Guest Deisgner - C.R.A.F.T. Challenge

Last month, I was chosen to be a guest designer for C.R.A.F.T.Challenge...and today I'm sharing my card for that challenge, where the theme for the next two weeks is:

'Christmas'

The sponsor for this challenge is Crafty Sentiments:

Prize - 3 Digital Images from Crafty Sentiments!

I used an older Crafty Sentiments rubber stamp, called 'Bell and Present' from the Lollipop Dreams collection. I coloured her using watercolour pencils to match the traditional Christmas colours of the papers, which are from the  Helz Cuppleditch 'Special Delivery' collection. 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 a set by Pollycraft for C. C. Designs...I heat embossed it in white on a snippet of red card.

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

• Crafty Sentiments - Add a Sentiment
• Christmas at Sweet Stampin' - Anything Goes
• Happy Little Stampers (Christmas) - Anything Goes
• Shopping Our Stash - Christmas in July
• Sweet Stampers - Christmas

For more inspiration from the awesome design team, please pop over to the C.R.A.F.T. Challenge.

Let's Go Fly a Kite!

I have an ultra simple one layer card to share today, featuring a Penny Black teddy bear stamp called 'Fly with me!'. I stamped it directly on to my cards base, coloured it using watercolour pencils, then added a Hero Arts sentiment (from the 'Anytime Messages' set.

Challenges for this card:

• Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Creative Knockouts - Summer Fun
• Creative Moments - Anything Goes (Optional Teddy Bear's Picnic)
• Gem of a Challenge - Teddy Bears
• Inkspirational - Birthday
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Summer Fun
• Use Your Stuff - Birthdays

Pile It On! Challenge - Vintage/Retro and/or Warm Wishes

It's time for some more inspiration for this month's Pile It On! Challenge...where the theme's are:

'Vintage or Retro'

and/or

'Warm Wishes'

Our sponsor this month is Pickled Potpourri:

Prize - $7 Store Coupon!

I went with the 'Warm Wishes' option, and used an old Lili of the Valley die cut image from the 'Christmas Cuties' set. I paired it with a mixture of papers by Sandylion & BasicGrey (from the 'Figgy Pudding' collection). I distressed all of the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The sentiment stamp is from a set by Lili of the Valley.

Here are the challenges I've piled on:

• Pile It On! - Vintage/Retro and/or Warm Wishes
• Artistic Inspirations - Anything Goes
• Cards Galore Encore - Anything Goes
• Crafter's Cafe - Lots of Layers
• Crafting with an Attitude - Anything Goes
• Crafty Girls Creations - Anything Goes
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Goes
• Crafty Sentiments - Christmas in July
• Crimbo Crackers - Anything Goes
• Jingle Belles - Lots of Layers
• Little Miss Muffet - Anything Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes

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

Harry the Dog

I have  really clean and simple card to share today...featuring a cute Whipper Snapper pup called 'Harry the Dog'. I coloured him using watercolour pencils, then carefully cut him out. I added a snippet of paper (from the 'Max & Whiskers' pad by BasicGrey) along the bottom edge of my card blank, a sentiment (from the 'Birthday Buddies' set by Paper Smooches), then added Harry popped up on some 3D foam pads.

Challenges for this card:

• 2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Anything Goes
• Alphabet Challenge - H is for Happy Birthday
• Always Happy Birthday - Anything Birthday
• Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes
• Crafty Creations - Anything Goes
• Happy Little Stampers (Watercolour) - Anything Goes (Optional Birthday)
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Warm Winter Wishes

Today's card was inspired by the 'Olive & Tangerine' colour combination of the current Less is More challenge. I used them to make a Christmas card using dies and a punch. I cut the trees from green card using my Clearly Besotted 'Tree Landscape' die, then cut it again from white card...removing the trees from that one, then layered it over the green one. I used a Woodware punch to cut a house, then added it behind the snowy hill. I layered another couple of pieces of white card behind it...distressing the edges, and added a sentiment stamp from a set by Lili of the Valley.

Challenges for this card:

• AAA Cards - Christmas in July
• As You Like It - Fvourite Celebration (Christmas - I love having a stash of one-of-a-kind Christmas cards to send to friends & family, so love making them all year round)
• Crafty Cardmakers - At Least Two Dies/Punches
• Happy Little Stampers (Dies) - Anything Goes
• Less is More - Olive & Tangerine

Ice Cream Mouse

I have a weather appropriate card to share today...featuring a little mouse stamp by Tina Wenke for Stampavie. He's called 'Ice Cream Mouse'...I coloured him using watercolour pencils, then carefully cut him out. I added a snippet of Carta Bella 'Cool Summer' paper to the top of my card blank...the paper is covered with ice cream cone & flag bunting, so I trimmed around the top and bottom first. I added a Hero Arts sentiment (from the 'Cupcakes' set), and popped the mouse up on 3D foam pads.

