Snow Much Fun!

I have a set of Penny Black Christmas cards to share today using stamps mostly from the 'Snow Much Fun' set...plus a little pup from the 'Wintertime Cheer' set. I stamped the critters & snowmen on to watercolour paper, then coloured them using watercolour pencils. I made some simple backgrounds stamping some beautifully detailed snowflake stamps (from the 'Delicate Snow' set by Stampendous) using Distress Inks (Forest Green and Fired Brick) on to plain kraft card. I distressed the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The sentiments are from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous.

Challenges for these cards:

• 4 Crafty Chicks - Anything Goes
• Crafty Creations - Anything Goes
• Cute Card Thursday - Too Cute
• Gem of a Challenge - Snowflakes
• Shopping Our Stash - Your Favourite Season (Winter)
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Doodle Flowers

I have a simple one layer card to share today, featuring a set of stamps that I think I must have bought over 10 years ago, but haven't seen a lot of ink in all that time...they're called 'Doodle Flowers' by Inkadinkado. I stamped them on to kraft card using 'Smokey Gray' Versafine Ink...to make them look like they'd been doodled using a pencil. I stamped a sentiment from the 'Thoughtful Messages' set by Hero Arts in the same grey ink, then used my watercolour pencils to colour the flowers. I didn't use any water on the colouring as I wanted the colours to remain quite vibrant, but added some white accents with a gel pen.

Challenges for this card:

• CAS on Friday - One Layer Wonder
• Cute Card Thursday - Bright Colours
• Inkspirational - Oldie but a Goodie
• My Time to Craft - Krafty

Jazzy Cats

I've been having another go at masking...and am finding it so much easier to do now I have a Tim Holtz stamp platform. This time I used stamps from the 'Jazzy Cats' set by Penny Black to make a little scene...don't they look like they're having a fantastic time!? I simply coloured the cats using watercolour pencils, then added a sentiment (from the 'Anytime Messages' set by Hero Arts.

Challenges for this card:

• AAA Cards - Masking
• Animal Friends - Sport or Hobbies
• As You Like It - Fur or Feathers (Definitely fur...so much easier to colour! But, I do have a soft spot for Penny Black chickens too!)
• Crafty Friends - Birthdays
• Heartful Stamping - Anything Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes

Reindeer with Gifts

I have another Christmas card to share today...it features another new (to me) stamp from Deep Red called 'Reindeer with Gifts'. I coloured the image using watercolour pencils, then added some gold accents using a Sakura Stardust pen. The papers are from the 'Bundled Up' pad by Crate Paper...I distressed the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

Challenges for this card:

• Dream Valley - Christmas Animals
• Little Miss Muffet - Anything Goes
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Rudolph Days - Anything Goes
• Sisterhood of Crafters - Anything Goes

Scribbly Trees

I have another couple of Christmas cards to share today...that I made using stamps from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set (by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous) to test out the lovely Tim Holtz Stamp Platform that I got for my birthday. I started by stamping the tree trunks and ground in 'Gathered Twigs' Distress Ink, then I used a mixture of 'Forest Moss' and 'Peeled Paint' for the foliage. Finally, I stamped the stars at the top in Versamark Ink, then heat embossed them using 'Sparkling Gold' embossing powder by WOW. I inked around the edges using 'Old Paper', and a little 'Brushed Corduroy' on the very edges. I distressed the edges a little, then matted the panels on to some snippets of green card. The sentiment stamp is from the same stamp set.

You can just about make out the sparkle on the gold stars in this one:

Challenges for this card:

• Crafty Sentiments - Anything Goes
• Creative Moments - Anything Goes
• Happy Little Stampers (Christmas) - Anything Goes
• Heartful Stamping - Anything Goes
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Add  Sentiment
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Snowman Square

I have a Christmas card to share today...featuring a couple more crafty things that I received for my birthday last week...a cute little snowman stamp by Magenta (that has no name) and an embossing folder by Cuttlebug called 'Zig Zag'. I coloured the image using watercolour pencils, then carefully cut it out. I embossed some plain white card for the background, then distressed all of the edges a little. The sentiment stamp is from a set by Lili of the Valley.

Challenges for this card:

• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Goes
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Add a Sentiment
• Winter Wonderland - Embossing

Pile It On! Challenge - Recycle and/or For a Child

It's the third Sunday of the month, so we have more inspiration, and a bonus theme for this month's Pile It On! Challenge! The themes this month are:

'Recycle'

and/or

'For a Child'

Our sponsor this month is MelonHeadz Illustrating:

Prize - 1 Bundle from MelonHeadz Illustrating!

I combined the themes on my card...recycling a piece of packaging from some edible birthday cake decorations:

It had pretty stars on the other side:

I cut a couple of circles from the card, and combined them with 'Birthday Dog' by Penny Black stamped on to another circle. I coloured him using watercolour pencils, and added a doodled border using a black gel pen. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Anytime Messages' set by Hero Arts.

Here are the challenges I've piled on:

• Pile It On! Challenge - Recycle and/or For a Child (I recycled some packaging from a set of edible birthday cake decorations)
• CAS on Friday - Birthday
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Add a Sentiment
• Sweet Stampin' - Doodling
• That's Crafty - Only Cards

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

PBSC August - Shaped Cards...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:

'Shaped Cards'
(No Squares or Rectangles)

As usual, we are sponsored by the awesome 1-2-3 Stitch:

Prize - a $20 voucher!

This time I made a little circle shaped easel card...cutting the scalloped circles from kraft card using one of my Nesties. I added some papers from the 'Awesome Boy' pad by Recollections/Michaels...distressing the edges a little, then adding some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The cute little pup is from the 'Man's Best Friend' set, and is coloured using watercolour pencils. The sentiment tamp is from the 'Big Messages' set by Paula Pascual, and the orange star brad (propping the easel part up) is from a set by Papermania.

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

• Crafty Calendar - Shaped Cards
• Happy Little Stampers (Dies) - Anything Goes
• Seize the Birthday - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Add a Sentiment
• Sparkles Forum - Birthday

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

Butterflies

I have a couple of butterfly themed cards to share today...the first one features a stamp from the 'Social Butterfly' set by Penny Black.

I stamped the butterfly using a few shades of Distress Ink (Broken China, Mermaid Lagoon & Cracked Pistachio), then used my waterbrush to drag out some of the colour. I added a sentiment (from the Thoughtful Messages' set by Hero Arts), stamped in black ink, then heat embossed it along with the butterfly using 'Kaleidoscope'  embossng powder from Stampendous...I haven't used it years, but it gave such a pretty effect I used it on the other card in this post too!

On my second card, I picked a butterfly from the 'PenPattern Butterflies' set by Stampendous...again stamping it in a few shades of Distress Ink (Wild Honey, Spiced Marmalade & Festive Berries). This time I watercoloured it using more of the same inks, and some 'Tea Dye' for the body. Once again, I heat embossed it using the kaleidoscope powder, then inked around the edges with 'Tea Dye' and 'Brushed Corduroy' Distress Inks. I distressed the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

Challenges for these cards:

• Corrosive - Anything Goes
• Crafty Creations - Anything Goes
• Crazy Challenge - Inking is Fun
• Crazy 4 Challenges - Monochromatic
• Fab 'N' Funky - Anything Goes
• Happy Little Stampers (Watercolour) - Anything Goes
• Moving Along with the Times - Something beginning with B (Butterflies)
• Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes

Pastel Flowers

I have two cards to share today...featuring a couple of floral Hero Arts stamps...'Garden Bouquet' and 'Blooming Meadows'. I stamped the images using the watercolour technique and Distress Inks (Bundled Sage, Stormy Sky, Victorian Velvet & Scattered Straw). I added sentiments from a set that was a magazine freebie (stamped in Versafine 'Smokey Gray' ink). I distressed the top and bottom edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen, before adding the panels to my kraft card blanks.

Challenges for these cards:

• Happy Little Stampers (CAS) - Flowers
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Add a Sentiment
• Simply Create Too - Use Flowers
• Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes
• Sweet Stampin' - Flowers

Tractor Pup

I have another one layer card to share today...featuring a little pup driving a tractor from the 'Wintertime Cheer' set by Penny Black. I added a couple of little robins from the same stamp set behind him, then coloured it all using watercolour pencils. The sentiment stamp is from a set by Lili of the Valley.

Challenges for this card:

• Less is More - One Layer Cards with Vehicles
• Naughty or Nice - On the Move
• Penny Black Inc - Holiday Head Start
• Penny Black & More - All Creatures Great & Small
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Crazy Dogs!

I used several of my Tim Holtz 'Crazy Dogs' stamps on today's card...along with some careful masking. I stamped the dogs directly on to my card blank, then coloured them using watercolour pencils. I created the sentiment using stamps from my Paper Smooches 'Graffiti' set.

