January Map Master project

This year we have an addition to our monthly map offerings.  Our new Map Master, Ken Schneider, will take you hiking on the creative trail showing you how he takes the monthly map created by Regena from conceptualizing an idea to the finished card.  We hope you enjoy joining Ken in his Tree House (studio) each month as he interprets [...]

Basically, Thank You. *Back2Basics*

Fly-By Thanks
by Stephanie Loomis, Artistic Guide and Editor
Finished card size: 5.5″ x 4.25″ 
As promised, Stamper’s Quest will bring periodic “Back2Basics” projects to our readers so that we may all remember why we chose this art form! This particular card takes us to the very element of rubber stamp art. It requires four things: stamps, paper, [...]

Sue’s Advent Series – Week Two, Season of Joy: Day Two

Finished Size 4.25″ x 5.5″

Supplies:
Stamps:
Season of Joy  (Stampin’ Up!)
Papers:
Matte white card stock
Decorative paper (Basic Grey)
Multi-color paint chip (Lowes)
Inks:
“Frayed Burlap” Distress ink pad (Ranger)
Other:
Glue stick
Snow flake border punch (Fiskers)
Glue Pen (Sakura)
Crysat ultrafine glitter (Art Institute)
Corner rounder punch (unknown)
Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders)
Blue Pearl gems (unknown)
Foam tape (unknown)
Directions:

Using a die cutting machine of your choice cut out 3 circles [...]

Sue’s Advent Series – Week One, Tree Border: Day Five

 
 
This wraps up the first week of my Advent series.  I hope you returned each day and were inspired by the variety of ways I used  the tree border stamp by Memory Box. Come back on Monday for Week Two!
Finished size 4.25″ x 5.5″
 
 
 
Supplies:
Stamps:
Tree Border -D1277 (Memory Box)
Snow flake backgrounds – CL117  (Hero Arts)
Papers:
Matte white cardstock
Decorative [...]

Sue’s Advent Series – Week One, Tree Border: Day Four

Finished card 4.25″ x 5.5″
Supplies:
Stamps:
Tree Border -D1277 (Memory Box)
Papers:
Matte white cardstock
Acetate (unknown)
Inks:
Memento: Tuxedo Black  (Tsukineko)
Other:
Dotted Embossing folder (Sizzix)
Stickles Crystal (Ranger)
Acrylic paints: (Making Memories)
     Spotlight
     Sky
     Blueberry
Glue stick
Foam tape
Foam brush
Directions:

With your foam brush, brush 3 shades of the blue paint onto the acetate, blending together. Let dry well.

Stamp trees on the painted acetate with black [...]

Sue’s Advent Series – Week One, Tree Border: Day Three

Finished card  4.25″ x 5.5″
Supplies:
Stamps:
Tree Border -D1277 (Memory Box)
Merry Holiday Borders- LL113 (Hero Arts)
Night Before- CL141 (Memory Box)
Papers:
Matte white cardstock
Decorative paper (Memory Box)
Blue paper (Die Cuts With a View)
Hot Press water color paper (Arches)
Inks:
Memento: Tuxedo Black  (Tsukineko)
Distress Inks: (Ranger)
     Broken China
     Faded Jeans
     Weathered Wood
Other:
Glue stick
water brush (unknown)
Directions:

Stamp trees on water color paper with [...]

Gratitude Card for the Discoverer

Gratitude Card for the Discoverer
By: Stephanie Loomis, Artistic Guide
Finished card size: A2 (5.5” x 4.25”) 
Supplies:
Stamps: 
G is for Gratitude (The Angel Company)
Paper:                       
A2 note card: 5.5” x 4.25” (Georgia Pacific cardstock)
White cardstock: 2.5” x 2.875” (Georgia Pacific)
Patterned paper A: 3.25” x 3.5” (unknown source—pulled from scrap box)
Patterned paper B: 3.25” x 5.5” (unknown source—pulled from scrap box)
Patterned [...]

Thank You Card Set for the Adventurer

 
By: Stephanie Loomis, Artistic Guide
Finished card size: 5.5” x 4”
 When making multiples of the same card, it’s easier to set up an assembly line and do each step on each card at the same time. Pull together all the supplies and do all the cutting and stamping together. Then simply assemble and go!

 
 
Supplies:
Stamps:         
Box Words: “Thank [...]

Happy Harvest Thank You for the Adventurer

I’m on a quest to design the perfect thank you card! My husband and I are organizing a community-wide Thanksgiving dinner for everyone in the community.  I would like to send custom-made thank you cards to donors and volunteers.  This is going to be a huge task, and I need a simple, quick card that [...]

Using Your Brayer for the Discoverer

Do you have a brayer that sits in your drawer because you don’t quite know what to do with it?  I generally use mine with the multi-colored ink pads, such as the Kaleidacolors because it’s easy to create great backgrounds.  There are so many other things you can do with a brayer!  Don’t want to [...]

