Happy birthday picnic!

How fun is this?

It is a blatant copy of the Crazy Paper Chick's, because well, how do you improve on something so cute?

I used some of my older paper, the thin stuff, to make an envelope. It doesn't match, but it doesn't clash, either. I make my envelopes that will go through the mail with the print on the inside.

I have had this paper stack that I got at Michael's for over 5 years. Yes, I got this thin stuff for scrap booking. It says My Mind's Eye on it, but it is really only MME patterns, not their actual paper product.

One (or two) more "Valentines" and then I quit.

Just a couple more valentines from THE KIT and then I'm done with it until next year. I may use the stamp, though. I just hope I have learned my lesson and really study the contents of the kit to see why I must have them.  Stickers are not big in my book and I should have known that.

Speaking of stickers, here's one of a unicorn that I put on some of the patterned paper from the kit. I turned the pink rectangle into a banner with a V shaped die and some more patterned paper. I slapped on another banner sticker for the sentiment, and a row of hearts, just because.

The kit is the Limited Edition Valentine Kit 2018 from Simon Says Stamp. Here is a picture of the kit, and I believe it is out of stock, but you can still get the bits of it separately, which is what I should have done. Oh well.

Birthday Gang

Well, it started off as an entry into a challenge, but before it was done it disqualified itself.

All of these critters had been previously colored and cut, and were sitting in my "critter bowl". All of them are from various My Favorite Things stamp sets. The challenge, from MFT, was to use stamps from 3 different sets. No problem there. I had most of it glued together when I realized I had used another company's sentiments. These are from TAWS. Also, that tall spiky grass is from a die I cannot ID by company. And, I'm sure the paper is from Lawn Fawn.

Oh well, when I mix it up I really mix it up. I should have put the shark in, after all.

The giraffe, lion and monkey are from MFT's Sweet Safari. The frog is from Witch Way Is the Candy, the llama is from Llama Love, and the moose is from Warm and Fuzzy Friends. Most of the animals were colored with Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers, except the llama, which I really don't remember how he's colored.

I still have a lot of critters in the bowl. I have room for another short critter there on the left, so I may be back with a revision, later. Watch this space.

Wild about it!

So, here's a sketch challenge I can really get into. Pretty simple, actually. Here's the sketch:

And here's my entry:

Yes, it's pretty bland, but I kind of like the softness of it.  The water colored zebra is from My Favorite Things' Sweet Safari, and the main panel is MFT's Gift Box Coverup.  The heart is part of a very old set from Little B.

The window panels and the heart are lightly inked with Distress Oxide ink in Worn Lipstick, on the bottom halves. The whole panel is mounted on black and white zig-zag patterned paper from MFT.

My Punny Valentines

Yes, I love puns.There you have it.

These are from Simon Says Stamp's Foodie Friends stamp set, which came in the Limited Edition Valentine's Kit (January/February 2018).  These tiny images were colored with my Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers on mixed media paper, and cut with my Brother Scan N Cut. I put them on small white panels that had a smear of Distress Oxide color and stamped with the coordinating puns that came with the set. I used a few of the heart stickers from the set on the "Soda-Lightful" card, but the others were mounted on a ripped paper die and then layered with some black and white accent paper.

I am almost avoiding talking about my buyer's regret with this kit. The main part of this kit, aside from the stamp set, is the large sheet of card-stock stickers. So far I've made 2 cards featuring the stickers and I'm completely under-impressed with them.

Back when I was first making cards I learned about the phenomenon of "sticker sneeze"", where stickers were put down seemingly at random.  Want to see an example? Here you go:

The group of flowers in the lower right are part of the patterned paper, and the 3 big images are stickers.  I'm totally unimpressed with this one, alright?

No, not typical at all!

Well, the color combo of pink and black went over so well with the monster card that I did it again! 

My monster card was a featured card on MFT's "You've Been Spotted" this week. Woo hoo!

This cute little typewriter is from Simon Says Stamp's Foodie Friends set, which was part of the Limited Edition Valentine kit . I'm still wondering why I got the kit, wondering how to use the cute, but very flat stickers, etc. More on that dilemma to follow, my friends.

The typewriter was colored with Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers on mixed media paper, for the Daily Marker's 30 day coloring challenge. The pink blob on the white panel is Distress Oxide Ink in Worn Lipstick. Yes, another atypical Valentine. There's more in the pipe, too.

Here come the Valentines! Almost.

Yes, I have climbed up onto the Valentine wagon, sort of. Although I'm kind of wondering why. I presume I'll mail a small amount of these and donate the rest, somewhere.

The monsters above are from My Favorite Things' Monster Sized, again. Yes, I DO have a lot of them already colored with Prismacolor or Polychromos pencils, all cut up with my Brother Scan N Cut 2, ready to go, so why not?  A strip of black and white striped paper, a couple of die cuts, some ink, and it's good to go!

The cat below is from Tim Holt's Crazy Cats collection. A bright pink cat? Why not? He is colored with my Spectrum Noir markers, and mounted on double stitched hearts (diecuts from Gina Marie Designs), The sentiment, and striped paper accents are from My Favorite Things. 

Are these really Valentines? Probably not, but what the heck. They will have an appropriate "Happy Valentines' Day" greeting inside, to redeem them.

Scream! It's your birthday!

Hmmm. I have a lot of monster images to make cards from. So, here's another one!

It's Monster Sized, from My Favorite Things, colored with either Prismacolor Pencils or Polychromos pencils. I put them onto a frame from MFT's Blueprints 27, and used a purple card base.