Jazzy Cats

Today's card features some of the kitties from the 'Jazzy Cats' set by Penny Black. I made a one-layer-card, so stamped them directly on to my card blank, then coloured them using watercolour pencils. The sentiment is from a set that came free with a craft magazine.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Music
• Creative Moments - Anything Goes (Optional Music)
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes

Cupcakes!

Today's card follows the current sketch from Less is More...and uses an oldie but a goodie set of stamps by Hero Arts , called 'Cupcakes'. I started by stamping my sentiment (from the 'Cheerful Critters' set by Penny Black) on to my card blank, then repeat stamped the cupcake around it. I coloured the cupcakes using watercolour pencils, then added some sparkle to the frosting with a Wink of Stella pen, and some Glossy Accents to the hearts.

Challenges for this card:

• Crafty Sentiments - Anything Goes
• Heartful Stamping - Anything Goes
• Less is More - Sketch
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Food and/or Drink
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Balloon Birthday

Today's card features a cute hedgie from the 'Cheerful Critters' set by Penny Black, which I coloured using watercolour pencils. The papers are from the 'Fine & Dandy' 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 'Cupcakes' set by Hero Arts.

Challenges for this card:

• Crafty Friends - Animals or Birds
• Fussy & Fancy - Anything Goes
• Little Red Wagon - Animal Birthdays
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Sweet Stampin' - Birthday

Magical Christmas

I have a set of simple stamped Christmas cards to share today...using stamps from the 'Magical Christmas' set by Creative Expressions. I stamped the trees and sentiments on to navy card blanks using Versamark Ink, then heat embossed them using 'Metallic Silver Sparkle' embossing powder by WOW.

Challenges for these cards:

• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Goes
• Crimbo Crackers - Anything Goes
• My Time to Craft - Christmas in August
• Rudolph Days - Anything Goes

Dotted Petals & Constellations

I have a couple of flowery cards to share today...featuring a couple of older Penny Black stamps. I kept the cards really simple, watercolouring the flowers using Distress Inks, adding a sentiment, a little distressing and some faux stitching.

The image on the first card is called 'Dotted Petals', and is coloured using: Peeled Paint, Mowed Lawn, Forest Moss, Wild Honey, Spiced Marmalade & Fired Brick. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Hello Friend' set, also by Penny Black. 

The image on the second card is called 'Constellations', and is coloured using: Peeled Paint, Mowed Lawn, Forest Moss, Mermaid Lagoon, Broken China & Chipped Sapphire. The sentiment stamp on this one is from the 'Doodled Flowers' set by Happy Little Stampers.

Challenges for these cards:

• Crafty Creations - Anything Goes
• Little Miss Muffet - Anything Goes
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Sisterhood of Crafters - Bloomin' Flowers

Simple Trees

I have a set of simple Christmas cards to share today, featuring some Paper Artsy stamps...there are three trees in the set, so I used them all. I added some colour to the trees using watercolour pencils, then some shimmer with a Wink of Stella pen. On the two smaller one layer, cards I used sentiments from the same stamp set, and on the larger card, the sentiment stamp is from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous.

Here are some close-ups:

Challenges for these cards:

• CAS Christmas - Trees
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Goes
• Everybody Art - Stamp
• Heartful Stamping - Anything Goes
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Pile It On! Challenge - Try a New (To You) Technique and/or Use Your Oldest Stash

I'm back with some more inspiration for this month's Pile It On! Challenge...where the themes are:

'Try a New-to-you Technique'

and/or

'Use Your Oldest Stash'

Our sponsor this month is Becky's Place:

Prize - a digital stamp set of the winner's choice!

I tried a new (to me) stamping technique that I saw on one of Jennifer Maguire's YouTube videos...where I stamped a couple of different background stamps ('Magical' and 'Zig Zag' by Hero Arts) using Distress Inks (Mowed Lawn and Mermaid Lagoon) on the corners of a piece of plain white card to make a patchwork effect background. To make it look even more like patchwork, I added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. I decided to combine the themes, and picked one of my oldest Penny Black stamps (called 'Beehave!!')...I can't remember exactly how long how I've had this stamp, but I definitely had it before I started blogging, so that's at least 10 years! I coloured it using watercolour pencils, added a sentiment (by Stampendous), then doodled a simple border.

Here are the challenges I've piled on:

• Pile It On! - Try a New (to you) Technique and/or Use Your Oldest Stash
• Aud Sentiments - Anything Goes & a Sentiment
• CCEE Stampers - Bees
• Craftaholics R Us - Anything Goes
• Crafter's Cafe - Birthdays and/or Buttons
• Heartful Stamping - Dog Days of Summer
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Sparkles Forum - Stamp Your Own Background

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

PBSC August - Anything Goes (Or 'On the Move')...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:

'Anything Goes'
or
'On the Move'

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

Prize - a $20 voucher!

I used one of the stamps from the 'Cheerful Critters' set...the little doggy driving his pals with their presents was just perfect for the theme! I coloured it using watercolour pencils to match the colours in the 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 stamp is from the 'Cupcakes' set by Hero Arts.

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

• Crafty Calendar - Dots and/or Stripes
• Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper - Anything Goes
• Cute Card Thursday - Spots & Dots
• Seize the Birthday - Anything Goes

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

Little Miss Muffet Customer Appreciation Day

I have something a little different to share today...I was a winner over at Little Miss Muffet Stamps Challenge a little while ago, and was asked to take part in their Customer Appreciation Day Celebrations. Well, that day is today!

There are lots of new images in the Little Miss Muffet Stamps Shop...so pop over and have a browse!

I was sent an image to play with called 'Robin's Mailbox'...I coloured it using watercolour pencils, then carefully cut it out. I stamped a sentiment (from the 'Doodled Flowers' set by Happy Little Stampers) on to a piece of sky blue card, matted it on to a piece of black card, then added the image over the top using 3D foam pads, before adding it to a kraft card blank.

For more sample projects, and all of the information on the exciting Customer Appreciation Day offers...please pop over the Little Miss Muffet Shop.

Penguin Parade

I have a Christmas card to share today...featuring a new (to me) stamp by Woodware called 'Penguin Parade'. It's a rather large stamp...so it filled a DL card...I have also partially stamped the penguins...in two groups of three...to use on smaller size cards, but haven't got around to using those yet. I coloured the image using watercolour pencils, then simply matted it on to a piece of red card, then on to a kraft card blank...having lightly distressed the edges.

Challenges for this card:

• Crafty Sentiments - Animals
• Holly & the Ivy - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Distressing
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Hip, Hip Hooray!

I have a bright and cheerful card to share today featuring one of the hedgehogs from the 'Cheerful Critters' set by Penny Black. I coloured the cheerleading hedgie using watercolour pencils, then added a sentiment from the 'Anytime Messages' set by Hero Arts. I embossed a plain piece of yellow cardusing my Craft Concepts 'Blooming Season' embossing folder...they're flowers really, but I thought that it sort of looked like pom poms! I then lightly distressed all of the edges.

Challenges for this card:

• Craftaholics R Us - Yellow
• Cutie Pie - Sports
• Dream Valley - Animals
• Scrapbook Stamp Society - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Distressing

Blossom Branch

I have another card featuring my Penny Black 'Blossom Branch' stamp to share today. This time I used it to make a simple one layer card. I stamped it on to a kraft card blank using 'Pumice Stone' Distress Ink...I wanted it to be really quite faint, so that I could add colour over the top using watercolour pencils, but not actually see the ink. The seniment stamp is from the 'Fabulous Birthday' set by Hero Arts.

Challenges for this card:

• Corrosive - Anything Goes
• Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Fussy & Fancy - CAS
• Stamping Sensations - Your Current Favourite Stamps

Critter Christmas

Today's card features an assortment of Penny Black critters from the 'Jolly Friends' & 'Wintertime Cheer' sets. I stamped them to make a little Christmas scene, then coloured them using watercolour pencils. 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 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous.

Challenges for this card:

• 2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Anything Goes
• Animal Friends - Mice
• Christmas at Sweet Stampin' - Anything Christmas Goes
• C.R.A.F.T. - Christmas
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Goes
• Dream Valley - Christmas in July
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Sweet Stampin' - Christmas in August
• That's Crafty - Animal Magic

Beautiful Wings

Today's card was a 'happy accident' that occurred while I was stamping a background I planned to use on yesterday's card! It didn't really go...so I turned it into something else! I stamped my 'Beautiful Wings' background stamp by Stampendous, on to a blue card blank using Versamark Ink, then heat embossed it using 'Holographic' embossing powder by Stampendous. I stamped and heat embossed one of the Stampendous 'PenPattern Butterflies' to match, carefully out it out, then added it using 3D foam pads. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Doodled Flowers' by Happy Little Stampers'.

