You're the marshmallows to my cocoa...

Hello friends!

I'm up on the Hello Bluebird blog with a cute cold weather card to bring smiles during these winter days. As I was flipping through my collection of Hello Bluebird stamp sets the cute little hedgehog riding on a sled in the Snow Day set caught my eye. Having kept a pair of hedgehogs as pets years ago, I still have a soft spot in my heart for these prickly little critters. Now I just needed to figure out where this guy was headed, so I continued to flip through my stamps until I found another hedgie in the Coffee Friends set. That's when the idea for a scene finally came together... an early winter morning deep in the woods where all of the forest critters come to start their day with a warm cup of cocoa together. I liked the idea of the owl from Coffee Friends serving everyone their drinks so I decided to place him in the large tree from the Tree Neighbors set through a bit of masking. So far the scene was coming together quite nicely but I wanted one more critter to round out the crew. I fell in love with the tiny bunny from the O Christmas Tree set with his back turned and he was perfectly posed to mask an extra venti sized to-go cup from the Autumn Gatherings set into his paws. Now this gathering of friends seemed complete and it was time to color. Rather than the usual aquas and blues of winter snow I opted for a pretty purple and yellow color scheme in the sky and snow that I colored in behind them using Copic markers. The distant tree silhouettes were also sketched in using three different shades of purple to create the illusion of them receding into the distance using aerial perspective. If you have the Tree Neighbors set you may also notice that I colored in a finished edge on the left side of the tree that is cut off on the original stamp. Coloring in a couple more bark lines by hand is a simple way to get more use out of this awesome stamp because now I can place it anywhere on the card that I want. Finally, I completed this friendly get-together with a sentiment from the Cocoa Party set stamped in the same Memento Rich Cocoa ink that I used to stamp the entire scene. Mixing and matching images from various stamp sets is one of my most favorite things as it really expands the different kinds of stories you can tell with your cards. So always be looking at the stamp sets in your collection with an eye towards new combinations for some extra crafty fun. ;)

Toodles!

Supply list:
cardstock- My Favorite Things and Copic X-Press It
stamps- Hello Bluebird (Autumn Gatherings, O Christmas Tree, Snow Day, Tree Neighbors and Cocoa Party)
ink- Memento rich cocoa
My Favorite Things A2 stitched rectangle stax set 1
Sharpie extra fin white pen
Copic markers:
big tree- E42, E43, E44, E47, W2, W3, W4, W5
sky/snow/trees- Y0000, YR30, YR31, RV000, RV00, RV63, V12, V15, V17, BV0000, BV000, BV01
sled- E41, E43, E44, C4
hedgies- E50, E30, E31, E43, R000, R30, E53, E55, E43, E44
squirrel- N0, N1, N2, N3, N4, N5, R000, R30
bunny- C0, C1, C2, C3, R000, R30, 0
owl- E21, E23, E34, E42, E43, E44, YR31, YR24
scarves/hats- YR30, YR21, Y000, Y11, E81, E84, E50, YG01, YG93, YG95, YG97, V12, V15, V17, BV04
cocoa cups- C1, C3, W2, E27, E31, E33, E34, E44

 

Heffy Doodle and The Greeting Farm Collaboration Blog Hop

 

 

Hello!

Welcome to the Heffy Doodle and The Greeting Farm Collaboration Blog Hop! Today design team members from both of these awesome companies have come together to share inspiration using products from each on a single card or project!

And what would a hop be without prizes? To be entered to win the giveaway, all you need to do is comment at each stop along the Blog Hop! The Greeting Farm will be giving away a $35 gift certificate and Heffy Doodle will be giving away £25 gift certificate to their respective stores!  Be sure to comment before 11:59 PM EST on Jan 21st to be entered to win!

Each company will post their random winner on Jan 22nd at 10AM EST so make sure to check the Heffy Doodle Blog and The Greeting Farm Blog to see if you’re a winner!

For my card today I have combined the new TGF Miss Anya Amazing set with the Purrfect Day stamp set from Heffy Doodle. Miss Anya loves her kitties and has set them up with their very own cat tower to lounge and play on. They all look quite at home in this living room scene that I stamped and masked together. :)

Ok, so I promise not to keep you too long. Below is the list of hop participants for you to check out and enjoy all of the creativity on display. Have fun and good luck! 

Blog Hop Lineup:

Heffy Doodle Blog

Amy Young (you are here)

