Cat in a Tree!

I have another Christmas card to share today, featuring a long-neglected Penny Black stamp from the 'Holly Jolly Christmas' set. I stamped it onto a piece of watercolour paper, then added a sentiment using a stamp from the 'Getting Ready' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company. I coloured the image using watercolour pencils, then added a touch of sparkle to the baubles and star using some Stickles. I matted it onto a piece of red card, distressing all of the edges, then added it to a kraft card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• A Perfect Time to Craft - Anything Goes
• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Christmas Cards All Year Round - T & U (T is for Tree)
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Stamps + Fun = Creativity - Four-legged Friends
• We Love Stamping - Anything Goes

Royal Mail

I have a simple one layer card to share today, featuring a cute Penny Black stamp called 'Royal Mail'. I stamped it directly onto a kraft card blank, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous.

Challenges for this card:

• 52 Christmas Card Throwdown - Christmas Mailbox
• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Crafty Animals - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Peace on Earth - Anything Christmas Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes

Winter Penguin

I have a Christmas card to share today, featuring a cute little chap called 'Winter Penguin' by Hero Arts. I stamped him onto a snippet of watercolour paper, along with a sentiment using one of the stamps from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous, then coloured him using watercolour pencils. I matted the image onto a snippet of dark card, distressing the edges and adding some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. I added a snippet of plaid patterned paper (from the 'Jingle All the Way' pad by First Edition) to the bottom of a kraft card blank, then added the penguin image over the top.

Challenges for this card:

• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Inkspirational - CAS (Optional 'Plaid')
• Krafty Chicks - CAS
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Sweet Stampin' - Cute Creations

ABC Christmas Challenge - U & V are for?

It's the second Wednesday of a new month, so that means it's time for a new ABC Christmas Challenge...Carol is the host, and the themes are:

'U is for Unused Stash'

&

'V is for Violet'

The prize for the lucky winner is:

For my 'U is for Unused Stash' card, I combined an unused stamp, from the 'Bundled Snowman' set by Penny Black, and a sheet of patterned paper from the 'Contemporary Christmas' pad from Crafter's Companion. I stamped the snowman onto a piece of watercolour paper, extended the line for the ground using a black gel pen, then coloured him using watercolour pencils. I added a sentiment, using a stamp from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous, then carefully cut around the top of the image. I layered it over the snowflake paper, then matted it onto some pale blue card before adding it to a white card blank.

For my 'V is for Violet' card, I used a bauble stamp from Marianne Designs (it doesn't have a name, but is one of the 'Tiny Borders' stamps), and stamped it onto a piece of black card using Versamark ink, then heat embossed it using silver embossing powder. I added a sentiment using another of the stamps from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous, embossing it in silver to match, then watercoloured the baubles in violet using a Cosmic Shimmers mica pigment mixed with a little water. I matted it onto a piece of violet mirror card, then added it to a white card blank.

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

• Allsorts - Anything Goes (First card only)
• Christmas Kickstart - Gothic Christmas (Second card only)
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes (First card only)
• NBUS - Use Unused Stash (First card only)
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Use Patterned Paper (First card only)
• Sweet Stampin' - Cute Creations (First card only)

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

Bundled Snowman

I have a simple Christmas card to share today...featuring another snowman from the 'Bundled Snowman' set by Penny Black. I stamped him onto watercolour paper, extended the line for the snowy ground using a black gel pen, then coloured him using watercolour pencils. I cut around the top of the image, then layered it onto a kraft card blank. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Crafts Galore Encore - Anything Goes
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
• Krafty Chicks - Christmas
• Peace on Earth Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes
• Sparkles Forum Christmas - Use Red & Green

Good Day Birthday!

I have a birthday card to share today, made using stamps from the 'Good Day!' set by Penny Black. I stamped them onto a piece of watercolour paper, then coloured the image using watercolour pencils, and added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. I added a piece of black card to a white card blank, then a strip of patterned paper (from the 'Let's Fly Away!' pad - magazine freebie), before adding the image on top.

