It's almost over!

Good morning stampers!

Our Puzzle Piece challenge has almost come to a close! You have until midnight tonight (AEDST) to submit an entry to be in the running to win one of these awesome prizes! So get stamping!

Today I have 2 more entries to share!

This card was sent in by Tania Davey:


Tania has created a mini album for photos of her upcoming wedding! She has used a stamp from Buzz and Bloom, and the jigsaw was created using a cuttlebug die.

Great work Tania!

This next entry was sent in by Joy Rumble:


Joy painted a CD with Lumiere Pearlescent Violet, then stamped on the Celebrate & twirls, using silver ink.

Joy made the jigsaw pieces out of thicker cardboard and coloured them using a Pilot super colour Silver pen. She then stuck them onto the disc, and stuck on 2 lots of dried tree moss/lichen. Next she looped some fine silver cord held together with wire, and using silk poinsettias, hot glued everything into place.

Last but not least she stamped some silver card & punched out 3 jigsaw pieces & stuck them on.

Lovely Joy - what a great present topper!

Now, I have a great technique based challenge coming up for you guys for February, so make sure you check in tomorrow! :) Have a great weekend!

~Sarah~

Challenge Inspiration from TSQ!

Good morning everyone!

Today I have a great inspiration ATC to share with you from Barb at The Stamping Queen!


How cute is that! I love the way Barb has stamped onto a book page - very clever! Oh, and poor barb came up with a new way of distressing:


See the white paint in the corner of the jigsaw piece? You too can get that look by using your creations to land on when you trip down the stairs! LMAO!! But beware - she tells me the bruise is twice as big as the ATC! :)

Thanks for sharing Barb - even if it did nearly kill you! :) LOL!!

~Sarah~

RAK Winner!

Sorry for the delay everyone! I have been very busy this week getting my daughter ready for her first day of primary school! I'm pleased to say that everything went well, and there were no tears! (From either of us!). I remember my first day of school - 23 years ago tomorrow! It was my birthday and I was sooo excited - I got presents AND I got to go to school! LOL!! Jess was very excited this morning - and can't wait to go back tomorrow! :)

Anyway, without further ado, here is the winner of the RAK for the Australia Day ATC challenge!

LISA BALM!

Congrats Lisa!

I'll be popping some little goodies in the mail for you, including this mini bag of "Lagoon Bay" Opals Embossing Enamel, plus a clear stamp from Pipe Dreamink:


Thanks to all 3 girls for entering the mini challenge! :)

Check back tomorrow morning for some gorgeous challenge inspiration from one of our sponsors!

~Sarah~

Happy Australia Day!

Happy Australia Day everyone!

To celebrate Australia Day, I set a special (very quick!) mini challenge to create an Australian themed ATC!

3 ladies were brave enough to take on the challenge! So without further ado, here are the entries!

Jen Sweatman:


Tania Davey:


Lisa Balm (who made not 1 but 2!):


Great work ladies! And thanks for taking on the challenge!

I'll put your names in a hat and announce the winner of the RAK tonight! :)

Have a great day everyone!

~Sarah~

"Pieces of Me" Journal Cover.

Good morning stampers!

Today's entry is by Jen Sweatman:


Jen has traced a jumbo puzzle piece onto a plain Grungeboard sheet. She then used gel medium to adhere various torn pieces of scrap paper onto it, painted it white, let it dry, and adhered some collage elements. Jen then painted some more, adhered some more elements and did a bit of pen doodling.

Jen then attached her puzzle piece to her journal cover (called "Pieces of Me").

Great work Jen!

OK Stampers - don't forget to take part in our mini challenge! You have until midnight tonight to get your entry in! Details here.

Oh, and if you have a spare couple of minutes, check out my blog to see how you can go in the draw to win some scrapbooking goodies! ;)

~Sarah~

Quick Mini Challenge!

OK everyone!

Here are the details of the mini challenge!

As it is Australia Day on Monday, I challenge you to create an Australian themed Artist Trading Card (ATC)!

Email me a pic of your ATC by Midnight (AEDST) Sunday 25th January 2009, and I will do a special ATC feature of all the entries on Australia Day (Monday 26th Jan)!

