Many Blessings

I have a Christmas card to share today, made using stamps from the 'Many Blessings' set by Hero Arts. I did a little bit of masking to have the trees behind the snowmen, then added one of the sentiments from the set before colouring the image using watercolour pencils. I paired it with papers from the 'May Your Days Be Merry & Bright' pad by Craft Sensations...I distressed all of the edges a little, and matted the image and base layer onto snippets of green and red card before adding it to a white card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• C.R.A.F.T. - Christmas
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Creative Knockouts - Two or More Patterned Papers
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Rudolph Days - Anything Christmas Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• Sweet Stampin' - Christmas

Burst into Bloom

I have a simple sympathy card to share today, made using a lovely floral stamp from Woodware called 'Burst into Bloom. I stamped it onto a piece of navy card using Versamark ink, then heat embossed it using metallic silver embossing powder from WOW. I heat embossed a sentiment, using one of the stamps from the 'Go To Words' set by Visible Image, in silver to match, then coloured the flowers using watercolour pencils. I matted it onto some silver mirror card, distressing all of the edges, before adding it to a white card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• CAS on Friday - Sympathy
• Crafty Gals Corner - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes

Cheerful Flowers

I have a bright & cheerful birthday card to share today, which features a lovely floral stamp that I picked up from a charity shop...it's an unmounted grey rubber stamp, and it was not in its original packaging, so I have no idea what it is! I stamped it, along with a sentiment from the 'Go To Words' set by Visible Image, onto watercolour paper using Versamark ink, then heat embossed it all using metallic gold embossing powder from WOW. I coloured the flowers using watercolour pencils, then matted it onto some gold mirror card, distressing all of the edges, before adding it to a kraft card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• As You Like It - Brights or Pastels (Bright colours for me - I love how cheerful they look)
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Feminine
• We Love Stamping - Spring

Snow Scroll

Today's card features a Penny Black Christmas stamp called 'Snow Scroll' that I picked up in charity shop over Easter. I stamped it a couple of times onto some navy blue card using Versamark ink, then heat embossed it using 'Fairy Dust' embossing glitter from WOW. I added a sentiment, heat embossed to match, using one of the stamps from the 'Winter Blessings' set from Crafter's Companion, then matted it onto some silver glitter card, distressing the edges a little, before adding it to a white card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Crafts Galore Encore - Anything Goes
• Crafty Gals - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Peace on Earth Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes

Red Poppies

Today's card features a poppy covered embossing folder that I received with some choccy eggs for Easter. It wasn't in its original packaging, and has no branding on it, so if you recognise it, please let me know the details! I used it to emboss a snippet of red card. I stamped a sentiment, using one of the stamps from the 'Brushstroke Expressions' set by My Favorite Things onto another snippet of the same red card using a white pigment ink, then heat embossed it using white embossing powder. I distressed the edges of both snippets a little, then added them to a white card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - In the Garden
• Beautiful Blossoms - Anything Goes
• Crafty Gals Corner - Anything Goes
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets

Floral Flourish

I have a simple one layer card to share today, featuring a stamp called 'Floral Flourish' by Stamps by Chloe. I stamped it directly onto a lilac card blank using a white pigment ink, along with a sentiment using one of the stamps from the 'Go To Words' set by Visible Image, then heat embossed it all using white embossing powder. I added some shading to the flowers using purple watercolour pencils.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Stamping Sensations - Inspired by Nature
• Stamps & Fun = Creativity - Stamp
• Time Out - Pick Two (Pastel & Bloom)

PBSC April - Anything Goes (Optional 'Pastel Colours')...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

'Pastel Colours'

We're currently without a sponsor, so this challenge is just for fun.

For my card, I picked a cute cat image from the 'Christmas Hugs' set for my card, and stamped it onto watercolour paper, along with a sentiment (using a stamp from the 'Christmas Hats' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company), then coloured it using watercolour pencils. For the background, I used a snowflake covered paper (from the 'Christmas' pad by Craft Sensations, and a couple of snippets of plain-ish papers from the 'Mystery Marbles' pad, also by Craft Sensations. I embossed the plain-ish papers using snowflake embossing folders from Cuttlebug and Sizzix, then lightly sanded over the raised areas to reveal some of the white core. I distressed the edges a little, then layered everything up on a white card blank.

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

• Can You Handle the Pressure - Anything Goes
• C.R.A.F.T. - Anything Goes
• Crafty Animals - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Little Red Wagon - That Song ('Joy to the World')

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

Snowflake Edges

I have a pair of simple Christmas cards to share today, made using stamps from the 'Snowflake Edges' set by Simon Says Stamp. I stamped the borders, with one of the sentiments in between, onto smooth white card using Versamark ink, then heat embossed it all using metallic silver embossing powder. I coloured the snowflakes using mica pigments mixed with a little bit of water, then distressed the edges before adding them to card blanks.

