ABC Christmas Challenge - D is for...

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

'D is for Distressing'

We have two fabulous sponsors for this challenge:

Prize - a $10 voucher to spend in the Sweet Stamps store!

and

Prize - 3 digis of the winner's choice from Karen's Doodles!

I'm used another Penny Black stamp...this one is called 'Carollers'...love PB chickens! I stamped on to kraft card, then coloured them using watercolour pencils. The papers are new...I know, I know...surely the last thing I need is more paper...but I popped to Hobbycraft on Sunday morning to as I was out of foam pads...and they'd moved everything round...so I ended up traipsing round the whole shop trying to find them...and whilst I was searching for the foam pads, I discovered all of the clearance stuff left over from the post-Christmas sales had been dumped on some shelves at the back...and peeking out of the bottom of one of the piles of (mostly) tat, I spied a My Mind's Eye 12x12 glitter paper pad ('I Believe')...the cover was a little ripped, but the papers were all fine...and it was reduced to £4.99...so it just had to come home with me ;0)
I distressed all of the edges with 'Brushed Corduroy' Distress Ink, and then my distressing tool...adding faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a white gel pen. The snowflake was cut using my Cuttlebug 'Ice Crystal' die, and the sparkly brad is by American Crafts.

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

• Christmas Cards - Music
• Crazy Challenge - Anything Goes
• Love to Create - Stitching
• One Stop - Colour on Kraft
• Top Tip Tuesday - Stitching

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please visit the ABC Christmas Challenge.

Boo Boo Bear

Whilst tidying my messy stamped image box at the weekend...I came across 'Boo Boo Bear' (by Whipper Snapper)...and thought he was too sweet to leave uncoloured...I don't know anyone in need  of a 'Get Well' card at the moment...and not that I want to wish an illness upon anyone, it's always good to have one in your stash just in case! For the background, I embossed Core'dinations card using my Cuttlebug 'Kassie's Brocade', 'Perfect Paisley' and 'Victoria' folders...sanding over the surface to reveal the core. I distressed the edges a little, and cut some matching flowers using my 'Tattered Florals' die...embossing them using my 'D'Vine Swirls' folder. The sentiment stamp is by Personal Impressions, and the brads are BasicGrey.

Challenges for this card:

• Card Positioning Systems - Sketch
• Challenge Up Your Life - Get Well Soon
• Moving Along with the Times - Lots of Layers
• Raise the Bar - Purple Green & ? (I chose blue)

Make a Wish

I have another 'masculine' card today...inspired by the 'Use your scraps' challenge over at Less Is More. I have quite a few paper pads...ok..rather a lot...and I keep every tiny little scrap...'cos you never now when it's going to be just the right colour/size/pattern for something or other! lol Anyway...I raided my little BasicGrey 'Archaic' pad...I've had it for years, and there aren't any full size sheets left...just scraps...of varying sizes...and cut a few stars shapes using my Nesties. I inked the edges with a little 'Brushed Corduroy' Distress Ink, and doodled border with a black gel pen. The letters are cut from a sticker set by Pebbles Inc that has been in my stash for ages...the words were not anything I'd ever use...so I thought I'd cut them up.

Challenges for this card:

• BasicGrey - Seeing Stars (The papers are from the 'Archaic' pad)
• Less is More - Use your Scraps
• Papertake Weekly - Krafty

Pile It On Challenge - Make It a Fun Fold

It's time for a new challenge over at Pile It On! And our theme this week is:

'Make it a Fun Fold'

Try something other than a normal single fold card...for example, an easel card, gatefold, tri-fold, shutter card or step card.

Our sponsor for this challenge is:

The prize is a $15 voucher to spend in the wonderful Simon Says Stamp store!

I decided to make a centre-step card as it's been a while since I made one. The image is 'Celebration Chicken' by Whipper Snapper, which I coloured using watercolour pencils. The papers are all from the '72 & Sunny' pad by We R Memory Keepers...I distressed all of the edges with ink, then doodled a border using a black gel pen to save matting and layering. The letters are stamps from the Hero Arts 'Patterned Alphabet' set...stamped on to some of the orange spotty paper, and the stars were cut using my Nesties...and all popped up on 3D foam pads.

