Falling Sparkles

Today's card features a background stamp from Stamps by Chloe called 'Falling Sparkles' that I got from a charity shop earlier this week. I stamped it onto purple card using Versamark ink, then heat embossed it using 'Magical Mauve' embossing glitter from WOW. I matted it onto some purple mirror card, then added a sentiment cut using a Tonic Studios die from more of the purple mirror card. This is so sparkly and shiny in real life, but a real pain to photograph!

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• I Spy with My Little Eye - Something Monochrome
• Little Red Wagon - Make Your Own Background
• Rudolph Days - Anything Christmas Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes

Burst into Bloom

I have a simple sympathy card to share today, made using a lovely floral stamp from Woodware called 'Burst into Bloom. I stamped it onto a piece of navy card using Versamark ink, then heat embossed it using metallic silver embossing powder from WOW. I heat embossed a sentiment, using one of the stamps from the 'Go To Words' set by Visible Image, in silver to match, then coloured the flowers using watercolour pencils. I matted it onto some silver mirror card, distressing all of the edges, before adding it to a white card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• CAS on Friday - Sympathy
• Crafty Gals Corner - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes

Cheerful Flowers

I have a bright & cheerful birthday card to share today, which features a lovely floral stamp that I picked up from a charity shop...it's an unmounted grey rubber stamp, and it was not in its original packaging, so I have no idea what it is! I stamped it, along with a sentiment from the 'Go To Words' set by Visible Image, onto watercolour paper using Versamark ink, then heat embossed it all using metallic gold embossing powder from WOW. I coloured the flowers using watercolour pencils, then matted it onto some gold mirror card, distressing all of the edges, before adding it to a kraft card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• As You Like It - Brights or Pastels (Bright colours for me - I love how cheerful they look)
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Feminine
• We Love Stamping - Spring

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

Snowflake Edges

I have a pair of simple Christmas cards to share today, made using stamps from the 'Snowflake Edges' set by Simon Says Stamp. I stamped the borders, with one of the sentiments in between, onto smooth white card using Versamark ink, then heat embossed it all using metallic silver embossing powder. I coloured the snowflakes using mica pigments mixed with a little bit of water, then distressed the edges before adding them to card blanks.

The snowflakes are really shiny in real life, but terrible to photograph:

Challenges for these cards:

• As You Like It - Simple or Fussy (Simple for me - especially Christmas cards so that they are cheaper to post!)
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Fab 'N' Funky - Clean & Simple
• Krafty Chicks - CAS

Floral Garden

Today's card features a lovely stamp from Simon Says Stamp called 'Floral Garden'. I stamped it, and a sentiment using a stamp from the 'Go To Words' set by Visible Image, onto smooth white card using Versamark ink, then heat embossed it all using metallic gold embossing powder from WOW. The floral stamp is huge - there's quite a large portion below the section shown on my card. I coloured the image using a mixture of mica pigments and Cosmic Shimmers watercolour paints. I distressed the edges a little before adding it to a card blank.

It's super shiny - this is what it looks like when the light hits it:

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - In the Garden
• Creative Knockouts - Embossing Delight
• Seize the Birthday - Make a Spring Garden
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Bright & Cheerful
• Stamping Sensations - Inspired by Nature

Bringing Gifts

Today's card features stamps from a Woodware set called 'Bringing Gifts' that I won a little while ago over at the Snippets Playground. I stamped them onto a piece of marble effect paper from a pad from The Range using Versamark ink, then heat embossed them all using metallic gold embossing powder from WOW. I inked around the edges of the paper using 'Dusty Concord' and 'Chipped Sapphire' Distress Inks, then matted it onto some gold mirror card, distressing all of the edges, before adding it to an A5 white card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Jingle Belles - We Three Kings (I know that my three of a kind didn't need to actually be 'Kings' , but I couldn't resist!)
• Just Us Girls - Emboss
• Krafty Chicks - Christmas
• Merry Little Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes

ABC Christmas Challenge - E, F & G are for?

It's the second Wednesday of a new month, so that means it's time for a new ABC Christmas Challenge...Carol is the host, and the themes are:

'E is for Elves'

'F is for Foliage'

&

'G is for Gems'

The prize for the lucky winner is these two stamp sets:

For my 'E is for Elves' card, I used a sweet Penny Black stamp called 'Bauble Balance'. I stamped it, along with the matching sentiment from the set, onto watercolour paper, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I distressed the edges a little, then added it to a kraft card blank.

