Happy Bark-day!

Today's card features another of the pups from the 'Good Times' set by Penny Black. I coloured him using watercolour pencils, then carefully cut him out. I added a tiny snippet of patterned paper (from the 'Yours Truly' pad by Pebbles Inc) along the bottom of card blank...with a little bit of distressing and some faux stitching, then popped the pop on top using some 3D foam pads. The sentiment is from the 'Birthday Buddies' set by Paper Smooches.

Challenges for this card:

• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Creative Knockouts - Sew It Up
• Little Red Wagon - Dogs
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes

Just Married!

Some good friends of mine are getting married next month, so I thought I'd better make a card for them! It's not going to be a traditional white wedding, so I didn't want to make a typical white card. I decided to make a 'wedding cake' from some snippets of patterned papers (from the 'Yours Truly' pad by Pebbles Inc). I distressed the edges of the papers, and added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. I added some adhesive pearls around the centre of each tier if the 'cake' and a paper flower to the top. The sentiment is from a set by Lili of the Valley.

Challenges for this card:

• As You Like It - Pearls or Gems (I'm not really one for 'bling' but I do like adding pearls to dress things up a little)
• Come & Get It - Use Two or More Designer Papers
• Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes
• Crafty Sentiments - CAS or Fussy & Fancy (CAS)
• Fussy & Fancy - Celebration
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Simply Create Too - Wedding
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Pile It On! Challenge - Two Patterns or Patterned Papers

We have another fun Pile It On! Challenge starting today...and the theme is:

'Use Two Patterns or Patterned Papers'

Our sponsor this month is Sami Stamps:

Prize - 3 Digi Stamps of the Winner's Choice!

In a bid to try and reduce my paper stash, I picked a couple of co-ordinating snippets of patterned papers to use on my card. The stripey one is from the 'Yours Truly' pad by Pebbles Inc, and the snowflake one is from the 'Bundled Up' pad by Crate Paper. I used them along the edges of my card blank, then added my image and sentiment on a panel over the top popped up on 3D foam pads. The image is 'Ice Dance' dog by Penny Black, and is coloured using watercolour pencils. The sentiment stamp is from a set by Lili of the Valley, and I used one of my Lawn Fawn 'Stitched Hillside' border dies to cut the curved edge.

Here are the challenges I've piled on:

• Pile It On! - Use Two Patterns or Patterned Papers
• Allsorts - Anything Christmas
• Aud Sentiments - Anything Goes with a Sentiment
• CAS on Sunday - Christmas
• Crafty Creations - Christmas
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Use  Sentiment
• Creative Moments - Anything Goes
• Hiding in my Craft Room - Any Holiday (Christmas)
• Moving Along with the Times - Christmas
• One Crazy Stamper - Fall/Winter Fun
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Pixie's Snippet's Playground - Use Snippets
• Rudolph Days - Anything Christmas
• Shopping Our Stash - Warm & Fuzzy
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Christmas to Die For

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

Old MacDonald Had a Farm...

I have a little set of 'thank you' cards to share today, featuring some farm animal stamps from a set by Kanban. I coloured them using watercolour pencils, then cut them out, and mounted them on to my cards using 3D foam pads on top of a simple background of snippets of paper from the 'Yours Truly' pad by Pebbles Inc. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Anytime Messages' set by Hero Arts.

We have, a pig:

...a cow:

...and a sheep:

Challenges for these cards:

• Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Simply Papercraft - Anything Goes
• Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes
• The Pencil Cases - Anything Goes

Pile It On! Challenge - Something Old, Something New & Something Blue

It's time for a fun new Pile It On! Challenge...where the theme this fortnight is:

'Something Old, Something New & Something Blue'

Our sponsor this month is Eureka Stamps:

Prize - 2 Digi Stamps of the Winner's Choice!

