Sweet Sugar Babe

Hi guys, wow, seems ages since I posted. It isn't really, but have just had my head down trying to unpack more boxes. Feel like I'm drowning in them! But there is something rather fun about rediscovering your own treasures. Everything seems to have traveled well too, no disasters yet! Can't find all my craft stash yet, still hunting down my E-Bosser and my glitter. It's been tricky trying to create without my glitter, didn't realise how much I use it! But has meant I've had to be a little creative. I found a pot of my Georgie's 'Fairy Dust' which is essentially body glitter and really fine, so the sweet young thing let me use some on my latest creations until mummy finds hers.

Today's card I have wanted to make ever since I first saw this utterly divine stamp. I think this might just be my all time favourite. There's just something so sweet, innocent and utterly enchanting about her. She is of course a Sugar babe - her name is Rosie and you can find her here as a relatively new release in digital format from the lovely Sugar Nellie range at Funky Kits, the fab Scottish stamp company I utterly love! I made sure I stocked up on some rubber stamps before leaving the UK, but I'm so happy they are doing so many lovely digi-stamps now. Do check them out, they're fab.

So here she is in all her sweetness. Not a great photo, the light was getting low and I wanted to snap her quickly before the sun went down all together! Must try and reload a better one, but wanted to put her up for now. The glitter doesn't show up so well on her wings and halo in this pic, but it is there and way more sparkly in actuality.

The gorgeous papers I've used are from my favourite paper design company Maja Designs which I bought also before leaving the UK from the lovely Sandy at Live and Love Crafts. The lavender pink paper in the background is from the backside of an utterly beautiful paper called 1933 from the Vintage Summer Basics range. The frontside is sooo pretty it's almost a crime to use the other side! But it worked so perfectly for what I envisioned for this card. I used a pretty mulberry shade of purple card to bring out the deeper tones in the colouring I'd done on Rosie and I was really pleased with the depth it added to the card, paired then with the second paper from the lovely Maja Design 'Fika' papers is the backside of the Hemma Hos Mig paper which for those of us slightly challenged in our Swedish lingo, means 'at my place'. These papers are all based on coffee with friends and a little yummy cake too! So right up my street, but I have to confess anything to do with these papers has me mourning the distance between me and my Swedish pal, who I miss like crazy since we left the UK. 

I inked the edges of the image and background paper with Memento Desert Sand ink and with Memento Rich Cocoa on the darker Fika paper. I've got a bit of a die-cut-arama going on with this card. I've used a Spellbinders Lacey Circles mat behind the image, which I just loved for this stamp as I think the circle die suits her so well, the way she's sitting so nonchalantly. The lovely heart bud flourishes are a Magnolia Doohickey die. The butterfly is from a lovely triptych of butterflies from Cherry Lynn designs called Small Exotic Butterflies. The decorative edge die is another Magnolia die called Tilda Lace Die. Finally, the sweet corner die, is one I've been trying to get for the longest time and it's really hard to get hold of, but finally found one available on ebay and snapped it up. It's a Quickutz die called photo corner and I've already cut about 50 since I got it! It's quite small, so makes great use of those otherwise wasted bits of scrap. I really do hate to throw the scraps away!!

The lovely mulberry paper gardenia flower is from Wild Orchid Crafts. I just love this flower, it looks rather pink here, but it's actually a soft lavender pink colour. The ribbon also hasn't photographed so well, it's more of a pewter colour, it looks almost copper here! LOL. I really will have to redo these pics. But I really wanted to get a new post up as it's been a few days and I've actually managed to make 3 cards all together these past few days. A record creative spree for me, as it's usually one here and there when the kiddos and mama exhaustion allows! So I'll post those over the next couple of days too. I've coloured Rosie with my trusty Promarkers of course, which I was sooooooo excited to find in my unpacking! The metallic ones seem to have got a bit leaky with the travel, but they've otherwise all fared very well. So that was a woop woop moment, when I discovered which box held those wee treasures. I've coloured Rosie with Flexmarkers mainly using the very light 'barely there' tones, as I wanted a really soft palette for her. Her shoes I used metallic pink on and gold on her halo, which I then glittered, as I did for her wings and a touch on the rose too. I wanted to keep a very delicate touch with this image, not going too bold in colour and keeping it very dreamy and ethereal. I'm well chuffed with the result, now I just have to keep practicing hair!

Well that's a way longer blog post than I'd planned, but if you want to know about the stash, all the info's there. Thanks for stopping by. I love it when you drop in! Ska vi ta en fika.. again real soon! (You'll have to go check those Maja Design papers for the translation). Big hugs, Wends xxx

I do so love a challenge! (Okay, 10's a bit much, but there are loads of 'Anything Goes!')

The Sugar Bowl ~ #102 Anything Goes
Passion For Promarkers ~ #196 To Die For
Challenges for Everybody ~ #19 Anything Goes
Alphabet Challenge Blog ~ F for Fantasy (Angel)

Stampin' for the Weekend ~ Diecuts and/or Punches
Eclectic Ellapu ~ Team Purple's Challenge - Anything Goes
Through the Craftroom Door Challenge Blog ~ Anything Goes
Dream Valley Challenges ~ #55 Things With Wings (My Angel & Butterfly)

2 Sister's Challenge Blog ~ #141 A Sketch Challenge (I've interpreted the sketch using a circular central image, but otherwise, it's all there.)

CraftyCatzWeeklyChallenge ~ #180 The Colour Purple  ***I won this challenge!***