Racer Boy Birthday

I have a birthday card to share today, featuring a Penny Black stamp from the 'Cheering Critters' set. I stamped it onto a piece of watercolour paper, then added a sentiment using one of the stamps from the 'What This!' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company. I coloured the image using watercolour pencils, then used one of my circle Nesties to cut it out. For the background, I used papers from the 'Awesome Boy' pad by recollections/Michaels (found at TKMaxx)...I distressed the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. I matted the image onto a scalloped circle of kraft card, cut using another of my Nestie dies, then layered it all up on a piece of kraft card before adding it to a white card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• AAA Birthday - Use Patterned Papers
• As You Like It - Favourite Sporting Activity (Whilst I don't participate in any sports, there are several that I enjoy watching, including cycling - I made this card while watching the very exciting Elite Men's Road Race at the World Championship at the weekend)
• Krafty Chicks - Masculine
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Seize the Birthday - Anything Birthday Goes

 

PBSC September - Anything Goes (Optional 'Use a Die')...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

'Things with Wings'

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

I picked a cute snowmen image from the 'Bundled Snowman' set, and stamped it onto a a snippet of watercolour paper, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I used dies from the Tim Holtz/Sizzix 'Snowglobe 2' set to cut the 'globe' from a snippet of watercolour effect paper from the 'Mystery Marbles' pad by Craft Sensations, and the 'plinth' from a tiny snippet of kraft card. I used a Tim Holtz/Sizzix 'Snowfall' embossing folder to emboss the 'globe', then lightly sanded over the raised areas to reveal some of the white core of the paper. I layered the snowmen over the top, then trimmed it to match the circle shape. I added a sentiment to the 'plinth' using a stamp from the 'Christmas Hats' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company, then inked around the edges of that, and the 'globe' using 'Brushed Corduroy' Distress Ink. I wanted to keep the background fairly simple, so added a piece snowflake covered paper (from the 'Snowscapes' pad from Woodware) to a kraft card blank, then added the assembled snowglobe on top. 

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

• A Cut Above - Anything Goes with a Die Cut
• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Can You Handle the Pressure - Anything Goes (Using an Embossing Folder)
• C.R.A.F.T. - Christmas
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets

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

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.

Festive Foliage

I have another Christmas card to share today, featuring a background stamp I got from a charity shop at the weekend. It's by Chloe Creative Stamps, and is called 'Festive Foliage Background'. I stamped it onto teal card using Versamark ink, then heat embossed it using 'Metallic Platinum Sparkle' embossing glitter from WOW. I stamped a sentiment, using a stamp from a Colorado Craft Company set, onto a strip of vellum using Versamark ink, then heat embossed it using silver embossing powder. I tore the edges of the vellum, then added it over the top of the embossed background, matting it all onto a piece of silver mirror card before adding it to a DL card blank.

It's not very easy to see, but the background is super sparkly in real life!

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - 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

Best Friends

Today's card features a cute Penny Black stamp called 'Best Friends' that I got for my birthday earlier this week. 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 it using watercolour pencils. I paired it with papers from the 'Happy Watercolours' pad from The Works. I distressed the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. I matted the image and bottom layer onto some bright blue card before adding it to a white card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• As You Like It - Favourite Colouring Medium (Watercolour pencils - so quick and easy to use)
• Crafty Gals Corner - Anything Goes (Optional 'Summer Vibes')
• Daisy Chain - Animals
• Time Out - Pick (at least) Two (Birthday, Stitching & Floral)
• We Love Stamping - Anything Goes

Wonderful Woodland Box Card

I have another box card to share today, made using another stamp and die set from Crafter's Companion that I got from a charity shop at the same time as the set I used on this card. This set is called 'Wonderful Woodland', and had an awful lot of stamped elements, so I used some to decorate the front of this card, rather than trying to cram them all inside! I started by stamping all of the critters and accessories onto snippets of watercolour paper, then cutting them out using the matching dies, before colouring them using watercolour pencils. I cut the main pieces for the box card from bright blue card, and a dark green card for the images to 'stand' on. I decorated the back panel using a piece of paper from a magazine freebie pad called 'Let's Fly Away', then assembled the card. On the inside of the front flap, I layered a couple of snippets of plain card (using the aperture die from the set to cut the light blue piece), adding a sentiment using a stamp from the 'What This!' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company.

Here's a close-up of the inside scene:

For the front of the card, I layered up more snippets of plain coloured card, again using the aperture die to cut the light blue piece, then added some of the critter and accessories, plus a few clouds cut from a snippet of white hammer card using my Memory Box 'Puffy Clouds' dies.

Challenges for this card:

• A Cut Above - Anything Goes Using a Die Cut
• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Creative Knockouts - Fun Folds
• Cut It Up - Add a Sentiment
• Just Us Girls - Dies
• Krafty Chicks - Birthday
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Happy Birthday

PBSC August - Anything Goes (Optional 'Things with Wings')

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

'Things with Wings'

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

I picked a cute chicken stamp called 'Best of Luck!' for my card, stamping it onto watercolour paper, then colouring it using watercolour pencils. I paired it with snippets of papers from a really old My Mind's Eye pad called 'Indie Chic - Saffron'. I distressed the edges, 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.

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

• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
• I Spy With My Little Eye - Something With Wings
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Stitch It
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes

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

Flower Shower

Today's card features a cute House Mouse stamp from Spellbinders called 'Flower shower'. 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 'Nana's Nursery - Baby Boy' stack from Premium Stacks (the purple one) and the 'Fresh Florals' pad from Craft Sensations (the green one).  I distressed the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Crafts Galore Encore - Anything Goes
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• House Mouse & Friends - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Add Some Text

Sailing with Butterflies

Today's card features an old Penny Black stamp called 'Sailing with Butterflies'. I stamped it onto watercolour paper, along with a sentiment using one of the stamps from the 'Happy Day' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I paired it with some floral papers from the 'Happy Watercolours' pad by Craft Sensations. I distressed all of the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen, before matting all of the layers onto some hot pink card.

