Inclinations

I have another holey card for Less is More today...I made the stamped panel over half-term, intending to use it on my Mother's Day card...but it looked too much like it should be on a sympathy card by the time I'd finished...so I scrapped that idea! The stamp is 'Inclinations' by Penny Black - I stamped and embossed it before blending various shades of blue Distress Inks over the top (Chipped Saphire, Stormy Sky, Faded Jeans, Tumbled Glass & Salty Ocean). I pierced the holes at the corners using my Dovecraft ruler with it's handy guide holes, and added a sentiment from the 'Mini Messages' set by Hero Arts.

Challenges for this card:

• Less is More - Paper Piercing
• Pink Elephant - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes

ABC Christmas Challenge - D is for...

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

'D is for Designer Paper'

Simply use some patterned paper on your Christmas project.

We have two wonderful sponsors for this challenge:

QKR Stampede:

Prize: 5 Digital Images of the winner's choice

And our very own Lacey's store,

Stamp & Create:

Prize: A $25 Gift Voucher to spend at Stamp & Create!

I've used a Lili of the Valley James the Bear stamp on my card...this one is called 'Present Pile'...I coloured him using watercolour pencils. The papers are from the 'Eskimo Kisses' collection by BasicGrey...I distressed the edges, then added faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. I used my Nesties to cut out the image, and my EK Success 'Scalloped Diamonds' punch for the scalloped border.

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

• BasicGrey - Anything Goes
• Crafty Catz - Dies & Punches
• Forever Friends - Bears
• Sunday Sketch & Stamp - Sketch

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

Cute & Cuddly

As a complete contrast to yesterday's bright card, I have something a lot calmer to share today. One of my friends is expecting her first baby at the beginning of April, and a baby shower is being thrown for her next Sunday, so I've made a card to go with my gift. The image is 'Cute & Cuddly' by Sugar Nellie, which I coloured using watercolour pencils, and the sentiment stamp is from a set by Art Impressions. I pierced the holes all around the edge using the piercing guide on a Dovecraft ruler, then mounted the image on 3D foam.

Challenges for this card:

• Cute Card Thursday - Simplify
• Less is More - Paper Piercing
• Sugar Bowl - Amything Goes
• Totally Gorjuss - Happy

Pile It On! Challenge - Sunshine

This week at Pile It On! our challenge theme is:

'Sunshine'

We are sponsored for this challenge by:

MilkCoffee

Prize - 5 digis of the winner's choice

The image I've used is 'Catnap' by Penny Black...I picked this up in the post-Christmas sales thinking it would be summer before I got to use it...but our 'sunhine' themed challenge seemed like the perfect excuse to ink it up! The papers are from the '72 & Sunny' pad by We R Memory Keepers, the sentiment stamp is from the 'Sending Sunshine' by Simon Says Stamp, the twine is from the Ribbon Girls, and the buttons are from my stash.

Here are the challenges I've piled on:

• Pile It On! - Sunshine
• 4 Crafty Chicks - Twine
• Crafty Ribbons - Buttons
• Gem of a Challenge - Add a Bow
• My Time to Craft - Inspired by a Song ('Bring Me Sunshine')
• Penny's Paper-Crafty - Anything Goes
• Sketch Saturday - Sketch
• Stamp with Fun - Friends

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

Pretty Pastels

Today I have the Mother's Day card that I made for my Mum to give to her Mum. I've used a sweet Penny Black hedgie from the 'Wonderful' set, which I coloured using watercolour pencils. The papers are from the 'Summer Breeze' pad by First Edition - I distressed the edges a little, then added faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Sentiments' set by Hero Arts, and the Card Candi is by Craftwork Cards.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Animals
• Cutie Pie - Pretty Pastels 
• Inky Chicks - Mother's Day or Birthday
• Kathy's Waffle Sketch File - Sketch
• Simply Create Too - Mother's Day
• Stampin' for the Weekend - Distressing
• Sweet Stampin' - Mother's Day

Agapanthus Clusters

I have a flowery card for you today...using a favourite of mine 'Agapanthus Clusters' by Stampendous. I stamped it in Distress Inks (Dusty Concord and Bundled Sage) using the watercolour technique. For the background, I used Distress Core'dinations card in the same two colours...stamping Penny Black 'Circles & Lines' on to Dusty Concord card in Dusty Concord ink...and Hero Arts 'Scattered Dots' on to the Bundled Sage card in...yes...Bundled Sage ink. The purple lace was a gift from my lovely friend Samantha...and the sentiment stamp is from the Hero Arts 'Cupcakes' set. I inked around all of the edges with some 'Pumice Stone' Distress Ink, and added a few adhesive pearls.

Challenges for this card:

• Bunny Zoe's Monthly - Flowers & Pearls
• Crafty Cardmakers - Blooming Images
• Creative Card Crew - Birthdays
• Creative Inspirations - Anything Goes
• Fab 'n' Funky - Flower Power
• Sketchy Colours - Green, Lilac & White

Butterflies...

Something a little bit fresh and springy today to try and banish the winter cold! I've used stamps from the 'Social Butterfly' set by Penny Black stamped in Distress Inks (Milled Lavender, Scattered Straw, Tattered Rose, Bundled Sage and Tumbled Glass), with a Hero Arts sentiment (from the 'Sentiments' set) stamped over the top...simples!

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Things with Wings
• Created with Love - Things that Fly
• Daring Cardmakers - Butterflies
• Less is More - Up in the Air
• Sweet Stamps - Sweet & Simple

ABC Christmas Challenge - D is for...

This fortnight Carissa is the host over at the ABC Christmas Challenge, where our theme is:

'D is for Designer Paper'

Simply use some patterned paper on your Christmas project.

We have two wonderful sponsors for this challenge:

QKR Stampede:

Prize: 5 Digital Images of the winner's choice

And our very own Lacey's store,

Stamp & Create:

Prize: A $25 Gift Voucher to spend at Stamp & Create!

I've used an adorable Penny Black image on my card (from the 'Jolly Friends' set), along with papers from the 'Winter Wonderland' pad by My Mind's Eye (available here at Lacey's Stamp & Create store). The ribbon is from the 'Tea Party' collection by Dovecraft, the sentiment is from a set by Lili of the Valley, and the snowflakes were cut using Marianne Designs and Cuttlebug dies.

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

• Christmas at Sweet Stampin' - Snowflakes
• C.R.A.F.T. - Christmas
• Craft Your Passion - Glitter
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Snow
• Critter - Snowflakes
• Love to Create - Glitter
• Loves Rubber Stamps - Lots of Layers
• Seems a Little Sketchy - Sketch
• Stampavie & More - Lots of Layers
• Winter Wonderland - Christmas

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, and some fab guest designers, please pop over to the ABC Christmas Challenge.

Oldie but a Goodie Challenge - Bright Colours

This fortnight, the theme for our challenge over at Oldie but a Goodie is:

'Bright Colours'

Our sponsor for this challenge is Iva Nova Chest

I've used some brightly coloured papers (from the 'Hippity Hoppity' pad by We R Memory Keepers), and a Penny Black stamp (called 'Spring Chick') to make my first Easter card of the year. I doodled some borders, using a black gel pen, added a sentiment (also a Penny Black stamp), and some little flowers (from Poppicrafts...which closed several years ago, so that shows you how long they've been residing in my stash!) held in place with some teeny tiny BasicGrey brads.

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

• Challenges4Everybody - Anything Goes
• Craft Us Crazy - Favourites (My favourites are: Penny Black Stamps; Spotty Papers; Kraft Card Blanks; & Doodling)
• Forever Friends (Monthly) - Animals, Butterflies & Birds
• Paper Playtine - Sentiment Stamps
• Raise the Bar - Anything Goes
• Stamp & Create - Spring is Coming

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please pop over to the Oldie but a Goodie Challenge.

White Wedding

I have a wedding card to show you today...I love making them in all white...and they always seem to give my Cuttlebug a good workout! I used my Cuttlebug 'Victoria' and Craft Concepts 'Gem Flourish' folders for the embossing...and cut the hearts using my Cuttlebug 'Concentric Hearts' die, and the flowers using a die from my Cuttlebug 'Olivia' alphabet...adding little pearls to their centres. The sentiment is from the 'Sending Sunshine' set by Simon Says Stamp. I inked the edges of everything using a little 'Pumice Stone' Distress Ink...as much as I love all white cards, even if you pop the layers up on 3D foam, everything still has a tendency to blend in together, and this just helps make the edges just a little more distinct without really adding any 'colour'.

