Weekend Warrior

I am sure you are sick of hearing how this is from the 30 day challenge, well guess what it is lol. This was however different to my normal colouring style, I tried to emulate the coloured packaging and use only one or two colours and not blend them out, I think its pretty effective but look much longer than I thought and hoped. The AI stamps seem to all have this packaging and I have quite a few, unused of course so I might try this again.

Ingredients
Image :"weekend warrior" AI
Sentiment : "spotlight sentiments" MFT
Card : "elegant evening " papertrey ink
Dies : Blueprints 15

Copics
Skin - E13, 11, 00
Hat and shirt - BG99, 96, 93
Jeans - BG97, 93
Belt - YR27, 24
Hammer - E34, 31, N5, 3
Drill - E09, 08, 05
Sentiment - B99, 97, 95, 93, 91

Melissa loves Movies

This is one of the Stamping Bella images I found when I looked through thinking I had used them all, its such a cute image I can't believe I had forgotten about her. I kind of wish I had paper pieced the chair but there is always next time and of course I will remember I have her now cos i've made a card with her.

Ingredients
Image : "melissa loves movies" Stamping Bella Tiny Townie
Sentiment : "sweet sentiments" Clearly Besotted
Paper : "Sweetest thing - tangerine" MME
Card : "hawaiian shores" Papertrey Ink
Dies : Blueprints 1 and 2, square staxs and zig zag square staxs all MFT, simple stitched hillside borders from Lawn Fawn.

Copics
Skin - E11, 00, 000
Hair - E79, 77, 74, 70
Chicks - YR23, Y15, 11, YR16
Popcorn - R27, 24, 14, E53, 51, 50
Chair - BG15, 13, 11
Ground - E44, 43, 42
Slippers - R22, 21, 20
Pjs -R22, 21, 20
Cushion - YR11, G21, 20

Cory in Circles

I can't believe I am still using images from July/August 30 day colouring challenge, it is such a fab idea though and I am hoping to take part in each one.

I bought this stamp in person, very unusual for me as i mostly buy online, but I was at an Expo in Orlando and it called to me so I bought her and a friend but she won't get used until next year. I like finding images and knowing who I will use them for.

I've used retired products again on this card, both the moonlight paper pad and blackberry bliss card stock are no longer available, I do hope that Stampin up bring back some of these colours as this is the only purple I have like this and its gorgeous, almost black and luxurious looking.

Ingredients
Image : "cory" Rubbernecker Stamps
Sentiment : "label maker" from mft stamped in "bright buttercup" from Papertrey Ink
Paper : ""moonlight" stampin up
Card :"crumb cale" and "blackberry bliss (retired)" both Stampin up and "bright buttercup" Papertrey ink
Dies : Crealies inside out circles and Blueprints 15 from mft

Copics
Skin - E11, 00, 000
Hair - E57, 55, 53
Trousers - E44, 43, 42, 41
Jacket - RV69, 66, 55, 63
Top - Y38, 35, 32

Worlds Greatest ...

I have previously mentioned my unused stamp stash and that I am trying to use them all before I add to them, this is obviously a loosing battle cos I couldn't resist this rosette stamp on a craft friend shopping trip, ok it was only a pound. The deal I made was that I had to make a card with it by the following week so I did, this has worked so far in making me decide if I really need/want something.

I was surprised how easily the card took shape and its even for a February birthday, strike whilst the iron is hot I say as otherwise I will loose the inspiration I had when I bought it.

Ingredients
Image : "Mr Mister - Rosette" Papermania
Sentiment : as above and Alphabet soup dies from Memory box
Paper :Papercraft Designs Collection 2
Card : "true black" Papertrey ink and "kraft" paper mill
Dies : Blueprints 1, 2, 22, and 27

That Bites

These images are too funny, when i first saw this set I did my usual "who would I use it for, is it worth it" assessment and before I could decide yes, someone else bought it. And so the hunt began lol. I find I'm always the same once I've decided I want something I have to hunt for it, when its in my hand or in front of my face I'm never sure lol. 

I did discover that I had no wave stencils, I was so shocked as I am sure you are too. Of course I had to rectify that and immediately went looking. I found this stencil on Buddly Crafts, not somewhere I would have looked ordinarily but they have a large selection and reasonably priced too. Of course i couldn't just buy the one, don't be silly lol.

I am entering this card in Di's Snippet Playground as the black card was the stencil packaging and the sentiment was cut form the left over snippet too.

Ingredients
Image : "that bites" Avery Elle
Background : "wavy stripes" Double Doobadoo, Blueprint sketch, salty ocean and mermaid lagoon distress inks
Card: Tim Holtz watercolour and Packaging from stencil
Dies: Blueprints 2, 26 and 13.
Sentiment: Creative Stamping 31

Copics
Orange Fish - YR09, 07, 04, W2
Teal Fish - BG18, 15, 13, 11
Yellow/Blue Fish - Y17, 15, 13, 11, B26, 24, 23

Challenge - Snippet Playground

Papermania Roald Dahl - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

These stamps from Papermania were long awaited and I bought almost the entire range, in fact this was the last collection I bought from them. I am a huge Roald Dahl fan, this was the first book I can remember reading on my own late at night with a torch way past my bedtime. My Aunt bought it for me and she could see the love I had for it so for christmas she bought me the sequel and James and the Giant Peach (my absolute favourite). Before then I mostly read Enid Blyton (another favourite), Roald Dahl had a very different way of telling stories and he captured my imagination.

