*** PRIZES FOR MAY 2010! ***

Hello stampers!

You only have until Midnight TONIGHT (AEST) to send in your mail art entry! I wanna see some more Inkurable Newbie entries hit my inbox before the night is through, so if you've never entered a challenge here before, get out your stamps and get inky!

Well, I suppose you want to know what you're playing for this month, right??! Sorry it's taken me all month to announce the prizes! I'm really proud of you all that have entered the challenge without knowing what was up for grabs! :) Thanks for trusting that it would be something good!

Without further ado, here is what you could be winning this month:

MAJOR PRIZE:

In keeping with this month's Mail Art theme, this month's major prize winner will be taking home the ultra cool Mail Art stamp set PLUS a set of 6 Marvy Le Plume Markers to help you write your mail art, courtesy of Darkroom Door!

INKURABLE NEWBIE PRIZE:

One lucky newcomer (Aus resident) to Inkurable Stampers will receive a Palette Stamp & Stick Gluepad Kit, courtesy of me!

What is the Stamp & Stick gluepad?
A clear, heat-activated adhesive solution for applying metal leaf, glitter, metallic pigments or chalk powders to any surface or to a rubber stamped image. Creates dynamic effects for scrapbooks, cards, home décor items and more.

INKURABLE INTERNATIONAL PRIZE:

One lucky International entrant will be receiving a "Tattered Traveller" Glimmer Screen (created exclusively for use with Tattered Angels' Glimmer Mist sprays) courtesy of The Stamping Queen!

Thanks again to Darkroom Door and The Stamping Queen for being such wonderful supporters of the blog! :)

BIG NEWS! One of our old friends is coming back on as a permanent sponsor from June, and all 3 sponsors have AMAZING prizes up for grabs, so you won't want to miss out on entering next month's challenge!

Happy Stamping!

~Sarah~

Time for more Mail Art!

Hello stampers!

I've got some lovely new mail art to share with you today to inspire you over the weekend to send in an entry!

First we have this Mail Art envelope from Lynne Quinn:

Lynne says:

"My mail art is a C6 envelope. The house, trees and grasses are Darkroom Door stamps. The bird and words are from Stampin' Up and the post card is from Kaszazz. I blended the background with Stampin' Up inks".

Excellent work Lynne!

Next we have this Mail Art envelope from Els Brigé of Belgium:

Els says:

"I started with stamping the text stamp (Hero Arts) in the background with Old Paper Distress Ink. To keep this a bit soft, I stamped part of the ink off on another piece of paper, before stamping onto the envelope. The florals in the left lower corner are from Prima's Songbird stampset. They were stamped in Old Paper first and then in Ripe Avocado. I added the frame (Pink Paisley) and blended a lot of Old Paper Distress Ink to the edges".

Here is the back:

"For the back of the envelope I kept it rather simple, with some distressing again around the edges. The 'handmade' sentiment is an older Fancy Pants set".

"At first I was struggling quite a lot to just dress up an envelope. So I decided to make a card, and then create a matching envelope. No trouble at all!!"

Fantastic idea Els! Here is Els's matching card:

Fabulous work Els!

That's it for the entries today, but before I go I wanted to share some gorgeous mail art that my fellow Darkroom Door Creative Team member Michelle Loffler created recently:

There's close ups and more details on the DD Blog here, so make sure you go and check it out!

Have a great weekend everyone!

~Sarah~

Back to the Mail Art!

Hello stampers!

I've got some more lovely mail art to share today!

First up we have this post card from Lyn Smith:

Lyn says:

"I decided to make a postcard with a French theme for my challenge entry and used heaps of stamps! I didn't realize I had so many postal themed stamps until I started looking through my catalogue of stamped images.......some of them have never even been used before and I've had them for ages!".

Sooooo glad to hear you're making the most of your stash Lyn!!


Check out Lyn's blog post here for a full list of stamps used in her project.

"The techniques I've used are masking......and lots of it, and sponging with Tim Holtz Distress Inks. I used Tea Dye, Shabby Shutters and Broken China inks on the front of the postcard and Antique Linen on the back of the postcard. I also used a white Signo gel pen to highlight the Postcard word".

Here's the back of the post card:

Awesome work Lyn!

Next we have a mail art envelope by Deborah March from Canada:

Deborah says:

"My envelope was created using a Hero Arts background flower and lace stamp, and dance stamps from a beautiful Art Journey plate".

Lovely work Deborah!

That's it from me for today!

Keep those entries coming! Entries are due by midnight 31st May 2010 (AEST) so there is still plenty of time to send in an entry! :)

~Sarah~

New From Darkroom Door!

Darkroom Door has just released 2 new Background stamps and 2 new Photo stamps!

