Favourite Five Cards of 2023

As it's New Year's Eve, I'm sharing my favourite five cards of the last year. Each of the five photos is linked to the original blog post, so please click through for more details.

The first card was made for a Golden Wedding anniversary...I don't do a lot of dry embossing, but I love the way it looks behind these cute Penny Black critters.

I picked this next card to remind myself that I should use this Stamping Bella stamp more often...I also like the combination of colours and papers on this one.

I made a few cards this year using these fabulous Katzelkraft dog stamps...I just love their expressions!

This gorgeous Simon Says Stamp floral stamp makes it into my favourite cards most years...I love to heat emboss it on kraft card and colour with watercolour pencils - the colours really pop!

The final card features another long-time favourite stamp ('Big Butterfly' by Inkadinkado) and a favourite combination of heat embossing and watercolouring.

Happy New Year everyone!

Star Gnome

Today's card features a stamp that I recieved for Christmas...'Star Gnome' by Woodware Stamps. He's intended to be a Christmas stamp, but I added a Birthday sentiment (from the 'Big Messages' set by Paula Pascal) instead of using one of the ones that came in the set. I stamped him on to watercolour paper, then coloured him using watercolour pencils. I paired the image with papers from the 'Fresh Florals' pad by Craft Sensations...distressing the edges and adding some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

Challenges for this card:

• Crafts Galore Encore - Anything Goes
• Happy Little Stampers (Birthday) - Anything Goes
• Inkspirational - Celebrate
• Krafty Chicks - All Occasions

Moo'd Swing Bookmark

I have a simple bookmark to share today...made using a snippet of kraft card and a Whipper Stamp called 'Moo'd Swing'. I stamped the image on to the card, extended the ropes of the swing using a black gel pen, coloured the image using watercolour pencils, and used an old Woodware punch to round the corners.

I chose the cow image, as this bookmark was to go with this book as part of my Dad's Christmas present:

Challenges for this bookmark:

• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes

Favourite Christmas Cards 2023

As has become traditional, today I'm sharing my favourite five Christmas cards of this year...according to my Christmas Card Tally, I made 101 this year...so it took me some time to look through them all! For more details on any of the cards, please click the photo to go to the original blog post.

My first pick was made back in March, and features a cute Penny Black snowman:

The next card also features some Penny Black images, but pups this time:

The next card features one of my favourite techniques of the last year...watercolouring with metallic watercolour paints and mica migments and a Simon Says Stamp background stamp:

The next card is actually a set of four cards made using a set of Penny Black stamps I got for my birthday...they're not like anything else I have in my collection:

My final pick features another Simon Says Stamp background stamp, but this time some watercolouring with Distress Inks:

And before I go, here's the Christmas cake I made...it's dusted with lots of silver glitter, and very sparkly in real life:

Merry Christmas everyone!

Little Boxes

Today I'm sharing a group of little Christmas gift boxes. I made them using my We R Memory Keepers punch board...these ones are made using full sheets of 12x12 snowflake covered paper (can't remember the name or brand of the pad, and now I'm not at home to check!), and measure 4x4x4 once folded. There's no cutting involved, just some punching and scoring before folding. I made simple tags for each box using an old Sizzix tag die and snippets of silver glitter card, then fastened them to the boxes using some silver organza ribbon.

Challenges for these boxes:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes (Optional 'Cold & Ice')
• Crafty Calendar - Christmas
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Cut It Up - Celebrate
• Little Red Wagon - Last Minute Christmas

Gift Tags

Today I'm sharing the gift tags I made for this year's Christmas presents. I used a couple of different wrapping papers, both kraft with white trees on (bought from TK Maxx last year), so I designed the tags to match. The trees are a stamp from a set by Hero Arts/Sizzix called 'Reindeer'...I stamped them on to snippets of kraft card using a white pigment ink, then once dry, cut them out using the matching die. I stamped a sentiment (from an old Lili of the Valley set) on to the tags (using the same white ink), then added the trees popped up on 3D foam pads. I was using various red and white ribbons to tie around the gifts, so added some matching Baker's twine to attach the tags.

Here's one of the tags in situ:

Challenges for these tags:

• As You Like It - Anything Goes (I love to make co-ordinating tags for the gifts I give)
• Crafts Galore Encore - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Creative Moments - It's a Wrap
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• The Sisterhood of Crafters - Christmas

Quality Street Wreath

Today I'm sharing my annual Quality Street chocolate wreath! I made the first one back in 2012...and am still re-using the same polystyrene ring as the base! The chocolates are glued on to the polystyrene ring using a hot glue gun. Every year there are fewer and fewer chocolates in the tub - the first year there were too many chocolates to fit on the wreath, and now there are lots of spaces on the back! I'm also not sure whether I like the new paper wrappers - they have a really dull finish...and are no way near as pretty as the old foil and cellophane ones...and there's SO much yellow! Anyway, it will taste just as good!

Challenges for this wreath:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes (Optional 'Christmas Flowers and/or Wreaths')
• Christmas Craft Creations - Christmas Decorations
• C.R.A.F.T. - Christmas, the Last Stretch
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Everybody Art - Food and/or Drink

PBSC December - Anything Goes (Optional 'Christmas')...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

'Christmas'

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

Prize - a $20 voucher!

I picked a pair of caroling cats from the 'Christmas Hugs' set, and stamped it on to a snippet of white card. I added a sentiment from the 'Joy to the World' set, then coloured the image using watercolour pencils. I pierced a simple border using my CutterBee Bug, then added it to a card blank using some foam tape.

