Stephen Kropf: 2017

Monday 25 December 2017

Lucille's Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas friends!

I am on the Stamp AnnieThing blog today with a special card creation for Christmas.

I used Lucille - What A Deer and coloured her with my Copic markers. I actually coloured her during a Facebook Live on my Stampin' Steve Facebook Page a while back.

I have been spending a lot of time lately trying to learn how to use my Silhouette...so in order to practice, I designed all the elements using my Silhouette. I am pretty happy with the results.

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and I will see you real soon!

Until Next Time - Stephen

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Friday 22 December 2017

Photoriffic Inspiration for Bellariffic Friday

Hello Friends!! As December is coming to a close, I am sharing my last Bellariffic Friday challenge for the year. This weeks challenge was to take inspiration from this photo.

I decided to pull my colour pallet from the inspiration photo to guide my card, as quite honestly, I'm a little tired of creating winter cards right now LOL. Therefore I went a little less of a winter direction in this weeks design. I used pattern paper from the Tim Holtz holiday collection and then die cut a rectangular window out of the pattern paper. I then did some ink blending with Distress Oxide inks using Black Soot as a base coat then layering Antique Linen overtop using the radiating rays stencil by MFT. To finish off my background, I added some dots and stars using my white gel pen.

I used Squidgy And Teddy stamp and die set by Stamping Bella as my focal image and coloured it with my Copics as well as some Windsor & Newton markers. I used the following colours

Copics/Windsor& Newton Brush Markers

Bear - W+N 0324, W+N 0324, E35, E34, E31

Skin - E04, E11, E21, E00, E50, R20

Heart - W+N M727, W+N R666

Hair/Shoes/Nose - T8, T6, T4, T2

Dress - W+N Y828, W+N Y657

To Achieve the texture on the bear, I poured some Copic various ink blending solution on a nubby rag and pressed it overtop of the finished coloured image.

To finish my card, I added a little glossy accents to her shoes, the bears nose and its heart and popped the image up with some foam tape.

I hope you enjoyed my card!

Until next time - Stephen

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Friday 15 December 2017

Bellariffic Fridays - Winter White challenge

Happy Friday!

There are so many reasons to be exited about Fridays but one in particular I always look forward to is Bellariffic Fridays over on the Stamping Bella blog. I love challenges because they always put you outside of your comfort zone and make you create differently. This weeks challenge was a Winter White challenge.

I decided to use the Buddy and Jolly stamp set from Stamping Bella. This is one of the first sets I got from Stamping Bella and I feel it is so adaptable...you can colour the elves in traditional Christmas colours or do like I did and colour them in non traditional colours...switch up the sentiment and you have a card that is perfect for any chilly occasion.

I started by masking of a rectangle section on my card stock and ink blended some Tumbled Glass Distress Ink inside the masked off area. I then outlined the newly ink blended area with a silver gel pen and stamped the sentiment included in the stamp set. For some added detail, I used a white gel pen and added some dots as well as used the Snow Marker by Marvy to create the snow that Buddy is standing on. To finish off the card, I used silver sparkle paper to further frame the card.

I coloured Buddy using my copic markers using the following colours.

Copics:

Skin - E04, E11, E21, E00, E50, R20

Outfit - BG09, BG07, BG05, BG02, BG01, BG000, Y17, Y15, Y11

Hair/Coffee - E37, E35

I hope you enjoyed my card creation and be sure to check out the Stamping Bella blog to see what the other design team members created.

Until Next Time - Stephen

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Monday 11 December 2017

Stamp AnnieThing: Sparkle & Shine challenge

Hi Friends!

I have another card creation for you today, this time featuring a design from Stamp AnnieThing. I used Paige - Holiday Magic for this months Stamp AnnieThing design challenge which is Sparkle & Shine.

I stamped Paige in momento tuxedo black ink and coloured her with Copic markers.

I used an embossing folder by We R Memory keepers to add some texture to the background and then added some gold thread behind Paige for some extra detail. For some sparkle and shine, I added some silver glitter card stock and some diamond rhinestones scattered across the card front. When the light catches it right, the card really sparkles.

I hope you liked my card creation for today!

Until next time - Stephen

How to Play Along:

- Create a new project inspired by an "autumn leaves" theme.

-Share your creation at Our Facebook Group HERE by October 3, 2017

-Only one entry

-A Stamp of your choice will be awarded to the winner, if we have five or more entries.

