Aqua Christmas

I wrote my first Christmas cards at the weekend...I have a lovely big stash of cards to use this year, thanks to my resolution to 'make at least one card a week' this year...but I still need a few more...and I can't resist joining in with some of the Christmassy themed challenges around at the mo! lol

I've used an adorable Penny Black image (called 'On My List') that I received in a swap...not 100% sure who it was from...but I have a feeling it was from my lovely friend Carol. The papers are a mixture of My Mind's Eye 'Colourful Christmas' and Bo Bunny 'Tis the Season', the sentiment is from a Lili of the Valley set, and I used an EK Success punch for the scalloped border.

Challenges for this card:

• Sweet Stop - Sketch
• Allsorts - Monochrome
• Penny Black Saturday - Monochromatic Christmas

Pile It On! Challenge - Fur or Feathers

Our theme for you this week at Pile It On! is:

'Fur or Feathers'

We are sponsored by Prairie Fairy for this challenge, who have also very generously supplied the DT with images to use. The image on my card is 'Deer Lenny'...isn't he adorable!? I coloured him with watercolour pencils, and added some Glossy Accents to his nose. For the background, I embossed plain card with my Cuttlebug 'Snowflakes' and 'Ice Crystals' folders, then lightly inked over the raised areas with a chalk inkpad. The scalloped border was cut using my EK Success 'Scalloped Diamonds' punch, and the snowflake cut using my Cuttlebug 'Ice Crystals' die.

Here are the challenges I've Piled On!:

• Pile It On! - Fur or Feathers
• Midnight Madness - Sketch (I used the simple one)
• Bah! Humbug! - Feeling the Blues
• Christmas Stampin' All Year Long - Anything Goes
• Crafts & Me - Christmas & Snowflakes
• Crafty Catz - Christmas
• Crafty Sentiments - Christmas
• DCD Christmas Club - Use a die cut (I've used Nesties & a Cuttlebug snowflake)
• Fab 'n' Funky - Anything Goes
• Fussy & Fancy - Christmas without Red or Green
• Incy Wincy - Blue & White
• One Stop - Christmas Cuties
• Pollycraft - Blue
• Scrapbook Sisters - Let it Snow
• Simon Says - Let it Snow
• Spoon Full of Sugar - Anything Goes
• Totally Papercrafts - Untraditional Christmas

For more inspiration, please check out the fabulous samples by my lovely Pile It On! DT buddies.

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge - Recipe

It's Mel's turn to set the theme for this week's Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge, and she has cooked up a recipe of:

'3 Snowflakes, 2 Circles & Some Lace'

We are sponsored this month by Kenny K Downloads, who have also very generously given the DT members some images to work with this week. I chose this fabby Santa, and coloured him with water colour pencils. I used my Cuttlebug 'Snowflakes' & 'Swiss Dots' folders (available here at the Secret Crafter) to emboss some Kraft card for the background. I used Cuttlebug dies to cut the snowflakes (for once not adding any glitter, as I wanted this card to have a more masculine feel), and Nesties (available here from the Secret Crafter) for the circles. The raffia lace is from Hobbycraft, and the sentiment stamp is by Cuddly Buddly.

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

• Cards for Men - Christmas
• Crafty Creations - Christmas is coming
• Papertake Weekly - Cut it out (I've used several Nesties, and Cuttlebug snowflake dies)

For more inspiration, please check out the fabulous samples by my lovely Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge DT buddies.

Christmas Bunnies

Normal service has resumed...after yesterday's 'Birthday card blip', I'm back with a Christmas card today. I've used an adorable Lili of the Valley stamp called 'Christmas Bunnies - Stocking', which I coloured with watercolour pencils, then added some sparkle with 'Crystal' Stickles.The funky papers are 'Colourful Christmas' by My Mind's Eye, I used my EK Success 'Scalloped Diamond' punch for the border, and the sentiment is from Cuddly Buddly.

Challenges for this card:

• Lili of the Valley - Sketch
• Creative Cottage - Untraditional Christmas
• Oldie but a Goodie - Glitter (I bought this stamp when it was released about this time last year).

Toby with Flowers

Just a quickie post from me today...have to dash out to work in a mo...this is card I've made using the fabby sketch for the Wild Rose Studio blog hop. I've used 'Toby with Flowers'...and papers from the 'Penny Lane' glitter stack by My Mind's Eye. The sentiment is from the CCSR set by Papermania.

Wishes for Kisses

This card uses 'Wishes for Kisses' by Penny Black...one of my all time favourite Christmas stamps. I coloured it with watercolour pencils, and added some 'Polar White' Flowersoft for snow. The papers are Bo Bunny 'Tis the Season', and I distressed the edges with my distressing tool. The snowflakes were cut using Cuttlebug dies, and the sentiment is from a set by Lili of the Valley.

