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:

• Can You Handle the Pressure? - Anything Goes (Optional 'Birthday') 
• I Spy with My Little Eye - Some to Celebrate
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes

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

Beary Merry Christmas

I have a couple of Christmas cards to share today, made using a couple of the bear stamps from the 'Beary Merry Christmas' set BY Funky Fossil and lots of paper snippets! I started by making the backgrounds...sticking snippets of watercolour effect paper (from the 'Mystery Marbles' pad by Craft Sensations, and the 'Watercolour Feelings' pad from The Works) to snippets of plain white card. I then trimmed them down to square of the edges, before running them through my Cuttlebug, embossing them with snowflakes and Christmas trees. I stamped the bears on to snippets of watercolour paper, coloured them to match their backgrounds using watercolour pencils, then carefully cut them out. I heat embossed one of the sentiments from the stamp set in white on snippets of black card, then added those and the bears on to the backgrounds using 3D foam pads. I matted both on to more black card before adding them to white card blanks.

Here are a couple of close-ups:

Challenges for these cards:

• As You Like It - Bugs, Feathers or Fur (Fur for me - I'm not fussing what sort of furry critter, but I'd sooner have something furry, than creepy-crawly or anything that flies!)
• Christmas With the Cuties - CAS
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Ellibelles Crafty Wednesday - Anything Goes
• Jingle Belles - Leftovers (I save every off-cut of pretty paper...no matter how small...I can always find some use for them!)
• Krafty Chicks - Christmas
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• We Love Stamping - Anything Goes (Just the panda card)

PBSC July - Anything Goes (Optional 'Food')...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

'Happy Birthday'

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

Prize - a $20 voucher!

I've used one of the stamps from the 'Critter Party' set...stamping it on to a snippet of watercolour paper, along with a sentiment from the 'What This!' set by Anita Jerum for the Colorado Craft Company. I coloured it using watercolour pencils, then added some sparkle to the cupcake icing with some Stickles, before cutting out the circle shape using one of my Nesties. For the background, I used a couple of snippets of watercolour effect paper from the 'Watercolour Feeling's pad from The Works...using a 'Cupcakes' embossing folder by Craft Concepts to dry emboss one, and a Simon Says Stamp background stamp called 'Magic Stars' to heat emboss this other in white. I distressed all of the edges, added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a white gel pen, and lightly sanded over the dry embossing before assembling the card.

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

• Crafts Galore Encore - Anything Goes
• Creative Inspirations - Anything Goes
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Lots of Layers
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Add Some Sparkle 
• We Love Stamping - Anything Goes

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

Embossed Thanks

I have a set of simple embossed thank you cards that I've made to give as a gift to share today. I picked sheets of watercolour effect papers from the 'Watercolour Feelings' pad from The Works, and 'Mystery Marbles' pad by Craft Sensations, and embossed them using Cuttlebug, Craft Concepts and Couture Creations embossing folders. I lightly distressed the edges, added a simple die cut sentiment (cut using one of my Cuttlebug 'Olivia' alphabet dies, from snippets of white card), then added the embossed panels to some A6 card blanks. I made two of each colour & embossed design, so there are twelve in total:

Challenges for these cards:

• Allsorts - Add a Sentiment
• Corrosive - Anything Goes
• Daring Cardmakers - Make Your Own Background
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets

Hip, Hip Hooray!

I have a bright and cheerful card to share today featuring one of the hedgehogs from the 'Cheerful Critters' set by Penny Black. I coloured the cheerleading hedgie using watercolour pencils, then added a sentiment from the 'Anytime Messages' set by Hero Arts. I embossed a plain piece of yellow cardusing my Craft Concepts 'Blooming Season' embossing folder...they're flowers really, but I thought that it sort of looked like pom poms! I then lightly distressed all of the edges.