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Friday 8 December 2017

Stamp AnnieThing December Release - Day 3

Hi and welcome to Day #3 of

Stamp Anniething's December Release!

Katy is available in the store Today along with the other 2 stamps we showed you this week!!

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I said it on wednesday and I will say it again...I can hardly believe this is the last Stamp AnnieThing release of 2017. Having said that, I am so excited to share with you what 2018 has in store. I have seen the stamps for next year and they are by far my favourites to date...if you arnt a member of the SAT Stamp Club yet, I strongly suggest signing up. There is some SUPER exciting things happening next year that you won't want to miss.

I had sun using die cuts, dry embossing, and pattern paper on this card. I feel it adds to the cuteness and whimsy of this super sweet image.

Copics:

Skin - E04, E11, E21, E00, E50, R20

Cat Hat - C10, C8, C6, C4, C2

Hair - E99, YR27, YR24, Y21

Dress - RV69, RV66, RV63

Stockings - Y02, Y00

I hope you enjoyed our Sneek Peek for the release!

Have a great day!

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Stamping Bella Friday Challenge

Hello Friends! Its Bellariffic Friday over at the Stamping Bella blog and this weeks challenge is a card sketch.

I decided to follow the sketch completely and I am really pleased with how it turned out. I used Tiny Townie Susie the Succulent and her adjoining die.

I coloured her with my copic markers as well as a little bit of coloured pencil to get a extra definition in the nooks and crannies of this sweet image.

Copics:

Skin - E04, E11, E21, E00, E50, R2o

Hair - T7, T6, T4

Succulents - YG97, YG63, YG61, V91, RV95

Leggings - Y17, Y11, T4, T3, T1

Terracotta Pot - E19, E08, E97

Like I said earlier, I followed the card sketch completely and I kept the design pretty simple to allow the focus to remain on the image that I coloured.

I created a simple background, I used Distress Inks and blended Tumbled Glass for the sky and Shabby Shutters for the grass.

for the final detail, I added some Nuvo drops in English mustard for an extra pop of colour.

Lastly, I stamped the image in a very light grey ink on the inside of the card and then stamped the sentiment overtop in black ink.

I hope you enjoyed my card. Let me know who you would send this card to if you could.

Until next time - Stephen

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Thursday 7 December 2017

Stamp AnnieThing December Release - Day 2

Hi and welcome to Day #2 of

Stamp Anniething's December Release!

Penguin Have a Ball will be available in the store Friday along with the other 2 stamps we show you this week!!

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I think this is one of my favourite cards I created for this release. I have been having a lot of fun experimenting with pattern papers. I buy so much of it and I never use it...I decided that needed to change.

I love Katy's cute penguin winter outfit and I thought it would be fun to create a mini scene using the stitched cloud boarder dies from Lawn Fawn to create the puffy snow. I took advantage of the pattern papers from the Tim Holtz Christmas/Noel/Navidad paper stack to create the backdrop for my scene. I think that paper pad is so amazing that I ended up running out to grab a second one. Such beautiful papers in that set.

Copics:

Skin - E04, E11, E21, E00, E50, R20

Cape - BG34, BG32, BG11,

Penguin Costume - T8, T6, T4, T2

Fluff on hat - C4, C2, C1, C0

Beak - Y17, Y11

Snow - B01, B00, B000, B0000, 0

I hope you enjoyed our Sneek Peek for the release!

Have a great day!

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Wednesday 6 December 2017

Stamp AnnieThing December Release - Day 1

Hi and welcome to Day #1 of

Stamp Anniething's December Release!

Maggie will be available in the store Friday along with the other 2 stamps we show you this week!!

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Its hard to believe we have reached the last release week for 2017!!

I love the "Maggie - Awareness Is Key" stamp set as it is so versatile and can be used for any cause.

I decided to have Maggie representing Brest Cancer awareness and obviously went all pink with this card.

Copics:

Skin - E29, E27, E25, E23, E21, R22

Hair - RV29, RV25, RV23, RV21

Dress - V99, V95, V93, V91

I layered pattern paper, glitter card stock and some Nuvo Drops over top of the embossed white background I created with an embossing folder.

I hope you enjoyed our Sneek Peek for the release!

Have a great day!