Carrie Rhoades

Cynthia Roybal

Cassie Trask
Elisabete Balcavage

Amanda Stevens 

Rosemary Bridges

Tatiana Trafimovich

The Greeting Farm Blog

Supply list:
cardstock- My Favorite Things and Catherine Pooler
stamps- The Greeting Farm (Miss Anya Amazing and Mice Shelving), Heffy Doodle (Purrfect Day)
ink- Memento tuxedo black and rich cocoa, Papertrey Ink new leaf
My Favorite Things A2 stitched rectangle stax set 1
Copic markers:
skin- E000, E00, E11, E04, R00, R20
hair- Y32, YR02, E97, E35
clothes/mug- B91, B93, B95, B97, C1, C2, C3, C4, 100, YG03, YG97, RV02, RV14/BG70, BG72, E27
cat climb- E40, E81, E84, W3, W4, E30, E31, E34, E43
chair- E55, E57, E59, E41, E42, YG95, YG97
coffee table/shelf- E41, E42, E43, E44, E47
floor/wall- BG90, BG93/C00, N0, N1, N2, N3
flowers/sign- YG21, G24, YG17, YG67, RV55, RV66, BG70, BG72/E30, E31, E44
top cat- C1, C2, C3, C5, C6, C7, C9, R30, E04
toy/floor cat- Y04, Y17, Y38, YR18/E50, E42, E81, W3, W5, YR21, YR14, E97, R30
table cat- W1, W3, W4, W5, W8, R00, R30, E04

Have a gorgeous day sweetheart...

Hello friends!

I'm up on the TGF blog today and I'm excited to be sharing a card using the newest digital stamp set called Breakfast at Cheeky's which is now available in the TGF store! This sleek and stylish Cheeky comes with extra accessory images that can easily be layered on, like her hat, a couple pairs of glasses and a champagne flute, to dress her up even more. You will also find two great sentiments and a sweet little cat as well.

I really wanted to play up the movie inspiration for this set on my card so I also grabbed images from the Store Fronts digi set and Cheeky Shop digi set to help set the scene. I wanted to capture Cheeky as she looks in at the window display so I took one of the store fronts, cropped in close around the square window and then blew that window up really big. Next, I began placing images both behind and in front of that square window. Cheeky and the row of buildings across the street all went behind the window while the flowers, purse, mannequin and jewelry box all were placed in front. This creates the illusion that we, the viewer, are standing inside the store watching Cheeky as she passes by on the street and stops to dream about a pretty new piece of jewelry to add to her collection. I also did my best to match that classic Tiffany blue to be the primary color that runs throughout a mostly black and white scene. This hue is so synonymous with the brand that it was an easy way to tell the story of where Cheeky is without having to specifically write Tiffany & Co anywhere on the card. 

Oh, and if you are wondering how I was able to give a digital Cheeky pink lips I first printed out my scene on regular, thin computer paper, grabbed a sheet of Copic X-Press It and layered it over the print out so I could see the image beneath, then used a small piece of masking paper over the space where the lips would print. That way once I ran my Copic X-Press It through the printer I could simply peel off the masking paper with the black lips leaving an empty space on her face, layered the two print outs again and used an R43 Copic marker to trace the lips back in. Sure, it's a little extra effort but worth it if you like to add some colorful lipstick to these beauties.  ;)

Ta ta for now!

Supply list:
cardstock- Papertrey Ink and Copic X-Press It
digital stamps- The Greeting Farm (Breakfast at Cheeky's set, Store Fronts set and Cheeky Shop set)
My Favorite Things A2 stitched rectangle stax set 2
Sharpie extra fine white pen
Wink of Stella clear glitter pen
Sakura stardust glitter pen
Nuvo dream drops
Copic markers:
skin- E000, E00, E11, E04, R00, R20, RV11, R43
hair- E23, E57, E49
eyes- E34, E35
clothes- T5, T6, T7, T8, T10, 110, W4, W5, W7, W10, C5, C7, C8, C10, 100, N3, N6, N10
window display- Y0000, Y000, E81, E84, YG21, YG05, G24, G94, BG11, BG53, BG72, BG75, E31, E33, E34, E44, 100
buildings/street- B12, BG10, C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6, C7, C8, C9, C10, 100, W2, W3, W4, W5

You are my happily ever after...

Olo!

The new Love Experts digital release was just added to the Sweet November Stamps store yesterday and everyone seems to be falling in love with these flirty little trolls. For my Live coloring I enlarged just the heads and shoulders of Neddyboo and Lalaloo then positioned them together like they are about to kiss. By positioning them low on the card I left plenty of room for a large sentiment up top. During the Live my crafty friends suggested I add a floral arch in the background so we created a very impressionistic take on it which I think turned out quite lovely. We had a lot of fun with color choices and talked a bit about the colorless blender and uses for it... you might notice some of the little ghost hearts floating above their heads. All in all it was another fun Live shared with my fellow colorists. :)

Later gators!

Supply list:
cardstock- Papertrey Ink and Copic X-Press It
digital stamps- Sweet November (Love Experts Neddyboo and Lalaloo)
stamps- My Favorite Things (sentiment)
ink- Catherine Pooler it's a boy and Versamark watermark
Hero Arts detail white embossing powder
My Favorite Things stitched rectangle stax set 2
Pear Blossom Press silver pen
Copic markers:
Sorry, I didn't keep a list but you can see the colors used here

Love experts...

 

Hey there!

It's time to celebrate Valentine's Day at Sweet November Stamps and we've brought in some Love Experts to do just that. The SN Trolls are back on the scene and they've brought their troll sweethearts with them for this sweet and silly digital release. The Love Experts collection consists of two troll couples; Winkyjinx and McHeartsly and Neddyboo and Lalaloo as well as a Troll House and Kissing Bridge background builders.