Challenges for this card:

• Craftaholics R Us - Yellow
• Cutie Pie - Sports
• Dream Valley - Animals
• Scrapbook Stamp Society - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Distressing

Golden Wedding Anniversary

I have a golden wedding anniversary card to share today. I started by stamping a Tim Holtz background stamp (called 'Wallpaper') in Versamark Ink, then heat embossed it using 'Metallic Gold Sparkle' embossing glitter from WOW. I trimmed it down to a square, then matted it on to a piece of gold mirror card. I cut a couple of hearts from some more mirror card using my Cuttlebug 'Concentric Hearts' die, then embossed the solid one using a Craft Concepts embossing folder called 'Budding Vine'. I added them to the background using 3D foam pads. I heat embossed a sentiment (from the Lili of the Valley 'Block Sentiments' set) in matching gold, then matted it on to more gold mirror card, and added it popped up on some 3D foam pads.

I always find it difficult to show the sparkle of these gorgeous embossing glitters...but this photo gives you some idea of how pretty and glittery it is:

Challenges for this card:

• AAA Cards - All you need is Love
• Addicted to Stamps - Have a Heart
• Allsorts - Love is in the Air
• CAS on Friday - Use a Die
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes (Love is in the Air)
• Crafty Friends - Love is in the Air
• Crazy 4 Challenges - Love/Appreciation
• Creative Inspirations - Love is in the Air
• Cute Card Thursday - Love
• Happy Little Stampers (Dies) - Anything Goes
• Love to Scrap - I Love You
• My Time to Craft - Love is all we Need
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - It Must be Love
• Stamps + Fun = Creativity - Hearts
• That's Crafty - I Heart You

James & Butterflies

Today's card features a cute Lili of the Valley stamp called 'James - Butterflies', which I coloured using watercolour pencils. The papers are from the 'Indie Chic (Nutmeg)' pad by My Minds Eye...I embossed the plain papers using my Craft Concepts 'Butterflies' and Darice 'Quilt' embossing folders...then sanded over the top to reveal the white core. I distressed all of the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The flowers are a mixture of Papermania, Poppicrafts & Prima, and are held in place using a BasicGrey brad. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Big Messages' set by Paula Pascual.

Challenges for this card:

• Cute Card Thursday - Florals
• Little Red Wagon - Furry Friends
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• Wags 'N Whiskers - Furry Friends
• Whimsy Inspires - Anything Goes

***Edited to add...once I hit publish I noticed that this is my 2222nd published blog post - cool or what?! I meant to have some candy on offer to celebrate my blog's 7th birthday back in September, but missed that (oops!), so have been waiting for another milestone to celebrate...I think that this qualifies, so I shall get a little something sorted out this weekend.***

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Embossing

It's the first Saturday of the month...so that means it's time for a new Penny Black Saturday Challenge...and this month the theme is:

'Embossing'

We are sponsored for this challenge by:

1-2-3 Stitch!:

Prize - a $20 voucher

I've used an oldie but a goodie on my card...it's a cute little mouse stamp from the 'Party Critters' set by Penny Black. I embossed a couple of plain papers from the 'Owl Folk' set by Papermania using my Cuttlebug 'Swiss Dots' and Craft Concepts 'Cupcakes' folders...then sanded over the raised design to reveal the white core. The heart print paper is from the 'Yours Truly' pad by Pebbles Inc...I ditressed all of the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a white gel pen. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Big Messages' set by Paula Pascual, and the pearls are from Hobbycraft.

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

• Chocolate, Coffee & Cards - Animals
• Little Red Wagon - Embossing Folders
• Papertake Weekly - Take Your Pick (Embossing)
• Seize the Birthday - Anything Birthday
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• Stampavie & More - Birthdays

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

Cupcake Mice

I dug out an old favourite Penny Black stamp set ('Party Critters') at the weekend...I love these cute little mice. I combined them with a cupcake embossing folder by Craft Concepts, some twine from the Ribbon Girls, and some adhesive pearls.

Challenges for this card:

• Addicted to Stamps - Celebration
• Allsorts - Cakes/Cupcakes
• Chocolate Coffee & Cards - Something Yummy to Eat or Drink
• Hiding in my Craft Room - Embossing
• Little Red Wagon - All Tied Up!
• Papertake Weekly - Happy Anything
• Top Tip Tuesday - Buttons or Bows

Pile It On! Challenge - Sketch

We have a new Pile It On! Challenge starting today...and this week we have a sketch for you to work with:

Our sponsor for this challenge is All Dressed Up:

Prize - 2 Digital Images of the winner's choice!

