Ladybird Gorjuss

Last year I tried the two cards one sitting method and to a degree it worked, I wasn't able to always do this but I do think its the way to go for me, plus it means I use the stamps at least twice lol.

I have a few of this large size of Gorjuss girl stamps and I love that you ca really go to town colouring their hair, however after a lengthy break from my copics I didn't get it quite right this time, still there is always next time lol.

Ingredients
Image: "ladybird" gorjuss by Santoro large stamp
Sentiment: Creative Stamping 65
Dies: XXL stitched square from Crealies
Card: "lost lagoon" and "raspberry ripple" both retired Stampin Up

Copics
Skin - E04, 11, 00, 000, 93
Hair - T9, 7, 5, 3
Blue - Bg78, 75, 72
Pink - RV69, 66, 55, 52
Grey - C6, 4, 2

Lily Sympathy

These are the type of cards I really don’t like making but I still wanted the family to know I was thinking of them. I think I might make a few and have them on hand as making them when needed is more difficult.

I always feel like I'm tempting fate though by having them ready to go, like I'm willing something to happen....I know I'm being ridiculous but still I can't bring myself to do it. Although if I left the sentiment off and just had the bases ready to go that might solve that.

This stamp is from "just inklined" its a physical stamp and I have had it for years, I bought almost the entire range when they reduced them to a quid as this was cheaper than the digi version, however this is the first one to have ever seen ink. It was in fact in my ready to part with pile....

Ingredients
Image: "hand tied lilies" Just Inklined
Sentiment: "brushed greetings 2" Clearly Besotted
Card: "amethyst allure" Papertrey Ink
Die: wonky stitched rectangle from MFT

Copics
Green - YG25, 03, 01
Yellow - Y17, 15, 13, 11
Purple - V17, 15

Coffee and Friends

Paper piecing was/is a great love of mine, I always enjoy the satisfaction of adding the shadows and bringing it to life. I wonder then why I don't do it more and on images like this that don't immediately scream paper piece me lol.

Maybe thats the solution to my always behind with my makes, each week revisit an older/loved technique and think outside the box.

Ingredients
Image and sentiment: "coffee and tea" Simon Say Stamp
Papers: "christy" Sassy Designs
Dies: Scalloped rectangle stax from MFT
Card: "berrylicious" from MFT
Embossing: "cherry cobbler" embossing powder from Stampin Up

Time Warp

I made this card back in October, took the photo and forgot about it. It was another last minute make like most of last years cards, I am hoping that it won’t be like that again this year but I think it might be lol.

I created a galaxy background using distress inks and stampedctge greeting and heat embossed, I then stamped the time warp over the top and wiped away any that overlapped and heat embossed.

For such a simple card it did take a while to do and was more fiddly as there is nowhere to hide if you fluff up. I added the white mat as it got lost on the black background without it and is something I should remember to do more, I always forget to use white as a neutral.

Ingredients
Image and Sentiment: "long time ago" and "time warp" both from Neat and Tangled
Distress Inks: Picked Raspberry, salty ocean, peacock feathers, wilted violet, chipped sapphire, black soot

Rockabilly Girls

This post was supposed to be scheduled for October but for some strange reason it didn't post and as the cards are cute I thought it should get seen.

There are four images in this set of Digistamps from CC Designs and I printed and coloured all four but only three have made it onto cards so far. The fourth was already to go but I dropped my inked on the background so that one will have to wait.

I have used the same layout on each one, very basic but I think it works.

Ingredients
Image: "rockabilly girls" Roberto's Rascals at CC Designs
Sentiment: "party animal" Avery Elle
Dies: "say it" Clearly Besotted and "a2 stitched rectangle" from MFT
Stencil: "brick wall" from MFT
Ink: "hickory smoke" and 'black soot" Distress Oxides
Card: "dark charcoal" from recollections at Michaels

Copics
Skin - E04, 11, 00, 000, 93
Shoes - N9, 7, 5
Jeans - B99, 97, 95
Red - R89, 39, 37, 35
Pink - RV17, 14, 13, 11
Brunette - E79, 77, 74, 49
Blonde - E35, 34, 33, 31, 30

Making Cards Magazine Does it Again

Woohoo, last christmas card post of 2018, finally finished lol. The photos for these cards are particularly bad and this is because I took them at the bristol playday meet and then popped them in their envelopes. I took the photos with my phone and the lighting is awful but I was never very good at photo taking.

Ingredients
Images: making cards December issue

Dies: Crealies XXL inside out circles and A2 stitched rectangles from MFT

Background: "picture it - christmas" Clearly Besotted

Copics:

Background - B69, 66, 79, E35, 34, 31, W4, 2, YG67, 

17, 25, R39, 37, Y15, 11, BG0000, 00, C2

Snowmen - BG0000, 000, 00, R39, 37, YG17, 25

Santa - R39, 37, 35, T8, 6, YG17, 25, B06, 04, Y38

Same but Different Christmas Cards

You will be pleased to hear there are only two posts of christmas cards remaining. After tomorrow I will try to abstain until December lol.

These three cards are the closest I got to individual cards this christmas, time, mojo and ideas were certainly in short supply this year. I am hoping to rectify that for this year but I think it might just be wishful thinking on my part.

Ingredients

Image and Sentiment: "warm and feathered hugs" Stacey Yacula for MFT

Dies: Crealies XXL inside out circles and A2 stitched rectangles from MFT

Background: "picture it - christmas" Clearly Besotted

Copics:

Background - B69, 66, 79, E35, 34, 31, W4, 2, YG67, 

17, 25, R39, 37, Y15, 11, BG0000, 00, C2

Owl - E79, 77, 74, 71, 70, 49

Scarf - R39, 37, YG17, 25

Ingredients

Image and Sentiment: "sweet holiday Penguins" Stacey Yacula for MFT

Dies: Crealies XXL inside out circles and A2 stitched rectangles from MFT

Background: "picture it - christmas" Clearly Besotted

Copics:

Background - B69, 66, 79, E35, 34, 31, W4, 2, YG67, 

17, 25, R39, 37, Y15, 11, BG0000, 00, C2

Penguin - YR07, o4, T8, 6, 5, 4, R20, T2, 1

Presents - R39, 37, YG17, 25

Ingredients

Image and Sentiment: "meow Kitty-mas" from Whimsy Stamps

Dies: Crealies XXL inside out circles and A2 stitched rectangles from MFT

Copics:

Background - BG11, 10

Cat - T6, 5, 4, 3

Tree - YG67, 17, 25, Y17, 15, 13, R39, 37, V17, 15, B06, 04, 02

Inkadinkado Wine Cork Reindeer

This card design was used for our circle of couple friends, as we all like a party and the consumption of alcoholic beverages this seemed the perfect set to use. I was originally intending using the rest of the stamps but this reindeer was so cute I just used him.

I have been stamping the images with memento, colouring and then over stamnping with versa fine clair and I really like the bold black lines this effect gives. Of course you need to make sure the image is in exactly the same place each time or it can seriously upset your day lol.

Ingredients
Image and Sentiment: "making spirits bright" Inkadinkado
Dies: A2 stitched rectangle from MFT
Stencil: "nordic" from Echo Park
Card: "green" recollections by michaels
Ink: "pine feathers" Papertrey Ink

Copics
Scarf - YG17, 03
Nose - R37
Reindeer - E35, 34, 31
Ground - W2

Teeny Tiny Townie on a Yule Log

I will apologise for the quality of these photos, they were taken late at night and then given away so there was no margin for error, except there was an error lol. 

As soon as I saw this stamp I knew I had to own it, I have quite a few of the "little peeps" range from Stamping Bella and these remind me of them. I hope that they expand the range further with these images even though they are fiddly to colour lol.

