Frosty the Snowman

Today's card features a cute Snowman stamp from Funstamps. I stamped him onto a snippet of watercolour paper, added a sentiment using one of the stamps from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz, then coloured him using watercolour pencils. For the background, I used snowflake papers from an unnamed Christmas pad from The Works (the aqua one) and the 'Snowscape' pad from Woodware (the pink one). I distressed the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Crafts Galore Encore - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Peace on Earth Christmas - Anything Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes

Pretty Lovely

Today's card features stamps from a Mama Elephant set called 'Pretty Lovely', which I won recently over at Pixie's Snippets Playground. I stamped them onto a piece of smooth white card, then used watercolour pencils to colour the flowers and outline sentiment. I distressed the edges a little, then added it to a matching purple card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Beautiful Blossoms - Anything Goes
• CAS on Friday - Flowers
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Moving Along with the Times - Feminine
• NBUS - Anything Goes (The stamps are all new)
• We Love Stamping - Summer Blooms

August Desk Calendar

Today, I'm sharing my desk calendar page for August. As it's my birthday month, I picked a cute image from the Penny Black 'Good Times' set of two celebrating pups. I stamped it onto a snippet of watercolour paper, coloured it using watercolour pencils, then cut it out using one of my oval Nesties. For the background, I used snippets of papers from the 'My Girl' pad by American Crafts...I distressed the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

Challenges for this calendar:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Krafty Chicks - Anything Goes
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• Sweet Stampin' - Stripes or Chevrons

PBSC August - Anything Goes (Optional 'Things with Wings')

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

'Things with Wings'

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

I picked a cute chicken stamp called 'Best of Luck!' for my card, stamping it onto watercolour paper, then colouring it using watercolour pencils. I paired it with snippets of papers from a really old My Mind's Eye pad called 'Indie Chic - Saffron'. I distressed 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:

• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
• I Spy With My Little Eye - Something With Wings
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Stitch It
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes

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

Birthday Bears Box Card

I have something a little different to share today...it's a box card, made using a Gemini/Crafter's Companion stamp and die set called 'Birthday Bears Box Card', that I picked up in a charity shop last weekend. I started by stamping all of the little bears and other images onto snippets of watercolour paper, then used their co-ordinating dies to cut them out, before colouring them using watercolour pencils. There were paper templates in the set for cutting all of the pieces of the box card, and I decided to cut the main card parts from light blue card, and the little strips for the images to 'stand' on from light green card. I added a piece of cloudy sky paper (from a magazine freebie pad called 'Let's Fly Away') to the back panel, then assembled the card. On the inside of the front flap, I added a snippet of lilac card, then the die cut from the 'window', with a stamped sentiment, using a stamp from the 'Sending Sunshine' set by Simon Says Stamp.

Here's a close-up of the 'Birthday Bears':

They look to me, like they're throwing a surprise party, so I used my Paper Smooches 'Gaffiti Alphabet' stamps to stamp 'Surprise' onto a snippet of the blue card, then added it on top of a piece of lilac card embossed using an old Cuttlebug embossing folder:

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Can You Handle the Pressure - Anything Goes Using an Embossing Folder
• Love to Scrap - Anything Goes
• Seize the Birthday - Optional 'Square Card & Non-white Base'
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes

Outline Snowflakes

Today's card features a Simon Says Stamp background stamp called 'Outline Snowflakes'. I stamped it onto a piece of black card using Versamark ink, then heat embossed it using metallic silver embossing powder from WOW, the coloured it using Cosmic Shimmers watercolours. I heat embossed a sentiment, using a stamp from the 'Festive Phrases' set from Funky Fossil, on some more black card, then used one of my Circle Nesties to cut it out. I cut a mat from some silver mirror card using the matching scalloped circle die, then added it onto the background, matting that onto some more silver mirror card before adding it to a white card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• C.R.A.F.T. - Christmas
• Cut It Up - Emboss It
• Rudolph Days - Anything Christmas Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Make Your Own Background
• We Love Stamping - Anything Goes

Flower Shower

Today's card features a cute House Mouse stamp from Spellbinders called 'Flower shower'. I stamped it onto watercolour paper, along with a sentiment using one of the stamps from the 'What This!' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I paired it with papers from the 'Nana's Nursery - Baby Boy' stack from Premium Stacks (the purple one) and the 'Fresh Florals' pad from Craft Sensations (the green one).  I distressed the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Crafts Galore Encore - Anything Goes
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• House Mouse & Friends - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Add Some Text

Sailing with Butterflies

Today's card features an old Penny Black stamp called 'Sailing with Butterflies'. I stamped it onto watercolour paper, along with a sentiment using one of the stamps from the 'Happy Day' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I paired it with some floral papers from the 'Happy Watercolours' pad by Craft Sensations. I distressed all of the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen, before matting all of the layers onto some hot pink card.

