Can't wait for Christmas...

Merry Christmas to all of my crafty friends celebrating today!

This sweet Christmas card made using the Anita Jeram Christmas Presents stamp set from Colorado Craft Company is my last new card of 2020. What a year it has been, full of too few ups and far too many downs for many of us. Here's hoping for a new year filled with much more kindness, understanding and love towards our fellow man, woman and don't forget our four-legged friends. ;)

I'll be taking a short posting and social media break this week to recharge my creative batteries and hopefully perform a much needed deep clean on my crafty room, LOL! So take care and stay crafty my friends and I will see you in 2021! ♥

 

Supply list:
cardstock- My Favorite Things and Copic X-Press It
stamps- Colorado Craft Company (Christmas Presents)
ink- Memento rich cocoa 
Papertrey Ink noted die
Sharpie extra fine white pen
Sakura stardust glitter pen
Nuvo jewel drops
Copic markers:

Naughty or nice...

Happy Christmas Eve day, LOL!

We sent out the December newsletter from Sweet November Stamps last night, full of information about what released this month as well as an introduction to our newest full time DT member, Caitlin Anthony... welcome Caitlin! It feels like Sweet November just keeps growing, which is such an awesome experience, one that is only possible because of the support from all of you. So thank you! As always an exclusive new digi also released with the newsletter and we had fun with the timing of this one, playing off the tradition of leaving milk and cookies out for Santa on Christmas Eve. Naughty little Cookie is helping herself to Santa's treats and she is available for purchase in the store right now but newsletter subscribers can grab her for free! Her brother Milk is also available for purchase to complete the classic duo.  If your not a subscriber yet and your bummed about missing out on this month's freebie no worries, simply go to the bottom of the Sweet November Stamps home page and sign up now. :)

Whether you've been naughty or nice this year I'm wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

Supply list:
cardstock- Papertrey Ink and Copic X-Press It
digital stamps- Sweet November (Milk and Cookie) 
stamp- Hero Arts (sentiment)
ink- Papertrey Ink pure poppy
My Favorite Things A2 stitched rectangle stax set 2 
Pebbles enamel dots
Sharpie extra fine white pen
Copic markers:
skin- E000, E00, E11, E04, R00, R20
milk hair- YR23, YR24, E37, E49
milk eyes- BG000, YG21, YG95, YG97, BG99
cookie hair- YR21, YR24, YR27, E29
cookie eyes- BG000, E34, E35, E47, E59
pajamas- R22, R24, R27, R29, E31, E55, E57, E44, E47, E49, E50, E41, E81, BV20
glass of milk- E50, C00, C1, BV20, BG000, BG53
plate of cookies/note- C00, C1, C3, YR30, YR31, E31, E33, W00, W1, W4
floor/wall- W00, W2, E41, E43, E31, E74, E44, E47, C5, G43, G94, G99

Dashing through the snow...

Olo!

So I was browsing at Simon Says a few weeks back when I stumbled upon these little cartoony characters from LDRS Creative and immediately fell in love. It's been a long while since I've added any of their stamps to my personal collection but these were a must have. The people are from a set called City Sidewalks and the car is from the City Streets set. I masked dad into the drivers seat and wanted to get the mom from the set in there too but it was a bit too tight. I compromised and colored in the back of her head so it appears as if she is looking off in the opposite direction. There was plenty of room in the back seat for two kiddos but I did have to use a mirror stamp to get the little girl facing forward. Once I had the family all in place I masked off the entire car and used a city scene stencil from Altenew with a bunch of Catherine Pooler inks to create the background. Once the snowy road and festive family had all been colored with my Copic markers I grabbed the Dr. Ph Martin's bleed proof white to add the falling snow and the slush down at the tires as they race home to put up their tree in time for Christmas. I kinda love that this looks like it could be a scene out of an annual Christmas cartoon on TV, LOL!  :)    

Thanks for stopping by!

Supply list:
cardstock- Papertrey Ink and Catherine Pooler
stamps- LDRS Creative (City Streets and City Sidewalks), Verve (sentiment), My Favorite Things (mirror image) 
ink- Memento tuxedo black, Papertrey Ink pure poppy and Catherine Pooler aquatini, all that jazz, daydream and juniper mist
My Favorite Things A2 stitched rectangle stax set 1
Dr. Ph Martin's Bleed Proof white
Altenew city scene stencil
Copic markers:
skin- E000, E00, E11, E04, R00, R20
dad/daughter hair- E35, E57, E29, E49
mom/son hair- YR21, YR24, YR27, E47
clothes- YG03, YG95, YG97, YG99, RV10, RV02, RV14, RV19, RV99, V04, V17, V09, B02, B06, B39, C5, C6, 100
ground- T2, T3, T5, BG10, BG11, BG53, C00, C1
car- T5, T7, T9, C00, C0, C1, C2, C4, C7, N5, N8, R14, R27, R29, Y000, W4, W6, W10
tree- G14, G07, BG99, G94, YG63, E84, E89

Fa la la la la...

Hello, hello!

I'm squeezing in one more mash up using old and new Stacey Yacula Christmas images from  Purple Onion Designs. The jumping off point for this caroling scene was inspired by the Snow Crooners from the new Sweetest Little Town collection and I paired them with the singing critters from the Snow Day collection. In the background I added the new Street Light along with the older Pine Tree Farm and Double Pine Tree stamps, which all together filled the slimline size perfectly. Now this merry band of carolers is ready to go door to door spreading cheer. Move over Pentatonix, there's a new acapella group ready to sing sweet Christmas harmonies for all to enjoy, LOL!    

Have a good one!

Supply list:
cardstock- Papertrey Ink and Catherine Pooler
stamps- Purple Onion Designs (Snow Crooners, Street Light, Spruce, Mistletoe, Noel, Snowball, Mary, Pine Tree Farm, Double Pine Tree and Winter Wishes sentiment set), Hello Bluebird (music notes)
ink- Memento rich cocoa, london fog and tuxedo black
Trinity Stamps slimline die
Dr. Ph Martin's Bleed Proof white
Sharpie extra fine white pen
Copic markers:

We wish you a merry Christmas...

Good morning!

Yesterday I played with another new Christmas cutie from Dreamerland Crafts, this time inking up the We Wish You a Merry Christmas stamp. Because the kitty included in the set is a separate stamp I decided to ink him up three times and create a whole litter of excited kittens for my scene. I also cut the stars and snowflakes falling out of the box apart from the main image so they became their own stamp too, making it easy to stamp them repeatedly and in a different ink color. Once that was done I may have gone a little overboard with the warm and cozy scene I created for them to live in. It started with the staircase behind her and then I just couldn't stop adding details, LOL! So while this card may have ended up being a bit more labor intensive than my original plan, I do love how it turned out. :)

If you are a fan of these Dreamerland cuties most of the Christmas and Fall Characters collection can still be found at Simon Says Stamp.
 
Stay crafty my friends!  :)

Supply list:
cardstock- My Favorite Things and Catherine Pooler
stamps- Dreamerland Crafts (We Wish You a Merry Christmas)
ink- Memento tuxedo black and Catherine Pooler hot tub
My Favorite Things A2 stitched rectangle stax set 1
Sharpie extra fine white pen
Nuvo jewel drops
Copic markers:
Sorry, I lost my list  :(

 

Reindeer wishes...

Hello again! 

Yesterday Sweet November Stamps  added the last Christmas digi collection to the store for 2020 called, Reindeer Games. This newest collection of digital stamps features three adorable baby reindeer, Figgy, Puddin' and Snickerdoodle along with a digi sentiment set and background builder set! To celebrate the release I went Live yesterday and colored up little Figgy in the baby reindeer paddock with his cardinal pal, Lucky. This time around there was a consensus for a bright daytime snow scene where we played with various blues and casting shadows. We also discussed design tips and tricks like what a 'visual triangle' is and how you can apply the principle to any card you create. All in all, I had a great time, I hope those that joined me had a great time as well and if you weren't able to join us but would like to watch this scene come together you can always find my past videos on my Adventures in Coloring with Amy page.

Later gators!

Supply list:
cardstock- Papertrey Ink and Catherine Pooler
digital stamps- Sweet November (Figgy, Reindeer Games sentiment and Reindeer Games background builder set)
Dr. Ph Martin's Bleed Proof white
Sharpie extra fine white pen
Copic markers:
sorry, I didn't keep a list but you can see the colors used here 

 

Reindeer Games...

 

Hello friends!

Sweet November Stamps is squeezing in one last Christmas digi release before the big day arrives with the fun Reindeer Games collection. Today we are introducing you to three super sweet baby reindeer, all with dreams of one day making it onto Santa's official sleigh team. We've got the twins, Figgy and Puddin' as well as little Snickerdoodle. There is also a new set of three coordinating digi Christmas sentiments and a background builder set.

For my first card I have paired little Puddin' with the North Pole from the background builder set to create a scene of him watching Santa and his team take off on their annual adventure of bringing joy to millions across the globe. Puddin' knows that with a lot of practice during the reindeer games, perfecting his flying and navigation skills, it could be him up there in the sky some day.  

For my second card I have taken cutie Snickerdoodle and added the magic digi that comes with Witchwee Elspeth beneath him to help show his own magical flying abilities. Snickerdoodle dreams of being the fastest flyer at the North Pole so every day he is out there jumping and leaping, hanging in the air a little longer each time. 

