Galaga Inspired

My hubby grew up in the emerging video game scene and one of his favourite games was galaga. I bought this stamp set just before the alley way decided to close, I am so glad I did as it was perfect. Ok so it's not authentic but it has the flavour of the game and that's what I was going for.

I knew the background needed to be black but I didn't fancy cutting each ship by hand so I white heat embossed on white card. To protect the images I used rubber cement, I wish I had done a thicker coat but it still worked out ok. Then I used black soot ink to create the background. Once it was dry, it was painful waiting but I knew if it wasn't dry when I removed the rubber cement it would contaminate the card underneath. I copic coloured the ships, I tried bright colours like the original game but I didn't copy them exactly, more an interpretation.

I hope my hubby likes it, even though he's not a card fan I wanted him to know I was thinking of him.

Ingredients
Image: "old skool" the alley way stamps (sadly closed)
Dies: blueprints 2
Ink: black soot distress ink

Copics
Red - R27
Blue - B24
Yellow - Y35
Green - YG23
Pink - RV09

Distress Inked Ranunculus

Woohoo, this is the third card I've made with this stamp set and the third different technique for colouring too. I am wanting the other beautiful bouquets stamps from Wplus 9 now. But I must resist even though the urge is strong.

I might not have mentioned that I put myself on a stash buying ban until all my birthday cards until the end of the year were finished, at the point I started the ban I had 23 cards left to make and the number is now slowly getting lower, not quick enough though lol. Maybe if I stopped waffling and started making it would be faster lol.

Nothing much to say about the card, it was stamped and white heat embossed on Tim Holtz watercolour card and then I used a wet on wet technique to colour the initial layer, the darker colours were wet on dry.

Ingredients
Image: "beautiful Bouquet - Ranunculus" Wplus9
Sentiment: "bruised greetings 2" Clearly Besotted
Card: Orange Zest from paper trey ink
Dies: Blueprints 27 from MFT

Distress ink
Squeezed lemonade and Fossilised Amber
Abandoned Coral, Candy Apple and Aged Mahogany
Shabby Shutters and Peeled Paint
Evergreen Bough and Pine Needles
Spiced marmalade and Rusty Hinge
Tumbled Glass

Morning without coffee is like Sleep

After making the Brewtiful card I wanted to make a male version, I had already coloured the boy image and I was looking for ombre card stock when I thought why not colour it with copics, I could control the ombre easier that way.

It was so quick and easy I wondered why I haven't made more, maybe I will lol.

Ingredients
Image and Sentiment : "mini remix Brewtiful" the Greeting Farm, sentiment stamped in Gravel Grey ink from MFT
Die : striped sentiment strip cover up from MFT
Card: "nightshift blue" MFT

Copics
Skin - E11, 00, 000, E93
Hair - E43, 42, 41, 40
Trousers - B95, 93, 91
Shoes - R89, 39
Top - N4, 3, 2
Coffee Cup - R89, 39, 37, R34

Stripes - B99, 97, 95, 93, 91

Beary Special Cake

In August Kay launched a challenge for the members of our playday Facebook group. We had recently taken part in the 30 day colouring challenge and we were feeling a little lost without the challenge of colouring each day so Kay decided we needed something else. This was the first challenge but I didn't want to post the card on my blog until the persons birthday had passed.

It was a bingo challenge and I chose "circles, dry embossing and punches" it seemed fairly simple at first but it wasn't. First of all I had a little difficulty getting the next level embossing folder through my ebosser, it took three attempts and lots of turning of the folder. Next was punches, I had a few martha stewart and a few ek success to try and they all seem to be working fine but its much more difficult than passing a die through lol, I'm pleased they still work though.

I very rarely make cards without having someone in mind although I do think I need to batch make more.

Ingredients
Image: Beary special bears from MFT
Paper: "snap" Simple Stories
Dies: Blueprints 1 and scalloped circle frames both MFT
Embossing folder: Basket weave from WRMK
Punch: Scalloped dot from EK success
Card: "Strawberry Slush" from Stampin Up (retired in colour)
Sentiment: "make a wish" MFT

Copics
Bear - E47, 44, 43, 42, 41
Cake - E53, 51, 50, Rv14, 13

Forever Friends Fabulous

Its been a while since I bought the 'do crafts' magazine. I used to be so excited for the release and would be stalking the sites looking at the new products but since it became a monthly magazine and the price went up I have only bought a handful.

I went to the range last month with crafty friends and spotted that the free gift was papers and stamps, I was tempted and i said if I buy the magazine I have to make something by the next crafty get together. I thought if I had an incentive I might use it before it gets resigned to the forgotten pile.

The only thing I will say is I am glad I had my misti as I would never have been able to get the stamp so dark.

Ingredients
Image: Forever Friends Opulent
Paper: Forever Friends Opulent
Dies: Blueprints 2 and 18

Copics
Bear - E35, 34, 31, R20, 00
Scarf - G12, 43
Background - R12, 11, 00

Beary Special Birthday

This is the second cad I spoke about in my post from the 11th, this time I used peacock feathers distress ink and a more geometric pattern. There are loads more patterns and it pairs so well with this stamp set I might make a batch for those last minute cards.

