Pile It On! Challenge - Garden Creatures

We have a fun new Pile It On! Challenge starting today...the theme is:

'Garden Creatures'

(Bugs, birds, critters etc...)

Our sponsor for this month is Craftin' Desert Diva's Stamps:

Prize - 4 bags of CDD sequins!

I used a few critter and bee stamps from the Penny Black 'Wonderful Day' set to create a little scene, which I coloured using watercolour pencils. The papers are from the 'Farmhouse' pad by Crate Paper...I distressed the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The sentiment is a stamp from the 'Big Messages' set by Paul Pascual.

Here are the challenges I've piled on:

• Pile It On! - Garden Creatures (Bugs, Birds, Critters etc)
• Aud Sentiments - Animals & a Sentiment
• Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper - Anything Goes
• Dream Valley - All Creatures Great & Small
• Hiding in my Craft Room - Freestyle
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Sew Charming (Sewing or Charms)
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• Sketch Saturday - Free Choice (I used sketch #348 - see bottom of post for image)
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please pop over to the Pile It On! Challenge.

Up, up and away!

I'm sneaking on before bedtime to share a card I made using some cute aeroplane themed stamps from the 'Patch a Flight' set by Woodware. I fussy cut the stamped images, then added them above a landscape scene. I used my Lawn Fawn 'Stitched Hillside' border dies for the hills, added a Hero Arts sentiment and doodled a trail behind the plane.

Challenges for this card:

• Bunny Zoe's - Travelling or Transport
• Crafty Sentiments - Birthdays
• Cute Card Thursday - No Patterned Papers
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• The Sisterhood of Crafters - Birthdays
• Time Out - Celebrations with Die Cuts/Fussy Cutting

ABC Christmas Challenge - I is for...

It's time for a fun new ABC Christmas Challenge...Wilma is the host, and the theme is:

'I is for Ink'

Our sponsor for this challenge is Wild Orchid Crafts:

Prize - £10 Gift Voucher!

I got out some of my Distress Inks and created a set of colourful snowy cards. I heat embossed a snow background stamp (from a set by My Paper World) using clear embossing powder on white card, then blended my Distress Inks over the top. I simply added a sentiment (from the 'Merriest Wishes' set by Hero Arts) popped up on 3D foam pads over the top.

Colours used on the 'pink/purple' card: Picked Raspberry, Seedless Preserves, Wilted Violet & Blueprint Sketch:

Colours used on the 'blue/green' card: Broken China, Mermaid Lagoon, Peacock Feathers, Lucky Clover & Chipped Sapphire:

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

• Artistic Inspirations - Anything Goes
• Christmas Cards - Anything Goes
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Use a Sentiment
• Creative Card Crew - Embossing
• Merry Monday - Let it Snow!
• Rudolph Days - Anything Christmas
• Shopping Our Stash - Think Ink

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

Winter Wonderland

I seem to be going through a bit of a clean and simple phase at the moment...and have an super simple (and quick!) card o share today. I embossed a kraft card blank with my Simon Says Stamp 'Falling Snow' background stamp using WOW 'Sparkling Snow' embossing powder (I really wish that I could capture how pretty & sparkly this is in a photograph!). I used a Clearly Besotted die ('Tree Landscape') to cut the curved section from a snippet of white card, then added a sentiment (from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous).

Challenges for this card:

• Christmas Cards - Anything Goes
• C.R.A.F.T. - Christmas
• Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Use a Sentiment
• Hiding in my Craft Room - Any Holiday (Christmas)
• Holly Jolly Christmas - Use a Die Cut
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets

Seize the Cake!

I have a cute Hedgie card to share today...he's by Penny Black (of course) and is called 'To cake moment'. I coloured him using watercolour pencils, then pierced a border around the edge using my CutterBee Bug. I added a few strips of washi tape (from Freckled Fawn & Dovecraft) and a sentiment (from the 'Big Messages' set by Paula Pascual).

Challenges for this card:

• 4 Crafty Chicks - Food
• Crafting with Friends - Anything Goes
• Crafty Friends - All Things Cute
• Cutie Pie - Woodland Friends
• Let's Colour Linky Party - Anything Goes
• Love to Scrap - Anything Goes
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Seize the Birthday - Anything Goes

Spring Flowers

I have a simple one layer card to share today...using a new set of stamps that I picked up from the Craft Barn with a prize I won over at Winter Wonderland a little while ago called 'Spring Flowers' by Honey Doo Crafts. I stamped two different sizes of the flower stamps over the top part of my card, then coloured them in shades of pink and purple using watercolour pencils. I added some highlights on the petals with a white gel pen. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Fabulous Birthday' set by Hero Arts.

