Little Star

I have a Christmas card to share today, featuring an old Lili of the Valley stamp called 'James - Little Star'. I stamped him on to watercolour paper, doodled a line for the snowy ground, then coloured him using watercolour pencils. I embossed his star with 'Metallic Gold Sparkle' embossing powder by WOW, then carefully cut around the top of the image. I used some navy and white starry paper for the background (no idea of the brand of this), then matted it all on to some gold glitter card, before adding it to my card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Crafty Sentiments - Anything Goes
• Creative Knockouts - Anything Goes
• Creative Moments - Anything Goes
• Little Red Wagon - Totally Teddies
• Rudolph Days - Anything Christmas Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Together

Today's card is a simple one layer number that features a gorgeous Penny Black floral stamp called 'Together'. I inked it up using a couple of Distress Inks (Salty Ocean & Rustic Wilderness), then stamped it a couple of times (re-inking the flowers between stampings) off the edge of a kraft DL card blank. I added a sentiment from the 'Sketched Flowers' set by Simon Says Stamp.

Challenges for this card:

• Always Fun - Slimline Cards
• Less is More - One Layer Cards & Flowers
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• Stamps + Fun = Creativity - Kraft Paper
• We Love Chocolate Baroque - Flowers, Butterflies & Birds

Reindeer Pup

I have a Christmas card to share today featuring another 'oldie but a goodie' by Penny Black called 'Reindeer Pup'. I stamped him on to watercolour paper, doodled a line for the snowy ground, then coloured him using watercolour pencils. I cut around the top of the image, then added a snippet of spotty paper from the 'A Boho Dream' pad from The Works for a 'snowy sky' background. I matted it on to a snippet of karft card, then added it to my card blank along with a Lili of the Valley sentiment.

Challenges for this card:

• AAA Cards - Sketch (optional 'Watercolour')
• CAS Christmas - Cats and/or Dogs
• CCEE Stampers - Pets
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Goes
• Fab 'N' Funky - Christmas
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes

Party Balloons Twofer

I have a couple of cards to share today inspired by this month's Twofer Challenge, where the theme is 'Balloons'. I chose to use one of my 'Party Balloons' dies by Die-namics on my two cards.

On my first card I cut the balloon from a snippet of matte gold card, turned it upside down, and used it as a vase for one of the Inkadinkado 'Doodle Flowers' stamps. I stamped the rose on to watercolour card, coloured it using watercolour pencils, then added the 'vase' over the top of the flower stem using 3D foam pads. I doodled a simple border using a black gel pen, then stamped a sentiment (from the Happy Little Stampers 'Doodled Flowers' set), before adding the panel to a matching pink card blank.

On my second card, I used the balloon in a more conventional way...cutting it this time from a snippet of paper from the My Mind's Eye 'Pretty Please' pad. I started by stamping the kitty (from the 'Be Very Scared' set by Penny Black) on to a sky blue card blank...masking off the 'pumpkin balloon' before inking, so that I could replace it with the die cut one, then coloured him using watercolour pencils. I cut a few clouds using my Memory Box 'Puffy Clouds' dies, then added those and the balloon to the card using 3D foam pads in varying thicknesses. The sentiment stamp is from another Penny Black set called 'Airborne'.

Challenges for these cards:

• Dream Valley - Hand Coloured Image
• Fab 'N' Funky - Birthdays (Just the first card)
• Happy Little Stampers (Dies) - Anything Goes
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Twofer - Balloons
• We Love Chocolate Baroque - Flowers, Butterflies or Birds (Just the first card)

PBSC February - Anything Goes (Optional 'Paper Piecing')...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
'Paper Piecing'

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

Prize - a $20 voucher!

This time, I CASED one of my own cards, and used one of my all time favourite Penny Black stamps...'Snowy'. I stamped him on to watercolour paper, then coloured him using watercolour pencils, paper piecing his hat and scarf. The paper for that, and also the 'snowy' background is from the 'Pastel Pinks' pad from The Works. I cut around the top of the image, then added it over the background...doodling a simple border, and adding a sentiment from the Pollycraft/C. C. Designs set.

