Guest Designer - I Spy with My Little Eye...

Today, I'm delighted to be sharing a Guest Designer card for Ellie's 'I Spy with My Little Eye' challenge, where this month the theme is:

'Christmas'

Any regular visitors to my blog will know I love making Christmas cards (I make them all year round), so this theme is right up my street! I picked a cute Penny Black image to use (from the 'Wintertime Cheer' set)...stamped it on to watercolour paper, coloured it using watercolour pencils, then carefully cut it out. For the background, I heat embossed my Simon Says Stamp 'Falling Snow' background stamp on a kraft card blank using white embossing powder. I trimmed a snippet of white card to the width of the card blank, tore the top edge to give a soft 'snow' effect, then added a sentiment using a stamp from the 'Christmas Hats' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company. I placed that along the bottom edge of the card, then added the critters on top using 3D foam pads.

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

• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Krafty Chicks - Christmas
• Peace on Earth - Anything Christmas
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Embossing
• We Love Stamping - Anything Goes (Optional 'Christmas')

For more inspiration from Ellie & Pauline, please pop over to the 'I Spy with My Little Eye' Challenge - thanks for having me ladies!

Birthday Carolers

I have a birthday card to share, made using a Penny Black Christmas stamp called 'Carolers'. I stamped the chickens directly on to a card blank, added a sentiment using a stamp from the 'Critter Concert' set by Lawn Fawn, then coloured the image using watercolour pencils.

Challenges for this card:

• Alphabet Challenge - Quick & Easy
• Crafty Animals - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Fan 'N' Funky - Music to my Ears
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes

PBSC November - Anything Goes (Optional 'Make a Scene')...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 used a cute Penny Black hedgie stamp called 'Ballooning!!' that I picked up in a charity shop recently...stamping him on to watercolour paper and colouring him using watercolour pencils before carefully cutting him out. I used snippets of card and some dies to create a background scene for him. The hills were cut using some of my 'Stitched Hillside Borrders' die by Lawn Fawn, and the sun and cloud dies are from the 'Rainbow' set by Sweet Dixie...another charity shop find. I layered all the pieces up, matted it on to a piece of kraft card, before popping the hedgie on top using 3D foam pads, and adding it to a white card blank. The sentiment stamp is from the 'What This!' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company.

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

• 2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Love to Scrap - Anything Goes
• The Sisterhood of Crafters - Landscapes

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

ABC Christmas Challenge - W & X are for?

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

'W is for Watercolour'

&

'X is for Xylophone'

(Photo Inspiration!)

The prize for the lucky winner is this gift certificate:

For my 'W is for Watercolour' card, I used stamps from a Woodware set called 'Sketchy Pure Branch'. I inked the two branch stamps using three shades of green Distress Inks (Evergreen Bough, Pine Needles & Forest Moss), spritzed then with a little water, then stamped each several times on to watercolour paper, inking again each time before stamping. I then spritzed it all with some more water, and allowed the inks to bleed into each other to create a watercolour effect. Once dry, I mixed gold and red Cosmic Shimmers mica pigments with water, then splattered those over the branches, and added a die cut sentiment...cut from a snippet of gold mirror card using a Creative Expressions die. I matted the watercolour panel on to some more gold mirror card...distresssing the edges a little before adding it to a card blank.

For my 'X is for Xylophone card, I took inspiration from the bear shape, and picked a Little of the Valley stamp called 'James the Bear - Little Star'. I stamped him on to a snippet of watercolour paper, coloured him using watercolour pencils, then carefully cut him out. For the background, I took inspiration from the multicoloured bars on the glockenspiel, and picked a piece of watercolour effect paper from the 'Pastel Watercolours' pad from The Works. I embossed it using the 'Jolly Christmas' embossing folder by Couture Creations, then matted it on to a snippet of black card before adding it to a card blank. I stamped a sentiment (from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous) on to a teeny snippet of black card using white pigment ink, then added that and James the Bear on to the background using 3D foam pads.

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

• Allsorts - Anything Goes (Optional 'Christmas' - First card only)
• Aud Sentiments - Glitter and/or Christmas & a Sentiment (First card only)
• Crafty Calendar - Anything Goes (Second card only)
• Elliebelle's Crafty Wednesday - Anything Goes (First card only)
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes (Second card only)
• Incy Wincy - Anything Goes (Optional 'Christmas Card with Handmade Background' - Second card only)
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets (Second card only)
• We Love Stamping - Anything Goes (Optional 'Christmas' - First card only)

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

Birthday Dog

Today's card features one of my oldest (and still most favourite) Penny Black stamps...'Birthday Dog'. I stamped him on to a snippet of watercolour paper, coloured him using watercolour pencils, then carefully cut him out. I added a 'shadow' to a white card blank using watercolour pencils, and a sentiment using a stamp from the 'Signature Greetings' set by Memory Box, then popped Birthday Dog on top using 3D foam pads.

Challenges for this card:#

• AAA Birthday - Favourite Image
• Alphabet Challenge - P is for Party
• As You Like It - Favourite Critter (Dogs - my family had golden retrievers as I was growing up...and I have a fairly substantial collection of dog stamps...Birthday Dog was one of my first - I blame him for my Penny Black addiction!)
• CAS on Friday - Birthday
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes

Tree Huggers

I have another Christmas card to share today...featuring a stamp that my Mum found recently in a charity shop. It's a large woodmounted stamp by Northwoods Rubber Stamps...I did some searching, and although I found similar snowmen designs by the same artist on their website, I coudn't find the name of this design. I stamped it on to watercolour paper, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. For the background I used snippets of very old BasicGrey paper (from the 'Figgy Pudding' collection. 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
• Krafty Chicks - Stamps
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Love Those Pretty Papers - Anything Goes
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes

It's Penguinning

Today's card features a Crafter's Companion stamp set that I picked up in a charity shop last week. If I'm honest, it was the 'punny' sentiment that attracted me (I have a good selection of penguin stamps I could use it with), but the Penguin image in the set is cute too! I stamped them on to a kraft card blank, then coloured the image using watercolour pencils.

Challenges for this card:

• AAA Cards - Anything CAS
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Creative Inspirations - Christmas Animals
• My Time to Craft Christmas - Winter Animals
• We Love Stamping - Anything Goes (Optional 'Christmas')

Fishing Ted

Today's card featuresa cute Funstamps stamp called 'Fishing Ted' that I picked up last week in a charity shop. I stamped him on to watercolour paper, then coloured him using watercolour pencils. I paired him with papers from the 'Fresh Florals' pad by Craft Sensations...distressing the edges, and adding some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a blac gel pen. The sentiment stammps are from the 'Birthday Buddies' set by Paper Smooches.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Inspirational - Layer It (Layers of papers)
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Seize the Birthday - Anything Birthday
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes

PBSC November - Anything Goes (Optional 'Make a Scene ')

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

'Make a Scene'

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

Prize - a $20 voucher!

I used a stamps from a couple of different clear stamp sets to create a snowy Christmas scene. The snowman and hedgie stamp is from the 'Snow Much Fun!' set and the robin is from the 'Wintertime Cheer' set. I stamped them on to watercolour paper, coloured them using watercolour pencils, then carefully cut them out. For the background, I started with a piece of snowy sky paper from the 'Christmas' pad by Craft Sensations, then added a couple of die cut trees (cut from snippets of white card using Happy Little Stampers dies), a snippet of white card (with a torn edge) for the snowy ground, and a gold star (left over from making these tags). I matted it all on to some kraft card, added the critters on top using 3D foam pads, then added it to a white card blank. 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 Fingers - Anything Goes
• Merry Little Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes

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

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