ABC Christmas Challenge - E, F & G are for?

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

'E is for Elves'

'F is for Foliage'

&

'G is for Gems'

The prize for the lucky winner is these two stamp sets:

For my 'E is for Elves' card, I used a sweet Penny Black stamp called 'Bauble Balance'. I stamped it, along with the matching sentiment from the set, onto watercolour paper, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I distressed the edges a little, then added it to a kraft card blank.

For my 'F is for Foliage' card, I started by stamping a lovely background stamp by Julie Hickey called 'Holly Jolly Christmas' onto a snippet of black card using Versamark ink, then heat embossed it using metallic gold embossing powder from WOW. I stamped and heat embossed a sentiment, from the 'Festive Phrases' set by Funky Fossil, in gold, on another snippet of black card to match, then coloured all of the leaves and berries using Cosmic Shimmers mica pigments mixed with a little water. I distressed the edges, then layered the sentiment on top, before adding it to a white card blank.

For my 'G is for Gems' card, I went all out with the bling! I used a Woodware stamp called 'Trio of Trees', stamping it onto some smooth white card, then coloured it using watercolour pencils (although I didn't use any water). I added a sentiment, using a stamp from the 'Wintertime Messages' set by Hero Arts, then carefully placed adhesive gems onto the trees - there were little 'circles' representing trim or lights strung around each tree. I matted it onto some green card, then added it to a white card blank.

I'm also entering these cards into the following challenge:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes (Second card only)
• Aud Sentiments - Glitter/Bling and/or St. Patrick's Green + Sentiment (Third card only)
• Christmas Cards All Year Round - E & F are for (Elf & Foliage - First & Second cards only)
• Fab 'N' Funky - Shades of Green (Third card only)
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes (Second card only)
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes (First card only)
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - A Bit O'Green (Third card only)
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Make It Cute (First card only)

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

Bunny Friends

Today's card features an adorable Penny Black stamp called 'Bunny Friends'. I stamped it onto some smooth white card, along with a sentiment using one of the stamps from the 'Go To Words' set by Visible Image, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I distressed the edges a little, then added it to a card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Addicted to CAS - Garden
• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• C.R.A.F.T. - Spring/Easter/Anything Goes
• Crafty Animals - Anything Goes
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Make It Cute
• Stamping Sensations - Spring
• We Love Stamping - Wildlife

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

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

'Four-legged Friends'

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

I picked a cute puppy image from the 'Good Times!' set, and stamped it onto a piece of watercolour paper. I added a sentiment, using a stamp from the 'What This!' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company, coloured it using watercolour pencils, then used one of my circle Nesties to cut it out. For the background, I used papers from the 'Happy Colours' pad from The Works...I distressed the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. I matted it all onto some orange card, cutting a matching scalloped mat for the image using another Nestie die, then added it to a white card blank.

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

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Cheerful Sketches - Sketch
• Creative Inspirations - Cute Critters
• Creative Knockouts - Birthday Wishes
• Krafty Chicks - Birthday
• Little Red Wagon - Include an Animal
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Make it Cute

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

Nutcrackers

Today's card features a 'Nutcracker' stamp and die set from Crafter's Companion, that I won a little while ago over at the Snippets Playground. I stamped the Nutcracker three times onto snippets of plain white card, coloured them using watercolour pencils, then used the matching die to cut them out. I stamped a sentiment onto a white card blank using one of the stamps from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous, then added the Nutcrackers using 3D foam pads.

Challenges for this card:

• A Perfect Time to Craft - Anything Goes
• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Peace on Earth Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes

March Desk Calendar

Today, I'm sharing my desk calendar page for March. I picked a Penny Black stamp called 'Totally Excited', and stamped it onto a snippet of watercolour paper. I coloured it using watercolour pencils, then used one of my Nesties to cut the circle shape. For the background, I used snippets of papers from the 'Bright Freshness' pad by Craft Sensations. There are no full sheets left in this pad anymore, I'm down to mostly tiny snippets, but will I ever finish it???

I distressed all of the edges, added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen, then matted it onto a snippet of kraft card, before adding it to the calendar.

Challenges for this calendar:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Little Red Wagon - Leftovers
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes

Guest Designer - AAA Cards Challenge!

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

Here's a closer look at the elements:

I picked 'Lambs' to go along with the 'Spring' theme, and used a cute Penny Black stamp called 'Butterflies & Ewe'. I stamped it directly onto a kraft card blank, then made a mask for the sheep, before stamping the flowers (another Penny Black stamp called 'Spring Flowers') behind. I coloured the image using watercolour pencils, then added a Spring sentiment using one of the stamps from the 'Happy Day' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company.

For more inspiration from the wonderful design team, please pop over to the AAA Cards Challenge. Thanks for having me!

Jolly Snowman

I have a Christmas card to share today, which features a cute Penny Black stamp called 'Jolly Snowman'. I stamped him onto watercolour paper, added a sentiment using one of the stamps from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous, then coloured him using watercolour pencils. The papers are from the 'Merry & Bright' pad from Craft Sensations...I distressed the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

Challenges for this card:

• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Love Those Pretty Papers - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes

Guest Designer - Seize the Birthday Challenge (Anything with Wings)

I'm back with my final Surprise Party Guest card for the Seize the Birthday Challenge.

The theme this time is:

Anytime I see a 'Things with Wings' theme, my thoughts immediately go to Penny Black chickens - ha ha! I'm rather partial to those stamps, and picked 'Cluck, Cluck, Cluck!' for my card. I stamped it onto watercolour paper, along with a sentiment using a stamp from the 'Go To Words' set by Visible Image, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I paired it with papers from the 'Prince Charming' pad by Recollections/Michaels (found at TKMaxx). I distressed all of the edges, and added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

For more inspiration from the wonderful Design Team, please pop over to the Seize the Birthday Challenge. Thanks so much for inviting me to the party - I've had lots of fun!

Winter Village Scene

Today's card features a set of scenic border dies from the 'Contemporary Christmas' collection by Crafter's Companion that I got recently from a charity shop. I used them, along with my 'Mountain Tops' dies by Taylored Expressions, and my 'Houses on a Hill' die from Your Next Stamp, and lots of snippets of plain white card to make a wintry scene. I layered all of the elements over a piece of white card embossed using my 'Falling Snow' embossing folder from Tim Holtz/Sizzix, using some 3D foam pads to add dimension

All white cards are always tricky to photograph, but here's another view:

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Embossing
• C.R.A.F.T. - Christmas
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Rudolph Days - Anything Christmas Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes

Poppy Border

Today's card features a stamp that my Mum found in a charity shop, called 'Poppy Border' by Stamps by Chloe. I stamped it onto smooth white card using Versamark ink, then heat embossed it using 'Metallic Gold' embossing powder from WOW. I added a sentiment, using a stamp from the 'Go To Words' set by Visible Image, embossing that in gold to match. I coloured the poppies using a red Cosmic Shimmers pigment mixed with a little water, then matted the panel onto some gold mirror card, distressing the edges a little, before adding it to a white card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Embossing
• Beautiful Blossoms - Anything Goes
• Crafts Galore Encore - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Creative Moments - Feminine
• Moving Along with the Times - Floral
• Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes
• We Love Stamping - Anything Goes

PBSC February - Anything Goes (Optional 'Romance')...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

'Romance'

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

I picked a cute pup from the 'Critter Party' set (an oldie, but a goodie), and stamped him directly onto a kraft card blank. I coloured him using watercolour pencils, then added a sentiment using one of the stamps from the 'Furry Friends' set by Funky Fossil.

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

• 2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Anything Goes
• As You Like It - Cute or Elegant (Cute for me...especially Penny Black critters - they were what got me into cardmaking)
• CAS on Friday - Cute
• Crafty Calendar - Love is in the Air
• Crafty Gals Corner - Anything Goes
• I Spy with My Little Eye - Something You Love (Penny Black critters, CAS one layer cards, kraft card)
• Krafty Chicks - CAS
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes
• Sweet Stampin' - No Designer Papers
• The Male Room - CAS

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

Moose & Bear

I have a couple of Christmas cards to share today, made using die sets by Elizabeth Craft Designs, that I picked up in a charity shop yesterday. I used snippets of kraft and white card to cut the pieces of both animals, with tiny bits of grey and black card for eyes, paws, ears and nose), then inked around the edges using Distress Inks ('Brushed Corduroy' and 'Gathered Twigs' for the Moose, and 'Hickory Smoke' for the Polar Bear) to add some definition. I embossed squares of kraft and white card for simple backgrounds using embossing folders from Couture Creations (for the Christmas trees behind the Moose), and Sizzix (for the snowflakes behind the polar bear). I stamped sentiments (using a stamp from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz) onto snippets of kraft and white card, then distressed all of the edges before assembling.