Challenges for this card:

• 2 Sisters - Love or Valentine's
• Crafty Ann's - Love
• Crafty Catz - Bingo (I used the diagonal line of: Embossing-Dies or Punches-Flowers)
• Crafty Creations - Love/Hearts
• Gem of a Challenge - Dies/Punches
• Hiding in my Craft Room - Embossing
• Love to Create - Love
• Moving Along with the Times - Love is in the Air
• Papertake Weekly - Hearts & Flowers
• Pink Elephant - Love
• Simon Says Stamp - White on White
• Squirrel & the Fox - Love
• Top Tip Tuesday - Romance & Hearts
• Wags 'N Whiskers - Love

Up, Up & Away!

It's finally half-term...so I'm starting as I mean to go on...with a little bit of crafting! I realised that I hadn't made a birthday card in a few weeks, so made a quick one for this week's Less is More's 'Up in the Air' challenge. I stamped the cat (from the 'Hello Friend' set by Penny Black) on to the blue spotty paper (from an un-named Heidi Grace pad), then again on to white card so that I could colour the balloons and cat, cut them out and layer them over the top...thus avoiding having to cut out all of the furry edges and whiskers! The clouds were cut using a Memory Box die ('Puffy Clouds') and the sentiment is Hero Arts (from the 'Anytime Messages' set).

Challenges for this card:

• Card Makin' Mamas - Birthday
• Charisma Cardz - Anything Goes
• Less is More - Up in the Air
• Shopping Our Stash - Birthday
• Totally Papercrafts - Pets

ABC Christmas Challenge - C is for...

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

'CASE One of Us'

(CASE = Copy & Selectively Edit) 

We are sponsored for this challenge by:

Prize - 2 Images from the Saturated Canary Shop!

This time I CASED Carissa's card from the U is for Up to You challenge.

I used a different Lili of the Valley James the Bear (shhhh...I cheated and used a pre-coloured die cut, but did add lashings of gold Stickles to his star), but kept the layout (although omitting a sentiment) and colour the same. My papers are from a Kaisercraft set that came free with a craft mag a few months ago...instead of matting them on to red card, I distressed the edges, then added faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen for a little definition.

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

• Forever Friends (Fortnightly) - Anything Goes
• Sparkles Christmas - Anything Goes

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

Just a note...

I have a card inspired by this week's Less is More challenge to show you today...the challenge is to make a one layer card with the theme of 'Music'. I've used a Penny Black stamp called 'Carollers'...I love these chickens!...stamped on to kraft and coloured using watercolour pencils, and a sentiment from the CCSR set by Papermania.
 

Challenges for this card:

• Fashionable Stamping - Birds
• Less is More - One Layer Card with Music
• Loves Rubber Stamps - Anything Goes

Pile It On! Challenge - Shaped Cards

I have a card for the new challenge over at Pile It On! to show you today...where the theme is:

'Shaped Cards'

(Anything but Square!)

We are sponsored for this challenge by Flonzcraft

I've made a little scalloped circle card (cut using the largest of my Nesties), with a die cut image from Lili of the Valley...I cut it into a circle shape, then added some sparkle to the baubles with some Stickles. The red layer was embossed with my 'Snow Globe' folder (by Sizzix/BasicGrey), and I added some little adhesive pearls to each of the scallops.

Here are the challenges I've piled on:

• Pile It On! - Shaped Cards
• Challenges4Everybody - Anything Goes 
• Christmas Cards - Scallops
• Craft Us Crazy - Die Cuts
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - No Snow
• Crafty Sentiments - Anything Goes
• Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes
• Winter Wonderland - Shaped Cards

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

 

Raise the Bar Challenge - Guest Bar-Tender

A couple of weeks ago, I was picked to be a 'Guest Bar-Tender' over at Raise the Bar...so, today I am joining them for their new challenge:

'A Couple of Things'

In honour of Valentine's Day next week, feature a couple...of people...or animals...or even bugs!

I've used a couple of bunnies, from one of my favourite Penny Black stamps - 'Bunny Friends' (I masked off the other bunnies before stamping). The papers are a mixture of 'Love Bandit' (Bo Bunny) and 'Ooh La La - for Her' (My Mind's Eye)...I thought the fresh 'Spring' colours would be a perfect match for the bunnies. I doodled some borders, added a couple of Prima flowers, held in place with a BasicGrey brad, and a sentiment (from the 'Sending Sunshine' set by Simon Says Stamp).

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

• Card Makin' Mamas - Love
• Corrosive - Hearts & Flowers
• Crafty Calendar - Love & Marriage 
• Creative Inspirations - Sent with Love
• Heck of a Challenge - Love is All Around Us
• Incy Wincy - Love is in the Air
• Inky Impressions - Love
• Papercrafting Journey - Love
• Simon Says Stamp - Have a Heart
• Stamping Sensations - Fur & Feathers

For more inspiration from the fabulous DT, and other guest bar-tenders, please pop over to Raise the Bar.

ABC Christmas Challenge - C is for...

This fortnight, Emma is hosting the ABC Christmas Challenge, where the theme is:

'CASE One of Us'

(CASE = Copy & Selectively Edit) 

We are sponsored for this challenge by:

Prize - 2 Images from the Saturated Canary Shop!

I chose to CASE one of Wilma's cards...from her first challenge with us...'J is for Jingle Bells' from last year:

I loved the bright colours, and used papers from the same My Mind's Eye collection ('Colourful Christmas')...copying most of the layout too! Instead of inking the edges, I used my distressing tool, then added faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a white gel pen. The image is 'Welcome Party' by Penny Black.

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

• Allsorts - Let's Get Cute 
• Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes
• Sparkles Christmas - Anything Goes

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

Oldie but a Goodie - Red & Pink

It's time for a new Oldie but a Goodie Challenge, and this fortnight the theme is a colour combination of:

'Red & Pink'

Our sponsor for this challenge is:

Bugaboo Stamps

The prize from Bugaboo Stamps is 7 free digis!

I've used a sweet little Penny Black image on my card that's been sitting in my image box for years...not sure what it's called, as I've been unable to locate it...please leave me a comment if you know it's name). I kept my card really simple, embossing kraft card using my Cuttlebug 'Swiss Dots' and 'D'Vine Swirls' folders, matting the layers on to red and pink card. I'm not sure where the ribbon is from...but thought it was perfect to use with it's red hearts on pink...clash central!

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

• Crafty Ribbons - Anything with Ribbon
• Dream Valley - Valentine's
• Forever Friends (Fortnightly) - Ribbon or Lace
• My Time to Craft - Love is in the Air
• Stampin' with the Dragon - Love is in the Air
• Sweet Stampin' - Love is all Around

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please pop over to the Oldie but a Goodie Challenge.

Kraft & Cream Christmas

I have a clean & simple Christmas card to show you today, ispired by the 'Kraft & Kreme' colour combination over at Less is More this week. I used my Cuttlebug 'Snowflakes' folder to emboss the background, and 'Ice Crystal' die for the snowflake. The sentiment is from a Lili of the Valley set, and I rounded the corners using my Woodware corner punch.

Challenges for this card:

• Less is More - Kraft & Kreme
• One Stop Craft - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes
• Sparkles Christmas - Anything Goes

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Love & Marriage

It's the first Saturday of the month, so that means it's time for a new Penny Black Saturday Challenge...this month our theme is:

'Love & Marriage'

As usual, we have some fabulous prizes on offer from our wonderful sponsors:

$20 voucher

I've used an image from the 'Every Which Way' set...which I coloured using watercolour pencils. The papers are very old BasicGrey...from the 'Blush' collection...I inked the edges with a little 'Brushed Corduroy' Distress Ink, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Sending Sunshine' set by Simon Says Stamp, the hearts were cut using my Cuttlebug 'Concentric Hearts' die, and the little adhesive pearls are from Wild Orchid Crafts. 

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

• BasicGrey - Love is in the Air 
• Charisma Cardz - Pink & Brown
• Love to Create - Anything Goes with a Sentiment
• Loves Rubber Stamps - Have a Heart
• Shopping Our Stash - Valentine's, Love, Hearts, Red etc...
• Simply Create Too - Valentine's Day/Hearts
• Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes
• Stampavie & More - Love
• Sweet Stamps - Valentine's/Love
• Top Tip Tuesday - Layers

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