For my 'F is for Foliage' card, I started by stamping a lovely background stamp by Julie Hickey called 'Holly Jolly Christmas' onto a snippet of black card using Versamark ink, then heat embossed it using metallic gold embossing powder from WOW. I stamped and heat embossed a sentiment, from the 'Festive Phrases' set by Funky Fossil, in gold, on another snippet of black card to match, then coloured all of the leaves and berries using Cosmic Shimmers mica pigments mixed with a little water. I distressed the edges, then layered the sentiment on top, before adding it to a white card blank.

For my 'G is for Gems' card, I went all out with the bling! I used a Woodware stamp called 'Trio of Trees', stamping it onto some smooth white card, then coloured it using watercolour pencils (although I didn't use any water). I added a sentiment, using a stamp from the 'Wintertime Messages' set by Hero Arts, then carefully placed adhesive gems onto the trees - there were little 'circles' representing trim or lights strung around each tree. I matted it onto some green card, then added it to a white card blank.

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

• Allsorts - Anything Goes (Second card only)
• Aud Sentiments - Glitter/Bling and/or St. Patrick's Green + Sentiment (Third card only)
• Christmas Cards All Year Round - E & F are for (Elf & Foliage - First & Second cards only)
• Fab 'N' Funky - Shades of Green (Third card only)
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes (Second card only)
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes (First card only)
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - A Bit O'Green (Third card only)
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Make It Cute (First card only)

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

Poppy Border

Today's card features a stamp that my Mum found in a charity shop, called 'Poppy Border' by Stamps by Chloe. I stamped it onto smooth white card using Versamark ink, then heat embossed it using 'Metallic Gold' embossing powder from WOW. I added a sentiment, using a stamp from the 'Go To Words' set by Visible Image, embossing that in gold to match. I coloured the poppies using a red Cosmic Shimmers pigment mixed with a little water, then matted the panel onto some gold mirror card, distressing the edges a little, before adding it to a white card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Embossing
• Beautiful Blossoms - Anything Goes
• Crafts Galore Encore - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Creative Moments - Feminine
• Moving Along with the Times - Floral
• Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes
• We Love Stamping - Anything Goes

ABC Christmas Challenge - C & D 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:

'C is for Crimson' (Red)

&

'D is for Ding Dong' (Bells)

The prize for the lucky winner is this stamp and coordinating die set:

For my 'C is for Crimson' card, I picked a cute Penny Black stamp called 'Jolly Xmas Kitty'. I stamped him directly onto a white card, along with a sentiment (also by Penny Black), then coloured him using watercolour pencils...giving him a 'Crimson' hat.

For my 'D is for Ding Dong' card, I used stamps from a Sheena Douglas stamp set called 'A Little Bit Festive Silver Bells'. I stamped the image and sentiment onto a panel on navy blue card using Versamark ink, then heat embossed it using 'Metallic Silver' embossing powder from WOW, before adding it to a DL white card blank.

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

• A Perfect Time to Craft - Anything Goes (Second card only)
• Allsorts - Anything Goes (First card only)
• CAS on Friday - Anything Goes (First card only)
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes (First card only)
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes (Second card only)
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes (First card only)

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

Christmas Candlelight

I have a Christmas card to share today, made using one of the stamps from the Penny Black 'Candlelight' set that I got for Christmas. I stamped it onto a snippet of black card using Versamark ink, along with a sentiment using a stamp from an old Lili of the Valley set, then heat embossed them using metallic gold embossing powder from WOW. I coloured the image using Cosmic Shimmers watercolour paints, then matted it onto a snippet of gold mirror card before adding it to a white card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• C.R.A.F.T. - Christmas/First Christmas
• Crafts Galore Encore - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Jingle Belles - Something Old, Something New (Old - sentiment stamp, New - bauble stamp)
• Little Red Wagon - Keep It Simple
• Love to Scrap - Anything Goes
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Stamping Sensations - Something Beginning with B (Branch & Bauble)

Butterfly Thank You

Today's card features a lovely Stamps by Chloe butterfly stamp called 'Butterfly Cascade' that I got for Christmas. I stamped it onto smooth white card using Versamark ink, along with a sentiment using a  stamp from the 'Big Messages' set by Paula Pascual, then heat embossed them using 'Metallic Silver' embossing powder form WOW. I coloured the butterflies using a mixture of Cosmic Shimmers watercolour paints, and Cosmic Shimmers pigments mixed with a little water, then matted it onto some silver mirror card before adding it to a white card blank.

