Chocolate = Happiness

Those that have followed my blog for a while will know of my fondness for all things chocolate, stamps, inks, papers even card all come home with me if they have the word "chocolate" in them. Sometimes it takes me a while to get round to using them though and I have had this little lady for a year and this is her first outing, I think it might not be her last though.

All the papers were already on my desk and I made the card in the same style as one I showed earlier this week, sometimes its easier to make two than one. So I feel that I can hop along to the Snippet Playground with this one.

The copic pink colours were a bit different for me as I mixed reds and red violets, well its all thanks to Sandy Allnock and her "hex chart". I printed, coloured it and used it all in the same day. I did realise that quite a few colours are almost identical and I probably didn't need them all but hey I'm a collector ;).

Ingredients
Image: Pure innocence "chocolate" from MFT
Papers: "Sweet Owl" First Edition
Card: "Dark Chocolate" Papertrey Ink
Dies: circle stax, blueprints 3 and 14, horizontal strips and open bracket all MFT and Spellbinders scalloped circle.
Nailheads: Josy Rose
Sentiment: "dip me in chocolate" A la mode by MFT

Copics
Skin - E11, 00, 000, R20
Hair - E50, 23, 25, 29
Dress - R85. RV34, R83, RV32, R81, R89
Chocolates - E23, 25, 50, 53, 79, 49
Chocolate box - N3, N1, 0

Challenge - Snippet Playground

Happiness is Homemade

One of the Bristol Playday ladies makes the most exquisite cakes and it seemed appropriate that her card would have a cake on it.

I apologise about the lighting on this card but I took the picture and had already posted the card before I realised how bad the lighting was.

I recently bought the spellbinders scalloped circles from my good friend Kelly, Ive wanted them since I can remember so to finally be able to use them makes me happy, of course the trend now is not to have them on cards but I like them so I'm going to use them, I was never one to follow fashion lol.

 

Ingredients
Image: "time to celebrate" A la mode by MFT
Papers: "Sweet Owl" First Edition
Card: "Dark Chocolate" Papertrey Ink
Dies: stitched circle stax, blueprints 3 and 14, horizontal strips and stitched scallop border all MFT and Spellbinders scalloped circle.
Nailheads: Josy Rose
Sentiment: "whats cooking" A la mode by MFT

Copics
Skin - E11, 00, 000, R20
Hair and Shoes - E74, 77, 79
Trousers - R85. RV34, R83, RV32
Chocolate Cake - E23, 25, 27
Chocolate Icing - E49, 79, 59

Bellissima

As soon as I saw this stamp in the flesh I knew it needed to be paper pieced, I bought it online and wasn't sure of its size but I am so happy with it and know I am going to be using it again and again.

I have been sorting my paper pads to make way for some new ones and this was a few of the last remaining bits from one of my favourite packs by MME. I couldn't believe that there weren't any full sheets left what am I going to do once all the bits are gone....

As no full sheets were harmed in the making of this card I am entering the snippet challenge, it has been a while since I joined in but it is a challenge that I really enjoy and it helps reduce the mountains of card and paper at the same time.

Ingredients:

Image: Bellissima by Papermania

Papers: "blush" MME (last few sheets)

Cardstock: Snippet folder

Dies: Blueprints by MFT (1, 4, 5 & 6)

Challenges: Snippet Playground

Stamping Bella Polly again

I love this stamp, she is so much fun to colour I had to use her again, I thought she would be perfect for my cousins birthday and tried to use colours that she has in her lounge as I know she really likes them. I wish I remembered to ground the image ah well it is already been posted, fingers crossed she won't notice lol.

Ingredients
Image" Polly loves her perfume" Stamping Bella
Dies: pierced circles stax, circle stax, notched border and sentiment strips all mft
Papers: "keita" Sassy designs Inc
Card: "early expresso" stamping up
Sentiment: "for you" clearly besotted

Copics:
Skin - E11, 00, 000, R02
Dress - YR67, 23, 21
Chair - E77, 74, 71, B02, 01, 00
Hair - E29, 27, 23

Stamping Bella Uptown Girls number 1

I love the uptown girls from Stamping Bella and have several, this was a new one that just had to be inked and coloured straight away. I haven't coloured in a while and I was actually nervous before I started, not sure why as it is only paper lol.

I based the card on this one from July but the image was so large it wouldn't fit on an a2 so I used my tried and tested square 6 x 6. As i have not used any full sheets of card or paper I am entering Di's snippet challenge.