My first card finds Winkyjinx and McHeartsly exchanging love tokens outside the Troll House that overlooks the Troll Bridge from the Halloween release. McHeartsly is proud of the heart shaped rock that he has found and he is gifting it to his lady love, which is quite the gesture for a troll. It certainly looks like he has won Winkyjinx over.  ;)

My second card finds Neddyboo and Lalaloo strolling across the Kissing Bridge. Off in the distance I added some trees from the Riverbed Background Builder set and colored them in pretty pinks, like cherry blossoms in full bloom. These two love birds have paused for a moment as Neddyboo blows a kiss to Lalaloo. 

Now be sure to check out the Friends of Sweet November Stamps group on Facebook for even more Love Experts sweetness from Caitlin, Faye and Tee. I also want to take a moment to introduce a new Sweet November Gal joining the team full time, please give a warm welcome to Lisa Jannaway! Lisa is such a talented colorist and card maker and we are all very excited to have her joining us. Lisa's roll is a bit different as she will be focusing on shining the spotlight on older digital releases that may get overlooked with all the new images constantly being added to the shop. Oh and 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!

 

 

TGF release blog hop!

The JANUARY 2022 RELEASE is now available for purchase in The Greeting Farm Store! This month we introduced three new sets. Our first stamp set called MISS ANYA AMAZING features a seated Miss Anya, along with accessories to create a cute little reading nook. It is a great set for reminding our friends just how amazing each of them really are. Next, we introduced the most adorable, mischievous mice in a set called MICE SHELVING. Our last set called BREEZY COUPLE features Anya and Ian ready for those warm weather adventures.

For my card today I've inked up the cute Ian from the Breezy Couple set and stamped the dandelion puff into his hand. As I began coloring a background for this happy lad I couldn't resist leaning hard into the dandelion theme and filled the ground with bright pops of yellow and little white puffs. Can I just say that even though it's January I am so ready for sunnier days like this one that Ian is enjoying.

To celebrate this release we are having a short BLOG HOP! One lucky fan will take home the entire release! You have until January 18th, 12pm CST/1pm EST to leave your comments on each Designer's Blog. Then head back to The Greeting Farm Blog to let us know you completed the hop. Only leave one comment please (comments are admin approved so it may take a day for your comment to be visible). We will announce the random winner later in the week on the Blog and in our Facebook Group: The Greeting Farm Fan Page.

NOTE: Please use the same name on all the blogs when leaving a comment, and do not pick the Anonymous option (otherwise we won't be able to verify that it's you). Thank You!

TGF Design Team:
Amy
Cynthia
Elisabete
Jo
Larisa

This is a short hop and definitely worth playing along! If you want to grab your favorites now, you can purchase the new stamps HERE. We will have more cards featuring the New Release from our Design Team Leaders starting on the 19th so be sure to stop by The Greeting Farm Blog to see more inspiration.

Happy Hopping!

Supply list:
cardstock- Papertrey Ink and Catherine Pooler
stamps- The Greeting Farm (Breezy Couple)
ink- Memento tuxedo black and Catherine Pooler it's a boy
My Favorite Things A2 stitched rectangle stax set 2
Sharpie extra fine white pen
Copic markers:
skin- E000, E00, E11, E04, R00, R20
hair- E30, E51, E53, E34
clothes- B93, B95, B97, B99, Y11, Y15, Y17, BV20, N4, N7, N9, C2
sky- B0000, B000, B00, B01
grass/dandelions- YG00, YG01, YG21, YG03, YG25, YG63, G94, G99/E81, E84, Y15, Y17
tree line- YG13, YG17

 

Have an easy breezy day...

 

Hi friends!

It's day three of the Greeting Farm's January release and today we are introducing a new pair of Anya and Ian stamps called Breezy Couple. This darling duo is looking ahead to sunnier spring days filled with light breezes and dandelions brightening the ground beneath their feet. In fact, the set also includes a pinwheel and dandelion puff that can be added to either ones hands. My card today focuses on Anya with the pinwheel and the sentiment above her comes in the set too. 

Now hop on over to the TGF blog to see all of the easy breezy cards from my fellow Farmers using the new Breezy Couple set. Then check back tomorrow for the release day hop and a chance to win all three of the new stamp sets. :)

Supply list:
cardstock- Papertrey Ink and Catherine Pooler
stamps- The Greeting Farm (Breezy Couple)
ink- Memento tuxedo black and Catherine Pooler it's a boy
My Favorite Things A2 stitched rectangle stax set 2
Sharpie extra fine white pen
Copic markers:
skin- E000, E00, E11, E04, R00, R20, E15
hair- YR31, YR24, YR27, E29
clothes/pinwheel- C00, C2, C3, BG11, BG23, BG07, BG75, RV04, RV19, RV99, RV10, RV02, RV34
sky- B0000, BG000, B00, B12
grass- YG01, YG03, YG63, G94, G99
flowers- Y15, RV63, RV55, V15, V17, YG13, YG67, G14, G07