My somethings are:
Something Old - the papers
Something New - the Stamps
Something Blue - some of the papers

This sweet hot air balloon is from the 'Patch a Flight' set by Woodware...I stamped it directly on to my card blank, then paper pieced it using snippets of papers from the 'Hello Today' pad by Heidi Swapp and the 'Yours Truly' pad by Pebbles Inc. The little sentiment, heart & bird stamps are from the same stamp set.

Here are the challenges I've piled on:

• Pile It On! - Something Old, Something New & Something Blue (The papers, the stamps & the paper)
• C.R.A.F.T. - Inspired by a Film (Up!)
• Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes
• Crafting with Friends - Anything Goes
• Crafty Sentiments - Anything Goes
• Gem of a Challenge - Love & Romance
• Hiding in my Craft Room - Super Scraps
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Simply Papercraft - Anything Goes
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

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

Pile It On! Challenge - Tic-Tac-Toe

We have another fun Pile It On! Challenge starting today...the theme is:

'Tic - Tac - Toe'

Simply choose a line...vertical, horizontal or diagonal from the board below:

Our sponsor this month is Eureka Stamps:

Prize - 2 Digi Stamps of the Winner's Choice!

I picked the bottom row (Stripes - Die Cut - Bird) and used my Memory Box 'Madeleine Bird' die to cut the little bird from some snippets of Pebbles Inc 'Yours Truly' papers. I mounted the bird on 3D foam pads on to a square of white card having pierced a simple border using my CutterBee Bug. I added an adhesive pearl for the bird's eye, and a sentiment from the 'Birds & Trees' stamp set by Marion Emberson Designs.

Here are the challenges I've piled on:

• Pile It On! - Tic-Tac-Toe (Stripes - Die Cut - Bird)
• Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes
• Creative Knockouts - Anything Goes
• Fussy & Fancy - Dies/Punches
• Outside the Box - For the Birds
• Pixie's Snippet Playground - Use Snippets
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

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

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.

Rudolph!

Another Christmas card from me today...using another of the stamps from the 'Christmas Outdoors' set by Penny Black. I stamped it directly on to my card base, then coloured it using watercolour pencils, then added some sparkle to the icy ground using a Wink of Stella pen. The snippet of paper is from the 'Your's Truly' pad by Pebbles Inc, the sentiment stamp is from a Lili of the Valley set, and the little adhesive pearls are from Hobbycraft.

Challenges for this card:

• Aud Sentiments - Anything Goes Plus a Sentiment
• Clear It Out - Anything Goes
• C.R.A.F.T. - Christmas
• Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes
• Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes
• Happy Little Stampers CAS - Colouring
• Penny Black & More - Anything Goes
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Snippets
• Sweet Stamps - Anything Goes
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Guest Designer - The Crazy Challenge

I'm sharing a guest designer card for the Crazy Challenge today...where the theme is:

'Paper Piecing'

If you're a regular visitor to my blog, you'll know that this isn't a technique that I often employ...although I did do some paper piecing on this card last week...so I picked a super easy cupcake image (from the 'Cupcakes' set by Hero Arts) to use on my card! I stamped the cupcakes on to papers from the 'Yours Truly' (by Pebbles Inc) and 'Stella & Rose - Mabel' (by My Mind's Eye) pads, then carefully cut them out. I used one of my scalloped circle Nesties to cut some 'bite' marks out of the frosting of two of the cupcakes...adding a black line along the new edge using a black gel pen. I popped the cupcakes up on 3D foam pads, adding a sentiment from the same stamp set underneath each one, and some tiny adhesive pearls (from Hobbycraft) to the frosty. I used my EK Success 'Scalloped Diamonds' punch for the brown borders. 

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

• Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes
• Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Food and/or Drink

For more inspiration from the fab DT, and details of the sponsor and prize for this challenge, please pop over to the Crazy Challenge.

