Butterfly Wishes

This is another of the cards I made last weekend for one of the many October birthdays that are coming up. The image is 'Butterfly Wishes' by Penny Black, which I coloured using watercolour pencils to match the Autumnal shades in the 'Bloom & Grow' papers by My Mind's Eye. I inked around all of the edges using chalk ink pads, and added a sentiment (from the 'Critter Party' set by Penny Black).

Challenges for this card:

• Sketch Saturday - Sketch
• Charisma Cardz - Autumn Colours
• Crafty Calendar - Birthdays (Optional extra of Autumn Colours)
• Penny Black @ Allsorts - Colours of Autumn
• Stampin' for the Weekend - Autumn Inspiration

New Stash!

I got some lovely new stash for my birthday on Tuesday...and usually new papers and embellies are just for looking at...but, I managed to bring myself to actually use some of it yesterday...a new record for me! lol
The adorable House Mouse stamp was a gift from my ABC Christmas DT buddy Lols...thank you...I love it! And I also used some of the new paper I got from my parents (it's from the 'Wild Asparagus' collection by My Mind's Eye). I followed the sketch from Sketch Saturday, which I rotated to fit my image better. I inked and distressed the edges of everything and added a sentiment from the 'Sending Sunshine' set by Simon Says Stamp.

I'm also going to enter this card into a few other challenges:

• Everybody Art - 'Check It Out'
• Stamptacular Sunday - 'Snips and Snails, and Puppy Dog Tails'
• Your Next Stamp - 'Birthdays'

Wishes for Kisses

I was feeling festive again yesterday...so I have another Christmas card to share with you today. I've used one of my favourite Penny Black stamps...'Wishes for Kisses'......just perfect for the 'Mistletoe Kisses' challenge over at the DCD Christmas Club this week. I followed the sketch from Sketch Saturday,  using papers from the 'Eskimo Kisses' collection (by BasicGrey), and I distressed the edges, and added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a gel pen...just right for the BasicGrey Challenge. The sentiment stamp is also by Penny Black, and I used an EK Success punch for the scalloped border, adding some adhesive pearls along the edge, and also to the centres of the little snowflakes cut using a Cuttlebug die. I'm also going to enter this into Creative Inspirations (Wed) 'Animals', and Cupcake Crafts 'Distressing' challenges.

ABC Christmas Challenge - N is for Noel

We hope you all enjoyed our 'Half-way there hop'...the lucky winners of the hidden candies will be announced on the ABC Christmas Challenge blog later today...so don't forget to see if you are amongst them :0)

It's my turn to host our challenge for you this fortnight, and the theme I've chosen is:

'N is for Noel'

with an optional extra of embossing

Noel (or noël, sometimes written as nowell in English) is an alternate word for Christmas. The word comes from the French word Noël meaning "Christmas"

We are sponsored by Wild Rose Studio for this challenge, who are very generously offering 2 stamps of the winner's choice from their Christmas Collection...not only that but the DT were given some adorable images, and yummy papers to play with.

I used a sweet little mouse image (called 'Mouse in Snow') by Wild Rose Studio on my card...but as I only have a B&W printer, was unable to use their lovely digi papers :0( So, I used my Cuttlebug 'Snowflakes' and 'Snow Dots' folders to emboss some plain card for the background. The snowflakes and letters were all cut using Cuttlebug dies.

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

• Sketch Saturday - sketch
• Allsorts - 'Embossing'
• Daring Cardmakers - 'Ice & Snow'

Don't forget to stop by the ABC Christmas Challenge to check out the fabulous creations by my lovely teamies.

Ready, Set, Go!

I've combined the Sketch Saturday sketch, and the 'Distressing' theme of the House Mouse & Friends Challenge on this card. The image is called 'Ready, Set, Go!'...and I watercoloured it to match the My Mind's Eye 'Ooh La La (for Him)' papers. I distressed all of the edges with inks and my distressing tool, and added some ribbon and large brads from Poppicrafts and a Tim Holtz adage ticket in place of the sentiment.

