What a Hoot: CTMH August Stamp of the Month Australasian Blog Hop

Hello and welcome aboard our CTMH August Stamp of the Month Australasian Blog Hop. If you have arrived here from Lauren Moore's CTMH Craftings, then you are in the right place. If you landed here by accident, no problem, please join in by following the link at the end of this post. 

Today I would like to share with you this "What A Hoot!" Greeting Card which features the August Stamp of the Month, 'What a Hoot' available exclusively throughout August 2014 for $24, or for just $5 when you spend $75. This stamp set is the first of 12 glorious, exclusive Stamp of the Month stamp sets featured in our brand new CTMH 2014- 2015 Annual Inspirations Idea Book, launching TODAY!

Even though this stamp set has a Halloween theme, I wanted to use it to create a non-Halloween project.  Owls are right on-trend at the moment and have been for some time, so I knew I wanted to use one of these adorable owls and add some vibrant colour to it with our new ShinHan Touch Twin Markers. I also wanted to use paper from the Chalk It Up Paper Packet along with our brand new Flaxen Cardstock.  After having my selections sorted, I was all ready to design a fun, colourful greeting card. 

I have to tell you that this was the first time I have used the ShinHan Touch Twin Markers and they are SPECTACULAR! They are absolutely juicy with delicious, vibrant colours that make the stamped images pop with life and fun.  The fine tip end is fabulous for getting into even the smallest spaces and the chisel end is perfect for covering a large area quickly and easily.  The non-streak finish is just gorgeous.  A couple of tips when you are using your ShinHan Touch Twin Markers: 1. Use your Archival Black Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad for stamping your image and wait for the image to dry thoroughly before colouring; 2. Use a small circular motion when colouring with the fine tip rather than using straight lines.  This gives a smoother, more professional finish; 3. For a deeper colour apply multiple layers of colour on top of each other.

The ingredients used to create this card include:

1385    12" X 12" White Daisy Cardstock

X5751  12" X 12" Sorbet Cardstock

X5762  12" X 12" Lagoon Cardstock

X5771  12" X 12" Flaxen Cardstock

X7184B Chalk It Up Paper Packet

Z1151  3-D Foam Tape

Z1979  Marvy® Uchida® LePen™

44751  Archival Black Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad

Z2452  ShinHan™ Touch Twin™ Golden Yellow Marker

Z2454  ShinHan™ Touch Twin™ Leaf Green Marker

Z2455  ShinHan™ Touch Twin™ Light Orange Marker

Z2459  ShinHan™ Touch Twin™ Pastel Green Marker

Z2465  ShinHan™ Touch Twin™ Turquoise Blue Marker
Z2060  Thin 3-D Foam Tape

I then created two variations on this card design.  

For the first variation, I decided to change the design up a bit by using my journalling pen to mimic the scribbled line effect featured in the Stamp of the Month icons.  I went all the way around the outside of the card once trying to create a wiggly, bumpy line rather than a smooth line.  I then drew a second line, crossing backwards and forwards over the first line to create a "scribbly" look for the card border.

For the second variation on my original design, I used the CTMH Watercolour Pencils to colour in the image.  This gave the finished card a softer, more subtle finish that the cards coloured with the ShinHan Touch Twin Markers.  I have to say, that for this particular card design, I definitely prefer the bright and vivid look that the ShinHan Markers can provide.

The August Stamp of the Month 'What a Hoot' is only available until 31 August 2014 from your CTMH Consultant.  It is a fun, versatile stamp set that can work equally as well on non-Halloween themed projects if Halloween isn't your thing!  Have fun crafting with this darling stamp set in August.

Thanks so much for dropping by.  I'd love you to leave a comment before heading off to the next stop,  Savannah Scraps.  

Happy crafting,
Denise :)