Inky Fingers

To Copic or not to Copic—that is the question. Whether ’tis nobler in art to suffer the pangs of being last among friends to participate in  the latest trend, or to empty the bank account in a sea of purchases… To color, to create…perchance to dream (apologies to Shakespeare.)
Copic markers are the current rage in the [...]

Photos On Cards

 
Photos On Cards
By: Shelly Newkirk, Artistic Guide
Finished Card Size: 5.5″ x 4.25″
Supplies:
Stamps:
“Just For You”  (River City Rubber Works)
Paper:
11″ x 8.5″ scrapbook paper (K & Company, Studio K, Meadow & Breeze paper pad)
Gray-green cardstock (unknown)
Ink:
Library Green Archival Ink (Ranger)
Jet Black Archival Ink (Ranger)
VersaMark (Tsukineko)
Other:
Black fine line embossing powder
Ticket punch (Stampin’ Up!)
Directions:

Attach the scrapbook paper of your [...]

Military Remembrance for the Discoverer

Remembering Our Military
By: Janice Ellis, Artistic Guide
Finished Card size: 4.25″ x 5.5″
Supplies:
Stamps:
Thinking of You (Rubber Stampede)
Paper:
Green and beige textured cardstock (DCWV Neutrals Stack)
Beige matte paper for words (Marco’s paper)
Background camouflage paper (craft store purchase)
Inks:
None
Other:
Markers: (Marvy)
     Green
     Dark Brown
Sakura Crystal Lacquer
Army stickers (Sticko)
Regular scissors
Glue stick or double sided mounting tape
Directions:

Remove stickers from adhesive sheet and apply to the camouflage background.
Cut [...]

Scenic Winners!!!

Seven amazing artists will move onto the NEXT round of the Trail Master contest. More than 230 of you voted, and these are the cards that topped the votes:

Debbie

Karyn

Ken

Kim

Kris

Mary Jane

Sharon
Artists who created these magnificent scenic cards win a prize from Kevin Nakagawa at Stampscapes!! The next round for these seven artists is MASCULINE cards! You [...]

Christmas in August

People usually think of  ‘Christmas in July.’ For me, Christmas starts in August. My husband and I are members of Oregon’s largest choir: Portland’s ‘Singing Christmas Tree,’ with 300 voices. We get our new music the first Monday of August every year, so our Christmas atmosphere starts early. We rehearse every Monday night as a [...]

Mysterious Wolf for the Adventurer

Mysterious Wolf
By: Shelly Newkirk, Artistic Guide
Finished card size: 4.25″ x 5.5″
Supplies:
Stamps:
Wolf stamp (Whispers)
Pine bough with pine cones (unknown)
Paper:
White card stock (Georgia Pacific)
Ink:
Jet Black Archival Ink (Ranger)
Other:
Sponge
Dark yellow and brown colored pencils (Rose Arts)
Glue (Crafter’s Pick Ultimate Glue)
Directions:

Cut white cardstock to 8.5″ x 5.5″. Fold in half to create a card measuring 4.25″ x 5.5″.

Sponge black [...]

Black and White Flower Card for the Discoverer

By: Michael A. Trent, Artistic Guide 
Finished card size:6.5” x 5” 
Something else I enjoy doing when using black and white images, papers, etc.  is to add just a dash of color to a project that is 99% black and white.  In this project the emphasis is black and white but I added some color to the [...]

Elegant Get Well card for the Discoverer

Elegant Get Well Card
By: Regena, Artistic Guide
Finished size:  5″ x 7″
Supplies:
Stamps:
Chandelier (Inkadinkado)
Paper Texture Cube (Stampendous)
Marble Cube (Stampendous)
Get Well (The Stamp Barn)
Paper:
10″ x 7″ white textured cardstock for card base (Bazzill)
8.5″ x 11″ matte coated white cardstock (Marco’s Paper)
12″ x 12″ Black Glimmer cardstock (The Paper Company)
Ink:
Coal Black Ancient Page ink (Clearsnap)
Other:
HermaFix Tape Runner (EK Success)
Scotch [...]

Black and White Tulips Matted Art for the Inventor

Black and White Tulips Matted Art
Regena, Artistic Guide
Finished size:  11″ x 14”
Supplies:
Stamps:
Vase with Tulips (Inkadinkado)
Paper Texture Cube (Stampendous)
Tapestry (Great Impressions) 
Paper:
8.5″ x 11″ matte coated white cardstock (Marco’s Paper)
12″ x 12″ Black Glimmer cardstock (The Paper Company)
Ink:
Coal Black Ancient Page ink (Clearsnap)
Other:
11″ x 14″ White on Black Mat  with 2 two 5″ x 7″ openings (Michaels)
11″ x14″ [...]

June Sketch Card

Oh my goodness! Can you believe it’s June already?  Where has 2009 gone? 
This month our exclusive sketch card, designed by Regena,  is long and skinny with circles and squares. (And you thought you wouldn’t use geometry after high school!)

Our guides share a variety of interpretations with you.  Instead of all long and skinny, some are made [...]