They are:

* French Script Background Stamp

* Harlequin Background Stamp

* Frangipani Photo Stamp

* Old Truck Photo Stamp

Those Background stamps are so awesome and are a must have in any stamper's collection!

They also release 2 new Photobooth sheets:

* Friends and Lovers

and 

* Hats

LOVE these!

Click here to find a Darkroom Door stockist near you!

~Sarah~

METALLIC STAZON!

Finally, what everyone's been waiting for!

• Bright metallic colors for use on many surfaces!

• Designed especially for non-porous surfaces, such as plastic, metal, acetate and more!

• Creates a personalized metallic effect on projects, including home décor

• Metallic sets feature uninked full-size pad and inker

• Inkers are also sold separately

• Four luminous colors: Gold, Silver, Copper & Platinum:

HOW COOL IS THAT??!!

Check out this gorgeous card and video over at Jennifer McGuire's blog. AWESOME!

Keep an eye out for them at your favourite retailer!!

~Sarah~

More Marvelous Mail Art!

Hello stampers!

I am very pleased to be back again today with some more mail art entries to share!

First up we have this piece of mail art from Laurence Schmitz from Belgium:

Laurence sent this to me all the way from Belgium and I was soooooo thrilled to receive this in person in my letter box! It made it through the post in perfect condition!

Laurence says:

"I made the background with gesso and acrylic paint. The front opens up so I could include a short message inside. I also used red dotties fabric. I used stamps from different brands, some are heat embossed with ivory embossing powder".

The 2 fabric tabs are attached to the flaps which stock to the background with Velcro dots!

Here's what it looks like inside the flap:

Very very cool Laurence! Thanks again! :)

Now we have a mail art envelope that was sent in by Vicky Fernando:

Vicky says:

"I started by using a kraft coloured envelope & Versafine ink (jet black) & used the following stamps: Autumn Leaves frame (which I then coloured with a white water colour pencil), Art Declassified quote, Paperartsy frayed fabric, Stampotique (Head was stamped onto some scrap pp & cut out, & Gooseneck was stamped directly onto the envelope & coloured with a white pencil). The ruler (at the bottom of the envelope, stamped with red StaZon) is by Blockheads stamps, as is the hook & eye image. I also used the lace (from Darkroom Door), & the Butterflies (also from DD) were stamped onto an old book page with rust StaZon & cut out. The lips image is an old one from Studio Astarte".

Awesome work Vicky! *secretly hoping it ends up in my letter box too!*

That's it from me for the today!

Stay inky!

~Sarah~

Mail Art Menagerie!

Hello stampers!!

I've got lots of lovely new mail art to share with you today! It's a veritable feast for the eyes!

First piece of mail art today comes from Ros Crichton:

Ros says:

"The plain white envelope was first stamped with the Stampin' Up Medallion in three different oranges. Inkadinkadoo birds were first stamped in Basic Gray colour and then stamped and heat embossed with white embossing powder".

"Distress ink Tumbled Glass was smudged over the envelope leaving an area clear for the address. The edges were done with Not quite Navy ink. "Sending sunshine" stamp from Darkroom Door and Postage Stamp stamp from Cavellini".

Very striking Ros!

Next piece of mail art comes from Godelieve Tijskens from Belgium:

Godelieve says:

"I mixed lots of Darkroom Door stamps. The 'Dots' background was stamped on scrap paper first, so it would not look too dark as a background".

Fantastic work Godelieve!

Next up we have some mail art from Dawn Lewis:

Dawn says:

"I used to do mail art, only I didn't know it was art. It's fun to doodle on envelopes, or add some stickers or stamp a little something. Apparently it's art, and it's FUN!".

Dawn has used:
White envelope, Stampin' Up Inkpads - 'Not Quite Navy' and 'Bashful Blue', Stampin' Up background stamp - 'Canvas', Hero Arts stamp (greeting) 'Say Hello' set, The Greeting Farm stamp - Stella, Swirls and envelope from the Heidi Grace 'Valentines Day' set, and Copic Ciao markers to colour the image.

Great work Dawn!

We've had such amazing entries so far, and there's still 1 week left to get your entries in!! I can't wait to see what lands in my inbox! Speaking of my inbox, I was sent a link the other day to a great blog post listing the "Top 10 Reasons to use Snail Mail". Well worth a look, and if that list doesn't convince you to grab your stamps and start jazzing up some envelopes, I don't know what will! LOL!

I'm off to spend some time under a blanket on the couch (damn flu again!!) so I will leave you with some more mail art from me! This time I decorated an Urban Lily Secret Keeper card with lots of Distress Inks and Darkroom Door stamps (click to enlarge):

I stamped with Jet Black and Teal Stazon inks. For more photos, and details on how I made my secret keeper card, visit the Darkroom Door blog post here.

Happy stamping!