Ingredients

Image: "teeny tiny townie on a yule log" Stamping Bella

Sentiment: "hanging around" Clearly Besotted

Dies: basic edges and scalloped basic edges both from MFT

Card: "real red" stampin Uo

Paper: Doodlebug

Copics

Skin - E11, 00, 000

Red - R89, 39, 37, 59, 29, 27, 24, 14

Green - YG67, 17, 25, 03

Brown - E79, 77, 74, 71, 70

Ground - E43, 42, 41

Icing - BG0000, 00, C2

Clearly Besotted Mice

So this was my crafty friends cards this year, normally I make a few varieties but if you have seen my previous post you will understand why this year I made one type and one type alone. They did end up as I imagined them and I did enjoy making them but I was glad to see the last one be popped into its envelope lol.

Ingredients
Image and Sentiment: "Merry Mouse" Clearly Besotted
Dies: XXL inside out circles from Crealies, A2 stitched rectangles from MFT
Background stamps: "damask" and "wood plank" both MFT
Distress Oxides: "vintage photo", "wilted Violet", "squeezed lemonade", "spiced marmalade", "broken china" , "tumbled glass" , "worn lipstick", " cracked pistachio"


Copics
Mice - T8, 6, 4
Green - YG67, 17, 25, 03
Red - R89, 39, 37, 35

Making Cards Contemporary Papers

This was the second batch of cards made with the free papers from the Making cards magazine, this was the December issue and it contained a more modern feel which is absolutely perfect for the younger generation in my family.

Ingredients
Image: "making cards" december issue
Card: "white" neenah and "hibiscus burst" from Papertrey Ink
Dies: A2 rectangle and stitched rectangles staxs from MFT

Making Cards Traditional Papers

Every year my card making for christmas falls into familiar batches, and this year was no exception. I kind of wish I could break out of this and make individual cards for everyone but I think that would be a task out of my comfort zone.

This magazine has been a life saver this year and saved me from buying a huge amount of cards. The first batch I made with the papers included with the November issue are shown below and I made 12 almost identical cards in an afternoon.

As these were for my Aunt's and Uncles I went with a more traditional look and feel. I also used an embossing folder and I can't even remember the last time I did that.

This design was very well received and I hope that the magazine have something similar next year.

Ingredients
Image: making cards November issue
Card: "red" and "green" Recollections from Michaels
Dies: Oval, cross stitch rectangle, rectangle, square, circle, stitched circle all MFT and Spellbinders scalloped circle

Christmas Cheer

I wasn't originally going to post my christmas card makes from 2018 but I made the decision that although it might not be of interest to others this blog is also my visual record of my makes and I will never remember what I made if I can't see them. So I am going to apologise in advance if the next several posts don't interest you, I will be back with different types of makes soon.

I was determined to use this background stamp this year, its my first turnabout stamp from Concord and 9th and it works perfectly. I was a little worried when I realised I would need to make the cross on the back of the stamp and I am still wondering why it doesn't come pre-drawn.

I used a few different inks and companies to achieve the look I wanted. It was so quick to stamp each image and it came together really quickly.

Ingredients
Sentiment: "merry christmas" Tonic Studios
Card: "kraft" from the Range and "vellum" from the Works and "white" from Neenah
Embossing Powder: Fine detail from Stampendous
Inks: "olive", "parrot", "mocha" all Altenew and "pure poppy" from Papertrey Ink
Dies: Blueprints 13 from MFT

New Year and an Apology

Firstly I wanted to wish everyone a very happy 2019, let’s hope this year is one of happiness and joy.

Secondly I wanted to apologise for the lack of posts in December, normally (well the last few years) I post daily in December but that didn’t happen this year, there are a few reasons for this and they all contributed to me making cards for Christmas in a rush and having no time to edit the photos. I am hoping now that Christmas is over to finally get some time to blog again. I have missed it and I like having a way to remember the cards I’ve made.

Thirdly I have decided to not keep beating myself up over a posting schedule and just post when I have something to show.

And lastly I am hoping to continue the multiple cards in one sitting that I did quite a bit last year, it helped get cards made and gave more time for playing.

Phew that’s all folks until next time lol.

Thanks for looking x