Roocat Sliding

Today's card features a really old digi image by Prairie Fairy called 'Roocat Sliding', which I coloured using watercolour pencils. The papers are from the 'Bundled Up' pad by Crate Paper...I distressed the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Tattered Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for  Stampers Anonymous.

Challenges for this card:

• Cardz for Guyz - Transport
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge - Anything Goes
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• My Time to Craft - Christmas in July
• Rudolph Days - Anything Christmas Goes

PBSC February - Anything Goes (Optional 'Flowers')...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
'Flowers'

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

Prize - a $20 voucher!

Inspired by the Spring-like weather we've had for the last couple of days, I used a cute kitty image with a huge bouquet of daffodils called 'The Bestest' on my card...coloured using watercolour pencils. As it's a fairly large image, I simply paired it with a piece of flowery paper (from the 'Farmhouse' pad by Crate Paper), distressing the edges a little, adding a sentiment (from the 'Doodled Flowers' set by Happy Little Stampers).

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

• Crafty Sentiments - Flowers
• Penny Black & More - Anything Goes
• Seize the Birthday - Anything Birthday
• Stamping Sensations - All Things Bright & Beautiful

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

PBSC February - Anything Goes (Optional 'Flowers')

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
'Flowers'

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

Prize - a $20 voucher!

I have lots of Penny Black stamps that feature flowers in one way or another...but this sweet little mousey image jumped out at me...it's called 'Daisy Chain Mice', and I coloured it using watercolour pencils. I paired it with paper from the 'Farmhouse' pad by Crate Paper...distressing the edges a little, then adding some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

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

• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Creative Knockouts - Flower Power
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes

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

PBSC January - Anything Goes (Optional 'Something New')!

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
'Something New'
(New Year, New Baby, New Home, New Job, New Stash...)

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

Prize - a $20 voucher!

I went with 'New Year', and my project for this challenge is a 2019 Penny Black calendar. I buy a few of the blank 'Create a Calendars' from Paper Mill Direct to decorate and give as Christmas presents each year, and this is the one I made for my Mum. They still have some available here if you fancy making yourself one. I used a variety of Penny Black stamps and papers from lots of different manufacturers...far too many to list, but I did manage to use up lots of snippets! Here's a look at each of the months:

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

• Alphabet Challenge - S is for Stitching (my stitching is faux)
• Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper - Anything Goes
• Little Red Wagon - New (New Year)
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Something New (New Year)

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

Favourite Five Cards 2018

Today, I'm sharing my favourite (non-Christmas) cards of the year...I've included links back to the original blog posts, so please click through for the full info on any of the projects.

Crazy Dogs
I love these little weirdos...and picked up the matching die set this year to make my life a little easier! I love to group them all together as I find it impossible to choose just one to use!

Sorry I Forgot
This card is a bit fussier than my usual style, but I love the combination of colours.

Blossom Branch
This Penny Black stamp is one of my favourites of the year, and I experimented with several different ways of using it, but this simple coloured pencils on kraft technique is my favourite.

Uplifting Occasion
Of course, there had to be a Penny Black critter in among my favourites...and although pink is not one of my favourite colours, I can't help but smile at the expression on this kitty's face!

Big Blue Butterfly
Finally, another of my most used stamps of the year...a huge butterfly by Stampendous, combined with another of my favourites...a sparkly embossing glitter by WOW, and in my favourite colour too!

Before I go, I'd like to wish all of my lovely blog visitors a very Happy and Crafty New Year! See you in 2019!

New Home

My parents moved house yesterday...and this is the card I made for them...I know they received it today, so it's safe to show it on here. I used stamps from the 'Family Home' set by Stampendous...stamping the houses on to snippets of patterned papers (from the 'Paper Hearts' pad by Crate Paper). I carefully cut them out, then added them to a scene made using more papers from the same pad (and one from the 'Frost & Snow' pad by Craft Creations for the sky). I distressed the edges of all of the papers, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The sentiment was made using stamps from the 'Graffiti' Alphabet set by Paper Smooches.

Challenges for this card:

• A Bit More Time to Craft - Anything Goes
• A Perfect Time to Craft - Anything Goes
• Cards Galore Encore - Anything Goes
• Crafting with an Attitude - Anything Goes
• Cute Card Thursday - Anything Goes
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes

PBSC September - Anything Goes (Or 'Sketch')

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
'Sketch'

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

Prize - a $20 voucher!

I followed the sketch...it's one of my 'go to' layouts...and used one of the stamps from the 'Jolly Friends' set. I coloured the image using watercolour pencils, then added some sparkle to the snow using a Wink of Stella pen. The papers and sentiment are from the 'Bundled Up' pad by Crate Paper...I distressed the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

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

• 4 Crafty Chicks - Anything Goes
• Crimbo Crackers - Anything Goes
• Merry Christmas - Anything Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• The Holly & the Ivy - Anything Goes

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

Big Butterflies

I've been meaning to play along with Darnell's Twofer Challenge since it started at the beginning of the year...but I keep on getting too distracted by my other stash to make two different cards using the same stamp/die to enter! Anyway, this month's 'Butterfly' prompt drew me in, so I've got a couple of cards made using my Indiglo Blu 'Big Butterfly' stamp to share today.

On the first card, I heat embossed the butterfly on vellum using white embossing powder, then carefully cut it out. I made a simple background from a piece of paper (from the 'Paper Hearts' pad by Crate Paper), distressing the edges before adding some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. I added a sentiment (from the 'Big Messages' set by Paula Pascual, then matted it on to a piece of grey card. I added the butterfly off centre, then trimmed it to meet the edge of the card. 