~Sarah~

*** WINNERS FOR APRIL 2010! ***

It's finally time to announce the winners of our Black, White, and Red challenge from last month! That has to be my all-time favourite colour combo, and it was so exciting to see all the different entries! Thank you to everyone who entered!

Refresh your memory by checking out the slide show:

Aren't they all gorgeous??!! You all did a fabulous job, and once again, it was very hard to pick the winners!

So without further ado, the lucky ladies are as follows:


MAJOR PRIZE:

The lucky winner of the $50  voucher from The Stamping Queen goes to Lyn Smith for her gorgeous and very striking card for her husband. Lots of lovely inking and stamping techniques! Outstanding!


INKURABLE NEWBIE:

Once again, we had no Australian Inkurable Newbie, so this month we've decided to give the prize to an Inkurable Newbie International! Congratulations goes to Liz Baker of the UK for her gorgeous "Fly Little Bird" card! Again, lots of inking and stamping made for a very striking card! You have won the lovely Viva La Flora Vol 1 stamp set from Darkroom Door!

Attention all Australian Newbies! If you are yet to enter a challenge here at Inkurable, don't be shy! We love seeing new people join in, and welcome people of all skill levels and stamping styles! We wanna see your work! So blow the dust of those stamps and send in an entry! With an Inkurable Newbie prize just for you, there has never been a better time to enter!


INKURABLE INTERNATIONAL:

The lucky international winner this month is Laurence Schmitz from Belgium! Her Black, White, and Red art journal was sensational - so much work went in to her project - a well deserved win!! You have won the Heidi Grace Tags and Words stamp set from me! :)


Well that officially brings our Black, White, and Red challenge to a close - if you're after more black, red, and white inspiration, pop over to the Darkoom Door blog and check out the ATC slide show from the recent black, white and red swap!

AND GET OFF YOUR BUTTS AND SEND ME SOME MORE MAIL ART ENTRIES!!! LOL!!

~Sarah~

More mail art!

Hello stampers!

How is everyone?! I've got a very sick little girl at home with me at the moment, and my son has just started coughing as well. We never seem to have a well moment in this family! Argh!

If you too are suffering from the winter blues, hopefully I can bring a smile to your day with some lovely mail art creations!

Today's entry was sent in by Jenene Evans (click to enlarge):

Jenene says:

"I used a 8 1/2 x 4 1/4" envelope, stamped with Darkroom Door, Kaisercraft, Paper Craft. and some unknown stamps. The stamps that are coloured are from Darkroom Door, and I used Marvey pens to colour them."

Lovely work Jenene!

My Red Letter Mail Art has now been shared on the Darkroom Door blog, so I can now share it with you guys!

Here are some pics:

I used the Mail Art, Correspondence, and Lovely Ladies stamp sets for these. For more photos, and a run down of how I made them, check out the Darkroom Door blog here.

That was my first ever attempt at mail art and then I was hooked! Stay tuned here and to the DD blog for my next mail art project, which was a little more adventurous!

Oh - and I just remembered today that I haven't yet announced the winners of last month's Black, White, and Red challenge! Ooops! Stay tuned - I will announce them very soon! :)

~Sarah~

Mail Art Melange!

Hello stampers!

Brrrr! I hope this cold weather isn't keeping you away from your craft desk like it is for me! ;)

Today I have some more lovely Mail Art entries to share with you!

First up we have this mail art envelope that was sent in by Marianne Verschoof from The Netherlands:

Marianne says:

"Most stamps are from Hero Arts. The background is sponged with ink in different layers and colors.
Lots of masking involved. The stamps are colored with Copic markers. (The adress is fake because it is on the internet)".

Here is a close up:

Awesome work Marianne!

Next up we have this mail art envelope from Inkurable Youngster Emily Shultz:

Emily says:

"First I want to say I enjoyed this challenge so much! I used mainly Tim holtz stuff, and that was fun!".

"I used the swirly stamp from the Kaisercraft "Offshore" collection, stamped in versamark and clear embossed. Then I inked the envelope up with mustard seed, peeled paint, broken china, and walnut stain distress inks. Once again I versamarked with the swirly stamp, and with the same stamp stamped in mustard seed, peeled paint and broken china. The last stamp I used was the man with the umbrella from Tim Holtz’ “Life’s possibilities” stamp set, in archival ink. Finally I used Dimensional Magic on the man to give him some dimension, which hopefully you can see in the close-up photo".

Fantastic work Emily!

I'm sure you'll all agree that Emily has talent way beyond her years!! She is amazing! Check out some of her other mail art creations:

Sensational!! Stampers, if Emily is anything to go by, the future of stamping is in good hands!!

That's it from me for today!

I hope today's post has inspired you to get out your stamps and create some gorgeous mail art! :)

~Sarah~

Our first Mail Art Entry!

Hello stampers!