Challenges for this card:

• Crazy Challenge - Spring is Here
• Creative Corner - Spring Flowers
• Less is More - Use Three Stamps
• Moving Along with the Times - Spring Flowers
• The Stamping Boutique - Spring Flowers

Happy Birthday Mum!

It was my Mum's birthday on Wednesday, so it's now safe to blog her card...and gift wrap etc...
I made a matching set using some cute little puppy stamps from the Penny Black 'Man's Best Friend' set. I coloured them all using watercolour pencils, then fussy cut them all out. I decided to use kraft card for the card base, and stamped panels of card with the little paw print stamp that comes in the set in various colours of Distress Inks (Picked Raspberry, Wilted Violet, Seedless Preserves, Mermaid Lagoon, Peacock Feathers, Lucky Clover). I edged the card and tag bases with some stripey washi tape (from Freckled Fawn), then stamped sentiments from various sets (Paula Pascual 'Big Messages', Simon Says Stamp 'Sending Sunshine' and Clearly Besotted 'You & I'). I cut circular apertures in the paw print panels, so that the sentiments would peek through, then mounted them on 3D foam. Then I added the little pups leaping around all of the apertures.

Here's her card:

This is a little matching giftcard holder:

And her present...I wrap all my gifts in brown paper...then added some of the washi tape, and tied the tag on using some multicolour twine:

Challenges for these items:

• Crafting with Friends - Anything Goes
• Crafty Sentiments - Anything Goes
• Penny Black & More - Birthdays
• Stamps + Fun = Creativity - Birthdays
• Sweet Stampin' - Tags (Just the tag...obviously!)
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Under the Weather James

I was the lucky winner of a Christmas at Sweet Stampin' challenge a little while ago, and received a goodie bag stuffed full of stamped images and pretty embellishments from Gail (thank you!). Inspired by the April showers we've been having lately, I coloured up this cute James the Bear image from the bundle ('James Umbrella' by Lili of the Valley) using watercolour pencils...then added some sparkle to his umbrella and the puddles using a Wink of Stella pen. With his little glum face, I thought he was looking a little 'under the weather'...so I added get well sentiment (from the 'Sending Sunshine' set by Simon Says Stamp).

Challenges for this card:

• 4 Crafty Chicks - Get Well
• Addicted to CAS - Rain
• Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes
• Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes
• Gem of a Challenge - Teddy Bears
• Little Red Wagon - April Showers
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - April Showers Bring May Flowers

Pile It On! Challenge - Doodle!

We have another fun Pile It On! Challenge starting today...the theme is:

'Doodle'

Our sponsor for this month is A Day for Daisies:

Prize - 3 Digital Stamps!

I've made a simple one layer card, using a Whipper Snapper stamp called 'Celebration Chicken' (which I coloured using watercolour pencils), and a Hero Arts sentiment stamp (from the 'Anytime Messages' set). I doodled a 'loopy' border using a black gel pen.

Here are the challenges I've piled on:

• Pile It On! - Doodle
• Animal Friends - Birds
• Aud Sentiments - Anything Goes
• Come & Get It - Things with Wings
• C.R.A.F.T. - Clean & Simple
• Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes
• Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes
• Crafty Sentiments - Anything Goes
• Let's Colour Linky Party - Anything Goes
• Stamps + Fun = Creativity - Bithdays
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please pop over to the Pile It On! Challenge.

PBSC April - Showers...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:

'Showers'

(Think rain, umbrellas, wellies or wedding or baby showers)

We are sponsored for this challenge by:

1-2-3 Stitch!:

Prize - a $20 voucher

I based my card around a snow shower this time, and picked a couple of hedgies from the 'Jolly Friends' set, which I coloured using watercolour pencils, then fussy cut them out. I embossed my Simon Says Stamp 'Falling Snow' stamp using WOW 'Sparkling Snow' embossing powder (really wish I could capture in a photo just how beautifully sparkly this is!). I added some snowy hills cut using my Lawn Fawn 'Stitched Hillside' border dies, and  a Lili of the Valley sentiment.

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

• Alphabet Challenge - D is for Dots
• Christmas at Sweet Stampin' - Animals
• Dream Valley - Anything Goes
• Winter Wonderland - Pink or Blue

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

ABC Christmas Challenge - H is for...

It's time for another fun ABC Christmas Challenge...Samantha is the host, and the theme is:

'H is for Hats'

Our sponsor for this challenge is Digi Stamp Boutique:

Prize - £10 voucher!

