Wednesday, 13 August 2025

ABC Christmas Challenge - P, Q & R are for?

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

'P is for Pastels'
'Q is for Quick'
&
'R is for Robins'

There are some lovely Newton's Nook goodies for the lucky winner:


For my 'P is for Pastels' card, I used a Forever Friends bear and snowman stamp. I stamped it onto watercolour paper, along with a sentiment using a stamp from the 'Beary Merry Christmas' set by Funky Fossil, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I paired it with papers from the 'Glittering Snowflakes' pad from Crafter's Companion, and the 'Snowscape' pad from Woodware (the green one). I distressed the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and black and white gel pens.


For my 'Quick is for Quick' card, I used a Christmas tree stamp from Stamps by Chloe called 'Snowflake Tree' that I picked up in a charity shop earlier this week. I stamped it directly onto a kraft card blank, along with the sentiment that came with it, using Versamark ink, then heat embossed it all using white embossing powder.


It was so quick to do that I made a second matching card!


Finally, for my 'R is for Robins' card, I used a cute Woodware stamp called 'Robin Stack'. I stamped it onto watercolour paper, along with one of the sentiments from the set, then coloured the image using watercolour pencils. I matted it onto red card, distressing the edges, then added it toa white DL card blank.


I'm also entering these cards into the following challenges:
For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please pop over to the ABC Christmas Challenge.

Monday, 11 August 2025

Surprise!

Today's card features a Penny Black stamp that I got for my birthday recently called 'Surprise!'. I stamped it onto watercolour paper, along with a sentiment using a stamp from the 'What This!' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. The papers are from a pad by Violet Studio...I distressed the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.


Challenges for this card:

Friday, 8 August 2025

Present Pile

I have a Christmas card to share today, featuring an old Lili of the Valley stamp called 'Present Pile'. I stamped it onto watercolour paper, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I paired it with papers from an unnamed pad from The Works, distressing the edges and adding some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and black and white gel pens.


Challenges for this card:

Wednesday, 6 August 2025

Birthday Balloons

Today's card features one of the critters from the 'Hello Friend' set by Penny Black. I stamped him onto a snippet of watercolour paper, and also onto the piece of cloudy sky paper (from the 'Let's Fly Away' (magazine freebie) pad). I coloured him using watercolour pencils, then cut him and his balloons out. I didn't need to be too careful here, as all of his whiskers, wispy fur, and balloon strings would show from the stamping on the background once I'd added him on top. The 'grass' is a snippet of paper from the 'Over the Rainbow' pad by Craft Consortium, cut using a Die-namics die leftover from making this calendar page, and the sentiment stamp is from the 'What This!' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company. I layered it all up, then matted it onto a snippet of red card before adding it to an A5 card blank.


Challenges for this card:

Monday, 4 August 2025

Royal Mail

Today's card features a Penny Black stamp that I picked up in a charity shop last week, called 'Royal Mail'. I stamped it onto watercolour paper, along with a sentiment from an old Lili of the Valley set, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I cut it out using one of my circle Nesties, then cut a mat using the matching scalloped circle Nestie. The background papers are a mixture from the 'Christmas Basics' pad by Dovecraft (the spotty & floral ones), and 'the Love Lives Here' pad by Raspberry Road Designs (the stripey one). I distressed all of the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a white gel pen, then matted it all onto some more red card before adding it to a white card blank.


Challenges for this card:

Saturday, 2 August 2025

PBSC August - Anything Goes (Optional 'Embossing')

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
'Embossing'
(Heat or Dry)

We are currently without a sponsor, so this challenge is just for fun.

I used one of the images from the 'Critter Party' set, stamping it onto watercolour paper, along with one of the sentiments from the set, then colouring it using watercolour pencils. I used one of my circle Nesties to cut out the image, then used the matching scalloped circle die to cut a mat from some aqua card. For the background, I cut a piece of watercolour effect paper from the 'Pastel Watercolours' pad from The Works into four squares, then used my Craft Concepts 'Cupcakes' embossing folder to emboss it. I distressed all of the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. I matted the embossed panels onto a piece of aqua card, then added the image on top.


I'm also entering this card into the following challenges:
For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please pop over to the Penny Black Saturday Challenge.

