Big Butterfly

Today's card features an old favourite stamp of mine called 'Big Butterfly' by Indigo Blu. I stamped it on to a piece of patterned paper, from the 'Vintage Dreams' pad by Craft Sensations, using Versamark ink, then heat embossed it using 'Vintage Peacock' embossing glitter from WOW. I added a sentiment, using a stamp from the 'Sketched Flowers' set by Simon Says Stamp, then distressed the edges a little before adding it to a kraft card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Fab 'N' Funky - Embossing
• I Spy With My Little Eye - Something with Wings
• Seize the Birthday - Anything Birthday (Optional 'Off the Edge')
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Feminine
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes

Airborne

Today's card features a Penny Black stamp called 'Airborne'. I stamped it directly on to a Kraft card blank, along with the sentiment from the set, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I paper pieced the balloons using snippets of patterned paper from the 'Happy Day's pad by My Mind's Eye...adding a little shading with my pencils.

Challenges for this card:

• As You Like It - Clean or Fussy (My cards used to be a little fussier in style, but these days I lean more towards CAS...saves on postage...but I still can't resist using some of my paper mountain!)
• Crafting Happiness - Way Up High
• Cutie Pie - Simply Cuties
• Krafty Chicks - All Occasions
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Up in the Air
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes

Festive Friends

I have a Christmas card to share today, featuring an old Sugar Nellie stamp called 'Festive Friends'. I stamped it on to watercolour paper, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I paired it with papers from a couple of old psper pads...'The Christmas Wishes' multistack by DCWV and 'The Christmas Collection' from Poundland. I used a black gel pen to doodle a simple black border to mirror that of the one on the stamped image.

Challenges for this card:

• Christmas Cards All Year Round - Santa/Gnomes/Elves
• Christmas Kickstart - Santa & his Sidekicks
• Jingle Belles - Santa Claus
• Peace on Earth Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes
• Rudolph Days - Anything Christmas Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes

The Bestest!

Today's card features a cute Penny Black cat stamp called 'The Bestest!'. I stamped it on to watercolour paper, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. The papers are the remnants from a pad by Craft Sensations called 'Bright Freshness'...I distressed all of the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

Challenges for this card:

• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Creative Inpsirations - Season of Spring
• Creative Knockouts - Spring is in the Air
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes
• We Love Stamping - Spring

Time to Paw-ty!

Today's card is a simple one featuring one of the dogs from the 'Les Chiens' set by Katzelkraft. I stamped him on to watercolour paper, then doodled some balloons using a black gel pen. added a sentiment (using a stamp from the 'What This!' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company), then coloured the image using watercolour pencils. I distressed the edges a little, then added it to a kraft card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• AAA Cards - Anything CAS
• Allsorts - Anythng Goes (Optional 'Balloons')
• Cardz for Guys - CAS
• Crafter's Cafe - CAS
• Crafting Happiness - D is for Dogs
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes (Optional 'For a Boy')
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Krafty Chicks - CAS

PBSC April - Anything Goes (Optional 'Numbers')...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

'Numbers'

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

Prize - a $20 voucher!

I used a cute mice image for my card called 'Cheesecake Parade'...stamping it on to watercolour paper, and colouring it using watercolour pencils. I added a sentiment using a stamp from the 'Go To Words' set by Visible Image, then as this was the card I made for my Mum's recent birthday, I added numbers to the balloon that the littlest mouse is holding. For the background, I used a piece of watercolour effect paper from the 'Pastel Watercolours' pad from The Works...first of all cutting it into quarters, before embossing each section using a different Cuttlebug embossing folder. I lightly sanded over the raised areas (to reveal a little of the white core), then distressed all of the edges and adding faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. Finally, I matted the image and embossed pieces on to kraft card, then added them to the card blank.

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

• Creatalicious - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Creative Moments - Cute & Cuddly
• Dream Valley - Female
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Make Your Own Background

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

Together

Today's card features a floral stamp by Penny Black called 'Together'. I started by stamping a Hero Arts music background stamp on to watercolour paper using 'Speckled Egg' Distress Ink. I then stamped the floral stamp over the top...inking it with more Distress Inks (Broken China, Mowed Lawn & Forest Moss). Once dry, I stamped a sentiment (from the 'Signature Greetings' set by Memory Box) using Versamark Ink, then heat embossed it in gold. I matted the panel on to gold mirror card...distressing the edges, before adding it to a kraft card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Beautiful Blossoms - Anything Goes
• Crafty Gals - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Make Your Own Background
• Sparkles - April Showers Bring May Flowers
• Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes
• We Love Stamping - Anything Goes

Just Add Snow

I have a Christmas card to share today...this one features a stamp from the 'Snow Bunnies' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company. I stamped it on to watercolour paper, along with one of the sentiments from the set, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I paired it with papers from the 'Glittering Snowflakes' pad by Crafter's Companion...matting the layers on to some co-ordinating purple card. I distressed all of the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. I cut the snowflake from some more of the purple card using my Cuttlebug 'Ice Crystal' die, then added it to the card using an ancient BasicGrey brad.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Christmas Craft Creations - Non-traditional Colours
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
• Krafty Chicks - Christmas
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Sparkles Christmas - Non-traditional Colours
• The Holly & the Ivy - Anything Christmas Goes