Little Star

This week's Lili of the Valley Challenge of 'Blue & Silver' made me immediately think of Christmas cards...so I decided to use 'Little Star' (by Lili of the Valley) and follow the Sketch Saturday sketch. I didn't have any suitable patterned papers, so I made my background by embossing plain card using my Cuttlebug 'Swiss Dots' and 'Snowflakes' folders...perfect for this week's Allsorts Challenge, where the theme is 'No Design Papers'. The sentiment stamp is by Cuddly Buddly.

Bird Pants

Woo-hoo...no school for me today!!! They've broken up for Easter...so I was allowed to have a lie-in...yay...except, I've woken up with a raging sore throat...and streaming nose...lovely! :0(

This is the last of the cards I made last weekend...and it uses the sketch from Sketch Saturday, the 'Going Dotty' theme of the Creative Card Crew, and the 'If you had wings...' theme of the Cuttlebug Spot. The image is a digi stamp by Hambo, called 'Bird Pants', which I coloured using watercolour pencils. The spotty paper is by My Mind's Eye ('29th Street Market'), and for more dots, I embossed the yellow and blue card using my 'Spots & Dots' and 'Swiss Dots' Cuttlebug folders.

Celebrating Henry

I hadn't inked up 'Henry - Celebrating Mouse' (by Whiff of Joy) in such a long time...so just had to get him out to use on my card for the Creative Card Crew's 1st Birthday challenge, where the theme is...what else...but 'Celebrations'. I followed the Sketch Saturday sketch, and added some faux stitching for the One Stop Craft Challenge's 'Sew Simple' theme. The papers are by BasicGrey (from the 'Blush' and 'Figgy Pudding' collections), and I used my 'Diamond Plate' Cuttlebug folder for the embossing. The sentiment stamp is by Studio G, the spotty ribbon is from Poppicrafts, and the brads are by Papermania.

Boo Boo Bear

Well....it's back to school today...but I made the most of my last day of freedom, and have plenty to share with you over the next few days. This card uses the Sketch Saturday sketch, the Creative Card Crew's, Stampavie & More's and Pile it On's 'Get Well Soon' theme, and the Paper Sundae's challenge of 'Distressing'. I adore 'Boo Boo Bear' (by Whipper Snapper)...so I just had to use him on this card. The papers are from the 'Wisteria' pad by BasicGrey, and I distressed the edges with ink and my distressing tool. The flowers are by Prima, and the sentiment stamp is from the CCSR set by Papermania.

It's Good News...Baby!

I won a prize from Toodles & Binks stamps on the Stampin' for the Weekend Challenge at the beginning of last month...and my fabby stamps arrived on Saturday...so I could resist inking one up straight away. I decided to use 'Clive Cockran'...to make a 'Baby' card for the Simon Says Stamp Challenge...not a typical image for that kind of card...but if you look closely you can just see the 'new arrival' peeking out of the chicken hutch...I've also used the sentiment stamp that came with the image as I thought it suited the occasion. I followed the Sketch Saturday sketch, using My Mind's Eye 'Ooh La La' (for Him) papers and a few Poppicrafts buttons...in 'Spring-like' colours...so I'm also entering this card for Pile It On's 'No Winter Colours' challenge.

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

For You!

I love this week's Sketch Saturday sketch...even if I did rotate it to fit my image! :0)
I went a bit crazy with the polka dots...and then discovered a new (to me anyway) challenge blog whilst blog-hopping last night called Crazy4Challenges (which I am!) where the theme is 'Polka Dot Fun'...it must be fate! lol I'm also entering this card for the One Stop Craft Challenge...which asks us to include 'Something Beginning with B' on our cards...in my case 'Big Bow', 'Brads' and 'Box'. The image is of course Penny Black (from the 'Wonderful' set), the papers are Papermania ('Sweet Nothings'), the flowers are from Poppicrafts, the ribbon is from Hobbycraft, and I couldn't resist a few pieces of card candy in the corners.