Challenges for this card:

• Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Sketch
• Daring Cardmakers - Things in Threes (3 papers & 3 snowflakes)
• Paperplay - Let it Snow
• Penny Black @ Allsorts - It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
• Totally Papercrafts - Snow & Snowflakes

Bronson & Beaker

I've used another of the Pollycraft images I won recently on this card...it's called 'Bronson & Beaker Gifts Galore'. I coloured it with watercolour pencils to match the 'Colourful Christmas' papers by My Mind's Eye. The die cut shapes are from the accessory sheet from the same collection...and I love how there's a little bird to match Beaker on the sentiment.

Challenges for this card:

• Cute Card Thursday - Sketch
• DCD Christmas Club - Anything Christmas
• Totally Gorjuss - Untraditional Christmas Colours

Skating Along

I'm back in Christmas card mode...this one uses 'Skating Along' by Lili of the Valley. I coloured it with watercolour pencils, to match the sparkly papers from the 'Wonderful Winter' pad by My Mind's Eye. The sentiment stamp is by Cuddly Buddly, and I added even more sparkle with Glamour Dust and 'Crystal' Stickles.

Challenges for this card:

• Paper Sundaes - Sketch (I flipped the sketch)
• Delightful Challenges - Winter Weather
• Lili of the Valley - Glitter & Glitz
• Simon Says - Sparkle

Just Cute Bears & Friends - Winter Birthdays

The theme for you this week at Just Cute Bears & Friends is:

'Winter Birthdays'

I've used an adorable little mouse digi stamp from Pollycraft (that I won on another challenge last week) called 'Mimi's Gift'...she looks so cozy wrapped up in her coat and hat! Rather than use Christmassy/Wintry coloured papers, I decided to go bright, and coloured her to match these bold Heidi Grace ones. I distressed the edges, and added some faux stitching with my CutterBee Bug and a white gel pen. The flowers are by Prima, and the sentiment is from the CCSR set by Papermania.

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

• Friday Sketchers - Sketch
• Stampin' for the Weekend - Winter

For more inspiration, please check out the gorgeous cards by my lovely Just Cute Bears & Friends DT buddies.

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge - Hand-made Christmas Gifts

It's Jane's turn to choose the theme this week at the Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge, and she has chosen:

'Hand-made Christmas Gifts'

I've decorated a photo frame using metal embossed using various Cuttlebug folders.

My frame started out like this:

First, I painted it using acrylic paint to match the colour of the metal sheet I was going to use:

Then I cut squares of the metal to fit around the frame, and embossed them usinng my 'Victoria', 'Kassie's Brocade', 'D'Vine Swirls', 'Textile' and 'Floral Fantasy' Cuttlebug folders (available here at the Secret Crafter), sanding the raised areas to reveal the silver:

Then I glued the metal squares to the frame and added a photo:

For more fab gift ideas, please visit the Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge.

Blue Birthday

At last...a non-Christmas card! I have a birthday card to share today, using one of my favourite Penny Black stamps 'Rainin' Daisies'...although I ashamed to say it hadn't seen ink in a while. I've paired it with some gorgeous Heidi Grace papers that I picked up in TK Maxx for the bargainous price of £2.99 for a pad of 24 double-sided 12x12 sheets! I used my Cuttlebug 'Flower Fantasy' to emboss one of the papers, sanding the surface to reveal the white core. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Anytime Messages' set by Hero Arts, and I used my EK Success 'Scalloped Diamond' punch along the edge of the embossed panel.

Challenges for this card:

• Pink Elephant - Sketch
• Digi Doodles - Anything Goes
• Fab'n'Funky - Forget me not (use old stash - my PB stamp)
• Paper Sundaes - Pick your own Sundae topping from punches, ribbon, embossing & blue...I picked them all! lol
• Stampavie & More - Monochromatic
• Teddy Stampers - Happy Birthday

ABC Christmas Challenge - X is for...

We're on the home straight now, having reached the letter X this fortnight at the ABC Christmas Challenge. It's Lacey's turn to host the challenge, and the theme she has chosen is:

'X is for Xmas'

(Optional extra 'Flowers')

 We are sponsored by Wild Orchid Crafts for this challenges...and here's a photo of the gorgeous prize they've donated for the lucky winner:

The image I've used on my card is 'Winter Love Birds' by Whiff of Joy...sent to me by my lovely friend and ABC Christmas DT buddy Samantha. I went for one of my favourite colour combos...Blue & Brown...although it's not one I often use on Christmas cards. The papers are by BasicGrey ('Blitzen' & 'Figgy Pudding'), and I distressed all of the edges with inks and my distressing tool, before adding some faux stitching. The sentiment stamp os from a set by Lili of the Valley, the large blue flower is by Prima, and the white flower is a Cherry Blossom from Wild Orchid Crafts.