I cant believe that this is week 100, I have been enjoying this challenge since Jules first started it although to be honest my snippet mountain doesn't seem to be getting any smaller. So congrats to Di for being a great playground mistress and keeping us all under control and heres to another 400 weeks at least.

Ingredients
Image: "Polly loves perfume" stamping bella
Papers: "love me" MME
Card: "smoky slate" stampin up
Nail heads: Josy rose
Sentiment: "year round puns" Papertrey Ink
Dies: Pierced circles, circle stax both MFT, speech bubble by clearly besotted
Sparkle: Wink of stella clear brush pen

Copics:
Skin - E11, 00, 000, R02
Hair - E55, 57, 59,
Chair - T5, 4, 2, 0
Dress - B01, 00, 000, R22, 21, 20, 00

Challenges: Snippet Playground week 100, woohoo

Sweet Peas

Firstly I think I need to apologise about the awful photo quality, it is nearly impossible to get a decent photo at the moment as there is about an hour a day of good light and this card needed to be posted and couldn't wait so there you have it in all its blue toned glory.

I coloured an image for this card whilst in Florida and I know I have seen it since I came home but when I went to make the card it had vanished so I had to start again. I would imagine the law according to sod means as soon as I hit publish on this post or put the card in the postbox it will appear lol,

Ingredients:
Image: "sweet peas" LOTV (lili of the valley)
Papers: "time for tea" nit wit collections
Cardstock: "perfect plum" stampin up
Sentiment: "" stampin up, ink "plum pudding" papertrey ink
Nailheads: josy rose
Dies: "hexagons" xcut and perfect layers tool

Copics:
 Jar: BG13, 11, 10
 Sweet peas: G46, V17, 15, 12, R85, 81, BV04, 02, 00
 Bee: Y35
Ground: W3, 1, 00

A Congratulations Card

My good friend and former work colleague has just secured her dream job so I thought a card would be a good way of showing her how pleased I am for her. Before she starts her new job we are organising an afternoon of"Magic Mike" wine and chocolate lol.

Ingredients
Image: "wishing you luck" a la mode by MFT stamps
Cardstock: "early expresso" stampin up
Paper: "keita" sassy designs
Dies: "blueprints 3" and "notched border" both MFT stamps
Nailheads: Josy Rose

Copics:
 Skin: E11, 00, 000, R02
 Hair: E43, 42, 40
 Top and shoes: B04, 02, 01
 Trousers: E49, 47, 44
 Clover: G46, 24, 43, 40

Challenge: Snippet Playground

A Very Big Thank you

I know I have good neighbours but last Tuesday I put that to the test by nearly cutting off my little finger whilst making a sandwich, I rang for a taxi and it was going to be 25 minutes and I knew I couldn't wait that long so I went next door and my neighbour wasn't home but her teenage daughter was, she helped me get the bleeding under control then went to my neighbour over the road who kindly took me to the local hospital and waited with me while they cleaned it and put sterile strips to close the wound, she then took me home and made me a coffee. I wanted to thank them and hubbie bought them both some chocolates and I made two little thank you cards.

It was quite difficult to make them as my hand is still healing but it was good therapy it  as  took my mind off the pain. All the ingredients were in my snippet draw, which is just as well as my printer has gone to printer heaven.

Ingredients:
Images: Free with a magazine ages ago
Papers: "little check" and "gingham" both Pink Petticoat
Cardstock: "basic grey" stampin up
Sentiment: stampin up


Challenges: Snippet Playground

Happy Mother's Day

A very happy mother's day to all the mums out there in the UK. Today I have my mum's card to show you and will be back tomorrow with my MIL's.

My mum's favourite flowers are freesias, she loves the colours and the scent, so I have been scouring the tinternet to try and find a stamp or digi image for years. Then Janey's Digi Designs appears and I left Jane a comment asking if she was going to be providing a freesia image and she not only replied but she made one too. I bought it immediately and I have been waiting patiently to show it to you ever since.

I am entering the snippet playground as no full sheets were harmed in the making of this card, the backing papers were also from all the baby boy cards I have been making and the hexagon plate meant a little went a long way.

Ingredients

Image: "freesia" Janey's Digi Designs

Papers: "Baby Boy" Nit Wit

Cardstock: "Fine Linen" Papertrey Ink and "Bashful Blue" Stampin Up

Ribbon: "Fine Linen Papertrey ink

Nailheads: Josy Rose

Embossing: "Geometric Circles" provocraft

Verse: Found on the internet but perfect

Dies: "hexagon plate" Papertrey Ink

Challenges: Snippet Playground 

2013 is the year of the babies

Well after waiting years for babies in the family next year we will have two, my cousin is expecting her first in March and now her brother and his girlfriend are expecting their first in July. My godson is super excited and told everyone on Christmas eve, even though it is early he couldn't wait. I have used my go to image and card style for this congratulations card and have made quite a few recently, in fact I think I ought to make a stock pile lol.

Ingredients

Image: Elzybells

Papers: "Keita" Sassy Designs Inc

Cardstock: "Chocolate Brownie" Elzybells

Dies: "Flagstack" and "Postage Border" MFT Stamps

Nailheads: Chocolate brown from Josy Rose

Sentiment: See-D

Gorjuss girls

I bought this stamp when they first came out and am embarrassed to say this is her first inking. I have the print of this on my wall in my craft room along with two others so I had to buy her, why then I wonder why has it taken me over a year to ink her up. I don't think I will ever understand myself lol.

I have decided to try a technique that I saw on Amy R's blog, she doesn't mat with cardstock but instead uses an ink pad to provide a break between the papers. I kinda like it but I think I should have picked more varied papers, oh well there is always next time.

I used a sketch Saturday sketch and this is the second time I have used this one, I can't link it though as it was last weeks lol. I actually made the card on the day the sketch went live but as I didn't want the recipient to see it before their birthday I am posting it today. So happy birthday Tanmo.

Ingredients

Image and Sentiment : "Hang me out to dry" Gorguss girl stamp by Santoro

Papers : "Dolled Up" by MME

Die : "Chevron" MFT Stamps

Nailheads : Josy Rose

Silver Wedding Anniversary

So this is a total step in another direction for me, no coloured image in fact no colouring or stamping of any kind. I love the white on white cards but I haven't quite created one, it did start in my head as a white on white with a silver border but it looked too plain so I added the patterned paper and I like it a whole lot more.

Once I started adding the silver nail heads I couldn't stop, this embossing folder is really brought to life by adding them too. I loved the tied together folder but by the time I decided I wanted it they were out of my price range so when I saw this one in Joanns in May I thought it was perfect....and this is the second time it has been out of the packet....not sure if anyone else does this but I sure do and a lot too lol.

Ingredients:

Hearts & Letters: George & Basic cricut cart

Embossing: "Geometric Circles" & "Script" Cuttlebug embossing folders

Paper: "Forever in our Heart" Raspberry Road

Cardstock: "Metallic Stack" DCWV

Nail Heads: Josy Rose

The tortoise and the golf cart.......

September is certainly a busy birthday month around here and I made this card for my boss. He is a keen golfer and you may have thought I would make him a golfing card but I did that last year so I decided as you can buy cards with golf on but cards with tortoises on are harder to find I would make one for his other passion.

As soon as I saw this tortoise at Create with TLC I had to get it, normally digi stamp tortoises are more caricatures so this one seemed more real iykwim lol. Coloured with my copics and an airbrushed background and of course the glossy accents too. I wasn't sure what to do with the background but eventually decided on these Echo Park papers, some from the snippet folder and some I printed and used my flagstack die-namics to cut them out. The cardstock is called chocolate brownie and is a textured card from elzybells, wish I had bought more of this now and have had it a while and this is the first sheet I have used, must say though even the smallest pieces went in the snippet folder.

Ingredients

Image: Create with TLC

Sentiment: in the same kit as the image

Papers: "This & That" Echo Park

Cardstock: "Chocolate Brownie" Elzybells

Brad: Laura Ashley

Nailheads: Josy Rose

Challenges: Snippet Playground
Cards for Men

                                          

A Wedding Card

Now all you who remember me asking if I should make a card ready for December may think this is the one I meant but no it isn't, this is for a young lady at work who gets married today, she loves bright pink and as I had just bought these fab papers I had to use them. The image is from Jellypark and was a joy to colour, I bought this image for the december card but forgot about the lili of the valley one I already had so at least I got to use this one.

Ingredients:

Image: "Wedding Couple" Jellypark

Papers: "Blushing" Sassy-Designs Inc

Card: Snippet folder

Nailheads: Josy Rose

Challenges: Snippet Playground

Happy Birthday Katie

I have made a card using another of the MFT a la mode stamps and I have had this one stamped and coloured since  I came back from Florida in May. I paper pieced the coffee cups with brown paper and I think it looks very effective.

I used the Fishtail/flagstak dies to cut into some real paper, by real I mean someone else has printed it not me lol. I don't buy many physical paper packs as I prefer to resize and print but these were a bargain. I couldn't decide how I wanted the flag so sit so hubbie suggested this angle and I kinda like it, not your normal card style. The sentiment is also from MFT from their Anniversary set that I got free with my purchase. There are several fab sayings on it and if I hadn't of got it free I think I would have bought it anyway.

