Happy Birthday Katie

I have made a card using another of the MFT a la mode stamps and I have had this one stamped and coloured since  I came back from Florida in May. I paper pieced the coffee cups with brown paper and I think it looks very effective.

I used the Fishtail/flagstak dies to cut into some real paper, by real I mean someone else has printed it not me lol. I don't buy many physical paper packs as I prefer to resize and print but these were a bargain. I couldn't decide how I wanted the flag so sit so hubbie suggested this angle and I kinda like it, not your normal card style. The sentiment is also from MFT from their Anniversary set that I got free with my purchase. There are several fab sayings on it and if I hadn't of got it free I think I would have bought it anyway.

Ingredients

Image: "Missing you a Latte" MFT Stamps

Papers: "Born to shop" Papermania

Brad: Doodlebug

Nailheads: Josy Rose

What a busy month

July seems to have almost as many birthdays as January, all month I have been making and unable to show them just in case and this one is no exception. I was stuck as to how to put this card together so I case'd this  one of my own from last year. I used all the same papers and even the same layout all I changed was the image and added a sentiment and number 4. I was going to colour the cape red when hubbie said it looked more like a teatowel or tablecloth so I left it white. I glossy accented the red wellies and they look loads brighter than the shorts even though I used the same pens.

Ingredients:

Image: Mo's Digital Pencil

Papers: "Super Stuey" Nit Wit

Cardstock: "Real Red" & "Pacific Blue" Stampin Up

Font: A Red Bucket

Happy Birthday Gareth

It is hubbie's youngest brother's birthday today and I am finding it hard to believe that he will be 30 next year, especially as he was only 5 when I met my hubbie lol. As long as I have known him he has loved burgers, any kind but one of his fondest memories is staying with us as a teenager and hubbie making him a burger with cheese and special sauce inside. Everytime we have a bbq he mentions it lol. Oh and the special sauce was just ketchup and mayo mixed to make it pink.

As soon as I saw this image I thought of him, especially as hubbie is called Ant lol. I bought the papers especially for this card and the bonus was the images that came with it, love the ketchup bottle and the ketchup spill is genius. As you can guarantee that he will spill something on every visit. I found the font called "Antpile" and thought it looked like a marching ant troup and was perfect for this card. I have tried to create a picnic feel and hopefully I managed that.

The card itself is a twisted easel as it had to top this card I made him last year. I can't imagine what I will have to make next year for his big 30.

Ingredients

Image: "Cheeseburger" Doodle Pantry

Papers & Bottles: "All Fired Up" Nit Wit

Cardstock " Real Red" Stampin Up

Button: Dress it up

Challenges:

Doodle Pantry Monthly Competition

The roads will never be safe again

I thought I would start this post with a question, does anyone else buy stuff in anticipation of an event, like a wedding, passing a driving test etc or am I alone in this. You see I bought this Nit Wit kit a few months ago in fact when my cousin started driving as I knew that the confident, self assured young guy would pass his test first time and I would need to get a card made toot suite. I knew what I wanted to make and how I wanted it to look but I kept procrastinating until I find myself days after he has passed and the card finally made lol. So now do I get the wedding card I need for December made now as I have bought the right colour ribbon and stamp or do I wait until the night before....answers on a postcard please....

Ingredients

Image: Nit Wit "Beep Beep"

Papers: Nit Wit "Beep Beep"

Sentiment : Nit Wit "Beep Beep"

Cardstock: Snippet folder

Challenges: Snippet Playground
(just hope that as only the backing card was from the snippet folder I still qualify for my turn on the swings)

Rosie Redhead

Morning All, hope you are having a great week. I have spent my weekend colouring in, very relaxing it was too. I made a decision the other day that I wasn't going to buy anymore digis or stamps until I had used all the ones I have at least once but then I realised I would never buy anything new so have decided that in order to buy any new ones I have to make 5 cards with ones I already have first. So here is card 1.

I bought these digi's when they first came out and this is the first one I have used, she was a joy to colour as are all digistamp images and this card came together really fast. I am entering this into Lisa's Waste not Wednesday challenge. Around blogland I have seen reference to Use it Up and thought I wish I had seen this in January, so I think next year this may be something I try to do.

Ingredients:

Image: "Rosie" Digistamp Boutique

Papers: "Me to you" Designer Digital DVD by Docrafts

Cardstock: "Island Indigo" Stampin Up

Brads: Stash

Sentiment: Digistamp Boutique

Ribbon: Stash

Challenges:

Waste not Wednesday

Digistamp Boutique Monthly Competition

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

The title really should have been "all i want for christmas is my two front teeth" lol. I have used the pretty snowflake paper from this fab Echo Park christmas kit from Jessica Sprague. I love echo park papers and having them on tap is even better. Now the papers may have been freshly printed but the card and image have been hanging around for a while. 