I used a stamp set called 'Stretchy Snowmen' by Stampendous, that my lovely ABC Christmas teamie Samantha gave me last Christmas on my card...I couldn't resist those cute hats! Basically you build your own snowmen using the elements in the stamp set, and then decide how to dress them! I coloured my snowmen using watercolour pencils, then cut the out. I created a little scene using my 'Falling Snow' stamp from Simon Says Stamp heat embossed using 'Sparkling Snow' powder by WOW, and my Lawn Fawn 'Stitched Hillside' border dies. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous.

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

• Creative Card Crew - Die Cuts
• Crimbo Crackers - Embossing
• Happy Little Stampers (Christmas) - Die Cuts
• Merry Monday - 200th Challenge Celebration (I chose the snowman theme)

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

Geometric Doodles

This week's Less is More challenge is a bit of a toughie...a one layer card with geometric shapes or patterns. Being undecided as to whether any of my background stamps counted as geometric shapes or patterns, I decided to have a go at doodling some triangles. I sketched the outlines in pencil, then coloured the shapes using watercolour pencils, before going over the outlines using a black gel pen. It's not my neatest work...but  I don't think it's bad for a first try...anyway, I liked the effect, so I added a Simon Says Stamp sentiment (from the 'Handwritten Borders' set).

Challenges for this card:

• Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes
• Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes
• Crazy 4 Challenges - Try a New Technique
• Less is More - One Layer Card with Geometric Shapes/Patterns
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Happy Birthday

Cupcake Henry

Another ultra simple one layer card today...using 'Henry - Celebrating Mouse' by Whiff of Joy. I coloured him using watercolour pencils, then paper pieced his cupcake case using a snippet of My Mind's Eye paper (from the 'Blue Floral' pad). All I added was a Hero Arts sentiment (from the 'Anytime Messages' set) and a doodled border.

Challenges for this card:

• Little Red Wagon - Celebrate
• Penny Black & More - Birthdays
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Birthday
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Happy Birthday
• Sweet Stampin' - Paper Piecing

Throwing Daisy Petals

I have something a little bit more fussy for you today...this card uses a cute House Mouse image (called 'Throwing Daisy Petals') and papers from the My Mind's Eye 'Indie Chic - Nutmeg' pad. I coloured the image using watercolour pencils, and distressed all of the edges a little before adding some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The sentiment stamp is from the Big Messages' set by Paula Pascual, and the flowers are a mixture of Prima and Poppicrafts...held in place using a BasicGrey brad.

Challenges for this card:

• Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes
• Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes
• House Mouse & Friends - Anything Goes
• Seize the Birthday - Floral/Anything Birthday
• Shopping our Stash - April Fool (Hidden element or use a faux technique  - I used faux stitching)
• Simply Papercraft - Anything Goes
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Burst into Bloom

I have an ultra CAS card to share today...a one-layer job using a Woodware stamp (Burst into Bloom) partially stamped on to kraft card, coloured using watercolour pencils with a little sentiment added (from the Paula Pascual 'Big Messages' set).

Challenges for this card:

• CAS on Sunday - Flowers
• Incy Wincy - Favourite Colouring Medium (watercolour pencils)
• Less is More - White Space, but not White
• One Layer Simplicity - As You Wish
• Simply Create Too - Purple & Green

Aiming to Please!

I have a Christmas card to share today...using a couple of new things that I picked up a lovely little 'Aladdin's cave' of a craft shop that I recently discovered on a trip to visit my parents. The cute bear stamp ('Aiming to please!' by Penny Black) was in the bargain basket...so I had just had to bring him home with me! I coloured him using watercolour pencils, then fussy cut him out. The other new item is the embossing powder...it's 'Sparkling Snow' by WOW...and although you can't really tell in this photo (in fact you couldn't really tell in any of the many photos I took!) it has a lovely glittery sparkle to it. I used it emboss my Simon Says Stamp 'Falling Snow' background stamp on a piece of watercolour paper that I'd 'smooshed' with Distress Inks (Salty Ocean, Broken China, Chipped Sapphire & Peacock Feathers). To complete the scene...I used a couple of my Lawn Fawn 'Stitched Hillside Border' dies, and added a sentiment from the 'Jolly Christmas' sentiments set by C C Designs/Pollycraft.