The snowflakes are really shiny in real life, but terrible to photograph:

Challenges for these cards:

• As You Like It - Simple or Fussy (Simple for me - especially Christmas cards so that they are cheaper to post!)
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Fab 'N' Funky - Clean & Simple
• Krafty Chicks - CAS

Floral Garden

Today's card features a lovely stamp from Simon Says Stamp called 'Floral Garden'. I stamped it, and a sentiment using a stamp from the 'Go To Words' set by Visible Image, onto smooth white card using Versamark ink, then heat embossed it all using metallic gold embossing powder from WOW. The floral stamp is huge - there's quite a large portion below the section shown on my card. I coloured the image using a mixture of mica pigments and Cosmic Shimmers watercolour paints. I distressed the edges a little before adding it to a card blank.

It's super shiny - this is what it looks like when the light hits it:

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - In the Garden
• Creative Knockouts - Embossing Delight
• Seize the Birthday - Make a Spring Garden
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Bright & Cheerful
• Stamping Sensations - Inspired by Nature

Slippery Slope

Today's card features penguins from a Helz Cuppleditch set called 'Special Delivery - Penguins' that I last used (according to a quick search through my blog) in 2014! I rediscovered them last week when I sorted through all of my stamps to donate some that are no longer my style to charity. I stamped them onto a piece of watercolour paper, drew a line for a snowy slope using a black gel pen, then added a sentiment using one of the stamps from the 'Snow Bunnies' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company. I coloured the penguins using watercolour pencils, then carefully cut around the top of the image. I layered the image over a piece of 'snowy' paper from an unnamed pad by Craft Sensations, then matted it onto some pink card before adding it to a DL card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• C.R.A.F.T. - Seasons/Weather/Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Krafty Chicks - Christmas
• Neglected Stuff - Use Neglected Stuff (The penguin stamps were last used in 2014!)
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes

Tractor Birthday

I have a birthday card to share today, featuring a pup from a Christmas set of Penny Black stamps called 'Wintertime Cheer'. I stamped him (minus his Santa hat) onto watercolour paper, added a sentiment using stamps from the 'Birthday Buddies' set by Paper Smooches, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. The papers are from a pad by Premium Stacks called 'Nana's Nursery - Baby Boy'. I distressed the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen and a few adhesive gems.

Challenges for this card:

• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes
• The Male Room - Vehicles or Transport
• The Sisterhood of Crafters - Make Someone Smile

ABC Christmas Challenge - H & I are for?

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

'H is for Hats'

&

'I is for Image Only'

(No Sentiment)

This is the prize for the lucky winner:

A $30 Gift card to your favourite craft store!

For my 'H is for Hats' card, I used some of the critters from the 'Christmas Hats' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company. I stamped them, along with one of the sentiments from the set, onto a white DL card blank, then coloured them using watercolour pencils.

For my 'I is for Image Only' card, I used the stamps from a Penny Black set called 'Sledding Sweetness'. I stamped them onto a piece of watercolour paper, then coloured them using watercolour pencils. I distressed the edges a little before adding it to a kraft card blank.

I'm also entering these cards into the following challenges.

• Christmas Cards All Year Round - G & H are for? (H is for Hats)
• Christmas Kickstart - Brimming with Style (First card only)
• Peace on Earth Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes (Second card only)
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes (Second card only)

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

Good Day Birthday

Today's card features another of the cats from the 'Good Day!' set by Penny Black. I stamped it onto watercolour paper, along with one of the sentiments from the set, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I paired it with papers from a magazine freebie pad called 'Let's Fly Away!'. I distressed all of the edges, added faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen, then matted the layers onto some yellow card before adding them to a white card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• 2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Anything Goes
• A Perfect Time to Craft - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Krafty Chicks - Birthday
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Happy Birthday!

PBSC April - Anything Goes (Optional 'Pastel Colours)

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

'Pastel Colours'

We are currently without a sponsor, so this challenge is just for fun.

I made a set of tags to put on some Easter treat boxes. The stamps used were: 'Totally Excited! (the chicken); 'Butterflies & Ewe' (the sheep); 'Hello World' (the two chicks); and the goose is from the 'Twelve Days of Christmas' set. I stamped them all onto snippets of watercolour paper, coloured them using watercolour pencils, then cut out the circle shapes using one of my Nestie dies.  I distressed the edges a little, then added them to mats cut from snippets of pastel coloured card using one of my scalloped circle Nestie dies, sandwiching some Baker's twine in between.