Challenges for this card:

• 2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Anything Goes
• AAA Birthday - For Girls
• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Creative Knockouts - Outdoor Fun
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Add Some Text
• We Love Stamping - Summertime

Bunnies in Stocking

I have a Christmas card to share today, featuring another old Lili of the Valley stamp - this one is called 'Christmas Bunnies in Stocking'. I stamped it onto a piece of smooth white card, along with a sentiment, using a stamp from the 'Dasher Deer' set by Creative Expressions', then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I matted it onto a piece of red card, distressing the edges, before adding it to a white card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Crafty Animals - Anything Goes
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
• Inspirational - Christmas in July
• Little Red Wagon - Christmas in July
• Peace on Earth Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Add Some Text

Sketched Flowers

Today's card features a lovely floral stamp from Simon Says Stamp called 'Sketched Flowers'. I stamped it onto a piece of kraft card using Versamark ink, then heat embossed it using white embossing powder. I added a sentiment, using one of the stamps from the 'Fabulous Birthday' set by Hero Arts, embossing that in white too, then coloured the flowers using watercolour pencils. I distressed the edges, then added it to a kraft card blank. 

Challenges for this card:

• AAA Cards - Colour Challenge
• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Seize the Birthday - Anything Birthday Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Fabulous Florals
• The Sisterhood of Crafters - Flowers

 

PBSC July - Anything Goes (Optional 'On the Move')...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

'On the Move'

(Transport)

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

This time I used a cute pup stamp called 'Airborne', stamping it onto a piece of smooth white card, along with a sentiment using one of the stamps from the 'What This!' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I used my CutterBee Bug to pierce a simple border, before adding it to a white card blank.

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

• Addicted to CAS - Up
• As You Like It - Favourite Pet - Dog (Specifically golden retriever - we had several when I was growing up, and they're the most lovely (and daftest!) pet)
• Crafts Galore Encore - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Krafty Chicks - CAS
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes

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

Present Pile

I have a Christmas card to share today, featuring an old Lili of the Valley penguin stamp called 'Present Pile'. I stamped him onto a snippet of smooth white card, coloured him using watercolour pencils, then carefully cut around the top of the image. I added a sentiment, using one of the stamps from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous, then layered it over a snippet of paper from the 'Pastel Watercolours' pad from The Works. I matted it onto a piece of bright pink card, distressing all of the edges, then added it to a white card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Christmas Kickstart - Presents
• Crafter's Cafe - Christmas in July
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
• I Spy With My Little Eye - Something with Wings
• Merry Little Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes
• Sweet Stampin' - Christmas in July

Woodland Sprigs

Today's card features stamps from a Woodware set called 'Woodland Sprigs'. I started by stamping a Hero Arts 'Music Background' stamp onto a snippet of kraft card using 'Brushed Corduroy' Distress Ink. Once dry, I stamped the 'sprigs' over the top using Versamark ink, then heat embossed them using 'Gold Pearl' embossing powder from WOW. I used an old die from my Cuttlebug 'Olivia' alphabet set to cut the sentiment from gold mirror card, then added it over the top. I matted the panel onto a piece of gold mirror card, distressing the edges, before adding it to a kraft DL card blank.

This angle shows the gold embossing a little better:

Challenges for this card:

• A Perfect Time to Craft - Anything Goes
• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Crafts Galore Encore - Anything Goes
• Cut It Up - Make Your Own Background
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes

Polar Pals

Today's card features an old Lili of the Valley stamp called 'Polar Pals'. I stamped it onto watercolour paper, coloured it using watercolour pencils, then carefully cut around the top of the image. For the background, I embossed a piece of watercolour effect paper from the 'Mystery Marbles' pad by Craft Sensations using an old Cuttlebug embossing folder, then lightly sanded over the raised areas to reveal some of the white core. I added a sentiment using one of the stamps from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz, then layered the image over the background before matting it onto a snippet of purple card, lightly distressing all of the edges, and adding it to a white card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Can You Handle the Pressure - Anything Goes
• C.R.A.F.T. - Anything Goes
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Fab 'N' Funky - Christmas in July
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
• Krafty Chicks - Christmas
• Peace on Earth Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Four-legged Friends
• Sweet Stampin' - Christmas in July

Ice Cream Mouse

Today's card features an old Stampavie stamp by Tina Wenke called 'Ice Cream Mouse'. I stamped him onto watercolour paper, along with a sentiment, using one of the stamps from the 'Sending Sunshine' set by Simon Says Stamp, then coloured him using watercolour pencils. For the background, I used papers from an unbranded pad called 'Ice Cream Sundae', which was originally a magazine freebie, but I got it from a charity shop. I distressed all of the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Creative Inspirations - Summer Sunshine
• Love Those Pretty Papers - Anything Goes
• Moving Along with the Times - Use a Colouring Medium
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Four-legged Friends
• We Love Stamping - Summertime

ABC Christmas Challenge - N & O are for?

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

'N is for No Stamping'

&

'O is for Once in Royal David's City (Buildings)'

The prize for the lucky winner is the matching stamp & die from Your Next Stamp

For my 'No Stamping' card, I started by cutting a couple of baubles from snippets of watercolour effect papers (from the 'Pastel Watercolours' pad from The Works) using my Memory Box 'Classic Ornament' die, then cut the 'Snowflake Ornament' die from snippets of silver mirror card to layer over the top. I embossed another piece of the watercolour paper using an old Cuttlebug folder and matted it onto some more silver mirror card. I cut a sentiment from silver mirror card using my Poppy Stamps 'Folk Merry Christmas' die, then added it all to the embossed background using a couple of little strips of mirror card to 'hang' the ornaments.

For my 'Once in Royal David's City (Buildings)' card, I picked another Christmas Carol themed stamp - 'Bethlehem Nights' by Stampendous. I stamped it onto smooth white card using a Versafine pigment ink in dark blue called 'Twilight'. I stamped it several times to get a really clear image, then heat embossed it using 'Midnight Dream' embossing glitter from WOW. I matted it onto a snippet of navy card, then added it to a white card blank.

The card is really sparkly, and a gorgeous mix of colours, but a real pain to photograph!

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

• A Cut Above - Anything Goes (First card only)
• Allsorts - Anything Goes (First card only)
• Christmas Cards All Year Round - M, N & O (O is for Ornaments) (First card only)
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes (Second card only)
• Creative Knockouts - Christmas in July (First card only)
• Sparkles Forum Christmas - Monochrome (Second card only)
• Sweet Stampin' - Christmas in July (Second card only)

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

Crazy Dog

Today's card features one of the 'Crazy Dog' stamps from Tim Holtz's set for Stampers Anonymous. It's been a while since I last used him, and even longer since I used the matching dies, so I inked him up and stamped him onto a snippet of watercolour paper. I coloured him using watercolour pencils, then used his matching die to cut him out. For the background, I used a snippet of paper from an old Core'dinations card pad from Tim Holtz's collection. I embossed it using my Crafts Too 'Bone & Paw Print' embossing folder, then lightly sanded over the raised surface to reveal some of the kraft core. I added it to a snippet of kraft card, matted onto a piece of navy card, distressing all of the edges, then added the pup on top using 3D foam pads. I stamped a sentiment, using stamps from the Paper Smooches 'Birthday Buddies' set, onto snippets of watercolour paper, then added those using more 3D foam pads.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Can You Handle the Pressure - Anything Goes
• Crafty Calendar - Happy Birthday
• Cut It Up - Critters
• Just Us Girls - Long-neglected Dies (The dog die was last used in 2021!)
• Krafty Chicks - Birthday
• Neglected Stuff - Anything Goes (The stamp & matching die were last used in 2021!)
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets

PBSC July - Anything Goes (Optional 'On the Move')

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

'On the Move'

(Transport)

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

I have a fair few transport themed Penny Black stamps, and picked a cute cycling cat from the 'You're Retro!' set. I stamped him, along with one of the sentiments from the set, onto a snippet of watercolour paper, then coloured him using watercolour pencils. I paired it with a trio of spotty papers from the 'Fresh Florals' pad from Craft Sensations. I distressed all of the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

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

• Crafty Gals Corner - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• The Male Room - Hobbies

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

July - Desk Calendar

Today, I'm sharing my Penny Black desk calendar for July. I'm a music teacher, and July for me means holidays (albeit not for another couple of weeks!), so I picked a cute pup driving off on a road trip from the 'Hello Friend' set. I stamped him onto a snippet of watercolour paper, coloured him using watercolour pencils, then used one of my oval Nesties to cut him out. For the background, I used snippets of papers from the 'Fresh Florals' pad by Craft Sensations...I distressed the edges a little, then added faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

Challenges for this calendar:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• As You Like It - Favourite Non-Card Project (My desk calendar...I decorate a couple of the Papermill's A4 sized calendars for Christmas gifts each year, and I'm always sad to give them away, so when they started making the little desk sized ones, I started making one for myself each year, decorating it month by month, to keep on my craft desk)
• Inkspirational - Leftovers
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes

Golden Holly

I have a Christmas card to share today, made using a Woodware stamp called 'Holly Spray'. I stamped it onto a piece of kraft card using Versamark ink, then heat embossed it using metallic gold embossing powder from WOW. I added a sentiment using stamps from the 'Christmas' Letter It set by Ranger, heat embossing it in gold to match. I distressed the edges a little, then added it to a kraft card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Alphabet Challenge - E is for Embossing
• CAS on Friday - Christmas in July
• C.R.A.F.T. - Christmas
• Crafty Gals Corner - Anything Goes
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Rudolph Days - Anything Christmas Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• Sweet Stampin' - Anything but Birthday