The embossing is really pretty in real life...a real rainbow of sparkles:

Challenges for this card:

• Always Fun - Let it Sparkle
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Little Miss Muffet - Anything Goes
• Penny Black & More - Something Beginning with B (Blue, Butterflies & Birthday)

Good Times!

Today's card features one of the puppies from the 'Good Times' set by Penny Black. I coloured him using watercolour pencils, then added a sentiment from the 'Big Messages' set by Paula Pascual. The paper is from the 'Happy Day' pad by My Mind's Eye...I distressed the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

Challenges for this card:

• Catch the Bug - Anything Goes
• Crafty Creations - Anything Goes
• Crafty Sentiments - Anything Goes
• Penny Black & More - Something Beginning with B (Butterflies & Birthday)
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Distress It
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Blossom Branch

I have a flowery card to share today...the stamp is 'Blossom Branch' by Penny Black. I stamped it using several shades of purple Distress Inks...Shaded Lilac, Dusty Concord, Wilted Violet & Chipped Sapphire...inking us various parts of the stamp, misting it with a little water, and then stamping in layers on some watercolour paper. I added a sentiment (from the 'Everyday Sentiments' by Happy Little Stampers), stamped in Versamark Ink, then heat embossed using 'Magical Mauve' embossing glitter from WOW. I distressed the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

Challenges for this card:

• Artistic Stamper - Anything Goes
• Happy Little Stampers (Watercolour) - Anything Goes (Optional Flowers)
• Penny Black & More - Something Beginning with 'B' (Blossoms & Birthday)
• Seize the Birthday - Anything Goes
• Stamping Sensations - Your Current Favourite Stamp 

Merry & Bright!

I have a Christmas card to share today featuring a stamp from the Penny Black 'Joy to the World' set. I coloured the image using watercolour pencils, then carefully cut it out. For the background, I used a snippet left over from making one of these cards that I'd made by 'splodging' Distress Inks (Peacock Feathers, Mermaid Lagoon & Blueprint Sketch) on to wet watercolour paper. I stamped by Simon Says Stamp 'Falling Snow' background stamp using Versamark Ink on to it, then heat embossed it in white. I matted  it on to a snippet of navy card, then added the animals over the top popped up on 3D foam pads. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous.

Challenges for this card:

• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Goes (Optional Embossing)
• Happy Little Stampers (Christmas) - Anything Goes
• Less is More - Pets
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Make Your Own Background)

Pile It On! Challenge - Try a New-to-you Technique

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

'Try a New-to-you Technique'

Our sponsor this month is Becky's Place:

Prize - a digital stamp set of the winner's choice!

The new to me technique that I tried was 'Inlaid Die Cuts', so I pulled out my Tim Holtz 'Detailed Butterflies' dies and some Distress Inks, and gave it a go. I started by painting some Distress Inks on to wet watercolour paper...I did four different colourways, each using three similar shades of ink in a random pattern, letting the inks blend together. Once they'd dried, I cut a butterfly from each one, and then a matching one from plain white card. I cut 'solid' butterflies from more plain white card, and added the detailed outlines on top before using the coloured pieces to carefully 'fill in' the holes of the white butterflies. Having spent quite a lot of time assembling my butterflies, I kept the cards really simple, cutting a piece of white card slightly smaller than my card base, stamping a sentiment (from the 'Doddled Flowers' set by Happy Little Stampers), and piercing some holes around the edge using my CutterBee Bug, before adding the butterflies using 3D foam pads.

Here are some close-ups of the four cards...along with the colours of Distress Ink used:

Blue: Peacock Feathers, Mermaid Lagoon, Blueprint Sketch

Green: Cracked Pistachio, Lucky Clover, Evergreen Bough

Orange: Squeezed Lemonade, Spiced Marmalade, Fired Brick

Purple: Picked Raspberry, Seedless Preserves, Wilted Violet

Here are the challenges I've piled on:

• Pile It On! - Try a New-to-you Technique (Inlaid Die Cuts)
• A Bit More Time to Craft - Anything Goes
• A Perfect Time to Craft - Anything Goes
• Always Happy Birthday - Anything Birthday
• Cards Galore Encore - Anything Goes
• Crafting with an Attitude - Anything Goes
• Creatalicious - Anything Goes
• Happy Little Stampers (CAS) - Die Cuts
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes

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

We're also looking for some new members for our design team...click here to find out more.