Whenever my teacher uttered the dreaded word “QUIZ” in class, I remember squirming uncomfortably in my seat, looking for an escape window that unfortunately never appeared. But today on the blog, there’s no need to fear – we’re bringing a brand-new light to test taking by offering a fun pop quiz in order to give you what you want. Whether you’re new to the blogging scene or you’re a seasoned guru, we want your input!

As our way of saying thank you for your participation and in hopes to inspire your next artful endeavor, we’ll pick 2 winners out of a hat to receive a $50 gift certificate to spend at the Shoppe, home to over 3,000 unique art and crafting materials.

CLICK HERE to take the poll and be entered to win! Deadline: June 1st.

Please comment below with “I took the poll” so we can track your e-mail and contact the 2 winners!

Travel back in time with these lovely ladies dressed to the nines. You’ll find a dramatic damsel adorned in a gold embroidered gown captured in a moment of grace and an entertaining starlet, high-kicking the night away in Paris.

Classic color combos and vintage text make it easy to use these images together or separately as a stunning accent in your next art project.

Click here to view these images at full size and to download yours today.

To incorporate more vintage ephemera and digitally altered pieces into your artwork, visit e-Crafting.com!

*More freebies: Did you know we also give away free ephemera downloads in our newsletters? For printable inspiration that won’t cost you a cent, be sure to signup today!

We want to see your art! If you download this free image and make anything from a mixed-media project to a creative card idea, we want to see the final piece! Please comment below with a link to the image. If you need some inspiration to get started, check out our ephemera challenge post, featuring fellow artists’ unique pieces. Happy creating! ❤

Whether you dumpster dive for trash like our dear friend Debi Beard, or you’ve already got an item collecting dust on your shelves that you could put to good use – we want to invite all of you green crafting connoisseurs  to crank up your creativity level with our Eco-Chic Challenge!

Our art team wants to see the most innovative way you can rescue and recreate an object whose fate was destined for the junk yard. We’re always accepting submissions for GreenCraft Magazine; but with this challenge, we’re curious to see what new and inventive ways our artists can come up with in their eco-crafting endeavors, for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate AND get published in an upcoming issue of GreenCraft.

Guidelines:

Option 1 Trash to Treasure:

1)      Use an item you already have in your possession that you’d otherwise throw out (an empty curly fry container, a handful of plastic grocery bags, or an In-N-Out drink holder.)

2)      Transform your trash into something truly innovative/fashionable/chic.

3)      Submit your finished piece to our art department. (Read detailed instructions here.)

*Deadline: June 15th

Option 2 Wasteland Rescue:

1)      Use an item that that you’ve recovered from the wasteland (an old skateboard, a rusty bike, old cell phone parts.)

2)      Transform it into something completely new/unique/functional.

3)      Submit your finished piece to our art department. (Read detailed instructions here.)

*Deadline: June 15th

Prize:

Our top 3 picks of the most innovative and stylish submissions will each receive a prize of a $25 gift certificate and shout outs on our social media sites!

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To get your creative juices flowing, browse through these previously published garbage to grand transformations and get a better idea of what we’re looking for!

Trash to Treasure:

Upcycled Color Catcher Sachets

DIY Herb Caddy

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Wasteland Rescues:

Super chic: A pretty pistachio shell necklace

So clever! Children’s toys made from an old skateboard

*Reminder: Even if you don’t land in the top prize spot, you’re submission will automatically have a chance at being featured in the upcoming issues of GreenCraft Magazine – so we urge and encourage all of you to submit your projects. :)

Comment below: To inspire some ingenious ideas, please share what material you think would be the most interesting to see in an eco-chic project. For example, we once had an artist create pretty pendants and fashionable earrings from bike tires!