When the collection arrived (I pre-ordered it) the images were tiny and I was a bit apprehensive to colour them, in fact its taken quite sometime and a bit of a sort out to discover them again. I got the colours from a book cover I found on google, its much brighter than the one I found but I like bright lol.

I am hoping the recipient (also a huge Roald Dahl fan) likes it. I didn't do anything fancy with the background I wanted the book to be the star, the page isn't from a real book but a paper pack, although I have to say this would be perfect if there was a range of classic book stamps, to include your favourite page on the front of a card, mmm could also be pretty rude depending on the book lol.

Ingredients
Image : "Fantabulous" and "whiz banger" from the Roald Dahl collection from Papermania
Paper : Paper pack from the same collection

Copics
Skin - E11, 00
Cane - YR24, 23, 21, W6
Ticket - YR24, 23, 21
Charlie - N1, YR24, 23, 21
Chocolate - E23, V17
Mr Wonka - N3, 1, V15, 12,
Book Cover - Y38, 35
Book Pages - E43, 41

Birthday Bears Again

I am not a fan of using retired products on my blog, however if I only used current products I would be left with a room of useless stuff and I can't handle that. I think what I am trying to say is I am sorry if you desperately want something I have shown and are unable to get it. I know I find it frustrating when I see something I have to have and it is discontinued. This hobby of ours moves at such an phenomenal rate that products seem to get retired before I have even had chance to use them. 

That being said the stamps I've used are still current, not sure about the papers but the card definitely isn't but I am hoping when stampin up has a colour change these get reintroduced.

Its a fairly simple card, most of the work was done by the blueprints, such a fantastic tool and long may they continue. 

Ingredients
Image: "birthday Bears" MFT
Paper : "here is happy" MME
Card: "lost lagoon" and "raspberry Ripple" both retired Stampin Up In colours
Dies: Blueprints 10 and 1 both MFT, Crealies inside out stitched circles.

Copics
Bear - W9, 7, 6, 5, 3
Presents - R89, 39, 56, BG18, 15, Y26, 23

Bird Houses

During the huge craft clearcut I decided that I didn't want the paper that matched this stamp set, mmm ok so what am I supposed to do now, lol. Well stamp my own background of course lol. I used tone on tone and the matching bird stamp from the range. I did notice that paper mania stamps were getting smaller and smaller and this one was no exception.

It was so tiny that I wasn't going to use my copics, so out came my coloured pencils. I used crayola and prisma on this image, I wish the sky had blended better but I am still pleased with the overall result.

Ingredients
Image: "birdhouses" Lucy Cromwell for Papermania
Background : grout grey card stamped with "birds" by Lucy Cromwell in grout grey dye ink from MFT
Card : grout grey and gravel grey both MFT
Dies: a2 card mats from spellbinders, bottle caps and bottle cap numbers both from MFT
Sentiment : mixed media 8 from Tim Holtz and Stampers Anonymous

Another Purple Pram

Last year I made all the second birthday cards at the same time in early March, it was my intention to adopt the same practice this year but unfortunately that didn't happen. I did decide however to use the same images and layouts and just change the colours exactly the same as I did last year. Sometimes if it ain't broke don't fix it. It does of course help that apart from two of the cards (one girl and one boy) all the others don't know each other and so never get to see the similarities.

I like these colours together, to my eye they look very fresh and appealing. 

Ingredients
Image: "twins at two" Mos digital pencil
Paper: "promises" from Nit Wit
Card: "grape jelly" from MFT and "tempted turquoise" from Stampin Up
Dies: xxl stitched square and inside out circles both crealies, small scalloped circles from MFT, stitched hillside borders from lawn fawn, alphabet soup from memory box and numbers from papertrey ink

Copics
Skin - E21, 00, 000, 93
Hair - E55, 57, 59
Pram - V17, 15, 12, 01, W8, 6, N4, 2
Top - B02, 01, 00, 000,
Trousers -  V17, 15, 12, 01
Ground - W3, 2, 1

Beautiful Blooms

Tim Holtz and Ranger released some clear stamp and stencil sets just before my recent Florida trip, they were called "mixed media" and I bought quite a few. This card came after watching Kristina Werner colour the larger version of the stamps with zig clean colour real brush pens, now I don't own any of those so I used my stampin up markers direct to paper and although it's not perfect I did enjoy colouring it.

Ingredients
Image and sentiment: Mixed media from Ranger and Tim Holtz
Dies: Blueprints 27 from MFT
Card: "

Markers
Yellow - So Saffron and Daffodil delight
Green - always artichoke and old olive
Pink/red - cherry cobbler and Rose red
Coral - calypso coral and tangelo
Grey - pumice stone distress ink

Make a Wish Kit

I have wanted a kit from MFT since they first introduced them, unfortunately the postage and custom charges have always stopped me so when they gave us a kit as part of the retreat goodies I was so happy I thought I would burst.

At the retreat we made three interactive cards with the kit and they were fun but complicated and I am short on time so I went with a very simple colour pallet and design.

These five cards were quick, easy and effective and I might even make more. I used the leftover paper to create a stripe down the next card, I even used the tiny piece on the inside so no paper was wasted on these cards.

Red

Green

Purple

Yellow

Blue

Ingredients
Image: Make a wish stamps and dies from MFT
Sentiment: Make a wish stamps from MFT
Dies: Cross stitch rectangle from MFT
Paper: "blowout Birthday" MFT

Inks
Purple Rain, Lemon Drop, Gravel Grey, Cherry Crisp, Green Room, Orange Fizz