Here are the challenges I've Piled On:

• Pile It On! - Make it a Fun Fold
• 2 Sisters - Anything Goes
• Allsorts - Free & Easy
• Corrosive - Another Dimension
• Crafty Creattions - Fancy Folds
• Crazy Challenge - Use a Die Cut
• Cute Card - Things with Wings
• Delightful - Use Patterned Papers
• Do You Stack Up - Distress
• Simon Says Stamp - Three Different Papers
• Stamp with Fun - Shapes
• Sweet Stampin' - It's a Man Thing

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

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge - White on White

We have a brand new Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge for you today...where the theme is:

'White on White'

(You may use colour on your image, if you wish, but the rest of the card should be white)

We are sponsored for this challenge by:

The prize is a $15 voucher for Heather's Hobbie Haven!

I love all white cards...a great way to show off your embossing folders! I used my Cuttlebug 'Swiss Dots' and 'Kassie's Brocade' and Craft Concepts 'Butterflies' folders to make the background...distressing the edges a little to add definition to the layers. The flower stamp is 'Irises' by Penny Black, which I stamped using the watercolour technique with my 'Forest Moss' and 'Dusky Concord' Distress Inks. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Fabulous Birthday' set by Hero Arts, and I cut the numbers using my Cuttlebug 'Olivia' alphabet dies.

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

• Incy Wincy - Birthday
• Lollipop Crafts - Anything Goes

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

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Sketch by Nat

It's time for a new Penny Black Saturday Challenge, and this week we have a fabby sketch by our lovely Nat:

 

We are sponsored for this challenge by:

 

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

I've used a stamp I got in the post Christmas sales on my card...it's called 'Spring chick'...perfect for Easter cards. I coloured it using watercolour pencils, and paired it with some zingy coloured papers from the 'Hippity Hoppity' pad by We R Memory Keepers. I distressed the edges a little, then added faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a white gel pen. The sentiment stamp is by Hero Arts, the strip across the bottom is also from the WRMK pad, and the flowers were cut using my Tattered Florals die.

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

• Crafts & Me - Shades of Spring
• Crafty Catz - Eye Spy Something Beginning with...B (Bunny)
• Simon Says Stamp - Use 3 Papers
• The Stamp Man - Colours of Easter/Spring

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

ABC Christmas Challenge - D is for...

We have a brand new ABC Christmas Challenge for you today...Samantha is the host...and the theme she has chosen is:

'D is for Distressing'

We have two fabulous sponsors for this challenge:

Prize - a $10 voucher to spend in the Sweet Stamps store!

and

Prize - 3 digis of the winner's choice from Karen's Doodles!

I've used one of my favourite Christmas Penny Black stamps on my card...'Wishes for Kisses'...so cute! I coloured it using watercolour pencils...co-ordinating the hedgie's scarf with the colours of Core'dinations card I used for the background. I embossed the card using a mixture of Cuttlebug and Sizzix/BasicGrey folders...then sanded lightly over the surface to reveal the core. I then distressed all of the edges using my distressing tool. The sentiment is a Lili of the Valley stamp.

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

•  Allsorts - Free & Easy
• Christmas Challenges (With Sketches) - Sketch 
• Christmas Inspirations - Anything Goes
• One Stop Craft - Make your own background
• Winter Wonderland - Christmas Card

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, and some wonderful guest designers, please visit the ABC Christmas Challenge.

Cuttlebug Spot Challenge - Spring is in the Air

We have a brand new challenge for you over at the Cuttlebug Spot today...where the theme is:

'Spring is in the Air!'

What do you think of when you think of Spring?

Well...I think bunnies...and that makes me think 'Easter'...so I've used a couple of adorable Penny Black bunnies (part of the 'Bunny Friends' stamp) and some brightly coloured We R Memory Keepers papers (from the 'Hippity Hoppity' pad) to make my first Easter card of the year. I distressed the edges a little..then added faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a white gel pen. I used my 'Tattered Florals' die to cut the flowers in mmy 'Bug...and attached them using BasicGrey brads. The sentiment stamp is from the Hero Arts 'Sentiments' set.

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

• 2 Sisters - Stitching
• Card Crafter's Circle - Die Cuts
• Craft Us Crazy - Favourites (This stamp is one of my favourite PBs...and I just love these papers and faux stitching - can't sew for toffee! lol)
• Crafty Ann's  - Bold & Bright
• Crafty Catz - Favourite Things (This stamp is one of my favourite PBs...and I just love these papers and faux stitching - can't sew for toffee! lol)
• Do You Stack Up? - Layers
• Papercrafting Journey - Cute
• PaperPlay - Critters
• Simply Create - Add Sunshine
• Truly Scrumptious - All Creatures Great & Small

For more inspiration from mmy lovely DT buddies, please pop over to the Cuttlebug Spot. 

Spike!