Everyone who enters will go into the draw to win a RAK from me! :)

(Entries needn't have a puzzle piece for this challenge).

Happy stamping!

~Sarah~

Nature's Puzzle

Happy weekend everyone! And an especially happy long weekend to everyone here in Australia as we celebrate Australia Day on Monday!

Today's entry comes from Katrina Thompson:


Katrina has very kindly given us some detailed instructions on how she made this gorgeous piece of art!

From Katrina:

"For the base I broke off 9 pieces of a blank puzzle so the 3 prongs act as feet, then shaded it with 'Old Paper' Distress Ink. I stamped "Butterfly Square #90336" by Stamps Happen in 'Vintage Photo' and using a shaving brush shaded the edges with Vintage Photo, Frayed Burlap and Tea Dye Distress Inks".


"On cream card I stamped a portion of "Page about Butterflies #90240" by Stamps Happen in Saddle Brown Stazon, then coloured the Butterflies with Watercolour pencils, shading it also".

"I cut a mount from the same cream and glued it to the back to highlight. The branches are from Collections. I painted them with Cream acrylic first so the ink would not seep in too much and keep its colour. I bent and scrumpled them to get the texture then used the same distress inks with Forest green stazon to colour".


"I attached the butterfly panel and branches to the base with glue and 3d foam adding a leaf and twigs from the garden. Some twine and lace is wrapped around the right side. I punched a hole, right top, and threaded some fibres and wove a twig through then added a metal charm".

"To finish, I stamped, cut and shaded some extra Butterflies and wrote the words 'Natures Puzzle, then attached them up the left side. I attached a little stand to the back so it will sit like a frame".

Awesome stuff Katrina!

OK stampers - I have a fun idea! Check back later on tonight for details of a very special mini challenge! :)

~Sarah~

Some inspiration!

This month's puzzle piece theme made me remember a very clever collaborative project that I had seen some years ago on Rachel Grieg's blog. I asked Rachel if she still had a pic of it so that I may share it with you all, and she very kindly (and I'm sure painstakingly!) tracked it down! So here is Rachel's "Circle Jigsaw":


OK - I know what you're thinking - that's not a circle! And you'd be right. It's a "Circle Jigsaw" because it's like a circle journal - which you pass around to your friends who add their artworks and then the whole project ends up back with you. With the Circle Jigsaw, Rachel and 7 of her friends each created 6 jigsaw pieces and sent a piece to each friend, so they each ended up with a complete 6 piece puzzle!

I thought this was such a cool idea! I hope it has inspired you too! :)

Thanks for sharing it with us Rachel! :)

You can read more about how Rachel and her friends created the circle jigsaw on her blog post here.

~Sarah~

A Puzzle Piece Posie!

Say that 10 times fast! LOL!

Today's entry is this lovely posie by Vicky Fernando:


Vicky created her puzzle pieces using a Cuttlebug die (measuring 97 mm x 135 mm).


The background alphabet stamp is from Victoria's Secret and was stamped using Versafine Onyx black ink.

For the words, Vicky used the same stamp & ink combination onto white cardstock, cut out each letter as required, and stuck them to each puzzle piece using a QuickieGlue pen.


To create the posie, Vicky used the wire from a couple of coathangers for the stems, which she coloured with a green Sharpie.


The leaves were hand cut with a pair of small zigzag scissors from pages from an old book that had been painted green.

Vicky also decorated the tin using the same painted paper, letters & ricrac in purple & red.

Awesome stuff Vicky! :)

How's everyone else going with your entries? Looking forward to seeing some more! :)

~Sarah~

New stamps from Tim Holtz!

Woweee - Tim Holtz has just revealed his 12 new stamp sets that are being released at CHA at the beginning of February!

Here's a sneak peek:


You can see all 12 sets of eye candy here, not to mention go into the draw to win all 12 for yourself! :)

Enjoy! :)

~Sarah~

Reverse Spotlight Technique

Hi stampers!

Today's entry comes from Robyn Wood:


The "Spotlight Technique" is where you highlight part of your image by stamping it twice, and layering a piece of it that you have coloured over the top of the black and white image. There is a great tutorial for the Spotlight Technique at Splitcoast Stampers.

