Lavinia Stamps Design Team Retirement

I have had assorted Lavinia Stamps in my collection of crafty stash for at least twelve years and likely a few more years on top of that too.  I have always loved the quality and the detail of the stamps.

For the past thirteen months, I have been a very proud Design Team member for Lavinia Stamps.  I remember how thrilled and excited I was when I received notification that I had made it onto the team and I have loved every minute of it.

Recently my Hubby retired.  It has always been our life plan for him to take a relatively early retirement,  to make the most of our health while we have it and to travel when the sun shines.  Last summer we purchased a VW camper van, so now is the time we can follow our dreams and be as free as a bird.

Unfortuntately, this dream will only work if I cut down on my Design Team commitments, so I have very, very sadly handed in my notice to Tracey and the Lavinia team.  

From the first of March, I will no longer be their Design Team member.  However, I will always be an ambassador for the brand because I love the product so much.  I will of course still continue to buy, use and blog Lavinia Stamps.

Lavinia Stamps February 2020 Hochanda TV Show Sample Preview - Set 4

On Friday 7th February at 12pm and 3pm Lavinia Stamps will be on Hochanda TV with a selection of fabulous stamps, with techniques demonstrated by Amanda Branston.

This is a sample I created using some of the stamps that will be available to purchase on the TV show.  

For my sample, I started by creating the background by placing "Antique Linen" and "Pumice Stone" Distress Oxide Ink onto my glass mat, giving the ink a light spritz of water and then swooshing the piece of card through the colours.  For areas that swooshing the colour missed, I used a paint brush to fill the gaps.  This provided a nice mottled background a little like marbelling.

Using Versafine Clair "Morning Mist" grey ink, I stamped "The Oracle" as the main focal point of the card.

I created the steps that "The Oracle" stands on by using the "Floral Border Stamp" in a vertical position, stamping at four times in Versafine Clair "Shady Lane" green ink.

Using the same ink, I stamped the "Celestial Tree" in the background and the "Creeping Vine" in the foreground, both these stamps will be available on the Hochanda shows too.

I added touched of solid gold colour to the flower centres on the "Floral Border" steps and also to the "Celestial Trees".  Using a Sakura Gelly Roll Pen, I added some gold shimmer to the hair and outline of "The Oracle".

I inked the edges of the card and then mounted it onto green card, then mounted that onto a mottled background, created in the same way as I made the background for the central image.  I used the first two lines of "Embrace Your Dreams" sentiment with Versafine Clair "Shady Lane" green ink.  I then mounted the whole card onto a black background which makes the whole image pop.

Lavinia Stamps December 2019 Monthly Challenge - Snow At Christmas

On the first of every month, Lavinia Stamps announce their new monthly challenge theme.  For December 2019 the theme is "Snow At Christmas".

If you enter the challenge, (you can enter up to five times), and your name is randomly drawn after the 25th of the month, then you win £40 of vouchers to spend on lovely Lavinia goodies.

For my Design Team sample card, I started by stamping the "Small Fairy Fir Tree" and "Small Fairy Fir Tree 2" in Distress Oxide Inks, in the shades of Iced Spruce and Weathered Wood.

Using the torn edge of a piece of copy paper, I created the landscape using Versafine "Smokey Gray" and Distress Oxide "Tumbled Glass" inks.  I masked off the spotlight/moon area and edged it with the Versafine "Smokey Gray" ink too.

I stamped "Oona" the fairy in Versafine Clair "Twilight" dark blue ink.  Using the same ink, I stamped the "Spirit of Christmas" sentiment, broken up into two separate lines.

For the snowball by the hand of "Oona" the fairy, I stamped one of the "Bubbles" in Versafine "Smokey Gray" coloured ink.  Using the same ink, I stamped two of the "Fairy Orbs", to create the impression of a snowman.

I drew on the face and scarf of the snowman, colouring the scarf in a bright red shade of ink.  

For the arms of the snowman, I used part of the "Fern Branch" stamped in Versafine Clair "Twilight" ink.

Around the fairy, I added some stars using a pound stamp, stamped in Memento "London Fog" grey ink.

Finally, I grounded the trees, snowman and fairy using pencil shading.  I added a touch of sparkle by using a silver sparkle Signo pen.

