A Country House for August's Mixed Media Monthly Challenge

Hi everyone and welcome! August's challenge over at the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge has been sponsored by IndigoBlu and their amazing Design Team have been sharing some fabulous projects using IndigoBlu stamps. Check out the first selection HERE and the mid-monthly round up HERE.

There's still time to enter with the challenge closing on August 31st at 11:55 p.m. EST so get inspired by the photo prompt and make sure you get your entries in to be in with a chance to win!

For those of you in the US you'll be pleased to know you can now get your IndigoBlu stamps from Topflight Stamps at https://topflightstamps.com/. One of the stamps that proved a favourite with the MMMC Design Team was the A6 Country House (UK - here / US - here). We thought you'd enjoy getting even more inspiration for using this image.

Ksenija Rizova (two takes one stamp - version one)

Ksenija Rizova (two takes one stamp - version two)

Elizabeth Robinson (step by step tutorial)

Giovanna Zara (video tutorial)

Giovanna Zara (vintage canvas)

Giovanna Zara (altered book)

Jenny Marples (layered canvas)

With all that wonderful inspiration to get your creative juices flowing don't forget, there's still time to enter the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge.

We'll be back soon with more from IndigoBlu.

A5 Shine Bright Stamp Set from IndigoBlu

Hi everyone and welcome! There was so much excitement around the launch of the A5 'Shine Bright' stamp set from IndigoBlu on Hochanda back at the end of May and the team made some gorgeous samples for the tv shows.

We thought you'd enjoy getting to see them in more detail so grab a beverage, sit back and enjoy (to take a closer look just click on any photo);

A huge thank you to Sue Ralph, Kay Molyneux, Cheremane Smith, Carolyn Lakin, Elizabeth Robinson, Julie Cassidy and Jenny Marples for coming up with these wonderful samples.

Hopefully by now your appetite will have been well and truly whetted for the Shine Bright stamp set. If you haven't got yours yet it's available on the IndigoBlu website HERE and if you're in the US you can now order yours from Topflight Stamps, LLC.

Aloysius In His English Country Garden

Welcome fans of IndigoBlu rubber stamps! For today's blog post we asked Jannet Blay from our International Design Team to show us her imaginative ideas for using the cutest little bear stamp, Aloysius, as part of what will now be a regular link up with Topflight Stamps, LLC.

Topflight Stamps is a new Art Stamp Online Store. They are a US based company that carries Rubber and Clear Stamps from different countries around the world. Check them out for unique international stamps, including IndigoBlu. All US orders over $50 ship free. We are so excited to be able to team up with them to share inspiration for designs now in stock in the US as well as at IndigoBlu's own online shop here in the UK.

First up Jannet shares a brand new project and step by step tutorial which also incorporates the large 'Victorian Garden' stamp set, also now available at Topflight Stamps. Then we highlight further projects created featuring 'Aloysius' to really get those creative juices flowing.

Hi Jannet here today with our darling Aloysius, who loves to sit in the beautiful flower garden at Brideshead.

I stamped Aloysius with black Archival ink. I decided to colour him with watercolours, but markers, pencils, or inks would be perfect too. Aloysius always wears his signature check scarf, so I fussy cut him and then cut slits around his neck (so sorry Aloysius).I cut a length of check fabric and draped it around his neck.

For the background I used a wash of blue watercolour for the sky and left gaps where the white paper would show through to form the clouds. I mixed some grassy green watercolour and swept it over the bottom part of the background.

When the watercolour was still wet I crumpled up some copy paper and pressed it onto the wet green paint. It left a lovely random pattern.

I cut a slit in the background scene and slid Aloysius into it, adhering him on the other side. Around Aloysius I stamped and heat embossed the flowers from the IndigoBlu Victorian Garden Stamp set.

I stamped and heat embossed lots of flowers onto card and fussy cut them, and then used foam pads to adhere them to the picture. I overlapped some of them to give some depth and fun to the picture.To finish the card I edged the picture with black ink, and then adhered it onto a scalloped edged white card.

I hope you have fun playing with the gorgeous Aloysius, I know he can't wait to meet you xx

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And now we get to see more of Jannet's fabulous ideas for using this wonderful little bear. Here's one from January 2017 (click on her name to see the original post and more details);

Jannet

And isn't this just the most wonderful teddy bear hanger from April 2017!

Jannet

Products used for the step by step tutorial include;

Altered Composition Book Butterfly Collage using IndigoBlu Flutterby and Crackleglaze

Welcome IndigoBlu fans! We have some fantastic news for all those fans of rubber stamping in the US who love IndigoBlu stamps (or are maybe new to them?)

Topflight Stamps, LLC is a new Art Stamp Online Store. They are a US based company that carries Rubber and Clear Stamps from different countries around the world. Check them out for unique international stamps, including IndigoBlu. All US orders over $50 ship free.

We thought we'd share some inspiration, first seen back in April 2017, from US based designer and International Design Team Member Autumn Clark. She cleverly combined the Dinkie Flutterby and CrackleGlaze Background stamps to alter the cover of a composition book.

Autumn with you today to share some very fun techniques. My jaw dropped to the floor when I saw THIS post by our Jenny Marples. Right away I ordered the Crackleglaze Background stamp.

I first tried to make a floral design like Jenny. I inked the background and colored the poppy from the Poppycock stamp set with Distress Inks. Next I layered on Super Thick Slap it On with a palette knife. I pressed the crackle stamp into the paste and quickly washed my stamp and let the panel dry. I went over with Distress Crayons blending with a baby wipe. I thought I would add some chunky embossing to the edges to mimic solder. Hmm, at this point I felt the entire project had grown rather dismal... So I cut a square out of the middle and decided to salvage the piece as a frame.

I inked some book page and card with Distress Oxide ink. I cut the circle dies from the inky card. I smooshed some card into Postbox Red paint and then dipped it into Distress Oxide, letting the ink flow down. I stamped the Flutterby stamp onto that panel then used the excess to cut a postage die. I used all of these elements to build my composition.

Here's a closeup shot of that lovely crackle effect.

I layered the butterfly over a purchased paper flower and bundled string.

All of the layers were raised with chipboard.

I added some staples for interest.

I curled the butterfly wings for even more dimension.

I glued a vintage button to a brad to adhere a second paper flower and layered over a die cut flower.

Here it is ready for my journaling and doodles. I hope you have fun experimenting with these techniques.

And here's some more inspiration from Autumn using the Dinkie Flutterby stamp;

Autumn Clark

Autumn Clark

Thank you for joining us here at the IndigoBlu blog to see Autumn's gorgeous projects - we are sure you'll now have some ideas of your own for using the Dinkie Flutterby and CrackleGlaze Background stamps, both of which are now available in the US from Topflight Stamps.