Photo credits:

• Pistachio Shell Necklace: Natalie Pirvey, of Crème de la Craft

• Skateboard Toys: Jason Greene of Board Games

•  Color catcher sachets: Monica Sabolla Gruppo

• Portable Herb Garden: Jennifer Taylor, S&C Assistant Senior Managing Editor

“If you have a goal, write it down. If you do not write it down, you do not have a goal – you have a wish.”

Whether a wish or a list, we’ve all got things we need or want to do – like chores, grocery goodies or other fancies, and many times they never see the light of day. With this artful project, our Editor-in-Chief Christen Olivarez shows us a stress-relieving way to de-clutter the lengthy lists that pile up in our minds and get them onto paper where they can be seen.

Project and photographs by Editor in Chief Christen Olivarez & Director of Photography Johanna Love

For svelte storage and a sophisticated look, Christen uses a cigar box as a container – how clever?! Then, with a few snips, stamps and strips of lovely embellishments, behold: a new book of ideas is ready to write on. To infuse your own flair, you can use different colors or patterns of washi tape or add personal memorabilia – like tickets from your favorite musical or a treasured quote. Now you’ll never let another wish slip your mind with this super simple project!

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For detailed instructions and to view the products used for this project, feel free to stop by our Shoppe and create your own organized wish list.

We want to know: Do you have any other interesting/creative ways of organizing?

Share with us your best tricks of the trade and we’ll pick one random winner to receive a set of the mini journal cards used in this artful project to spark some organized inspiration!

Only weeks ago we announced our Up and away Ephemera Challenge as a chance for tree huggers to create digital projects, and other talented artists to try their hand at mixed-media masterpieces using balloon ephemera pieces. We promised to announce the top 2 winners…but there’s been a surprise change in plans! Because of the bounty of beautiful submissions, it proved to be much more difficult than originally imagined to narrow down the winners.

We enlisted in the help of Stampington & Company’s Founder Kellene Giloff to hand-pick the top projects, and we hope you’ll be as pleasantly surprised as we were when you see which stunning entries (in no particular order) took the cake:

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Lisa Mallette’s Hot Air Balloon Album:

In Lisa’s words:

I decided to make a little album in which my dad can keep photos of his ballooning adventures. After it turned out much nicer than I had originally envisioned, I was inspired to create a matching frame. Both projects were made with the Up & Away Tags and Up & Away Squares digital ephemera.

Materials & How-to:

Blank coil-bound mixed-media book

Wooden craft frame

Corrugated cardboard

Self-adhesive cork sheet

Patterned paper

Alcohol inks

Tissue tape

Acrylic paints: French Vanilla, Cape Cod Blue, Mocha Brown, Black

The album project started with a blank coil-bound book, which contains corrugated cardboard and chipboard pages, a canvas page, an acrylic page and a long envelope. Lisa painted the cover and inside pages, covered several pages with patterned paper, and embellished them with the balloon images, tissue tape, and torn sheets of self-adhesive cork colored with alcohol inks. The frame consists of corrugated cardboard adhered to a painted wooden craft frame and embellished in a similar fashion.

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Tina Walker’s Quote Canvas & Ephemera Canvas

Quote How-To:

1. Apply sewing pattern paper to chipboard with matte medium.
2. Spray with spray gesso.
3. Stamp with lined stamp.
4. Type favorite quotes and cut out into sentences.
5. Ink the edges of quotes.
6. Cut leaf shape from spare ephemera pieces and adhere to ATC.
7. Add small piece of deli paper on top of leaf pieces.
8. Color clear gems with alcohol ink and apply to leaf piece.
9. Apply distress ink to edges of ATC.

Ephemera How-to:

1. Print ephemera in size to fit ATC.
2. Apply ephemera to ATC canvas with matte medium.
3. Spray ATC with spray mist.
4. Apply crackle paste with stencil.
5. Apply distress ink with stencil. (on top of and on the edges of ATC)
6. Splatter with water color paint.
7. Print same ephemera in smaller size and apply to ATC canvas with foam tape.

