PBSC December - Anything Goes (Optional 'Christmas')

It's the first Saturday of the month, so that means it's time for a new Penny Black Saturday Challenge...where the theme is:

'Anything Goes'

or

'Christmas'

As usual, we are sponsored by the awesome 1-2-3 Stitch:

Prize - a $20 voucher!

For this challenge, I decorated my December desk calendar page using a cute Penny Black snowman image called 'What a Snow!'. I stamped it directly on to the calendar (from Paper Mill Direct), then coloured it using watercolour pencils.

I'm also entering this card into the following challenges:

• C.R.A.F.T. - Christmas
• Fab 'N' Funky - Snowmen
• Krafty Chicks - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wenesdays) - Anything Goes

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please pop over to the Penny Black Saturday Challenge.

Guest Designer - AAA Birthday Challenge

Today I'm sharing some projects I made for a Guest Designer spot at this month's AAA Birthday Challenge!

The theme this month is to 'Add a Tag'...either feature a tag on your project, or make a matching tag.

I chose to make a matching Birthday card and tag for my Aunt's birthday. 

For the card, I used a mixture of butterfly stamps (Inkadinkado 'Big Butterfly' and the 'Butterflies' set from the Urban Stamps range by Papermania), stamping them on to watercolour paper using Versamark ink, then heat embossing them using gold embossing glitter from WOW. I then watercoloured the butterflies using Distress Inks (Scattered Straw, Spiced Marmalade, Fired Brick, Seedless Preserves, Chipped Sapphire, Broken China & Gathered Twigs), and added a heat embossed sentiment (in matallic gold this time), using a stamp from the 'Go To Words' set by Visible Image. I distressed the edges a little, then added it to card blank.

For the tag, I picked just the large butterfly, and again heat embossed in in gold glitter on watercolour paper, and coloured it using Distress Inks. I trimmed it down, distressed the edges, then added it to a kraft tag along with some coordinating twine.

For more inspiration from the fabulous Design Team, please pop over the AAA Birthday Challenge.

Houses on a Hill

Today's card uses a die that I picked up with my As You Like It Challenge prize called 'Houses on a Hill' by Your Next Die. I used it along with a Clearly Besotted die called 'Tree Landscape', and some snippets of white card to make a snowy hillside village scene, layering them up over a snippet of snowy paper from the 'Mystery Marbles' pad by Craft Sensations. I added a sentiment (using a stamp from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous), then matted it all on to a snippet of navy card, before adding it to a white card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes (Optional 'Colours of Winter')
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Creative Knockouts - Lots of Layers
• Dream Valley - Anything Goes
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets

Just Add Snow

Today's card features a stamp from a set I picked up using a prize I won at As You Like It a few weeks ago...it's one of the stamps from the 'Just Add Snow' set by Anita Jerum for the Colorado Craft Company. I stamped it on to watercolour paper, along with one of the sentiments from the set, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I added a layer of sparkle to all of the snow using a Wink of Stella pen...you might just be able to see it if you click to enlarge the photo, but I promise...it's really pretty in real life! I lightley distressed the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen, before adding it to a kraft card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• CAS on Friday - Christmas
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
• Inkspirational - Seasonal
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Rudolph Days - Anything Christmas Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Make It Sparkle
• Sparkles Forum - Winter Animals

Present Pile

Today's card makes use of the leftover background from making this card. It's a mixture of Distress Inks (Mermaid Lagoon, Chipped Sapphire & Black Soot) watercoloured on to watercolour paper in a couple of layers, with my Simon Says Stamp 'Falling Snow' background stamp heat embossed with 'Diamond White' embossing glitter from WOW over the top. This time I picked an old James the Bear stamp by Lili of the Valley, called 'Present Pile', stamped him on to watercolour paper, extended the line for the snowy ground using a black gel pen, then coloured him using watercolour pencils. I added a sentiment using a stamp from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous, then carefully cut around the top of the image. I layered it over the snowy background, thenmatted it on to a snippet of red card before adding it to the card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• C.R.A.F.T. - Christmas Present
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes (Optional 'Christmas/Winter')
• Krafty Chicks - All Occasions
• Time Out - Winter/Holiday
• We Love Stamping - Anything Goes (Optional 'Christmas Characters')