For the boxes, I used sheets of 12x12 papers from a pad by Premium Stacks called 'Baby Boy', and my We R Memory Keepers punchboard. Once assembled, I tied up the boxes with more Baker's twine, then added the tags:

I'm also entering these tags & boxes into the following challenges:

• Creative Inspirations - Easter/Spring
• Just Us Girls - Dies + Spring/Easter
• Moving Along with the Times - Anything Spring
• Sweet Stampin' - Spring or Easter

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

April Desk Calendar

As it's the first day of the month, I'm sharing my desk calendar page for April. I went with an Easter theme, and used one of the stamps from the 'Twelve Days of Christmas' set by Penny Black...this cutie represents 'Six Geese a-laying'. I stamped it onto a snippet of watercolour paper, coloured it using watercolour pencils, then cut out the circle shape using one of my Nesties. For the background, I used a couple of snippets of paper from the 'Hippity Hoppity' pad by We R Memory Keepers...I've had this pad since 2011, and it's still going strong! I distressed all of the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

Challenges for this calendar:

• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Creative Knockouts - Spring
• Fab 'N' Funky - Easter/Spring
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Sparkles Forum - Springtime

Thank You Cat

Today's card features another Penny Black cat stamp, this time from the 'Good Day!' set. I stamped him onto watercolour paper, along with one of the sentiments from the set, then coloured him using watercolour pencils. I paired him with some floral paper, from the 'Watercolour Feelings' pad from The Works...I distressed the edges a little, then added faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

Challenges for this card:

• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• I Spy with My Little Eye - Spring Flowers or Spring Showers (I went with flowers)
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes

Guest Designer - Allsorts Challenge!

Today, I'm excited to be sharing a Guest Designer card for the Allsorts Challenge, where the theme this fortnight is:

'Spring'

(Or 'Anything Goes')

The prize is some Penny Black stamps from Buddly Crafts.

I picked a cute Penny Black cat stamp to use called 'The Bestest!', and stamped it onto watercolour paper, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. For the background, I used snippets of papers from the 'Bright Freshness' pad by Craft Sensations. Only the two edge snippets are long strips, the others are teeny tiny, but the image covers the gap in the middle. I distressed all of the edges, then added faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen before mounting them, and the image, onto some yellow card.

For more inspiration from the fabulous Design Team, please pop over to the Allsorts Challenge.

Candy Cane Bartles

I have a clean and simple Christmas card to share today, featuring a cute pup stamp from Purple Onion called 'Bartles'. I stamped him onto a snippet of watercolour paper, coloured him using watercolour pencils, then carefully cut him out. I added a snippet of striped paper from the 'Home for Christmas' pad by Violet studio along the bottom edge of a kraft card blank, and a sentiment, using a stamp from the 'Santa's Sweets' set by Penny Black, then popped Bartles on top using 3D foam pads.

Challenges for this card:

• 52 Christmas Card Throwdown - Candy Canes
• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Crafts Galore Encore - Anything Goes
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Rudolph Days - Anything Christmas Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes

You're Retro!

Today's card features one of the stamps from the 'You're Retro!' set by Penny Black. I stamped it onto watercolour paper, along with one of the sentiments from the set, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I added a snippet of stripey paper from the 'Charming' pad by Recollections/Michaels (found at TKMaxx) for a simple background. It was only a couple of centimetres wide, so I cut it in half, distressed the edges, added it to a kraft card blank, then placed the image over the top.

Challenges for this card:

• AAA Cards - Anything CAS Goes
• Addicted to CAS - Stripes
• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Krafty Chicks - CAS
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - CAS

PBSC March - Anything Goes (Optional 'Four-legged Friends')...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

'Four-legged Friends'

We're currently without a sponsor, so this challenge is just for fun.

For my card, I picked a cute mouse stamp called 'Surprise!'. I stamped it onto watercolour paper, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. For the background, I used papers from a couple of different pads...the green one is from the 'Bright Freshness' pad by Craft Sensations, and the yellow and lilac papers are from the 'Bumblebee Dance' pad from The Paper Boutique. I distressed all of the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The sentiment stamp is from the 'What This!' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company.

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

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Fab 'N' Funky - Four-legged Friends
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
• Sweet Stampin' - Gingham/Tartan/Plaid
• We Love Stamping - Wildlife

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

Guest Designer - CAS on Friday Challenge!

Today, I'm excited to be sharing a guest designer card for the CAS on Friday Challenge, where the theme this fortnight is:

'Spring'

(Don't forget to keep it CAS)

I picked stamps from the 'Happy Day' set for my card, and stamped the bunnies and sentiment onto a piece of smooth white card. I coloured the image using watercolour pencils, then matted it onto yellow and lilac card, distressing all of the edges, before adding it to a white card blank.

For more inspiration from the fabulous design team, please pop over to the CAS on Friday Challenge - thanks for having me!