Saturday 29 April 2017

Mistletoe Moment

I have another Christmas card to share today...this one features a cute House Mouse stamp called 'Mistletoe Moment' that I found in a charity shop a few weeks ago. I was visiting my parents when I made this card, and didn't have any Christmas papers with me, so used a Sizzix holly print folder to emboss some kraft card for the background. The sentiment stamp is from a set by Lili of the Valley, and the sparkly brad is by American Crafts.


Challenges for this card:

Tuesday 25 April 2017

A Little Birdie Told Me...

I have a Christmas card to share today...featuring stamps from a couple of Penny Black clear stamp sets... 'Snow Much Fun' & 'Wintertime Cheer'. I combined birds from the two sets to make a little scene, doodled a simple border, and coloured it all using watercolour pencils. The sentiment from Barkely 'Purrfect Christmas' set by Crafter's Companion.


Challenges for this card:


Saturday 22 April 2017

Crazy Dogs

I a set of 'Crazy Dog' cards to share today...I couldn't decide which one to choose, so I used them all! I made six brightly coloured watercolour backgrounds using Distress Inks, mixing two colours on each one - I've listed the colours used underneath the images below. I started by adding a couple of layers of each of the colours...drying with my heatgun in between each addition...then added splashes of the inks, and plain water to create some more texture. I trimmed the panels down, added a simple border using a black gel pen, and mounted them on to my card blanks using 3D foam. I coloured all of the dogs using watercolour pencils, then carefully cut them out. I cut some speech bubbles using Craft Asylum/Sizzix Thinlits dies, and stamped a sentiment (from the 'Big Sentiments' set by Paula Pascual), then added the dogs and sentiments to their backgrounds using foam pads.

(Fired Brick & Festive Berries - Stormy Sky & Chipped Sapphire)

(Broken China & Peacock Feathers - Lucky Clover & Mowed Lawn)

(Spiced Marmalade & Wild Honey - Picked Raspberry & Wilted Violet)

Challenges for these cards:

Thursday 20 April 2017

Xmas Crafts

I have a Christmas card to share today featuring another stamp that I picked up in a charity shop last week...it's called 'Xmas Crafts' by Penny Black. I coloured the image using watercolour pencils, and paired it with some glittery papers from the 'Recollections - Simply Stated' pad by Michaels (found at TK Maxx). I distressed the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The snowflakes were cut using Cuttlebug and Marianne Designs dies, and the sentiment stamp is from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous.


Challenges for this card:


Wednesday 19 April 2017

Blooming Spring Meadows

Today's card was inspired by the 'Spring Walk' theme of this week's Less is More Challenge. I tried to create a kind of 'Polaroid' photo image that might have been taken of some wild flowers seen on a Spring walk. I used my Hero Arts 'Blooming Meadows' stamp...inked up with various colours of Distress Inks (Fired Brick, Scattered Straw, Chipped Sapphire, Wilted Violet, Seedless Preserves, Picked Raspberry, Festive Berries, Spiced Marmalade, Peeled Paint & Lucky Clover), then spritzed with water and stamped on to a piece of card that I'd given a light watercolour wash (using Stormy Sky &Broken China Distress Inks) to give a blue sky background. I trimmed the image down then distressed the edges a little before matting it on to a plain piece of white card to look like an instant photo. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Handwritten Borders' set by Simon Says Stamp...I only inked the word part of the stamp.


Challenges for this card:

Monday 17 April 2017

Bun Buns

I have one last Easter treat bag to share today...this one features 'Bun Buns' by Penny Black...coloured in shades of chocolate brown using watercolour pencils. The papers are from the 'Recollections - Charming' by  Michaels (found at TK Maxx). I distressed the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Egg-cellent Easter Sentiments' set by Amy R?C C Designs.


