ABC Christmas Challenge - X is for...

I have another card for our current ABC Christmas Challenge for you today...where the theme is:

'X is for Xerox'

Basically, we want you to 'Xerox'...copy...CASE...a card by either myself or one of my lovely design team buddies for one of this year's ABC Christmas challenges. There are links to all of this year's challenges in the sidebar of the ABC Christmas blog...with plenty of cards to choose from!

We have two fabulous sponsors for this challenge:

The prize from Digital Delights is 3 of their wonderful images.

And the prize from Bugaboo is 7 fabulous images!

I picked this beautiful card by Lols, from our 'I is for Ice, Indigo & Inspiration' Challenge back in April...I loved the snowy scene:

I don't have the stamp that Lols used, or even anything remotely like it, so I used tree stamps from my 'Reindeer' staamp/die combo set by Hero Arts & Sizzix...embossing them in white. To make the falling snow, I used a Versamark pen to draw random dots, and embossed them in white too. I then blended 'Tumbled Glass', 'Faded Jeans' and 'Stormy Sky' Distress Inks over the top...then spritzed it with a little water to give the effect of snowflakes in the distance. The rest of the card is pretty similar...I used my Cuttlebug 'Swiss Dots' folder for the embossing...rubbing some blue ink lightly over the top...I think Lols used Core'Dinations 'Whitewashed' card...and I was going to...but I'd used up all the blue pieces in my pack! I used different ribbon (from the Ribbon Reel), and snowflakes too (mine were cut using a Marianne Designs Creatables die)...but it still looks pretty similar.

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

• Crafty Cardmakers - Heat Embossing
• Hooked on Craft - Winter Wonderland
• Incy Wincy - Trees
• Moving Along with the Times - Ribbon & Bows
• Paper Sundaes - Winter Wonderland
• Sisterhood of Crafters - Polkadots
• Totally Stampalicious - Christmas with Non-traditional Colours

Present Pile

Despite the fact I have a mountain of Christmas cards ready, I'm still making them...and today's card uses an adorable Lili of the Valley stamp called 'Present Pile'. I kept it really simple...perfect for a boy...and used my Cuttlebug 'Swiss Dots' and 'Ice Crystals' embossing folders for the backing, adding a few pieces of Card Candi to stop it looking totally plain.

Challenges for this card:

• Here Come the Boys - for the man in your life
• Lili of the Valley - Anything Goes
• Stamptacular Christmas - Anything Christmas

Sunday Sketch & Stamp - Guest Designer

I was chosen as the lucky winner of the Sunday Sketch & Stamp Challenge last weekend...and my prize is that I get to guest design for them for the next four weeks...how cool is that?! Here's this week's sketch:

I've used an image by Penny Black...from the 'Holly Jolly' set...which I coloured using watercolour pencils, adding some sparkle to the snowman's hat with Stickles, and some Polar White Flowersoft for 'snow'. The papers are from the 'Wonderful Winter' pad by My Mind's Eye...I inked the edges a little with a chalk inkpad...and added some cute pom-pom trim and a couple of pieces of Card Candi.

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

• Crafty Catz - Snowmen
• Crazy4Challenges - Snow
• Little Red Wagon - Christmas
• Ribbon Girls - Jingle All the Way 

For lots more inspiration from the fabulous DT, please pop over to Sunday Sketch & Stamp.

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge - Borders & Flowers

Please scroll down for my Penny Black Saturday Challenge DT post

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 It's Janet's turn to set the theme of the Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge this week, and she has chosen:

'Borders & Flowers'

As it's the last challenge of the month, it's your last chance to be included for the draw for the prize from our fabulous sponsor The Stamping Boutique.

My card is very CAS...I used a Penny Black image (from the 'Wonderful' set) for the 'flower' element, and layered up some paper from the 'White Out' collection by We R Memory Keepers...punching the edges of the blue one with my EK Success 'Scalloped Diamonds' punch. The sentiment is also from the same stamp set.

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

• Digi Doodles - Animals
• Papercrafting Journey - Anything Goes
• Penny Black Inc/Flickr Group - Clean & Simple stamping sketch

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please visit the Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge.

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Red & Embossing

Wow...this month has whizzed by...and we've reached the last of our November Christmas themed challenges over at the Penny Black Saturday Challenge, where this week we want to see:

'Red & Embossing'

We are sponsored for this challenge by

 

And the prize is 4 rolls or ribbon of the winner's choice!

The image I've used on my card is 'Bedecked Antlers'...which I coloured using watercolour pencils...adding Glossy Accents to the baubles. I used my favourite Cuttlebug folder...'Snowflakes'...for the embossing, on red card...matting everything on to black card. The snowflakes were cut using a Cuttlebug die...and I added a load of little black pearls from Wild Orchid Crafts.

