Penguin Garland

When I printed the 1st christmas babies last week I decided I may as well fill the entire sheet and this was one of the images I decided to include. Yet again its the first time I have printed and coloured this image and next year I am going to do all coloured images on my cards....ok wishful thinking lol.

Ingredients
Image: "Jolly Garlands" from Digistamp Boutique
Embossing folder - Snowflake from sizzix
paper: candy stripes from pink petticoat
Card: anna marie and "real red" from stampin up
Dies: Barrel nesting set from sizzix

Copics
Leaves - YG67, 17, 25, 03
Berries - R39, 37
Baubles - B26, 23, Y35, 32
Penguin - W9, 7, 5, YR68, Y38, Y15

Underneath the Mistletoe

I was looking through my old christmas cards for inspiration and I found this image and I knew straight away who I was going to use this for. The last few christmases I haven't been colouring images as much and I kind of miss it so this gave me the opportunity to do that again, I still think the majority of my cards won't be colouring but one now and again is fun to do.

Ingredients
Image: Digistamp Boutique
Paper: "candy stripes from Pink Petticoat
Embossing: from sizzix
Card: Anna Marie and "jellybean green" from MFT
Sentiment: "merry" from "merry christmas by Clearly besotted
Dies: Circle staxs from mft and scalloped circle from spellbinders, "wet paint:christmas" from paper trey Ink

Copics
Skin - E11, 00, 000
Boy Hair - E79, 59, 57
Girl Hair - E34, 31, 30
Green - YG67, 17, 25, 03
Red - R89, 39, 37
Grey - N9, 7, 5, 4, 3
Sky - BG11, 10

May Card Kit

I had to buy the Simon Says Stamp card kit as soon as I saw the card Nichole Magourik made with the stamp and papers, I've not quite reproduced it but I have used the elements I liked the most. I do wish I had stencilled the background now but there is always next time.

Ingredients

Image: "all boy" Simon says stamp

Paper: "be different" Fancy Pants

Card: "blueberry sour", "wax lips" both Bazzill and white from anna marie

Dies: Blueprints 15 and "curved edge" Simon Says Stamp

Copics:

N1, 2, 3, 4, R59, 46, 27, 24, 

I attended the MFT retreat in Eustis Florida at the end of May and the very talented Jodi gave a class where we made a few of her style cards, Jodi loves to decorate the insides of her cards as well as the outside, I have always made paper insets before but I am enjoying making a few special ones following her principles. So I thought I would show you the inside of this card.

Ingredients

Image: "all boy" Simon says stamp

Card: Anna Marie

Dies: Blueprints 15 

Sentiment: "wet paint" papertrey ink

Ink: "pure poppy" papertrey ink and "nightshift blue" mft stamps

Stamping Bella Uptown Girls number 3

This may be the final uptown girl card for a while or it might not lol, I have enjoyed colouring them so much I might just have to colour some more and as I have loads of birthdays between now and Christmas you never know.

Ingredients
Image: "Bianca loves her big cake" Stamping bella
Papers: "celebration" Sassy designs
Card: Anna marie
Sentiment: "happy hexagons" papertrey ink
Embossing and dies: "polka dots" cuttlebug and pierced circle stax by MFT

Copics
Skin: E11, 00, 000, R02
Hair: E55, 57, 59, 49, 47
Cake: E49, 29, 27, 25, 23, R22, 21, 20, 00
Dress: RV69, 66, 63

Thinking of You

Not my favourite card to make but a necessary one nonetheless. The last time I needed one I had to buy it as was too upset to make it so although I dislike making, giving and storing them I have made a sympathy card.

I have used a stamp and die set from MFT that came free in my goody bag, I followed the same principles as the card we made in Jody's class just changed the yellow for berrylicious.

I also used a new background stamp that I bought on a recent shopping trip with my good friend Jane, she took me to Dandie crafts in Treforest, wow that shop is packed full of goodies and I am surprised I only bought one thing, although I think a return trip is in order.

Ingredients:
cardstock:
   white: anna marie
   grey and blue: "steel blue" and "berrylicious" MFT stamps
ink: "steel blue" and "berrylicious" MFT stamps
Images: "Peaceful wildflowers"MFT stamps and pergamano butterflies
Background: "Worn Paint" Inkylicious
Dies: blueprints 3 MFT stamps

Lil pop

I don't know about anyone else but I am constantly forgetting I have stuff, I bought this image when they first came out and I knew who for too so why has it taken me so long to make the card lol.

I have again tried the cut through style and love the way this turned out, this was inspired by Mary and I can see this being a go to design for a while. These cas cards take a lot longer than my normal ones though and the ingredient list is huge too.

Ingredients
Image: "lil pop with tortoise" Digistampboutique
Paper: "Boy Crazy" Design by Dani at Jessica Sprague
Cardstock:
White: Anna Marie
Blue: "Tempting Turquiose" Stampin Up snippet
Orange: Snippet folder
Dies: "blueprints 3" MFT and "nesting stars" paper mania
Sentiment: "happy hexagons" Papertrey ink
Number: "Billionaire" cartridge on cricut
Copics:
Skin: E11, 00, 000 , R02
Hair: E71, 77
Clothes: BG45, 49, YR16, 15, 12, Y15, 13
Tortoise shell: E84, 87, 89
Tortoise body: YG93, 95, 97

Challenges: Snippet Playground

Digistamp Boutique

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

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

And so it is Christmas

and the bulk card making begins, lets hope it's a good one...ok so I don't know anymore of the words lol. This year I decided to try and take the last minute panic and stress out of making cards for my play day buddies. I have used the same image and set of papers for each card and just changed the colour of the outfit and hair so that no two are the same. I really enjoyed trying new hair combos, I haven't gone wild and done pink or anything but I have tried to mix it up a bit. There are grey, black, brown, blond, red and even a strawberry blond lol.

I have used my much loved hexagon plate for the card base and used different papers from the set to create the background. An embossed sentiment and they are good to go. The image is one I bought ages ago from Tickled Pink stamps who have since closed their doors, however they are now being stocked by All that Scraps.

I haven't taken pictures of them all but enough to give you the general idea, just hope they like them too.

Strawberry Blonde - Y11, Y32, YR02, E33 & E50

Ash Blonde - E40, 41, 42

Ash Brown - E71, 74, 77

Brown - E23, 25, 27

Auburn - E08, 09, 19

Grey/Black - N5, 7, 9

Red - YR12, 15, 18

Yellow Blonde - YR20, 21, 24

Dark Brown - E43, 44, 47, 49

Very Dark Brown - E44, 47, 49

Ingredients

Image: "Lights Cherrie" Tickled Pink Stamps (no longer trading sorry)

Papers: "Naughty Christmas" Gennifer Burnett at Design House Digital (looks like the paper pack is gone - sorry again)

Cardstock: "White" Anna Marie, "Red" Papermill

Sentiment: "Big Christmas Wishes" Amy R

Thanks for looking

Amanda