Monday, 29 February 2016

Bethlehem Night

I've been hunting for a deep navy blue inkpad to use with my Stampendous 'Bethlehem Night' stamp ever since I got it...and I think that I've finally found one! I picked up 'Nautical Blue' a couple of weeks ago...and it's a lovely dark blue colour...just right for a mid-night sky! For this card, I simply stamped the image on to white card, then layered up some embossed card ('Swiss Dots' & 'D'Vine Swirls' Cuttlebug folders)...I used a lawn fawn 'Stitched Hillside' border die to cut the curve.


Challenges for this card:


I have candy on offer at the moment...you can find it here.
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Saturday, 27 February 2016

It's Candy Time!

I published my 2222nd blog post a couple of days ago, so to celebrate that (and very belatedly my blog's 7th birthday!) I have not one, but two candies to give away to two of my lovely blog visitors! One features items suitable for 'every day' cards, and the other is 'Christmas' themed...here's what's on offer:


Every day Candy:
Woodware Clear Magic Stamps 'Tulip Doodles' & 'Sunflower Doodles'
American Crafts 'Dots & Stripes' 6x6 Paper Pad
Adhesive Pearls & Assorted Washi Tapes


'Christmas' Candy:
Lili of the Valley Stamps 'Christmas Bears - Mistletoe' & 'Christmas Bears - Bird Table'
American Crafts 'Basics' 6x6 Paper Pad
C.C.Designs 'Holly & Berry' Die
Assorted Twine

If you'd like to be in with a chance of winning one of these bundles of crafty goodies, please add a link to my candy on your blog (to help spread the word) and then leave your details with the linky tool below. This candy is open to all active bloggers (no candy blogs only please) and I'm happy to post worldwide. The link-up will close at 8pm on Saturday 12th March, and I'll use Random.Org to pick the two lucky winners the next day. Good luck!

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Thursday, 25 February 2016

James & Butterflies

Today's card features a cute Lili of the Valley stamp called 'James - Butterflies', which I coloured using watercolour pencils. The papers are from the 'Indie Chic (Nutmeg)' pad by My Minds Eye...I embossed the plain papers using my Craft Concepts 'Butterflies' and Darice 'Quilt' embossing folders...then sanded over the top to reveal the white core. I distressed all of the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The flowers are a mixture of Papermania, Poppicrafts & Prima, and are held in place using a BasicGrey brad. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Big Messages' set by Paula Pascual.


Challenges for this card:

***Edited to add...once I hit publish I noticed that this is my 2222nd published blog post - cool or what?! I meant to have some candy on offer to celebrate my blog's 7th birthday back in September, but missed that (oops!), so have been waiting for another milestone to celebrate...I think that this qualifies, so I shall get a little something sorted out this weekend.***
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Tuesday, 23 February 2016

Dog Days

I have a few quick and simple cards to share today, using the 'Dog-gone Sweet' set by Penny Black. I coloured the images using watercolour pencils, then added a doodled border and sentiment (from the 'Big Messages' set by Paula Pascual). I stamped some paw prints (using a stamp from the 'Man's Best Friend' set also by Penny Black) across my card blanks, then added a snippet of paper (from the 'Awesome Boy' pad by Michaels) to each one...with some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen, and popped the dogs on top...simple!


Here are the individual cards:




Challenges for these cards:


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Sunday, 21 February 2016

Pile It On! Challenge - Use Paint

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

'Use Paint'

Our sponsor for this month's challenges is Doodle Pantry:
Prize - 3 digital images of the winner's choice!

I dug out an old (at least 20 years old!) set of watercolour paints, and used those to create my card. I started by stamping and heat embossing a butterfly (from the 'Social Butterflies' set by Penny Black) and sentiment (from the 'Fabulous Birthday' set by Hero Arts) in black on watercolour paper. I coloured the butterfly using yellows, oranges and reds, then allowed that to dry before adding several washes of different blues to the background (allowing them to dry in between). Finally, I splattered the blue paints over the background to add some 'texture'. Once it was all dry, I matted the painted panel on to a piece of white card, then added it to my card blank using 3D foam tape.


Here are the challenges I've piled on:
For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please pop over to the Pile It On! Challenge.
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Saturday, 20 February 2016

Penny Black Saturday Challenge Reminder - Use Red and/or Hearts

It's the third Saturday of the month...so that means it's time for some more inspiration for this month's Penny Black Saturday Challenge...where the theme is:

'Use Red and/or Hearts'

We are sponsored for this challenge by:

Prize - a $20 voucher

This time I've just hearts...and picked a sweet mouse stamp (called 'Gifts for You!') to make a Mother's Day card. The papers are from the 'Paper Hearts' pad by Crate Paper...I distressed all of the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The flowers are a mixture of Papermania, Poppicrafts and Prima...held in place using a BasicGrey brad. The sentiment stamp is by Hero Arts, and the adhesive pearls are from Hobbycraft.


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


For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please pop over to the Penny Black Saturday Challenge.
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Thursday, 18 February 2016

Upcycled Gift Bag

I have an 'upcycled' gift bag to share today...it's from L'Occitane...I think it must be one of their Christmas gift bags, but I didn't use it at Christmas and put it aside for something else as I thought that it was pretty. Anyway, I'm using it to wrap my Mum's Mother's Day gift...I added a cute little Penny Black mouse (from the 'Hello Friend' set), some paper flowers (a mixture or Prima and Poppicrafts) held in place using BasicGrey brads, and personalised it using lettering cut from snippets of card (using my Cuttlebug 'Olivia' alphabet)...all in co-ordinating shades of blue.


Challenges for this bag:
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Wednesday, 17 February 2016

ABC Christmas Challenge - D is for...

We have another fun ABC Christmas Challenge starting today...Lols is the host and the theme is:

'D is for Don't Overdo It!'
(In other words keep it simple!)

Our sponsor for this challenge is All Dressed Up:
Prize - 2 Digis of the winner's choice!

I've used a cute James the Bear stamp by Lili of the Valley on my card...he's called 'Little Star'. I coloured him using watercolour pencils, added a sentiment (from the 'Scribby Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous) then used one of my Lawn Fawn 'Stitched Hillside' border dies to cut a curve in one side of the panel. I covered a scrap of white card with some gold spotty washi tape and attached it to the edge of a red card blank, then added the main panel on top popped up on 3D foam pads.


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


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

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Tuesday, 16 February 2016

Toadily Happy!

I picked up a cute Penny Black stamp set called 'Toadily' at a charity shop yesterday...and used it last night to make this riverside scene card. I stamped the frogs on a snippet of white card, then fussy cut them out. I used papers from various pads to create the scene - a whole piece from the 'Hello Today' pad by Heidi Swapp for the sky, and snippets of brown (from the 'North Country' pad by Prima) and blue (from the 'Blue Floral' by My Minds Eye) for the river bank and water. I used one of my Lawn Fawn 'Grassy Edges' dies to cut the grass from a snippet of green card and my Memory Box 'Puffy Clouds' dies to cut the clouds from a snippet of white card. I stamped some bees (from the same stamp set) on to the 'sky' then added my frogs popped up on 3D foam pads...I doodled some ripples and water droplets...then added their 'eyebrows' that I'd cut off! The sentiment is also from the same stamp set.


Challenges for this card:


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Monday, 15 February 2016

Cat on the Moon

I've used a Penny Black cat stamp on today's card called 'Cat on the Moon'...it's not a stamp I often use, so I thought that I should show him some love! I coloured him using watercolour pencils, then picked some My Mind's Eye papers (from the 'Breeze' pad) to go with him. I added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen, and a Paula Pascual sentiment stamped on to a die cut speech bubble (cut using a Craft Asylum/Sizzix Thinlits die). I also added some sparkle to the moon and stars on the image using a Wink of Stella pen...but I couldn't get it to show in the photographs.


Challenges for this card:


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Sunday, 14 February 2016

Burst into Bloom!

I have another CAS card to share today...although there is some colour on this one! I stamped my Woodware 'Burst into Bloom' and Hero Arts sentiment stamps in Versamark Ink, then heat embossed them in gold. I watercoloured the flowers using Distress Inks...Bundled Sage for the leaves, Stormy Sky for the 'sky' and a mixture of Tattered Rose & Picked Raspberry for the blooms.