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

• Corrosive - Anything Goes
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Sparkles Forum Christmas - Snowmen
• Use Your Stuff - Favourites ('Snowy' is one of my all time favourite stamps)

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

Guest Designer - CAS on Friday Challenge

I was picked as the winner over at the CAS on Friday Challenge of a recent challenge, and asked to guest design for one of their future challenges. 

Today, I'm excited to be sharing my card their new challenge the theme is:

'Use the Colours Orange, Turquoise & White'

To make my card, I cut balloons from turquoise and orange patterned papers (from the 'Bright Freshness' pad by Craft Sensations) using a set of Die-namics dies called 'Party Balloons'. I stamped a sentiment (from the 'Handwritten Borders' set by Simon Says Stamp) vertically on a DL card blank then doodled some strings on the end of it to attach the balloons to. I added the balloons using 3D foam pads of varying thickness for a little dimension.

Thanks very much ladies for inviting me to guest design - I really enjoyed the theme!

For more inspiration from the fabulous design team, please pop over to the CAS on Friday Challenge.

Wishes for Kisses

I have a Christmas card to share today, featuring an 'oldie but a goodie' by Penny Black called 'Wishes for Kisses'. I stamped it on to watercolour paper, along with a sentiment from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. The papers are from the 'Santa's List' pad by Kaisercraft...I distressed all of the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

Challenges for this card:

• 2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Anything Goes
• Aud Sentiments - Anything Goes + A Sentiment
• C.R.A.F.T. - Christmas
• Crafty Creations - Anything Goes
• Crafty Friends - Animals/Birds
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes (Optional 'Use Some Green')
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Your Favourite Technique (Faux Stitching)
• The Holly & the Ivy - Anything Christmas Goes

Chocolate Cake!

Today's card was meant to be for the 'Chocolate' themed Less is More challenge...but once I'd finished & photographed it, it looked a bit 'much' to be properly CAS, so I made this chocolate mice card for that instead! It feature's another of the stamps from the 'It's Your Day' set by Penny Black...I love this teddy protecting his cake! I stamped it on to watercolour paper, then coloured it using watercolour pencils, adding some Glossy Accents to the chocolate icing on his cake, before carefully cutting it out. I used a piece of spotty glittery paper from the 'Charming' pad by Recollections/Michaels for the background...distressing the edges a little, and adding some faux stitching using CutterBee Bug and ablack gel pen.

Challenges for this card:

• Always Fun - Anything Goes
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Crafty Sentiments - Anything Goes
• Creative Moments - Anything Goes
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

I Ruff You

Today's card is of course Valentine themed...featuring one of the dogs from the 'Les Chiens' stamp set by Katzelkraft. I stamped him on to a kraft card blank, then doodled a heart shaped balloon, wrapped around his middle, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I added a sentiment from the 'Funny Farm' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous.

Challenges for this card:

• Addicted to CAS - Hearts
• Cardz for Guyz - CAS
• CCEE Stampers - Love is in the Air
• Creative Knockouts - Love, Valentine's
• Everybody Art - Love and/or Hearts
• Fab 'N' Funky - Love, Heart
• Inkspirational - Hearts
• Shopping Our Stash - Love is in the Air

Chocolate Mice

Today's card was inspired by the 'Chocolate' theme of the current Less is More challenge...and features a trio of little mice from the 'It's Your Day' set by Penny Black. I started by measuring out three squares down the centre of a kraft DL card blank, doodling them with a black gel pen, and leaving space for the sentiment (from the same stamp set). I then masked around the edges of the squares using Post-it notes, before stamping the mice inside their frames. I coloured the mice using watercolour pencils, paper piecing the balloon with a snippet of of brown spotty paper from the 'Charming' pad by Recollections/Michaels.

Challenges for this card:

• Cute Card Thursday - CAS
• Less is More - Chocolate
• Pixie's Snippet's Playground - Use Snippets
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Slimline Cards
• Sweet Stampers - CAS

Shepherds

I have a Christmas card to share today, featuring a Penny Black image called 'Shepherds'. I stamped it on to watercolour paper, coloured it using watercolour pencils, then carefully cut along the top of the image. I added some patterned paper behind for a snowy night sky (from a Craft Sensations pad simply called 'Christmas'), and a star (cut using a die from a Tim Holtz/Sizzix set called 'Snowy Star') cut from gold mirror card. I added a matching gold mirror card mat, before adhering to a navy card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Animal Friends - Sheep
• Crafter's Cafe - Anything Goes
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Christmas Ges (Optional 'Cute')
• Crafty Sentiments - Anything Goes
• Happy Little Stampers (Christmas) - Anything Christmas Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes
• Winter Wonderland - Anything Christmas Goes

You put a Song in my Heart!