Friday, 1 August 2025

August Desk Calendar

It's the first day of a brand new month, so today I'm sharing my desk calendar page for August. I stamped three little pups from the 'Man's Best Friend' set by Penny Black onto a snippet of watercolour paper, coloured them using watercolour pencils, then carefully cut them out. I made a simple background from snippets of paper from a pad called 'Let's Fly Away' (magazine freebie) and 'Love Lies Here' by Raspberry Road. I used one of my 'Stitched Hillside Borders' dies (from Lawn Fawn) to cut the green hills, then distressed the edges before layering it up and adding it to the calendar.


Challenges for this card:

Tuesday, 29 July 2025

I Baked a Cake!

Today's card features another old Lili of the Valley stamp called 'I Baked a Cake!'. I stamped it onto watercolour paper, along with a sentiment using one of the stamps from the 'What This!' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I paired it with papers from the 'Bumblebee's Dance' pad by The Paper Boutique, distressing the edges before adding faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. I matted all the layers onto some lilac card, then added it to a white card blank.


Challenges for this card:

Sunday, 27 July 2025

Deckchair Dreaming

Today's card features an old Lili of the Valley stamp called 'Deckchair Dreaming'. I stamped it onto watercolour paper, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I added a sentiment using one of the stamps from the 'What This!' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company, then matted it onto some yellow card, distressing the edges a little, before adding it to a kraft card blank.


Challenges for this card:


Friday, 25 July 2025

Blue Snowy

I have a Christmas card to share today featuring one of my favourite (and most used) Penny Black stamps...'Snowy'. I stamped him onto watercolour paper, added a sentiment using one of the stamps from the 'Christmas Hats' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company. I coloured him using watercolour pencils, then carefully cut around the top of the image. I layered it over a snippet of snowy paper from the 'Snowscape' pad by Woodware, then matted it onto a snippet of navy card before adding it to a card blank.


Challenges for this card:

Wednesday, 23 July 2025

Blooming Meadow

Today's card features an old Hero Arts stamp called 'Blooming Meadow'. I inked it by mixing Distress Inks (Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade, Festive Berries, Picked Raspberry, Wilted Violet, Blueprint Sketch and Mowed Lawn) with a little water, and painting them onto the stamp. I stamped it onto watercolour paper, added a sentiment using a stamp from the 'Go To Words' set by Visible Image, then distressed the edges a little before adding it to a kraft card blank.


Challenges for this card:

Monday, 21 July 2025

Candy Cane Bartles

Today's card features a cute little pup stamp from Purple Onion called 'Bartles'. I stamped him onto a snippet of watercolour paper, added a sentiment from the 'Santa's Sweets' set by Penny Black, then coloured him using watercolour pencils. For the background, I used papers from the 'Jolly Santa' pad from The Works, distressing the edges a little and adding some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.


Challenges for this card:

Saturday, 19 July 2025

PBSC July - Anything Goes (Optional 'On or In the Water')...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
'On or In the Water'

We're currently without a sponsor, so this challenge is just for fun.

The image I used on my card is called 'Friendship'. I stamped it onto a snippet of watercolour paper, coloured it using watercolour pencils, then carefully cut it out. I made a simple background from a snippet of watercolour effect paper from the 'Mystery Marbles' pad by Craft Sensations for the sky, and a couple of snippets from the 'Pastel Watercolours' pad from The Works for the sea...tearing the top edges to look like the breaking waves. I layered it onto a snippet of teal card, then added it to an A5 card blank. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Anytime Messages' set by Hero Arts.


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

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

Thursday, 17 July 2025

Furry Christmas

I have another Christmas card to share today, featuring stamps from the 'Gift Exchange' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company. I stamped them directly onto a white card blank, then added a sentiment using one of the stamps from another Anita Jeram set called 'Furry Christmas'. I coloured them using watercolour pencils, then added a snippet of spotty paper along the edge of the card, cutting the curve using one of my 'Stitched Hillside' border stamps (from Lawn Fawn), then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.