Christmas Bunnies - Stocking

Today's card features an old Lili of the Valley stamp called 'Christmas Bunnies - Stocking'. I stamped it on to a piece of white card, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I added a sentiment, using a stamp from the 'Jolly Christmas' set by C. C. Designs, then pierced a simple border using my CutterBee Bug before adding it to a card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Creative Moments - Anything Goes (Optional 'Winter')
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Sparkles Forum Christmas - Christmas Stocking
• We Love Stamping - Anything Goes (Optional 'Christmas Characters')

Mod Trees

Today's card features a Simon Says Stamp background stamp called 'Mod Trees Background'. I stamped it on to watercolour paper using Versamark Ink, then heat embossed it using white embossing powder. I then brushed clean water all over the embossed area, before adding small amounts of watercolour paint all over the deisgn. I used just three colours, but allowed them to blend together. When that had completely dried, I splattered over some more of each colour, and dried it using my heat gun. I cut the sentiment, using a Creative Expressions die, from a snippet of white card, then glued it to a piece of torn vellum. I folded that around the centre of the watercolour panel, then added it to the front of a white card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes (Optional 'Christmas Time')
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes (Optional 'Three Favourite Colours' - Blue, Green & Purple)
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Happy Little Stampers (Watercolour) - Anything Goes (Optional 'Emboss')
• My Time to Craft - Got to be Christmas

PBSC November - Anything Goes (Optional 'Glitter & Glitz')...More Inspiration!

It's the third Saturday of the month, so that means it's time for some more inspiration for this month's Penny Black Saturday Challenge...where the theme is:

'Anything Goes'

or

'Glitter & Glitz'

As usual, we are sponsored by the awesome 1-2-3 Stitch:

Prize - a $20 voucher!

I thought it was about time that 'Snowy' made another appearance, so I inked him up, and made a card inspired by this one by Kristina Werner. I copied Kristina's combination of Distress Inks for the sky background (Mermaid Lagoon, Chipped Sapphire & Black Soot), and watercoloured a couple of layers of those on some watercolour paper, drying in between with my heat gun. Once completely dry, I heat embossed my Simon Says Stamp 'Falling Snow' background stamp over the top using 'Diamond White' embossing glitter from WOW. I estamped Snowy on to another piece of watercolour paper, used a black gel pen to extend the 'snowy ground' on either side of him, then coloured him using watercolour pencils. I added a sentiment (from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous), then carefully cut around the top of the image. I layered it over the snowy sky background, then matted it on to some bright pink card before adding to a white card blank, then finally added some sparkle to his hat using some Stickles.

I'm also entering this card into the following challenges:

• Christmas Craft Creations - Add a Hat
• Dream Valley - Anything but Birthdays
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
• I Spy with My Little Eye - Sparkle & Shine
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• The Holly & the Ivy - Anything Christmas
• We Love Stamping - Anything Goes (Optional 'Christmas Characters')

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please pop over to the Penny Black Saturday Challenge.

Holly Jolly Christmas Tree

Today's card is a really simple Christmas card. It features a fab Christmas tree sentiment stamp from Crafter's Companion called 'Holly Jolly Christmas Tree'. I stamped it on to kraft card using Versamark ink, then heat embossed it using white embossing powder. I then inked around the edge of the card using the Versamark inkpad, then heat embossed that in white too, before adding it to a kraft card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• C.R.A.F.T. - Christmas
• Creatalicious - Anything Goes
• Happy Little Stampers (Christmas) - Anything Christmas Goes
• Krafty Chicks - CAS

