Hello friend...

 Hello again! 

I stamped up this spring flower garden scene on Sunday so I would have something ready to color yesterday. At the time I was so grateful that it was the tail end of February and it seemed like winter was finally behind us. Imagine my surprise and complete dismay when I looked up from my work yesterday only to see the snow flying once again. And to make matters worse it snowed most of the day with more in the forecast as I type this... blerg! Needless to say, it felt kind of weird when I finally got a chance to sit down and color these cuties from Hello Bluebird. I'm trying to look at it as a portent of spring and hope that this new snow doesn't stick around for very long. As for this scene, I mixed and matched characters from the Bloom and Grow set with the Flower Friends set. I created the flower beds for them to be working in by repeat stamping the little flower stamps multiple times so it looks like they are harvesting the best blooms to sell as bouquets at the local farmer's market. I framed them all in using the Gallery Frame #1 in a dark brown card stock and chose a coordinating ink for the sentiment.

Here's hoping I can make it through the day without falling in the fresh snow, LOL!

Supply list:
cardstock- Papertrey Ink and Copic X-Press It
stamps- Hello Bluebird (Bloom and Grow and Flower Friends)
ink- Memento rich cocoa and Catherine Pooler chocolate cake
Hello Bluebird Gallery Frame #1 die
Copic markers:
sky- B0000, B000, B00, B01, C0, C1, 0
hedge/grass- Y11, Y21, Y26/YG03, G43, G24, G94
dirt- E31, E42, E43, E44
bees- Y02, Y26, E47, E49, G00
flowers- YG03, YG17, BG96/RV11, RV14, RV25/Y04, Y17, YR04/V04, V09/V12, V17, RV55, Y18
bear- E30, E31, E33, E34, E44, E93
worm- YR000, E93, E04
mole- YR00, E93, E04, N2, N4, N5, N6/B02, B16, B37, B00
deer- W5, W7, E50, E51, E53, E55, E57, E31, R30/C00, C1, C3, B000, B52, B45, Y11, Y21, Y26
wheel barrow- T4, T5, T7, C2, C3, C4, C5, E59

 

A fairy special day...

Good morning!

The Sweet November Stamps newsletter went out this past weekend and I hope you've been signed up so you could grab this lovely Spring Fairy Eartha digi for free. She is our way to celebrate both 'Fae-bruary' and black history month. Of course she is available for purchase in the store but newsletter subscribers always get an exclusive code to grab the monthly digis for free, as a thank you from my sister and me. Since she is a fairy, I had fun giving Eartha some hot pink hair to match the flowers growing in the background behind her. I balanced that with a super soft, light pink dress with green accents. She definitely looks like a spring garden to me. :)

Toodles! 

Supply list:
cardstock- My Favorite Things and Copic X-Press It
digital stamps- Sweet November Stamps (Spring Fairy Eartha and Dahlia and Peony Background Scene Builders)
stamps- My Favorite Things (sentiment)
ink- Papertrey Ink flamingo
My Favorite Things A2 stitched rectangle stax set 2
Sharpie extra fine white pen
Wink of Stella clear glitter pen
Copic markers:
skin- BV13, E21, E13, E23, E25
hair- RV02, RV04, RV09, RV99
clothes- RV000, RV00, RV10, RV91, RV93, RV06, YG00, YG01, YG03, YG95, YG97
wings- Y000, Y00, YR30, YR31
leaves- YG21, YG13, YG05, G07, G46, BG93, BG96, BG99
flowers- G20, Y18, YG25
background- YG13, YG05, YG17, G07, BG96, BG99, BG15, RV02, RV06, RV09

 

Robots vs. Aliens...

 

Hello friends!

Ok, ok... so I know we said that new releases would be every other week at Sweet November Stamps, and that's still true. However, the SN DT gals recently inspired me with the idea for some crazy fun Robots vs Aliens digis and I got swept away into creating an entire release that we just had to squeeze into the schedule sooner rather than later. So here we are with three robots and three aliens as well as a background builder and coordinating sentiment set. With the robots you get both a left and right version so their numbers read correctly either way and with the aliens you get a bare version and one with them wearing a shirt.

My first card is a long slimline because the chase is on between Robot QT3 and Alien 3 with his ray gun. They are racing across the alien planet background and it looks to be more of a fun game than any serious apprehension. If you are interested in watching this scene being colored you can find the short Reel over on my Instagram or there is also the longer speed coloring video that can be found on the Sweet November Stamps Youtube channel.

Next, we are back on Earth and the UFO from the Background Builder set has come to pick up Alien 2 while Robot QT2 isn't sure about being taken for a ride too.

Finally, we are back in space with all three of the aliens. It looks like Alien 1 has called their ship back to pick he and Alien 2 up after their brief excursion. Alien 3 is up in the cockpit, ready to take them all home. :)

Now be sure to check out the Friends of Sweet November Stamps group on Facebook for even more Robots vs. Aliens shenanigans from Caitlin, Faye, Allison, Amanda and Lisa. As well as our fabulous guest designers Annabel Haines and Claire Harrison. Don't forget, I will be coloring Live today at 11am PST over on my Adventures in Coloring with Amy Facebook page and I hope to see ya there!

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!

 

Life is a balance...

Hello!

I'm up on the Bellariffic blog with a Scenic Saturday card full of spring colors. In fact, before I even began stamping I went to Pinterest and searched 'spring color palette' to find my inspiration. I love having resources like that for the times when I need a little extra push to get a card started. This particular palette came from a photo of a lovely flower bouquet in a blue tinted Mason jar and the combo of coral, blush pink, spring greens and tumbled glass had me searching through my collection of Bundle Girls. I quickly landed on the adorable Bundle Girl with Balloons to build my card around.

Since this Bundle Girl has released her balloons up into the sky and the sentiment that comes with her is all about letting things go, I wanted to play up height in this scene and choosing a slimline or mini slimline card base is a great way to do that. I also purposefully stamped the balloons so the highest one is partially cut off at the top of the card, this adds a sense that the sky extends even further up than we can see. Another trick I played with to add the illusion of height was coloring in the tall bank of fluffy clouds off in the distance. I shaded them pretty heavily on the underside to make the bright white edges hint at some strong sunlight shining down on Bundle Girl and her balloons. Her upturned face also leads the eye to the top so all of those various details come together to reinforce the overall theme. 

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  :)

Supply list:
cardstock- Hero Arts and Copic X-Press It
stamps- Stamping Bella (Bundle Girl with Balloons)
ink- Memento tuxedo black and Catherine Pooler fiesta blue
Pinkfresh Studio mini slimline die
Sakura stardust glitter pen
Ranger glossy accents
Copic markers:
skin- E000, E00, E11, E04, R00, R20
clothes- E40, E81, 0, YR65, YR68, YG00, G21, G24, RV42, R43, BG53, BG75, YR02, E84, E87, E89
balloons- YR61, YR02,YR07, YR65, YR68, E09, 0, R11, R21, R32, R43, RV42, YG00, G20, G21, G24
sky- BG0000, BG000, BG53, C00, C0, C1, 0
hedge- BG72, BG75
grass- YG00, YG01, G40, G21, G43, G24, G94, G99

You are so creative...

Hey there!

I'm up on the TGF blog today and I hope you are still enjoying the big Anya Combo kit because I sure am. My goal is to get all eight of the cuties onto their own cards before the new Anya mystery kit arrives some time next month. I've only got three Anyas left to go, it might be close but I think I can do it. As for today's card, this pig-tailed Anya with her cozy sweater looked to me like she would be enjoying a cold spring day indoors. The only question I had was what would she be occupying her time with on a rainy day inside? As always, I went to the digital stamps section of the store and just browsed through the sets, looking for inspiration. I came across Tablet Anya and I had my hook. This Anya would be a little artist happily drawing on her ipad. To build up her creative space, I grabbed the bay window from the Bay Window digi set, some comfy pillows and the juice box from the Picnic digi set, the potted plant and stack of pillows from the Kitty Love digi set and the cute kitten from the Breakfast at Cheeky's digi set. The only thing I had to draw in myself was the ipencil for her tablet. At last I could finally start coloring up this rainy day scene using my Copic markers. Outside the bay window I laid down a simple wash of light greens extending back into the distance. Then I used some blue markers right over top, adding vertical streaks of darker blue to help bring to mind falling rain obscuring the view. I brought more blue tones into Anya's creative space to tie in with the background but when it came time to color Anya herself I made sure that she stood out against all those cool colors with some bright, sunshiny yellow. This guaranteed that she would be the star of the show in her space.

Now I hope you all take a cue from Anya and stay crafty my friends!  :)

Supply list:
cardstock- My Favorite Things and Copic X-Press It
digital stamps- The Greeting Farm (Tablet Anya, Bay Window, Picnic, Kitty Love and Breakfast at Cheeky's)
stamps- The Greeting Farm (Anya Combo kit)
ink- Memento tuxedo black and Catherine Pooler juniper mist
My Favorite Things A2 stitched rectangle stax set 1
Pear Blossom Press silver gel pen
Copic markers:
skin- E000, E00, E11, E04, R00, R20
hair- E23, E37, E59, E49
clothes- V01, Y11, Y13, Y21, Y26, W00, E81, E84, E89, B52, YR12, YR04, YG25, C3, B21, B45
pillows- W00, E81, E84, B95, B97, B99, YR21, YR12, YR27, YR18
floor/wall/ceiling- E43, E44, E47, E49/E40, E41, E42, W3/W00, W0, W1, W2
window- C0, C1, C3/YG00, YG21, G20, G40, G82, YG63, E42, E43, B0000, B21, B52
cat- C2, C6, C7, C9
plant- YG01, G14, G46, BG99, E55, E57, B91, B93, B95
tablet- C3, E01, YR14, B63, R43
juice box- R43, R46, YG01, YG25, YG17

Just bee-cause...

Hello, hello! 

I'm up on the Hello Bluebird blog again with a card that is a bit different from the ones I usually share. It still features all the things that make up my personal card making style; Copic coloring and stamping and masking the images into scenes. The only difference is that this time I chose to contain all of that to a narrow strip running down the side of the card rather than fill the entire card front. It didn't take me long to grab the adorable Bee Happy set to be the stars of this card but rather than pairing them with the berries and flowers included in their set I opted to pair them with the Flower Garden set instead. 

To start, I cut a strip of Copic X-Press It card stock to 1.75" wide by 5.5" tall so that vertically it runs the length of this A2 sized card. Next, I began stamping and masking the bees and flowers down the narrow strip using Memento Rich Cocoa ink. It was important to make sure that I let parts of the flowers and bees stamp off the sides so we only see portions of the petals or wings etc. This is visually more dynamic and appealing to the eye because it forces the viewers brain to envision the scene expanding beyond the confines of this narrow window into the colorful garden. Once I had used my Copic markers to color everything I matted the strip on dark brown card stock, leaving a narrow edge framing the scene on either side. The scene was then glued to a white card base. With all of that white space off to the side, I wanted to add a decorative sentiment that would really stand out. I thought it would be fun to stamp another bee on a scrap piece of Copic X-Press It card stock, then fussy cut and glue him outside of the flower garden. I also stamped one of the little flying trails that come in the Bee Happy set below the bee directly on the card base. Next I used the 'hello' die that comes in the Gallery Frame #1 die set to cut the word out of yellow card stock four times. Those four layers were then glued together to give the sentiment some height before I finally glued the whole thing to the card front as well. I then used the same brown card stock that I matted the scene with to stamp and heat emboss the rest of the sentiment on. The little strip was lifted using foam mounting tape so I could tuck a sequin partially beneath it for some added sparkle and shine. It's certainly a fun and happy card, with all of those bright colors all packed so closely together, yet it doesn't get too busy since I left some pace for the design to breathe. 

Well, I hope you like this take on a scene... stay crafty my friends!  

Supply list:
cardstock- Papertrey Ink, My Favorite Things and Copic X-Press It
stamps- Hello Bluebird (Bee Happy and Flower Garden)
ink- Memento rich cocoa, Versamark watermark and Catherine Pooler chocolate cake
Hero Arts detail white embossing powder
Hello Bluebird Gallery Frame #1 die
Wink of Stella clear glitter pen
Studio Calico sequins
Copic markers:
sky- B000, B01, B02, YG01
bees- Y0000, Y000, Y11, Y21, Y26, R30, E25, E57, E49, W0, BG10
roses- RV00, RV10, RV21, RV14, RV34
small flowers- V000, V01, V12, V15, Y0000, Y02, Y18
leaves- YG03, YG17, YG95, YG97
berries- Y35, YR04, YR09, YG05, YG67, BG96
large flowers- RV52, RV63, RV55, RV66, Y13, Y15, E37, E89
med. flowers- RV000, RV00, RV02, RV34, Y15, Y18, E37, E89, E97

 

Have a beautiful day...