Mouse Candle

Today's card features a cute little Bugaboo Stamps mouse called 'Mouse Candle'. I coloured him using watercolour pencils to match the papers (a mixture of My Mind's Eye 'Merry Little Christmas' and Pebbles Inc 'Yours Truly'). I distressed the edges of the papers a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Sending Sunshine' set by Simon Says Stamp.

Challenges for this card:

• Artistic Impressions - Anything Goes with Layers
• Crafty Sentiments - Anything Goes
• Little Red Wagon - Stitching
• Love to Scrap - Anything Goes
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Favourite Product or Technique (Faux stitching)
• Stamps & Fun = Creativity - Anything Goes
• Sweet Sunday Sketch - Sketch #273

Cheesecake Parade

Today's card features a cute Penny Black stamp called 'Cheesecake Parade'...and papers from the 'Yours Truly' pad by Pebbles Inc...and not a lot else...just a little bit of distressing, and some faux stitching.

Challenges for this card:

• Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes
• Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Inspiration Colour Swatch
• Stamps & Fun = Creativity - Three Design Papers
• Wags 'N Whiskers - Lots of Layers

ABC Christmas Challenge - I is for...

We have a new ABC Christmas Challenge starting today...Lols is hosting, and the theme is:

'I is for I Love You'

Make a card featuring a 'love' sentiment...an image of a couple...or for a loved one.

We are sponsored for this challenge by Bunny Zoe's Crafts:

Prize - £10 Gift Certificate!

I've used a sweet Stampavie stamp called 'Mistletoe and Mice' by Gillian Roberts. I coloured the image using watercolour pencils and paired it with some papers from the 'Bundled Up' pad by Crate Paper (the snowflake ones) and from the 'Yours Truly' pad by Pebbles Inc (the hearts & spotty ones). I distressed the edges of the papers, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The sentiment stamp is from a Lili of the Valley set. 

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

• CCEE Stampers - Huggable Creatures
• Christmas Cards - Anything Goes
• Hiding in my Craft Room - Any Holiday
• Rudolph Days - Anything Christmas
• Top Tip Tuesday - Duo

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

Christmas Mouse Ornaments

I have another Christmas card to share today...this one is using a digi image from Bugaboo Stamps called 'Christmas Mouse Ornaments'. I coloured him using watercolour pencils...then added some sparkle to the baubles using a Sakura gel pen. The papers are from a pad by Pebbles called 'Yours Truly'...I distressed the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a white gel pen. The snowflake was cut using a Memory Box die...I also made that sparkly using the same gel pen. The twine is from the Ribbon Girls, and the brad is BasicGrey

Challenges for this card:

• Chocolate, Coffee & Cards - Use a Die Cut
• Christmas Cards All Year Round - Ornaments
• C.R.A.F.T. - Christmas
• Crafter's Cafe - Animal Antics
• Crafty Creations - Spots
• Everybody Art - Pearls
• Inky Chicks - Stitching
• Whimsy Inspires - Colour an Image
• Winter Wonderland - It's a Stitch Up!

Make a Wish

I have another 'masculine' card today...inspired by the 'Use your scraps' challenge over at Less Is More. I have quite a few paper pads...ok..rather a lot...and I keep every tiny little scrap...'cos you never now when it's going to be just the right colour/size/pattern for something or other! lol Anyway...I raided my little BasicGrey 'Archaic' pad...I've had it for years, and there aren't any full size sheets left...just scraps...of varying sizes...and cut a few stars shapes using my Nesties. I inked the edges with a little 'Brushed Corduroy' Distress Ink, and doodled border with a black gel pen. The letters are cut from a sticker set by Pebbles Inc that has been in my stash for ages...the words were not anything I'd ever use...so I thought I'd cut them up.

Challenges for this card:

• BasicGrey - Seeing Stars (The papers are from the 'Archaic' pad)
• Less is More - Use your Scraps
• Papertake Weekly - Krafty

Happy Bee-Day!