Sketched Flowers

Today's card features my lovely 'Sketched Flowers' stamp by Simon Says Stamp. I stamped it a couple of times on to a piece of watercolour paper, along with one of the sentiments from the set, using Versamark ink, then heat embossed it using 'Metallic Gold Rich' embossing powder from WOW. I watercoloured the flowers using Distress Inks (Scattered Straw, Wild Honey, Spiced Marmalade, Victorian Velvet, Seedless Preserves, Dusty Concord, Mowed Lawn & Peeled Paint), then splattered some gold Cosmic Shimmers mica pigment mixed with water over the top. I used my Cuttlebug 'Olivia' die to cut the '80' from some snippets of gold mirror card then added those to the card front. I matted the panel on to some more gold mirror card, distressing all of the edges a little, before adding it to a cream card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Aud Sentiments - Watercolour and/or Spring & a Sentiment
• Everybody Art - Numbers
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Spring Flowers
• Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes
• The Sisterhood of Crafters - Showers or Flowers
• We Love Stamping - Anything Goes (Optional 'Spring')

Have a Ball!

Today's card features one of the dogs from the 'What This!' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company. I stamped him on to watercolour paper, along with one of the sentiments from the set, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. For the background, I embossed a plain-ish piece of paper from the 'Vintage Dreams' pad by Craft Sensations using my Cuttlebug 'Swiss Dots' embossing folder, then lightly sanded over the raised areas to reveal some of the white core. I distressed all of the edges, then matted the layers on some teal card before adding it ot a kraft card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Crafty Calendar - Embossed
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Fab 'N' Funky - Add a Sentiment
• Seize the Birthday - Anything Birthday Goes
• The Male Room - Embossing

ABC Christmas Challenge - H & I are for?

We have a fun new ABC Christmas Challenge starting today...Carol is the host, and the themes are:

'H is for Hats'

&

'I is for Inky'

The prize for the lucky winner is this die set:

For my 'H is for Hats' card, I stamped as many of the animals from the 'Christmas Hats' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company as I could fit on to a DL kraft card blank, then coloured them using watercolour pencils. The sentiment is made from a couple of stamps from the 'Wintertime Messages' set by Hero Arts.

For my 'I is for Inky' card, I started by smooshing some Distress Inks in various shades of blue (Speckled Egg, Salvaged Patina, Peacock Feathers, Stormy Sky, Broken China and Uncharted Mariner) on to a large acrylic block, spritzed it with a little water, the stamped it on to smoe watercolour paper. Once dry, I stamped snowflakes around the edges using stamps from the 'Snowflake Edges' set by Simon Says Stamp, and 'Broken China' Distress Ink. I cut the sentiment from snippets of white card using a Creative Expressions die...layering up three die cuts to get a more 3D effect, then added that to the centre. 

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

• Allsorts - Anything Goes (Optional 'Animals') (First card only)
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday - Anything Goes
• Peace on Earth Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes

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

James Big Heart

Today's card features a Lili of the Valley James the Bear stamp called 'James Big Heart'. I stamped him on to watercolour paper, then coloured him using watercolour pencils. I paper pieced the heart using a snippet of paper from the 'Vintage Dreams' pad, then added a sentiment from the 'Champagne Anniversary Silhouette'. I added a layer of (barely) patterned paper from the same pad...distressing the edges a little before adding it to a kraft card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• As You Like It - Cute or Floral (Cute stamps for me...they were what first got me hooked on stamping!)
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Crafts Galore Encore - Anything Goes
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes

PBSC April - Anything Goes (Optional 'Numbers')

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

'Numbers'

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

Prize - a $20 voucher!

I used 'Scooting Along' by Penny Black...stamping it on to watercolour paper, then colouring it using watercolour pencils. I paired it with papers from the 'Happy Day' pad by My Mind's Eye...this is my second one of this gorgeous pad, and I still have some little snippets from the original...the one I used to paper piece the balloon is probably one of those! This card is for the daughter of one of my friends...and as she turns 11 in a couple of days time, I used one of the number stamps from the 'Birthday Bears' set (also by Penny Black) to add her age to the balloon. I distressed the edges of all of the layers, then added faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Big Messages' set by Paula Pascal.

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

• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes (Optional 'Any Cute Critter')
• Creative Knockouts - Birthday Wishes
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Happy Birthday
• Sweet Stampin' - Birthday Girls

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

Xmas Puppies

Today's card features a stamp that I picked up in a charity shop earlier this week, called 'Xmas Puppies' by Lawrence Designs for Stampavie. I stamped it on to watercolour paper, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I paired it with papers from the 'Home for Christmas' pad by Violet Studio...distressing the edges before adding some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Winter Wishes' set by Hero Arts.

Challenges for this card:

• Christmas Craft Creations - Designer Paper
• Christmas with the Cuties - Two or More Papers
• Krafty Chicks - Stamps
• Merry Little Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes
• The Holly & the Ivy - Anything Christmas Goes

April Desk Calendar

Today I'm sharing my desk calendar page for April...this time I used 'Rainin' Daisies' by Penny Black...stamping it on to watercolour paper, and colouring it using watercolour pencils before cutting the circle using one of my Nesties. I paired it with papers from the 'Pretty Please' pad by My Mind's Eye...distressing the edges before adding faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

Challenges for this calendar:

• 2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Anything Goes
• A Perfect Time to Craft - Anything Goes
• Crafty Animals - Anything Goes
• Dream Valley - Spring Colours
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes