Relax...

TGIF!

The Sweet November Stamps June newsletter was sent out last night, reviewing all of the good things that were added to the shop this month. It also has important information about the very first Sweet November Stamps online retreat that is happening at the end of July... woot, woot! So if you haven't taken a peek at it yet, go check your inbox and see what all we have planned for Camp Sweet November. There are exclusive stamps and a whole box of goodies that come with signing up for the retreat. Spots are limited and I promise you are not going to want to miss this fun-filled event. 

Also found in this month's newsletter is dreamy little Fairwee Junie. She is the subscriber free digi and here I've paired her with a bunch of clear stamps to create this cool and refreshing summer scene. Junie is sitting at the water's edge, thanks to the Fairwees Make a Splash set and settled down next to her is one of the cute frogs from the new Royal Treatment set. In the background I stamped one of the old Horizon Lines: Spring tree lines and up front in the water I added some little fish from the Mermaid Hair set swimming around. The sentiment from the Spring Wees set was too perfect not to use considering how chill Junie appears to be, LOL!

Have a great weekend my friends!

Supply list:
cardstock- Papertrey Ink and Copic X-Press It
digital stamps- Sweet November (Fairwee Junie)
stamps- Sweet November (Royal Treatment, Horizon Lines: Spring, Fairwees Make a Splash, Mermaid Hair and Spring Wees)
ink- Memento tuxedo black, Studio Calico clear blue and Hero Arts blue ombre
Sharpie extra fine white pen
Wink of Stella clear glitter pen
Sakura stardust glitter pen
Copic markers:
skin- E000, E00, E11, E04, R00, R20
hair- E50, E53, E43, E70, E71, B00, B52, B45
swimsuit/wings- RV63, RV66/B00
sand/rocks- E30, E31, E43, E44/N2, C3, C4, T5
water- B01, B02, B04, B05, B06
grass- YG21, YG03, YG25, YG17, YG23, G43, G24, G94
sky- B0000, B000, B00, B01, B02, C0
frog- G20, G40, BG93, YG93, YG95, YG97
trees- YG17, G46, BG99/YG13, G07, G29/YG07, G17, G29, E74

Have a swell day...

 

 Hello again!

Because today is the last day to take advantage of the special bundle deal of 30% OFF the Charmed by the Sea collection at Purple Onion Designs AND get FREE SHIPPING over $75 on domestic orders, I figured it was a good time to share another card. This time around I did a mix and match of some Charmed by the Sea builder elements and characters from the older Sunshine Lake collection. The beautiful Beach House sets the scene and I gave it a simple white wash paint job. I've never been to the east coast but for some reason this kept bringing Nantucket to mind as I was stamping and coloring. To add a bit of distance between the house and my sunbathers, I stamped one of the Beach Fences up on the sand dune. The lucky owners of this quaint seaside get-away are Sampson, the bear, August, the turtle and sweet little Shelly, the mouse. They are enjoying a lazy summer day just soaking up the sun and breathing in the salty sea air. The sentiment is from the new Seaside Sentiment set and it was the perfect size to finish off this design. With that I had a finished summer card that is just beyond cute... have I mentioned how much I love these new stamps?! ;)

Thanks for stopping by!

Supply list:
cardstock- My Favorite Things and Copic X-Press It
stamps- Purple Onion Designs (Beach House, Beach Fence and Boardwalk, August, Sampson, Shelly and Seaside Sentiment set)
ink- Memento rich cocoa and Catherine Pooler icing on the cake
My Favorite Things A2 stitched rectangle stax set 1
Sharpie extra fine white pen
Copic markers:
sand/fence/grass- E50, E30, E31, E34, E35, E43, E44/E47/BG96, BG99
sky- B00, B21, B23, B24, B26
beach house- B00, 0, C0, C2, C3, C4, C5, C7, W5, T1
bear/bathing suit- E53, E55, E57, R000, R30/R24, R27, R29, R89, C2
mouse/bathing suit/ice cream- W2, W4, W5, R000, R30/BG07, BG18, C2/RV13, RV14, E34
turtle/hat/book- YG41, YG45, YG03, G24, Y21, YG91, YG93, YG95, G43/Y02, Y21, Y32, YR24/E21, E23, E81
beach towels- C2, C3, B16, B37

Treat yo'self...