I've used an old favourite stamp of mine, called 'Blooming Meadows' by Hero Arts...I pained Distress Inks directly on to the stamp, then spritzed it with water before stamping...one of my favourite techniques to use with flower stamps. For the background, I embossed plain white card using my Cuttlebug 'Swiss Dots' and Craft Concepts 'Blooming Season' embossing folders...I inked the edges a little using 'Old Paper' Distress Ink, and then distressed them a little using my distressing tool. The sentiment stamp is also Hero Arts (from the 'Sentiments' set), I used my EK Success 'Scalloped Diamonds' punch for the edging, and the adhesive pearls are from Hobbycraft. 

Here are the challenges I've piled on:

• Pile It On! - Sketch
• Addicted to Stamps - Embossing
• Bunny Zoe's - For the Girls
• Crafting for All Seasons - Dies/Punches
• Crafty Catz - For a Special Lady
• Crazy - For Mum
• Creative Moments - Anything Goes
• Cute Card Thursday - Floral Delight
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Add a Little Texture
• Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes
• Sweet Stampin' - Spring Flowers
• Top Tip Tuesday - Rubber Stamps Only

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please pop over to the Pile It On! Challenge.

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Brown, Blue & White

It's the first Saturday of the month...so that means it's time for a new Penny Black Saturday Challenge...and this month the theme is:

'Brown, Blue & White' 

We are sponsored for this challenge by:

1-2-3 Stitch!:

Prize - a $20 voucher

I used the colour combination to make a masculine birthday card using one of my favourite Penny Black stamps...'Birthday Dog'. I used embossing folders on plain card for the background, added some doodled borders, and a sentiment from the 'Big Sentiments' set by Paula Pascual.

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

• Cards Galore Encore - Make a Card
• Corrosive - Boys
• Crafting form the Heart - Anything Goes
• Creative Corner - Male
• Creative Knockouts - Tic Tac Toe (Stamp-Embossing-Die Cuts)
• Sweet Stamps - Embossing

We're also holding a DT call on this challenge, so for all of the information on that, and more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please pop over to the Penny Black Saturday Challenge.

Pile It On! Challenge - Use Metal

This week's Pile It On! Challenge is to use:

'Metal'

Our sponsor for this challenge is Add a Little Dazzle:

Prize a $25 Gift Certificate!

The DT were each sent some gorgeous metal sheets to play with by our generous sponsor...Add a Little Dazzle...I used mine to make a piece of wall art. I used my Memory Box 'Darla Butterfly' to cut shapes from the sheets of metal, then embossed them using an assortment of Cuttlebug and Craft Concepts folders. I mounted the butterflies on to a piece of white card using 3D foam pads, then placed it in a shadow box (from The Range).

Apologies for the reflections on the glass...this was really tricky to photograph! 

Here are the challenges I've piled on:

• Pile It On! - Use Metal
• 4 Crafty Chicks - No Stamping
• Challenges 4 Everybody - Anything Goes
• Crafting for All Seasons - Things with Wings
• Craftitude - Use a Die
• Crafty Catz - Embossing
• Crafty Girls - Anything Goes
• Incy Wincy - Embossing & Bling
• Dream Valley - Things with Wings
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes
• Whimsy Inspires - Two or More Die Cuts

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please pop over to the Pile It On! Challenge.

Oldie but a Goodie Challenge - Valentine's

This fortnight's Oldie but a Goodie Challenge theme is:

'Valentine's'

I don't have the prize details at the time of writing this...so I'll add them later today :0)

I used my old Cuttlebug 'Concentric Hearts' die to cut hearts from a rainbow of shades of card scraps...then embossed them using a different embossing folder for each one (folders by Cuttlebug, Craft Concepts, Sizzix & Crafts Too). I simply arranged them in colour order across my card, popping the ones in front up on 3D foam pads. I doodled a simple border, then added a sentiment from the Hero Arts 'Sentiments' set.

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

• Craft Your Passion - Love is in the Air
• Less is More - Rainbow
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Love Notes
• Totally Gorjuss - Sunny Colours

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please pop over to the Oldie but a Goodie Challenge.