Lavinia Stamps November 2019 Hochanda TV Preview Set 2/2

Lavinia Stamps will be appearing on Hochanda TV with some fabulous stamps and accessories on Friday 22nd November at 10am and 3pm.

I am very fortunate to be part of the Lavinia Stamps Design Team, which means I get to play with the new products and create samples for their shows.

For this card, I used a background of spinkled Brusho paint granules oncto damp card (Purple, Violet and Midnight Blue).  I then sprinkled Cosmic Shimmer "Silver Dream" on top of the Brusho which has created a beautiful shimmery background.

I stamped the "Enchanted Dreams" and the first two lines of the "See A Fairy" verse in Versafine Clair "Nocturne" black ink.

Using the torn edge of a piece of copy paper, I dragged ink in a downwards direction with a blender to create the landscape.

I used the top of the "Single Fairy Thistle", stmaped in Versafine Clair "Morning Mist" greyn ink to create tiny foliage growing along the landscape.

Lavinia Stamps November 2019 Hochanda TV Preview - Set 1/2

Lavinia Stamps will be on Hochanda TV with some fabulous stamps and accessories on Friday 22nd November 2019 at 10am and 3pm.

I am very fortunate to be part of the Lavinia Stamps Design Team which means I get to play with the new stamps before they are released to the public.  This is one of the cards I made to promote the show.

For this card I started by covering a plain white piece of card with "Antique Linen" Distress Oxide Inks, creating a mottled/aged style background.

I stamped the fairy called "Celeste" first, using Versafine Clair "Monarch" purple coloured ink.  Using the same ink, I stamped the "Faerie Spells" sentiment.

I then created the foliage swag.  First I stamped the "Fir Tree Branch" in Versafine Clair "Shady Lane" green ink.  I added the "Pound Stamp - Holly", stamped in Versafine Clair "Rain Forest" dark green coloured ink.  I stamped the "Pound Stamp - Berries" using a Memento Ink called "Rhubarb Stalk".

Finally, I stamped some pound stamp stars across the card using a Brilliance Ink called "Galaxy Gold".  I added some white highlights to various areas of the card.

Once the card was fully dry, I positioned the letter dies across the image, securing with a low tack tape before running through the big shot machine.

I removed the letters from the image and turned the card upside down, so that the base of the card was showing.  I adhered some red paper over the word area.  I then mounted the card on a dark red coloured card and then onto a cream base.

Flipping the card with the right side upright, I cut foam pads and stuck them onto the base of the letters.  I then positioned them over the red letter shape.  This gives a raised look to the word "Peace" and you get a little glimpse of the red to add interest too.

Lavinia Stamps Design Team make for November 2019 challenge (Winter Wonderland)

The first of the month means that there is a new challenge theme on the Lavinia Stamps site.  The theme for November 2019 is "Winter Wonderland".

If you enter this challenge, your name could be randomly picked to win £40 of vouchers to spend on lovely Lavinia goodies!  

For this card, I used Distress Oxide Inks for everything but the sentiment, where I used a Versafine Clair "Nocturne" shade of ink.

Using the Oxides, I started by using a wash of Tumbled Glass and Weathered Wood to create the sky and just shades of Weathered Wood for the ground area.

I used two shade of Oxides to stamp the trees, Weathered Wood and Iced Spruce, using two Lavinia Stamps "Fairy Fir Tree Small" and "Fairy Fir Tree 2 Small".

I used Versafine Clair "Nocturne" to stamp the "Forest So Green" sentiment.  Finally, I used some Stickles called "Frosted Lace" to add a little sparkle to areas of the snow in the foreground.

Funky Fossil Designs New Stamp Preview - October 2019 (Joy Clear Stamp Set)

Funky Fossil Designs have released a couple of fabulous new Christmas clear stamp sets.  These new designs will be available from their web site from 9am on the 19th October 2019.

Make sure you check back here on the 19th October, when I will be sharing with you information about a fabulous give away.

If you have a moment to spare, please pop over to see the gorgeous work by my fellow Design Team colleagues:

Cornelia:  https://fun-stamping.blogspot.com

Jane:  https://purplejetlovescrafts.blogspot.com

Natalie:  https://www.instagram.com/momma_sedds/

Sarah:  http://funkyfossildesigns.blogspot.com/

Shona:  https://www.instagram.com/shona.chambers/

I made this card using one of the stamps from the new clear stamp set called "Joy", which I have stamped in Versafine Clair Ink (Twilight) over the Funky Fossil "Christmas Star" stencil shaded using a blending tool and a Distress Oxide Ink in the shade of "Scattered Straw".

Design Team make for "My Time To Craft Challenge" #407 - Inside Out

The theme for the "My Time To Craft Challenge" #407 is "Inside Out (make it as pretty inside as it is out).  If you have a moment to spare, please do pop over to the challenge blog and take a look at the fab makes by my Design Team colleagues.

This is the card that I made for the challenge.  I have used two shades of Distress Oxide Inks (Worn Lipstick and Wilted Violet) through the Funky Fossil Designs "Circle Burst" stencil, on both the front and on the inside right hand corner of the card.

Using Versafine Clair "Monarch", a purple shade of ink, I stamped the Visible Image sentiment "Wake Up Awesome" to the front of the card.  I used the same ink to stamp the Stampin' Up sentiment from thier "Part of my story" stamp set for the internal sentiment.  Finally, I added some purple sequins to the front of the card.

Lavinia Stamps October 2019 monthly challenge "All Hallow's Eve"

Every month, Lavinia Stamps have a new challenge.  For October 2019 the theme is "All Hallow's Eve".  You can enter up to five times.  If your name is randomly drawn, then you will receive £40 of vouchers to spend on lovely Lavinia goodies.

This is the second card I have made as part of the Lavinia Stamps Design Team to help promote the challenge.  Here's a little video I took of the card so that you can see the gold shimmer, which doesn't really show up too much in the flat photograph.

I used two shades of Brusho paint to create the background colour (Purple and Ultra Marine).  

I used some Cosmic Shimmer Pixie Powder in a "Rich Gold" shade.  I wasn't quite sure how to use it to be honest, initially I thought I could maybe get it to be loose like the Brusho, but it didn't work.  What I did manage to do was to brush it across the page which created an interesting streaked shimmer effect to the surface.  Not too dis-pleasing after all.

I masked the circle to create the moon and partially covered it with "Mustard Seed" Distress Oxide ink.  I also used a little bit of white Stampin' Up ink too as I didn't want a solid looking moon.

I added some Distress Oxide Inks in two shades to create some definition in the colours.  I used Wilted Violet and Chipped Sapphire.  Using the Versafine Clair "Nocturne" black ink, I inked the edges of the card.

Using Versafine Clair "Nocturne" black ink, I stamped the Lavinia Stamps "Tree Branch", "Barric" (the crow) and the spider which is part of their "Bugs" set.

I used a white Signo Pen to add highlights to the tree, crow and spider, I also added some stars using the same pen.  I used a gold shimmer Sakura Gelly Roll pen to edge the moon.

Finally, using some sticky letters that I had in my stash from Scrapbooking, I added the word Spooked.

Lavinia Stamps October 2019 monthly challenge make - "All Hallows Eve"

On the first of each month Lavinia Stamps announce the new monthly challenge prompt.  The theme for October 2019 is "All Hallows Eve".

You can enter five pieces into the monthly challenge.  The challenge closes on the 25th of the month and the winner is randomly picked so the challenge is not ability based.  The winner will receive £40 of vouchers to spend on lovely Lavinia goodies.  Good luck if you enter.

This is a card that I have made as part of the Lavinia Stamps Design Team to help promote the challenge.  I started by using Twisted Citron Distress Oxide Inks through a Creative Expressions stencil  called "Fade Away" to create the patterned background.

Using Versafine Clair "Nocturne" black ink, I stamped the "Witches Cat", "Bats", "Bat Colony" and the cauldron from the "Willow The Witch" set.

I then gave the background a light colouring of "Wilted Violet" Distress Oxide Ink using a blending tool.

Using the torn edge of a sheet of paper, I created the landscape by dragging a black ink blender.

I then stamped the "Spring Trees" and part of the "Let Your Spirit Take Flight" sentiment in Versafine Clair purple "Monacrch" ink.

Finally, using Versafine Clair "Nocturne" black Ink, I stamped the "Mini Slender Mushrooms".  I used a white Signo Pen to high-light the mushrooms and a gold shimmer Sakura Gelly Roll pen to add gold high-lights to other areas of the card.

Exciting New Design Team News and a discout code too!

There has been huge excitement in my house for the past few weeks, which I have had to keep secret.

I have been invited to be part of a brand new Design Team for a young British company, called "Funky Fossil Designs".

I feel honoured to be asked and am totally over the moon about being part of their expanding crafting family

Funky Fossil is run by Sarah Gray, who produces a fabulous selection of stencils, stamps and MDF shapes, she also offers great customer service too. If you are a regular reader of my blog, you will have seen me mention the company in many of my previous posts.

Discount Code - Sarah has very generously provided a 15% off discount code which is valid from Saturday 
21st September to midnight on Monday 23rd September for any of my crafting friends and followers to use.

To claim your discount, all you need to do is enter "FFSAM15" in the coupon code section at checkout to receive your reduction.

I hope you can take advantage of this offer and that my future Funky Fossil creations inspire you to get crafting.

Sam xxx

Design Team make for "My Time To Craft Challenge Blog" #405 (using Visible Image and Funky Fossil products)

It's time for a new theme on the "My Time To Craft Challenge Blog".  Challenge #405 has a theme of "Anything But A Card", so I decided on a tag.  If you have a moment to spare, please do pop over to the challenge blog to take a look at the fab makes by my fellow Design Team colleagues.

I had some Distress Ink left on my blending mat in shades of Twisted Citron and Salty Ocean, so decided to swoosh a white tag through the ink to make use of it before I cleared my work space.

I decided for this tag, I would have several layers, so I started by using a script stamp in a shade of purple "Monarch" Versafine Clair ink, stamped over the mottled coloured background.

I used Distress Oxide ink in a shade of "Mustard Seed" through a Funky Fossil stencil called "Retro Starburst" to create the yellow stars.

Using Versafine Clair ink in the shade of "Medieval Blue" I stamped the Visible Image butterfly.  I used the same shade of ink to stamp the word "Love" which is part of the Visible Image word set called "Laugh Louder".

I inked the edges in two shades of Versafine Clair ink.  First the teal coloured "Warm Breeze" and then on top of that I used the purple "Monarch".  

Finally, I used a white Signo Pen to highlight some of the edges of the butterfly and also adds some white dots to the trails.

Lavinia Stamps Monthly Challenge make for September 2019 - If you go down to the woods

Every month, Lavinia Stamps have a monthly challenge.  The theme for the September 2019 challenge is "If you go down to the woods".

If you enter the challenge and your name is randomly drawn, you will win £40 of vouchers to spend on lovely Lavinia goodies.  

I started by blending three Distress Oxides Inks:  Twisted Citron, Old Paper and Shabby Shutters randomly, deliberately leaving some areas lighter to add a little contrast.

I positioned a Sweet Poppy Stencil (SP6-109) Faux Dragon Leather Backplate using low tack masking tape and used a further two Distress Oxides in the shades of Bundled Sage and Peeled Paint.

Once the stencil was removed I filled the central area with darker shades of Distress Inks - Crushed Olive and Mowed Lawn.

I then stamped the Lavinia Stamps "Green Man" in Versafine Clair "Acorn" Shade of ink.  The little leaves are also part of the "Green Man" stamp set and they are stamped in Versafine Clair "Chianti' shade of ink.  I used the same ink to stamp the sentiment "the forest so green" which is part of a larger Lavinia sentiment called "Forest So Green".

Using a blending tool, I inked around the edge of the card using the "Forest Moss" shade of Distress Oxide ink.  At this stage, I decided the card was too large, so cut it down a little so there was less border to fill.

Using the branches of the "Green Man" stamp, I multiple stamped them around the edge of the card to create a border using the Versafine Clair "Acorn" ink.

I then used two Lavinia Stamps from their "Pound Section", the "Mini Berries" were stamped in Versafine Clair "Chianti" and the "Mini Holly" was stamped in Versafine Clair "Shady Lane" ink.

Finally, I inked the edges using the "Chianti" ink.  I added some gold lines to add interest to the face using a metallic pen.  I used a white Signo pen to the eyes and to highlight areas of the berries.  I used a red Arteza Brush Ben to colour the holly berries.

Lavinia Stamps Monthly Challenge make for September 2019 - If You Go Down To The Woods

Every month, Lavinia Stamps hold a challenge.  The theme for September is "If you go down to the woods".  If you enter and your name is randomly drawn from all those entered into the challenge, you will win £40 of vouchers to spend on lovely Lavinia goodies.

I decided to make a woodland tag for my first Design Team challenge sample.  I started by using the following Distress Oxide Inks:  Tumbled Glass, Twisted Citron, Peeled Paint and "Cracked Pistachio" to create a very loose landscape scene for the background.

I started by stamping the "Tree Root", the "Tree Branch" and the "Owl", in Versafine "Vintage Sepia" ink, but then overstamped in a couple of other shades of Versafine Clair Ink (Pinecone and Fallen Leaves), to get the main colour that I wanted.  I coloured the tree using four shades of brown Arteza Brush Pens.

I stamped the hare, which is part of the "Whimsical Hares" set of stamps in Versafine Clair "Acorn" shade of ink.  I added some grounding to him using a pencil.

Finally, I added some "Mini Slender Mushrooms" to pop up from the tree roots.  I added highlight areas to the tag using a white Signo Pen.

Lavinia Stamps Design Team Sample for Hochanda TV August 2019 - Zemira and the Dragon Beasts

Lavinia Stamps will be featuring some of their brand new stamp designs on Hochanda TV on 22nd August 2019.  This was a Design Team sample I made using some of the new stamps, but I decided to submit another piece instead.

I created the background using Distress Oxide Inks, initially swooshing the ink across the surface then filling in areas with colour using a paintbrush.

For the sky area I used Antique Linen, Spun Sugar, Tumbled Glass, Broken China and Pumice Stone Distress Oxides.

Fro the lower land area I used Antique Linen , Squeezed Lemonade, Twisted Citron, Cracked Pistachio, Bundled Sage and Mowed Lawn Distress Oxides.

I masked a circle and coloured it with a little more Spun Sugar and then edged it with Pumice Stone Distress Oxides to make the shape stand out a little more.

All the stamping was done using one shade of Versafine Clair Ink, in the shade of "Medieval Blue".

I first stamped the female figure called "Zemira".  Then the flying dragon which is part of a two stamp set called "Dragon Set".  I then stamped the script which is called "Dragon Verse".

Using a torn piece of card, I created the look of a landscape using the Bundled Sage Distress Oxide Ink.

I inked the edges in the Versafine Clair Medieval Blue ink but felt the areas needed something more.  So I decided to use "Tree Branch" and the "Mini Leaf 1" from the Lavinia pound stamp section.

I used a white Posca Pen to add highlights to all stamped areas of the card.  I also used it to create the impression of flowers in the grass too.

Lavinia Stamps Design Team Sample for August 2019 Hochanda TV Show - Willow Arch

On 22nd August 2019, Lavinia Stamps will be featured on Hochanda TV highlighting a fabulous selection of stamps.  This is one of the cards I have made for the show.

I used a background I'd prepared previously using a gelli plate with Colorbox inks brayered on and splatters of Brusho paint to create the mottled look.

Using Versafine "Vintage Sepia" shade of ink, I stamped the "Willow Arch" twice to create a curved line.  I then coloured it with two shades of Arteza Brush Pens.

Using a "Stars 2" from the pound stamp section of the Lavinia Site, I randomly stamped the stars across the background using a Memento Ink in a shade called "London Fog".

Using Versafine Clair ink in the shade of "Chianti", I multiple stamped the "Mini Berry"

I then stamped the sentiment, called "Spirit of Christmas" and the "Mini Holly", both in Versafine "Olympia Green" shade of ink.

Finally, I added some subtle shimmer to the card using a gold Sakura Gelly Roll pen.  A white Posca pen for highlighting and Stickles for the holly berries in a "Xmas Red" shade.

Lavinia Stamps Design Team Samples for August 2019 Hochanda TV Show - Barric

On 22nd August 2019, Lavinia Stamps will be featured on Hochanda TV, highlighting thier fabulous stamps.  This is a Design Team sample I've made for the show.

I used Colorbox Inks and Brusho Paints on a  Gelli plate to create the background colour.

I stamped the "Tree Branch" stamped in Versafine Clair "Morning Mist" shade of ink.  I then stamped "Barric" the crow in Versafine Clair 'Nocturne" ink.

Using a Distress Oxide Ink in a soft pink shade called "Victorian Velvet" I stamped the "Lunar Buds" flowers, both on the central image and also across the bottom of a blank card too.

I stamped the word "dream" using Versafine Clair "Nocturne" ink.  The word is part of a sentiment called "Once Upon A Dream".

Finally, using a white Signo Pen, I added highlights to the crow.  Using a silver glitter Signo Pen, I added touches of colour to the middle of the Lunar Bud flowers.

Lavinia Stamps Design Team Samples for August 2019 Hochanda TV Samples - Tree of Faith

On the 22nd August 2019, Lavinia Stamps will be featured on Hochanda TV.  This is one of the Design Team samples I have made for the show.

The background of this card is made up of using the following colours of Distress Oxide Inks:  Picked Raspberry, Worn Lipstick, Mermaid Lagoon and Blueprint Sketch.

I decided where I wanted the tree to be, but before stamping it created the moon shape by masking a circle and making the edge darker using a Versafine Clair "Paradise" shade of ink.  I then added an orange shade to the middle using a Distress Oxide Ink in the shade of Spiced Marmalade.

I stamped the "Tree Of Faith" using Versafine Clair "Medieval Blue" shade of ink.  I then stamped the "See A Fairy, Make A Wish" verse using Versafine "Stormy Grey" shade of ink.

Using Versafine Clair "Medieval Blue" shade of ink again, I stamped Rory from the "Rory & Darcy" stamp set and a fairy from the "Fairy Foragers" set.

Using a torn edge of card and a Distress Oxide Ink in the shade of "Chipped Sapphire" I created the landscape that Rory is standing on.

I stamped the sentiment "Once Upon A Dream" in two sections using Versafine Clair "Medieval Blue"

I used a blue glitter Signo Pen to add interest to the droplets on the "Tree of Faith".  I also added a few to the ground as if they are windfalls.

Using a Sakura Gelly Roll pen, I added highlighted areas to the tree, Rory and to the fairy.

Finally, I added some dots of white Posca Pen to imitate daisies on the ground, using an orange Posca Pen for the middle of the flowers.

Lavinia Stamps Design Team Sample for August 2019 Hochanda TV Show - Barric

On the 22nd August 2019, Lavinia Stamps will be featured on Hochanda TV, highlighting some of their fabulous stamp designs.  This is a sample that I have prepared for the show.

I have used the "Northern Lights" technique I posted about a couple of months ago.  Here is the link to the step by step photo tutorial to create the background landscape using these Distress Oxide Inks.

Using Versafine Clair "Nocturne" black ink, I stamped the following images:  Tree Branch, Barric (the crow), Lunar Buds, Mini Leaf 1 and finally the "Once Upon A Dream" sentiment.

Finally, using a Saukura Gelly Roll Pen I added some soft gold shimmer to the outlines of some of the stamps.

Lavinia Stamps Design Team Sample August 2019 for Hochanda TV - Rory and Darcy

On 22nd August 2019, Lavinia Stamps will be featured on Hochanda TV, highlighting some of their fabulous stamp designs.  This is a Design Team sample I have made for the show.

I used a circle gelli plate with brayered Colorbox (mustard) Ink on to the plate and splashed Brusho Paint (Sand Stone colour) with a fan brush on top of the brayered surface, then printed the image onto card.

Using a circle mask, I created the moon by inking the edges using Versafine Clair "Morning Mist" ink.

I stamped the "Tree of Faith" using Versafine Clair "Nocturne" black ink.  Using the same ink, I stamped the "Birds".

I used the torn edge of cardstock, repostioned several time to create the landscape using Versafine Clair "Morning Mist".

Next, I stamped "Rory and Darcy" and the sentiment "Once Upon A Dream" in Versafine Clair "Nocturne" black ink.

Finally, using a Sakura Gelly Roll pen, I highlighted the gelli plate edge and the moon in gold.