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Saturday 2 December 2017

Stamping Bella Sneak Peek - Huggy Friends

I have another Stamping Bella sneak peek for you!! I love this set so much - Huggy Friends.

I kept my card layout fairly simple to allow the focus to remain on the lovely image...I think we all have a friend that this stamp set reminds us of and is an amazing addition to any stamp collection. Huggy Friends as well as the other amazing releases will be available on December 4th at Stamping Bella

Copics:

Dark Skin - E49, E27, E25, E23, R22

Light Skin - E04, E11, E21, E00, E50, R20

Black Hair - T9, T6, T4

Brown Hair - E47, E43, E42

Yellow -YR23, Y17, Y15, Y13

Purple Dress - V99, V95, V93

Pink Dress - R02, R01, R00, R000

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Stamping Bella Sneak Peek - Valentine Chicks

Stamping Bella is celebrating their upcoming December release by giving sneak peeks of all their amazing new stamp sets coming out on December 4th. I created this card using the super sweet and incredibly fun "Valentine Chicks" stamp set. This image had me smiling the entire time I was colour it. I used my Copic markers to colour them up and added some Glossy Accent details on the envelope, the roses, and the truffle. I decided to fussy cut each chick out and have them popping out of the Stitched Triple Peek-A-Boo Window die-cut from MFT. I added pops of colour behind each Chick by ink blending some Distress Oxide inks in Twisted Citron, Spiced Marmalade, and Peacock Feathers (my favourite Distress colour!!).

Copics:

Chicks - YR23, Y17, Y15, Y13

Beaks/Feet - YR18, YR15

Reds - R32, R35, R37, R39

Bows - G46, YG45, YG41, BG34

Envelope - E43, E42, E41, E40

Chocolate Truffle - E49, E47, E57

Truffle Wrapper - E44, E43, E42, E41

I hope you liked my card creation featuring The Valentine Chicks stamp set. This set along with all the other amazing set will be available on December 4th at the Stamping Bella online store

Until Next Time - Stephen

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Friday 1 December 2017

Christmas Tug of War with Stamping Bella

Hi Friends!

I am so, so, so, excited and very proud to announce that I have joined the Stamping Bella Design Team. It's truly an honour to be in such amazing company, and also to be the first guy or "Fella" to join the Bella's.

For my first project as part of the Stamping Bella design team I created a card for the new challenge up this week. The Challenge was to use the stamp set, "Christmas Tug of War". The stamp and die bundle will be 20% off all month...be sure to grab this amazing deal before its gone. Trust me when I say this was an extremely fun image to be able to colour.

I used my Copic markers to colour this super sweet image, then applied some Copic blending solution with a nubby rag to achieve the texture. If you are interested in the colours I used, they are listed below.

Copics:

Cat - YR27, YR24, Y23, R20

Dog - T8, T6, T4, T2, R20

Gift - R59, R37, R35, R32

Ribbon - G29, YG67,YG63, YG61

I had a lot of fun creating this card. I really enjoy playing around with my card layouts, experimenting with my dies and playing with pattern paper. Also be sure to check out the Stamping Bella blog to see what the other DT members created with this stamp set.

See you tomorrow with TWO sneak peaks of the December Stamping Bella release!

Until next time - Stephen a.k.a. (steveafella)

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Monday 27 November 2017

SAT - Ugly Sweater

Hey Everyone! Im on the Stamp AnnieThing blog today with another card creation. I decided to create a holiday inspired card that isn't necessarily for Christmas but that you can send to someone to let them know you care during this crazy holiday season.

I used Lorraine - Ugly Sweater and coloured her with my Copics

Copics:

Skin - E29, E27, E25, E23, E21 R20

Hair - 110, T7, T5, T3

Sweater - R39, R37, R35, R32

Green - G29, G16, G14

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Monday 13 November 2017

Mad About Plaid Challenge

Hi Friends! Today I decided to create a fun Christmas card for the "Mad About Plaid" Theme Week challenge using the the even cuter Brooke - For Someone Sweet.

Copics used:

Skin - E04, E11, E21, E00, E50 R20

Hair - E55, E53, Y17, Y13, Y11

Greens - G28, G16, G14

Reds - R29, R24, R22, R21

How to Play Along:- Create a new project and use a plaid print.-Share your creation at Our Facebook Group HERE by December 8, 2017-Only one entry -A stamp of your choice will be awarded to the winner, if we have five or more entries.