For Robyn's card, she has used the "Reverse Spotlight Technique", where her base image is coloured, and her highlighted part is in black and white. Very cool! Here is a close up:


Robyn has very kindly shared the instructions for her card with you all:

My card was created by:

- cutting a piece of calico to roughly the right size and pulling the side threads to give a bit of interest. I then painted it with off-white acrylic paint. A puzzle piece was painted at the same time.

- pear image is by Stampers Anonymous and is stamped and embossed with clear powder. An interesting part of the image was selected and stamped onto the puzzle piece.

- image was water coloured using water colours. The puzzle piece was left blank.

- image was matted with green Coordinations cardstock, ripped at the bottom onto a tan A5 card blank. The puzzle piece was match up with the image and mounted with foam tape.

- the right side of the card was stamped with a branch (K & Co) using Versamark. The word ‘Grow’ (Christina Re) was stamped and embossed.

Thanks Robyn!

~Sarah~

Bright and Funky!

Hi everyone!

Today's entry comes from Lisa Balm:


Lisa has used a small jigsaw which she covered in patterned paper, then inked and decorated with a quote and stamped images.

The birdhouse is from Printblocks, the sun is from Kaisercraft, the grass is from Go Inque, and the butterfly from Inque boutique.

Great work Lisa!

Keep those entries rolling in everyone!

~Sarah~

Vintage Grungeboard

Good morning stampers!

Today we're going globe trotting again with this gorgeous entry from Ros Rayner of the UK:


Ros created her puzzle piece from Grungeboard, which she coloured, stamped and embossed using VersaMagic, Versamark, and TH Distress Inks.

The stamps Ros used are by Stampington and Invoke Arts, and the "Life Journey" sentiment comes from a Darkroom Door Venetian Wordstrip.

The image came from Art Creations Friday.

Stay inky! :)

~Sarah~

Happy Saturday!

Hi everyone! Happy Saturday! Much cooler today in my part of the world - actually a little chilly would you believe?! Happy day!

Today's entry comes from Jenene Evans:


Jenene has used 4 puzzle pieces for her artwork. First they were painted, then Jenene glued on some patterned paper, added a little more paint, a bit of sanding, then stamped pears and embossed them. The word 'Pear' was stamped with Tim Holtz 'Black Soot'.

Next, Jenene coloured the pears in with 'Schminke' copper dry gouache, then added a swishy smudge of Tim Holtz ' black soot' stamp pad. She then rubbed a few spots back, painted & added numbers and finished with a covering of 'Matisse Poly U Gloss Varnish'.

Awesome stuff Jenene!

Enjoy your weekend everyone!

~Sarah~

A Hybrid Creation!

Hello stampers! I hope those of you that are in Australia (Sydney in particular) have gotten over the heat of yesterday! Phew! Roll. On. Winter.

Today I have a very interesting entry to share with you.

Hybrid Scrapbooking is becoming more and more popular these days - incorporating digital elements that are printed out and used on traditional paper pages. Suzanne McQuade has taken this a step further and made a Hybrid card:


Suzanne created her base card using Daisy D's patterned paper, and Bazzil cardstock. She then stamped a Kaisercraft butterfly stamp with "Color it" ink.

She then used 2 puzzle pieces which she stamped then embossed, and attached to the bottom of her card. Suzanne added the words and the quote from a patterned paper sheet of quotes from "Around the Block".

Suzanne created the dove using a digital brush from "A Print a Day" and added a puzzle on top using Photoshop.

Nice one Suzanne!

Now where are all the entries this month?! Where has everyone gone!? Come on ladies - I just know you have something fabulous in your mind - so make sure you get some craft time in this weekend, and keep sending in those entries! :) (And feel free to leave a comment so I know I'm not all by myself here!!).

~Sarah~

New Stuff from Hero Arts

Hi Stampers!

Hero Arts have just released their 2009 catalogue and there are some awesome new stamps that I am sure you'll be drooling over!


The online catalogue is incredible - you can click on the sample projects on each page to see instructions and a complete materials list. You can also click on a product to see a full product description, and samples made with it! It's the coolest online catalogue I've ever come across.