Big Bauble

I have another Christmas card to share today...this one features a huge bauble stamp from the Colorado Craft Company. I stamped it off the edge of a black piece of card, using Versamark Ink, then heat embossed it using meatllic gold embossing powder from WOW. I heat embossed a sentiment, from the 'Festive Phrases' set by Funky Fossil, in matching gold, then watercoloured some of the elements on the bauble using Cosmic Shimmers mica pigments. I matted the black panel on to some gold mirror card, then added it to a white card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Crafty Calendar - Anything Goes
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Less is More - Anything CAS
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Stamping Sensations - Get Ready for Christmas

Pink Wonderland

I have a Christmas card to share today made using some dies and punches and lots of snippets of card and paper. I started by heat embossing my Simon Says Stamp 'Falling Snow' background stamp on to a fairly large snippet of pink watercolour effect paper (from the 'Mystery Marbles' pad by Craft Sensations) using white embossing powder. I cut a couple of snowy slopes from snippets of white card using my 'Tree Landscape' die (from Clearly Besotted) and one of the 'Stitched Hillside Borders' (from Lawn Fawn), and layered those over the top. I added a sentiment (from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous) and a little pink house cut from a tiny snippet of the same pink paper as the background.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Christmas Kickstart - Christmas, But Not As We Know It (I went for untraditional Christmas colours)
• Cut It Up - Layer It Up
• Happy Little Stampers (Dies) - Anything Goes with Dies
• Krafty Chicks - Christmas
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets

London Bus

Today's card is a really simple one, made using a Penny Black stamp (called 'London Bus') that I found in a charity shop on a recent trip to visit my parents. I stamped it on to watercolour paper, coloured it using watercolour pencils, then added a sentiment from the 'Watch This!' set by Anita Jerum for Colorado Craft Company. As I didn't have papers with me that would pair well with a big red bus, I simply distressed the edges a little, added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen, then matted it on to a snippet of red card before adding it to a kraft card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• C.R.A.F.T. - For a Child
• Creatalicious - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes

ABC Christmas Challenge - W & X is for?

It's the second Wednesday of a new month, so that means it's time for a new ABC Christmas Challenge! Lynda is the host, and the themes are:

'W is for Wreath'

&

'X is for XOXO'

(Hugs & Kisses)

The prize for the lucky winner:

For my 'W is for Wreath' card, I used a foliage stamp from the 'Sketchy Sprigs' set by Woodware to stamp a wreath shape on to watercolour paper. I alternated between a couple of different green shades of Distress Ink (Forest Moss & Pine Needles) and used my Tim Holtz stamping platform to keep everything evenly spaced. I then used a couple of the little snowflake stamps from the 'Wintertime Messages' set by Hero Arts to add some snowflakes over the top, heat embossing them using gold embossing powder. I heat embossed the sentiment from the Woodware set in matching gold in the centre of the wreath, then distressed the edges a little, added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug before adding the panel to a kraft card blank.

I'm also entering this card into the following challenges:

• Cards Galore Encore - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Stamping Sensations - Get Ready for Christmas

For my 'X is for XOXO (Hugs & Kisses)' card, I picked a cute hedgehog couple from the 'Christmas Hugs' set by Penny Black...stamping them on to a snippet watercolour paper, colouring them using watercolour pencils, then carefully cutting them out. I made a simple snowy background by stamping my Simon Says Stamp 'Falling Snow' background stamp on to a kraft card blank using Versamark Ink, then heat embossed it using white embossing powder. I added a snippet of white card, having used one of my 'Stitched Hillside Borders' dies (from Lawn Fawn) to cut the wave, along the bottom edge, then popped the hedgies on top using 3D foam pads. The sentiment stamp is from an old Lili of the Valley set.

I'm also entering this card into the following challenges:

• Allsorts - The Great Outdoors
• As You Like It - Modern or Traditional Christmas Colours (Modern for me...I think they pair really well with the cute critter images I like to use)
• Creative Inspirations - Contemporary Christmas Colours
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Emboss It

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please pop over to the ABC Christmas Challenge.