Winter Pals

The My Time to Craft Challenge has a lovely theme for their challenge this week...'Winter Pals'. Now, I think that these two little fellas look both wintry and friendly...and having a high old time singing their hearts out! The image is a House Mouse stamp called 'Christmas Singing Duo'. I followed the sketch from Sketch Saturday...although I was naughty, and omitted the scalloped edges. And, I'm also entering this card for a couple of 'Christmas' themed challenges: Stampavie & More; and Stamp with Fun.
The papers are by BasicGrey ('Figgy Pudding'), the sentiment stamp is by Paper Makeup, and I added some pieces of card candy in coordinating colours.



Oh, and I've been given this award by Susan...thank you!
I posted my 'one word' answers here a couple of weeks ago, as I received it from a couple of my other bloggy buddies then.

I also received another award this week...but I'm still trying to come up with some 'interesting' facts about myself, so I'll blog that later! lol

Santa & Penguin

This adorable stamp arrived this morning...it's from a set called 'Santa & Penguin' by Craft UK, that I'd ordered nearly 6 weeks ago from the Crafter's Companion website (my first order with them)...I was beginning to think it had been lost in the postal strikes when it hadn't arrived after a few weeks...and after getting no response from their Customer Services to my three emails asking if it been posted ('cos they'd charged my card on the day I'd ordered) I had given up hope of ever seeing them...so I couldn't believe it when they popped through my letterbox today...with a packing note dated yesterday! Excellent service from the Royal Mail (for once), but I have to say that I won't be using the Crafter's Companion website again! :0(

Anyway, I couldn't resist inking them up straight away, as I thought that this image would be perfect for the 'St Nicholas' theme of the Winter Wonderland Challenge...which ends today, so I needed to get in there quickly. I followed the fab Sketch Saturday sketch...which is perfect for those larger images...and combined it with the Colour Create combo of 'Green, Red & White' with these funky papers by Doodlebug. I added some 'Polar White' Flowersoft for the snow, the sentiment stamp is from the same set as the image, and the snowflakes were cut using a Cuttlebug die.

Christmas Bunnies

I told you that you'd be seeing this Lili of the Valley stamp again soon...it's just so adorable! I followed the Sketch Saturday Challenge sketch, but had to rotate it to fit it the image. I'm also entering this card for the Stampavie & More 'Christmas' challenge, and the Everybody Art 'Shapes/Punches' challenge. The papers are 'Figgy Pudding' by BasicGrey, the sentiment stamp is by Three Bugs in a Rug, the ribbon is from Poppicrafts, and the snowflakes were cut using a Cuttlebug die.

Celebrations!

The Secret Crafter Challenge is celebrating it's blogoversary this week...so their theme is 'Celebration'..and they have some fabby prizes on offer too! The Creative Card Crew also has 'Celebrations' as their theme this week, so I've made a birthday card (lots of birthdays this month!) using the Sketch Saturday Challenge sketch...oops...have only just noticed the pets theme...but there are some people who keep mice as pets! lol I used 'Henry - Celebrating Mouse' (by Whiff of Joy), and some of my favourite '29th Street Market' papers by My Mind's Eye. I embossed the plain reverse side of one of the sheets with the 'Swiss Dots' and 'Spots & Dots' folders, then sanded to reveal the white core. I also inked and distressed the edges of all the papers. The ribbon and flowers are from Poppicrafts, and the sentiment is from the 'Cupcakes' set by Hero Arts.

Uplifting Occasion!

There's another fab sketch for this week's Sketch Saturday Challenge...which I've combined with the Penny Black Saturday Challenge colour theme of 'Chocolate, Lemon & Pink'. I've used an image ('Uplifting Occasion') that was sent to me in a swap ages ago...I've never used i,t as it's quite large for the size of card I like to make...but it was just perfect for this sketch. The papers are by BasicGrey, from the 'Porcelain' and 'Two Scoops' pads, the sentiment is by Hero Arts (from the 'Fabulous Birthday' set), and the flowers are a mixture of Papermania and Prima.