Banana Frog sketch challenge!

Hi all! Every month over at the Lilypad the DT are set a challenge which takes the form of a colour focus or a sketch. This month's challenge was a sketch from the lovely Audrey



The results go live twice a month on the 4th and 24th of the month and today my offering is included in the post so I thought I would share it with you here with a little step by step.



Ice Cream

This layout is a veritable Banana Frog fest of stamp sets and was inspired by the sun actually shining (well it was the day I made it LOL) so to the ingredients



I have managed to use 5 stamp sets in my page Bensfolk, Round in circles, Make a chain, Cupcake greetings and Build a daisy. I also used some summery coloured Basic Grey papers and some yummy Cosmic shimmer spray.



I flipped the sketch and kind of flipped it again! I liked the long strip across the page and the the strip down the page so made these the main influence for my version. I masked the centre of some urban prairie white paper with some photocopy paper just ripped to create an irregular edge and cut out some doodled clouds out of card.



Then sprayed with some blue cosmic shimmer mist



While that was drying I stamped out the elements to create my sun embellishment. The centre is the large solid circle from the round in circles set and one of the dotty rings round it. This is one of my favourite stamp sets ... I think I've said that before LOL I just find it so versatile! The rays are one of the petals from build a daisy. Once they were stamped I cut them out leaving a little white margin to lend to the slightly cartoon feel my layout was taking on.



I decided to, yet again, add a bit of my own stamped pattern paper (you know how I love to do that :)) for the main strip across the page and set about working out how to make some ice creams ... easy really with the cupcake greetings cup cake and a little triangle from the ever useful make a chain set. I worked out where my photo would cross the paper and marked it so I didn't have to stamp all over the paper and set about stamping 'cones' in the visible areas.



Next with the aid of a little bit of card for masking I added the ice cream topping courtesy of the top of the cupcake stamp.



Then with my trusty pro markers in hand coloured them all in in candy colours. While I was stamping and colouring I also stamped out a few extra ice creams on to some white card to cut out for embellishments later.



The composition needed a frame, well to my eye it did :) so I used the dashed line from make a chain to add some faux stitching around the outside of the 12 x12. Because the strips of stamps in this set are thin and made of acrylic you can bend them how you want to on the acrylic block and create a real doodled effect with your lines.



Finally I stamped out my title using Bensfolk alphas. I love this alphabet and it was one of my first froggie stamp sets long before I had the honour of becoming an official froglet! I trimmed the individual letters into tiles using a decorative click blade in my Purple Cows freestyle mouse and then inked them to add definition.



To build up the layout I used strips of coloured paper across it with just the end of them distressed to reveal the white core to lift the layers and put my photo onto a distressed mat on foam pads to add even more lift.



I arranged all my elements, added my journalling and a stamped sentiment from build a daisy finished it off.





I really enjoyed this months froggy challenge and my sun shiney page makes me smile. So why don't you join us this month and see what you can create with your Banana Frog stamps ... and if you do don't forget to share :)

Thanks for stopping by, don't forget to check out how the other froglets interpreted the sketch. I'll see you soon and until then Happy Crafting!

Love
M x

Happy Froggy Birthday!!!

Hi all
Well it's turning into a Froggy weekend! Today Banana Frog is 4 years old HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Go and have a look at the blog to catch up on what Bev has to share with you all! I happen to know there is a new special release, Tadpole stamps! An ickle set of stamps to accompany the new release Hiya Chick, and it is oh so cute! How do I know? I got to play with it of course :) and here's what I made...

You make my heart sing





Ingredients
Tadpole birdy stamps
Banana Frog I heart you stamp set
Banana Frog Super dreamy stamp set
Basic Grey Urban prairie papers
Distress inks in Peeled paint, Walnut, Black soot
Archival ink, Black (or any permanent ink pad)
Pro markers
Corrugated cardboard
Prima self adhesive pearls
3 ½’’ x 3 ½’’ photo

One of my favourite things to do with my Banana Frog stamps is to make my own customised patterned paper and this bird set is perfect to do just that! I decided it would make a fun scrapbook layout. Want to know how I did it? ... well here we go...

Stamp the outline bird randomly onto some plain white paper, mine is from the Basic Grey urban prairie range but a white cardstock would work just as well.



When you stamp the pattern fill in the gaps with just the tail from the bird by laying a piece of paper under the stamp so only the tail will appear on the background paper



Now go to town with some pro markers and colour in the birds.



Cut out a birdhouse shape from some corrugated card, cutting out the middle to frame your photo and cover it in some patterned paper. Using a heart from the ‘I heart you’ stamp set stamp out a few hearts onto some patterned paper and cut them out to make roof tiles for the birdhouse



Curl the hearts slightly with your fingers and build up the hearts as tiles on the birdhouse roof



Cut out the door for the birdhouse in double sided paper (or attach 2 pieces together as I have done) and add journalling to the inside including the ‘shake your tail feathers’ stamp



Attach your photo to the back of the frame in the birdhouse and attach the door with a paper hinge (a strip of paper folded in half, with half stuck to the door and half stuck to the frame) Stick the house in place.
Make a tree branch from some corrugated cardboard that you will strip once the shape is cut out. Attach it to the layout.
Stamp out some hearts (from the I heart you set again) in peeled paint distress ink onto some white cardstock to make leaves and stamp out some outline flowers from the Super Dreamy stamp set onto some patterned paper, cut all these out and decorate your branch and top left side of the layout. Add some pearls to the flower centres.



Finally stamp the little solid bird onto some acetate with a permanent ink and cut out, you don’t have to be exact on the cutting out here as the acetate round the outside of the image is clear. Attach it to the layout on foam pads for extra dimension and to finish off stamp the ‘you make my heart sing’ phrase onto some white cardstock and matt and layer it adding it to the layout on foam pads as well as a title plate.



And that’s it a fun and interactive layout with patterned paper, journaling and embellishments created completely from Banana Frog stamps! I hope you manage to snag the tadpole set and enjoy your little birdie stamps as much as I have …. The possibilities are endless! Now I'm looking forward to playing with the Hiya Chick set ... it's so new not even the Froglets have it yet!

I hope you enjoy the birthday party at Froggie HQ and feel inspired to get stamping! Thanks for stopping by and until soon Happy Crafting! (I'm off for some birthday cake :))

Love
M x