Challenges for this bag:


Sunday 16 April 2017

Pile It On! Challenge April - Interactive Cards and/or Birthdays

It's the third Sunday of the month, so we more inspiration for this month's Pile It On! Challenge, as well as a bonus theme. This month's main theme is:

'Interactive Cards'
(Think slider, shaker, pop-up, pocket)

and we have a bonus theme of:

'Birthdays'

Which you can use as an alternative, or combine for this month's challenge!

We are sponsored for this challenge by Gerder Steiner Designs:
Prize - $15 Store Coupon!

This time I made a shaker card for my parents who will be celebrating their Ruby Wedding Anniversary next month...this card is actually for my Nan to give to them, so you will be seeing another on my blog soon. I cut the aperture using my Cuttlebug 'Concentric Hearts' die...then pierced a border around the edges using my pokey tool. The cute hedgehogs are from the 'Every Which Way' set by Penny Black...I coloured them using watercolour pencils, then carefully cut them out. I cut the numbers from a snippet of red card using my Cuttlebug 'Olivia' alphabet, added a sentiment (from a set that was a magazine freebie), and filled the shaker with red heart shaped confetti.


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.

Saturday 15 April 2017

PBSC April - Spring or Easter...More Inspiration!

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:

'Spring or Easter'

As usual, we are sponsored by the awesome 1-2-3 Stitch:
Prize - a $20 voucher!

I decorated another Easter treat bag...this time using more masculine colours. The image is a portion of the 'Bunny Friends' stamp...I love using just part of this stamp - it's a really easy to use just one, two or three of the bunnies. The papers are from the 'Recollection - Charming' by Michaels (found at TK Maxx)...I distressed the edges a little, then added some faux stitching sing my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Egg-cellent Easter Sentiments' set by Amy R?C C Designs.


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

Friday 14 April 2017

Bunny Wannabe

I have another Easter treat bag to share today...featuring a cute Whipper Snapper image called 'Bunny Wannabe' that I coloured using watercolour pencils. I used papers from the  'Now & Then' pad by My Mind's Eye...distresing the edges a little, then adding some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Egg-cellent Easter Sentiments' set by Amy R/C C Designs.


Challenge for this bag:

Thursday 13 April 2017

Happy Birthday Mum!

It's my Mum's birthday today, and as she regularly visits my blog, I had to wait until she'd received her card before I blogged it. I used a Penny Black image called 'Cluck, Cluck, Cluck!' (I love Penny Black hens!) and papers from the 'Indie Chic - Saffron' pad by My Mind's Eye. I distressed all of the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Anytime Messages' set by Hero Arts.


Challenges for this card:

Wednesday 12 April 2017

Dotted Petals

I picked up this fabulous Penny Black stamp (called 'Dotted Petals') in a charity shop yesterday...along with some other gems...and couldn't resist having a little play with them hen I got home. I coloured the image using watercolour pencils, then added a simple doodled border. I cut a snippet of flowery paper (from the 'Paper Hearts' pad by Crate paper) along the bottom...having used one of my Lawn Fawn 'Stitched Hillside Border' dies to cut a curve along the top and doodled a matching border. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Handwritten Borders' set by Simon Says Stamp.


Challenges for this card:

Monday 10 April 2017

Driving Along in My Automobile...

My Mum asked me to make an 80th birthday card for a man that likes cars...so, inspired by the one layer card with a 'Curve' challenge over at Less is More this week, this is what I came up with.  I cut a curve in the front of my card blank using one of my Lawn Fawn 'Stitched Hillside Border' dies, then stamped a racing doggy from the 'Hello Friend' set by Penny Black, and a sentiment from the 'Anytime Messages' set by Hero Arts. I coloured the image using watercolour pencils, then added some die cut numbers (cut using my Cuttlebug 'Olivia' alphabet dies) to the inside of the card.


Challenges for this card:


Sunday 9 April 2017

Guest Designer - Pixie's Snippets Playground

I was thrilled to be asked by the lovely Di to guest design for Pixie's Snippets Playground Challenge this week! I have a mountain of snippets...which despite my best efforts, seems to get bigger the more I craft...so this is one of my favourite challenges to play along with!

For my project, I decorated an Easter treat bag and used lots of snippets from my 'Now & Then' paper pad by My Mind's Eye. I used some of those long thin snippets you get when you cut a full sheet down to make a background, and a really teeny tiny snippet for some paper piecing. I distressed all of the edges of the papers, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The image is 'Spring Chick' by Penny Black...I coloured it using watercolour pencils, then paper pieced the egg shell...adding a little shading with a pencil. The sentiment is from the 'Egg-cellent Easter Sentiments' set by Amy R/C. C. Designs...I stamped & matted that on snippets too. I added a mixture of co-ordinating paper flowers (by Prima, papermania & Poppicrafts), held in place with BasicGrey brads.


I'm also entering this treat bag into the following challenges:


For more snippets inspiration...pop over to Di's blog where she'll be sharing her picks from the last Pixie's Snippets Playground challenge.

Wednesday 5 April 2017

ABC Christmas Challenge - April 2017...H & I are for?

We have a fun new ABC Christmas Challenge starting today, and this month we have two themes for you to choose from....or combine!

'H is for Home'

AND

'I is for Informal'

We have two awesome sponsors for this challenge:

Crafty Ribbons

Prize - £10 gift voucher!

AND


Prize - this fab stamp & paper pack!

I made a card for each theme...the first features two little 'homes' punched with a Woodware punch from some watercolour paper that I'd painted in a rainbow effect using Distress Inks (Fired Brick, Festive Berries, Spiced Marmalade, Wild Honey, Lucky Clover, Broken China, Chipped Sapphire & Wilted Violet). I used a larger piece of the same paper for a wintry sky background, placing some die cut 'snow drifts' (cut using some Lawn Fawn 'Stitched Hillside Borders' and a Clearly Besotted 'Tree Landscape' dies). The sentiment stamp is from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous.


I interpreted the 'I is for Informal' theme by doing some watery /loose stamping using Distress Inks. I stamped on to dampened watercolour paper, with a Christmas tree stamp called 'Before the Snow' by Penny Black...first in 'Peeled Paint', then in 'Forest Moss' over the top. I filled in the sky using a mixture of 'Stormy Sky' and 'Faded Jeans' Distress Inks. I distressed the edges a little, then added a sentiment from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous.


Challenges for these cards:
For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please pop over to the ABC Christmas Challenge.

Sunday 2 April 2017

Pile It On! Challenge - Interactive Cards

It's the first Sunday of the month, so we have a brand new Pile It On! Challenge starting today, and the theme is:

'Interactive Cards'
(Think slider, shaker, pop-up, pocket)

We are sponsored for this challenge by Gerder Steiner Designs:
Prize - $15 Store Coupon!

I made a birthday card for my friend's daughter, who will be turning four in a week's time. She's really into dinosaurs, so I used stamps from the 'You're Rawr-some' set by My Favorite Things. I paper pieced the dinosaurs with paper from the 'Happy Day' pad by My Mind's Eye, and added a couple of sentiments from the same stamp set.


I kept the outside really simple...as I wanted to make a pop-up Dinosaur head inside:


This was really simple and quick to do...I sort of followed the instructions in this video...using paper from the 'Stella & Rose - Mabel' pad by My Mind's Eye. I used the Paper Smooches 'Graffiti' alphabet stamps to add the wording inside.

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.

Saturday 1 April 2017

PBSC April - Spring or Easter

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

'Spring or Easter'

As usual, we are sponsored by the awesome 1-2-3 Stitch:
Prize - a $20 voucher!

I decorated an Easter treat bag...using 'Hello World' by Penny Black, and papers from the 'Happy Day' pad by My Mind's Eye. I distressed all of the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The sentiment is from the 'Egg-cellent Easter Sentiments' set by Amy R/C C Designs.


I'm also entering this treat bag into the following challenges:


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