Half-term is over   :0(   so I'm back to early starts again...this chap is 'Spike' from Pollycraft...I coloured him using watercolour pencils, and couldn't resist adding some Glossy Accents to his eye! As this is a boy's card, I've kept it really simple...the papers are from the '72 & Sunny' pad by We R Memory Keepers, and the sentiment stamp is from the 'Sending Sunshine' set by Simon Says Stamp.

Challenges for this card:

• Card Makin' Mama's - Happy Birthday
• CES - Spots & Dots
• Dream Valley - Just for Men
• My Time to Craft - Bring on the Cake
• One Stitch at a Time - Use a Digi...or Not (I did)
• Paper Sundaes - Birthdays
• Sketch Saturday - Sketch
• Wags 'N Whiskers - Masculine Birthday

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge - Bingo!

This week, it's Janet's turn to choose the theme of the Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge...which is:

'Let's play bingo!'

Choose three items in either a horizontal, vertical or diagonal line

Our sponsor for this challenge is:

With a prize of three digis of the winner's choice from the Stamping Boutique!

I picked Glitter-Pearls-Leaves...and got inky with another of my new Penny Black stamps...this one's called 'Butterfly Suite'. I stamped it in black, then blended 'Faded Jeans', 'Pine Needles' and 'Evergreen Bough' Distress Inks over the top...then inked around the edges using 'Brushed Corduroy'. I then spattered some plain water, and inky water over the top, before sprizting the whole thing with a shimmer spray made using 'Soft Gold' Cosmic Shimmer pigment mixed with water. I used more 'Soft Gold' to paint around the edges...then went over that with 'Crystal' Stickles for more sparkle. I stamped the butterflies from the stamp again, then painted them using 'Bright Holly' and 'Soft Gold' pigments, then layered them on the image. This card is for my Aunt's 65th birthday next month, so I added some numbers cut using my Cuttlebug 'Olivia' alphabet...which a distressed using more 'Soft Gold' pigment...and then added a few gold pearls (from Wild Orchid Crafts) to balance that out. The sentiment stamp is from the CCSR set by Papermania.  

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

• C.R.A.F.T. - No Designer Papers
• Flutterby - Anything with Wings
• Papercraft Star - Butterflies
• Simon Says Stamp & Show - Anything Goes

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

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Pearls & Lace

It's Saturday...and that means a brand new Penny Black Saturday Challenge...the theme this week is:

'Pearls & Lace'

The prize for this challenge is this adorable Mimi stamp:

Generously donated by ex-PBSC DT member Carole.

I've used one of the stamps from the 'Touch of Whimsy' set that I received recently as part of my prize in the Penny Black category of the Cardmaker of the Year competition on my card...I coloured it using watercolour pencils to match the blues & greens of the BasicGrey 'Marjolaine' papers. I distressed the edges a littel...then added faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a white gel pen. I used lace (from Hobbycraft) to form a scalloped border along the central strip...and added some blue adhesive pearls in a couple of the corners. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Cupcakes' set by Hero Arts...and I dissected a few flowers (Wild Orchid Crafts) so that I could place the different coloured petals behind it.

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

• Crafts & Me - Distressed 
• Cute Card Thursday - Flower Power
• Dutch Dare - Distressing
• Paper Sundaes - Sundae Bar (I chose Blue, Distressing & Pearls)
• Stamptacular Sunday - Pearls & Lace

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

Agapanthus Clusters

I've been getting inky again...inspired by a wonderful card here on Chupa's blog...which I stumbled upon whilst googling the other night. I loved her layout, and simple stamping with different shades of green, so I thought I'd CASE her card and play along with her weekly sketch challenge this week at the same time. I masked off a strip across the centre of a piece of card, then blended 'Stormy Sky' Distress Ink over it...fading out to one side. I then stamped 'Agapanthus Clusters' ( by Stampendous) over the top, in several shades of blue Distress Inks ('Faded Jeans', 'Stormy Sky' & 'Chipped Saphire'), and a sentiment from the Hero Arts 'Sentiments' set in black. I matted it on to some card tinted with more 'Stormy Sky' before adding it to my card blank.

 Challenges for this card:

• Digi Doodles - Anything Goes
• Sketchbook Saturday - Sketch #49

Let's Go Fly a Kite!

I've been playing with another of my new Penny Black stamps...this one is called 'Fly with me', and I coloured it using watercolour pencils. The papers are by We R Memory Keepers, from the 'Hippity Hoppity' and '72 & Sunny' pads...I distressed the edges a little, then added faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a white gel pen. The sentiment is from the 'Anytime Messages' set by Hero Arts...the twine is from the Ribbon Girls, and the button is from my stash.