Challenges for this card:
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Friday, 12 February 2016

More Candy Hearts...

I'm sneaking one more card into the 'White on White' challenge for Less is More's 5th birthday...I used my Sizzix 'Candy Hearts' embossing folder once more, my Cuttlebug 'Concentric Hearts' and 'Olivia' alphabet dies...I distressed the edges a little, and that's it.


Challenges for this card:


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Wednesday, 10 February 2016

Let it Snow!

I have another white on white card today...but this one's for Christmas! I used some of my favourite Cuttlebug products...the snowflake embossing folder, and ice crystal die. The sentiment stamp is from a set by Lili of the Valley (it actually says 'Let it Snow, Let it Snow!' but I only inked up part of the stamp as I didn't have room for the whole sentiment.


Challenges for this card:
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Monday, 8 February 2016

Candy Hearts

Before I get on to today's card, I should apologise for a distinct lack of colour on my blog this week...I sat down yesterday to make a card for this week's Less Is More 'White on White' challenge...and before I knew it I had three white cards...oops! I promise that I shall try to make up for it next week! I used a cute Craft Asylum/Sizzix embossing folder called 'Candy Hearts' for the embossing...matting the central panel on to another piece of white card where I'd pierced a border using my CutterBee Bug. I cut a heart shape using my Cuttlebug 'Concentric Hearts' die, embossed that too...then layered it over the top popped up on 3D foam pads. I scuffed up the edges of everything to add a little definition, then added a sentiment (from the 'Anytime Messages' set by Hero Arts.


Challenges for this card:


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Sunday, 7 February 2016

Pile It On! Challenge - Handmade Embellishments

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

'Handmade Embellishments'

Our sponsor for this month's challenges is Doodle Pantry:
Prize - 3 digital images of the winner's choice!

I decided to make some flowers using my Tim Holtz 'Tattered Florals' die and some snippets of paper from the 'Paper Heart' pad by Crate Paper. I inked around the edges of the flowers using 'Hickory Smoke' Distress Ink, then layered them up adding pearls to their centres. I used a Simon Says Stamp sentiment stamp (from the 'Handwritten Borders' set) for the largest flower, and doodled stems for the smaller two...then added a doodled border to match.


Here are the challenges I've piled on:


For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please pop over to the Pile It On! Challenge.
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Saturday, 6 February 2016

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Use Red and/or Hearts

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

'Use Red and/or Hearts'

We are sponsored for this challenge by:

Prize - a $20 voucher

I picked a couple of sweet little images from the 'Every which way' set to combine on my card...and coloured them using watercolour pencils. The little hearts are the 'waste' part of a heart border die by Sizzix for Craft Asylum, and the sentiment stamp is from the same clear stamp set. I added some sparkle to the hearts using a Wink of Stella clear glitter pen.


I'm also entering this card into the following challenges:
For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please pop over to the Penny Black Saturday Challenge.
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Wednesday, 3 February 2016

ABC Christmas Challenge - C is for...

It's time for a new ABC Christmas Challenge...Wilma is the host, and the theme is:

'C is for Cute Critters'

We are sponsored for this challenge by Wild Orchid Crafts:
Prize - £10 Gift Certificate!

I picked a some Penny Black hedgehogs for my cute critters...they're from the 'Jolly Friends' set. I coloured them using watercolour pencils, then fussy cut them out. I made a little wintry scene for them to stand in using my Simon Says Stamp 'Falling Snow' background stamp heat embossed in white on kraft card, and my Lawn Fawn 'Stitched Hillside' border dies. The sentiment is from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous.


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


For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please pop over to the ABC Christmas Challenge.
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Monday, 1 February 2016

Bethlehem Night

I've been searching for a deep navy blue inkpad to use with this stamp ('Bethlehem Night' by Stampendous) ever since I've had it. I thought I'd found it with 'Paris Dusk' by Memento...on the packaging it's a lovely dark purple/navy...but as you can see, it's not that dark once stamped...so the search goes on! I used some Distress Inks to add some colour to the buildings and stars, and thought I'd turn it into a card anyway. I added a panel of navy card embossed with my Hero Arts 'Macgical' background stamp in gold behind the image, and matted everything on to gold card.


Challenges for this card:


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