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Cathy Ward’s Up and Away Dominos Digital Picture

In Cathy’s words:

This collage was created in Photoshop Elements, originally an image the hubby took of me in front of a castle in France. I am actually in the photo – (under the pretty lady) my alter ego is my shadow, you see. The castle was so beautiful it looked like a painted backdrop behind me. I had always wanted to turn it into a collage and when I saw the ephemera balloon pieces, this image came to mind.

How-to:

Cathy digitally cut out the vintage lady from a scanned postcard from her personal collection. She placed the piece directly on top of the background image and added several layers from the Up and Away Dominos sheet. Cathy included the script “Le Ballon” along with the back of a scanned cabinet card to add an element of elegance. Varying patterned layers with different opacity levels ties the entire image together with a whimsical feel.

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What gorgeous creations! Again, congratulations to our winners. We will send an e-mail shortly to coordinate how you will receive your prize. Please contact blog@stampington.com with any further questions.

Did you miss out on the opportunity to participate in this challenge? Not to fret! – You’re welcome to submit your digital projects or mixed media ideas at any time for an opportunity to be published with us! Click here to browse all of our “calls and challenges.”

Want to win the brand new Somerset Life Spring 2013 magazine?

Check out this week’s Mother’s Day Challenge and enter today!

We want to know: What ingenious project have YOU created using ephemera? Comment below with a description or with a link to the picture/post!

As an artist, you know that wrapping a gift with delicate ribbon can really tie together a look – but an even more essential bond, the eternal tie we share with our mothers, is something that’s really worth talking about – which is why we’ve created this special May Mother’s Day Challenge!

May Mother’s Day Challenge

Option 1 – Comment on the blog or Facebook:

Do you have a sentimental or thoughtful story to explain why your mom is simply the best, or why being a mother is beyond a blessing? Comment below on our blog or on our Facebook page to share your story!

Option 2 – Post an image on Instagram:

Photos by (top to bottom left to right):

Carolyn Robb Where Women Cook, Megan Newsom Artful Blogging, Brooke Blakemore Life Images, Michael Bircker Life Images, Jennifer Casa Create With Me, Carmen Adams Artful Blogging

Whether you’re a mother yourself and relish in the laughter that ensues after you treat your toddler to an over-sized slice of cake, or you’re a child with memories of hand holding and jumping for joy, all of us have a story to share about our relationship with our moms or our experience as a mother. Sometimes stories can be summarized into an ephemeral moment in time. If you can capture a picture that says a thousand words about why your relationship with your mom or children is so unique, we want to see your image! Please post a picture to your Instagram with the hashtag #maymomschallenge and tag us @Stampington.

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We’ll announce our favorite answer or Instagram image this Friday on our Facebook page! The winner will receive the perfect Mother’s Day gift, a brand-new issue of Somerset Life, cherished for its extraordinary artful project ideas and stunning photography!

If you’re still looking for a last minute gift idea that’ll truly knock your mom’s socks off, all the while saving $10, this special Somerset Life gift subscription is the perfect present! With a printable gift subscription announcement, you can simply print up at home and hand to mom on Mother’s Day to show her what she should be expecting in the mail!

It’s fun to flirt with the summer inspired ideas found in our May magazines and we want to invite all of our fans to join us! We’re celebrating this season by offering a glimpse inside these super new, hot off the press artful issues!

*INCREDIBLE OFFER: It’s that time again to thank our growing group of blog readers by offering a $5 off discount on all of our May releases. Use Promo Code: BLOG0513 at checkout*

• If you haven’t subscribed yet to receive the inside scoop, simply click here  to have our blog promos and posts delivered directly to your inbox.

Artful Blogging:

The summer issue of Artful Blogging takes you behind the screen to introduce the fresh, promising faces responsible for some of the most prolific blogs read around the world.  Get a refreshing male perspective on crochet by craft blogger Matt Farci from “According to Matt” and find out what inspires DIY blogger Natalie Pirvey from “Crème de la Craft.”  A feast for the eyes as well as the soul, you’ll be swept away by hundreds of full-color photos, including the beautiful images from bloggers Dianne Poinski and Meghan Newsom.