If you sign up to the "Hero Club" (it's free and totally painless) you can add your favourite stamps to your wishlist, and even put projects in your favourites so you can easily find them later when you have time to create!

And if you're looking for some inspiration, they have an awesome blog full of eye candy and video tutorials!

Happy stamping!

~Sarah~

Puzzle Piece Mini Book!

Hello again my lovely readers! I hope you are enjoying your day/night wherever you may be!

We're returning back to Australia today with this fabulous mini book by Renee Ludlow:


Renee made her mini album out of a 4 piece puzzle that her daughters had - let's hope they don't notice it's gone missing! LOL!!

When I saw it I thought it was so cool that I just had to share all the pages with you! So feast your eyes:


Renee has used stamps from the Basic Grey "Ambrosia" Bitsy Medallions set. As well as the puzzle pieces that make up the album, she cut a circle out of chipboard for her cover.


From Renee:

"Making the puzzle/mini-album is extremely easy. You need to print out a photo the same size as the finished puzzle".......


........"Then you trace and cut out each of the pieces and adhere them to the puzzle. You then decorate it however you want".........


......."Just remember as you are embellishing the pieces that you will still want to be able to put the puzzle together once its done".......


...."Punch a hole in each of the pieces, add an album ring and you are done!".

Great work Renee - and thanks for sharing the whole album with us! :)

Happy stamping everyone!

~Sarah~

More internationals!

Hi stampers!

I am so thrilled that Inkurable Stampers inspires people all over the world! yesterday's entry was from The Philippines, and today I have two more international entries to share! Wow! Let's see how many different countries we can get this month! :)

First up, I have this lovely little ATC sent in by Lesley Dupont from Ontario, Canada:


Lesley's creation is a regulation size ATC, and it is called "House of Art".

Lesley painted and crackled a chipboard heart shape on which she stamped the eye.

Lesley stamped a swirl on her green paper background, and added a music image transfer on the bottom right corner, which she has embellished with Ric Rac. Her puzzle piece is from a punch, and the top of the roof area was punched with a single hole punch. Lesley has also added some inking for dimension.

Next up we have this gorgeous jigsaw puzzle which was sent in by Marianne Verschoof from The Netherlands:


Marianne's puzzle is 10.5 cm x 14.5 cm (approx 4.13 inches X 5.70 inches), and has been stamped with stamps from "Artemio".

Marianne coloured her puzzle using ink, aquarel pencils, chalks etc, and has given her colours a distressed/vintage look in keeping with the images from her stamps.

Fabulous work ladies!

I'll be back tomorrow with another awesome entry! :)

~Sarah~

Free Subscription Offer!

Hi everyone!

For a limited time, the good folks at For Keeps Creative Paper magazine are offering you a FREE 6 month subscription to the digital edition of their magazine! It's the same as the paper version, only online! It has all sort of great features too where you can email your fave pages to your friends, and lots of other cool stuff!



So, sign up today by clicking the image above, or the image in the sidebar of the blog! Too easy!

This is an awesome offer for those of you that are new to For Keeps Creative Paper, or those that can't access the mag (say, if you're overseas!)!

Remember - it's TOTALLY FREE! So what are you waiting for! Sign up now and access the latest mag straight away! :)

Oh - and a little birdie told me that they are really keen for more stamping projects to be submitted, so if one of your goals for 2009 is to get something published, then you should check out the submission guidelines in the mag! :)

~Sarah~

Our first Puzzle Piece entry!

Good afternoon stampers! I hope you are enjoying the weekend! :)

I am delighted to be able to share the very first Puzzle Piece entry with you today! Nina Patena from the Philippines has sent in this fabulous mixed media wall hanging (click on pics to enlarge):


Nina was even kind enough to share with us all a step by step guide so you can create one yourself!

From Nina:

1. Sand puzzle pieces. These are bigger puzzle pieces so they're a lot easier to work with.
2. Apply two coats of gesso, letting each coat dry before applying the second layer.
3. Go crazy with alcohol inks and acrylic paints. Paint the edges with a defining color.
4. Stamp Queen Kat Designs "Friends Forever" Stamp Set with Staz On on acetate.
5. Cut out each word you like and swipe gesso at the back to highlight the sentiment and as adhesive to stick to each puzzle piece.