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

• Charisma Cardz - Snowflakes
• Papertake Weekly - Christmas Crackers 
• Scrapbook Sisters - Christmas
• Simply Create - Christmas
• Sketchy Colours - Sketch
• Totally Papercrafts - Christmas

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

Cardmaker of the Year 2011

A couple of months back I entered some cards into the Cardmaker of the Year competition in Cardmaking & Papercraft Magazine...and...I just found out that one of them won a prize...woo-hoo! I came third in the Penny Black category with this card:

Stamps: 'Irises' & sentiment from the 'Wonderful' set (both by Penny Black)

Distress Inks: 'Old Paper'; 'Forest Moss'; 'Wild Honey'; 'Spiced Marmalade'; and 'Fired Brick'

Tools: Cuttlebug 'Victoria' & 'Kassie's Brocade' folders

Here are the other cards I entered:

Stamps: from the 'Hello Friend' set

Papers: BasicGrey 'Hello Luscious'

Tools: Sizzix/Tim Holtz 'Tattered Florals' dies; Circle Nesties; CutterBee Bug

Stamps: 'Gift Wrapped' (Lili of the Valley) & sentiment from the 'Anytime Messages' set (Hero Arts)

Papers: 'Hippity Hoppity' (We R Memory Keepers)

Embellishments: Flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts; BasicGrey brad

Tools: Oval Nesties & CutterBee Bug

Stamp: 'Present Pile' (Lili of the Valley)

Papers: 'Christmas Fancy' (Dovecraft)

Tools: Lacey Circle Nesties; Marianne Designs & Cuttlebug snowflake dies; CutterBee Bug

Tools: Circle Nesties; 'Swiss Dots', 'Flower Fantasy' & 'Victoria' embossing folders; 'Concentric Hearts' & 'Olivia'  alphabet dies (all Cuttlebug)

Stamps: 'Bubble Tree' set by Woodware

Distress Inks: 'Tumbled Glass'; 'Faded Jeans'; 'Chipped Saphire; & 'Stormy Sky'

Tools: Circle Nesties; Glossy Accents

Stamp: 'Agapanthus Clusters' (Stampendous)

Distress Inks: 'Forest Moss'; 'Tumbled Glass'; Faded Jeans'; & 'Chipped Saphire'

Congratulations to all the other lucky winners...including my lovely PBSC DT buddy Nat who came third in the Lili of the Valley category...you can see pictures of all the winning cards here on the Cardmaking & Papercraft site.

You Are the Bestest!

I've been making so many Christmas cards lately, that my other stamps have been rather neglected...so I inked up 'You are the bestest' (by Penny Black) to make a much needed birthday card...my supplies are running very low! It's a simple one layer card, with the image coloured using watercolour pencils, and a sentiment from a 'Daisy & Dandelion' stamp set.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - One Layer Cards
• Birthday Sundaes - Neglected Stash (I've only used this stamp once, and that was just after I bought it in April...shame on me!)
• Fab 'n' Funky - Happy Birthday
• Sweet Stampin' - Birthday

ABC Christmas Challenge - X is for...

We have a  fabulous new ABC Christmas Challenge for you today...Dorte is the host...and the theme is:

'X is for Xerox'

Basically, we want you to 'Xerox'...copy...CASE...a card by either myself or one of my lovely design team buddies for one of this year's ABC Christmas challenges. There are links to all of this year's challenges in the sidebar of the ABC Christmas blog...with plenty of cards to choose from!

We have two fabulous sponsors for this challenge:

The prize from Digital Delights is 3 of their wonderful images.

And the prize from Bugaboo is 7 fabulous images!

I went back through all of our previous challenges...and picked this adorable card by Carissa for our 'A for Anything Goes' challenge way back in January:

I copied the layout...and used some of the same papers too...but a different image ('Christmas Bongo' by Digital Delights). The papers are all My Mind's Eye...a mixture of 'Wonderful Winter' and 'Countdown to Christmas'...and I used a different border punch too ('Scalloped Diamonds' by EK Success)...but it still looks pretty similar:

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

• Creative Craft - Free for All
• Everybody Art - Christmas Cards
• Lollipop Crafts - Anything Goes

For more inspiration from my love DT buddies...and a couple of guests from Bugaboo Stamps too...please pop over to the ABC Christmas Challenge.

Holly & Globe

I don't very often make cards in just black & white...I think I like colour too much...but today, I have a black & white Christmas card to share. I embossed the image ('Holly & Globe' by Penny Black) in Black Sparkle embossing powder...I couldn't get it to show up terribly well in a photo but it looks really pretty in real life. I added a sentiment from a Lili of the Vallley stamp set, then simple matted it on to a square cut using one of my Nesties.