Today's card is another simple one layer number, featuring one of the Penny Black 'Jazzy Cats'. I stamped the image, along with a sentiment fromt he set...adding a few musical notes from the 'Critter Concert' set by Lawn Fawn, directly on to a kraft card blank, then coloured it using watercolour pencils.

Challenges for this card:

• AAA Cards - One Corner
• Allsorts - Love Is
• CAS on Friday - Love
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes (Optional 'Love')
• My Time to Craft - Love
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Love and/or Hearts
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Love is in the Air

PBSC February - Anything Goes (Optional 'Paper Piecing')

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
'Paper Piecing'

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

Prize - a $20 voucher!

I picked an image called 'Airborne' to use on my card...stamping it directly on to a kraft card blank, along with the matching sentiment. I coloured the image using watercolour pencils, then paper pieced the balloons using snippets of papers from the 'Geometrie' pad by Folia Paper.

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

• Addicted to CAS - Pattern
• Always Fun - For a Friend
• Crafty Sentiments - Anything Goes
• Cute Card Thursday - Anything Goes
• Fab 'N' Funky - Anything Goes
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

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

Henry Hugging Heart

Today's card features a really old Whiff of Joy image called 'Henry Hugging Heart'. I coloured him using watercolour pencils, then added a sentiment from the 'Sending Sunshine' set by Simon Says Stamp underneath. For the background, I embossed some plain white card using a Hobbycraft embossing folder called 'Heart Gradient', then simply matted both panels on to some matching hot pink card.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Four-legged Friends
• Aud Sentiments - Sending Love + Sentiment
• Crazy 4 Challenges - Love
• C.R.A.F.T. -Love/Valentine
• Creatalicious - Anything Goes (Optional 'Kisses')
• Happy Little Stampers (CAS) - Love
• Little Red Wagon - Hearts
• Love to Scrap - Love Is
• Moving Along with the Times - Valentine's Love
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Love/Hearts
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Love is in the Air
• Sweet Stampin' - Love
• Use Your Stuff - Hearts

ABC Christmas Challenge - C & D are for?

We have a fun new ABC Christmas Challenge starting today...Wilma is the host, and the themes for this month are:

'C is for Christmas Carols'
&
'D is for Diamonds'

There's a little prize from Wilma for the lucky winner:

I have quite a few 'carolling' images, but chose this cute Penny Black one simply called 'Carolers', and paired it with the Papermain papers from a pad called 'The Twelve Days of Christmas'...turning my chickens into 'Three French Hens'! I stamped the image on to watercolour paper, then coloured them 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.

I chose to incorporate diamonds in a few different ways on my second card, with some diamond patterend paper (from the 'Geometrie' pad by Folia Paper), an adhesive 'diamante' and some 'Diamond Stickles' glitter glue for plenty of sparkle. The image is 'XMouse Ornament' by Penny Black...stamped on to watercolour paper, and coloured using watercolour pencils. The sentiment stamp is from a set by the Colorado Craft Company.

I'm also entering these cards into the following challenges:

• A Perfect Time to Craft - Anything Goes
• Christmas Cards All Year Round - Something Beginning with C and/or D (Carols & Diamonds)
• Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper - (just the first card)
• My Time to Craft - Glitter & Sparkle (just the second card)
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• The Holly & the Ivy - Anything Christmas Goes

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

Bauble Border

I have another one layer Christmas card to share today...feauring a bauble border stamp by Marianne Designs. I stamped it along the top of a black card blank, along with a Lili of the Valley sentiment, using Versamark Ink, then heat embossed them using 'Rich Metallic Silver' embossing powder from WOW. I used some metallic watercolours (from Hobbycraft) to colour the baubles...super shiny & pretty in real life, but a real pain to photograph!

Challenges for this card:

• A Bit More Time to Craft - Anything Goes
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Less is More - In a Row
• Merry Little Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes