{happy birthday} froggity blog hop

Hi all
Well that's another month gone and time for another Banana Frog blog hop, can you believe we're nearly half way through the year!! Anyway this months blog hop is a special one .... it's the little green guys birthday and what's a birthday without some cake?


And better still this one is calorie free :) and doubles up as a great gift box! I have used a veritable feast of Frog stamps for this project Charming prince, Tropical garden, Build a daisy, Simple greetings, That takes the cake and It's all about elegance (psssst all these stamps are on sale, go on treat yourself ;))


1st up I cut a strip of white card for the lid and stamped along the bottom edge with the lace trim from It's all about elegance and trimmed to the pattern. Then added the greeting from simple greetings along some ribbon with permanent ink sticking it along the strip above the stamped lace trim.


Next thing was, what else but, the cute little frog from Charming prince, again stamped with permanent ink so I could colour them in with my pro markers.


I cut a wider strip of white card for the base of the box and added a purple trim to the bottom of it and along the top of the top strip of card using a stapler to pleat it as I went to give a look of piped icing.


I then added some bling to the crowns with glitter glue.


Cutting a circle with dragons teeth for the top and bottom of the box I added pretty sprinkles to the top from the stamp in that takes the cake and inked the edges.


Using the totally tropical stamp set I stamped some leaves and flowers mixing the ink on the stamps to create shaded colouring. I used one of the petals from build a daisy to create the candle and one of the leaves stamped in yellow for the flame.


To make the candle stand up on the cake I cut it with some tabs on the bottom of the petal that were stuck to the underside of the top when it was in position.


The flowers and leaves were added with silicon glue and curled before sticking in place to add dimension.


And that's it a unique froggy birthday gift box :)

Thanks for hopping by today, your next stop on the hop is the fabulous Francine (I love her style) and don't forget to comment as you go there may be birthday prizes!! Enjoy the rest of the hop and I'll see you soon. Until then Happy Crafting
Love
M x

Glitzy ladies

Hi all
This month on the Glitz blog we are celebrating the special ladies in our lives. I am lucky enough to have many special ladies in my life, past, present and future but no one is more special to me than my mum, everything that I am is because of this lady and although I may not always have been the perfect daughter we have a great relationship and I'm thankful she's my mum!


I love this candid photo of us at my wedding and the colours of the Glitz papers are perfect for showing off a very happy moment. Here's what I used;
Glitz Designs Laced with Grace papers; stripe, plaid, polka and floral
Glitz Designs Afternoon Muse papers; cart postal and polka
Glitz Designs Laced with Grace clear stamps
Glitz Designs Afternoon Muse clear stamps
Glitz Designs Laced with Grace Journaling Cardstock stickers
Glitz Designs Laced with Grace paper layers
Glitz Designs Love Games Glitzers
Glitz Designs Love Games Whatnots
Glitz Designs Love Games Titles Cardstock stickers
Glitz Designs Teeny Alphas; Olive green and Aqua block
Gitz Designs lear frosting

I've always loved the fact that you can mix and match across all the Glitz Designs collections and love that they use colours that really sing together.


The stamps are fab and here I have stamped directly over my small photo


And look at the detail in the fairy whisper stamp which looks great stamped onto some of the Laced with Grace paper


The teeny alphas are just perfect in all their different colours and styles


And even the 'plain' papers in the collections are full of tones and interest.

For my other layout I decided to celebrate a lady that is special to me in my creative life, someone who is a source of inspiration to me. I have just re organised my studio and I wanted to create some wall art so I made this layout as a tribute to Frida Kahlo


The papers in the new collections have always made me think of Mexico with the hands that appear regularly in Fridas art, the butterflies and the colours of orange, green, turquoise and yellow so I thought it would be fun to mix them up for this layout. I have used;
Glitz Designs Afternoon Muse papers; Floral, Carte Postal and Block
Glitz Designs Laced with Grace papers; Floral and Butterflies
Glitz Designs Love Games paper; Polka
Glitz Designs Laced with Grace paper layers
Glitz Designs Laced with Grace Whatnots
Glitz Designs Laced with Grace Glitzers
Glitz Designs Laced with Grace Peek-a-boo
Glitz Designs Love Games Peek-a-boo
Glitz Designs Love Games title cardstock stickers
Glitz Designs Afternoon Muse peek-a-boo
Glitz Designs Giant Rhinestones


I created a frame from the floral paper and ripped out the centre, ripping back into the frame and rolling the paper back to reveal the bright yellow on the double sided paper.