Challenges for this card:

• 2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Anything Goes
• AAA Birthday - For Girls
• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Creative Knockouts - Outdoor Fun
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Add Some Text
• We Love Stamping - Summertime

PBSC July - Anything Goes (Optional 'On the Move')...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 the Move'

(Transport)

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

This time I used a cute pup stamp called 'Airborne', stamping it onto a piece of smooth white card, 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 used my CutterBee Bug to pierce a simple border, before adding it to a white card blank.

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

• Addicted to CAS - Up
• As You Like It - Favourite Pet - Dog (Specifically golden retriever - we had several when I was growing up, and they're the most lovely (and daftest!) pet)
• Crafts Galore Encore - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Krafty Chicks - CAS
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes

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

Guest Designer - 52 Christmas Card Throwdown!

Today, I'm excited to be sharing a Guest Designer card for the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown, where the theme this week is:

I combined snowmen from the 'Jolly Friends', 'Snow Much Fun' and 'Holly-Jolly' sets by Penny Black for my card. I stamped them onto watercolour paper, then used a black gel pen to add some lines for the snowy ground. I coloured them using watercolour pencils, then carefully cut around the top of the image. I layered the snowmen over a snippet of snowy paper (from the 'Snowscape' pad by Woodware), added a sentiment (using a stamp from the 'Snow Bunnies' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company), then matted it onto a snippet of blue card before adding it to a DL card blank.

For more inspiration from the fabulous DT, please pop over to the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown.

Surprise!

Today's card features a cute Penny Black mouse stamp called 'Surprise!'. I stamped it onto a piece of smooth white card, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I added a sentiment, using one of the stamps from the 'Birthday Wishing' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company, then distressed the edges a little before adding it to a white card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - In the Garden
• Cardz 4 Guys - Gardens/Gardening
• C.R.A.F.T. - Cute
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Lil Red Wagon - Outdoors
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Add a Sentiment
• The Male Room - The Outdoors

Contented

Today's card features a cute Penny Black dog stamp called 'Contented'. I stamped him onto watercolour paper, then coloured him using watercolour pencils. I added a sentiment, using one of the stamps from the 'Birthday Wishing' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company, then used Nesties to cut out the circle shapes. For the background, I embossed a piece of green card using a Crafts Too embossing folder called 'Bone & Paw Print'. I distressed the edges a little, then matted it onto kraft card before adding it to a white card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Can You Handle the Pressure - Optional 'Boys to Men'
• Cardz 4 Guys - Use an Embossing Folder
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Masculine
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Add a Sentiment
• Sweet Stampin' - Something for the Boys

ABC Christmas Challenge - L & M 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:

'L is for Let it Snow'

&

'M is for Mice'

The prize for the lucky winner is this Gemini 'Joyful Snowmen' Create-a-Card' die:

For my 'Let it Snow' card, I used one of the cute stamps from the 'Snow Bunnies' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company. I stamped it onto a snippet of white card, along with an old Penny Black woodblock sentiment, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I cut around the top of the image, then layered it over a snippet of snowy sky paper from the 'Christmas' pad by Craft Sensations. I matted it onto a snippet of grey card, then added it to a white card blank.

For my 'M is for Mice' card, I used an old Penny Black stamp called 'Holly Jolly Christmas'. I stamped it onto smooth white card, and coloured it using a sentiment stamp from the 'Holly Jolly' set, also by Penny Black. I coloured the image using watercolour pencils, then distressed the edges a little before adding it to a white card blank.

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

• Allsorts - Anything Goes (First card only)
• Christmas Kickstart - Snow Day (First card only)
• Creative Inspirations - Christmas in June (Second card only)
• Peace on Earth Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes (Second card only)
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets (First card only)

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

Friendship

Today's card features a Penny Black stamp called 'Friendship'. I stamped it onto watercolour paper, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I stamped a sentiment, using one of the sentiments from the 'What This!' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company, onto a snippet of white card, then used Nesties to cut the circle shapes, and scalloped mats from navy card. The papers are from the 'Prince Charming' pad by Recollections/Michaels (found at TKMaxx)...I distressed the edges, added the image and sentiment, then matted it all onto some more navy card before adding it to a white card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• AAA Birthday - For Boys
• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Alphabet Challenge - C is for Circles
• Aud Sentiments - Monochrome and/or Birthdays + Sentiment
• Creative Moments - Masculine
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Masculine
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Masculine
• Sweet Stampin' - Something for the Boys
• The Male Room - The Outdoors
• We Love Stamping - Sports & Hobbies

 

Flower Shower

Today's card features a cute House Mouse stamp, by Spellbinders, called 'Flower Shower'. 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. For the background, I used papers from the 'Nana's Nursery - Baby Boy' pad from Premium Stacks (the purple), and 'Fresh Florals' pad from Craft Sensations (the green one). I distressed the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen, before matting some of the layers on purple card, and adding it to a white card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Crafty Gals Corner - Anything Goes
• House Mouse & Friends - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• Sweet Stampin' - Flowers

Birthday Wishing

Today's card features stamps from the 'Birthday Wishing' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company. I stamped them onto watercolour paper, then coloured them using watercolour pencils. The papers are from the 'Here Is Happy' pad by My Mind's Eye...it's been a long time since I used them, but there are still plenty of snippets left! I distressed the edges, then added faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

Challenges for this card:

• A Perfect Time to Craft - Anything Goes
• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Crafts Galore Encore - Anything Goes
• Crafty Gals Corner - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
• Love Those Pretty Papers - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Cute Critters