Challenges for this card:

• Aud Sentiments - Happy...
• Crafty Creations - Warm & Cuddly Teddy Bears
• Creative Card Crew - Masculine
• Here Come the Boys - Favourite Song ('Let's Go Fly a Kite' from 'Mary Poppins')
• Hotshot Crafts - Boys
• Penny Black @ Allsorts - Bingo (I used Kraft-Green-Blue)
• Ready Teddy Go - Stitching

ABC Christmas Challenge - C is for...

I'm back with another card for our current ABC Christmas Challenge, where the theme is:

'C is for Charming'

(Feature a charm on your project)

We have three fabulous sponsors for this challenge:

The prize is a $15 voucher to spend in the Simon Says Stamp store

The prize is a$10 gift certificate for the Stamp Fairy store

The prize is a £10 voucher for the Ribbon Reel store

I've used a Penny Black stamp from the 'Jolly Friends' set on my card...which I coloured using watercolour pencils. For the background I embossed plain card using my Cuttlebug 'Swiss Dots' and Sizzix/BasicGrey 'Snowglobe' folders. I added the little stocking charm (sorry, it's been in my stash for so long I can't remember where it's from!) on some Baker's Twine (from the Ribbon Girls).

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

• Christmas Cards - Sketch
• Cupcake Craft - Entwined
• One Stitch at a Time - Anything Goes
• The Stamp Man - Texture

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

Whimsical Flowers

I've used more stamps from my prize on today's card...these flowers are from the 'Touch of Whimsy' set by Penny Black. I masked off a vertical strip, then blended 'Milled Lavender' Distress Ink over the card blank...I then blended more of the same ink over the top to create some darker stripes (I'm afraid I couldn't get the stripes to show up very in a photo...but they are there...lol). I stamped the flowers over the top using Memento 'Tuxedo Black' ink. The sentiment stamp is from the CCSR set by Papermania.

Challenges for this card:

• Crafty Cardmaker's - Monochrome 
• Less is More - One Layer Card with Stripes
• Sweet Stampin' - Clean & Simple

Magical Mimi

It's half-term...so I have more time to play...yippee! I inked up another of the stamps I got as part of my Cardmaker of the Year prize ...this one is called 'Magical Mimi'. I coloured her using watercolour pencils, then added sparkle to all of the wings using a Sakura Stardust pen. The papers are all from the 'Hello Luscious' pad by BasicGrey, and the sentiment stamps are from the 'Party Critters' set (also by Penny Black).

Challenges for this card:

• Charisma Cardz - Things with Wings
• Crafty Sentiments - Girly
• Gem of a Challenge - Fairies
• Papercrafting Journey - Fairies/Angels
• Sir Stampalot - In the Garden

Pile It On! Challenge - Heartfelt Thanks

This week at the Pile It On! Challenge, we want to see projects for the theme:

'Heartfelt Thanks'

(Something to say 'Thanks' featuring at least one heart)

Our sponsor for this challenge is:

The prize is a whopping $30 gift certificate to spend in the fabulous Stampotique online store!

The DT were very kindly sent stamps from Stampotique to work with for this challenge...I chose 'Heart Flowers'. I coloured the image using watercolour pencils, then added a Hero Arts sentiment underneath (from the 'Anytime Messages' set. The papers are all from the 'Hopscotch' pad by BasicGrey...I embossed the plain one using my Cuttlebug 'D'Vine Swirls' folder...sanding lightly over the surface to reveal the white core. I distressed all of the edges using 'Old Paper' and 'Brushed Corduroy' Distress Inks, and used my EK Success 'Scalloped Diamonds' punch for the scalloped borders. The little heart was in a pack of buttons from a charity shop...and I attached it using some button twine (from the Ribbon Girls)...the brads are also BasicGrey.

Here are the challenges I've Piled On!:

• Pile It On! - Heartfelt Thanks
• 2 Sisters - I {heart} You
• Allsorts - Free & Easy
• BasicGrey - Love (My papers are from the 'Hopscotch' pad)
• CES - Layers
• Cooking it up with Katie - Spooled (twine), Metal (brads) & Sentiment
• Crafter's Companion - Anything Goes
• Crafts & Me - Use a New Image
• Crafty Creations - Swirly Wirly
• Fussy & Fancy - Hearts
• If the Shoe Fits...Scrap It - Anything Goes
• Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes
• Scrapbook Sisters - Anything Goes

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