The peek-a-boos create great layers and all the colours in the paper lines mix so well. The butterflies cut out from the laced with grace paper make great embellishments.


Dimension and layers are built up with more peek-a-boos, paper layers and stickers. I love the bright happy colours in this layout and it will make a great addition to my studio wall to inspire me when creating.

Thanks for letting me share my creations with you, what special ladies will you celebrate with your Glitzy stash? Don't forget to play along with the Get your Glitz on challenge either .... there's goodies to be had!

I hope you're well and happy and until soon Happy Crafting!
Love
MJM x

PS Fancy a Crafty Retreat? Check out my post below NOW!!!!

Scrap-a-Mia ... YAY!

Hey all

Life has been crafty crazy busy at the art tart towers this week getting ready for my trip to Southampton to teach at the Scrap-a-Mia retreat at the weekend and I have to confess I am super excited, if not a little over awed, to be teaching alongside some uber talented Crafters; Dina Wakley, Celine Navarro and Emma Trout gulp!

We have just found out today that 3 places have unexpectedly become available .... so fancy playing? .... Go on I know you're tempted! Visit here to see what it's all about and call 01935 422499 NOW to snag one of these coverted places!

All you will need is some clothes and photos ... I happen to know that the amazing organisers supply everything else ... trust me they will really look after you! So what are you waiting for? come along it will be great to see you!

What? You want a sneak of my class? well go on then ...




It's one of my 3D projects with a scrapbooking Glitzy twist and is oh so 'tweet' as for the other classes ... all I can say is I wish I had time to do them, they look AMAZING! You'll just have to come along t see for yourself!

I have also been busy getting my Glitz post done for this month going live tomorrow :) and also prepping for a Serif Craft Artist Platinum Pick of the week launching live on create and craft with a 2 hour show live at 12 noon!! (I'll just fit that in before I hightail it down to Southampton to prep my scrap-a-mia class!!) So busy, busy but Happy, happy! I ohpe you are too and hope to see you at the weekend :)

See you in cyber space tomorrow :)
Love
M x

Get your Glitz on challenge #2

Hey all

HAPPY NATIONAL SCRAPBOOK DAY!!!! Hope you've all had a little creative time! I also just wanted to drop in and let you know that the Get your Glitz on challenge #2 will go live today on the Glitz blog .... it's time for YOU to get your Glitz on and show us what you can do with yummy Glitz product, there are prizes and you will be featured on the Glitz Blog so go for it!

This months theme is clustering all the details can be found on the Glitz Designs blog ....I had a play and came up with this for my Dad's birthday card ...








.... it also goes to prove that even though Glitz product is oh so pretty it can be used for a masculine twist!

Thanks for stopping by and I look forward t seeing what you all come up with for the challenge!

I hope you're well and happy and until soon Happy Crafting!
Love
M x

PS I have used Glitz Designs;
Love games papers; damask and stripes,
Love Games peek-a-boo
Love Games Glitzer
Love Games paper layer
Love Games cardstock stickers titles
Laced with grace clear stamps
Afternoon Muse glitzers
Teeny alphas in cream
Black frosting

A Royal Froggy celebration!

Hi all and today it's my turn to share a little corner of the lily pad over on the Banana Frog blog. With all the weekend festivities, what a lovely wedding it was! I am feeling quite patriotic and as I had my sister and nieces to stay and we had a right royal a tea party I have quite a lot of photos to start scrapping so where better to start than right here with some perfect Banana Frog stamps!


As ever the full step by step photos and instructions are over at the Lilypad!

It's been a busy time here at Mogford towers with hubby home for a rare length of time.... nearly a whole month! We were crazy busy spring cleaning .... and I mean full on spring cleaning!!! and visiting family and having family to stay so I'm sorry to have been AWOL a while but normal service is resuming and with that a pledge to you from me to be a better blogger :) .... we'll see LOL

I hope you're all well and happy and until soon (I hope!) Happy Crafting
Love M x

PS Thusday 6pm I have a 2 hour Serif Craft artist show on create and craft!

Glitzy Springtime and Bunnies

Hi all,
Spring is here and with it arrived a box of new goodies from Glitz Designs on my doorstep. It's contents made me smile as much as the blue skies, the flowers in the garden and the lambs in the field, the new lines are yumsville and I know you're going to LOVE the new stamp sets. So what better thing to scrap first than some Spring photos!