Challenges for this card:

• Catch the Bug - Anything Goes
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes (Optional Summer Fun)
• Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper - Anything Goes
• Creative Moments - Anything Goes (Optional Summer Fun)
• Give a Crafter a Cookie - Photo Inspiration
• Heartful Stamping - Anything Goes
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Summer Fun

PBSC July - Anything Goes (Or Baby)

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
'Baby'

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

Prize - a $20 voucher!

I went with the optional 'Baby' theme, and picked a cute teddy bear image called 'Snug'. I simply coloured it using watercolour pencils, added a sentiment (from a set by Art Impressions), then doodled a border before adding it to a kraft card blank.

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

• A Bit More Time to Craft - Anything Goes
• Addicted to CAS - Baby
• A Perfect Time to Craft - Anything Goes
• Card Mania - Anything Goes
• Crafting with Friends - Anything Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Simply Create Too - No Patterned Paper

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

Froggy Birthday

I have a really simple birthday card to share today...featuring a cute Penny Black Stickeroo. I placed it on to a piece of white card, then added a sentiment (from the 'Anytime Messages' set by Hero Arts. I distressed the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. I matted it on to some pink and green card before adding it to my card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• 4 Crafty Chicks - Birthday
• Creative Knockouts - Birthday Wishes
• Cute Card Thursday - Anything Goes
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Seize the Birthday - Anything Goes

ABC Christmas Challenge - N & O are for?

It's the first Wednesday of the month, so that means that we have a fun new ABC Christmas Challenge starting today! I'm the host, and we have two themes:

'N is for Name'

&

'O is for On'

Our sponsor this month is Neat & Tangled

Prize - a $25 Gift Certificate!

There's also a little prize from me:

I made a set of simple personalised gift tags for my family members using trees from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous, and a set of alphabet stamps by Clear Stamps. I stmped on to some Papermania kraft blank tags using Versamark Ink, then heat embossed them using 'Metallic Gold Sparkle' powder by WOW. I'll change up the twine to something fancier when I use these, but for now just left the sting on them.

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

• Artistic Inspirations - Anything Goes
• Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes
• Heartful Stamping - Anything Goes
• Holly & the Ivy - Anything Christmas Goes
• Love to Scrap - Anything Goes
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

For my 'O  is for On' project, I picked a cute Penny Black stamp of a chicken on a snowboard (called 'Snow-board Ride'. I doodled a simple border, then added in a slope underneath his snowboard and coloured him using watercolour pencils. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Tattered Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous.

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

• AAA Cards - Use a Frame
• CAS-ology - Zoom
• Happy Little Stampers (CAS) - Animals
• Merry Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes
• Penny Black & More - Things with Wings
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes

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

Block Party Christmas

I have another Christmas card to share today...this one is an ultra simple one layer card featuring a stamp I won in the AAA Cards birthday challenge recently. It's called 'Block Party Christmas' by Uniko stamps. I stamped it using Versamark Ink on to a navy card blank, then heat embossed it in white.

Challenges for this card:

• As You Like It - Favourite Embossing (Nothing beats the magic of heat embossing for me...I love watching the powder transform!)
• Crafter's Cafe - Keep It Simple
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes (Optional Embossing)
• Cute Card Thursday - CAS
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes

Pile It On! Challenge - Vintage or Retro

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

'Vintage or Retro'

Our sponsor this month is Pickled Potpourri:


Prize - $7 Store Coupon!

Vintage is not my usual style, but I found some cute Lili of the Valley pre-coloured Christmas images in my stash...and the children looked like they were dressed in an 'old fashioned' style. I picked some papers from the '29th Street Market' collection by My Mind's Eye...these are also really old and long dis-continued. I inked around the edges of everything using 'Old Paper' Distress Ink, then lightly distressed them, before adding some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. I added some lace and some adhesive pearls from my stash.

Here are the challenges I've piled on:

• Pile It On! - Vintage or Retro
• Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes
• Crafting with Friends - Anything Goes
• Crafty Creations - Anything Goes
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Goes
• Crafty Sentiments - Anything Goes
• Fab 'N' Funky - Quick & Easy Christmas
• Jingle Belles - Stars and/or Stripes
• Little Miss Muffet - Anything Goes
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• Simply Papercraft - 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.

To Cake Moment

I have a super simple little birthday card to share today featuring a cute Penny Black hedgehog stamp called 'To Cake Moment' - I love his expression! I coloured the image to match the colours in the papers...from the 'Fine & Dandy' pad by American Crafts...an absolute bargain at 30p from TKMaxx! I distressed all of the edges a little, and added a Hero Arts sentiment (from the 'Cupcakes' set), stamped on to a speech bubble (cut using a Sizzix/Craft Asylum die).

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Sweet Treats
• Cutie Pie - Spots & Dots
• Happy Little Stampers (Dies) - Anything Goes
• Heartful Stamping - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Food and/or Drink
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• Sweet Stampin' - Food & Drink

House Mouse & Friends Challenge - Guest Designer

I'm back with my final guest designer card for the House Mouse & Friends Challenge today.