Here's another angle that shows the shimmer a little better:

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Aud Sentiments - Anything Goes + a Sentiment
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Something New (The butterfly stamp is new)
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Something New (The butterfly stamp is new)
• Stamping Sensations - Something Beginning with 'B' (Butterflies)
• We Love Stamping - Something New (The butterfly stamp is new)

Favourite Five Cards 2025

As has become traditional on New Year's Eve, I'm sharing my favourite five cards of this year. As I look back through my blog posts, I always find it interesting to see if any themes have emerged in my cardmaking over the course of the year. Whilst there are still plenty of cute critter cards, I used more die cuts this year, and my cards have become increasingly clean and simple.

All of the photos are linked to the original blog post, so please click through for more information.

My first card is from February, and features (unusually for me) die cuts as the main focus. I love the modern shape of these floral dies...and they're great for using up little snippets of card & paper!

My second card is from May, and features several things that I love (and usually make it onto at least one of my favourite cards each year) - Distress inks, gold embossing and the big butterfly stamp!

My next card is actually a bookmark...I'm an avid reader, and always like to have plenty of bookmarks handy...and they're a great way to use up offcuts of card! This one features a favourite floral stamp, and Cosmic Shimmers that I've used many times this year.

Of course, there's a Penny Black image amongst my favourites, and the next card, from August, features a 'new to me' stamp called 'Surprise!' I also love the colour in these floral papers.

My final card is from November, and although I've made a lot of one layer cards this year, I love the effect the added layer gives on this CAS card.

I'm going to link up this post over at Ellie's I Spy With My Little Eye - Favourite Creations of the Year.

I posted my Favourite Five Christmas Cards here last week, if you'd like to take a look.

Finally, thanks to everyone who has visited and taken the time to comment on my blog this year - I wish you all the very best for the New Year!

Bauble Branch

Today's card features stamps from a new Penny Black set called 'Candlelight' that I received for Christmas. I stamped the image and sentiment onto some black card, using Versamark ink, then heat embossed them with 'Metallic Gold' embossing powder from WOW. I coloured the image using a mixture of Cosmic Shimmers watercolour paints and mica pigments (mixed with a little water). I matted the panel onto some gold mirror card, then added it to a DL card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Peace on Earth Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Sparkle & Shine
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Add a Sentiment
• Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes
• We Love Stamping - Anything Goes

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!

Signs of the Season

Today's card was made using the other elements of the prize I won over at the Allsorts Challenge recently...a set of clear stamps and matching dies set from Oakwood Archer called 'Signs of the Season'. I started by stamping the large star onto some teal card using Versamark ink, then heat embossing it using metallic silver embossing powder from WOW before using the coordinating die to cut it out. I then used the edge dies to cut the side panels from some more teal card, adding an embossed sentiment using a stamp from the 'Christmas Hats' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company, then layered all the elements over some silver mirror card. 

Challenges for this card:

• A Perfect Time to Craft - Anything Goes
• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• C.R.A.F.T. - Christmas
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Krafty Chicks - Christmas

ABC Christmas Challenge - Y & Z are for?

We have a fun new ABC Christmas Challenge starting today...Helene is the host, and the themes are:

'Y is for Yummy'

&

'Z is for Zebra'

(Stripes and/or Black & White)

The prize for the lucky winner is these Chocolate Baroque and Woodware stamps:

For my 'Y is for Yummy' card, I used a Christmas Pudding stamp from Personal Impressions, stamping it onto a snippet of watercolour paper, along with a sentiment using a stamp from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. For the background, I used snippets of pudding-covered paper from the 'Peppermint Forest' pad by Craftwork Cards, trimming them into squares. I distressed all of the edges, then added faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen, then matted the pudding image onto a snippet of kraft card, then the paper squares onto some pink card before adding it to a kraft card blank.

For my 'Z is for Zebra' card, I went with the 'Stripes' option, choosing a piece of silver stripey paper from the 'Silent Night' pad by First Edition for my background, and matted it onto some silver mirror card. I took one of the 'plainish' pieces of paper from the same pad, and stamped the largest snowflake from a Stampendous set called 'Delicate Snowflakes' onto it using Versamark ink, then heat embossed it using metallic silver embossing powder from WOW. Using the matching die, I cut out the snowflake, then added it onto the stripey background using some 3D foam pads.

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

• Addicted to CAS - Metallic (Second card only)
• Allsorts - Anything Goes (First card only)
• CAS on Friday - (Second card only)
• Christmas Kickstart - Anything Christmassy (First card only)
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes (Second card only)
• Creative Inspirations - 'Tis the Season (First card only)
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets (First card only)
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Use Dies (Second card only)

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