Sweet Spooks

It's October 31st and you know what that means! Halloween!

How about a not-so-spooky card to kick off the day. We need to work up to all those ghosts and monsters that will be knocking on our doors tonight.

Market Street Stamps has the CUTEST Halloween stamp set called Sweet Spooks. It's super flexible and I love how there are some stamps in it to use all around the year.




For this card, I've had fun stamping onto a Twinchie. A Twinchie is just like an Inchie only it is 2" square and makes a great dimensional area for stamping on. Inchies and Twinchies take ink and stamp impressions really well and there are no special techniques needed. Just stamp away!


I've combined a sentiment, a spider and a web together to make one image. This works if you use a little simple masking. First stamp the spider and then mask the main body. Then stamp the web and sentiment. Once the stamping is done, remove the mask and color in the spider. I've used a couple dye ink markers on the spider and a white gel pen to highlight her sweet little eyes. In real life I am sooo not fond of spiders, but this little one has me smiling.

Happy Halloween!

October CREAM OF THE CROP!!

Happy Saturday!

Steph here to announce our October Cream of the Crop!

Are you still recovering from our AMAZING Anniversary Celebration?

 I have a feeling a lot of you have gotten some new stamps in the mail recently! 

I can't wait to see what you create with them! 

We were FLOODED this month with insanely creative and beautiful projects- make sure you check out our galleries for TONS of inspiration! 

{Splicoaststampers} {Flickr}  

{Market Street Neighborhood- NING}

If you haven't checked out the "Neighborhood" yet- come on by! We'd love to have you! 

Click HERE to join us!

I'm VERY excited to share our picks for this month's "Cream of the Crop!"

Before I share the winners, we would like to encourage everyone to join in on the fun! It's super easy to enter and you can enter as many times as you want! Show us your best work!

Thank you to ALL the wonderful designers that shared their project with us this month!

So..... here are three projects that caught our eye and stood out- well executed, creative, and inspiring!!

In no particular order, here are the three designers who are the "Cream of the Crop!"

DENISE JANUARY

Denise is no stranger to Market Street Stamps and has WOW-ed us once again! This beautiful card  featuring the Autumn Greetings set screams fall! I particularly LOVE all the texture and dimension she achieved with her layering and that gorgeous burlap! Amazing, Denise!

Stop by Denise's blog for TONS of inspiration! This girl is a SUPERSTAR!!

Sassy Stampin' Designs with Denise January

Jessica Gorczynski

This girl had the folks on facebook RAVING about her GENIOUS card design! This card, featuring the Comfort Food and Happy Pumpkin sets, is one that EVERYONE wants to CASE- what an amazing idea! We love everything about it, Jessica!

You can check out the rest of Jessica's gorgeous creations in the Neighborhood- she's SUPER creative!

Jessica Gorczynski

Jacquie Peifer

This card, featuring the mosquito and sentiment from the Gone Campin' set, had my jaw on the floor! I LOVE the mix of patterns and textures on this super sweet card made by the amazingly talented, Jacquie! The card is executed beautifully and packs a huge punch! Definitely a winner in my book!

Make sure you visit Jacquie on her blog- she's an AMAZING designer and has tons of inspiration to share!

Javablustamper

Ladies- please contact  
{angelica at marketstreetstamps dot com}

to collect your $20 gift certificate and the code for a blinkie that you can proudly display on your blogs!!

So... who will be the

"Cream of the Crop"

for November?

Here's how you can play along!!

The details:

The Cream of the Crop Spotlight is a merit based contest- we're looking for projects that catch our eye, but we also encourage stampers of all skill levels to upload their cards for consideration! We will be looking for projects that are well executed, use Market Street Stamps in a new and fun way, have great use of color, and have amazing overall design. Most importantly, we want to see what you're making!

• Deadline to get your project in will be the last Friday of the month
• Cream of the Crop Spotlight projects and winners will be announced that weekend!
• Spotlight winners will EACH win a $20 gift certificate to the Market Street Stamps store!
• If you are chosen, in addition to the $20 gift certificate to the Marketplace, your project photos will appear on the MSS blog (as well as a link to your blog (or gallery if you do not have a blog) )!
• You may upload/link as many projects as you like!

You have until 11:59 PM Central Time on November 25th  to share your projects and be in the running for November's Cream of the Crop!