This is a very small card, just perfect for Christmas and even better for using up small bits of left over card. I already had the cardstock on my desk after finishing a card that you will see later so it seemed that using it was a better option than putting it into my snippet draw. I cut the snowflake on my cricut, although hubbie did comment that he had never seen a red snowflake, I said it is elusive a bit like yellow snow only rarer.

I also used Flowersoft on this card, I bought this ages ago and have never been brave enough to use it, it does go absolutely everywhere too but it does look like snow and I find myself touching it to make sure lol.

Ingredients:

Image: Digistamp Boutique

Paper: "All I want for Christmas" Echo Park Digi

Cardstock: "Real Red" Stampin Up

Brad: Stash

Snow: Flowersoft 'Polar White"

Challenges:

Snippet Playground

New Home Case'd

I have had lots of cards to make and found my mojo whilst it was around it was suffering from placement overload, I had used all my go to sketches and was stumped then I remembered this card I made last year and as neither recipient knows the other thought I will do the same again. They both use the same image and sentiment but different colour schemes and the layout is similar but not identical.

I have been working part time since March and am loving only being three days a week, especially as since my fall I have needed to rest this painful knee and I have found my love of card making has returned. I was always making cards at the last minute and rushing but now I can take my time. I don't finish a card in one session, rather I colour one day, start arranging the layout another day and I have several of these on the go at any one time. The only downside is that as I am using papers I have printed I can't always remember where on my computer I got them from, very frustrating but means I have to be more organised and write on the back where they are from.

Ingredients

Image: "Home Sweet Home" font from Lettering Delights

Papers: "Comfort of Home" Summer Driggs

Cardstock: Snippet Draw

Monochrome...Almost

I had never coloured an image in monochrome colours before so I decided to give it a whirl. I coloured the skin as normal and then got all the E40 series and set to work. I have only used E40, E41, E42, E43, E44, E47 and E49 but I think it looks very effective.

I wanted these stamps when they first came out but as it wasn't a stamper and made a mess everytime I tried I didn't buy them. My very first playday sorted that when Sue taught me to stamp properly and lets just say I haven't had any money since lol.  I bought these stamps from Donna and this is the first time I have inked her up so am entering Lisa's Waste not Wednesday challenge.

On a side note, since I organised my snippets I am finding I have used so many of them that certain colours are running low, was searching for a piece of blue yesterday and when I couldn't find it went with a different colour but still from the snippets when hubbie said you could have just cut into a new sheet but I hadn't thought of that lol.

Ingredients

Image: "Miss Anya" The Greeting Farm

Paper: Snippet box, "Lavender Mint Tea" Shabby Princess

Dies: MFT Pinking shears

Brad: Studio G

Cardstock: Snippet box

Challenges: Snippet Playground
Waste Not Wednesday

Edited to add: Found the papers

Another Closing Down Sale and a Christmas Card

I have just discovered the wonderful world of Tickled Pink Stamps and noticed that the store is closing down, these are fabulous stamps and it will be a shame to lose another fabulous company. I bought this cutie and had to colour her straight away. I didn't match her to any papers but found these in my snippet draw and they seem to match ok. I have also embossed the sentiment, I never really got it when I first started crafting and now I think it was because I bought cheap embossing powders but what a difference the detail powder makes lol.

Ingredients

Image: "Cherrie with Lights" Tickled Pink Stamps

Papers:"Winter Wonderland" Zoe Pearn

Cardstock: Snippet draw

Embossing Powder: Stampendous Detail White

Sentiment: Clear stamp not sure where from but probably Studio G

Challenges: Snippet Playground

If it Walks like a Duck and quacks like a Duck it must be Christmas

My nan always used to use that saying and it has sort of stuck with me over the years, so yesterday it was cold like December and it rained like December so I made some christmas cards lol.

I never spend as much time making a christmas card as I do one for a birthday, new baby etc as I know come January most will find their way to the bin. I still spend as much time colouring the images just go for a simpler way of putting it all together and this little card is no exception. I used everything from the snippet box except the image and it came together really quick too. I have about 6 of these gorgeous Chester images coloured ready to go, I bought quite a few in the closing down sale and printed them straight away and they have been sat patiently waiting to get made into cards ever since.