Challenges for this card:

• Christmas Cards - Anything Goes
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Extra - Anything Goes
• C.R.A.F.T.- Make Your Own Background Paper
• Creative Corner - Use Embossing Powder
• Fab 'N Funky - Christmas
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• Sparkle 'N Sprinkle - Use Embossing Powder or Loose Glitter
• Sparkles Forum Christmas - CAS Christmas
• Winter Wonderland - Embossing 
• WOW! Embossing Powder - Anything Goes (I used 'Sparkling Snow' powder)

Pile It On! Challenge - Animal Prints or Paw Prints

We have another fun Pile It On! Challenge starting today...and the theme is:

'Animal Prints or Paw Prints'

Our sponsor for this month is A Day for Daisies:

Prize - 3 Digital Stamps!

I'm not really an animal print kind of person, so I went for muddy paw prints! The cute little pup and sentiment stamp are from the 'Man's Best Friend' set by Penny Black...I stamped them both directly on to my card blank, then coloured the pup using watercolour pencils. For the blue panel, I used the 'smooshing' technique placing some 'Salty Ocean', 'Broken China', Chipped Sapphire' and 'Peacock Feathers' Distress Inks on to a craft mat...spritzing with water, then pressing some watercolour paper into the mixture a couple of times (allowing to dry in between the layers). Then I splattered some water on to the top, and removing it using a paper towel to create some lighter patches. I stamped the paw prints over the top using a background stamp from Hobbycraft inked with 'Brushed Corduroy' Distress Ink. I used one of my Lawn Fawn 'Stitched Hillside Borders' dies to cut the wave at the bottom, and a hole using one of my Nesties for the sentiment to peek through.

Here are the challenges I've piled on:

• Pile it On! - Animal Prints or Paw Prints
• Cards Galore Encore - Anything Goes
• Cardz for Guyz - Something Beginning with A (Animal & Aperture)
• Catch the Bug - Anything Goes
• Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes
• Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes
• Crafting with Friends - Anything Goes
• Crafty Calendar - Anything Goes
• Crafty Sentiments - Anything Goes
• Creative Card Crew - CAS
• One Crazy Stamper - Anything Goes
• Penny Black & More - Birthdays
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please pop over to the Pile It On! Challenge.

PBSC April - Showers

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

'Showers'

(Think rain, umbrellas, wellies or wedding or baby showers)

We are sponsored for this challenge by:

1-2-3 Stitch!:

Prize - a $20 voucher

I went for a shower of flowers...and used 'Rainin' Daisies' on my card. I coloured the image using watercolour pencils, and combined it with papers from the 'Indie Chic - Saffron' pad by My Mind's Eye. I distressed the edges of the papers a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The flowers are a mixture of Prima and Poppicrafts, the brads are BasicGrey and the sentiment stmap is from the 'Cupcakes' set by Hero Arts.

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

• Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper - Anything Goes
• Creative Inspirations - Anything Goes using the Optional Sketch
• Moving Along with the Times - Girly
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• That's Crafty - Bold & Beautiful

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

Blast Off!

Something a little different from me today...this card is for a friend's daughter's third birthday (her birthday is only a couple of days after her Mum's...and I shared her Mum's card yesterday). She's very into rockets/space/Buzz Lightyear at the moment, and is having a space themed party, so I thought I'd have a go at making a rocket shaped card for her. I found a simple template on Google images, and printed it out on to a piece of card...I adapted it slightly, cutting off the smoke/exhaust flames and re-sizing the middle fin so that it would stand up. I cut two rocket shapes out of thick kraft card to make the front and back of my card, then used my original template to cut shapes to decorate both sides from card in pastel shades...it might be a rocket, but it can still be girly! I used one of my little oval Nesties to cut some 'alien' heads...I was aiming to make something similar to the three aliens in Toy Story...but couldn't figure out how to make their antennae! I added a sentiment (from the 'Cupcakes' set by Hero Arts) to a die cut speech bubble (using a Sizzix/Craft Asylum die), some die cut stars (Nesties), some silver adhesive pearls (Hobbycraft) to look like rivets, and finally some googly eyes on the aliens. Before I stuck it all together, I inked around all of the edges using 'Old Paper' Distress Ink.

I made a crease at the top of the back piece before I glued the two pieces together so that the card would stand up:

Here are the two cheeky little aliens on the back:

Challenges for this card:

• ABC Challenge - E is for Everything
• Aud Sentiments - Birthday or the Number 6
• Cards Galore Encore - Anything Goes
• Crafting with Friends - Anything Goes
• Crafty Creations - For a Young Girl
• Creative Moments - Inspired by a Song ('Rocket Man' by Elton John)
• Cute Card Thursday - Transport
• Fussy & Fancy - Pastel Colours
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• Sparkles Forum - Make it Girly