Guest Designer - Fussy & Fancy Challenge

Today I'm excited to be sharing a guest designer card for the Fussy & Fancy Challenge that starts today. The theme is:

'White on White with a Splash of Colour'

This colour scheme screamed Christmas to me, so I had a rummage through my dies, and grabbed some plain white card. I started by cutting the frame using my Memory Box 'Tree Silhouette' die, then cut another piece of card to fit behind it, and embossed that using a Tim Holtz/Sizzix folder called 'Snowfall'. I then built up the scene by cutting some snowy hills using my Lawn Fawn 'Stitched Hillside Borders'...although I used the non-stitched side. I cut a couple of reindeer using dies from the 'Winter Wonderland' set also by Tim Holtz/Sizzix and placed them on the scene before attaching it all to my card blank. Finally, I added a red pearl to give one of the reindeer a red nose for my 'splash of colour'.

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

• Allsorts - Create a Scene
• Crafty Friends - Embossing
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Goes
• Fab 'N' Funky - Christmas
• Happy Little Stampers (Dies) - Anything Goes
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes

For more inspiration from the awesome design team, please pop over to the Fussy & Fancy Challenge.

PBSC September - Nature!

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

'Nature'

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

Prize - a $20 voucher!

I used one of the butterfly stamps from the 'Social Butterfly' set...stamping it lightly in 'Old Paper' Distress Ink. I wet the whole of the image, then watercoloured using a mixture of Cracked Pistachio, Peacock Feather, Old Paper and Pumice Stone. I masked off the butterfly, then splattered some of those colours over the top. I inked around the edges using more Old Paper Distress Ink, the distressed the edges a little, then adding some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Handwritten Borders' set by Simon Says Stamp.

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

• Everybody Art - Butterflies
• Little Red Wagon - Let's Get Inky
• My Time to Craft - Something that Flies
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - It's a Stitch Up
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• That's Crafty - All Square

You can also find this card over on the Fussy & Fancy Challenge, where I'm the featured guest designer for their current challenge:

 'Let's Fly Away!'

Thank you so much for having me!

And that's not all...today is my blog's 8th birthday...so I'll sort out some candy soon to celebrate that!

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

Christmas Bunnies - Robin

I'm just managing to sneak in a card for this week's Lili of the Valley Challenge...it's a fab sketch, so I couldn't resist! I've used one of Lili of the Valley's Christmas stamps (Christmas Bunnies - Robin), keeping it really simple with a couple of pieces of paper from the 'Wonderful Winter' glitter pad by My Mind's Eye, and a big satin bow in place of the sentiment. I'm also going to enter this card into the Corrosive and Fussy and Fancy challenges, which both have 'Christmas in July' as theie current theme.

Very Pink!

Hmmm...I'm not sure I like this card...and I don't think it's because it's pink...it looks really plain to me...but I tried adding various embellishments...and it just didn't look 'right'...so I decided to leave it alone. I followed the Papertake Weekly sketch, and used the 'Pink & Brown' colour combo of the C.R.A.F.T. Challenge, to make a card for the Fussy & Fancy Challenge of 'Birthday with Something Sweet'. The image is from the 'Critter Party' set by Penny Black...I added some gloss to the chocolate icing on the cupcake...although it doesn't show up too well in the photo. The pink papers are from the 'Colourful Christmas' collection by My Mind's Eye, and they've been matted onto brown card. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Cupcakes' set by Hero Arts.

Cute & Glitzy Christmas

I'm still keeping to my resolution to make at least one Christmas card each week...this one uses the adorable 'Christmas Teddy - Little Star' by Lili of the Valley. I followed the sketch from the Just Cute Bears Challenge, using papers from the 'Wonderful Winter' pad by My Mind's Eye. I inked around the edges of all the papers using a Versamark pad, then heat embossed with gold. I coated the bards with a layer of holographic powder to make them match the glittery papers, and added a piece of gold sparkly ribbon...which I hope all makes this card glitzy enough for the 'Dazzle Us' challenge on the Fussy & Fancy Friday Challenge.

It's a white-out...

No...not the weather...we haven't had any snow here in London...yet...I'm talking about my card...which is for the Charisma Cardz 'White on White' challenge. I followed the sketch from the Create4Fun Challenge...rotating it to fit the hearts...which also means this card fits the Fussy & Fancy 'Hearts' challenge. I've made a Wedding card...keeping it really simple, with plain white card embossed using my Cuttlebug 'D'Vine Swirls', 'Swiss Dots' and 'Textile' folders to create some texture. The ovals were cut using my Nesties, and the hearts were made using the Cuttlebug 'Concentric Hearts' die. I lightly distressed the edges of all of the layers, to add definition...although it doesn't show up too well in the photo.

Winter Henry

I'm sorry...I know that this is my third Christmas card this week..but I don't seem to be able to stop myself! lol
This one combines: the Sketch Saturday Challenge sketch; the 'Blue & White' colour combo from Stamp Something; Susie & Vikki's Christmas Club's 'Snow' theme; Saturday Spotlight with Hidden Potential's 'Snowflakes' theme; and the Fussy & Fancy Friday Challenge's 'Winter' theme. I used 'Ice Skating Henry' by Whiff of Joy, watercolouring him to match the DCWV papers (from the 'Christmas' stack. The sentiment stamp is by Penny Black, and the snowflakes were cut using Cuttlebug dies...the larger one is an 'Ice Crystal' die cut with the tips cut off.

I don't have a card for tomorrow...but I promise I'll be back with something non-Christmassy on Saturday! lol