Here are links to places we'll be looking for your projects:

• Market Street Stamps on Facebook
• Market Streets Stamps on Twitter
• Market Street Stamps Flickr group
• Market Street Stamps SCS gallery (keyword: marketstreetstamps)
• Market Street Neighborhood

We LOVE to see your projects! Keep up the great work!!

Tutorial: Distress Stain Resist (3 ways!)

Who LOVES Distress Stains!? I DO! 

Steph here today to show you how to use Distress Stains and Emboss Resist to create three VERY different looks- same technique, just very different ways to use it!

Today I'm going to show you 

Distress Stain Resist, Distress Stain Resist with Perfect Pearl Mist, 

and Distress Stain Resist Watercoloring. 

Enjoy!

Distress Stain Resist

This is the most basic of the techniques I'm going to show you today- super easy, but creates a really pretty color pattern that you can use as a main focal element on your cards or even on scrapbook layouts! I love to sit and play around with different color stains to create beautiful patterns- so much fun!

First, I started by heat embossing the Sweet Lace background with clear embossing powder on white cardstock. Then, I chose a couple different Distress Stains and went to work! The Stains I used on this card are Crushed Olive, Scattered Straw, and Vintage Photo (full list of supplies at the bottom of the post).

Add color in any pattern you wish, mixing and blending the colors around until you have the look you want! I started with Crushed Olive, adding it in small circles where the circles in the background pattern are.

Then I went in and filled the spaces with Scattered Straw. Finally, I added bits of Vintage Photo here and there to complete the look! 

When you're finished adding your Distress Stains, you can either leave it to dry or dry it with a heat tool.

And here's the final product. If you wanted a more blended look, you could mist it with some water before heat setting!


AND... here's the card I made: 

Perfect for fall- I added the sentiment "Autumn Greetings" from the Autumn Greetings set on the inside!

Distress Stain Resist with Perfect Pearl Mist

This next technique is basically the same technique as the first, only the finished product is a sparkly, pretty blend of colors! For this one, I started by heat embossing the Zebra Print background with clear embossing powder on white cardstock. Then, I chose a couple different Distress Stains and went to work! The Stains I used on this card are Weathered Wood, Broken China, and Faded Jeans (full list of supplies at the bottom of the post).

Add color in any pattern you wish, mixing and blending the colors around until you cover the paper and have the look you want!

Next, spray the entire sheet with Perfect Pearls Mist. Ensure that you spray enough to achieve a nice blend of the colors and get a pretty shimmer!

Wipe the excess Perfect Pearls Mist and Stain from the embossed area with a  damp towel.

Leave to dry or dry quickly with a heat tool!


And here's the card I made with this pretty, sparkly background:

Same layout for this card, but a TOTALLY different effect! This is perfect for a fun card to send to a girlfriend! I completed it by stamping the "Celebrate" sentiment from Celebrate Cake on the inside.

Distress Stain Resist Watercoloring

This final technique I'm going to show you is very different from the other two! For this one, I started by heat embossing the Woodgrain background with clear embossing powder on white cardstock. Then, I chose a couple different Distress Stains and watercolor painted them using my Aqua Painter! You can totally use a regular paint brush and water for this technique- I just happen to have an Aqua Painter, which makes this technique really easy. The Stains I used on this card are Antique Linen, Vintage Photo, and Walnut Stain (full list of supplies at the bottom of the post).

I started by applying some Distress Stain directly to my craft sheet in the three colors I chose to use.

Then, I used my Aqua Painter to pick up some Stain to paint on my embossed cardstock.

I added all three colors in stripes across the embossed paper, creating a fun, watercolored woodgrain look! I love how the stains blend together and and create this soft pattern!

Finally, either leave the paper to dry or dry it quickly with a heat tool.

And here's the card I made:

Same layout, just turned around a bit! LOVE this look and I'll definitely be using this technique again soon! On the inside I stamped the sentiment "Thank You" from the Hippie Chic set!

I hope I have inspired you to try Distress Stains and play around to discover new looks and styles! It is really fun to just get a little inky and play around!

{Distress Stain Resist} Supplies:

InLinkz.com

{Distress Stain Resist with Perfect Pearl Mist} Supplies:

InLinkz.com

{Distress Stain Resist Watercoloring} Supplies:

InLinkz.com