Gothic Arch Challenge #2 - Lace.

Hello stampers!

Welcome to our 2nd Gothic Arch challenge theme - LACE!

Your task is to create a Gothic Arch using lace as a design element.

If you're new to the blog and would like to know more about our year-long Gothic Arch challenge, check out the details here. Please note these challenges are in addition to our regular monthly challenge. :)

Here is my example for this fortnight's theme:

I have used:

* Darkroom Door Roses Photo Stamp.
* "Dream" stamp and Lace stamp from Darkroom Door "Little Dreams" set.
* Lil Davis stamp from "Crillon 2" set.
* Lace, silver brads, silver star brad.
* Vintage Photo.
* Pink Collage Press scrapbook paper.
* Red Stazon ink, Pinecone Versacolor Ink, Black Stazon, White Brilliance Ink.

First I cut my arch shape out of the pink paper and stamped the Roses Photo Stamp with Red Stazon ink. I inked around the edges with Pinecone ink.  I then stamped the Lil' Davis stamp onto the same pink paper using Black Stazon, and cut out. I swiped Moonlight White Brilliance ink over the top of it to give it a softer look. then I attached it to the arch.

Next I adhered the lace across the bottom of my arch, and attached 3 silver brads. I then adhered the vintage image onto the arch and stamped the Darkroom Door lace tamp with Black Stazon. I stamped "Dream" onto white paper, cut out, and then mounted it to the arch using double sided foam mounting tape.

Now it's your turn!

When you're finished, upload your Gothic Arch to our dedicated Flickr Group, and don't forget to include info about how you made your piece - I could choose your arch to showcase here on the blog next week!

I can't wait to see what you all come up with! :)

~Sarah~

Miss Incognito!

Hi stampers!

Meet "Miss Incognito" - sent in by Jenene Evans:

Jenene says:

"This poor little soul (17cms) has so many secrets, she has to hide her real identity! Her body is a stamp from Cathy Doulman 'My Stamps', which has been coloured in with 'Le Plume" pens. Her legs and arms were cut from K & Company Designer Mat Pad paper". 

"The butterfly is a Darkroom Door stamp, which was stamped with Tim Holtz Distress Ink (fired brick). I have also used L-Em flower punch behind the mask head, and I finished her off with brads, diamonds and a feather".

Very cool Jenene!

Keep those entries coming everyone! Remember - you have until midnight 6th Feb to send something in! :)

~Sarah~

Free Vintage Paper Doll Download!

Hi everyone!
Stampington and Company have created a new digital download webstore called e-crafting.com featuring lots of cool vintage photos and ephemera for download!

Each month Stampington and Co will be having a free download, and this month they just happen to have a free sheet of vintage paper dolls!

Download your free vintage ephemera sheets here.

Gotta love a freebie!

Speaking of Stampington & Co, The Stamping Queen have the latest issue of Somerset Studio in store now!

I got this issue the other day and it is GORGEOUS as usual! Well worth a look!

TSQ also has the new Cloth, Paper, Scissors magazine, restocks and new products from Darkroom Door, and some cool things in the Specials Department!

In other news, I've given my other blog a makeover! So if you're blog surfing, pop over and check it out and let me know what you think of the new look! I'll be blogging there more often now, so add it to your favourites! :)

Stay inky!

~Sarah~

A passion for paper dolls!

Hi there Stampers!

Today is Australia Day, so I'd like to wish all the Aussies a very happy Australia Day and I hope you enjoy the day off with your families and friends! Boy it's hot here today, so make sure you slip, slop, slap!

Today I'm here to share our latest Art Doll entry, and to introduce you to it's creator, who is a mixed media artist and passionate art doll creator who has been published in a number of issues of Somerset Studio!

Please welcome Laura Haviland from Canada to the blog, with her art doll entry "The Eggs are Blue":

From Laura:

"When I was creating this art paper doll, my imagination said she has two faces. She has her human face and her clock face. The clock face of time and her face is of peace".

"The eggs are a little blue in the nest on her head and I thought that was a fun quote to add. She is wearing men's boots and they fit her perfectly. I love boots, they always complete a fashion diva's look. The doll parts are from Character Constructions art stamps".

Awesome work Laura!

After checking out Laura's other amazing art dolls on her blog I asked her if I could share a few more of them with my readers, and I am pleased to say she agreed!

"She Flew Up To The Moon":

"Big Dream":

"Stop by for a Spell":

Laura says:

"There is nothing more fun to me than creating art paper dolls. I started by trying to come up with a  theme for each one I create".

"I use Character Constructions art stamps created by the talented Catherine Moore. I enjoy mixing all the different clear stamp plates to create funky art paper dolls". 


"I stamp my images using black ink on to cardstock, then glue the images onto heavy paper. Then cut your paper doll out, you must love lots of cutting with scissors, LOL. Then I colour in all my stamped out images with pencil crayons and a dove blender pen. I also ink all the edges with a matching colour". 


"I like to add words to every paper doll, just before they are completed. Each paper doll has their own story to tell. I glue together most of the doll parts or use tiny brads for moveable body parts. There are endless possibilities creating art paper dolls!".

Thanks for sharing your lovely work with us Laura!

To see more of Laura's work, check out her blog.

Stay inky!

~Sarah~

Paper Doll Party!

Hi stampers!

I have so many gorgeous paper art dolls in my inbox that it feels like a paper doll party! LOL!

So without further ado, here are the party goers... *giggle*!

First up we have this lovely doll from Jeannie Newton of the UK:

From Jeannie:

"The bodice is stamped with an Aspects of Design lace unmounted stamp. I got the template for my doll from the Enchanted Gallery".

Nice work Jeannie!

Next we have this ballerina beauty from Danielle Sheehan:

From Danielle:

"I used stamps from Hero Arts, PSX and Darkroom Door. I heat embossed the bodice with a Darkroom Door text stamp from the "Little Dreams" stamp set and mounted it with foam. Her face is from a Hero Arts Asian stamp. I hand drew her head and hair and her tiara and skirt are German Scrap. I also made a choker with some cotton and beads".

Great job Danielle!

Now meet "Rosie" who was sent in by Shirley Henry:

LOL - I had to giggle when Shirley wrote in her email "Rosie is a little upset. She had just done her hair and suddenly a big gust of wind came up!"! LOL!!

From Shirley:

"I printed a template from google. The template came with a face printed and a blank one. I chose the printed face. I coloured in the lipstick and eye shadow with gelly pens. The hair is brown embroidery thread. I changed the colour of the pre bought bow with alcohol ink and added a pearl".

"I drew and cut out the skirt. Both the skirt and top where coloured with distress inks. I dabbed milled lavender and tattered rose onto a non stick mat spritzed with water then dabbed the skirt and top on the mat until happy with the colours. When dried, I stamped swirly flower pattern (hero arts) onto skirt with watermark ink and heat embossed with claret embossing powder. Added pearls and a flower to top".


"I stamped a Stampin' Up dot stamp to legs for stockings (not chicken pox! LOL) and drew "ballet flats" on her feet. Rosie is wearing a huge diamond ring (silver rhinestone) and a silver bracelet (drew on in silver gelly pen)".

"The background is A4 white paper. I sponged broken china a little faded jeans for the sky. I used a sizzix cloud template. The ground was sponged with shabby shutters and a little peeled paint. Inked small branch from Yuletide stamp set (Darkroom Door) with pine needles to make the grass".

"Wildflowers set (Darkroom Door) inked with milled lavender and tattered rose. The fence and tree are both Sizzix die cuts Fence was painted with crackle paint in picket fence. The tree was dry embossed with distressed stripes cuttlebug folder. Leaves are a Quickuts die. Prima flowers lightly sponged with spiced marmalade. Homemade dew drops were added to centre of flowers".


"Bird on fence (from McGill punch) was coloured with shabby shutters and spiced marmalade. The bird in the tree and on the ground are Hero Arts stamps. One inked in dried marigold and other in spiced marmalade. The bee (hero arts) stamped in more mustard and cut out. Added some markings with black gelly pen. Butterflies were stamped with dusty concord and worn lipstick. Filled in with pink and purple gelly pens. Rosie is attached with foam squares".

Thanks for all the details Shirley!

Last but not least for today we have this merry mermaid art doll from Ros Crichton:

From Ros:

"I downloaded my mermaid template from The Enchanted Gallery. I transfered it onto some cardboard painted with gesso and sanded the edges".

"I spread the fin with gel medium and covered with fusible film, then blasted with the heat gun. I coated the tail with texture paste and positioned sequins all over. I sprayed with Starburst spray called Sea Mist Green then hit it with the heat gun again. This caused the sequins to curl up a bit. I then sprayed the body, arms, hair base and head with the Starburst color and heat embossed Ocean Commotions Stampin'Up stamp onto the body". 

"The hair was made from cellophane fiber (you buy it from discount stores and you can use it to stuff your gift boxes). I wired it on with jewellery wire. I love the way it turned out but I am no portrait painter! LOL!".

Love all that detail on the tail Ros!

That's it for today!

I'll be back tomorrow with some more new entries, and a spotlight on a paper doll addict, so make sure you don't miss it! :)

Happy stamping!

~Sarah~

Gothic Arch Inspiration - 24th Jan 2010.

Hi stampers!

It's sunday so that means it's Gothic Arch day!

So far we've got 6 arches in our Flickr Group (you have to be logged in to see them all) and 15 members have joined the group! We're off to a great start!

The current theme is "Butterflies" - an easy one to get us started - and a new theme will be posted here next Sunday, 31st January 2010.

Each week in between the new challenge themes I'll pick one or two of the arches from the Flickr group pool to share with you here to keep you inspired. This week I've chosen this lovely gothic arch by Lesley Dupont in Canada:

From Leslie:

"I used some glossy photo paper and stamped it with Versamark Ink with a Clearly Impressed butterfly stamp from the Fresh Flower Elements collection. I then applied some clear embossing powder over the stamped images then heat set them with my heat gun. Then using Distress inks I randomly covered the photo paper with Peeled Paint and Spiced Marmalde inks with an ink blending tool. I then cut out an arch template shape and mounted this arch on a chipboard base for sturdiness". 

"I also inked up some Bazzill cardstock with the same distress inks and stamped in black dye ink a Technique Tuesday, Flea Market Finds, mini stamp. I then used a butterfly paper punch to cut out my butterflies from my inked paper and applied them to the edges of the arch. The lady image was placed so that a set of wings were behind her giving the image of her flying about".

"The toadstools were then applied and both the toadstools and butterflies have Diamond Stickles applied to them for that little bit of magic".

Great work Leslie!

To see the rest of the Gothic Arches that have come in last week, log in to Flickr and check out our Flickr Group!

Now, if you're looking for more Gothic Arch inspiration, I stumbled across another challenge blog today that you might want to check out! Something Completely Different is having a full month of Gothic Arches this month with a new theme each week! There are some lovely Gothic arches there to look at!

Last week's theme at the Gothic Arches Challenge Blog was Shabby Chic, and this week's theme is "Weddings", so be sure to check them out on your travels as well. :)

Happy stamping!

~Sarah~

Matchbox Art Doll!

Hello everyone!

Wow - this month has flown past so fast already! But there is still plenty of time to get an entry in for the Art Doll challenge - remember that the new deadline for the end of challenges is the midnight on the 6th of each month.

Today's funky matchbox art doll comes from Laurence Schmitz of Belgium:

She is soooooo cool!

From Laurence:

"I used a matchbox to make the body of my doll. I worked on a separate sheet of paper and cut it after to the right dimension to fit in my box. I used acrylic paint in teal blue on the page of an old book and a sponge for a different effect. The outside of the box is made with red acrylic mixed with gesso. When dried I glued a piece of red silk paper with a heart cut out beforehand. I stamped with a background stamp "I love you" by InfinimentScrap".

"The head of the doll is stamped on a separate sheet of paper (Zettiology) and cut out. The wings are stamped on acetate with stazon black ink (Stamp by Tim Holz).The hat and legs are decoupage from an Artchix collage sheet. The skirt is made from a cupcake and I attached buttons on the side of the box".

Fabulous work Laurence!

Now, if I've sparked your interest in paper art dolls with this month's challenge, you might want to check out a gorgeous book by Stampington and Company called "Beyond Paper Dolls":

Stampington descibe this publication as "a new publication dedicated to expressive paper personas crafted with innovative techniques and art mediums. Artist, author and designer Lynne Perrella, has invited over 50 mixed media artists to contribute to this book of over-the-top imaginative interpretations of the human form. Far more than paper dolls, this selection of thought-provoking and innovative “paper personas” will awaken your urge to make artwork that is meaningful, expressive, and full of story-telling".

It's US$24.95 plus postage. (And I'm thinking I might print it out and attach it to the fridge as a hint for hubby for my upcoming birthday! LOL!).

Check it out here where you can see some of the pages that are inside it. :)

Stay inky!

~Sarah~

Art Dolls Galore!

Hello stampers!

I have lots of lovely art dolls to share with you today so lets get stuck into it!

First we have this great altered Ecoboard Folder from Leesa Harris:

From Leesa:

"I have used a template from The Enchanted Gallery. I started with a cream cardstock base, and cut the bodice from chipboard. I then covered parts with patterned paper and stamped her legs with Versa Mark, then Sky Grey Versa Cube, then chalked over the top with grey metallic chalks. Her Boots are old Basic Grey paper and a Prima stamp over the top. Finished with Liquid Pearls and Seed Beads".

"Her skirt is made with 10cm Green Tara flowers and tipped with glitter, a belt was made with lace, glimmermist and pearls. Her wings are grunge board painted with Twinks and then splashed with Glimmermist".

"I have used an image found on the The Graphics Fairy as her face, then coated it with Matt Accents. Her crown was cut from patterned paper, then embossed".

Leesa attached her art doll to an ATC Folder, which she coated thickly in Texture Paste. She then  modge podged old dictionary sheets over the lumps. Leesa added some Grungeboard letters which she  painted with Twinkling H20's.

Awesome Leesa!

Next we have this darling little doll, named "Vera", from Sarah Latham:

Sarah carved the face, body, and arms/hands out of a potato and used it to stamp the image onto her paper! How cool is that!

From Sarah:

"I used a swirly wave stamp by Daisy D and a unidentified clear dragonfly stamp for the wings. I also got to try some paper cutting which I had been wanting to for a while. She reminds me a bit of a seventies illustration book that the boys used to have".

Great work Sarah!

Lastly we have these gorgeous bride and groom paper dolls by Inkurable Youngster Emily Shultz:

From Emily:

"I used the back of Bazill cardstock to make stamping and drawing easier and clearer. All of the bride's jewellry is made of Kaisercraft clear rhinestones, and the flowers and the groom's hair is punched out with a very small flower punch".

"The brides hair is Ranger distress stickles (vintage photo) and her veil is a small piece of white organza". 

"Both the bride and the groom's outfits are Versamark stamped (with Darkroom Door floral stamp and Kaisercraft love clear stamps) and embossed (clear with sparkles on the bride and clear on the groom)".

Fantastic work Emily!

Keep those entries coming everyone! :)

~Sarah~

Tree Nymph Art Doll.

Hi stampers!

I have another Art Doll entry to share today!

This lovely Tree Nymph Art Doll was created by Lynne Quinn:

From Lynne:

"I have used Bazzill cardstock for the trunk and her arms. The stamps on the trunk are from Stampin' Up 'Just Vines'; the Butterfly and Bird are from Kaisercraft". 

"Her hair is punched ferns in various green card stock, and the flowers are a carl flower punch". 

"I used Stampin' Up Black and Whisper White inks for the vines and I clear embossed the white leaves. The bird and butterfly are stamped in Real Rust".

Great work Lynne!

Thanks to everyone who has become a fan of Inkurable Stampers on Facebook! If you haven't yet become a fan, then make sure you do because we'll be doing some fun stuff on there in the future!

Also, our first Gothic Arch challenge was posted yesterday - if you missed it, check out the details here. I can't wait to see some more lovely arches in the Flickr Group! And remember the term "Gothic Arch" only refers to the shape - they don't have to be "gothic" or spooky styled! :)

Keep stamping!

~Sarah~

Gothic Arch Challenge #1 - Butterflies.

Hi there stampers!

It's time for our very first Gothic Arch challenge and I've chosen a nice easy one to get us started - BUTTERFLIES!

I'm pretty sure every single one of you will have some sort of butterflies in your stash!

If you haven't seen the details of our year-long Gothic Arch challenge, check out this post here.

Here is my example:

I have used the following Darkroom Door stamp sets:

* Butterflies
* Little Dreams
* Wildflower
* Floral Background Stamp

To create the background, I stamped the Floral Background stamp onto white cardstock with Broken China Distress Ink, and embossed it with clear embossing powder. I then inked over it with Peeled Paint Distress Ink, then wiped over with a baby wipe to remove the distress ink from the embossed parts.

I stamped the lady from the Little Dreams stamp set with black ink and embossed with black embossing powder. Her wings are made from the large Butterfly from the Butterflies stamp set. I stamped and embossed in black, then coloured with Worn Lipstick Distress Ink.

Her hat is a triangle cut from the background of the lady stamp that was removed when I cut her out. It has also been coloured with Worn Lipstick Distress Ink.

The black butterflies and wildflower stems were stamped straight onto the background using Stazon Ink. The white butterflies were stamped onto white cardstock with black ink, cut out, and adhered to the background. Some Kaisercraft Rhinestones were added to their bodies.

Now it's your turn! Create a Gothic Arch using at least one stamp and some butterflies!

I've set up the Inkurable Stampers 2010 Gothic Arch Challenge Flickr Group, so when you're ready, pop on over, join the group, and upload your arches! :)

Check back next Sunday to see what people have been up to!

Stay Inky!

~Sarah~

Looking for something to do this weekend?

Just a quick update to let you know about the classes I will be doing this weekend at Erina Scrapbook Store!

* Friday 15th January 2010 - 7pm-9pm &

* Saturday 15th January 2010 - 1:30pm-3:30pm - Perpetual Desk Calendar.

In this class you'll create a desk calendar to keep track of your upcoming birthdays and events, with space to store cards for the occasions. We'll be using 7gypsies stamps and Darkroom Door Montage images.

Cost = $30 per person which includes materials.

Here is a sneak peek of the project:

Saturday 16th January 2010 - 10am-1pm - Artist Printers Tray.

We'll be creating a gorgeous piece of wall art using the 7gypsies Artist Printers Tray as well as 7gypsies papers and stamps.

Cost = $55.00 per person including materials.

Here is a sneak peek of the project:

You can see more details about these classes in the printable flyer.

If you are interested in attending a class, please call to reserve your place.

Erina Scrapbook Store - 2/203 The Entrance Road, Erina NSW 2250 Australia.
Ph: (02) 4365 0770.

If you can't make it to a class, ask about purchasing a kit. :)

~Sarah~

More art dolls!

Hi everyone!

I have 2 new entries to share today!

First we have this great art doll by Sabine Busch of Germany:

Sabine used the following stamps for her art doll:

* Birdcage body - Stampers Anonymous
* Head and arms - Character Constructions
* Bird - Crafty Secrets
* Hat - Inka Stamps
* Legs - Sunday International

I love how Sabone has used so many different stamps (and stamp manufacturers) for her art doll! Great work Sabine!

Next we have a lovely mermaid bookmark art doll by Vicky Fernando:

From Vicky:

"After tracing all the pieces onto cream coloured cardstock, I used various images on her arms & torso (by Technique Tuesday & Oxford Impressions), and attached them using tiny brads. I added some beads by sewing them onto her neck as well as onto her wrist. Her "hair" was cut out from a printed book page, and painted with acrylic paint & Kindyglitz. I like my mermaids to be a bit on the conservative side LOL, so I added a couple of butterflies (Non Sequitor,from my scraps box) to cover her bosom".

"Her tail was painted with silver paint, stamped using the Viva La Flora Vol 1 stamp set from Darkroom Door, as well as some Victoria`s Secret stamps, using royal purple StaZon ink, & highlighted with a white Souffle pen". 

"I added a little chalk to her arms and her cheeks, and she kind of reminds me of Cher (must be the purple hair LOL). If you look very closely, you'll see there's a tiny purple rhinestone where her belly button should be (DD`s idea). She`s approx. 11" long (or should that be 11" tall?) & she will reside happily-ever-after in my currently-being-read book from now on :)".

Great work Vicky!

Stay inky everyone!

~Sarah~

Our first Art Doll entry!

Hello stampers!

I'm delighted to be here today to share our first Paper Art Doll entry, which was sent in by Tania Davey:

Isn't she fabulous!

From Tania:

"I made her dress by wetting and ripping pieces of paper and scrunching them then sticking them to a sheet of baking paper with Mod Podge, working in a semi circle type shape. After that dried I formed the dress and then added the Chipboard torso, and finished the dress".

"I printed the arms from here, painted and stamped them using a Tim Holtz Christmas stamp (just the text part of the stamp)".

"Her head is made using UTEE and a mould, which I painted, then added the purple hair (cut from a Hair Piece). The flowers on her dress are from Buzz and Bloom. I stamped them using two colours of distress ink, then misted them with water to give them a water colour look. I cut them out and inked them, and added some Rock Candy to the center of each. The candle stick is a twiddlebits Chippy".

You can see more photos of Tania's doll on her blog here.

Great work Tania!!

I'm soooooo looking forward to seeing what else lands in my inbox!

Happy stamping!

~Sarah~

Important news from Paper Forest Designs.

Joyce from Paper Forest Designs has told me that she's decided that it's time to close the store to have more time for herself and her family. Unfortunately this means that January will be the last month that Paper Forest Designs will be a sponsor here at Inkurable Stampers.

Joyce has been a fabulous sponsor here at Inkurable and I will be very sorry to see her go! But I'm sure you'll all join me in saying a HUGE thank you for her support for the last 15 months and wishing her well for the future!

The good news for you guys is that closing down means a closing down sale!

There is currently 50% off all individual unmounted rubber stamps!

Joyce needs to clear thousands of stamps so she is making up awesome bulk packs at way below cost!
Buying the bulk packs will typically save you approx 35% off the sale price! So if the lot of stamps used to be normally priced at a total of $50, the current 50% sale price makes it $25, and the bulk pack will only be $15-$18! WHAT AN AMAZING DEAL!! Keep an eye on the store because more bulk packs will be added regularly. A great way to boost your stamp collection!

Lots of other things are on sale too, so pop over to Paper Forest Designs and grab yourself some bargains!

~Sarah~

*** PRIZES FOR JANUARY 2010! ***

Hello stampers!

Thanks so much for all the feedback regarding the new prize structure! I'm so glad you all like the idea and are looking forward to a create 2010! Thanks for all your lovely comments - it really means a lot to me!

Here are the prizes that are on offer this month for the winners of the Paper Art Doll challenge:

Major Prize:

* A whopping 50 UNMOUNTED STAMPS from Paper Forest Designs!

Inkurable Newbie Prize:

* A $25.00 gift voucher from The Stamping Queen!

Inkurable International Entry:

* A Photostamp of your choice from Darkroom Door!

Thanks again to our fabulous sponsors for offering up these wonderful incentives for having a go at the challenge!

~Sarah~

The 2010 Inkurable Stampers Gothic Arch Challenge!