The fortnightly challenges are always 'Anything Goes'...but if you want more of a challenge, there's an optional theme, which this time is:

'Back to School'

I've still got a few weeks left of term before we break up for the summer holiday, so I couldn't quite bring myself to make something for the 'Back to School' theme...so I went with the 'Anything Goes' option, and made a Christmas card...those I can face at any time of year! I used an image from the 'Sleepy Stocking' set of House Mouse stamps by Joanna Sheen...this was a lucky charity shop find. I coloured it using watercolour pencils in traditional Christmassy colours to match the papers...which came free with a craft magazine a couple of years ago. I distressed all of the edges a little, 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 Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Goes
• Crimbo Crackers - Anything Goes
• Rudolph Days - Anything Christmas
• Winter Wonderland - Square Cards

For more inspiration from the awesome design team, please pop over to the House Mouse & Friends Challenge.

Snow Dust

I have a couple of cards to share today using my Penny Black 'Snow Dust' stamp, inspired by this month's Twofer Card Challenge, where the theme is 'Trees'. I used the stamp to make a Christmas card and a sympathy card.

The Christmas card is a simple one layer card, where I simply heat embossed the stamp (using 'Sparkling Snow' embossing powder by WOW), on a teal card blank. I added a sentiment (from the 'Merriest Wishes' set by Hero Arts) heat embossed in white.

On the sympathy card, I heat embossed the image again (using clear powder over blank ink), but only inked the tree part of the stamp. I stamped it on to a snippet of watercolour paper, on which I'd stamped some Distress Inks using an acrylic block...this has been in my bits'n'pieces box since I made this card in 2014! According to that blog post the colours I used were: Salty Ocean, Stormy Sky, Faded Jeans, Bundled Sage, Forest Moss & Bundled Sage. I trimmed the panel down, then matted it on to a snippet of kraft card, distressing all of the edges a little. The sentiment is from the 'Handwritten Borders' set by Simon Says Stamp.

Challenges for these cards:

• Alphabet - G is for Great Outdoors (Just the second card)
• Less is More - Item from Your 'Bits' Box (just the second card)
• Penny Black & More - In the Garden (just the second card)
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets (just the second card)
• Twofer - Trees

Stitched Cake

I have a simple little birthday card to share today...featuring an older Hero Arts stamp called 'Stitched Cake', that I picked up recently in a charity shop. I coloured it using watercolour pencils, then found a (sort of) matching snippet of paper (from the My Mind's Eye 'Happy Day' pad) to go with it. I distressed the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Handwritten Borders' set by Simon Says Stamp.

Challenges for this card:

• Aud Sentiments - Anything Goes + Sentiment
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Seize the Birthday - Anything Goes

Sorry I Forgot!

Today's card featured a rather neglected elephant stamp by Rachelle Anne Miller for Crafter's Companion called 'Sorry I Forgot'. I coloured it using watercolour pencils to match some papers that came in a bag of mixed papers from a charity shop...no idea what brand/collection. I distressed the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a white gel pen. The flowers are by Prima, and are held in place using some BasicGrey brads. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Cupcakes' set by Hero Arts...and it's been in my stash for so long, that I'm not sure where the lacy ribbon is from.

Challenges for this card:

• Animal Friends - Elephants
• Craftaholics R Us - Anything Goes
• Crafty Sentiments - Anything Goes
• Everybody Art - Birthday
• Ribbon Girls - Anything Goes
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Blossom Branch

I have couple of cards using my Penny Black 'Blossom Branch' stamp...I love this stamp, and am enjoying trying out lots of different techniques with it. This time, I stamped the image using Versamark Ink, then heat embossed it using white embossing powder. I then stamped a sentiment (from the 'Fabulous Birthday' set by Hero Arts) in black ink, then heat embossed that using clear embossing powder. I made a couple of identical panels, and blended different combinations of Distress Inks over the top of the embossing on each, before distressing the edges a little, and adding some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

I went for pastel shades on one of the cards using the colours Tattered Rose, Scattered Straw & Bundled Sage.

And gave the other a more tropical feel using Seedless Preserves, Salty Ocean & Peacock Feathers.

Challenges for these cards:

• CCEE Stampers - Blooming Flowers
• Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes
• Crafty Cardmakers - Embossing
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Penny Black & More - In the Garden
• Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes

Pile It On! Challenge - Holidays and/or Lots of Layers

It's time for some more inspiration for this month's Pile It On! Challenge...where the theme's are:

'Holidays'

(No Birthdays)

and/or

Lots of Layers

Our sponsor this month is Gerda Steiner Designs

Prize - $15 Store Coupon!

I went with 'Christmas' again, as my 'holiday'...and combined it with lots of layers of papers from the 'Pure Frozen' pad from Poundland. The image is 'Teddy & Penguin' by Lili of the Valley, which I coloured using watercolour pencils. 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 a set also by Lili of the Valley.

Here are the challenges I've piled on:

• Pile It On! - Holidays and/or Lots of Layers
• A Bit More Time to Craft - Anything Goes
• Christmas at Sweet Stampin' - Anything Goes
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes

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