Ok, be sure to go check out the Friends of Sweet November Stamps group on Facebook for even more Reindeer Games inspiration from our fabulous guest designer... Claire Harrison! I will also be coloring Figgy Live later this morning at 11am PST on my Adventures in Coloring with Amy Facebook page. :)

You can also find us on Instagram @sweetnovemberstamps and don't forget to use the #sweetnovemberstamps any time you share a card or project using SN images so we can see all of your beautiful makes!  

 

The nice list...

Hey there!
 
Today is my final Scenic Saturday post of 2020 over on the Bellarific blog. Time certainly has flown and it's the last weekend before Christmas. If you find yourself still making Christmas cards like I am it can be nice to take a break from the big scenes and instead go a more clean and simple route with our card design. I believe there are three things that can help you achieve eye catching yet quick cards every time... 

1. Go small with your stamp choices. This one is obvious, the less you have to color the faster it is to color up. There are a lot of great stamps available in the Stamping Bella shop that fit the bill, the penguins of course, but also the Squidgies, Wobbles and Littles all come to mind. 

2. Limit your color palette. By choosing to work with only a handful of color families you save time hemming and hawing over what markers you should pull next. Here I primarily went with a black, white, red and teal combo that is quite striking. 

3. Embrace white space with the rule of thirds. If you imagine your card front divided up into three strips, either horizontally or vertically depending on your design, and restrict the majority of your stamping to only one of those three areas leaving the other two areas open, this will be very pleasing to the eye. You can see on my card that I stamped the adorable Penguin Family all up in the top third of my card front and kept the little bit of snowy scene contained right around them as well. Then I found a slim sentiment in the Christmas Sentiments set and stamped it in red ink near the bottom of my card to tie back to and balance the red elements above.

Now, these are by no means the only way to create cute and quick scene cards but they are my tried and true formula for when I want to have fun stamping and coloring but don't have a lot of time to devote to creating a card. :)    

Toodles!

Supply list:
cardstock- Papertrey Ink and Catherine Pooler
stamps- Stamping Bella (Penguin Family and Christmas Sentiments set) 
ink- Memento tuxedo black and Papertrey Ink pure poppy
Doodlebug Sprinkles
Dr. Ph Martin's Bleed Proof white
Copic markers:
penguins- E40, BV20, E81, E50, 0, R00, N3, N5, N7, N9, YR31, Y38, YR27
beard/hat/presents- C00, C1, C2, C3, C4, 0, E40, E81, E42, R14, R27, R29, R89, G03, G05, G07, G09, G29
sky/snow- BG0000, BG01, BG02, BG45, BG49, B39

Merry and bright...

TGIF everybody!

Surprise, surprise... it's another card from me having a grand ol' time mixing old and new stamps to create a scene. This time around I've been playing with Stacey Yacula stamps from Purple Onion Designs. The Sparkle Tree, Chestnut the bear and Tinsel the squirrel are all part of the newest Sweetest Little Town collection and I paired them with two little birds, Mabel and Cranberry as well as the Large Winter Picket Fence and 2 Forests background stamps. The fence quickly places them in a quiet, country yard all covered in snow looking out at the vast field beyond. These sweet critters have been busy decorating the tree and now it is time to start placing some gifts beneath it. I'm telling you right now, I don't think I will ever got tired of digging through my stash to see what new combinations of stamps I can come up with. ;)  

Enjoy the weekend, it's the last one before Christmas... eek!

Supply list:
cardstock- Papertrey Ink and Catherine Pooler
stamps- Purple Onion Designs (Chestnut, Sparkle Tree, Tinsel, Mabel, Cranberry, Lg. Winter Picket Fence, 2 Forests and Holiday Messages sentiment set)
ink- Memento rich cocoa and london fog
My Favorite Things A2 stitched rectangle stax set 1
Wink of Stella clear glitter pen
Sharpie extra fine white pen
Ranger glossy accents
Copic markers:
tree- G12, BG13, G24, BG49, G09, BG99, R27, Y000, Y02, Y18, C2, C3, C5, Y11, Y21, Y26, FBG2, BG09, R43, R46, R89, RV10, Rv13, Rv14, V04, V09, YG01, YG25, YG17
ground/snow/sky- E31, E42, E43, E44, B0000, B000, B91, Y0000, Y000, YR30
fence/ladder- E44, E84, E47, E49 
bear- E50, E31, E55, E57, E49, E93
hat/scarf- E81, E84, 0, BG11, BG45, BG49, R22, R27
ornament box- E07, E09, E18
squirrel- N1, N2, N4, N6, E93, 0
scarf/mittens- RV02, RV32, Rv34, RV99, E81, E84
cardinals- R14, R17, E08, E19, W5, W7, YR16, YR18
hat/scarf- E81, E84, YG00, YG03, YG17, G94, G99
gifts- BG45, BG49, YG01, YG03, YG17, R27, RV02, RV13