Giddy up, cowboy

I come from a spaghetti western loving home, I remember Sunday afternoons watching John Wayne and his swagger lol. My mum loves JW and has all his films so as soon as I saw these a la modes I had to get them.

Yet another a6 card, it was so much easier to fill than my standard square so I can see this being a go to card size for a while.

Ingredients

Image: "cowboy at heart" a la mode by MFT Stamps

Papers: "Giddy Up" Nit Wit collections

Dies: xcut star stack

Sentiment: "Inspired by the Wild Wild West" MFT Stamps

Cardstock: "Midnight muse" stampin up

Copics: E71, 74, 77, 79, B91, 93, 95, 97, R24, 27, 29, Y38, 35, E31, 33, 35, E50, 51, 53, 55

Shake it, shake it baby

I love shaker cards but always seemed to lose most of the contents so I stopped making them way before I had a blog but not now, oh no I discovered a way to make sure the stuff stays put so lots of ideas for these now.

I watched a lawn fawn video and instead of using foam tape and trying to make sure every gap was filled she cut the aperture from funky foam, such a simple idea but not one I had thought of. So I dug out some old old foam and tried it and by gingo it worked a treat. I used the left over foam to make the front of the card the same thickness too so no wastage either.

Next time I think I will add less fairy dust but I really like the effect, wasn't a quick card although it certainly looks it. I have been inspired by the lovely cas style that Mary uses.

I used the adorable fairies from Sweet November and you can tell how dinky they are cos this is an a6 card. I have left them all on the sheet and stamp them like a background and cut out the image I want, I am not brave enough to cut the rubber.

Close up of the fairy

Ingredients

Image: Sweet November Fairies from All that scraps

Paper: MME Miss Caroline Fiddlesticks

Dies: MFT bow and lawn fawn summertime charms mason jar

Fairy Dust: Studio G flock and glitter

Tea Time

It has been a while since I made a snippet card but the cardstock from the dandelion card was still on my desk when I started this one so I decided rather than hunt for a matching card stock I would use that instead and I like the result.

I love entering the snippet playground but recently haven't been as active a member as I have wanted to, stuff going on that has taken my attention but now I feel more like me I am going to be reserving my place on the swings.

I have used the blueprints 3 again, I am sorry if you are sick of the sight of it but it is so easy and quick and effective.

Ingredients

Image: "You're my cup of tea" a la mode by MFT stamps

Papers: "petal fresh" nit wit collections

Cardstock: recollections

Dies: "blueprints 3" MFT

Challenges: Snippet Playground

Dandelion Wishes

This is one of the free stamps from my MFT workshop, as soon as I saw her I wanted to paper piece her dress.

I used some cosmo cricket papers from jessica sprague, she stopped stocking them a while ago but am so glad I managed to get them, irl they look like stitching.

I was going to use my airbrush for the background but my desk was such a mess that if I had stopped to clear a space I would never have gotten the card made in time for the birthday lol. I used the two smallest cloud dies and it came out better than I expected.

If you look closely you will also see a flower, not my normal thing but I can see me using it again, next time though I will use cardstock as I think it folds better and holds shape better than paper.

Ingredients

Image: Pure Innocence by MFT Stamps

Cardstock: "Kraft" Recollections

Sentiment: Same set as image

Papers: "Honey Pie" Cosmo Cricket (from Jessica Sprague but no longer available...sorry)

Flower: "Blueprints 3" MFT stamps

Button: Stash

Cord: "hemp cord" MFT stamps

Background: " peeled paint, mowed lawn, tumbled glass, broken china" Distress inks

Cloud die: "cloud stackables" MFT stamps

Fishing Days

Since attending the MFT workshop I have found myself drawn to a different style and size of card, I have always made square cards and struggled with the a6, a5 size but now I am trying them again. The american sizing is different to the UK and an a6 card is slightly narrower but longer than the standard US a2 but I kinda like it.