Challenges for this card:

Tuesday, 15 July 2025

Joyful Snowflakes

I have a Christmas card to share today. I started by stamping my Simon Says Stamp 'Outline Snowflakes' background stamp onto watercolour paper using Versamark ink, then heat embossed it using white embossing powder. I wet the whole paper with some clean water, then loosely painted the background using 'Picked Raspberry', 'Wilted Violet' and 'Salty Ocean' Distress Inks, allowing the colours to blend. Once dry, I trimmed it into a square, and distressed the edges a little before adding it to a white card blank. I cut a sentiment using a Penny Black die called simply 'Joy' from a snippet of white card, and a couple of snowflakes using dies from the Tim Holtz/Sizzix 'Paper Snowflakes - Mini' set, then added those to the background.


Challenges for this card:

Sunday, 13 July 2025

Sketched Flowers Bookmark

I have a bookmark to share today...made from a snippet of kraft card left over from making a square card blank from an A4 sheet of card. I trimmed it down a little, then stamped a music background stamp from Hero Arts onto it using 'Smokey Gray' Versafine ink. I then stamped my Simon Says Stamp 'Sketched Flowers' stamp over the top using Versamark ink, then heat embossed it using metallic gold embossing powder from WOW. I added stamped sentiment using one of the stamps from the 'Sending Sunshine' set (also by Simon Says Stamp), embossing it in gold to match, then coloured the flowers using metallic watercolour paints in shades of pink and purple.


It's wonderfully shiny, but that makes it tricky to photograph, but here's another angle that shows the colours a little better:


Challenges for this bookmark:

Friday, 11 July 2025

Birthday Balloons!

Today's card features a trio of Penny Black hedgies with balloons. The one with the party hat is from the 'Cheerful Critters' set, and the other two are old wood block stamps that I picked up in charity shops...'Ballooning!' and 'Bouncing with Joy'. I stamped them all onto a piece of watercolour paper, along with a sentiment from the 'What This!' set by the Coloraado Craft Company, then coloured them using watercolour pencils. For the background, I used papers from the 'Happy Colours' pad from The Works...distressing the edges, and adding faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. 


Challenges for this card:

Wednesday, 9 July 2025

ABC Christmas Challenge - N & O are for?

We have a fun new ABC Christmas Challenge starting today...I'm the host, and the themes are:

'N is for Non-Christmas Stash'
&
'O is for One Layer Cards'

This is the prize for the lucky winner:


For my 'N is for Non'Christmas Stash' card, I picked one of the cats from the 'Jazzy Cats' set by Penny Black. I stamped him onto a snippet watercolour paper, added a sentiment from the 'Joy to the World' set (also by Penny Black). I used one of my circle Nesties to cut him out, and cut a matching scalloped circle mat from a snippet of kraft card. The papers are also from 'Non-Christmas' pads, but in Christmassy colours...the light green and red stripey papers are snippets from the 'Party Day' pad by Crate Paper, and the dark green snippet is from the 'Fresh Florals' pad by Craft Sensations. I distressed the edges a little, then added faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and white gel pen.


For my 'O is for One Layer Card' card, I used a Penny Black chicken stamp called 'Carolers'. I stamped it directly onto a kraft card blank, added a sentiment using one of the stamps from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous, then coloured the image using watercolour pencils.


I'm also entering these cards into the following challenges:
For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please pop over to the ABC Christmas Challenge.

Monday, 7 July 2025

Burst into Bloom Thank You

I have a simple 'Thank You' card to share today. The floral stamp is called 'Burst into Bloom' by Woodware Stamps. I stamped it onto a piece of smooth white card, along with a sentiment stamp from the 'Brushstroke Expressions' set by My Favorite Things, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I matted it onto a piece of pink card, distressing the edges a little, before adding it to a white card blank.


Challenges for this card:

Saturday, 5 July 2025

PBSC July - Anything Goes (Optional 'On or In the Water')

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
'On or In the Water'

We are currently without a sponsor, so this challenge is just for fun.

I have a few 'watery' stamps in my Penny Black collection, and picked 'Fish Are Jumpin'' to use on my card. I stamped it onto watercolour paper, added a sentiment using stamps from the 'Birthday Buddies' set by Paper Smooches, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. The background paper is from the 'Fresh Florals' pad by Craft Sensations...I distressed the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and black and white gel pens.


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


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