I hope I haven't spooked you with this month's theme! It really is fun once you give it a go - and it can be as simple or as crazy as you like!

Our first entry comes from Fiona Shultz:

Fiona says:

"I have started out with a plain white C6 envelope. I applied some Tim Holtz inks lightly on the background, and then used his alterations butterfly wings as a stencil and smooshed more ink in darker shades over the top. I used clear stamps from Tim Holtz (urban grunge, life’s possibilities, French market, lost & found) and distress inks in various colours to add layers of text and images". 

"The sentiment and flourish were added with Jet Black Archival ink. I couldn’t help using the alterations die again to make a cardstock butterfly. This was coloured up with more distress inks, and the body and wing tips over-stamped in black. Once attached to the envelope, the butterfly was covered in dimensional magic and a little kindy glitz on the wing tips to finish it off".

Great job Fiona!

I've asked Vicky Fernando if I can use some of her Mail Art pics to share here as examples to get you guys in the mood! They were created for the recent Darkroom Door mail art call. Here they are:

Aren't they great?!

As you can see, Mail Art is a great excuse to get a whole bunch of stamps out of your stash and have a play!

So come on ladies - fill my inbox with your amazing creations!

Happy Stamping!

~Sarah~

Design Team Call at The Stamping Queen!

The Stamping Queen are calling for a new Design Team with a difference!

Do you love ATC's??  Well perhaps this is for you.

TSQ are offering:

During the first week of the month you will receive a Design Team Pack consisting of at least 1 stamp and some bits and pieces.

What TSQ wants from you:

During the month you will create 4 ATC's from your Design Team Pack which MUST include the stamped image.

At the end of the month you will send all 4 ATC's to The Stamping Queen and the following month a "Lucky Customer" will be drawn and they will receive your ATC's.

Does this sound like something you'd like to do??

TSQ are looking for:

• A commitment of at least 6 months
• You must be a current customer of The Stamping Queen
• You must have an active blog where you will upload your ATC's and link back to The Stamping Queen.
• You will need to email pictures of your ATC's to Barb at TSQ so they can include them on the website and the TSQ blog.

If you are interested, please email Barb from The Stamping Queen at barb@thestampingqueen.com.au with a link to your blog.

The Design Team starts on 1st June, therefore, applications will close on 22nd May 2010.

If you have any questions, please email The Stamping Queen using the email address above. :)

THE THEME FOR MAY 2010 IS.........

MAIL ART!!!

A few weeks ago I was bitten by the mail art bug when one of my Darkroom Door CT Assignments was to create some mail art with their new Mail Art stamp set. Having never created any mail art before, I started out with some simple envelopes, and moved on to something more advanced because I loved the idea so much! Which got me thinking - if I had so much fun making mail art, you guys would too!!

So....

Your task this month is to create some mail art (Envelopes, postcards, etc) using at least 1 stamp! (But the more the better!).

Now, since my official DDCT projects haven't been shared on the DD blog yet, I can't share them here yet either! However, Rachel Greig, owner of Darkroom Door has kindly let me borrow some of her images so I can show you guys some awesome examples to get you excited and in the mood for mail art!

Recently, Rachel asked for Darkroom Door fans to send in some mail art for a display at the SIA Exhibit. She got lots of awesome examples form people all over the world - check them out:

How cool are they??! Now, one of my aforementioned pieces of mail art is actually in that photo! LOL! Can you guess which one it is?? You can see more cool pics of the display here.

Here's one of the envelopes that Rachel created herself:

How cool does it look when the whole address is done with stamps??! Fabulous!

Your mail art design can be anything you like! Mail art is all about sending / getting something artistic in your mail box - your only limit is your imagination! You can be as simple as you like, or go all out crazy and stick stuff all over your postcard or envelope! Send your mail art to a random friend or family member, or team up with someone and do a swap - it's so much fun finding artwork in your mail box! No need to worry about the postage stamps or postal system markings ruining your artwork - they're all part of the fun!

Here's a fun envelope that Rachel made using the new Mail Art stamp set:

Sooo much fun!

Here are some awesome Christmas postcards that Rachel had published in Stamping & Papercraft magazine:

Imagine getting that in your letterbox at Christmas time! How fabulous! The backs looked like this:

All ready for a Christmas message and a postage stamp!

A huge thank you to Rachel Greig for letting me share these fantastic projects with you all! :)

I'll share my aforementioned mail art as soon as I can. :)

Now it's your turn to create some interesting mail art!!

You have until midnight 31st May 2010 (Sydney time) to send in your entry to be eligible for one of the prizes on offer from our sponsors! Entries must comply with the challenge details and the participation guidelines set out in the sidebar to the right. As always, if you have any questions, please let me know!

I'm really excited about this challenge, and I can't wait to see what you all come up with!

Get stamping!

~Sarah~