June Desk Calendar

Today I'm sharing my desk calendar page for June. The sweet hedgie image is from the 'Hello Friend' set by Penny Black, and once again, I stamped directly on to the calendar page, then coloured it using watercolour pencils.

Challenges for this calendar:

• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Not a Card
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes

PBSC June - Anything Goes (Optional 'Masculine')

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

'Masculine'

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

Prize - a $20 voucher!

I used a fabulous chicken stamp on my card called 'Best of Luck!'...which I stamped on to watercolour paper, then coloured using watercolour pencils. I added a sentiment (from the 'Birthday Buddies' set by Paper Smooches), and paired it with papers from the 'Party Day' pad by Crate Paper...distressing the edges, and adding some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

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

• Crafty Catz - Cute for a Guy
• Creatalicious - Anything Goes (Optional 'Birthdays')
• Everybody Art - Something for Men
• I Spy with My Little Eye - Something with Wings
• Krafty Chicks - Stamp Act
• My Time to Craft - Masculine
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• Sparkles Forum - Wings
• Sweet Stampin' - Things with Wings
• The Sisterhood of Crafters - Birds

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

Winter House

I have a Christmas card to share today, made using a Cuttlebug embossing folder that I picked up earlier this week in a charity shop. It's called 'Winter House', and I used it to emboss a snippet of white card. As it has an embossed border around the edge, and is not quite the right size for an A6 card, I trimmed it down, then lightly distressed the edges. I cut a 'snowdrift' from another snippet of white card using one of my Lawn Fawn 'Stitched Hillside' border dies, distressed that a little, then added it along the bottom to cover the border at the bottom. I used some of the dies from my Tim Holtz/Sizzix 'WInter Wonderland' set to cut a few deer from some more snippets of white card, then placed them along the bottom of the panel before adding it to a card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• 52 Christmas Card Throwdown - Use Your Scraps
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• The Holly & the Ivy - Anything Christmas Goes
• Use Your Stuff - Anything Goes

Gold Sketchy Flowers

Today's card features an old favourite floral stamp from the 'Sketchy Flowers' set by Simon Says Stamp. I stamped it, along with a sentiment from the 'Signature Greetings' set by Memory Box, on to a cream DL card blank using Versamark Ink, then heat embossed it using 'Gold Pearl' embossing powder from WOW. I was going to watercolour the flowers, but rather liked it how it was, so left it alone.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• CAS on Friday - Embossing
• Less is More - One Layer Card with Flowers
• Seize the Birthday - Anything Birthday
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Add a Sentiment

Snowman

I have a simple one layer Christmas card to share today, featuring an old Lili of the Valley stamp called simply 'Snowman'. I stamped him directly on to a kraft card blank, along with a sentiment stamp from the 'Festive Phrases' set by Funky Fossil, then coloured him using watercolour pencils.

Challenges for this card:

• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Krafty Chicks - Any Occasion
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Add a Sentiment

Black & Gold Sketchy Sprigs

I have a Christmas card to share today...made using a Woodware foliage stamp called 'Sketchy Sprigs'. I used my Tim Holtz stamping platform to repeat stamp it on black card using Versamark Ink, then heat embossed it using 'Metallic Gold Rich' embossing powder from WOW. I added a sentiment (from the Festive Phrases' set by Funky Fossil) in the centre, heat embossing that in gold to match. I matted the panel on to some gold mirror card, then added it to a white card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Christmas Cards All Year Round - Five of Something or Lots of Gold
• C.R.A.F.T. - Christmas
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Little Red Wagon - Flora or Fauna
• Rudolph Days - Anything Christmas
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Add a Sentiment
• Stamping Sensations - Anything Stamped

Time to Paw-ty!

Today's card features one of the dogs from a Katzelkraft stamp set called 'Les Chiens'. I stamped him on to a kraft card blank, then coloured him using watercolour pencils. I doodled a balloon, then added some Glossy Accents to make it shine. The sentiment is from the 'Watch This!' set by Anita Jerum for Colorado Crafts.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Cutie Pie - Four-legged Friends
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Add a Sentiment
• Sweet Stampin' - Masculine

Watercolour Baubles

I have a Christmas card to share today...made using an old Cuttlebug 'Bauble' embossing folder. I used it to emboss a piece of watercolour effect paper (from the 'Pastel Watercolours' pad from The Works), then I lightly rubbed a Versamark inkpad over the the rasied areas, and sprinkled over some 'Metallic Silver Sparkle' embossing glitter from WOW over the top. I distressed the edges a little, then matted it on to some silver mirror card...adding a sentiment cut using a Creative Expressions die...before adding it to a white card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Christmas Craft Creations - No Stamping
• Dream Valley - Make It Sparkle
• Happy Little Stampers (Dies) - Anything Goes
• Jingle Belles - No Stamping
• My Time to Craft - Dry Embossing
• Use Your Stuff - Use a Technique (Dry Embossing)

PBSC May - Anything Goes (Optional 'Use Patterned Papers')...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

'Use Patterned Papers'

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

Prize - a $20 voucher!

The image on my card is a cling stamp called 'Garden Visit'. I stamped it on to a snippet of watercolour paper, along with a sentiment from the 'Sending Sunshine' set by Simon Says Stamp, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I paired it with papers from an old Crate Paper pad called 'Farmhouse'...distressing the edges, and adding some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

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

• C.R.A.F.T. - Anything Goes
• Crafter's Cafe - Animals
• Creatalicious - Anything Goes (Optional 'Three or More Papers')
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
• We Love Stamping - Anything Goes (Optional 'In the Garden')

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

Tulips in a Vase

Today's card features another Woodware floral stamp...this one is called 'Tulips in a Vase'. I stamped it on to a snippet of white card, then coloured the leaves and background using watercolour pencils. I then paper pieced the flowers and vase using snippets of pink patterned papers from an unbranded pad of 'Spring' themed papers that was a magazine freebie. I matted the panel on to some pink card, then added it to a card blank, stamping a sentiment (from the 'Handwritten Borders' set by Simon Says Stamp) underneath.

Challenges for this card:

• AAA Cards - Pink Birthday
• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Creative Knockouts - Anything Goes
• Love to Scrap - Anything Goes
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets

Trimming the Tree

I have a simple one layer Christmas card to share today...featuring one of the cute critter stamps from the 'Holly-Jolly' set by Penny Black. I stamped it directly on to a kraft card blank, then coloured it using watercolour pencils...adding some sparkle to the stars using a metallic gold gel pen. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Snow Much Fun' set by Crafter's Companion.

Challenges for this card:

• A Perfect Time to Craft - Anything Goes
• Corrosive - Anything Goes
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Happy Little Stampers (Christmas) - Trim the Tree
• Krafty Chicks - Christmas
• Merry Little Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes

Burst into Bloom

I have a simple one layer card to share today, made using an old Woodware stamp called 'Burst into Bloom'. I stamped it on to a kraft card blank, using Versamark Ink, along with a sentiment from the 'Signature Greetings' set by Memory Box, then heat embossed it in white. I coloured the image using watercolour pencils.

Challenges for this card:

• As You Like It - Favourite Sping or Summer? (Spring for me - I just love seeing the first Spring flowers poking through)
• Less is More - Spring
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Little Red Wagon - Spring Flowers
• The Sisterhood of Crafters - Flowers
• We Love Stamping - Anything Stamped (Optional 'In the Garden')

Birthday Chickens

I have a simple one layer birthday card to share today, featuring a Christmas stamp called 'Carolers' by Penny Black. I stamped it directly on to a kraft card blank, then coloured the chickens using watercolourpencils. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Critter Concert' set by Lawn Fawn.

Challenges for this card:

• C.R.A.F.T. - Birthday
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Fab 'N' Funky - Things with Wings
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Inspired by Music
• Stamping Sensations - Anything Stamped
• The Male Room - Animals

ABC Christmas - J & K are for?

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

'J is for Jingle Bells'

&

'K is for Kissing'

(underneath the mistletoe)

The prize on offer for one lucky winner is these Fizzy Moon stamps:

For my 'Jingle Bells' card, I took inspiration from the words of the song, and picked a cute Penny Black stamp called 'Coming Your Way'...a 'one hedgehog' open sleigh, rather than 'one horse'! I stamped it on to watercolour paper, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I paired it with papers from the 'Ho Ho Ho Christmas' pad by Polkadoodles, distressing the edges and adding some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The sentiment is from an old Pollycraft set.

For my 'K is for Kissing' card, I used stamps from the 'Christmas Hugs' set (also by Penny Black), again stamping them on to watercolour paper, and colouring them using watercolour pencils. The papers are from the 'Happy Colours' pad from The Works...not specifically Christmas, but the colours matched! I distressed the edges, and added faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The sentiment is from a Lili of the Valley set.

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

• Christmas with the Cuties - Something Hand Coloured
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Inspired by Music (First card only)
• Sparkles Forum Christmas - Include a Sleigh (First card only)
• The Holly & the Ivy - Anything Christmas Goes

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

Dotty Flowers

Today's card features some floral stamps from Woodware called 'Dotty Flowers'. I inked them with Distress Inks (Dusty Concord & Rustic Wilderness), spritzed them with a little water, then stamped them on to watercolour paper. I added a sentiment, from the 'Sketched Flowers' set by Simon Says Stamp, then distressed the edges a little, before adding the panel to a kraft card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes (Optional 'April Showers bring May Flowers')
• Creative Knockouts - Flower Power
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - No Patterned Papers
• Stamping Sensations - Anything Stamped
• We Love Stamping - Anything Stamped (Optional 'In the Garden')

PBSC May - Anything Goes (Optional 'Use Patterned Papers')

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

'Use Patterned Papers'

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

Prize - a $20 voucher!

The image on my card is a lovely little vintage Penny Black wood mounted stamp called 'Butterfly Hedgehog', that I found in a charity shop over the Easter holiday. I stamped it on to watercolour paper, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I paired it with some papers from the 'Bumblebee's Dance' pad by The Paper Boutique...distressing the edges a little, then adding 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 Colorado Craft.

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

• 2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Anything Goes
• Crafts Galore Encore - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Happy Little Stampers (Birthdays) - Anything Birthday Goes
• Krafty Chicks - Stamp Act

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

The Lost Balloon

I have a simple one layer card to share today, featuring an old Lili of the Valley stamp called 'The Lost Balloon'. I stamped it on to a kraft card blank, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I added a sentiment (from the 'Watch This!' set by Anita Jerum for Colorado Craft), then covered the balloons with Glossy Accents.

They're super shiny in real life!

Challenges for this card:

• AAA Birthday - Balloons
• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Little Red Wagon - CAS
• Seize the Birthday - Optional 'Balloons'
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - No Patterned Papers

May - Desk Calendar

As it's the first of a new month, I'm sharing my desk calendar page. The 'April Showers' have brought 'May Flowers'...with my image...it's an oldie from Penny Black called 'Rainin' Daisies'. I stamped it directly on to the calendar blank (from Paper Mill), then coloured it using watercolour pencils.

Challenges for this calendar page:

• Fab 'N' Funky - Umbrellas and/or Flowers
• I Spy With My Little Eye - April Showers or May Flowers
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes

Driving Along in my Automobile

I have a simple one layer card to share today...featuring one of the critters from the 'Hello Friend' set by Penny Black. I stamped it on to a kraft card blank, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I added a fun sentiment from the 'Laugh Out Loud Again' set by Clearly Besotted.

Challenges for this card:

• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
• Less is More - A is for Automobiles
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• Sweet Stampin' - Animals