Hello!

I can't tell you how bummed I am that my trip to the hospital cut my part in the  Sweet November Stamps Summer release short. I missed getting to color Live with everyone on that Sunday and I missed all the amazing inspiration from the design team, I just missed everything. I know that there is plenty of time to create with the new stamps now that I'm feeling better, and I can't wait to get to all the scenes I have stamped up, in the mean time there are the few cards that I did get done during the release still left to share. So here I am with the completed card from my morning Live that Saturday, using cute little Quinn. I'm really glad I got to do this specific scene, as it was a request, and something different to share, even if I wasn't at 100% while filming. Quinn looks so happy hanging out poolside with her sweet treat, don't you think? Anywho, you will be seeing plenty more SN Summer release cards here on the ol' blog as summer rolls along.  ;)

Hugs!

Supply list:
cardstock- Papertrey Ink and Copic X-Press It
stamps- Sweet November (Quinn)
ink- Memento tuxedo black and Papertrey Ink raspberry fizz
Sharpie extra fine white pen
Copic markers:
sorry, I didn't keep a list but you can see the colors used here

Sending smiles...

Hey, hey!

I'm back on the TGF blog with another Anya Reboot kit card to share today. Once again I dug way back into my blog archives and this time I found a card that I made in 2010 using the original Fleur Anya. It's safe to say that Fleur Anya has a permanent spot in my top 10 Anyas list so I was excited to ink up this new version of her. She's so pretty with her crown of flowers and long flowing hair and now she's even holding her own long stemmed bloom. I kept the colors I used on her, and in the background, very soft and serene because Fleur seems to have a quiet peace about her. I did follow the original card in that I made her a brunette again, mostly just to see the difference in my coloring after 13 years. There's definitely a lot more subtle contrast happening now compared to my rather flat coloring way back when. The other thing I noticed was that when I relied on patterned papers for my backgrounds, I did a lot of work trying to match my Copic colors to them... and not always successfully, LOL. Now, that I create colored scenes for my characters this color matching isn't necessary but I'm thankful that I started out creating in a different style because it was all that trial and error that got me to where I am now. The sentiment that I finished off my recent card with is from the new A Little Message set and I think it suits Fleur Anya's vibe perfectly. I hope you enjoyed seeing this blast from the past as much as I enjoyed creating it.  :)

Toodles!

 

Supply list:
cardstock- Papertrey Ink and Copic X-Press It
stamps- The Greeting Farm (Anya Reboot kit and A Little Message)
ink- Memento tuxedo black and Hero Arts ombre green
Papertrey Ink Noted medium scallop die
Sharpie extra fine white pen
Wink of Stella clear glitter pen
Copic markers:
skin- E000, E00, E11, E04, R00, R20
hair- E35, E39, E47, E49
flowers/dress- Y11, Y35, YR24, Y000, G20, YG91, YG03, YG25, YG67, Y17, B000, B00, B52, B45
grass- YG03, YG25, YG63, G94
sky- B000, B00, BV0000, BV000, BV01, RV000, RV00, Y000, Y00
flower hedge- Y18, YG13, YG23, YG05, YG45, YG67, V04, RV52, RV55, E57

Time for a little rum...

 Hello friends!

So, you may have noticed that I went a bit MIA last week and without getting into particulars, I was admitted to hospital on Saturday, the 17th. It took being in there a week to get everything sorted and get on the road to recovery. I'm happy to say that I'm feeling SO much better and happy to be back home. Unfortunately, my stay made it impossible to post the cards I've had made for the new Charmed by the Sea release at Purple Onion Designs and now I'm trying to play catch up.

My card today features a mix of old and new stamps to create this colorful sunset beach scene. The Tiki Hut and Tiki Torches and little Mimi, the hedgehog on the left, are all part of the Charmed by the Sea collection, while Sammy, the squirrel and Milly, the second hedgie, are from separate older collections. I did color a fruity drink into Milly's hand so that the two friends would be toasting each other during their tropical get-away and the cheeky sentiment is a mix and match of a couple sentiments from the Pirate-ments and Sea-timents sets. 

Now don't forget that Purple Onion Designs is offering the complete Charmed by the Sea collection as a special bundle deal until Thursday, June 29th AND there is FREE SHIPPING over $75 on domestic orders (no code needed) and $10 OFF international shipping on orders over $85, use code SAVE10 at checkout.

Laters!

 

Supply list:
cardstock- My Favorite Things and Copic X-Press It
stamps- Purple Onion Designs (Mimi, Sammy, Milly, Tiki Hut and Tiki Torch, Pirate-ments and Sea-timents set)
ink- Memento rich cocoa and Catherine Pooler icing on the cake
My Favorite Things A2 stitched rectangle stax set 2
Sharpie extra fine white pen
Copic markers:
sky- B21, B12, B23, B24, B26, V12, V15, BV13, BV04, BV17, RV02, RV04, Y00, Y02, Y15
tiki torches- Y00, Y02, Y15, YR04, YR09, YG00, YG91, Y11, Y26, E39, E79
tiki hut- E35, E39, E79, YG00, Y11, YG91, Y26, YG01, YG03, G43, G94, BG99
sand- Y23, E31, E33, E35, E44
squirrel- E50, E41, E42, E43, E15, E17, E09, R30
hedgies- E50, E41, E42, E43, R30, W2, W4, E31, E34, E44, E47
drinks- Y11, YR12, RV02, RV06, BG11

A Stamping Bella mini release...

Good morning!

For those who may have missed it, Stamping Bella’s founder, Emily Block, passed away in November 2022. Today is Emily’s birthday, and we wanted to do something extra special to celebrate her. So, we have a mini release that includes our beautiful Forever Bella transformed into one of her lovely Uptown Girls, along with her favorite flowers and quotes. There’s also a sale happening that you will want to take advantage of. :)

 

Even after all these months it is hard to believe that Emily isn't here, spreading her creative sunshine all around. She always had something positive to say that would make me feel seen and appreciated. That is why it is such a joy to be creating with these new stamps that represent our dear Em. This Bundle Girl with Lily of the Valley is just as sweet as can be and I colored her into the thick layer of leaves, hidden away from the rest of the garden.

 

I also colored up the special Uptown Girl Emily Da Bella and paired her with one of my favorite Emily quotes that can be found in the new Emily's Sentiment set. There's also something else that makes this stamp extra special... all profits from the sales of this one will be donated to the Emily Block Memorial Fund. The fund supports art therapy programs for the children’s psychiatry department at the JGH in Montreal. Now, Emily usually had a sale on her birthday. We didn’t think this year should be any different, so between now and midnight on 5th July 2023 you can enjoy a store wide discount with a couple of exceptions. The Uptown Girl Emily Da Bella stamp is excluded because it is a charity fundraiser, and existing offers are also excluded.

Happy Birthday Emily, we love and miss ya girl!

 

Lily of the Valley supply list:
cardstock- Lawn Fawn and Copic X-Press It
stamps- Stamping Bella (Bundle Girl with Lily of the Valley and Spring Sentiment set)
ink- Memento tuxedo black and Papertrey Ink pinefeather
Papertrey Ink Noted medium scallop die
Kaiser Craft gems
Copic markers:
skin- E000, E00, E11, E04, R00, R20
flowers/clothes- Y0000, G20, E81, BG90
leaves- YG01, YG03, YG95, YG67, G24, G46, G85, BG99
dirt- E31, E43, E44, E34, YG01, YG11

Emily supply list:
cardstock- Papertrey Ink and Copic X-Press It
stamps- Stamping Bella (Uptown Girl Emily Da Bella and Emily's Sentiment set)
ink- Memento tuxedo black
My Favorite Things wonky stitched rectangle die
Sharpie extra fine white pen
Copic markers:
skin- E000, E00, E11, E04, R00, R20
hair- E50, E51, E53, E42, E43, E44
clothes- T5, T6, T8, T10, C10, C0, C1, BG000, Y15, RV14, YR15, Y04, V05, V09
crystals- B60, B63, B66, B69, BV29, RV00, RV02, RV04, RV06, RV09, RV99
cards- V01, V12
table- E30, E31, E53, E55, E43, E44
flowers- YG03, G24, G40, Y000, E81
scissors/glue- B23, B24, C3/Y11, YR15

 

It's a summertime fairytale clear release at SN!

 

Hello!

Are you ready for a Summer clear release with a touch of fairytale fun? Well, that's exactly what we have going on this weekend at Sweet November Stamps! There are eight new stamp sets being added to the store this time around, with old favorites like the Wees, taking on a tropical twist and new faces and styles to fall in love with too. As always, there is a special going on in the store...  spend $75 or more and you will get 3x4 Quinn absolutely FREE (while supplies last). There is also FREE SHIPPING on all domestic orders over $75 and $15 flat rate shipping for all international orders over $75, giving you even more ways to save!

My first card features the 4x6 Dragon Trio set as well as the sentiment from the older Mirri set.The puff of smoke and cracked egg are separate accessory images that are included in the set but they definitely up the cute factor when masked in with this sweet baby dragon!

Next we have this beauty from the 4x6 Fairytale Unicorns set paired with the sentiment and sparkles from the older I Believe in You set. I actually colored this as a sneak peek during last Saturday's Live coloring video so you can find all of the Copic colors that I used over there.

Finally for today, I've also made a card featuring the sweetest royal couple using the new 6x8 Royal Treatment set. There are three princesses and this handsome prince included in the set and not only do they work wonderfully together, they also coordinate with the Dragons and Unicorn sets as well. For the background on this card I borrowed castle from the Horizon Lines: Seaside Cliffs set and some trees from the older Waterfall Foliage set.

Now, if you are on Instagram and would like a chance at winning the entire release, we are hosting a three day Instahop and we are once again being joined by our friends at The Crafty Purple Frog (SN UK stockist). Just search for the #sweetnovemberstamps account to get started. The winner will be announced on Tuesday, the 20th. You can also check out all of the cards over at the Friends of Sweet November Stamps group on Facebook for even more Summer Fairytale  inspiration from Caitlin, Faye, Lisa, Amanda and Allison as well as our talented guest designers, Cline Passio, Danielle Dunlop and Jeannean Marshall! I will also be coloring Live twice each day this weekend, first at 10am then again at 2pm PST on my Adventures in Coloring with Amy Facebook page. And don't forget about the Youtube hop for another chance at winning the entire release!

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 beach...

Hello there!

I'm up on the Bellariffic blog today and we are headed to the beach for this week's summer inspired Scenic Saturday card. The Mini Oddballs Playing in the Sand had caught my eye and there is something about this mischievous pair that had me excited about telling their story on a card. I began by stamping this fun loving pair into the lower left hand side of this A2 sized card front. I knew that between the ocean, sand and sky that I would need to figure out where the horizon line would land. One of the easiest cheats I share for that is to use the eye line of your main character as a reference point. Grab a ruler and whether a little above of a bit below their eye line, quickly sketch in your horizon and this will convincingly lead the viewer's eye back into the far distance of your scene. Because of their smaller size and the low placement of my stamping, the horizon line at the Oddball girl's eye line ended up splitting the scene nearly perfectly in half. The top of the card became all blue skies and wispy clouds while the bottom half contains all of the action. I wish I could say that I planned for that all along but in truth, this was a happy accident that added a great sense of balance to the over all scene. All that was left for me to do was color up these Mini Oddballs in some bright, happy colors and hint at some rippling waves disappearing off into the distance. As a final finishing touch, I was compelled to add some beach umbrellas way back at the horizon line, opposite the playful kiddos because I felt that the design needed an extra splash of color and balance. To be honest, they probably look more like beach balls but that accomplishes the same goal so you won't find me complaining, LOL!  ;)

 

Stay crafty my friends!