Challenges for this card:

• Addicted to CAS - One Layer Cards
• Artistic Stamper - Anything Goes
• Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Happy Birthday
• Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes

Shepherds

I received some lovely crafty goodies for my birthday a few days ago, including this cute Penny Black Christmas stamp called 'Shepherds'. I coloured the image using watercolour pencils, then added some sparkle to the stars using a Wink of Stella pen. I added a simple doodled border, and matted the image on to some navy card, adding a sentiment from a Lili of the Valley set.

Challenges for this card:

• Christmas at Sweet Stampin' - Anything Goes
• Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Goes (Optional Nativity)
• Crimbo Crackers - Cute
• Penny Black Inc - Holiday Head Start Challenge
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes

Guest Designer - Inspirational Challenge!

A couple of weeks ago I was thrilled to be asked to be a guest designer for Inkspirational Challenges...and today I'm sharing my card for their new challenge, where the theme is:

'Waves'

When I was given the theme, I immediately thought of this cute Penny Black stamp called 'Fishing!'...with the little hedgies setting sail on the ocean waves in search of a catch! I coloured the image using watercolour pencils...matching the papers from the 'Shoreline' pad by American Crafts. I distressed all of the edges a little, 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...I masked of the 'W' at the start of the sentiment before inking, then replaced it with an 'F' using a black gel pen.

For more inspiration from the awesome design team, please pop over to the Inkspirational Challenges!

Toby with Gift

I have a simple card to share today featuring a Wild Rose Studio stamped image called 'Toby with Gift', which I coloured using watercolour pencils. I used a couple of papers from the 'Floral Blue' pad by My Mind's Eye. I added some doodled borders using a black gel pen, and a sentiment from a set by Lili of the Valley.

Challenges for this card:

• Little Miss Muffet - Anything Goes
• Penny Black & More - All Creatures Great & Small
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Happy Birthday

Ice Cream Mouse

In a bid to rid us of the Autumnal weather, I have a summery card to share today...featuring a Stampavie stamp by Tina Wenke called 'Mouse Holding Ice Cream', which I coloured using watercolour pencils. I made a patchwork background from snippets of papers from the 'Happy Day' pad by My Mind's Eye...distressing the edges a little, then adding some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

Challenges for this card:

• Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes
• Crazy 4 Challenges - Bright & Cheerful
• Everybody Art - Summer
• Incy Wincy - No Words
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Penny Black & More - All Creatures Great & Small
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Sweet Stampin' - Summer Fun
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Pile It On! Challenge - Recycle!

We have another fun Pile It On! Challenge starting today...and the theme is:

'Recycle'

Our sponsor this month is MelonHeadz Illustrating:

Prize - 1 Bundle from MelonHeadz Illustrating!

I recycled a piece of corrugated kraft card that was part of the packaging for a set of cake tins, and combined it with papers from the 'Prince Charming' pad by Recollections/Michaels. The image is 'Birthday Dog' by Penny Black, which I coloured using watercolour pencils. I distressed all of the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The sentiment stamp is from a set by Lili of the Valley.

Here are the challenges I've piled on:

• Pile It On! - Recycle (I recycled some corrugated cardboard that was part of the packaging of a set of cake tins)
• 2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Anything Goes
• A Bit More Time to Craft - Anything Goes
• A Perfect Time to Craft - Anything Goes
• Cards Galore Encore - Anything Goes
• Crafty Animals - Anything Goes
• Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper - Anything Goes
• Gem of a Challenge - Birthday Wishes
• Seize the Birthday - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Food or Drink

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, including new team mates Marciava & Valerie, please pop over to the Pile It On! Challenge.

PBSC August - Shaped Cards

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:

'Shaped Cards'
(No Squares or Rectangles please)

As usual, we are sponsored by the awesome 1-2-3 Stitch:

Prize - a $20 voucher!

I made a little star shaped gatefold style card...and featured a little mouse from the 'Bubbly' stamp set. I cut three stars from red card using using the largest of my star Nesties...then a couple of smaller ones from white and green card. I stamped a sentiment on to the white star (from the 'Party Critters' set), then adhered it to one of the red stars. I scored and folded the other two red stars down their centres, and also on one of the tips, then added half of the green star to each. I coloured the wee mouse using watercolour pencils, then once I'd assembled the card, added him to the front using 3D foam pads.

It doesn't stand up when closed, but below you can see what it looks like:

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

• Aud Sentiments - No Sentiment on the Front
• Craftaholics R Us - Die Cuts
• Crafter's Cafe - More then One Fold

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