Ingredients
Image: "beary Special birthday" Mft stamps
Paper: "color splash" Recollections, peacock feathers distress ink
Dies: Blueprints 27 and crealies inside out dies.
Sentiment: "birthday bears" MFT

Copics
Bear - E44, 43, 42, 41, 47, 49
Box - RV09, 06, 04, BG15, 13, 11

Mmmm Chocolate Cake

Michaels introduced some ombre ink pads to their own line of crafty supplies last year, when I was in Florida my friend and myself were desperate to get all the colours so it meant looking in every Michaels we came across and a few we went looking for lol. We did eventually get all six colours and 50% off to boot. Of course we spotted the emboss resist paper pad and also had to get one to try. Jane was so impressed she bought two and I'm wishing I had too.

I inked the background with 'picked raspberry" distress ink and cut to size and that was it. So quick and simple. In fact so quick and simple I made two, look out for that one later.

Ingredients
Image: "beary Special birthday" Mft stamps
Paper: "color splash" Recollections, picked raspberry distress ink
Dies: Blueprints 27 and crealies inside out dies.
Sentiment: "sentimental about chocolate" MFT

Copics
Bear - E49, 47, 44, 43, 42, 41
Cake - E49, 29, 27, 25, 23

Chubby Chums

I think I say everytime I post lately that this is the first time I have used something, well get used to it folks as I recently counted my unused stamp stash and the figure astounded me, I knew it was a few as I tend to batch buy on my Florida trips rather then trickle buy in the UK so I can get overwhelmed by the sheer volume. 

The counting started as I wanted to buy a stamping bella 2.0 and I thought I had used almost all of my current SB stamps, um on counting no I hadn't lol. So I didn't buy the 2.0 bella and instead I have been using my current stuff. It is quite exciting a bit like shopping your stash as each box I open I uncover hidden treasure.

Ok enough waffling onto the card, Ive used an older paper smooches and I can't for the life of me remember what colours I used on him but it doesn't matter he's a cute brown dog holding a giant balloon, what more do you need lol.

Ingredients
Image: "chubby Chums" Paper Smooches
Dies: Blueprints 26 from MFT
Sentiment: "playful pups" Clearly Besotted
Paper: "snap" Simple Stories

Monique loves Macarons

These two stamps are a match made in heaven, I had an idea and it worked, woohoo. After trying the pineapple background I was more ready to tackle a more complicated one. Lately though I'm either stencilling the background or stamping and colouring them, this is in no way reducing my paper mountain.

Cards are taking longer and I am not making a dent in my list to be made by the end of the month so I think from now on they are going to be simpler, not look simpler but be quicker lol.

Ingredients
Image: "monique loves macarons" Stamping Bella
Card: "winter wisteria" Stampin Up
Dies: zig zag oval stax, oval stax, blueprints 13 and 2 all MFT
Background: stamped with craft stamper mini macaroon tower

Copics
Skin - E13, 11, 00
Hair - E27, 25, 23, 39, 95
Clothes - T7, 4, 2, 0
Strawberry Macaron - RV14, 13, 11, E53, 50
Caramel Macaron - E34, 55, 31, E29, 27, 25
Pistachio Macaron - G12, YG11, G40, BV04, 02, 01
Lemon Macaron - Y17, 15, 13, 11
Violet Macaron - BV04, 02, 01
Chocolate Macaron - E29, 27, 25

Brewtiful

At some point I am going to run out of images I coloured during the 30 Day challenge in July, Im not sure it will be soon though lol. I have always liked the Greeting Farm and when I saw they were releasing mini version well I had to get them. They are even cuter in real life than I ever thought they could be. This image is from the slightly larger mini set, the other set is even tinier, which of course makes it cuter.

I was worried about colouring such small images but with the big heads and lots of hair they are actually easier than the normal size to colour and I hope they bring out more sets in the future.

Ingredients
Image and Sentiment : "mini remix Brewtiful" the Greeting Farm
Die : striped sentiment strip cover up from MFT
Card : hibiscus burst, lovely lady and raspberry fizz all papertrey ink

Copics
Skin - E13, 1,, 00, E93
Hair - E43, 44, 47, 49
Dress - RV09, 06, 04
Coffee - E34, 31

Beep beep happy birthday

Another of the images coloured for the 30 day challenge eventually made into a card. I am slowly and I mean slowly working my way through the huge pile I coloured. At least on this card I used three images lol.

I was inspired by a Mama Elephant card Nicol Magouirk made with the ninjas and I thought I would try it here. I probably should have added wash tape but I forgot doh!

The new stencil from Brett Weldele provided the perfect backdrop for the polaroids. I do seem to be on a stencil kick at the moment, which is great but not reducing the paper mountain lol.

Ingredients
Image : "mini bots" clearly besotted
Sentiment : "monster sentiments" pollycraft (retired)
Stencil : "circuit" Brett weldele at Stampers Anonymous
Ink : "cracked pistachio", "tumbled glass" and "peacock feathers"
Dies : "precious Polaroid" and blueprints 24 both Mft