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Where Women Create:

If you’re in dire need of inspiration to rejuvenate your crafting nook, the summer issue of Where Women Create is our recommendation to get you big results.  The doors are wide open, and you’re cordially invited to the creative spaces of the most extraordinary women of our time.

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 Somerset Studio:

From a beautiful Artist Profile on Pam Carriker to Ruth Rae’s inspirational free-form stitched dress tutorial, the summer issue of Somerset Studio is bursting with eye-candy.  Catch front-row seats to the premiere of spectacular 3-D movie-inspired collages and the reveal of Ranger’s Annual Designer Spotlight Challenge. Trust us when we say that you don’t want to miss the impressive line-up of clever ideas in this dreamy issue, including how to turn pressed petals into a breathtaking book!

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Altered Couture:

Out with big baggy sweaters and in with new stylish, summer fashions!  From bathing suits to sandals and dresses, we’ve got pages of inspiration to look sizzling all season long.  For a simple way to speak your mind, try Marybeth Lewanski’s technique of adding quotes to her outfits, or step right into fashion with Catherine LaPointe’s tutorial on how to paint patterns on shoes.  You won’t believe how easy it is to create designs and images on different articles of clothing with household bleach, or the other innovative techniques featured in this red hot edition of Altered Couture.

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400 More Ideas:

(formerly Catch Up Issue)

400 More Ideas, a spinoff of our bestselling Stampers’ Sampler magazine, showcases more than 400 creative stamping ideas found in hundreds of never-before seen cards in every hue!  If you are looking for new and innovative ways to “ink it up,” this summer, our newest installment offers countless ideas for making handmade cards for all occasions.

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Prims:

The nostalgic, folkloric dolls inside our summer issue of Prims are not only “prim and proper,” but deliciously ragged, tattered, and lovable. Along with Karen Brady Hammontree’s French Fashion Bears, you will also find beautiful and traditional handcrafted pull toys by Lucille Rox and Kathie Ruffner, along with artwork by Paula Walton, Barb Moore, Letty Worley, and Carol Roll that seasoned doll makers and newcomers alike will not want to miss!

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Art Doll Quarterly:

Ready or not, here come the sweet results of our Bride Doll Challenge!  You won’t be able to take your eyes off the stunning beauties that parade through the pages of this summer issue of Art Doll Quarterly.  Veteran artist Victoria Rose Martin returns with another step-by-step tutorial …this time on how to create a darling flower girl out of clay that’s absolutely perfect for this time of year!

*Your chance to WIN:

1)  Pick your favorite magazine title from above and click on it to browse through the inside images.

2) Let us know which page within the magazine caught your eye the most and why in the blog comments below!

One lucky person will be selected at random to receive their choice of one of these brand-new May issues. Contest ends on May 31st, 2013.

*Free shipping offer applies to U.S. purchases of the following May (Summer ’13) issues only: Artful Blogging, Where Women Create, Somerset Studio, Altered Couture, 400 More Ideas, Prims, Art Doll Quarterly. Discount code cannot be combined with any other offer and expires 5/31/13.

Glimpse Inside Update: Congratulations Susan Frick on winning last month’s Glimpse Inside Giveaway!

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Whether you’re an amateur in the Pinterest world or an avid image investigator with true pinning power, we want to transform your typical gift ideas by featuring these top 6 repinned images from our most popular pin boards. From pretty packaging techniques to bright ideas that can bring your art journaling endeavors to life, it’s no wonder why our followers found these signature 6 pins to be the most inspiring above the rest!

Parisian Presents Project:

An artfully wrapped gift is the perfect way to make your presents really stand out this season. Simply wrap your gifts with some plain paper and then add a few elements to dress the gift up. And for an interesting substitute for the typical card, learn how-to add a handwritten note inserted inside a tiny test tube or a mini bottle.

