Froggity Blog hop!

Hi all

It's Banana Frog blog hop day, it's been a while since I played but this month I've created a little spooky offering to share with you.

Before I continue if you are here on the blog hop way welcome, if you are here just because you are then it's not to late to catch up on the hop just leap on over to the lilypad and start at the top of the list .... and remember comments mean prizes :)

Talking of prizes, thanks for all the lovely comments on my project of the day post and as promised I will now announce the winner ... drum roll please ..... Wrightboysmum you are the lucky winner of a set of Xmas stamps, please email me (mjm@jackson-mogford.freeserve.co.uk) and I'll get Bev to send out your stamps.

Now where was I? ... Oh yes I wanted to share this ..


A super simple mask to complete that halloween costume this year :) (I can't believe it's October tomorrow!!) The idea has come from one of my Guest designer posts on the Lilly pad way back in June 2009!! I've just transformed it with stars and seasonal colours.


It started life as a simple white mask, cheap to pick up from any fancy dress shop.


Then using the Retro space stamp set's smallest star, my finger as a stamp block and some mustard stayzon I stamped up a random pattern.


Then I did the same thing with the next size star and some Iris Stayzon


and finally some Royal Purple Stayzon ad the largest star in the set completed the base of the pattern.


I inked around the mask with some cut and dry foam and the Iris Stayzon and then again using my fingers as a stamp block, black archival ink and the swirl from the winter wonderland stamp set (told you it wasn't just for Christmas!)I added some swirls around the bottom edge of the mask.


I wanted to add some definition around the eyes and the small stars from the make a chain samp set were ideal with a bit of black achival ink. The finishing party touch was picking out the swirls and the small stars round the eyes with some cosmic shimmers twinkles.


Et Voila a sophisticated, unique Halloween mask to intrigue people at the party.

Hmmm I wonder what other stamps would make great mask decoration? I'm off to investigate! Thanks for hopping by and your next stop is with the fabulously talented Audrey Don't forget to leave comments on all the blogs as you go, a guarenteed (halloween) treat for someone :)

See you on Create and Craft TV 9am in the morning with Purple cows and see you here soon, until then Happy Crafting
Love
M x

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

winner, castle and cards

Hi Cyber buddies
I hope you're well and happy and not too soggy from this 'lovely' spring weather!!

Did you all enjoy the Banana Frog blog hop? I loved all the other froglets inspirations and am proud to work alongside such a talented bunch of girls! Thankyou for all your lovely comments and welcome to all my lovely new followers :) With that said and without further ado I am here to announce the winner of my 'I've got a brand new blog' giveaway ... drum roll please! ..... it's Mustavcoffee Please can you email me (addy on my profile) your address and your box of goodies will be winging it's way to you :)

It's been a busy week again, as I said in a previous post we were away at the weekend for 2 funerals and a 21st birthday. All very emotional and lots of travelling and Stan's first road trip!!! He was a perfect doggy though and I was so very proud of him. I will get the pictures ready to show you of his trip to the stream with his 2 new best friends Maisy and Martha ... HILARIOUS!!!

Moving on, I've been on catch up with myself and been a crafting fool ... just for a change and also trying to catch up on sleep and put the house straight after the recent mayhem! A lovely email really lifted my spirits though the other day and I must share. It came from a happy customer who has purchased some of my DIY projects recently and she sent me these fabulous pictures of her finished Princess fairy castle. I love her interpretation and it really made me smile.







Becky thanks for sharing and also for directing me to Hubby's website Craftaholicsupplies .... too many goodies to tempt me :)

Looking back over my posts I realise, not only do I use too many exclamation marks!!! but I am very good at telling you I've done this and that and promising to share pics .... then never doing it! So I am on catch up with some past projects :) For this post I will share some of my cards that I made for Creative Expressions and the lovely Sheena Douglass to take on Create and Craft. They are made with the new spellbinders borderbilities and of course lots of distress ink, cosmic shimmer paints and Sheenas fab stamps.....
These are my favourites ....













This one is done with spellbinders XL scalloped rectangles



Now I feel like I don't keep lying to you LOL!!!
I guess I better stop waffling now but before I go I have a quick

And Finally...



Stan on his first river trip, you can just see Martha making good her escape and that's Maisy smiling at the camera!



Stan was soooo exhausted after his road trip LOL



and look who it is ... Oliver Pickles .... more on him soon but shhhhh Stan doesn't know yet LOL

As always thanks for stopping by and I'll *see you* soon so until then Happy Crafting

Love
M x

That was the show that was!!!

Hi Cyber buddies!! I've finally stolen some time to check in with you all after my return from The Stitch and Craft show at London Olympia. I had a BLAST!!! I met so many lovely and wonderful people and had fabulous workshops, wow! there are some talented people out there and I was inspired by all the different interpretations of my classes!

For this post I thought I would share pictures of my booth with you all ...




Ready for the off ... poor FiFi packed to the hilt!



Here's my naked booth and as you can see I was in good company with the lovely Shimelle as my next door neighbour



The half way point .... I was flagging! We had to get up a flight and a half of stairs after walking across the car park to get everything in!



TaDa! the finished article

And now for some close ups .....





















....And just to prove I was there LOL

I had the most wonderful email from one of my workshoppers, the lovely Yvette made my day with her kind words and I LOVE the finished layout she made from my class



I also got to meet one of my best cyber buddies Amanda, a most talented crafter in her own right!



And that's it 4 very hectic days of my life, and I'd do it all again tomorrow!

Since I got back I have been working on my Scrapping angel retreat classes, a Banana Frog project of the day and some other stuff that I will share soon.
I also had a fabulous workshop at Bee Crafty before I went to London, taught, without being there, at the Crafty Stash crops (clever me LOL) and still have to share the spellbinders projects I did for creative expressions!!! So lots more pretty pictures on my next visit which will be after the weekend of 2 funerals and a 21st birthday hmmmm sounds like a film!!

Thanks for stopping by, don't forget to become a follower, leave a comment and be in for a chance at my 'I've got a brand new blog' giveaway full of goodies including Banana Frog goodness and Glitzy gorgeousness!

I hope you're well and happy and until I *see you* next time happy crafting :)

Love
M x