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

• Sweet Sunday Sketch - Sketch
• BasicGrey - Wings
• Spoon Full of Sugar - Distressing
• The Stamp Man - Anything Christmas
• Wild Orchid Crafts - Blue Christmas

For more inspiration, please check out the fabulous creations by my lovely ABC Christmas Challenge DT buddies, and our wonderful Guest Designers.

The Cuttlebug Spot - Thank you!

This week at the Cuttlebug Spot it's time to say:

'Thank You!'

The challenge is to make a 'Thank You' card to send to your Thanksgiving dinner host/hostess, but as I made Christmas themed items for our last couple of Thanksgiving challenges, I've continued with my snowflake theme, and have made a set of little notecards...perfect for sending as a little thank you for a Christmas gift.

I've used the same colour scheme as my Invitations and Table Decorations, cutting the card blanks using the largest of my scalloped square Nesties. I used my Cuttlebug 'Snowflakes' folder again to emboss the blue card, adding a touch of Glamour Dust to the edge.The snowflake was cut using my Cuttlebug 'Ice Crystal' die, and coated with yet more Glamour Dust. The sentiment is from the Cuttlebug 'Olivia' alphabet set.

Here's a close-up of one of the cards:

For more inspiration, please check out the fabulous creations by my lovely Cuttlebug Spot DT buddies.

Pile It On! Challenge - Holidays with Family & Friends

The theme of this week's Pile It On! Challenge is:

'Holidays with Family & Friends'

(This doesn't have to be your actual family...images of familes of animals, snow people etc are welcome too)

I've used a cute Penny Black image (from the 'Christmas Critters' set)...I don't know if these mice are actually related to each other...but they could be! lol I coloured them with watercolour pencils and added Glossy Accents to the lantern, and 'Crystal' Stickles to the snow. The papers are from my all time favourite paper pad...'Wonderful Winter' by My Mind's Eye, and I used aa Cuttlebug die to cut the snowflakes.

Here are the challenges that I've piled on:

• Pile It On! - Holidays with Family & Friends
• Sweet Stop - Sketch
• Creative Inspirations (Sun) - Anything Christmassy/Winter
• Crazy4Challenges - Christmas
• Cute Card Thursday - Anything Goes
• DCD Christmas Club - Snowflakes
• Lili of the Valley - Anything Goes
• Little Red Wagon - Things in Threes (Mice & Papers)
• Penny Black Saturday - All my favourite things (PB Mice, MME Papers, Christmas, Cuttlebug 'Snowflakes' die, Glitter)
• Penny Black @ Allsorts - It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
• Scrapbook Sisters - Christmas Colours
• Sundays with Chrissie - Red, Green & Gold
• Sweet Stampin' - Snowflakes
• Totally Gorjuss - Traditional Christmas Colours

For more inspiration, please check out the fabulous samples by my lovely Pile It On! DT buddies.

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge - Sparkle & Shine

This week it's my turn to choose the theme for the Secret Crafter Saturday Challenges, and I have chosen:

'Sparkle & Shine'

Well...glitter says Christmas to me...so I've used one the latest Secret Crafter manga digi stamps...'Christmas Sledging' on my card. I coloured it with watercolour pencils, then added Glossy Accents (available here at the Secret Crafter) to the eyes, and 'Crystal' Stickles (available here at the Secret Crafter) to the snow. The glittered papers are from the 'Wonderful Winter' pad by My Mind's Eye...and to add even more sparkle, I glittered all of the edges with Glamour Dust, and some gems from Paperchase.

I'm also going to enter this card into the following challenges:

• Papertake Weekly - Sketch
• Christmas Stampin' All Year Long - Stripes
• Crafts & Me - Glitter
• Stamp Something - November Digi Day
• Winter Wonderland - Winter Sports

For more inspiration, please check out the fabulous samples by my lovely Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge DT buddies.

Recipe Challenge Blog Hop

The Cuttlebug Spot is taking part in a recipe challenge blog hop this weekend, with three other blogs. The idea is that pick up an 'ingredient' at each of the blogs with which to create a project.

The first stop is Sassy Lil Sketches, where you will find a sketch to follow...it's quite a detailed one, and was designed for a scrapbook layout, but I've used it to make a card...just to show it is possible! lol

Instead of two photos, I've used two small Penny Black images (from the 'Christmas Critters' and 'Holly Jolly' sets), with papers from the '29th Street Market' collection by My Mind's Eye.

