House Mouse Challenge #21 - Color Challenge

At first when I looked at this challenge, I started to think, I don't have those colors, I don't have a good image to work with.......but I think it worked out ok :-). It is my first house mouse challenge with a GRUFFIE. "Stacking Baby Blocks". I colored him with Copic Markers. E21, E55, E43, E53, and E33. Still working on making the fur POP. I colored him brown since I don't really have the shades of gray to make him work. Sounds like time for a copic marker order. The Designer Paper is Stampin' Up and the Solids are Bazzill Basics (my closest to Old Olive) and Stampin' Up. The flowers and brads are from Michaels. The ribbon is from two of my favorite places in NYC - MJ Trimmings and Kate's Paperie. Try them both if you are there. The letters are Cuttlebug "Hippie Chick" and the back
ground is the Swiss Dot Folder. I like to post Ellen J's version - It makes me want to get my get more shades of gray color copics.

Pollycraft Winter Elves.....First Card Swap of 2009

Today I finished my cards for our first card Swap of 2009. I used one of my new favorite stamps from Pollycraft which I discovered out on a blog and can't remember where. Pollycraft was NICE enough to ship to me in the U.S. even though that is not standard for them. :-). All this blog watching has me looking at stamps from all over the place. The stamp is a "Winter Elve" called Honesty. I colored with Copic Markers and Sharpies (I would use all copics...I just don't have enough colors). I used Diamond Stickles on her pom poms. The paper is a mixture of Stampin Up, Bazzill Basics, and My Little Yellow Bicycle "Love Letters". I used Martha Stewart's Lace Border Punch, Stampin Up Oval Punches, and the Stampin' Up Bigz Die Top Note. The stamp sets are Stampin' Up Hostess Set Spring Summer 2008 "A Little Bit of Happiness" and Stampin' Up Set "Warm Words". The ribbon is from Kate's Paperie in NYC - I think they have great ribbon at great prices - check them out.

House Mouse Challenge #20 - ATC Card

I fell off the House Mouse Challenge Wagon for the Holidays but as of today - I'm back on. My first ATC card. Kind of fun. My House Mouse Stamp was Cozy Mitten (Mudpie) 1999. I colored with my copic markers - you can see the colors that I used in the picture below. I used watercolor paper from Michaels...I'm going to have to look for ivory or offwhite paper - I don't care for the white - but the watercolor paper seems to work the best. The image was stamped in Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black. I outlined the edge in Stampin' Up Chocolate Chip. The brads and the heart shaped embellishment are from Michaels. The background and oval paper is from Bazill Basics. The off-white paper is Naturals White from Stampin' Up. The sentiment is from the Stampin' Up Short and Sweet set. The background stamp is Stampin' Up True Thyme from the Peaceful Wishes Set. The embossing poweder is Stampin' Up Copper. The ribbon is double sided satin and oval punch are from Stampin' Up. I have also posted Ellen J's version from the House Mouse website. I have an older version of this stamp from Stampa Rosa that is only black in. ;-)

House Mouse Challenge #16

Glitz and Glitter......

FUN card this week. I'm back to the holidays.....after slipping last week into Birthdays...but now back to thinking about Christmas cards for friends and family. For this weeks House Mouse Challenge I used Leaf-ing the Tree Farm. What a great stamp!! I colored it with Copic Markers - still working on my blending - but also for the first time I used Memento Dew Drops in Tuxedo Black for my image. WOW! Much easier and Much nicer than Staz-on. I'm learning lots from the Paper Monkey ;-). Also Stickles for the snow and on the hats. All of the paper for my card is from Stampin' Up except the Brushed Silver is from Michaels. The ribbon is from Stampin' Ups winter mini - Brown Felt...I love it. The snowflakes are felt and I purchased those at the New England Scrapbook Company Store. I punched the brushed silver paper with a border punch by Martha Stewart.

Ellen J's Version

House Mouse Challenge #15 - POLKA DOTS

My second House Mouse Challenge.....I had to forget the holidays because my imagination was heading elsewhere. For this card I used a 1998 House Mouse Stamp called Wrapped and Ready. I see it on the website now with a colored Stampabilities version - mine is an older version from a different supplier with just black ink. I colored the mice with Copics and added a picture of the copics that I used below. I'm a newbie with Copics and I think this card is my best so far with blending colors on the mouse fur. All of the card stock and designer series paper is Stampin' Up. The sentiment stamp "Happy Birthday and the punch is Stampin' Up. I used STICKLES in Diamond for the bows on top. My first time using Stickles...loved them! The flowers, brad, ribbon, Martha Stewart Star Punch - all from Michaels. I didn't have the easiest time photographing this card - I decided to use the version with my flash off :-). I have to keep working on the best settings of the photographs.....

House Mouse Challenge #14

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

My first try at the Monday House Mouse Challenge. It was a lot of fun. It is a 1998 stamp from Ellen J - "Have a Sleigh Ride". I colored the House Mouse Stamp with Copic Markers. Paper is Stampin' Up! Naturals Ivory, Cranberry Crisp, True Thyme, Vintage Violet, and Designer Series Paper Holiday Thyme. Ribbon is SU! double stitched grosgrain River Rock. Embellishments are SU! HodgePodge in Aged Copper. SU! Stamps embossed with vanilla - "be merry" from Warm Words and "Merry Christmas" from the Curly Label Punch Bundle set/Punch Kit. Definitely Lots of Fun!! Hope to join next week also :-).

House Mouse with the Paper Monkey Tutorial :-)

My Blick Art Order came in today!! I had ordered the recommended House Mouse colors from Suzy's PaperMonkey Tutorial. I had to take a try at a House Mouse stamp with the new copics and the expert directions. SU! Papers Naturals White, True Thyme, Cranberry Crisp, Vintage Violet (I loved the IN COLOR's from 2007) and SU! Designer Series Paper Holiday Thyme. SU! Hodgepodge Hardware SU! Stiched Grosgrain Ribbon Vintage Violet. SU! Stamp "Be Merry" from the "Warm Words" set. House Mouse Stamp "Warm Tree Light". Martha Stewart Craft Star Border Punch. Copic Markers - from now on I will post a picture of the Copics that I use but if you check out PaperMonkey, I tried to duplicate the Brown Mouse and Grey Mouse.

Paper Monkey Tutorial:

http://blog.papermonkey.org/index/2008/11/house-mouse-coloring-tutorial-with-copics-junk-challenge.html

Close-up Pix of the Mice...I'm fairly happy with the Grey Mice, my Brown Mice seem kind of orange - could be my camera :-). I'm going to have to work on my Brown Mice copics. I didn't have the best colors for the light and tree but worked with what I had.

Here is Ellen Jareckie's version on www.house-mouse.com