I can't believe it's already Friday again...where has the week gone?!
This card is for a few challenges: Sunday Sketch & Stamp; Cupcake Craft Challenge's 'Four-legged and furry'; and Pollycrafts Challenge's 'Things with Wings'. The image is 'Bee Costume' by Penny Black, the paisley paper is Pebbles Inc, I used my Cuttlebug 'Perfect Paisley' folder for the embossing, and the sentiment stamp is by Stampendous.

Jingle Bells

The Penny Black Saturday Challenge is having a 'Countdown to Christmas' blog hop this week...so naturally I had to join in the fun and make a card for their 'Winter Wonderland' themed challenge. I used the sketch from this week's Friday Sketchers Challenge, and also managed to squeeze in a few other challenge themes on to my card: the Allsorts Challenge to use a 'Christmas Song Title' (in my case 'Jingle Bells'); the Creative Inspirations 'Sparkle' challenge (I covered the snowflakes have been coated with glamour dust, and I used Stickles on the hedgie's hats and snow); and the One Stop Craft Challenge's 'Snowflakes' theme. The sledging hedgies image is from the 'Christmas Critters' set (of course by Penny Black), and the paper is by Pebbles Inc. I embossed the blue card using my Cuttlebug 'Snow Dots' folder, then highlighted the detail with a white chalk inkpad. The snowflakes were cut using the Cuttlebug 'Ice Crystal' die, the sentiment stamp is by Studio G, pearl brad is Papermania, and the ribbon, and 'jingle bells' are from Hobbycraft.

Friday Sketchers #66

There's a fab sketch for this week's Friday Sketchers Challenge...which I've used to make another Christmas card. The image is from the 'Holly-Jolly' set by Penny Black...I just love their cute snowmen ;0) The papers are by Pebbles Inc, and the snowflakes were cut using the Cuttlebug 'Snowflakes #2' die...and I couldn't resist adding a little bit of sparkle to the centre of each one. There's a touch of Woodware 'Fluffy Stuff' on the bobble on his hat, and underneath where he's standing.

ABC Challenge - W is for...

This week over on the ABC Challenge we've reached the letter W which stands for 'Windows'.
The first thing I thought of when I saw this week's theme was a window in the form of a 'Shaker Card'. In keeping with the 'Window' theme, I wanted to use an 'outdoor' image, to try and make it appear as though you were looking at it out of the window. I chose 'Let it snow' (by Penny Black)...so yes...it's yet another Christmas card! lol
I made a 'window frame' from a piece of card, fixing a piece of acetate on the reverse, then added strips of 3D foam along the edges, put some snowflake confetti (from the £ Shop) in the centre, before attaching my coloured image. I then mounted my 'Window' on to my card blank, which I'd covered with Pebbles Inc paper.


The snowflakes look pink in the photo above, but they're actually clear with a sort of 'two tone' coating. In the photo below (taken from a different angle), you can see the 'other' green colour:


As ever, don't forget to check out the other design team members blogs for more inspiration...including our newest member Dawn...welcome to the gang!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

This week's Winter Wonderland Challenge is to create a card using 'Christmas Carols' as our inspiration. Now, as a music teacher, I have a 'love/hate' relationship with Christmas music...I do love Christmas songs and carols, and I love the way that the children get so enthusiastic about learning to play their favourite Christmas songs...but, I hate the fact that they all want to start playing them in September (aarrgghh!!!!), in order to have them perfect for their Christmas concerts! lol

I used the fab sketch from the Inspirational Card Sketches Challenge for my layout, and have overdosed on snowflakes for my 'Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!' card. The image, called 'Let it Snow!' (well, I just had to use it didn't I?! lol), and the sentiment, are both by Penny Black, and the papers are by Pebbles Inc. I used the Cuttlebug 'Snowflakes' folder on the plain white card, and also on the light blue card, above the sentiment, which I stamped and embossed three times. For a touch of sparkle, I added some Stickles glitter glue to the snowflakes and around the edge of the puddle on the image, and a glitter snowflake brad, by Dovecraft.