This card is a6 and I made the base myself from 300gsm anna marie card, lovely smooth cardstock and perfect for this. I cut a smaller layer from elegant evening (papertrey ink) and used the birthday die also from paper trey. I had seen this used on Beth's blog and really liked the negative look. I stamped the matching sentiment in simply chartreuse as the blue was a bit much and then used a cuttlebug folder to add interest to the blue layer. The bears are a 99p fizzy moon stamp set and quite small so worked perfectly on this size, I wanted it to look like a page from a book so coloured them in the warm greys and used the MFT notebook die to cut them out.

This was a simple but slightly time consuming card to make, I used the wrong tape to secure the die to the cardstock and it ripped slightly hence the small stars. I can see me using this again as it was very satisfying but it wont reduce my paper pad mountain lol.

Ingredients
Image: Fizzy moon
Sentiment: "wonderful words birthday" Papertrey Ink
Dies:
        Sentiment : "wonderful words: birthday" papertrey ink
        Stars: "summertime charm" lawn fawn
        Notepaper: mft
Cardstock:
       White base: Anna marie
       Blue: "Elegant evening" papertrey ink
       White: Neenah 110lb

Taunton craft show goodies

I had a lovely time at the Taunton craft show today, met lots of fab people and bought a few things too. My purchases were mostly tape and card but didn't post that here just the other stuff I bought.

I was surprised by the variety this time and spent far more than other years or that may have been the influence of the playday girlies.

I met up with Kay, Kelly, Tanmo, Sandra, Sophie, Jackie, Sue, June and Tracy from the playday and also got to meet Alison too. I really enjoyed putting names and blogs together and hope to meet again too.

UR Fabulous

edited: sorry ladies I meant paper pricking not piecing although there may be a way to use it or that too.
I have finally used this image in its entirety, I was a bit scared of colouring those large letters so decided to paper piece them instead and really enjoyed it, next time I think I will paper piece the girl as well.

I am so loving the blueprints 3 dienamics, they make measuring obsolete and everything is straight too. I didn't get the first two sets and now wish I had.

I also used two new tools on this card, the brad setter from making memories, wow this is so easy to use and no more stabbing myself with the prongs. And the second one was a suggestion
from Jody at the MFT workshop, she gave us pieces of plastic canvas to use to paper pierce and it makes it so much easier to line up and they make shapes too.

I was going to use the early expresso card for this but wanted a pop of colour so used some real red scraps, this is such a versatile colour and one of my faves.

Ingredients:

Image: "Got UR Back" A La Mode by MFT Stamps

Paper: "Circa 1934" Cosmo Cricket (from Jessica Sprague but they no longer stock CC)

Cardstock: "Real Red" Stampin up

Dies: 'Blueprints 3" and "Notched border" MFT Stamps
Brads: Papermania

Copic colours: R24, R27, E71, 74, 77, 79, BG70, 72, 75, E00, E000, E11, R02, E23, E27

Challenges: Snippet Playground

Home to Nest

I love this range from paper mania, the colours are muted and soft and the stamps are dinky but beautifully designed and they stamp perfectly.

I stamped this and took it all the way to Florida as I wanted to colour with my prisma pencils and I wish I had taken some of the paper but the colours seem to match ok irl.

I tried some of the brighter papers but found these muted almost sepia ones worked best. I have lost my mojo since my return, lots of new goodies always results in too many ideas and no cards so I used an old sketch saturday sketch and it seemed to help.

I used the early expresso that has been sitting on my desk for a while now and all the little bits are getting used slowly but it helps having easy access to them, couldn't do this with all my cardstock though as I would lose my desk lol.

Ingredients

Image: "Home to Nest" Paper mania

Papers: "Home to Nest" Paper mania

Cardstock: 'Early Expresso" Stampin Up

Ink: "Gathered Twigs" Distress Ink

Dies: "Blueprints 3" and "Flagstack" MFT Stamps

Challenges: Snippet Playground

Purple Hair mmm

In my simon says stamp haul I said I could see a stamp with purple hair so as soon as I got home I decided to try colouring some and wow is it bright. This is my first real attempt at hair that doesn't follow the blond, red, brown, black route and I think it turned out cool. Next I think I will try pink or maybe blue lol.

