Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Trees/Nature

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:

'Trees or Nature'

We are sponsored for this challenge by:

1-2-3 Stitch!:

Prize - a $20 voucher

I have a little collection of Christmas tree stamps...and picked 'Before the Snow' to use on my cards. I started by spritzing a piece of card with water, then stamped my tree several times using 'Peeled Paint' and 'Forest Moss' Distress Inks. Then I watercoloured the 'sky' background using 'Stormy Sky' and 'Faded Jeans' Distress Inks. Once the card had dried, I stamped the tress again over the top in the same colours to give a clearer impression. Then, I simply added a sentiment (from the 'Handwritten Christmas Messages' set by Lili of the Valley), distressed the edges a little, then matted using black card. I made two cards...just in case I messed up the stamping, but I think they both turned out ok...and that means two more Christmas cards for the pile, which is always good!

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

• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Extra - Anything Goes
• Fab 'N Funky - Christmas
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• Winter Wonderland - Clean & Simple

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

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.

Watercolour Blooming Meadows

I have a watercolour -y card to share today...using one of my favourite stamps...'Blooming Meadows' by Hero Arts. I started by inking up my stamp using 'Milled Lavender', 'Dusty Concord', 'Bundled Sage' & 'Forest Moss' Distress Inks...then stamping them on to a piece of card spritzed with water to make a blurry background. I then allowed the card to dry, before stamping over the top to get a clearer image. I distressed the edges a little, matting my stamped panel on to a piece of co-odinating scrap card, and adding a sentiment (from the 'Big Messages' set by Paula Pascual).

Challenge for this card:

• Artistic Stamper - Flora & Fauna
• Corrosive - Floral Fantasy
• Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes
• Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes
• Creative Card Crew - Use a Sentiment
• Creative Inspirations - Anything Goes
• Cute Card Thursday - Clean & Simple
• Incy Wincy - Faux Techniques (Watercolour stamping)
• Loves Rubber Stamps - Add Flowers
• Paper Creator Crafts - Flowers
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Clean & Simple
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Snowball Penguins

I have another Christmas card to share today...using another Bugaboo Stamps digi image...this one is called Snowball Penguins'. I coloured the image using watercolour pencils, then added some sparkle to the snowballs using a Sakura Stardust pen. For the background, I used one of my favourite Cuttlebug folders, then simply added some multicolour twine (from TKMaxx) and a Lili of the Valley sentiment.

Challenges for this card:

• Creatalicious - Embossing
• Creative Knockouts - Texture
• Papertake Weekly - Cute as a Button (I went with the 'just cute' option)
• Shopping Our Stash - Texture Me (I bought this folder when I first got my Cuttlebug...can't remember when that was exactly, but it was before I started blogging, so at least 6 years ago!)
• Simon Says Stamp - Make Your Own Background 
• Top Tip Tuesday - Three of Something (Three Penguins)

Pile It On! Challenge - April Showers Bring May Flowers

We have a new Pile It On! Challenge starting today...and the theme is:

'April Showers Bring May Flowers'

Our sponsor for this challenge is Sami Stamps:

Prize - 3 Digis of the winner's choice!

I used a cute Penny Black stamp called 'Rainin' Daisies'...which I coloured using watercolour pencils. I stamped directly on to my card blank to make a super quick card...simply adding a sentiment (from a Papermania set) and a simple border.

Here are the challenges I piled on:

• Pile It On! - April Showers Bring May Flowers
• Allsorts - Quick & Simple
• Aud Sentiments - Birthday Sentiment or Number 5
• Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes
• Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes
• Crafty Sentiments - Anything Goes
• Crazy - Spring Time
• Fussy & Fancy - Springtime Flowers
• Gem of a Challenge - Spring is in the Air
• Hiding in my Craft Room - Freestyle
• My Time to Craft - Umbrellas
• Seize the Birthday - Anything Birthday
• The Stamping Boutique - Spring
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes
• Wags 'N Whiskers - Flowers

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

ABC Christmas Challenge - H is for...

We have anew ABC Christmas Challenge starting today...Dorte is the host, and the theme is:

'H is for Happy Christmas/Happy Holidays Sentiment'

If you don't have anything suitable, my lovely teamie Samantha has created some freebie sentiments for you to download and use :0)

We are sponsored for this challenge by our very own Lacey and her Stamp & Create Store:

Prize - a $20 gift certificate for Stamp & Create!

I made a couple of simple cards using a inked up off-cut of card...one of those bits you get when you cut a square card from a piece of A4. I 'splodged' various shades of blue Distress Inks on to a messy mat (Salty Ocean, Tumbled Glass, Faded Jeans, Stormy Sky & Chipped Sapphire) then spritzed my piece of card with water before laying it on the inks. I dried it using my heat gun, then heat embossed the snowflakes (a Hero Arts stamp) using white embossing powder. Finally, I spritzed over the top using some gold Cosmic Shimmer pigment mixed in a spray bottle with a little water.

I used a strip of the inked card on the first card...simply adding a 'Happy Christmas' sentiment (from the Woodware 'Bubble Tree' set) underneath:

On the second card, I cut the card down into three squares...again adding the same sentiment:

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

• Cute Card Thursday - Blue
• Incy Wincy - Embossing Wet or Dry (The snowflakes are heat embossed)
• Rudolph Days - Anything Goes
• Sparkle N Sprinkle - Anything Goes
• Stampavie & More - Favourite Colours (My favourite colour is blue)

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

Happy Birthday Mum!