6. Punch holes and connect each piece with string, paperclips, keychain ring.
7. Add any other accents you like. I decided to keep this simple and only added the glittery wings from a Christmas decor and the paper mache moon I'd bought at a bazaar two years ago.

Awesome work Nina!

I love reading everyone's comments! So funny to hear that you are pinching puzzle pieces from your kid's puzzles!! But don't forget - companies like Collections and ScrapFX etc make blank puzzle pieces ready for you to alter! LOL!! I don't want to hear of any tears from kiddies when they realise their puzzles have been raided! LMAO! Check out these cuties from TSQ.

Remember - your puzzle piece can be made from anything - you can use a puzzle piece shaped hole punch, or you can draw your own puzzle piece on your creation - you're only limited by your imagination! Just don't forget to use a stamp! LOL!!

Can't wait to see some more entries!

~Sarah~

*** PRIZES FOR JANUARY! ***

Sorry for the delay guys! But I can now officially reveal the fabulous prizes up for grabs this month! :)

* Courtesy of Darkroom Door, you could be taking home not one but two great sets of stamps!
- Robot Vol 1, and Robot Vol 2.


* Paper Forest Designs could be sending you the amazing book "Exploring the Latest Trends in Mixed Media Arts":


* These Basic Grey Sweet Sentiments clear stamps could be winging their way to you thanks to Scrapbook Savvy:


* You could be the lucky winner of a $20.00 voucher from The Stamping Queen.

* Or, the lucky winner of the $20.00 voucher from Tarisota.

Great incentives, Huh??! So get to your desk, get out your stamps, and get stamping! :) I wanna see some puzzle pieces!

~Sarah~

Cool stuff from Tarisota!

Hi stampers!

Phew! I'm totally over the heat already! Geeez it has been hot here today! Roll on winter I say.

Just spotted some cool stuff over at Tarisota that I thought you might like to check out!

The January Inklination kit:


This month's Inklination is a set of Heidi Swapp clear alphabet stamps! Just $19.95 plus only $2.00 postage! (Free postage if shipping with a subscription).

And how gorgeous is this Basic Grey card making kit:


Yummo! Just $29.95 plus $8.95 postage.

Both these collections are available in the Limited Editions section.

There is all sorts of yummy stuff over at Tarisota this month - so pop on over and check it out! :)

~Sarah~

*** WINNERS FOR DECEMBER!!! ***

Well, I know I say it every month, but boy oh boy you girls make my job of picking the winners so difficult! The entries for last month's scallops challenge were fabulous! Such a varied bunch of ideas and inspiration! Thanks so much to everyone who took part in what was such a busy month for us all! :) I hope everyone enjoyed last month's theme and the 12 days of inspiration feature. Don't forget to send me pics if you made something that was featured! :)

OK, so I guess you wanna know the rest of the winners for December don't you? Your wish is my command! Congratulations goes out to the following stampers for their outstanding entries:

1. JEN SWEATMAN! You have won the gorgeous set of Fancy Pants 12"x12" "From the Garden" clear stamps, RRP $80 courtesy of Scrapbook Savvy!! See Jen's entry here. I just loved all the detail and the amount of work that went into your entry. Well done!

2. ROBYN WOOD! You have won the very cool set of "Harmony" stamps from Darkroom Door! I loved everything about your card! See Robyn's entry here.

3. KRISTINE COLLINS! Thanks to Paper Forest Designs, you have won $20.00 worth of product of your choice (plus postage) from the store PLUS a mystery post-Christmas gift! Your card was divine! See Kristine's entry here.

4. CHLOE NIELSEN! You have won a $20.00 voucher to spend at The Stamping Queen! Your cracker of a Christmas card was such a cool idea, and beautifully created! See Chloe's entry here.

5. TANIA DAVEY! You have won a $20.00 voucher to spend at Tarisota Collections! A great gift wallet for the men in our lives so they aren't left out of our crafty goodness! LOL! See Tania's entry here.

Well done ladies! Look out for an email from me in your inbox!

~Sarah~

Grand Prize Winner!

Sorry guys - I can't announce the prizes for January yet, as I'm waiting for confirmation from 2 of our sponsors, who are on holidays at the moment! But rest assured they will all be fabulous as always. :) I'll post them here as soon as I can.