Challenges for this card:

• 2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Anything Goes
• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Krafty Chicks - Birthday
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes

Gentle Christmas Hugs

Today's card features one of the stamps from the 'Merry Delivery' set by Penny Black. I stamped the image, and one of the matching sentiments, onto a piece of watercolour paper, then coloured the image using watercolour pencils. I distressed the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen, before matting it onto a piece of teal coloured card and adding it to a kraft card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Clean & Simple
• Stamps + Fun = Creativity - Text (Stamp)
• Sweet Stampin' - CAS

Floral Garden

Today's card features a stamp from Simon Says Stamp called 'Floral Garden'. I stamped it off the edge of a piece of watercolour paper...the stamp is huge, so this is a way of making it more useable. I added a sentiment, using a stamp from the 'Go To Words' set by Visible Image, then coloured the flowers using watercolour pencils. I distressed the edges a little, then added it to a kraft card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Beautiful Blossoms - Anything Goes
• Krafty Chicks - CAS
• Seize the Birthday - Anything Birthday Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Clean & Simple
• Sweet Stampin' - CAS Cards

Poinsettia Border

Today's card features stamps from a Julie Hickey set called 'Poinsettia Border', that I got recently from a charity shop. I stamped them onto a piece of watercolour paper, adding the sentiment from the set in the centre, then coloured the images using watercolour pencils. I distressed the edges a little, then added it to a kraft card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Crafts Galore Encore - Anything Goes
• Krafty Chicks - Christmas
• Little Red Wagon - Use a Stamp
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Stamp It
• We Love Stamping - Trees & Leaves

ABC Christmas Challenge - S & T are for?

It's the second Wednesday of a new month, so that means it's time for a new ABC Christmas Challenge...Lynda is the host, and the themes are:

'S is for Snowmen'

&

'T is for Transport'

The prize for the lucky winner is the matching stamp & die from Your Next Stamp

For my 'S is for Snowmen' card, I picked a Woodware stamp called 'Snowman Family', and stamped it directly onto a DL white card blank. I 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.

For my 'T is for Transport' card, I picked a sledge for my mode of transport, and used a cute Lili of the Valley stamp called 'Sledging Buddies'. I stamped it onto a snippet of watercolour paper, and added a sentiment using a stamp from the 'Just Add Snow!' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company. I coloured it using watercolour pencils, then carefully cut around the top of the image. I layered it over a snippet of snowy sky paper, from an unnamed pad from The Works, matted it onto a snippet of teal card, then added it to a kraft card blank.

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

• Peace on Earth Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes (First card only)
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes (Second card only)
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Stamp It (Second card only)
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Stamp It (First card only)
• Sparkles Forum - Animals (Second card only)

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

Paper Cut Pup Birthday

Today's card features one of the cute critter stamps from the 'Merry Delivery' set by Penny Black. I stamped it onto watercolour paper, along with a sentiment using a stamp from the 'Paper Cut Messages' set by Simon Says Stamp. On the stamp, the gift box and ribbon are both plain, so I added some dots and stripes using a black gel pen, before I coloured it using watercolour pencils.I matted it onto a piece of bright blue card, distressing the edges a little, then added it to a white card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - All Creatures Great & Small
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Stamp It
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Stamp It
• Sparkles Forum - Animals
• The Male Room - Dots and/or Stripes

Succulents

Today's card features one of the stamps from the 'Happy Together' set by Penny Black. I stamped it directly onto a kraft card blank, along with a sentiment using a stamp from the 'Go To Words' set from Visible Image, then coloured it using watercolour pencils.

Challenges for this card:

• AAA Colourful - Colourboard #31
• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Krafty Chicks - Birthday
• Seize the Birthday - Anything Birthday Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Stamp It

Together

Today's card features a floral Penny Black stamp called 'Together'. I inked it up using Distress inks (Chipped Sapphire, Uncharted Mariner and Mermaid Lagoon for the flowers, and Lucky Clover and Forest Moss for the leaves and stems), then spritzed it with a little water before stamping it onto a piece of watercolour paper. I added a sentiment, using one of the stamps from the 'Signature Greetings' set by Memory Box, then distressed the edges a little before adding it to a kraft card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• AAA Birthday - Flowers
• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Beautiful Blossoms - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• We Love Stamping - Summer Blooms

Rudolph & Friends

I have (yet!) another Christmas card to share today...this one features a cute Woodware stamp called 'Rudolph & Friends' that I got recently from a charity shop. I stamped it onto a DL kraft card blank, then coloured it using watercolour pencils, but without using any water. It's a huge stamp - I have quite a few this size from Woodware, and it's always a bit tricky to figure out where a sentiment might fit, but as I don't think you'd mistake this for anything other than a Christmas card, I left this one with just the image.

