running in the same vein. So this card is SUPER CAS compared to my normal mixed media everything. 

I watercolored my scene, using a healthy does of glittery white watercolors to add some sparkle. I added some acetate and some shimmery sequins to make this into a wintry shaker. A simple sentiment completed my look. 

I'm going to play along in the following challenges:
The Merry Christmas Challenge - Sparkle
Tuesday Throwdown - Anything Goes

Make sure you head on over the STAMPlorations blog because you're not going to want to miss this week-long party. Just look at all these prizes!!

Prizes:

**Winners will be randomly drawn from all comments left on the STAMP blog and participating designers blogs

- THREE (3) winners of a $10 gift certificate to the store

- ONE (1) winner of her choice of 1 stamp set and 1 CUTplorations die from the new release

- ONE (1) winner of a $25 gift certificate to the store

**Extra prizes:

- TWO (2) winners of their choice of 1 CUTplorations die from the new release -- drawn from our Facebook page (for commenting, sharing, and tagging a friend)

- ONE (1) winner of her choice of 1 stamp set from the new release -- drawn from our Instagram post (commenting, liking, tagging a friend)

So what are you waiting for? Get to hopping already!  

Oh and double PPPSSSSTTT: You can get 20% off any stamp set in the STAMP shop by using code STAMPGIRLBECCA at checkout. Happy shopping! 

STAMPlorations Christmas Release - Day 3

One thing I didn't expect about making Christmas cards in August is the penchant for my brain to repeat Christmas carols over and over and over again in my head. 

If this is your first time over to my blog this week, there's a big holiday stamp release going on over at STAMPlorations with TONS of fun prizes. 

Just look at all those lovely new stamp sets & die cuts! 

Today, we are showcasing The Bee's Knees two new stamp sets, Christmas Elf and Three Kings

I specifically got to play around with Three Kings (hence why I now have Christmas carols stuck in my head). 

I did a little bit of scene building with this stamp set and created my own village and starry night sky. I watercolored and sponged with some distress inks and this is what happened. :) 

Make sure you head on over the STAMPlorations blog because you're not going to want to miss this week-long party. Just look at all these prizes!!

Prizes:

**Winners will be randomly drawn from all comments left on the STAMP blog and participating designers blogs

- THREE (3) winners of a $10 gift certificate to the store

- ONE (1) winner of her choice of 1 stamp set and 1 CUTplorations die from the new release

- ONE (1) winner of a $25 gift certificate to the store

**Extra prizes:

- TWO (2) winners of their choice of 1 CUTplorations die from the new release -- drawn from our Facebook page (for commenting, sharing, and tagging a friend)

- ONE (1) winner of her choice of 1 stamp set from the new release -- drawn from our Instagram post (commenting, liking, tagging a friend)

So what are you waiting for? Get to hopping already!  

Oh and double PPPSSSSTTT: You can get 20% off any stamp set in the STAMP shop by using code STAMPGIRLBECCA at checkout. Happy shopping! 

STAMPlorations Christmas Release - Day 2

Ya'll know I love me some texture, and I'm going to show you how to do a little bit of faux texture today in my post.

I'm still jing-a-ling-a-linging my way along here on the blog, celebrating with STAMPlorations holiday stamp release. Each day this week, new products are being revealed on the STAMPlorations blog and there are TONS of prizes to be won. So you are gonna wanna go check it out.

 Today, we're showcasing Yuletide Deer by Dee's Artsy Impressions.

Just look at all those elegant deer! I fell in love with this set the second I got my hands on it. I love sets that can be used year-round and I am TOTALLY planning to double down on this one by using it for masculine birthday or father's day cards.

I also used this scrolly Merry Christmas Word Art Die from the new release, and here's where my faux texture comes in. That die might look all rusty, but in reality it's flat and smooth as can be. I used three shades of InkaGold (a light green, a gold and a copper) to create an aged look. 

I embossed the reindeer in gold on a sheet of pink vellum, and then added a teeny red sequin to turn him into Rudolph. 

I'm going to enter my card into the following challenges:

Sweet Stampin' Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes

The Merry Christmas Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes

Holly & Ivy Christmas Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes

Make sure you head on over the STAMPlorations blog because you're not going to want to miss this week-long party. Just look at all these prizes!!