What I can do, however, is announce the winners for December! But because I'm feeling a bit cheeky, I'm just going to announce the grand prize winner today! You'll have to wait until tomorrow for the others! LOL! :)

A huge thank you goes out to our guest sponsor for December, "Stampin' Up!" for supplying a fabulous grand prize for our challenge, as well as some awesome goodies for me to play with during my 12 days of Inspiration feature! If you haven't tried Stampin' Up! products before, I highly recommend you give them a go.

Our grand prize winner will be taking home this swag:

- 3 Stampin' Pads ($9.95 each)
- Stampin' Spray Mist ($7.95)
- Vintage brads ($14.95)
- Scallop Circle Punch ($30.95)
- Bronc Buster Stamp set ($35.95)

Total Value: $119.65!

So, without further ado, the winner of the grand prize for the scallops challenge is..........

RENEE LUDLOW!

Here is Renee's gorgeous entry:


Congratulations Renee! Your prize will be on it's way to you soon! :)

Check back tomorrow for the rest of the December winners.

~Sarah~

*** IMPORTANT NOTICE - PLEASE READ! ***

Hi stampers!

Please note that my email address has now changed. Please update your address books with the following email address:

inkurable@aapt.net.au

Please use this address for all correspondence from now on.

Thanks!

~Sarah~

PS: As I'm on a temporary dial up service, it is now more important than ever to send pics with small file sizes. Please ensure that your pictures are no larger than 160 kbs - if you have trouble resizing your pics for the web, please let me know, and I'll be happy to walk you through it. :)

THE THEME FOR JANUARY IS........

PUZZLE PIECES!


"There are no extra pieces in the universe. Everyone is here because he or she has a place to fill, and every piece must fit itself into the big jigsaw puzzle." - Deepak Chopra.

You'll have to forgive me - my craft room is not yet set up at my new house, so I haven't yet done an example for this month's theme! All my craft stuff is still in boxes! However, I did take that photo myself. LOL! :) (And, well, I did give you over 13 examples for last month's challenge, so I'm giving myself a holiday! LMAO! I will still get one for this challenge done though - just won't be right away! :) Please bear with me while I get settled in!).

You have until midnight Sydney time on 31st January 2009 to get your entry in for this challenge! As usual, anything goes! As long as you use 1 stamp in your creation, and stick to the theme, your entry will be accepted. Cards, mixed media collage works, scrapbook pages, ATC's, jewelry - whatever takes your fancy! The more creative and original the better! Prizes for this month will be announced later on tonight. Entry guidelines in the sidebar. Please read these carefully before entering. :)

OK everyone! Get stamping!

Happy New Year!

~Sarah~

Last minute scallop entries!

Silly me thought there would be no more entries for our scallops challenge, so I didn't check my emails yesterday! Imagine my surprise (and delight!) when I found 2 new entries waiting for me this evening! They both came in well before midnight last night, so are both in the running for the prizes! Good on you girls for giving the challenge a go! :)

This delightful birthday card was sent in by Rihani Rafeek:


Rihani used a gift box stamp by Imaginisce, which she stamped onto some white cardstock, and then coloured the image and it's background with ink and chalk. She then decorated the gift box image with stars using a marker stamper.

Rihani matted the stamped image onto two scalloped coloured pieces of cardstock, followed by a piece of white cardstock, patterned paper (Kaisercraft) and then green cardstock again.

The "Happy Birthday" title was stamped using a stamp from Inque Boutique and decorated with stars using the marker stamper. This was adhered onto the card using foam tape.

Great card Rihani!

And last but certainly not least we have this lovely card by Melanie Smith:


Melanie has used stamps from the Wildflower set by Darkroom Door to create her card.

Melanie has used a nestabilities scalloped oval die to cut out a template to use as a mask for her inking and stamping. Melanie is an "Artistic Guide" over at a cool stamping site called Stampers Quest (well worth checking out), and you can see the full instructions for making this card here.

Thanks ladies! That officially brings our scallops challenge to a close.

Stay tuned! Our January theme will be revealed at 9am tomorrow! :)

No one has guessed it yet.....

~Sarah~