This layout is inspired by the beautiful Spring day today and the 'song' I have journalled. It is from one of my all time favourite films Willy Wonka and the chocolate factory (the original Gene Wilder version, love you Mr Depp but Gene rules this one!) and I sing it a lot at this time of year, but originally it came from As you like it by Willam Shakespeare and even then he was quoting from a celtic ballad 'it was a lover and his lass' ... hmmm best stop waffling and let you know what I used!

Glitz Designs Afternoon Muse papers; Banner, Stripe, Block, Floral, Carte Postal, Polka
Glitz Designs Laced with Grace paper; Butterflies
Glitz Designs Afternoon Muse and Love Games Clear Stamps
Glitz Designs Afternoon Muse Glitzers
Glitz Designs Afternoon Muse Paper Layers
Glitz Designs Teent Alphas; Burnt Orange, Cream, Bubble gum pink, aqua block, yellow block, apple green block
Glitz Designs Maya cardstock stickers


I cut out all the shapes I needed for the fields, rainbow and clouds etc distressing edges as I went. When doing a collage like this I use a plain 12 x 12 piece of cardstock to build it on so I don't waste too much of my precious paper (this also means it's a great way to use up scraps!) The colours and patterns of the afternoon muse papers are great for my happy spring collage, love that polka paper!


The hot air balloon and sun rays are made using the new stamps. So useful and so much fun not to mention brilliant stamps that give a great image every time.


I took some photos of the lambs in the field next to our house and cut them out to fit into my collage and cut out the photo of my nieces (a great way to lose a dodgy background)


With scissors still in hand I cut out lots of flowers from the floral paper even ones that were missing petals (as they are tucked under flowers in the design) and those around the edges as they still work when I layer everything up.


Once I'd layered all the flowers around my photo and tucked some behind the 'hills' I cut out some of the butterflies from the laced with grace paper, curled the wings and added them all over the collage.


Finally I set to with the teeny alphas. My favourite all time alphas ever and I LOVE the new additions to the line with their mixed up style of letters, the colours make my heart sing! I added some doodled journalling inbetween and doodled in places on my collage


and that was it done, a happy spring time layout with one of my favourite photos of my nieces. My second layout stays with my beautiful nieces and something else that happens at spring time ... Easter.


This is a record of a really fun Easter weekend spent with them and my sister. Decorating eggs, eating roast dinner and driving the girls crazy with a fiendishly clever Aunty Michelle treasure hunt LOL. Here are my ingredients;

Glitz Designs Laced with Grace papers; Rose, Stripe, Polka
Glitz Designs Afternoon Muse paper; Floral
Glitz Designs Laced with Grace Peek-a-boo
Glitz Designs Laced with Grace Clear Stamps
Glitz Designs Afternoon Muse Peek-a-boo
Glitz Designs Afternoon Muse Cardstock Stickers-titles
Glitz Designs Afternoon Muse Paper Layers
Glitz Designs Clear stamps Distressing set 2
Glitz Designs Teeny Alphas; cream


The orange tones with the playground imagery from Laced with Grace mixed with the Afternoon Muse yellow were perfect to tell my story. I broke up the orange 12 x 12 by stamping, using a distress stamp with yellow paint, around the area my photos would sit to tie everything all together.


I stamped images on to the yellow paper and also adhered one of the Afternoon Muse peek-a-boos onto it to pop it off the page.


I lifted my photos by matting them onto some of the polka paper and cut out the photo of my bunny eared niece to create a photo embellishment of my own.


I framed my cut out niece with a peek-a-boo from Laced with Grace and as it has a cut out centre I could pop her out of it on foam pads for dimension. I added an orange butterfly from the paper as an extra embellishment.


The cut out stamped images, cardstock stickers, a paper layer and those gorgeous teeny alphas finished off my layout. Another happy layout that makes me smile

So what new Glitzyness will you use to make you smile? .... warning! You will be spoilt for choice .... whatever it is please share it with us and now there is the perfect opportunity to show off your Glitz with the new Monthly challenge, see details here and get Glitzy and creative!

Thanks for stopping by and letting me share my projects with you. I hope you're all well and happy and enjoying Spring, until soon Happy Crafting
Love M x

Old Techniques and favourite stamps!

Hi all
It's my turn to share a project over at the Lily pad. A revisit to an old chalky technique and some of my favourite Banana Frog stamps


As ever the step by step instructions are over on the frog blog so why not hop on over and check it out, and while you're there snag a bargain, there's an AMAZING sale on stamps in the shop!!!

I hope you're well and happy, I'll *see you* soon, until then Happy Crafting
Love
M x