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

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.

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

Birthday Bears Box Card

I have something a little different to share today...it's a box card, made using a Gemini/Crafter's Companion stamp and die set called 'Birthday Bears Box Card', that I picked up in a charity shop last weekend. I started by stamping all of the little bears and other images onto snippets of watercolour paper, then used their co-ordinating dies to cut them out, before colouring them using watercolour pencils. There were paper templates in the set for cutting all of the pieces of the box card, and I decided to cut the main card parts from light blue card, and the little strips for the images to 'stand' on from light green card. I added a piece of cloudy sky paper (from a magazine freebie pad called 'Let's Fly Away') to the back panel, then assembled the card. On the inside of the front flap, I added a snippet of lilac card, then the die cut from the 'window', with a stamped sentiment, using a stamp from the 'Sending Sunshine' set by Simon Says Stamp.

Here's a close-up of the 'Birthday Bears':

They look to me, like they're throwing a surprise party, so I used my Paper Smooches 'Gaffiti Alphabet' stamps to stamp 'Surprise' onto a snippet of the blue card, then added it on top of a piece of lilac card embossed using an old Cuttlebug embossing folder:

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Can You Handle the Pressure - Anything Goes Using an Embossing Folder
• Love to Scrap - Anything Goes
• Seize the Birthday - Optional 'Square Card & Non-white Base'
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes

Caroling Chicks

I have a Christmas card to share today, featuring a Stamping Bella stamp called 'Caroling Chicks'. I stamped it onto watercolour paper, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I usually colour the chicks yellow (as on the packaging), but this time turned them into robins. For the background, I used papers from a magazine freebie pad by My Mind's Eye called 'Snowed In'. I matted all of the layers onto red card, distressing the edges, before adding it to a white card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Bees, Blooms and/or Birds
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Peace on Earth - Anything Christmas Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• Sweet Stampin' - Anything but Birthday

Birthday Wishes

I have a very simple birthday card to share today, featuring stamps from the 'Birthday Wishes' set from the 'Mulberry Wood' collection by Crafter's Companion. I stamped the immage and sentiment onto a snippet of smooth white card, then coloured the image using watercolour pencils. I distressed the edges a little, then added it to a matching white card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Addicted to CAS - Critter
• Crafty Animals - Anything Goes
• Crafty Gals Corner - Anything Goes
• Krafty Chicks - Birthday
• Seize the Birthday - Sweet Treats

Snow Scroll

Today's card features a Penny Black Christmas stamp called 'Snow Scroll' that I picked up in charity shop over Easter. I stamped it a couple of times onto some navy blue card using Versamark ink, then heat embossed it using 'Fairy Dust' embossing glitter from WOW. I added a sentiment, heat embossed to match, using one of the stamps from the 'Winter Blessings' set from Crafter's Companion, then matted it onto some silver glitter card, distressing the edges a little, before adding it to a white card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Crafts Galore Encore - Anything Goes
• Crafty Gals - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Peace on Earth Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes

Nutcrackers

Today's card features a 'Nutcracker' stamp and die set from Crafter's Companion, that I won a little while ago over at the Snippets Playground. I stamped the Nutcracker three times onto snippets of plain white card, coloured them using watercolour pencils, then used the matching die to cut them out. I stamped a sentiment onto a white card blank using one of the stamps from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous, then added the Nutcrackers using 3D foam pads.

Challenges for this card:

• A Perfect Time to Craft - Anything Goes
• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Peace on Earth Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes

Winter Village Scene

Today's card features a set of scenic border dies from the 'Contemporary Christmas' collection by Crafter's Companion that I got recently from a charity shop. I used them, along with my 'Mountain Tops' dies by Taylored Expressions, and my 'Houses on a Hill' die from Your Next Stamp, and lots of snippets of plain white card to make a wintry scene. I layered all of the elements over a piece of white card embossed using my 'Falling Snow' embossing folder from Tim Holtz/Sizzix, using some 3D foam pads to add dimension

All white cards are always tricky to photograph, but here's another view:

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Embossing
• C.R.A.F.T. - Christmas
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Rudolph Days - Anything Christmas Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes

Bah! Humpug!

Today's card features a cute Pug stamp that I picked up in a charity shop over Christmas...it's from a set by Crafter's Companion called 'Bah! Humpug!'. I stamped it, along with the sentiment from the set, onto watercolour paper, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I paired it with papers from the 'Merry & Bright' pad by Craft Sensations. I distressed all of the edges a little, and matted the image onto some red card before adding it to a white card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Krafty Chicks - Christmas
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes

All That Glitters is Snow

I have a simple Christmas card to share today...made using a couple of dies that I picked up from a charity shop over Christmas. The dies are both by Memory Box, a plain bauble (Classic Ornament) and a co-ordinating fancier die (Snowflake Ornament) that can be layered over the top. I cut the plain one from a snippet of silver glitter card, and the snowflake one from a snippet of dark blue mirror card, then layered them up for the full effect. I cut a thin strip of silver mirror card to make a 'string' to hang the bauble from, and added it to a piece of plain white card. I stamped a sentiment using one of the stamps from the 'Winter Blessings' set by Crafter's Companion, then added the bauble. I distressed the edges of the card a little, then added it to a white card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Sparkles Forum - Snowflakes
• Sparkles Forum Christmas - Baubles

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Today's card features another charity shop find...an unmounted (and unbranded) rubber stamp of a wintry scene. I've searched, but can't find out exactly what it is, so if anyone recognises it, please do let me know in the comments. I stamped it onto a navy card blank using Versamark ink, then heat embossed it using white embossing powder. I added a sentiment, heat embossing it in white to match, using one of the stamps from the 'Winter Blessings' set by Crafteer's Companion.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• CAS on Friday - Monochrome
• Christmas Kickstart - Christmas Sing-A-Long
• Krafty Chicks - Anything Goes with Embossing
• Peace on Earth Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes

Penny Black 2026 Calendar

I have another Penny Black calendar to share today...this is the one I made for my Aunt for Christmas. The blank calendar is one of the A4 ones from Paper Mill Direct...and I decorated it using lots of Penny Black critter stamps, and snippets of patterned papers. I stamped all of the images onto watercolour paper, coloured them using watercolour pencils, then cut some into circles using my Nesties. I distressed all of the edges of the papers, and matted them all onto pieces of kraft card before adding them to the calendar.

Challenges for this calendar:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• C.R.A.F.T. - Anything Goes
• Little Red Wagon - Happy New??? (New Year)
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wedensdays) - Something New (New Year)

Favourite Five Christmas Cards 2025

Today, as has become traditional, I'm sharing my favourite five Christmas cards of the year. I made slightly more cards this year - 88, compared to 81 last year. Each photo is linked to the original blog post, so if you would like any more details, please click through.

The first card is from February, and uses a 'new to me' time (the lovely large Penny Black 'Joy' die) that I've used several times this year. I particularly like using the central aperture for a scene/sentiment.

Penny Black critters continue to be my most used stamps, and this chicken, used on this card from March, always makes me smile!

I made several cards using this technique on black card - I love the way the mica pigments show up when used as a watercolour paint, this card from August also makes use of one of my many charity shop crafty finds this year!

Coming a close second to the Penny Black critters, are the Anita Jeram animal stamps, like the bunny stamp used on this card from October. I also love making embossed backgrounds, and used a layout similar to this on many cards this year.

My final card is a recent one from earlier this month, and again features some Penny Black critters, and lots of lovely papers!

Merry Christmas everyone!