Challenges for this card:

• Christmas Cards - Black & White
• Creative Card Crew - Monochrome
• Less is More - Silhouettes
• Totally Papercrafts - Black & White

Baubles!

I have a couple of baubles to show you today...I bought a pack of  'photo ornaments' in the sale at Boots after last Christams...thinking that they'd be good to decorate and give as gifts...well, I finally got around to decorating a couple yesterday.

I used the template inside (meant for cutting your photo to the correct shape) to cut a couple of pieces of white card for each bauble. On the ones for the front, I embossed a Hero Arts cling stamp called 'Snowflakes' in white, then blended 'Tumbled Glass' and 'Faded Jeans' Distress Inks over the top. I added a snowman (from the 'Holly Jolly' set by Penny Black) to one, and 'Winter Pup' (by Hero Arts) to the other. On the others, I stamped my Penny Black 'wishes ornament' sentiment stamp in black, embossed some more of the Hero Arts snowflakes around the edges, before blending the same Distress Inks over the top. Before I assembled them, I poured in some 'Polar White' Flowersoft for 'snow'.

I found these quite difficult to photograph...as the light was reflecting off the plastic...and I had to stand them in little tealight holders to keep them upright! Here are some close-ups:

Challenges for these baubles:

• Ellephantastic - Weather Related
• Fussy & Fancy - Make a Gift/Anything but a Card
• Oldie but a Goodie - Let it Snow (I've had the snowman stamp since last Christmas, and the pup for several years)
• One Stitch at a Time - Anything Goes

Pile It On! Challenge - All about 'P'

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

'All About 'P'!'

We want to see lots of things beginning with 'P' on your projects.

Our sponsor this week is Simon Says Stamp

The prize is a $15 voucher to spend in their fabulous store!

I found this cute penguin called 'Waddle Francis' by Digistamp Boutique in my digi stamps folder...and coloured him using watercolour pencils, adding Stickles to the snow, and around the edge of the circle. I used my Cuttlebug 'Snowflakes' folder for the embossing, my EK Success 'Scalloped Diamonds' punch for the purple border, and added a polka dot bow over the top. To hold the easel inplace, I added a few black adhesive pearls.

You can see the sparkle a little better in this photo:

Here are the challenges I've Piled On!:

• Pile It On! - All About 'P' (Penguin, Purple, Polka Dots, Punched Border, Pearls)
• 2 Sisters - Sparkle
• Crazy4Challenges - Black, White & WOW! (Purple)
• Fab 'n' Funky - Baby, it's cold outside
• Just Some Lines - Tic-Tac-Toe (Embossing-Ribbon-Punch/Die cut)
• PaperPlay - Shaped Card
• Stamp & Create - Easel or Centre Step Cards
• Stampavie & More - Anything, but Square
• Sundays with Crissy - Christmas with non-traditional colours

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

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge - Sketch by Jane

Please scroll down for my Penny Black Saturday Challenge DT post

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It's Jane's turn to set the theme of this week's Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge, and she's designed a sketch for us to use:

I decided to use snowflakes (cut using my Cuttlebug 'Ice Crystal' die) in place of the four squares on the sketch...I coated them with lots of Glamour Dust, and added a small gem in their centres. I added some larger gems in one corner, and the sentiment stamp is from the 'Bubbly Tree' set by Woodware.

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

• CES - Snowflakes
• Christmas Inspirations - No Images
• Crafty Catz - Snowflakes 
• Crop Stop - All in white 
• Dutch Dare - All white 
• Moving Along with the Times - Let it Snow

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please visit the Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge.

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Green & Trees

It's time for another Penny Black Saturday Challenge...where we have another Christmas theme for you...this time it's:

'Green & Trees'

We have a couple of sponsors for this challenge:

From ex-PBSC DT member Carole:

and

From Penny Black Inc:

After a quick look through my stamp collection, I discovered that I have quite a few PBs with trees on...and chose this cutie from the 'Jolly Friends' set...which I coloured using watercolour pencils...adding some Stickles to the snow. The tree covered paper is from the 'Eskimo Kisses' collection by BasicGrey...I distressed the edges, then added faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a white gel pen. I added some lacey trim and ribbon under the image, and a few adhesive pearls in each corner.

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

• Charisma Cardz - Lace & Pearls 
• Delightful - Bingo! (I chose Stitching - Ribbon/Lace - Patterned Paper) 
• Dream Valley - Stitching 
• Forever Friends - Christmas is Coming
• Winter Wonderland - What a cutie!

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