Ingredients

Image: "Chester Letter" Pollycraft

Papers: Winter Wonderland (was a freebie but the link no longer works)

Card: Stampin up "Real Red"

Dies: MFT Postage Die

Challenges: 

Snippet Playground

2 Sisters - Christmas

Allsorts - Red, White and Blue

Send a Smile 4 Kids - Christmas in July

Happy Birthday to Me....Well last month it was...

Well it was my birthday a while ago and I forgot to post this.

I turned 21.... plus some vat but not going to say how much....I had so many cards from my lovely friends, this is the first birthday I have received handmade cards and I treasure each one.

I think I shocked a few people when I revealed that I make my own card from my hubbie, before you gasp let me explain my reasons.

1. He already thinks each card costs £50 to make
2. I get to buy stuff I woudn't normally get myself
3. I get to charge him £50 or sometimes £60 for my masterpiece
4. I never let him write in it so it is good to go for someone else lol

So here is my card to myself, I used this gorgeous image as I loved my dollshouse growing up and it was a bargain...shhh don't tell hubbie but it was 65p for six different ones...I love a bargain.

Ingredients

Image: "Alice loves Dollies" The Clip Art Fairy

Papers: "Time for Tea" Nit Wit Collections

Cardstock: "Sno Cone" MFT Stamps

Sentiment: Digistamp Boutique

Brads: Papermania and no idea where the star was from

Copic Europe 1st Birthday ...Part Deux

When I was sent the image used on this card I also got an image by Krista Smith so of course I had to print her out and colour her too. She was such a joy to colour and I decided to colour outside of my comfort zone and do lots of contrasting colours. I cut the banner from one of the other patterns in the set and can see this happening again. For the first time I can remember I haven't used a contrasting colour to mat and layer, I thought these pretty papers would get swamped by one so decided to let them stand alone.

Ingredients

Image: Copic Marker Europe

Papers: "Sweet Day" Echo Park Digi

WOYWW - Week 161

Hello everyone, it has been a while since I have played along with WOYWW the brain child of the lovely Julia where we all get to snoop at others crafty spaces. I tried to play along last week when the lovely Kay showed the picture of us crafting together but alas work got in the way so this week I am here an ready to show you what I have been up to.

I had a bad fall and was unable to get around so decided to give the craft room a bit of a sort out, I am probably like others and moved into a room / sort of took over a room without really thinking about how it would work. I sorted my scrap draw into a workable order, I have built two storage units and now can find items easily. and although I will never be a tidy crafter I do at least have a place for everything even if I don't put it back there. For the first time I have more storage than I can fill, yeah room for more goodies.

So the first picture is of my workdesk, I have some images that I am colouring and my copic colour chart, I have a full size one but I carry this around with me just in case I find a shop that sells them then I won't duplicate them again lol. The denim is from my copic class and i have been playing with textures.

A picture of some of my new storage, this is toy wall storage from Ikea and although the boxes are fairly small they hold a fair amount. I have one set that is empty...i know how did that happen and I am still deciding what to fill them with. I don't think I have shown this area before and I have my three gorjuss prints on this wall, hubbie wanted to put the storage lower down but I didn't want to lose my pictures.

Almost the last picture this is another new purchase from Costco this time, when I picked it up I confidently told hubbie that I would fill three with 12 x 12 paper and the rest would be for stamps....yes you guessed it the whole thing is chocked full of 12 x 12 card and paper and if i had the room I would get another one.

And finally I thought I would show a piccie of my new toy, Hubbie bought me the small compressor and copic airbrush for my birthday, I was totally spoilt and although I have been making cards for a long time this is the first birthday I have received handmade cards and I will cherish each and every one as they are all gorgeous, thank you ladies.

Well that is all from me after my mammoth post I hope you are still there.
Until next time TTFN

Lacrosse - Well I never

First things first I wanted to say hello to my new followers and thank them for wanting to follow my little blog.

My ex-boss used to play lacrosse and as it is his birthday this month I wondered if I could find an image of a lacrosse player, I searched the web and found this one which is simply adorable and best of all free, check out Melonheadz fab site for lots more to, just realised that there is another site too just click here.

For my birthday I got a copic airbrush and compressor so I created a mask for the image and sprayed to my hearts content, oh my I love the effect. Expect to see lots more airbrushing from me. This card is made with the last of these papers from the snippet folder, well almost the last there is probably enough to paper piece something but it is a great feeling when only the smallest piece goes back in the folder lol. Since I organised the snippets I don't think I have used anything else, all those papers sitting on my computer getting lonely too.

Ingredients

Image: "LaCrosse Player" Melonheadz

Papers: "Cozy Sweater" Shabby Shoppe

Card Candy: Craftwork Cards was white but coloured with copics.

Challenges: Snippet Playground 27