Climbing Up

It was my birthday at the weekend...and I recieved some fab new crafty goodies which I had a little play with yesterday evening. On this card, I've used a new stamp ('Climbing Up' by Woodware) and a gorgeous butterfly die (by Joy Crafts) from my lovely bloggy buddy Pauline. I started by stamping a Hero Arts 'Music' background stamp on a piece of white card, then blended 'Stormy Sky' and 'Bundled Sage' Distress Inks over the top...blending 'Old Paper' and 'Brushed Corduroy' around the edges. I stamped the 'Climbing Up' stamp using the watercolour technique, using 'Faded Jeans', 'Chipped Saphire' and 'Forest Moss' inks. For the background, I blended 'Old Paper' and 'Brushed Corduroy' inks over white card before embossing using my Cuttlebug 'Swiss Dots' and Craft Concepts 'Blooming Season' folders. I cut the butterfly from card inked with 'Chipped Saphire' and 'Brushed Corduroy', and added a sentiment from the Hero Arts 'Fabulous' set.

Challenges for this card:

• Creative Craft - Tic-Tac-Toe (Green - Flowers - Distress)
• Flutterby Wednesdays - Anything with Wings
• Paper Crafting Journey - Distressed/Vintage
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Dies
• Stamping Sensations - Wings & Things with a Touch of Vintage

Pile It On! Challenge - Outdoors

This week at Pile It On!, we're challenging you to go:

'Outdoors'

Our sponsor for this challenge is Gingerloft Designs:

Prize - 3 Digi Stamps!

I've used one of my most fabourite 'outdoor-sy' stamps...'Blooming Meadows' by Hero Arts...inking the stamp using Distress Inks (Stormy Sky, Chipped Saphire, Dusty Concord, Victorian Velvet, Bundled Sage & Forest Moss). I used co-ordinating colours of card for the background, embossing them using my Cuttlebug 'Swiss Dots' and Craft Concepts 'Blooming Season' folders.

Here are the challenges I've piled on:

• Pile It On! - Outdoors
• Challenges 4 Everybody - Anything Goes
• Crafty Bloggers Network - Favourite Things (This stamp, Distress Inks, my Nesties & Cuttlebug)
• Crafty Calendar - Anything Goes
• Crazy - Anything Goes
• Fussy & Fancy - Bingo (Flower - Pearls - Blue)
• Kaboodles Doodles - Scallops
• Loves Rubber Stamps - Anything Goes
• Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes
• Penny Black & More @ Allsorts - In the Garden
• Penny's Paper Crafting - Dry Embossing
• Top Tip Tuesday - Embossing
• Whimsy Inspires - Clean & Simple

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please pop over to the Pile It On! Challenge blog.

Ruby Wedding Anniversary

Today's card is for a Ruby Wedding anniversary...I kept it quite simple...with lots of embossing (Cuttlebug 'Swiss Dots', 'Victoria', 'D'Vine Swirls' and Craft Concepts 'Gem Flourish' folders). The hearts were cut using my Cuttlebug 'Concentric Hearts' die, the numbers were cut using my Cuttlebug 'Olivia' alphabet, and the sentiment stamp is from a Lili of the Valley set, and cut out using a 'Lacey Circles' Nestie.

Challenges for this card:

• Chocolate, Coffee & Cards - Numbers
• Crafting for All Seasons - Wedding/Anniversary
• Creative Card Crew - Punches and/or Dies
• Creative Inspirations - Anything Goes
• Shopping Our Stash - Graduation or Anniversary
• Top Tip Tuesday - Numbers

Pile It On! Challenge - Colour Inspiration

This week's Pile It On! Challenge is a colour combination...we have this palette to inspire you:

We are sponsoored for this challenge by Dilly Beans Stamps:

Prize - winner's choice of 3 digi stamps!

I picked some American Crafts card in the colours from the palette to make a CAS card. I cut circles using my Nesties, the embossed them using various Craft Concepts and Cuttlebug folders. The sentiment stamp is by Hero Arts.

Here are the challenges I've piled on:

• Pile It On! - Colour Inspiration
• CAS on Sunday - Round & Round
• CAS-ual Fridays - Birthday
• Challenges 4 Everybody - Anything Goes
• Flutterby Wednesdays - Use a Sentiment
• Paper Crafting Journey - Use a Sentiment
• Penny's Papercrafting - Use a Sentiment
• Totally Gorjuss - Embossing

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please pop over to the Pile It On! Challenge.