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

• Christmas Cards All Year Round - Musical
• Krafty Chicks - Christmas
• Little Red Wagon - Merry Christmas
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Christmas Critters
• Sweet Stampin' - Christmas

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

ABC Christmas Challenge - X & Y are for?

It's the second Wednesday of the month, so that means it's time for another ABC Christmas Challenge - our last of the year! I'm the host, and the themes are:

'Y is for Your Choice'

(We know you're busy, so 'Anything Goes')

&
'Z is for Zebra'

(Black & White and/or Stripes)

The prize for the lucky winner is a 'Cozy Christmas' 6x6 paper pad & Hero Arts 'Cozy Moments' stamp set:

For my 'Your Choice' card, I combined some mice from a couple of Anita Jeram/The Colorado Craft Company stamp sets...the one in the Santa hat is from the 'Christmas Hat' set, and the others are from the 'Birthday Wishing' set. I stamped them all on to a kraft card blank, then coloured them using watercolour pencils. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous.

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

• Creative Inspirations - Happy Christmas/New Year (First card only)
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes

I went with the Black & White option for my 'Zebra' card...not a combination I really ever use. I stamped my Woodware 'Mini Tall' and 'Mini Wide' 'Twiggy Tree' stamps...stamping them on to a black card blank using Versamark Ink, then heat embossing them in white. I added a sentiment from the 'Winter Blessings' set by Crafter's Companion, also heat embossed in white.

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

• Allsorts - Something Beginning with B (Black)
• Stamps + Fun = Creativity - Monchrome

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

Before the Snow

Today's card features an old wood mounted Penny Black stamp called 'Before the Snow'. I inked it up using a white pigment ink, then stamped it along the bottom edge of some kraft card. I added a sentiment (also by Penny Black) using the same ink, then distressed the edges a little before adding it to a kraft card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• A Perfact Time to Craft - Anything Goes
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Krafty Chicks - Stamp Act
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• The Holly & the Ivy - Anything Christmas Goes

More Christmas Hats

Today's card features another couple of critters from the 'Christmas Hats' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company. I stamped them, along with one of the sentiments from the set, on to watercolour paper, then coloured them using watercolour pencils. I paired it with a piece of candy cane striped paper from the 'Ho Ho Ho' pad by Polkadoodles...distressing the edges and adding some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

Challenges for this card:

• Christmas Kickstart - If it's Christmassy, Link it Up!
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Lil Red Wagon - Animal or Human
• The Male Room - Christmas

Snow Bunnies

Today's card features another stamp from the 'Just Add Snow' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company. I stamped it, along with one of the sentiments from the set, on to watercolour paper, then coloured it using watercolour pencils...adding some shimmer to the 'snow' using a Wink of Stella pen. For the background, I used papers from the 'Glittering Snowflakes' collection by Crafter's Companion...distressing the edging, and adding some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

Challenges for this card:

• Creatalicious - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Creative Knockouts - 'Tis the Season
• Jingle Belles - Anything Christmas Goes
• Moving Along with the Times - Winter Animals
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Sparkles Forum Christmas - Christmas Animals

Christmas Hats

Today's card features a couple of the critters from the 'Christmas Hats' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company. I stamped them on to watercolour paper, along with one of the sentiments from the set, then coloured them using watercolour pencils. I used a piece of checked paper from the 'Ho Ho Ho' pad by Polkadoodles for the background, distressing the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

Challenges for this card:

• 2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Anything Goes
• Allsorts - Stitching
• Cardz for Guys - Festive Creatures
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes (Optional 'Make Them Smile')
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Happy Little Stampers (Christmas) - Festive Animals
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes

PBSC December - Anything Goes (Optional 'Christmas')

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

'Christmas'

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

Prize - a $20 voucher!

For this challenge, I decorated my December desk calendar page using a cute Penny Black snowman image called 'What a Snow!'. I stamped it directly on to the calendar (from Paper Mill Direct), then coloured it using watercolour pencils.

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

• C.R.A.F.T. - Christmas
• Fab 'N' Funky - Snowmen
• Krafty Chicks - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wenesdays) - Anything Goes

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

Guest Designer - AAA Birthday Challenge

Today I'm sharing some projects I made for a Guest Designer spot at this month's AAA Birthday Challenge!

The theme this month is to 'Add a Tag'...either feature a tag on your project, or make a matching tag.

I chose to make a matching Birthday card and tag for my Aunt's birthday. 

For the card, I used a mixture of butterfly stamps (Indigo Blu 'Big Butterfly' and the 'Butterflies' set from the Urban Stamps range by Papermania), stamping them on to watercolour paper using Versamark ink, then heat embossing them using gold embossing glitter from WOW. I then watercoloured the butterflies using Distress Inks (Scattered Straw, Spiced Marmalade, Fired Brick, Seedless Preserves, Chipped Sapphire, Broken China & Gathered Twigs), and added a heat embossed sentiment (in matallic gold this time), using a stamp from the 'Go To Words' set by Visible Image. I distressed the edges a little, then added it to card blank.

For the tag, I picked just the large butterfly, and again heat embossed in in gold glitter on watercolour paper, and coloured it using Distress Inks. I trimmed it down, distressed the edges, then added it to a kraft tag along with some coordinating twine.

For more inspiration from the fabulous Design Team, please pop over the AAA Birthday Challenge.