Friday 9 December 2016

Advent Calendar Extravaganza with Taheerah Atchia


Hey!

Happy Friday! Today I'm joining in the fun of the wonderful Advent Calendar Extravaganza with Taheerah Atchia!


Advent Calendar Extravaganza is –the– festive event of the season! This 'hop with a twist' was dreamed up by Taheerah Atchia and features surprise destinations each day! Joining in the fun with Taheerah are ONE HUNDRED special guests – each serving up some fantastic Christmas inspiration! Just like an advent calendar, you'll never know where you're going to be visiting next until you 'open the door'!

And that's not all! With 25 *amazing* sponsors taking part as guests as well, your crafty wish list is bound to get a boost with a chance to win a prize EVERY SINGLE DAY!!

Join in the fun every day at taheera-atchia.com to see what special surprises await behind the door!

Today is Day 9 of the advent calendar and is sponsored by the wonderful peeps from Simon Says Stamp! I had a dig through my Simon Says Stamp goodies and had fun creating this festive little number featuring the Poinsettia stamp set from the Believe In The Season collection:

Christmas Greetings-2 copy

The background of the card was created by applying gold glitter paste through the Simon Says Stamp Falling Snow stencil. Who said snow had to be white? I like mine gold! ;)

Christmas Greetings close up2 copy

It's not a party without a prize – and with prizes every day there are several chances to win! Today's prize is generously supplied by Simon Says Stamp so you'll definitely want to win! Simply leave a comment on this post then head back to taheerah-atchia.com and leave a comment there too. You must leave a comment on Taheerah's blog as well as mine to be eligible to win! Don't forget to grab the other surprise destinations from Taheerah's blog and head over to them to leave comments there as well to improve your odds even more! You have until 23:59pm EST on 31st December 2016 to enter.

Don't forget the Advent Calendar Extravaganza runs from 1st-25th December so make sure you visit taheerah-atchia.com every day for fabulous inspiration and amazing prizes every single time!

Happy advent calendar hopping and good luck!

Signature2

Tuesday 22 November 2016

Altenew November Blog Hop Winner!

Hey!

Happy Tuesday! It's about to be a super-happy Tuesday for one lucky peep as I'm here to announce the randomly selected winner a $30 Altenew gift certificate from the wonderful Altenew November Blog Hop!

So, without further ado, the lucky winner is:

Denise candelaria said...
Your card is simple and easy to create if I had to make a lot of them. Which since I am new that would be good for me.

Congrats, Denise! To claim your prize, please email Altenew at winner@altenew.com with the subject line 'November Release Blog Hop Winner from Amy's Blog'. Happy shopping! :D


Thanks to everyone who hopped along with us! If you enjoyed seeing the new November release in action, then you may be interested to know that I've whipped up a card featuring the new Hello Sunshine stamp set on the Altenew blog. Here's a sneak peek of it:

Hello Sunshine close up

You can check out the full post here if you're interested. :)

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Signature2

Sunday 20 November 2016

25 Days of Christmas Tags


Hey!

Happy Sunday! I'm here today to join Tracey McNeely's 25 Days of Christmas Tags on behalf of Altenew who are sponsoring the event today and offering a $30 gift certificate for one lucky peep. Be sure to visit Tracey's blog for the full deets, inspiration, giveaways and the opportunity to join in the fun by linking up your own tags for the chance to win even more prizes!

Have you seen the sponsors for this event? Check them all out below!



For my tag, I decided to have fun with Altenew's Bells and Bows stamp set and co-ordinating dies along with a sentiment from the Modern Deer stamp set.

Season's Greetings tag

I thought it'd be fun to create a bauble-style tag by simply die-cutting a circle of green cardstock and threading baker's twine through the top of it. I then heat-embossed the sentiment from Modern Deer across it and affixed a stamped and die-cut bow to the top. I needed Mr Gray on hand to photograph this tag, literally! He's holding up the twine for me. :)

I hope you find time to check out the full 25 Days of Christmas Tags event. Thanks so much for stopping by today and I hope you have a super Sunday!

Signature2

Tuesday 15 November 2016

Altenew November 2016 Blog Hop

Hey!

Happy Tuesday! I'm here today to celebrate Altenew's fantastic release of 16 brand-new stamp sets and 8 die sets as part of a good ol' fashioned blog hop. You should have hopped across here from the amazing Yana Smakula – if you haven't then be sure to start out at Altenew HQ. :)

For my blog hop project, I couldn't resist inking up the super-trendy Happy Dreams stamp set to create a motivational card for a dear friend of mine.

Be a dreamer...make it happen!

I decided to pair two sentiments together for this design. The way that the main sentiment has those little thought bubbles trickling down just called for it! The three stars are from a cluster of stars from the stamp set and I stamped them using Volcano Lake ink to add a pop of colour and a visual triangle to complement the focal point. Easy. Peasy. :D

Now a blog hop wouldn't be a blog hop without some prizes and special offers, right? Well first up Altenew have a fantastic promotional offer by offering a free You Make Me Happy stamp set with every purchase!


This offer is available while stocks last and the set will automatically be added to your order. Hurry though, the offer ends on Thursday November 17th 2016 at 11:59pm EST and is limited to one per customer.

Secondly, Altenew are celebrating the blog hop by giving away a $50 gift certificate to THREE lucky winners! To be in with a chance of winning, simply leave a comment on the Altenew blog by Monday November 21st 11:59pm EST and the winners will be announced on the Altenew Blog on Tuesday November 22nd.

If that wasn't enough, there's also the chance to win a $30 gift certificate right here on this blog post! Simply leave a comment here by Monday November 21st at 5:00pm EST and I'll announce the lucky winner on Tuesday November 22nd. :)

Right, there's some serious hopping to be done so that's enough from me today! Next on your inspirational blog hopping adventure the fantastic, Kathy Racoosin. Enjoy!

Signature2

Thursday 27 October 2016

Altenew & Pretty Pink Posh Collaboration Blog Hop


Hey!

Today Altenew and Pretty Pink Posh are joining forces for a special collaboration blog hop full of inspiration, special offers and prizes galore! You should have hopped on over here from Heather Hoffman, but if you haven't then be sure to start out at Altenew HQ. :)

Altenew and Pretty Pink Posh products complement each other beautifully and they're ideal for making a start on your Christmas/holiday projects! I couldn't resist shaking things up a bit by inking up Altenew's Modern Deer stamp set (again!) and pairing it with Pretty Pink Posh clear 4mm sequins.

Walking in a winter wonderland

I've also paired the Modern Deer stamp set with the Winter Cottage stamp set for the backdrop of the scene. I simply coloured elements of it with a white gel pen and added touches of glitter glue for an icy sparkle. :)

Walking in a winter wonderland close up

This blog hop is a pretty special one as Altenew and Pretty Pink Posh are celebrating our their first anniversary of collaborating so they're celebrating in style by having amazing giveaways and offers!


There's two $100 prize packs from Altenew and Pretty Pink Posh up for grabs. Two winners will be randomly selected from comments left on any one of the blogs in the blog hop. You've got to be in it to win it, so be sure to leave comments by Wednesday 2nd November 2016 at midnight EST. Winners will be announced on the Altenew and Pretty Pink Posh blogs on Thursday November 3rd.


Also, if you fancy a little retail therapy, then Altenew and Pretty Pink Posh are offering you 10% off your entire order. Simply enter 'ALTENEWLOVESPPP' at the checkout for Altenew orders and 'PPPLOVESALTENEW' for Pretty Pink Posh orders. Hurry though, the offer is only available until midnight EST on Sunday 30th October 2016.

Right, that's enough babbling from me. There's some serious hopping to be done! Next on your hopping adventure is Shannon McComb. :)

Thanks so much for hopping on by today!

Signature2




Thursday 20 October 2016

Altenew October Blog Hop Winner!

Hey!

Happy Friday Eve! :D It's going to be a super-happy one for one lucky peep as it's time to announce the winner of the $30 Altenew gift certificate from comments left on my post from the fun Altenew October 2016 Release blog hop!

So, without further ado, the randomly selected winner is:

Ginny Klima
Love the beautiful deer card you made, and the addition of the wood grain effect was perfect! thanks for sharing and thanks for the chance to win!
~Gin K.~
Contgrats, Ginny! To claim your prize, please email Altenew at winner@altenew.com with the subject line 'October Release Blog Hop Winner from Amy's blog'. Happy shopping! :D

Signature2

Thursday 13 October 2016

Altenew October 2016 Release Blog Hop


Hey!

Happy Friday Eve! Welcome to the Altenew October Release Blog Hop! If you're hopping along with us today, then you should have hopped across here from my fellow talented Altenew teamie, Svitlana Shayevich. If you're not, then there's no better time like the present to join in the fun so be sure to start out at the Altenew HQ. :)

Today we're celebrating the release of 16 fantastic new stamp sets and there's something for everyone! I couldn't resist inking up the Modern Deer stamp set to get an early start on my Christmas cards (well...early for me anyway!) ;)

AmyGray Warm winter wishes

I love that this set contains two stunning deer in a layered stamping format that makes is super-easy to add detail and dimension to these beautiful images. To add a little more texture to the woodland theme I couldn't resist popping the scene on a card blank created from my favourite Altenew white woodgrain cardstock.

Now a blog hop wouldn't be a blog hop without prizes, right? Altenew are giving away a $50 gift certificate to THREE lucky winners and I'm giving away a $30 gift certificate to one lucky winner. To be in with a chance of winning the $50 gift certificate, leave a comment on the Altenew blog and to be in with a chance of winning my $30 gift certificate pop a comment on this post. All comments need to be left by Wednesday October 19th at 11.59pm EST and winners will be announced on Thursday October 20th. Good luck!

Well, that's enough from me today as it's time for you to hop along to the next stop which just so happens to be the lovely Nicole Picadura – happy hopping!

Signature2

Saturday 24 September 2016

Altenew September Release Blog Hop Winner!

Hey!

Happy Saturday! I'm kicking off the weekend by announcing the randomly-selected winner of the $30 Altenew gift certificate from the Altenew September Release Blog Hop! So, without further ado, the lucky winner is:


Izzy Scrap said...
Yes, no doubt I love those new colors too ! And you exactly know how to highlight the new products! Thanks so much for sharing.


Congrats, Izzy Scrap! Please email 'winner@altenew.com' with the subject line 'September Release Blog Hop winner from Amy's blog' to claim your prize! Happy shopping!

I've been busy playing with even more goodies from the new release over on the Altenew blog today. Here's a sneak peek of my project:

Congratulations close up

I hope that you can join me over there! :)

Thanks so much for stopping by today and have a super duper weekend, peeps!

Signature2

Wednesday 21 September 2016

Layered stamping with Simon Says Stamp & Clearly Besotted!

Hey!

Happy Wednesday! It's a special Wednesday as Simon Says Stamp joins forces with Clearly Besotted to celebrate a fabulous STAMPtember exclusive! Yup, Clearly Besotted have a designed this stunning Layered Chrysanthemum stamp set available exclusively at Simon Says Stamp while stocks last!
Simon Says Stamp kindly sent me this stamp set to play with and I love it! Here's the result of my latest crafty adventure with it when I had a moment to sit down and simply enjoy the creative process:

Amy Gray CB Thanks a million

There's some serious masking going on with those layered chrysanthemums to create the border of them along the top, but think it's worth the effort. I couldn't resist affixing the design onto my favourite cardstock colour of the moment: Simon Says Stamp's Mint cardstock. :)

Amy Gray CB Thanks a million close up

If you want to get your inky mitts on this exclusive stamp set then you'll have to be quick! STAMPtember products are proving to be extremely popular so be sure to check out this stamp set along with the many other fabulous STAMPtember exclusives here!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you have a wonderful Wednesday and continue to enjoy the super-duper STAMPtember celebrations! :D

Signature2



Monday 19 September 2016

Altenew September Release blog hop

Hey!

Happy Monday! It's also a happy Monday at Altenew as today marks the start of a fun blog hop to celebrate the release of 15 new dies, 12 new ink colours, 36 re-inkers and two wonderful, sparkly glitter tapes! You should have arrived here from Svitlana Shayevich, if you haven't then be sure to start out at Altenew HQ!

For my projects to celebrate the new release, I couldn't resist getting busy with the new Bold Alphabet die set and the new Celebrations die-set to co-ordiante with the Celebrations stamp set. First up, here's my project featuring the Bold Alphabet die set:

Amy-Gray-Altenew-bold-alphabet-die-set-signature

I liked the idea of keeping some of the letters attached together to form a die-cut background from a panel of white cardstock. I blended some yummy new Puffy Heart and Rose Quartz inks over the panel before die-cutting it to achieve an on-trend ombré effect. :)

Amy-Gray-Altenew-bold-alphabet-die-set-signature

The woodgrain pattern is stamped using the new Emerald ink. I think this might be my new favourite Altenew colour (just don't tell the others!)

For my final project, I kept things pretty simple. After stamping and colouring the presents from the Celebrations stamp set, I then used the co-ordinating die to cut it out and mounted it onto a woodgrain card front using 3D foam tape. Easy peasy!

Amy-Gray-Altenew-Celebrations-die-set-signature

I hope that you're enjoying the blog hop so far! Don't forget that it's worth commenting along the way as Altenew are giving away three $50 gift certificate to one lucky person commenting on the Altenew blog and I'm giving away a $30 gift certificate to a lucky peep who comments on this post! Please leave your comment here by Friday September 23rd 11.59pm EST to be in with a chance – I'll announce a winner on Saturday 24th September.

Right, it's time for you to keep on hopping! Next on the hop is Patricia Roebuck – happy hopping! :D

Signature2





Wednesday 10 August 2016

Altenew July Release Blog Hop Winner!


Hey!

Oh I'm a bad blogger....I hope you can forgive me. This post was scheduled to publish, but had other thoughts it seems while I was away spending a last-minute decision to escape to Vegas for the weekend! Still, better late than never, I'm here to announce the randomly selected winner of a $30 Altenew gift certificate from the Altenew July Blog Hop!

So, without further ado, the winner is: Rose! 

Congrats, Rose! Please email winner@altenew.com with the subject line 'July Release Blog Hop Winner from Amy's blog', to claim your gift certificate. Happy shopping!

Thank you all so much for taking part in the blog hop and for your lovely comments, I hope you enjoyed the hop and managed to treat yourself to some of the release! :)

Signature2

Wednesday 3 August 2016

Clearly Besotted August release teaser time...

Good luck
Hey!

I'm here today sharing a sneak peek of the new Clearly Besotted August release which is available to purchase from 5th August at 10pm BST!

It's serious cuteness overload with this release – I just had to play with the Be Lucky stamp set. I'm going to confess that it was the unicorn of the set that had me itching to ink it up, but as I was sat at my desk I thought that many of us would be thinking the same thing so I decided to give the cat, dog and rabbit a little time in the spotlight. :)

This card really is as simple as it looks! I've paired the stamp set with some yummy papers from First Edition's Pick 'n' Mix collection. You may also noticed that I added some subtle stripes to my ginger tomcat. I love that you can customise and colour these cute animals to suit your projects or even represent a family pet (my ginger tom is based on a past pet called Marmalade!)

Don't forget that Stephanie is sharing more sneak peeks at CB HQ with links to the rest of the Design Team sharing even more teasers from the release. We also have the talented Jen Nelson and Rubeena Naz on board with us as guesties too!

I'm keeping it super-short and sweet today, but I hope to be back tomorrow with another sneak peek for you. :)

Thank you so much for stopping by today!

Signature2

Friday 29 July 2016

Altenew July Release Blog Hop


***I have two posts to share with you today! If you're looking for my Paperbabe Stamps blog hop post, please click here. Thanks!***
Hey! 

I'm here today sharing the new Altenew July release with a good ol' fashioned blog hop! You should have arrived here from Evelyn Yusuf, but if you haven't then be sure to start out at the Altenew blog. :)

I really was spoilt for choice with what to play from the new release for this blog hop. So many lovely stamp sets to choose from! My Design Team parcel arrived in the nick of time so I couldn't spend too much time deliberating, but I'm a sucker for leaves so I knew that I'd have to ink up the Freeform Greenery stamp set. :)

Proud of your Strength

The background was stamped in no time now I've succumbed to the magic of the mini MISTI. I was able to stamp a few images at once and then stamp the smaller ones in between them to fill the spaces. Easy peasy!

Proud of your strength close up

The sentiment is from the new Bamboo Rose stamp set which contains many uplifting and encouraging sentiments in a beautiful font. I felt that the brush script nature of the font complemented the hand-drawn look of the Freeform Greenery leaves perfectly. :)

On closer inspection, you'll see a strip of Washi tape down the right side of this card. That's part of the new July release too! Wonderful Washi tape! Yay! :D

As always, there are prizes to be won along the blog hop. Altenew are giving away a $50 gift certificate to THREE lucky winners! Simply leave a comment on the Altenew blog by Friday August 5th 11:59pm EST and the winners will be announced the following day.

I'm also offering a $30 Altenew gift certificate on my blog post, so be sure to leave a comment on this post by Friday 5th August 11.59 EST and I'll announce the lucky winner next day.

Well, it's time to hop along and next on your blog hopping adventure is the fabulous Aga!

Happy hopping and have a wonderful weekend!

Signature2

Paperbabe Stamps 3rd Anniversary Blog Hop!

Foxy love
Hey!

Hooray for Friday! We could just celebrate the fact that it's Friday, but I'm here to join in the party as Paperbabe Stamps celebrate their 3rd anniversary AND a new release of fantastic goodies available to purchase from Saturday 30th July!

I'm so honoured that my extremely talented friend and owner of Paperbabe Stamps, Kim Costello, has invited me on board to join in the fun! I'm a HUGE fan of Kim's work and I'm feeling the pressure here to create something worthy of being included in this hop full of talent! Speaking of which, you should have hopped here from another dear friend of mine, Keren Baker! If you haven't then be sure to start out at Chris Dark's blog. :)

Foxy love close up

Kim kindly sent me some new wonderful whimsical woodland stamp sets from the release and if you know me, then it won't surprise you to know that I was inking up this adorable fox immediately! Each animal compromises of a number of separate stamps to build them including Mr Fox here. The sentiment is from the same set and fits perfectly with Mr Fox's posture. :)

I also added an MDF heart from one of the new substrate kit too. I love (pun not intended, but I'll take it!) the way it complements the literal meaning of the sentiment. I covered it with gold Stickles glitter glue, but you can customise these babies with a variety of different mediums from your stash, or simply leave them naked! ;)

A blog hop, wouldn't be a blog hop without some prizes, right? Paperbabe Stamps are offering two fabulous prizes along this hop:
  • The entire July release! 
  • £25 gift certificate to spend in the Paperbabe Stamps store
For your chance to win one of these prizes, you need to comment on the blogs along the blog hop by midnight Sunday 31st July (UK time) and two lucky winners will be announced on the Paperbabe Stamps blog on Monday 1st August.

Right, time to get hopping! Next on your hopping adventure is Katy Leitch! If you ever get lost, here's the full list of participants:

Happy hopping and happy anniversary, Paperbabe Stamps! Here's to many more! :D

Signature2

Tuesday 5 July 2016

Tickled pink...

Tickled pink
Hey!

It's release day today over at Clearly Besotted so all of these sneaky peeks we've been sharing with you over the past few days will be available to purchase from 10pm UK time tonight! :D

For my final card of this release, I've inked up the Tickle My Fancy stamp set. This fabulous set features both solid and linear feather designs with a variety of sentiments. It's ideal for both focal points and background stamping! I decided to put a bit of a literal spin on the tickled pink sentiment by playing with some pink ink and a sheet of pink bokeh BoBunny paper from the You're Invited collection.

Tickled pink close up

You'll see that I also couldn't resist some pops of gold in the form of glitter Washi tape, gold foil Washi tape and a cute BoBunny mini clip. :)

Well my sneak peeks are over and Stephanie will be sharing a full reveal of all the new CB goodies, so be sure to pop over and get your shopping list ready! In addition to the full reveal, there's links to the rest of the Design Team sharing their final sneak peeks, so be prepared for some serious enabling! ;)

Thanks so much popping by here today, your visits are always appreciated!

Signature2

Copyright/Disclosure

I am on various design teams and receive free product to use and promote. I geniunely love the products of the companies and all opinons are honest and my own.

I'm flattered if I've inspired you and you want to CASE anything of mine, but please don't enter it for commercial publications or competitions.
Thank You!
All designs, text, and photographs on Crafting Confessions are ©2009-2016 to Amy Gray unless stated otherwise.