Good morning!

It was feeling like a Purple Onion Designs kind of day yesterday even though I had no idea what kind of card I wanted to make. I pulled out my binder of stamps and flipped through until the Ivy Country Cottage from the A Happy Little Place collection caught my eye and a scene started to take shape in my head. All I had to do was find the cute little puppy, Puddles, so I could have him sitting out in the front yard and a sweet scene would be ready to color. Puddles looks to be right at home here and who could blame him? I still dream of having an idyllic country cottage to call home some day, surrounded by wild butterfly gardens and plenty of old shade trees to read under on nice days. Sigh... the power of positive thinking, right?  :)

Ok gotta run, but I will see y'all tomorrow! 

Supply list:
cardstock- Papertrey Ink and Catherine Pooler
stamps- Purple Onion Designs (Puddles, Ivy Country Cottage and sentiment)
ink- Memento rich cocoa and Catherine Pooler chocolate cake
My Favorite Things A2 stitched rectangle stax set 1
Copic markers:
cottage- E81, E84, E87, E40, E43, E44, E47, T4, T5, T6, W5, W7, B000, YR23, YR24, E25
sky- B0000, B000, B00, 0, C0
tree- E55, E57, E59, YG03, YG17, G46, BG96
ivy- G14, G07, G85, BG96
puppy- E30, E31, E34, E35, E39, E59
flowers- Y11, Y13, Y18, YG23, G24, G99, RV63, RV66, RV14, YG67
dirt path- E30, E31, E42, E43, E34, E44
grass- YG00, YG03, YG63, YG93, G94

Sweet little dream come true...

Hey, hey!

Yesterday we introduced the Fairy Sleep Over collection at Sweet November Stamps with four sleepy fairies; Camilla, Deirdre, Lacey and Maisy as well as the foxglove accessory set. I had saved sweet little Maisy for my Live coloring video over on Adventures in Coloring with Amy and just look at how cute she turned out with everyone's great suggestions. I was able to go over things like working with direct light sources and contrast in night scenes. All in all, another fun Live and a great time spent with my fellow crafty peeps. :)

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

Supply list:
cardstock- Bazzill and Copic X-Press It
digital stamps- Sweet November Stamps (Sleepover Fairy Maisy and Foxglove Accessory set)
stamps- Hello Bluebird (sentiment)
ink- Catherine Pooler grape crush
My Favorite Things A2 stitched rectangle stax set 1
Wink of Stella clear glitter pen
Sharpie extra fine white pen
Copic markers:
sorry, I didn't keep a list but you can see the colors used here
 
 

It's a fairy sleep over...

 

Hello friends!

Are you ready for a new digital stamp release at Sweet November Stamps? Today we are introducing the four little slumbering fairies that make up the Fairy Sleep Over collection as well as the coordinating Foxglove accessory set. These adorable fairy friends are all resting after a long day of playing in the flower fields and the great thing is that you not only get them sleeping in their flower beds but also a version of them sleeping out in the open so you can pair them with all sorts of different backgrounds and accessories. In this new collection you will find: Camilla, Deirdre, Lacey and Maisy as well as the foxglove accessory set. 

For my first card I cropped in really close on Camilla sleeping in her foxglove flower bed. The candle and firefly are part of the accessory set and they add lots of opportunities to practice coloring from a direct light source.  If you are interested in watching this scene being colored you can find the short Reel over on my Instagram or there is also the longer speed coloring video that can be found on the Sweet November Stamps Youtube channel.

Next, I gave Deirdre the same treatment, as I like to create coordinating card sets on these release days. I simply added the lantern rather than the candle and used a different color palette on her flowers. They are small changes but they really do give this scene it's own look.

And finally, Lacey is sleeping in her pretty periwinkle bluebells. With a lantern as her night light and that cute firefly checking in on her one can only imagine what it is that fairies dream of. :)

Now be sure to check out the Friends of Sweet November Stamps group on Facebook for even more Fairy Sleep Over magic from Caitlin, Faye, Allison, Amanda and Lisa. As well as our fabulous guest designers Cline Passio and Danni Bindel. Don't forget, I will be coloring Live today at 11am PST over on my Adventures in Coloring with Amy Facebook page and I hope to see ya there!

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!