Christmas Bear Fun

Today's card features a cute bear stamp by Stamp It called 'Christmas Bear Fun'. I stamped it directly on to a white card blank, along with a sentiment from the 'Wintertime Messages' set by Hero Arts. I used watercolour pencils to colour the image, then added some sparkle to his tinsel using a gold metallic gel pen.

Challenges for this card:

• CAS on Friday - Animal
• C.R.A.F.T. - Anything Goes
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Moving Along with the Times - Christmas Animals
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Stamping Sensations - Get Ready for Christmas

PBSC November - Anything Goes (Optional 'Glitter & Glitz')!

It's the first Saturday of the month, so that means it's time for a new Penny Black Saturday Challenge...where the theme is:

'Anything Goes'

or

'Glitter & Glitz':

As usual, we are sponsored by the awesome 1-2-3 Stitch:

Prize - a $20 voucher!

I picked a stamp called 'Snow Dust', and stamped it on to navy card using Versamark Ink, then heat embossed it using gold embossing glitter from WOW. I stamped and embossed a Penny Black sentiment, this time using metallic gold embossing powder (also by WOW). I matted the navy card on to some gold mirror card, before adding it to a cream DL card blank.

I'm also entering this card into the following challenges:

• Krafty Chicks - Stamp Act
• Merry Little Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Emboss It
• The Holly & the Ivy - Anything Christmas Goes

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please pop over to the Penny Black Saturday Challenge.

November Desk Calendar

As it's the first of the month, today I'm sharing my desk calendar page for November. The Penny Black image I chose for this month is 'Fetching Slippers'...now the weather has truned, it's definitely time for cosy slippers! I stamped it directly on to the calendar, then coloured it using watercolour pencils.

Challenges for this calendar:

• 2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Anything Goes
• A Perfect Time to Craft - Anything Goes
• Use Your Stuff - Anything Goes

Miniful

Today's card features another stamp I picked up last week in a charity shop...'Miniful' by Penny Black. I stamped it on to watercolour paper, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I was away from home with a fairly limited selection of my stash, so coloured the mini to match the papers in the 'Fresh Florals' pad by Craft Sensations. I distressed the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Watch This!' set by Anita Jerum for the Colorado Craft Compamy.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
• Happy Little Stampers (Birthdays) - Anything Birthday Goes
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes

Cat in a Hat Treat Bag

I have one last Halloween treat bag to share today...featuring a cute cat image from the 'Spooky' set by Penny Black. I stamped him on to watercoour paper, then coloured him using watercolour pencils, before cutting out the circle shape using one of my Nesties. I paired him with papers from the 'Spooky Spectacular' pad from Paper Mill Direct.

Challenges for this treat bag:

• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes (Optional 'Four-legged Critter')
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Creative Moments - Anything Goes (Optional 'It's Alive!')
• Little Red Wagon - Trick or Treat
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Spooky
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes (Optional 'Autumn Colours')
• Sweet Stampin' - All Hallows' Eve

Holly & Baubles

I have a pair of Christmas cards to share today, made using a couple of stamps that I picked up earlier this week in a charity shop...'Holly Spray' by Funstamps, and an unmarked wood mounted bauble stamp. I stamped them both on to black card using Versamark Ink, then heat embossed them using silver embossing powder from WOW. I added heat embossed sentiments (using stamps from the 'Wintertime Messages' set by Hero Arts), then watercoloured the images using Cosmic Shimmers pigments. I matted the panels on to some silver mirror card, then added them to white card blanks.

Here's a closer look at both cards:

Challenges for these cards:

• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Krafty Chicks - All Occasions
• Rudolph Days - Anything Christmas Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• Sparkles Forum Christmas - Christmas Flowers/Foliage (Just the 'Holly' card)