Here's a better look at the two cards:

Challenges for these cards:

• Allsorts - Embossing (Second card only)
• Can You Handle the Pressure? - Die Cuts
• Cardz for Guys - Monochrome (First card only)
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Fab 'N' Funky - Dies & Punches
• Peace on Earth - Anything Christmas Goes
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets (First card only)

Christmas Hats

Today's card features a couple 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 watercolour paper, then coloured them using watercolour pencils. For the background, I used a piece of paper from the 'Merry & Bright' pad by Craft Sensations...distressing the edges and adding faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen, before adding it to a kraft card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Christmas Cards All Year Round - C & D are for? (Cats & Dogs)
• Crafty Animals - Anything Goes
• Jingle Belles - Red
• Little Red Wagon - Seeing Red
• The Sisterhood of Crafters - Stitching

Bah! Humpug!

Today's card features a cute Pug stamp that I picked up in a charity shop over Christmas...it's from a set by Crafter's Companion called 'Bah! Humpug!'. I stamped it, along with the sentiment from the set, onto watercolour paper, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I paired it with papers from the 'Merry & Bright' pad by Craft Sensations. I distressed all of the edges a little, and matted the image onto some red card before adding it to a white card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Krafty Chicks - Christmas
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes

Guest Designer - Seize the Birthday Challenge (CAS + Dies)

I'm back with another Surprise Party Guest card for the Seize the Birthday Challenge.

The theme this fortnight is:

Any regular visitors to my blog will know that I'm a stamper at heart, but I do have a little collection of dies, and this theme was the perfect excuse to dust off a set of cupcake dies (by Marianne Designs) that I have had for a very long time! I cut the 'cupcake case' from a snippet of spotty paper from the 'Happy Colours' pad from The Works, and the 'frosting' and 'cherry' from snippets of papers from the 'North Country' pad by Prima Marketing. I assembled the cupcake on a piece of kraft card using 3D foam pads of varying thickness to add dimension, then added some adhesive pearl 'sprinkles'. I added a sentiment using a stamp from the Hero Arts 'Cupcakes' stamp set, then distressed the edges of the kraft panel before adding it to a matching kraft card blank.

For more inspiration from the fabulous Design Team, please pop over to the Seize the Birthday Challenge!

ABC Christmas Challenge - C & D 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:

'C is for Crimson' (Red)

&

'D is for Ding Dong' (Bells)

The prize for the lucky winner is this stamp and coordinating die set:

For my 'C is for Crimson' card, I picked a cute Penny Black stamp called 'Jolly Xmas Kitty'. I stamped him directly onto a white card, along with a sentiment (also by Penny Black), then coloured him using watercolour pencils...giving him a 'Crimson' hat.

For my 'D is for Ding Dong' card, I used stamps from a Sheena Douglas stamp set called 'A Little Bit Festive Silver Bells'. I stamped the image and sentiment onto a panel on navy blue card using Versamark ink, then heat embossed it using 'Metallic Silver' embossing powder from WOW, before adding it to a DL white card blank.

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

• A Perfect Time to Craft - Anything Goes (Second card only)
• Allsorts - Anything Goes (First card only)
• CAS on Friday - Anything Goes (First card only)
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes (First card only)
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes (Second card only)
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes (First card only)

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

All That Glitters is Snow

I have a simple Christmas card to share today...made using a couple of dies that I picked up from a charity shop over Christmas. The dies are both by Memory Box, a plain bauble (Classic Ornament) and a co-ordinating fancier die (Snowflake Ornament) that can be layered over the top. I cut the plain one from a snippet of silver glitter card, and the snowflake one from a snippet of dark blue mirror card, then layered them up for the full effect. I cut a thin strip of silver mirror card to make a 'string' to hang the bauble from, and added it to a piece of plain white card. I stamped a sentiment using one of the stamps from the 'Winter Blessings' set by Crafter's Companion, then added the bauble. I distressed the edges of the card a little, then added it to a white card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Sparkles Forum - Snowflakes
• Sparkles Forum Christmas - Baubles