Challenges for this card:

• A Perfect Time to Craft - Anything Goes
• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Christmas Kickstart - Friendship
• Peace on Earth Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes
• Rudolph Days - Anything Christmas Goes

Jingle Friends

I have another Christmas card to share today, featuring another Penny Black stamp, called 'Jingle Friends', that I received for my birthday earlier this month. I stamped it onto a piece of smooth white card, along with the sentiment from the set, then coloured the image using watercolour pencils. I matted the layer onto a piece of bright red card, before adding it to a white card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Everybody Art - Anything Goes
• Jingle Belles - Masculine
• Krafty Chicks - CAS
• Little Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes

A Winter Scene

I have a Christmas card to share today, featuring two different types of embossing. I started by stamping an old Hero Arts stamp called 'A Winter Scene' onto a snippet of kraft card using Versamark ink, then heat embossed it using white embossing powder. I added a sentiment using one of the stamps from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous, heat embossing that in white to match. I used a Sheena Douglas 'Holly' embossing folder to emboss another snippet of kraft card, then distressed the edges a little before layering it onto a kraft card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Embossing
• C.R.A.F.T. - Christmas
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Stamps + Fun = Creativity - Anything Goes

Garden Naptime

Today's card features another charity shop stamp. It wasn't in any branded packaging, but I recognised it as an old Popcorn the Bear stamp, which Google tells me is from a set called 'Father's Day'. I stamped it onto a piece of watercolour paper, along with 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.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Alphabet Challenge - H is for Horticulture (although he is not currently gardening, the pots & tools indicate that gardening was recently happening!)
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes

Getting Ready

I have a Christmas card to share today, made using stamps from a Penny Black set called 'Getting Ready', that I got for my birthday last week. I stamped them onto watercolour paper, then coloured them using watercolour pencils. I distressed the edges a little, then added it to a kraft card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Crafty Animals - Anything Goes
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
• Krafty Chicks - Christmas

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

It's the second Wednesday of a new month, so that means it's time for a new ABC Christmas Challenge...I'm the host, and the themes are:

'P is for Penguins'

'Q is for Quartet' (Four of Something)

&

'R is for Rectangles'

The prize for the lucky winner is this Sheena Douglas 'Baubles Baby' festive embossing folder:

For my 'P is for Penguins' card, I used an old Lili of the Valley stamp called 'Penguin Pals'. I stamped it onto a piece of watercolour paper, added a sentiment from the 'It's Penguinning' set by Crafter's Companion, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I used papers from the 'Peppermint Forest' pad from Craftwork Cards for the background...I distressed the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug.

For my 'Q is for Quartet' card, I combined four robin stamps from Penny Black sets - 'Christmas Hugs', 'Snow Much Fun' and 'Jolly Friends'. I stamped them onto a piece of watercolour paper, used a black fine liner to draw draw the 'ground', 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 distressed the edges a little before adding it to a kraft card blank.

For my 'R is for Rectangles' card, I started by stamping one of the images from the Penny Black 'Candlelight' set onto a rectangle of black card using Versamark ink, then I heat embossed it using metallic gold embossing powder from WOW. I added a sentiment using one of the stamps from the Funky Fossil 'Festive Phrases' set, embossing that in gold to match, then I watercoloured the image using Cosmic Shimmers watercolours. I matted the panel onto a rectangle of gold mirror card, before adding it to a DL card blank.

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

• 2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Anything Goes (Second card only)
• Allsorts - Anything Goes (Third card only)
• Christmas Cards All Year Round - P & Q (P is for Penguins) (First card only)
• I Spy With My Little Eye - Something with Wings (Second card only)
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes (First card only)
• Sparkles Forum Christmas - Clean & Simple (Third card only)

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

Pretty Lovely

Today's card features stamps from a Mama Elephant set called 'Pretty Lovely', which I won recently over at Pixie's Snippets Playground. I stamped them onto a piece of smooth white card, then used watercolour pencils to colour the flowers and outline sentiment. I distressed the edges a little, then added it to a matching purple card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Beautiful Blossoms - Anything Goes
• CAS on Friday - Flowers
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Moving Along with the Times - Feminine
• NBUS - Anything Goes (The stamps are all new)
• We Love Stamping - Summer Blooms