Whoops, Sorry!

Today's card features a sweet little Penny Black kitty stamp called 'Design by me!'. I stamped him onto a piece of watercolour paper, then covered him up (with a post-it note) and splattered watercolour paints over the top. I coloured him using watercolour pencils, then added a couple of sentiments from the 'Apologies' set by Paper Smooches. I lightly distressed the edges, then popped him on to a kraft card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• AAA Cards - One Image (Optional 'Inspired by TV' - my card is inspired by the children's show 'Art Attack')
• Inkspirational - Paint Splatters
• Less is More - Scribbles, Drips and/or Splats
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes

Happy Bark-day!

Today's card features a sweet Lili of the Valley image called 'Doggie Delights'. I stamped it onto watercolour paper, along with a sentiment from the 'Birthday Buddies' set by Paper Smooches, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I paired it with papers from the 'Geometrie' pad by Folia Paper (found at TKMaxx). I distressed all of the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

Challenges for this card:

• Creative Moments - Anything Goes
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
• Seize the Birthday - Anything Birthday (Optional 'Food or Drink')
• Sweet Stampin' - Distressed
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Lamb & Mistletoe

I have another simple little Christmas card to share today...featuring a Penny Black image that has been in my box of images for absolutely ages. It's called 'Lamb & Mistletoe' and was sent to me in an image swap back before I started my blog...which means it's been waiting to be coloured for at least 12 years! I think what was putting me off, was that it had been stamped onto pearlised card...but my watercolour pencils worked ok. I used a sheet of paper from the 'Krafty Christmas' pad by Love to Craft (from Poundland) for a simple background...adding some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

Challenges for this card:

• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes
• C.R.A.F.T. - Christmas
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Rudolph Days - Anything Christmas Goes

Birthday Dog

I have a Birthday card to share today that features one of my oldest (and still most fabourite) penny Black stamps, 'Birthday Dog'. I stamped him on to watercolour paper, then coloured him using watercolour pencils - in keeping with the 'old school' feeling of this card, I cut him out, along with a scalloped mat, using some of my Nesties. I used snippets of checked papers for the background...I think they're by Lawn Fawn, but I'm not sure as I received just a few sheets with a prize ages ago. I distressed all of the edges, then added somefaux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The sentiment stamps are from the 'Birthday Buddies' set by Paper Smooches.

Challenges for this card:

• A Bit More Time to Craft - Anything Goes
• A Perfect Time to Craft - Anything Goes
• Alphabet Challenge - B is for Boy's Card
• Cards Galore Encore - Anything Goes
• Corrosive - Anything Goes
• Crafty Sentiments - Happy Birthday
• Creatalicious - Anything Goes
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• The Sisterhood of Crafters - Happy Birthday

Captain Cat & the Carol Singers

I have another Christmas card to share today...featuring one of the images from the 'Christmas Hugs' set by Penny Black. I stamped it on to watercolour paper, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I used a piece of spotty paper from the 'Bundled Up' pad by Crate Paper for a simple background...distressing the edges a little and adding 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:

• Christmas Craft Creations - Use a Stamp
• Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Sparkles Forum Christmas - Christmas Critters
• Stamps + Fun = Creativity - Cute
• The Holly & the Ivy - Anything Christmas Goes
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

'Tis the Season

Today's card is a Christmas one, featuring die cuts rather than a stamped image for a change. I used my Lawn Fawn 'Stitched Hillside Borders' die to cut a couple of 'snow drifts' from snippets of white card, then layered them in front of a piece of spotty/snowy paper from the 'Let it Snow' pad by Love to Craft (found at Poundland). The reindeer was cut from kraft card using one of the dies from the 'Winter Wonderland' set by Tim Holtz/Sizzix, and the sentiment stamp is from the 'Letter It - Christmas' set by Ranger.

Challenges for this card:

• Crafty Creations - Anything Goes
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes
• Creative Moments - Anything Goes (optional 'Something to look forward to' - Christmas!)
• Happy Little Stampers (Christmas) - Anything Christmas Goes (Optional 'Festive Animals')
• Happy Little Stampers (Dies) - Anything Goes with Dies
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Create a Scene

PBSC April - Anything Goes (Optional 'Use Ribbon or Twine')...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
'Use Ribbon or Twine'

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

Prize - a $20 voucher!

I used an image called 'Cheesecake Parade' on my card...stamping it on to watercolour paper, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I made a string of bunting by folding little pieces of washi tape over a length of twine, trimming the ends to make the little banner shapes, then fixed around the back of the watercolour paper panel. The senitment from the 'It's Your Day!' set also by Penny Black. 

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

• Alphabet Challenge - A is for Anything Goes
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Crafty Sentiments - Anything Goes
• Penny Black & More - Anything Goes
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

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

Spring Bunny with Daffs

Today's card features an old Lili of the Valley stamp called 'Spring Bunny with Daffs'. I stamped it on to watercolour paper, along with a sentiment stamp from a little Crafter's Companion/Rachelle Anne Miller set called 'Soar', then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I paired it with papers from the 'Spring Freshness' pad by Craft Sensations...distressing the edges a little, then adding some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

Challenges for this card:

• Artistic Stamper - In the Garden
• Aud Sentiments - Birthday Sentiment
• Creative Knockouts - Spring is on the Way
• Inkspirational - Spring
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Sparkles Forum - Spring is in the Air

It's Your Day!

I have a super simple one layer card to share today...following the sketch from the current AAA Cards Challenge. I picked a wee mouse from the 'It's Your Day!' set by Penny Black, and stamped him directly on to a kraft card blank along with a tiny butterfly and sentiment from the 'Critter Party' set, also by Penny Black. I coloured the images using watercolour pencils.

Challenges for this card:

• AAA Cards - Sketch (Optional 'It Flies')
• Addicted to CAS - Animal
• Always Fun - Clean & Simple
• Seize the Birthday - Anything Birthday
• Sweet Stampers - Clean & Simple

Baking Bear

I have a pair of birthday cards to share today featuring a couple of Lili of the Valley bear images...'Busy Baking' and 'I Baked a Cake'. I stamped them on to watercolour paper, coloured them using watercolour pencils, then cut around the top of the image. I used snippets of a paper by Crate Paper (from the 'Baby Bee' collection...that I last used in 2010!) for the background, matting both on to snippets of kraft card. The sentiments are from the 'Go To Words' set by Visible Image and 'Critter Party' set by Penny Black.

And some close-ups:

'Busy Baking'

'I Baked a Cake!'

Challenges for these cards:

• AAA Birthday - Dots and/or Stripes
• As You Like It - Animals or People (Definitely animals...so much easier to colour!)
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Crafty Sentiments - Anything Goes
• Cutie Pie - Bunnies, Bears & Other Bs
• Fab 'N' Funky - Birthday
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Sweet Stampin' - Baking

Guest Designer - Less is More Challenge!

I was picked as the lucky winner of a Less is More Challenge a little while ago, and today I'm excited to be sharing a Guest Designer card for their new challenge:

Hmmm...now this initially had me stumped, but after looking through my stamps for inspiration, I decided to try some really watery watercolour stamping to see if if I could get some blurry...but not too blurry...images. I couldn't decide between butterflies, or flowers, so in the end made a couple of cards. 

On the first, I used a set of Papermania butterfly stamps...stamping them on to dampened watercolour paper using the watercolour stamping technique and Distress Inks (Mermaid Lagoon, Broken China, Chipped Sapphire & Gathered Twigs). I stamped and heat embossed a sentiment (from the 'Sketched Flowers' set by Simon Says Stamp), distressed the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

On my second card, I used the same technique, but this time with my 'Agapanthus Clusters' stamp (by Stampendous) and more Distress Inks (Stormy Sky, Faded Jeans, Chipped Sapphire, Bundled Sage & Forest Moss). I used another of the sentiment stamps from the 'Sketched Flowers' set (by Simon Says Stamp), distressed the edges a little, then matted the panel on to some navy card.

For lots more inspiration from the awesome design team, don't forget to visit the Less is More Challenge...thanks so much for having me ladies!

Snowboard Ride

I have a Christmas card to share today...featuring a favourite Penny Black image of mine called 'Snowboard Ride'. I stamped it on to watercolour paper, and used a gel pen to extend the snowy slope he was riding down, before colouring the image using watercolou pencils. I added a stamped sentiment (from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous), then trimmed around the top of the image before adding a snowy sky background paper (from the 'Mystery Marbles' pad by Craft Sensations). I matted that on to a snippet of nav7 card, then added it to my card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes (Optional 'Funny')
• Happy Little Stampers (CAS) - Feathers
• Little Red Wagon - Mix 'Em Up (I used products by Penny Black, Stampers Anonymous & Craft Sensations)
• Merry Little Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes
• Penny Black & More - Anything Goes
• Sweet Stampin' - Things with Wings
• The Holly & the Ivy - Anything Christmas Goes
• The Male Room - Make Me Laugh
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes
• Winter Wonderland - Anything with Wings

Mood Swing Birthday

Another simple birthday card today, featuring another old Whipper Snapper stamp...this one is called 'Mood Swing'...I love this grumpy cow's expression! I stamped it on to watercolour paper, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I cut a wavy snippet of paper (from the 'Geometrie' pad by Folia Paper) using one of my Lawn Fawn 'Hillside Border' dies, then added that to the top. I stamped a sentiment (from the 'ANytime Messages' set by Hero Arts) on to the patterned paper, then doodled a simple border using a black gel pen.