Supply list:
cardstock- Lawn Fawn and Copic X-Press It
stamps- Stamping Bella (Mini Oddballs Playing in the Sand)
ink- Memento tuxedo black and rich cocoa
My Favorite Things A2 stitched rectangle stax set 2
Sharpie extra fine white pen
Copic markers:
skin- E000, E00, E11, E04, R00, R20
girl hair/eyes- E53, E35, E57, E79/BG000, C2, E84, E89
swimsuit/sandals- BG10, BG11, BG13, BG72, Y02, Y13, Y18, C6, 100
boy hair/eyes- YR21, YR04, YR27, E29/BG000, C2, YG23, YG97
crab- R22, R27, YR07/BG000, C2, E57
sand- E30, E31, E33, E35
sea- BG000, BG01, BG02, BG07
sky- BG0000, BG000, BG01, C00, C0, 0
bucket and shovel- YG00, YG03, YG95, Y13, Y17
beach umbrellas- YG13, YG25/Y13, Y18/ YR04, YR07

Let's catch up soon...

 

 

TGIF my friends!

We are continuing to showcase the new Charmed by the Sea collection that was added to the Purple Onion Designs store yesterday. There are 34 new stamps to be found and it is a wonderful mix of sweet, critter characters and fantastic backgrounds and scene building elements, all designed around the theme of summer on the beach. Yesterday, I shared a card where that beach was warm and perfect for splashing and playing in. Today, we are traveling north to cooler coastal beaches where Morton, the raccoon, is busy fishing and running his lobster shack on the wharf. If he's not careful, that gull just may take off with one of those lobsters! This time the sentiment was borrowed from the older Sea-timents set, which is just more proof of how great this new collection mixes and matches back to older sets.

 
Ok, so just in case you missed it yesterday... Purple Onion Designs is offering the complete Charmed by the Sea collection as a special bundle for a limited time. That means all 34 stamps plus the coordinating Seaside Sentiment set can be purchased bundled together with over a 30% discount until Thursday, June 29th. Even better... there is FREE SHIPPING over $75 on domestic orders (no code needed) and $10 OFF international shipping on orders over $85, use code SAVE10 at checkout.

Laters!  :)

Supply list:
cardstock- My Favorite Things and Copic X-Press It
stamps- Purple Onion Designs (Morton, Wharf Accessories set, Wharf Background and Sea-timents set)
ink- Memento rich cocoa and Catherine Pooler juniper mist
My Favorite Things A2 stitched rectangle stax set 1
Pear Blossom Press silver gel pen
Copic markers:
wharf- E42, E43, E44, E47, B00, B41, E81, E84
sea- B21, B12, B45, B97, 0
sky- B0000, B000, B21, B41, B52
gull- N0, N1, N2, N3, N4, 0, Y19
raccoon- E50, E40, E81, R30, W3, W5, W6, W7, W9
clothes/fish bucket- V01, Y00, Y11, Y13, Y15, Y26, YG03, YG93, YG95, YG99/BG90, BG93, BG96, BG11, C2, C3, C5
shack/signage- N1, N3, 0, B41, B52, B95/B24, B37, B39, R14, R27
buoys- C2, C4, C7, C10, Y15, Y26, B02, B05, R14, R27, YR15, YR18, G03, G07, E84
lobsters- E34, E43, E44, E95, E97, E15, E27, E29, R22, R24