Succulent Drawer:

Earth Day may have already passed, but it’s never too late to engage in environmental efforts. Go au naturel with this mini library drawer and give your green thumb a chance to shine. This hands-on gardening project is perfect for mother-daughter bonding time this Mother’s Day or as a quick and easy gift idea!\

Read more here.

Junque Tins:

Spring cleaning means downsizing on all things unnecessary to make room for new ideas to emerge. But as artists, sometimes it’s hard to let go of long-time treasured keepsakes, no matter how out of date they may appear. For a win-win, these altered tins are the perfect containers to store your “junque” or crafting supplies in…or both! Get artfully organized in just a few simple steps.

Ooh La La Gift Box:

Whether it’s a welcome gift for someone special or a birthday present for your best friend, this box full of beauty will brighten up anyone’s day! By some simple altering and adding some essentials, you too can create a unique gift like this one.

Read more here.

Art Journaling Themes and Techniques:

Can you guess what encouraging and enlightening theme Pam Carriker incorporates into her daily journal practice? Find out now by opening up the Artist Portfolio feature found in Art Journaling Spring 2012!

$10 off the Best Mother’s Day Present Ever:

Whether you’re a mother yourself or you’re still searching for an extra special gift for the leading lady in your life, this top selling magazine is the perfect present this Mother’s Day!

Added bonus of $10 off: use Promo Code* LOVEMOM13 at checkout

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 Peruse our pinboards: You’ll be captivated by awesome mixed media design ideas or taken to a whole new level of “woah!” with our artful every day ideas. We’ve curated a collection of fancy jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring, super savvy images showcased on our pinboards.

“Mothers hold their children’s hands for awhile but their hearts forever.” – Unknown

Whether you are a mother yourself or you’re still searching for the perfect gift to show the leading lady in your life how much you care this Mother’s Day, a subscription to our most heartwarming title Somerset Life, will light up any face. This special magazine is cherished for its extraordinary artful project ideas and romantic photography and is sure to melt the heart of any woman.

Perfectly Giftworthy – What She’ll Get:

• An RSVP Package including the next 4 consecutive issues of Somerset Life issues to inspire a beautiful handmade lifestyle
• A gift card announcement card ready to personalize for Mom
• A hand-stitched mesh bag to artfully wrap your gift subscription card in

Perfectly Giftworthy – What You’ll Get:

• A set of 2 free patterned washi tapes
• $10 off this RSVP Package
• Special thanks from Mom for your thoughtfulness

*Somerset Life RSVP Package*

Use Promo Code*: LOVEMOM13 at checkout

Are you a mom yourself and want to add this pretty package to your Mother’s Day wish list? For a gentle and loving “hint hint,” share this blog post on your Facebook page!

*P.S. We realize that our webpage may be experience longer loading times due to the fact that we are transitioning to a new site. Ultimately our goal is to provide our readers and amazing fans with faster and more efficient service, so we genuinely appreciate your patience as we continue to work out any remaining kinks in the system.  Thank you in advance for your understanding! <3

Whether you plan to picnic in the park or hug a tree for good measure, Earth Day offers a great opportunity for you to ↑ your awareness of lowering your environmental impact on the world. After our reader’s friendly feedback on our how-to Dumpster Dive blog post and to celebrate Earth Day today, we thought it would be only appropriate to offer this faster than a flood EARTH Day Flash Sale from today, Earth Day – Arbor Day, Friday the 26th.

We want to inspire all of you artists to get your green on and embrace your thrifty side with an array of amazing products for you to create with! From paper mache pots, to a number of inspiring GreenCraft issues, this special sale is sure to ignite your upcycling passion!

To spark some ideas for your next project, check out these interesting creations made with some of the products from our sale!

 CLICK HERE                                 CLICK HERE                                 CLICK HERE

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We want to know: How have you celebrated earth day this year?