Hello stampers!

From now on Sunday is Gothic Arch day here at Inkurable!

I've been in love with Gothic Arches since I saw them a long time ago on the Gothic Arches Challenge Blog. I know you'll all fall in love with them too, so I've decided to run a year long challenge here at Inkurable Stampers and I hope you'll all join in!

Every fortnight I will post a new theme or prompt for you to use as inspiration for your Gothic Arch. On the off week I'll be sharing your Gothic Arches to inspire and delight us all!

At the end of the year we'll all have 24 Gothic Arches - it's up to you what you do with them! I'll be making mine into a mini album something like this one from Belinda Schneider.

Here is some info on Gothic Arches to get you inspired and ready to join in on the fun!

What is a Gothic Arch?

Gothic arches in the stamping and mixed media collage world lend their shape from the pointed arches seen in Gothic Architecture from the 12-16th Century, most often used on cathedrals and churches, and can also be seen in castles and universities of the same era.

There are a few different styles of Gothic Arch templates around, and here are a couple of examples from some of our regular Inkurable friends:

This is the most common shape of a Gothic Arch, demonstrated here by Godelieve Tijskens.

There are also a number of fancier shapes, like this one by Danielle Sheehan:

There are no fixed rules about the size of your Gothic arch. You can make them as big or as small as you like. Just choose a template that you would like to work with, and then print it off at a size that works for you.

Templates.

There are a number of different templates out there for you to choose from:

* Belinda Schneider's Basic Arch Template
* Donna's Fancy Arch Templates
* Roni Johnson's Gothic Arch Templates - Part 1
* Roni Johnson's Gothic Arch Templates - Part 2

It's a good idea to create a chipboard version of your fave templates if you are going to use them often. Alternatively, a great idea is to print them out onto acetate or inkjet transparencies.

Inspiration.

There are lots of sites where you can check out awesome Gothic Arch creations to inspire you!

* Gothic Arch Challenge Blog. This links to their new site. There is a weekly challenge to inspire you!
* Gothic Arch Challenge Blog. This links to their old site which is still brimming with lots of gorgeous creations!
* Gothic Arch Challenge Flickr Pool.
* Gothic Arch Art Flickr Pool.
* Sugarlump Studios Picasa Web Album.
* Wednesday Stamper Gothic Arch Challenge.
* Belinda Schneider's Gothic Arch Book Project.

That should keep your eyes busy for hours! :)

Challenge details.

* You must use at least one stamp on each Gothic Arch.


* A new theme or prompt will be posted every second Sunday from 17th January 2010 to 12th December 2010 inclusive.


* The only deadline will be to finish all of your pages by 31st December 2010. No fortnightly or monthly deadlines! This means that new players can join any time, and no one feels pressured to meet deadlines throughout the year when they may be busy with other things. If you feel like a break for a few weeks, simply catch up later! I want this to be a fun project!


* No restriction on size or shape - feel free to create your arches in any size or shape you like!


* Do with your arches what you like! Make a mini album like I will be doing, make 24 gothic arch shaped ATC's, or even make a wall hanging for your home! It's up to you!


* Use whatever mediums and products you like.


* Anyone who creates all 24 Gothic Arches by the deadline will go into a random draw for a prize! I'm not sure what that will be just yet, but you can bet that it will be fabulous!


* I'll be creating a Flickr pool for us to upload our pics into, but please also email me your pics and details of stamps/products/techniques you've used so I can share them here on the blog. :)

Your homework for this week is to decide which style of gothic arch you will be working with, and think about ideas for what you will create with them.


The first challenge will be posted here next Sunday, so stay tuned!

I really hope you'll all join in on the fun! I can't wait to get started!

~Sarah~

Inkurable Stampers Facebook Fan Page!

Inkurable Stampers now has it's own fan page on Facebook! Become a fan to get regular updates and hot off the press news straight into your news feed!

Just click on the "Become a Fan" button in the sidebar widget at the right hand side of the blog, or click on the picture above to check out the fan page and sign into Facebook to become a fan!

Thanks for your support!

~Sarah~

Important Announcement - Prizes.

Hello there stampers!

Thanks for all the comments about my art doll! I'm glad you are as excited about the challenge as I am!

Important Announcement Regarding Prizes.

I've spoken before about coming up with a new system as to the allocation of prizes every month. Awarding the prizes every month is quite a time consuming process for me - and sometimes an administrative nightmare! Since Inkurable began back in April 2008 my sponsors and I have given away well over 100 different prizes - valued at over 3 thousand dollars!

The trouble is that with so many prizes on offer each month, and lots of regular players, there has been times where it may seem like the names on the prize lists are too familiar!

Also, Inkurable Stampers has always encouraged stampers of all skill levels to give the challenge a go, but I know that a lot of you are too afraid to take the plunge because of all the fantastic entries we receive.

We are also receiving a higher volume of international players these days (which is great! Welcome!) but  the international postage costs have to be considered by our sponsors.

So I, in conjunction with my sponsors, have come up with a much fairer, cost effective, time saving prize structure for all parties concerned!

Here's the bad news. This means there will be less prizes on offer each month. I'm very sorry about that, but I really think it is the best way to move forward in 2010! Rest assured that the prizes on offer will be awesome - they haven't gone down in value! (They've actually gone up a little!).

So here's how it will work - there will be 3 prizes in total.

Major Prize:

The major prize will be open to Australian residents only. The prize will be awarded to the best Australian entry for the month. You have to have entered at least once before to be eligible for this prize. You'll never know what will catch my eye each month so don't be afraid to enter! Everyone has a chance of winning. :)

Inkurable Newbie Prize:

This prize will also be open to Australian residents only. The prize will be awarded to the best entry from someone who has never entered an Inkurable challenge before! So come on all you lurkers! Now is the time to send in an entry!

Best International Entry:

This will be open to International residents only. The prize will be awarded to the best entry from one of our international players. The entrants can be new to Inkurable or regular players.

The sponsors will be rotating around each month so there will be lots of variety for you guys!
There will still be random giveaways from time to time as well. :)

So that's it! Hopefully the "bad" news wasn't so bad! I'm looking forward to a very exciting 2010 and I hope you'll all continue to join me here in inky cyberspace!

Stay tuned for the other 2 announcements - I have some very cool things planned for you to take part in!

~Sarah~

And please let me know what you think of the new structure by leaving a comment. I value your feedback!

THE THEME FOR JANUARY 2010 IS.........

PAPER ART DOLLS!

Your task this month is to create a paper art doll using at least one stamp!


** Important**

Challenges will now be announced on the 7th of each month and go until midnight on the 6th of the following month.

What is a paper art doll?

Put simply, a paper art doll is a paper doll that has been created or altered in a creative or artistic way! They can be as realistic or as bizarre as you like - e.g. arms made from forks or a bird cage for a body! They come in all sorts of of shapes, sizes, and mediums!

There are lots of different styles of paper art dolls, and I'll give you some links to get your inspiration flowing. But first, here is the art doll that I created for the challenge (Click to enlarge):

I've scanned her in (with a piece of Basic Grey paper in the background) because it's too dark right now to take any good pics! So please excuse the shininess on the top of her skirt. :)

I have used stamps from Stamp-it (Harlequin on legs and Mesh on bodice), Stampotique (Mesh on arms; face; text on hair) and Darkroom Door (skirt pattern, and butterfly wings).

I printed the paper doll template from The Enchanted Gallery onto white cardstock and cut out the pieces. I used a Collections chipboard dress form and bodice instead of the supplied body.

The text on the hair was stamped in black ink and then I coloured the hair with red ink. I clear embossed it for strength and shine. Her skirt was hand drawn and was decorated the same way, using the Darkroom Door ornate pattern stamp. I added some German Scrap trim to the bottom. Her crown is a silver brad.

The harlequin pattern on the legs was stamped with red ink, and then clear embossed. The shoes were created with some German Scrap and some metal wire for those killer heels! LOL!

The face and the mesh on the arms were both stamped onto white cardstock with black ink.

The bodice was coated in a thick ayer of UTEE and while it was still hot I pressed the mesh stamp in it and allowed it to cool before removing it and revealing the textured pattern. I added some chain at the bottom of the bodice for added interest.

The butterfly wings were stamped with red ink onto white cardstock, cut out, and attached to her back.

Her legs, arms, and head were all attached with red brads, and they move around!

Here is a close up of her:

I think she needs a name! Any suggestions??!

She stands at about 9 inches tall, but your doll can be any size you like! You could shrink the template size and create a mini one for an ATC! As always, it is up to you how you interpret the challenge!

Some stamping manufacturers sell paper doll stamp sets which are really cool, so keep an eye out for them in your cyber travels!

If you'd like to know more about paper art dolls, check out these sites:

* The Enchanted Gallery
* The Enchanted Gallery Blog
* Art-e-zine Paper Doll Gallery
* Catherine Moore's Art Doll Stamps
* Google Images - Paper Art Dolls
* Paper art dolls on Flickr
* The Artful Paper Doll

That should give you HEAPS of inspiration!

So now it's your turn!

You have until midnight 6th February 2010 (Australian EDST) to send me your entries! Entries must comply with the challenge details and the participation guidelines set out in the sidebar. As always, if you have any questions, please let me know!

I simply can't wait to see what you guys come up with!

Happy stamping!

~Sarah~

*** WINNERS FOR DECEMBER 09! ***

Hello stampers!

Sorry for the delay - it's school holidays here and the kids don't like it when I hide myself away in my craft room! LOL!!

The new challenge will be uploaded this evening some time. It's a fun one, so make sure you check back to see it!

There are big changes afoot at Inkurable this year - which is another reason I'm running a little late with things this month. I will have a special announcement in the next few days that you won't want to miss! There will be both good news and bad news, but it's all very exciting and I'm looking forward to a fabulous 2010 with you all!

In the meantime, it's time to announce the winners of our Cream, Brown, and Pink challenge!

It was great to see so many entries in what was a very busy month for us all! I just love this colour combo, and it was so inspiring seeing all the different projects! Well done to everyone who gave the challenge a go!

Congratulations goes to the following lucky ladies:

* WILLY ANDERSON! You have won the gorgeous Plaid Background Stamp from Darkroom Door!

* SHIRLEY HENRY! You've won the lovely set of Stampendous Timeless Tags stamps from Stamp and Scrapbook Madness!

* VICKY FERNANDO! You have won the prize pack from Crafty Individuals!

* LAURENCE SCHMITZ! You have won a $30 voucher from Paper Forest Designs!

* CHLOE NIELSEN! You have won the $20 voucher from Tarisota Collections!

* DAWN BARRATT! You've won the $20 voucher form The Stamping Queen!

A big thank you goes out to all our sponsors for their generous prizes!

One of the impending announcements will be about prizes and the new way in which they will be awarded - a new structure will be in place for 2010 that I'm sure will be a simpler, fairer system for us all! Stay tuned!

~Sarah~

Calendar Stamp Set Winner!

Thank you to everyone who stopped by from Christmas Day onwards and left a comment on the post for the Gel-a-tins Calendar Stamp set!

I have picked a winner, and the lucky lady is.......

LEESA!

Congratulations Leesa!

Please email me with your address details and I will get your stamps out to you ASAP!

Happy stamping!

~Sarah~

Introduction to ATC's.

Hello stampers!

I'm just popping in quickly tonight to tell you about a class that I'm teaching tomorrow night at Erina Scrapbook Store!

It's called "Introduction to ATC's" and we'll be making a minibook to house ATC's whilst learning all about what ATC's are, where they came from, and how fun they can be to make and swap!

Here's a sneak peek of the project:

We'll be using Darkroom Door Photobooth ladies, as well as yummy paper from 7Gypsies.

If you can't make it tomorrow night, there's another class later in the month! Here are the details:

"Introduction to ATC's" - by Sarah Schwerin
Erina Scrapbook Store - 2/203 The Entrance Road, Erina NSW 2250 Australia.
Ph: (02) 4365 0770 - Please call to reserve your place.

* Monday 4th January 2010 - 7pm to 9pm.
* Saturday 23rd January 2010 - 10am - 12pm.


Cost = $25 per person which includes materials.

I hope to see you there! :)

~Sarah~

Happy New Year!

Hello stampers! Welcome to 2010!

I hope you all enjoyed your New Years Eve celebrations!

As for me - I stayed at home with hubby and the kids while I finished off some craft projects. We ate a lovely baked chicken dinner that hubby made, and we watched a DVD with the kids until midnight. Real ragers we are! LOL!!

I have just one last entry to share, which is this lovely set of note cards and matching folder by Shirley Henry:

The note cards go inside the folder like so:

From Shirley:

"The cards are 4x3 3/4" folded. I used "Very Vanilla" cardstock and stamped Antique Brocade (Hero Arts) cling stamp with worn lipstick distress ink and trimmed".

"I stamped the three frames onto very vanilla card in worn lipstick distress ink and cut out, then stamped sentiments in the frames with vintage photo distress ink. I added three hot pink pearls to each frame. The frames and sentiments are from a set called Just Wanted To Say (IPPITY Stamps) by Unity Stamp Company. I adhered frames to Antique Brocade panel with foam squares, then matted first onto brown cardstock, then onto folded Very Vanilla cardstock".

"The folder is made from Scrapbook Paper Text cardstock Coco Blush, which I distressed with my Tim Holtz distress block. I stamped swirls on front and back with Brilliance Moonlight White ink and sponged over lightly with worn lipstick distress ink".

"Inside the folder I stamped two birds. The birds and swirls from Close to my Heart (free spirit) stamp set. The folder band is made with strip of coco blush and smaller strip of vanilla card. The vanilla strip was stamped with Antique Brocade in worn lipstick. The white flower was sponged with worn lipstick, and the large square Bella brad was adhered to  the centre. I attached the flower to the band using a foam square".

Great job Shirley!


That officially brings our Cream, Brown, and Pink challenge to a close!

Sorry guys but you will have to wait a few days for the new challenge - I have a few things I need to get done first, but I promise it will be an exciting start to 2010! :)

Happy stamping!

~Sarah~