I stamped Madden on Neenah cardstock, I bought this as a pack of 250 in "Office Depot" in Florida, it was too heavy to bring the whole pack home so I brought about 10 sheets to try. It doesn't blend as easy as Rymans and if I had to describe it then it is closer to Papertrey Ink Stampers Select card stock. I also tried stamping outline stamps and this worked so much better than I expected so this does seem like a versatile cardstock. I don't think it is the same as the cardstock sold by the craft industry but I may be wrong as not tried these.

I have tried a style of cas that Mary normally uses and even though it looks simple it most certainly wasn't lol.

Ingredients

Image: "Madden" The Greeting Farm

Sentiment: "Big Birthday Wishes" A La Mode by MFT Stamps

Papers: "Quatrefoil" Pink Petticoat

Embossing: "brick" Tim Holtz 

Dies: "Blueprints 3" MFT stamps

Ink: "Winter Wisteria" Papertrey Ink

Copic colours: V12, V15, V17, N1, N2, N3, N4, N5, N7, YG95, E000, E00, E11, R02

MFT Workshop and Haul

This is the last of the haul videos for this trip, I bought a lot but over several months and can see me doing that again, I hoped you have enjoyed them.

I saw the MFT workshop advertised and really wanted to go especially as I was going to be in Florida on the dates. I mentioned it to hubbie and he suggested that this would make an excellent birthday present as he had no idea what to get me, of course I said no for about a millisecond then I said a resounding yes lol.

The two day workshop was at MFT on the 17th and 18th May and I have a few videos to share with you. I have made a short video of the projects I completed during the workshop. I had an amazing couple of days, met some fabulous people and will remember this for a lifetime. If they decide to host this again next year I am definitively going to be there.

I have also made a video of the goody bag contents, such a huge amount of stuff and a gorgeous bag too.

Of course I couldn't go all the way to the store and not buy anything so I have a haul to share too.

Another Papertrey Ink haul

I watched all the sneak peaks on Nicole's blog before I arrived in Florida and there were a few items I knew I needed so I stayed up on the first night until 10pm to order them, I know 10pm doesn't sound late but I had to be up at 4am to get to the airport and 10pm Florida time is 3am Uk time, I really wasn't awake though as I sent them to the wrong address and my property manager brought them over for me.

Papertrey Ink Haul

yeah another Papertrey ink haul, I love the products I bought back in September so I placed an order as soon as I knew when we would be here, I haven't ordered every colour of card and instead have ordered the colours I used from the sampler pack, this way I can replenish as I use rather than collecting them all.

I am sure I am not alone in the craft collecting category and do feel the need to have every colour of card and paper as well as matching brads and ribbon but never seem to use them.

Look out for a smaller haul which should hopefully be here soon.

Michaels Haul

You can't go to Florida and not go to Michaels, this is my first shopping trip, I did go back a few more times but only bought a few more things.

Lawn Fawn Haul

Yeah I finally have some lawn fawn products, first ever order and I decided to order direct. Had to wait for the summertime charms die to come back in stock so decided to order early and it has been waiting for me to arrive for weeks lol.

They have a new release now as well kinda wish I had waited lol.

Simon Says Stamp Haul

Well I am finally on holiday in Florida, it seems forever since I was last here even though it has only been a few months...ok 7 months..feels like a lifetime.

I placed my first ever order with Simon Says Stamp in early September last year and unfortunately they didn't deliver in time even though they had over three weeks so this is the first video of their products I have to show you. I haven't ordered again even though there are some things I would like that are exclusive . I think it will take something amazing to get me to order again. I didn't exactly receive bad service just a bit of a lack of care and even when I said to cancel as it wont arrive in time they didn't and it arrived after I had left to go home. I just wonder what would have happened to it if the next guests hadn't taken it in.

Anyway enough moaning onto the products....