November Desk Calendar

Today, I'm sharing my desk calendar page for November. The sweet little mouse is one of the stamps from the 'Bubbly' set...I stamped him on to a snippet of watercolour paper, coloured him using watercolour pencils, then used one of my Nesties to cut the circle shape. For the background, I used a snippets of starry sky paper from the 'Christmas Night' pad from The Works. I distressed all of the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a white gel pen. I added a few little gold stars...leftovers from making these tags.

Challenges for this calendar:

• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
• Krafty Chicks - Anything Goes
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes

Jolly Xmas Kitty

Today's card features a stamp I picked up in a charity shop at the weekend called 'Jolly Xmas Kitty' by Penny Black. I stamped it on to watercolour paper, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. The background papers are ancient...I think I've had them since before I started my blog, so at least sixteen yearsold! They're by My Mind's Eye from the 'Signature Greetings - Festive' collection. I distressed all of the edges, then added some faux stitxhing using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything goes (Optional 'Cute & Cuddly')
• C.R.A.F.T. - Anything Goes
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Christmas
• We Love Stamping - Anything Goes

Witchy Mouse Treat Bag

I have another Halloween treat bag to share today...featuring one of the spooky critters from the 'Be Very Scared!' set. I stamped him on to watercolour paper, coloured him using watercolour pencils, then cut the circle shape using one of my Nesties. The papers are from the 'Apothecary Emporium' pad by Echo Park...I used a 'Pumpkin' embossing folder by Cuttlebug to emboss the orange paper, then lightly sanded over the raised areas to reveal some of the white core. I distressed all of the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and black and white gel pens.

Challenges for this treat bga:

• Creative Knockouts - Halloween/Fall
• Fab 'N' Funky - Autumn/Halloween
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Spooky and/or Add Some Purple
• Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes
• Sweet Stampin' - Halloween or Colours of Halloween

Fox in the Snow

I have a Christmas card to share today...featuring a cute little fox from the 'Snowfield Friends' set by Penny Black. I stamped him, along with a couple of little trees from te set on to some watercolour paper, doodled some snowy hills using a black gel pen, then coloured them using watercolour pencils. I added a sentiment using one of the stamps from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous, then carefully cut around the top of the image. I heat embossed my Simon Says Stamp 'Falling Snow' background stamp on a kraft card blank using white embossing powder, then added the watercoloured panel over the top.

Challenges for this card:

• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Krafty Chicks - All Occasions
• Little Red Wagon - Emboss It
• Peace on Earth Christmas - Moodboard Inspiration
• Rudolph Days - Anything Christmas Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Christmas

Botanical Border Notecards

I have a set of notecards to share today...made using some of the goodies I won a little while ago over at Pixie's Snippets Playground. The silhouette botanical border stamp is one of the 'Backdrops Borders' by Bee Crafty and the sentiments are from the 'Brushstroke Expressions' set by My Favorite Things. I used my Tim Holtz stamping platform to make sure that the stamps were in the same position on each card...and made one set using 'Audrey Blue' and another using 'Wisteria' ink by Simon Says Stamp. The are two of each card in each colour.

Challenges for these notecards:

• Crafty Calendar - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Creative Moments - Monochrome
• My Time to Craft - Monochrome
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes

Toadstool Mouse

Today's card features a cute little mouse stamp from the 'Just for You' set by Penny Black. I stamped him on to some watercolour paper, added some 'dots' to his balloon, then coloured him using watercolour pencils. The stripey paper is from the 'Spider's Web' collection by My Mind's Eye...I distressed the edges of that, and the watercolou paper panel, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The sentiment stamp is from the 'What This!' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes (Optional 'Patterned Papers)
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Sparkles Forum - Toadstools/Mushrooms
• Sweet Stampin' - Spots & Stripes
• We Love Stamping - Anything Goes

PBSC October - Anything Goes (Optional 'Cute or Spooky')...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

'Cute or Spooky'

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

Prize - a $20 voucher!

I went 'Spooky' again, and used one of the critters from the 'Be Very Scared!' set. I stamped him on to watercolour paper, coloured him using watercolour pencils, then used one of my Nesties to cut the circle shape. The papers are by Carta Bella, from the 'Happy Haunting' & 'Spooky' collections...I distressed all of the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and black and white gel pens. To match the cat's purple jumper I added some purple cobweb lace, then matted it all on to some black card before adding it to the treat bag.

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

• Little Red Wagon - Halloween is Coming
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Halloween/Spooky
• Simply Create Too - Halloween Colours
• Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes
• The Sisterhood of Crafters - Orange, Black & Purple

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

A Present

Today's card features a cute Penny Black bear stamp called 'A Present'. I stamped it on to watercolour paper, added a sentiment using one of the stamps from the 'What This!' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company, then coloured the bear using watercolour pencils. I stamped the image again on to snippets of spotty paper from the 'Fresh Florals' pad by Craft Sensations, then added some shading using watercolour pencils, then carefully cut them out and used them to paper piece the gift box and ribbon. I matted the panel on to a snippet of teal card, distressing the edges, the added it to a white card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Krafty Chicks - CAS
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Seize the Birthday - Dots

Sweater Weather

I have a Christmas card to share today...featuring a cute polar bear in his Christmas jumper from the 'Beary Merry Christmas' set by Funky Fossil. I stamped him on to watercolour paper, coloured him using watercolour pencils, then carefully cut him out. I added some strips of washi tape to a kraft card blank for a simple background, then added the bear on top using 3D foam pads. The sentiment is from the same stamp set as the bear.

