Dashing through the snow...

Hey there!

When I sat down to create yesterday I was feeling the itch to play with some MFT images but wasn't sure which ones. So I decided to check out what challenges they are currently running and see if inspiration would strike. When I got to the current  slimline challenge and saw that it wanted us to include cats or dogs an idea began to form. First I pulled out the Double Stitched slimline die set and cut out a base using the second largest die. Next, I grabbed my binder of Birdie Brown stamps and started pulling sets that would work together to build a fun winter scene. The boys from the Pile on the Hugs set were the first to catch my eye because I loved their movement and energy. Once I had them I knew I needed some dogs to join the fun and games and they had to have that same high energy. The Best in Show set was perfect with its running pups! To build out the background I grabbed the snow covered fence from the Snow Buddies set and the little buildings and sentiment from the Ready, Set, Snow set. I then stamped and masked them all together into a cohesive snowball fight scene. I made sure to color the boys in bright, fun colors so they would really stand out against all that snow and the dogs are just as much a part of the action as the kiddos. All in all I think the end result totally fits the challenge and even better than that, it makes me smile. :) 

Later gators!  :) 

Supply list:
cardstock- My Favorite Things and Copic X-Press It
stamps- My Favorite Things (Pile on the Hugs, Snow Buddies, Best in Show and Ready, Set, Snow)
ink- Memento tuxedo black and london fog
My Favorite Things double stitched slimline stax
Sharpie extra fine white pen
Copic markers:
sky- Y000, Y00, B000, B00, B21, B52
snow- B0000, B000, B21, BV0000, BV00
fence- E31, E43, E44
trees- BG93, BG96
houses- E81, E84, T5, T7, E15, E18
dog 1- N2, N3, N4, W3, E40, E41, E30, E34, R30, R20
dog 2- E30, E31, E33, T4, T5, T6, T7, C7, C10, R20, R30, E04
boy 1 skin- E000, E00, E11, E04, R00, R20, R21, E15
boy 1 hair- YR21, YR14, YR27, E39
boy 1 clothes- Y11, Y35, Y17, Y38, B06, B18, B39, C5, C7, C10, T5, T6, T9
boy 2 skin- E00, E21, E13, E23, E25, R20, E04
boy 2 hair- E44, E47, E49, W10
boy 2 clothes- Y38, YR04, YR18, BG45, BG49, BG78, W4, W5, W8, N1, N2
boy 3 skin- E000, E00, E11, E04, R00, R20
boy 3 hair- E50, E51, E53, E55
boy 3 clothes- YG01, YG23, YG17, C6, C8, C10, B95, B97, B99, Y11, Y15, Y26

A snowflake is winter's butterfly...

Olo!

I've got another one of the new Mini Oddballs from Stamping Bella to share with you today. Mini Snowflake Oddball has brought a winter storm with her and the white stuff is supposed to keep piling up all week in my neck of the woods. I know it is good to be getting this snow pack in the long run but boy is my attitude about trying to get around in it on par with the look on Snowflake's face, LOL! I kept the background simple, with a pretty multi-colored sky and fresh tracks in the snow where she walked into the scene. Snowflake is definitely the star of this winter wonderland. :)

Stay warm and cozy my friends! 

Supply list:
cardstock- My Favorite Things and Copic X-Press It
stamps- Stamping Bella (Mini Snowflake Oddball)
ink- Memento tuxedo black
My Favorite Things blueprints die
Sharpie extra fine white pen
Dr PH Martin's bleed proof white
Sakura stardust glitter pen
Copic markers:
skin- E000, E00, E11, E04, R00, R20
hair- E50, E51, E53, E55
eyes- BG000, C2, BV23, BV25, BV29
clothes- C00, C2, V0000, V000, V01, RV52, RV55, RV99, BV01, BV02, BV04, W4, C5, C7, C9
snow- BV0000, BV000, BV00, BG70, B0000
sky- B000, B00, BV0000, BV00, RV000, RV00

A winter full of wonder...

Good morning!

I'm excited to be kicking off a brand new year of inspiration over on the TGF blog today. With the arrival of January this is the perfect time to continue my personal challenge of creating a card a month using the Miss Anya All Year kit. Now even though it is called All Year, there is only enough room for ten different Miss Anyas in the kit so I had to get creative with Miss January. I ended up altering December just a bit by wiping the ink off of the gift she is originally holding as well as the little top knot in her hair before I stamped her on the card stock. I then filled the empty space where the gift had been with a simple circle that I drew in and colored into a snowball. These are simple changes anyone can do, no drawing skills required... I promise! Now she looks like a gal ready to enjoy an afternoon in a snow covered park. Speaking of that park, I played with a handful of digital stamp sets to build this background for Miss Anya. The bench came from the Park Lunch set and the lamp posts are part of the Store Fronts set while the snowman can be found in the Porch Christmas set and the pine trees are from the Christmas Day set. That is the great thing about all of the awesome digital sets in the TGF store, the more you have the more you can mix and match the individual elements in them to make completely customized scenes for your characters. By varying the sizes of the lamp posts and pine trees I was able to create a sense of distance within the scene giving this winter wonderland a depth that feels like you could almost step right in and join Miss Anya. :)

Alrighty, thanks for stopping by and here's to a fun and creative 2022!

Supply list:
cardstock- My Favorite Things and Copic X-Press It
digital stamps- The Greeting Farm (Porch Christmas set, Christmas Day set, Park Lunch set and Store Fronts set)
stamps- The Greeting Farm (Miss Anya All Year kit), Mama Elephant (sentiment)
ink- Memento tuxedo black and Catherine Pooler juniper mist
My Favorite Things A2 stitched rectangle stax set 1
Sharpie extra fine white pen
Pear Blossom Press silver pen
Copic markers:
skin- E000, E00, E11, E04, R00, R20
hair- E53, E55, E57, E79
clothes- B95, B97, B99, V01, V04, V17, BV04, BV08, BV29, RV63, RV66, RV99, C1, C3, E71, E74, E77, E79
snow- B0000, B000, BV00
snowman accessories- FBG2, BG07, BG09, B39, C0, C1, C3, Y35, YR16, YR18, E49
bench- E34, E44, E57
sky- B000, B00, B12
trees- G16, BG78, BG99, BG75
path- E42, E43, E44
lamp posts- C5, C8, 100, Y000, Y00

Celebrate...

Happy New Year to all of my crafty friends!

2022 is upon us with all the hope and potential that seems to come with new beginnings. I'm not usually one for making big resolutions but there are a few things I would like to work on bettering myself at in the coming months... some crafty, some just day to day life. As far as creating and crafting goes, I'm going to continue to try and be better about inking up and playing with the older stamps in my stash. I did ok in 2021 but I still have a long way to go.

These cute toasting penguins haven't been in my stash for long, they are Kaily and Nohl from the Home for the Holidays collection at Purple Onion Designs. As soon as I saw them I knew they were going to be saved for a New Year's card and here they are. For the background I paired them with a sunburst stencil from Whimsy Stamps and the Falling Stars background stamp from Taylored Expressions. I also pulled out some pattern paper for the bottom half of the card which is hard to believe, LOL! I was going for the traditional black, white and gold that you see a lot of at New Year's Eve parties. So here I am, a card maker best known for coloring of scenes and I'm starting off the new year with stamping and stencils instead. No worries though, I will be back to scene coloring before you know it! ;)

Wishing all the best to all of you in 2022!

 
Supply list:
cardstock- My Favorite Things and Copic X-Press It
stamps- Purple Onion Designs (Kaily and Nohl), Taylored Expressions (Falling Stars background)
ink- Memento tuxedo black and Catherine Pooler shea butter
My Favorite Things A2 stitched rectangle stax set 1
Papertrey Ink celebrate word die
Whimsy Stamps sun ray stencil
Doodlebug enamel Sprinkles
Ranger glossy accents
Copic markers:
penguins- W00, W0, E41, C2, YR30, YR31, R000, R30, B23, B26, B28, B39, 110, C5, C7, C10
champagne glasses- YR30, YR31, C2
background- Y000, Y00, YR30, YR31, Y21