Challenges for this card:

• Animal Friends - Four Legged Farm Animals
• CAS on Friday - Black, White & One Other Colour
• Crafter's Cafe - Anything Goes
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Penny Black & More - Anything Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Happy Birthday

Happy Bark-day Harry!

I have a really simple birthday card to share today, featuring an old Whipper Snapper stamp called 'Harry toe Dog'. I stamped him onto watercolour paper, coloured him using watercolour pencils, then carefully cut him out. I glued a snippet of blue spotty paper (from the 'Prince Charming' pad by Recollections/Michaels) along the bottom of a kraft card blank, then popped Harry on top using 3D foam pads. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Birthday Critters' set by Paper Smooches.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue (I went with an Old stamp and Blue paper)
• Aud Sentiments - Anything Goes & a Sentiment
• Little Red Wagon - Blue
• Seize the Birthday - Anything Birthday (Optional 'Cards for Kids')
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Happy Birthday

Guest Designer - Stamping Sensations Challenge!

Today, I'm excited to be sharing with you a guest designer card for the Stamping Sensations Challenge! As the winner of February's challenge, I was invited to join them this month, where the theme is:

'Somewhere Over the Rainbow'

The prize for the lucky winner is a £25 voucher to Be Creative!

I started by masking off a strip across the middle of a square of watercolour paper using masking tape, then I painted a rainbow across it using watercolour paints. Leaving the masking tape in place, I stamped my 'Big Butterfly' stamp (by Indigo Blu) over the rainbow using black pigment ink, then heat embossed it using clear embossing powder. I then removed the masking tape, and stamped and heat embossed the sentiment (from the 'Go To Words' set by Visible Image), before distressing the edges of the watercolour paper and adding to a kraft card blank.

For more inspiration from the fabulous design team, please pop over to the Stamping Sensations Challenge.

PBSC April - Anything Goes...Optional 'Use Ribbon or Twine'

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

'Anything Goes'
or
'Use Ribbon or Twine'

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

Prize - a $20 voucher!

I used my Penny Black 'Bunny Friends' stamp to make a set of five little gift tags to add to some Easter treat boxes for my family. I stamped the bunnies on to watercolour paper, coloured them using watercolour pencils, then carefully cut them apart so that I could use one bunny per tag. I made simple little boxes from papers from a pad by Folia Paper called 'Geometrie' using my We R Memory Keepers punchboard, and used strips of the same papers as a background for my bunnies on their tags.

And here they are attached to my little Easter treat boxes with some baker's twine:

I'm also entering these tags & boxes into the following challenges:

• 2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Anything Goes
• Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper - Anything Goes
• Crafty Sentiments - Easter
• Cute Card Thursday - Anything Goes
• My Time to Craft - Easter Cuties
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Spring Mood Board
• Sisterhood of Crafters - Spring
• Sparkles Forum - Easter
• Sweet Stampers - Easter or Spring

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

ABC Christmas Challenge - H & I are for?

It's time for a fun new ABC Christmas Challenge...Lynda is the host, and the themes are:

'H is for Hand Drawn'

&

'I is for Inside'

There are a couple of fab prizes on offer from Lynda for two lucky winners:

I made a set of four cards for the 'Hand Drawn' theme...each one featuring a slightly differently decorated Christmas tree. I started by masking a triangle/tree shape on watercolour paper using masking tape, then used watercolour paints to colour the 'tree' shapes. Once dry, I used a black gel pen to draw some decorations on the trees, then coloured them in using a gold gel pen. I added a sentiment (from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous), then doodled a simple border before adding the panels to some kraft card blanks.

Challenges for these cards:

• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

I can't remember the last time I decorated the inside of card...so I thought I'd do that for my 'Inside' card...although feel free to interpret the theme in any way you choose. I picked a couple of Penny Black stamps...one from the 'Joy to the World' set for the outside, and a little pup from the 'Cristmas Critters' set for the inside. I stamped directly on to a kraft card blank, then coloured the images using watercolour pencils.

Here's the inside...the little pup along with my sentiment:

Challenges for this card:

• AAA Cards - Made in Minutes
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes (Optional 'Kraft')
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
• Less is More - One Layer Card No Sentiment (am hoping you just meant on the outside!)

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