Ingredients

Image: "Missing you a Latte" MFT Stamps

Papers: "Born to shop" Papermania

Brad: Doodlebug

Nailheads: Josy Rose

Congratulations and Good Luck

I made this card with one of the new stamps I got in Florida she was an impulse purchase as I needed one item to get over the $150 limit so that I could get $15 off lol and as usually happens I am so glad I got her as she is perfect for this type of card. She is also the first one I inked up lol.

As soon as my good friend told me she had a new job I knew exactly how I wanted the card to look. Her favourite colour is bright pink but I wanted a touch of grey too. Normally my go to image is a pink petticoat one but as I have already used that one for her I wanted something different.  I printed the sentiment and cut using my craft robo and used the cricut with elegant edges to cut the flower mat. I also used one of my new patp stamp sets, eyelet lace.

Ingredients

Image: MFT stamps a la mode "Good Luck"

Papers" Summer Driggs

Cardstock: Snippet draw

Nailheads: Josy Rose

Just like buses

No snippets makes for ages then two in a week lol. Again no full sheets were harmed in the making of this card. In fact I printed the image when I first bought the Next Big Thing CD and only found it when clearing out the snippet box. Such an easy card too the backing papers were already cut to the right size as they were the off cuts from the leaving card I made a while ago, I used my new mft dies to cut the chevrons just to add a bit extra. I love these dies and will be buying more next time I am in Florida.

Am I alone in this but I have had my cuttlebug for about four years and have never used it to cut dies only emboss so the first time I used my new mft dies they left marks in the plates and I was horrified lol. So I could just buy new plates but I decided to look for a solution, my cuttlebug lives on a shelf and has to be lifted down to be used hence the reason I don't emboss much and I have been using the dies a lot so knew the shelf wasn't ideal. After some head scratching as there is little room on my desk I spotted the cuttlekid machine I bought for my friend's little girl a few years ago, I tried the dies and they work perfectly, no more messing around trying to find the right plate combo, two plates and away to go, the dies fit the plates perfectly and they are much cheaper to replace than the cuttlebug plates. When I bought the cuttlekid I paid $9.99 in Florida and it traveled all the way home with me to discover that my friend had bought one already so it had been sitting in my cupboard ever since but no more, it fits on my desk and works perfectly.

Ingredients

Image: "Rugby" The Next Big Thing CD

Papers: "Freedom ain't Free" Summer Driggs

Cardstock: "Cherry Cobbler" Stampin Up

Nailheads: Josy Rose

Challenges: Snippet Playground

My Favourite Flower

I think everyone has a favourite flower and although I don't like cut flowers...I know I am strange... I do love hydrangeas. Blue is my favourite but I still love all the variations too. I had lots of cards to make for birthdays in April but got distracted by this lovely flower on the "the next big thing" cd. It came as a digi stamp and pre-coloured and I have used the pre-coloured version here. This is a very CAS card for me as I wanted the flower to really stand out but I do like the finished article and so easy to put together. I decoupaged the flower to give it some dimension and a bit of ribbon and voila all done.

Ingredients

Image: Pre-coloured Hydrangea " The Next Big Thing"

Cardstock: Walmart (love these pads 30-50 sheets of 12x12 textured card for $5)

Ribbon: Buyology

Nailheads: Josy Rose

Baby's First Christmas

You may remember from all the baby cards I have been making this last year that a lot of my friends had babies this year. So I have a lot of Baby's First Christmas cards to make lol. I wanted to buy a new image for these cards and then I remembered an old Pink Petticoat one I have never used. I forgot I had it and I must say it is perfect.

Ingredients for both:

Images: Pink Petticoat

Papers: Pink Petticoat

Cardstock: Pink Petticoat

Nailheads: Josy Rose

It's just not cricket....

Before I say anything about this card I need to apologise for the pants photos, I finished this card late at night and needed to get it posted first thing in the morning so the light was awful.

You may recognise the papers and layout from the golf card I made a few weeks ago, I used the offcuts and as I liked the other card I decided to almost copy it lol. My friends hubbie loves cricket and as he is Jamaican the flag colours needed to be featured. I have no idea if the colours of the uniform are correct and no time to check I went with what I thought would look good.

Ingredients

Image: "Cricketer" Just Inklined

Papers: "Fresh Start" Summer Driggs

Cardstock: Papermill & Walmart multipack

Nailheads: Josy Rose