I used one of my favourite techniques on the second card...watercolour stamping. I used several shades of blue Distress Inks...Chipped Sapphire, Broken China, Salty Ocean & Tumbled Glass...inking the same butterfly stamp, then spritzing it with water before stamping it on to watercolour paper. I added a sentiment (from the 'Everyday Sentiments' set), then trimmed the panel down to fit a DL card blank. Once again, I distressed the edges and added some faux stitching.

Challenges for these cards:

• Allsorts - In the Pink (Just the first card) 
• As You Like It - Favourite Pink or Blue (Although I've made one of here in the post...it's the blue one that's most 'me'...I love all shades of blue)
• Fussy & Fancy - Blues (Just the second card)
• Happy Little Stampers (Watercolour) - Anything Goes (Just the second card)
• Stamping Sensations - Close to Nature
• Twofer - Butterflies

Happy Mother's Day!

It's safe for me to share my Mum's Mother's Day card now I know she's received it. I picked a sweet Penny Black image called 'Gifts for You!', which I coloured using watercolour pencils. I paired it with some pretty papers from the 'Paper Hearts' pad by Crate Paper...distressing the edges a little, and adding some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and  black gel pen. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Sentiments' set by Hero Arts.

Challenges for this card:

• As You Like It - Single or Multiple Layers? (Although I have recently embraced a more CAS style, that's not going to help me get through my mountain of pretty papers, so it's layers for me!)
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes (Layer it up)
• Creative Inspirations - Any Occasion
• Creative Moments - Anything Goes (Optional Feminine)
• Cute Card Thursday - Mothers
• Daring Cardmakers - Your Favourites (My favourite stamps have always been Penny Black critters...and I love using them with pretty patterned papers...adding some light distressing & faux stitching to make them look more like fabric) 
• Fab 'N' Funky - Mother's Day
• Fussy & Fancy - Let's Celebrate
• Gem of a Challenge - Mother's Day
• Penny Black & More - Feature a Creature

I also made  simple tag to put on her present using the 'Doodled Flowers' stamps by Happy Little Stampers. I stamped a sentiment using my Paper Smooches 'Graffiti' alphabet stamps, then added the flowers around it on a kraft tag, then coloured them using watercolour pencils...without adding water.

Challenges for this tag:

• Crafty Calendar - Add a Tag or Make One
• Crafty Friends - For a Special Lady
• Happy Little Stampers - Anything Goes with HLS Stamps
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Girl Power

I wrapped the gifts using brown paper, them added some pretty flowery ribbon (from Home Sense), and tied on my tag using some Baker's Twine.

Reindog

I have a simple little Christmas card to share today...featuring a cute puppy stamp from the 'Wintertime Cheer' set by Penny Black. I coloured him using watercolour pencils, then cut him out using one of my circle Nesties. I added a strip of paper from the 'Bundled Up' pad by Crete Paper to one half of my card black, and stamped a sentiment (from a set by Pollycraft for C C Designs) on the bottom of the other half. I doodled some simple borders using a black gel pen, then added the image.

Challenges for this card:

• Creative Knockouts - Anything Goes
• Crimbo Crackers - Anything Goes
• Jingle Belles - A Colouring We Will Go
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Add a Die Cut
• Sparkles Forum - Clean & Simple

To Cake Moment

I have a birthday card to share today...featuring a cute Penny Black hedgehog stamp called 'To Cake Moment' which I coloured using watercolour pencils. I used papers from the 'Paper Hearts' pad by Crate Paper...distressing the edges a little and adding some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Big Messages' set by Paula Pascual.

Challenges for this card:

• 2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Anything Goes
• Crafting with an Attitude - Anything Goes
• Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper - Anything Goes
• Creative Knockouts - Birthday Wishes
• Heartful Stamping - Anything Goes
• Simply Papercraft - Anything Goes

Crazy Dogs

I have a birthday card for a little boy to share today...featuring some of Tim Holtz's 'Crazy Dogs'. I coloured the dogs using watercolour pencils, then carefully cut them out. I used snippets of spotty papers (from the 'Awesome Boy' pad by Recollections/Michaels), placing a different colour in each corner of my card blank. I cut some apertures in a piece of kraft card using one of my circle Nesties for the dogs to peek through, and stamped a sentiment (from a set by Lili of the Valley) in the centre. I trimmed the dogs down, then added them using 3D foam pads, and a number sentiment in the final 'window' made using Nesties & my Cuttlebug 'Olivia' alphabet.

Challenges for this card:

• Creative Knockouts - Anything Goes
• Heartful Stamping - Anything Goes
• Little Red Wagon - Masculine
• Love to Scrap - Anything Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Use Patterned Papers
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Penny Black Saturday Challenge January - Anything Goes!

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'

(In fact, all of our challenges will now be 'Anything Goes', but from next month we will have an additional optional theme for those of you that like a prompt)

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

Prize - a $20 voucher!

My project for this challenge is a 2018 Penny Black calendar. I buy a few of the blank 'Create a Calendars' from Paper Mill Direct to decorate and give as Christmas presents each year, and this is the one I made for my Mum. They still have some available here if you fancy making yourself one.

I used a variety of Penny Black stamps and papers from lots of different manufacturers...far too many to list, but I did manage to use up lots of snippets! Here's a look at each of the months:

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

• Animal Friends - New Beginnings
• Cut It Up - Calendars
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Something New (New Year)
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Something New (New Year)

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