The next stop is ScrapFIT...who are asking you to use 3 of something...I've used three snowflakes, cut using a Cuttlebug die.

Then it's on to Crop Suey...for Ink, Paint, Mist or all three! I used ink to distress the edges of the images and sentiment.

After that you head to Scrap Tiffany to pick up some lace...mine's from Hobbycraft.

And finally, you reach the Cuttlebug Spot where you add...what else...but Embossing! I used my Cuttlebug 'Snowflakes' folder to emboss the little mosaic of papers behind the images, sanding the raised areas to add definition.

And here's the card I 'cooked' up:

The pompom trim along the top was from Tescos last Christmas...it was with the giftwrap, and the sentiment is a Penny Black stamp.

For more information, and details of the prizes on offer...please visit the Cuttlebug Spot.

Let It Snow!

It would seem that I'm having another Christmassy week...it's been ages since I uploaded anything non-festive...and I'm afraid it's not going to change any time soon! Despite the fact that I started making this year's Christmas cards on Boxing Day last year...I still need more...and then there's all the presents I plan to make too! Today's card uses another of my favourite Penny Black stamps...'Snowy'...he's been rather neglected lately, so I thought it was about time he had an inking. I used my Cuttlebug 'Snowflakes', 'Snow Dots' and 'Ice Crystals' folders for the embossing, distressing the edges to add definition to the layers. The sentiment is from a Lili of the Valley set, which I embossed in silver, and mounted on a snowflake cut with my Cuttlebug 'Ice Crystal' die. And because every Christmas card should have some sparkle, I added some 'Ice Crystal' Stickles to the fur trim on Snowy's hat.

Challenges for this card:

• Sweet Stop - Sketch
• Crafty Cardmakers - Dry Embossing
• Creative Stamp Friends - My Favourite Stamps
• Oldie, but a Goodie - Distressing
• One Stop Craft - Embossing
• Paper Sundaes - Let it snow!
• Penny Black Saturday - Let it snow!
• Spoon Full of Sugar - Snow/Snowflakes

Cuttlebug Spot - Decorate the Table

As a follow up to last week's 'Invitations' challenge, the theme for this week's Cuttlebug Spot Challenge is:

'Decorate the Table'

I've made a set of place cards, favour boxes and a luminaria that match the invitations I made for last weeks challenge.

I used my Labels One Nesties to cut the place cards, cutting the blue layers in half, before embossing with my 'Snowflakes' folder, and glittering the edges. The snowflakes were cut using my 'Ice Crystal' die, and then coated with Glamour Dust.

I used my EasiScore Board to make the little favour boxes, decorating them with the same embossed pattern and snowflakes.

The luminaria took a bit more time...I layered up two pieces of card to make it more sturdy, using my Labels One Nesties again to cut the apertures. I embossed the frame with my 'Swiss Dots' folder, and added some more glittered snowflakes. I used tracing paper, embossed with the 'Snowflakes' folder to cover the apertures, before placing a few battery operated tealights inside.

Here's a photo of it in the dark...you can still just about make out the embossing.

For more inspiration, please check out the fabulous samples by my lovely Cuttlebug Spot DT buddies.

With love at Christmas

I spent most of yesterday working on some DT projects for this week...but, I did find time to make a couple of challenge cards too. This one uses one of my favourite Penny Black stamps...'Wishes for Kisses'. The papers are from the 'Wonderful Winter' pad by My Mind's Eye, the sentiment is a Lili of the Valley stamp, and I cut the snowflakes using Cuttlebug dies, then coated them with Glamour Dust.

Challenges for this card:

• Sketch Saturday - Sketch
• Charisma Cardz - With love at Christmas
• Crafty Catz - Spots & Stripes
• Crazy4Challenges - Square Cards

Just Cute Bears & Friends - Black, White & One Other Colour

This week's Just Cute Bears & Friends Challenge is a colour combo:

'Black, White & One Other Colour'

I've used pink as my extra colour...inspired by the funky papers from the 'Rose Tinted Christmas' pad by DCWV. As I also wanted to try and keep my image mainly those three colours too, I've not used a bear this week, but a cute Penny Black cow stamp called 'Bedecked Antlers'. I used my EK Success 'Scalloped Diamonds' punch for the scalloped border, and myCuttlebug 'Ice Crystal' die for the snowflakes, which I then coated with Glamour Dust.

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

• Sketchy Thursday - Sketch
• Crafty Ann's - Non-traditional Christmas colours
• Penny Black @ Allsorts - It's beginning to look alot like Christmas

For more inspiration, please check out the fabulous cards by my lovely Just Cute Bears & Friends Challenge DT buddies.