Challenges for this card:

• Cutie Pie - Pink & Pretty
• Everybody Art - Sweater Weather
• Jingle Belles - Pink Christmas
• Krafty Chicks - Christmas
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• We Love Stamping - Anything Goes

Cat in the Hat Treat Bag

I have another Hallowe'en treat bag to share today...featuring a cute Wizard cat stamp from the Penny Black 'Spooky!' set. I stamped him on to watercolour paper, then coloured him using watercolour pencils. The papers are all by Carta Bella...I think from the 'Spooky' and 'Happy Haunting' collections...but I only have snippets left, with not much info on them. I distressed all of the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and black and white gel pens.

Challenges for this treat bag:

• Crafts Galore Encore - Anything Goes
• Fab 'N' Funky - Fur or Feathers
• I Spy with My Little Eye - Something Magical
• Little Red Wagon - Black, White & One Other Colour (I went with Orange)
• Love Those Pretty Papers - Optional 'Hallowe'en'
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Use Patterned Paper
• Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes

Goofy Ghoul Treat Bag

I have a Hallow'een treat bag to share today...fetauring a cute little Penny Black stamp set that I got for my birthday a couple of months ago called 'Goofy Ghoul'. I stamped the ghost and hedgehog on to snippets of watercolour paper, coloured them using watercolour pencils, then carefully cut them out. I made a simple spooky background for them using a piece of star covered paper (it's from an old 12x12 sheet, and I can't remember the brand), some dies...'Silhouette Tree' by Memory Box (with the borders cut off), and 'Grassy Edge' dies by Die-namics, and some snippets of black card. I layered everything up, matted it on to some more black card, then added it to a kraft gift bag.

Challenges for this treat bag:

• 2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Anything Goes
• Crafty Gals Corner - Anything Goes (Optional 'Spooky')
• Creatalicious - Anything Goes
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Use Patterned Paper

ABC Christmas Challenge - U & V are for?

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

'U is for Unusual Christmas Colours'

&

'V is for Velvet'

The prize for the lucky winner is a die and pack of embellishments:

For my 'Unusual Christmas Colours' card, I picked a cute Woodware stamp called 'Snowman Family', stamping it on to watercolour paper along with a sentiment from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous. I coloured the image using watercolour pencils, then distressed the edges a littlebefore adding it to a kraft DL card blank.

For my 'Velvet' card, I picked one of the die cut coloured panels by Lili of the Valley that have been lurking in my stash for years...this one is from the 'Traditional Christmas' set. I trimmed it down (mainly to remove the rounded corners, then distressed the edges before matting it on to some teal card. For the background, I used some even older snippets of BasicGrey 'Figgy Pudding' papers...distressing the edges of those too, before adding faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen, and matting them on to more teal card. For the velvet element, I added some coordinating strips of velvet ribbon.

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

• A Perfect Time to Craft - Anything Goes (First card only)
• Christmas Cards All Year Round - Snowmen (First card only)
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes (Second card only)
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes (First card only)
• Peace on Earth Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes (Second card only)
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Use Patterned Paper (Second card only)

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

Hedge Delivery

Today's card features a cute Penny Black hedgehog stamp called 'Hedge Delivery'. I stamped it on to a snippet of white card, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I added a sentiment, using a stamp from the 'What This!' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company. I used my CutterBee Bug to pierce a simple border, then added it to a white card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Cardz for Guys - Wheels
• Crafty Animals - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes

PBSC October - Anything Goes (Optional 'Cute or Spooky ')

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

'Cute or Spooky'

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

Prize - a $20 voucher!

I went 'Cute AND Spooky' and picked one of the stamps from the 'Spooky' stamp set, stamping it on to a some watercolour paper along with a sentiment (using a stamp from the 'Be Very Scared' set). I coloured it using watercolour pencils, then used one of my circle Nesties to cut the circle shape. The cobweb paper is from the 'Apothecary Emporium' pad by Echo Park, and I'm not sure what brand the skull paper is...it's a snippet of a 12x12 sheet I've had for years. I distressed the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and balck and white gel pens, before matting them on to some purple card. The kraft treat bag is from Hobbycraft.

I'm also entering this treat bag into the following challenges:

• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Creative Knockouts - All Stitched Up
• Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday - Anything Goes
• Krafty Chicks - Stamps
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes

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

O Christmas Tree

Today's card was inspired by the 'Watercolour' themed challenge over at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown. I CASEd some of my own cards, masking a triangle shape on some watercolour paper, wetting the area inside the tape with clean water, and blending various shades of green watercolour paint on to it. Once dry, I removed the tape, then used a black gel pen to doodle some strings of ornaments, colouring them in using a gold sparkly gel pen. I added a sentiment using a stamp from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous, then matted the panel on to some gold mirror card before adding it to a white card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• 52 Christmas Card Throwdown - Watercolour
• AAA Cards - Anything CAS Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• My Time to Craft Christmas - Christmas Trees
• Piece on Earth - Anything Christmas Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Christmas or Winter Cards
• Sparkles Forum Christmas - Use the Word Christmas
• The Male Room - Trees

October Desk Calendar

As it's the first of the month, I'm sharing my desk calendar page for October today. I picked one of the images from the 'Be Very Scared' stamp set (by Penny Black), stamped it on to watercolour paper, and added a little bat from the 'Goofy Ghoul' set (also by Penny Black). I coloured it using watercolour pencils, then cut the circle shape using one of my Nesties. For the background, I used snippets of papers by Carta Bella, from the 'Spooky' and 'Haunted' collections...at least I think that's what they're called, I've had these for years, and there aren;'t many bits left with the branding on! I distressed the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and black & white gel pens before matting it on to a snippet of kraft card, and adding it to the calendar (from the Paper Mill).

Challenges for this calendar:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Crafter's Cafe - Include an Animal
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Pixies Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes