And from the new ink pads...

Just testing the ink pads ended up in the creation of this card!

I am so pleased with the way it turned out. Quick, easy- all thanks to quality inks and stamps.

This is now a commission by the way. ;-)

I had to stamp the envelope too- I just couldn't stop stamping!

Ink, Ink!

Now what have we here?

A box load of inks!

Before I explain further lets do a little pictorial comparison.

Stamp Pad A cost RM14.20 (inclusive of shipping all the way from the US-of A) and Stamp Pad B cost RM13.90 (and that does NOT include the exorbitant parking rate/fuel cost I am slapped with when I go buy these inks from Bangsar!) They're BOTH Color Box Pigment Inks BUT, Stamp Pad A is marketed under Stamps of Life's Stephanie Barnard's label. The catch? To get the insanely cheap price of RM14.20 for such a huge and luscious ink pad- I have to buy them in either a set of half dozen or one dozen (different colours). It was a doozy of a no-brainer.

And besides the super value, you get, honestly (and I've tried almost every ink brand on the planet) the BEST ink pads I have ever used.

Promise guys, I am not being paid by Stephanie to say this. It is seriously, the most amazing ink pad you can buy for your stamps. With or without a stamping mat, I got perfect images every time. You can get them from here. The first batch was sold out in a matter of 2 days and I had to wait another week for the second batch. If you are reluctant, it's okay. That just means more stamp pads for me. I feel like stocking these up just cause they're so amazing.

Card Projects in July

A rather hectic month and my cardmaking seems to be less than satisfactory to me. I do need a break from work and stress but it isn't likely to come anytime soon I am afraid. For now, let me share with you some of the cards I have made using my latest toy- the heat embossing gun! Safe to say, a troublesome, messy method of crafting but the results are just too gorgeous. I am very much addicted! The technique has turned some of my best loved stamps to gilded images. Take a look!

1) Baroque Love- heat embossed in gilded gold, the stamp featuring a 17th century French fashionable lady is from the talented people at Oxford Impressions. An extremely simple card which I admit could use more embellishment. I was just so caught up in the lovely image!


2) Baroque Love 2 - Also a stamp from the same Oxford Impressions pack. Only this one hasn't been embossed- just stamped in chalk ink. The fan flower was a nice touch but may make envelope fitting a bit of a nightmare!


3) By the Brick Wall - A birthday card commissions. The brick wall effect was from a Tim Holtz texture fades embossing folder. Really, really love Tim's grungy products although too much of it one card may be overkill. The placard greeting has been embossed in copper embossing powder. The stamps are all from Sheena Douglass' Create-a-Scene Pub set (courtesy of my darling bestie in Scotland).

4) A small note - one of the smallest cards I've made so far. You prolly can't tell from the picture but it is half the size of the usual cards. I can't tell you measurements as I don't measure anything. Math isn't fun so for me it has no place in cardmaking- sorry! ;-) The stamp was a freebie from PaperCraft Essentials Monthly. I must admit I am getting a little tired of the cutesy designs of stamps that most companies are coming up with. Give me a vintage image any day. But I guess these have their uses.

5) Birds of feather - A mixture of stamping, dry embossing, heat embossing and chalking made this card. The flowers were heat embossed in gold, the tree trunk accents on the circle from the same embossing folder pack as the brick wall above. I also gave my new circle die cuts a test run. The circle sentiment was stamped in VersaMark and run over with a thick layer of chalk to create the shade. The flowers have also had chalk dabbed in for added colour!