Prizes:

**Winners will be randomly drawn from all comments left on the STAMP blog and participating designers blogs

- THREE (3) winners of a $10 gift certificate to the store

- ONE (1) winner of her choice of 1 stamp set and 1 CUTplorations die from the new release

- ONE (1) winner of a $25 gift certificate to the store

**Extra prizes:

- TWO (2) winners of their choice of 1 CUTplorations die from the new release -- drawn from our Facebook page (for commenting, sharing, and tagging a friend)

- ONE (1) winner of her choice of 1 stamp set from the new release -- drawn from our Instagram post (commenting, liking, tagging a friend)

So what are you waiting for? Get to hopping already!  

Oh and double PPPSSSSTTT: You can get 20% off any stamp set in the STAMP shop by using code STAMPGIRLBECCA at checkout. Happy shopping! 

STAMPlorations Christmas Release - Day 1

Today, I had a coat of almost frost on my windshield!! Autumn is in full gear here in North Dakota, and with it comes the sweet, sweet panic of not having started on Christmas cards. haha! Every year I get to the last vestiges of November and bemoan the fact that I didn't have the foresight to be making Christmas cards all year long.

But not this year, my friends! Not this year.

Why? Because I've gotten a good look at the STAMPlorations official Christmas releases, which come out TODAY! woop woop! I've created some spectacular holiday cards, and will be sharing them with you all week long to inspire you to create!

The first set we're focusing on is designed by yours truly! It's called Christmas Cookies & Cheer, and carries my signature snark along with a healthy dose of sweetness.

 

This set is the perfect thing for making adorable Christmas cards OR for making sweet little tags to go along with those cookies you give away during the holiday season. 

I decided to design a card with lots of texture and shimmer. 

Look at all that cuteness!! 

This card is going to play along in the following challenges:

Winter Wonderland - Use Ribbon, Twine or Lace
Sweet Stampin' Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes

The Merry Christmas Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes

Holly & Ivy Christmas Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes

Make sure you head on over the STAMPlorations blog because you're not going to want to miss this week-long party. Just look at all these prizes!!

Prizes:

**Winners will be randomly drawn from all comments left on the STAMP blog and participating designers blogs

- THREE (3) winners of a $10 gift certificate to the store

- ONE (1) winner of her choice of 1 stamp set and 1 CUTplorations die from the new release

- ONE (1) winner of a $25 gift certificate to the store

**Extra prizes:

- TWO (2) winners of their choice of 1 CUTplorations die from the new release -- drawn from our Facebook page (for commenting, sharing, and tagging a friend)

- ONE (1) winner of her choice of 1 stamp set from the new release -- drawn from our Instagram post (commenting, liking, tagging a friend)

So what are you waiting for? Get to hopping already!  

Oh and double PPPSSSSTTT: You can get 20% off any stamp set in the STAMP shop by using code STAMPGIRLBECCA at checkout. Happy shopping! 

A Rose by any Other Name Stamped Card

A rose by any other name doth smell as sweet. 
A rose colored with any other medium doth look as lovely. 

Don't you just love quoting Shakespeare. I'm pretty sure he wrote both of the two lines above. 

Today, I'm doing a reminder post for STAMPlorations theme and sketch challenge, so I'm popping in with a quick, but lovely little thank you card I made using watercolors.

I used the rose from the STAMPlorations Blossom Overture set and the sentiment is from the Strong Women set, designed by yours truly.

For the theme & sketch challenge, you can use EITHER the sketch OR the theme OR both. And you can use ANY stamps from ANY company. We're pretty easy huh? So get on over and play along with us already!

This card is also going to go play along in Tuesday Throwdown's anything goes challenge.

This posting is also a two-fer because I want to remind you to play along in the STAMPlorations Stencil Hop & Linky party, too! 

 

We're celebrating all things stenciled with a 7-day inspiration hop complete with TONS of prizes. If you're feeling inspired, you can also link up a stenciled card of your own for even MORE prizes. 

As for me, I'm also going to link it up to:
Cards Und More - ooooh it's cold
A Snowflakes Promise - Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp Monday -  Let there be Snow

I showcased how I created this background in >>>this post<<< using the Broken Glass stencil. The sentiment is from the HOLIDAY SKETCHES: Christmas Candles set.

Thanks for popping by! Hope you enjoy the weekend. Considering it is going to be a high of -15 degrees F tomorrow... I'm not sure how much I'll be enjoying it! BRRR