It's my Mum's birthday today...and this is the card that I made for her. I've used an older Lili of the Valley stamp called 'Gift Wrapped', which I coloured using watercolour pencils. The papers are from the 'Indie Chic' pad by My Mind's Eye...I distressed the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The sentiment is from the Hero Arts 'Cupcakes' set, the flowers are by Prima, and the brad is BasicGrey.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Bingo (Brads - Die Cuts - Stitching)
• Crafty Catz - Two or More Patterned Papers
• Crazy 4 Challenges - Pets
• In the Pink - Celebration
• Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes with Optional Bunny Rabbit
• Penny Black & More - Birthdays
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Stamping Sensations - Pretty in Pink
• Sweet Stamps - Pink

Pop-ular Fun!

I have a House Mouse card to share today...using a stamp that I think is called 'Pop-ular Fun'. I coloured it using watercolour pencils to match the colours of the My Mind's Eye 'Chalk Studio Basics' papers. I inked around the edges of everything using 'Pumice Stone' Distress Ink, then distressed them a little before adding faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Big Messages' set by Paula Pascual, and the brds are BasicGrey.

Challenges for this card:

• Clear It Out - Anything Goes
• Creatalicious - Anything Goes
• Creative Knockouts - Birthday Wishes
• Cutie Pie - All About the Boys
• House Mouse & Friends - Use a Birthday Sentiment
• Pink Elephant - Pastel Colours

Brown Paper Packages...

I have a gift tag to show you today...it's my Mum's birthday on Monday, so this tag was to go on her present...I always wrap everything in plain brown parcel paper:

I stamped one of the cupcakes from the Hero Arts 'Cupcakes' set on to a tag (from Hobbycrafts)...coloured the icing and cherry using watercolour pencils...and paper pieced the paper case using a scrap of My Mind's Eye paper (from the 'Ooh La La for Her' pad). I added some shading (using watercolour pencils) to the paper case, then sparkle to the icing (with 'Tiara' Stickles), and some Glossy Accents to the cherry. Finally, I added a sentiment from the same stamp set and tied it on to my parcel using some Baker's twine (from the Ribbon Girl).

Challenges for this tag:

• Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes
• My Craft Creations - Anything Goes
• My Time to Craft - Get Krafty!
• Open-Minded Crafting - Food Related
• Sweet Stampin' - Paper Piecing

Bronson & Beaker Star Gazing

I had a good rummage through my image box the other day, and came across this old Pollycrafts digi called 'Bronson & Beaker Star Gazing' that I just had to colour up. I used papers from the 'Silent Night' pad by First Edition...I distressed the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

Challenges for this card:

• ABC Challenge - Go Digital (The image is my digital element)
• Christmas Cards - Polar Hues
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Cute & Cuddly
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Extra - Anything Goes
• Holly Jolly Christmas - Feature a Creature
• Pink Elephant - Pastel Colours
• Sparkles Forum - Teddy Bears
• Winter Wonderland - Let it Snow!

James & Butterflies

I have a card using a cute Lili of the Valley stamp...'James & Butterflies'...that I've had for quite some time, but to my shame I think that this weekend saw it's first inking! I combined him with some Spring-y coloured papers (from the 'Sweet Girl' by Crate Paper), and some Prima flowers that have been in my stash for years! The sentiment stamp is from the 'Cupcakes set by Hero Arts, and the brads are by BasicGrey.

Challenges for this card:

• Animal Friends - Happy Birthday
• Digi Sketch - Furry Friends
• Pink Elephant - Pastel Colours
• Ribbon Girls - Pastel Colours
• Simon Says Stamp - Happy Birthday
• Sparkles Forum - Teddy Bears

Agapanthus Clusters

I have an 'inky' card to share today...using 'Agapanthus Clusters' by Stampenous. I inked up the stamp using Distress Inks (Faded Jeans, Chipped Sapphire, Crushed Olive & Forest Moss), then stamped it a couple of times (without re-inking in between) on to wet card. Once the card had dried, I stamped it a few more times (once again ithout re-inking) over the top to give a more detailed impression. Then I simply added a sentiment (from the Hero Arts 'Fabulous Birthday' set) and distressed the edges a little before mounting it on to my card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Artistic Impressions - Anything Goes with Flowers
• Card Mania - Flowers
• Crafty Sentiments - Lots of Flowers
• Crazy - Floral
• Loves Rubber Stamps - Anything Goes
• Penny Black & More - Birthdays
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - A is for ? (Agapanthus)
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Happy Birthday
• Sweet Stamps - Flowers

Chalkboard Birthday

I have a card inspired by this week's 'Predominantly Black' challenge over at Less is More to share today. I used lots of birthday sentiment stamps...from far too many sets to mention, but there's a mixture of Hero Arts, Penny Black, Simon Says Stamp, Paula Pascual & Studio G. I heat embossed them in white, then added a doodled border using a white gel pen, before blending a little 'Picket Fence' Distress Stain' over the top to create a chalkboard effect.

Challenges for this card:

• Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes
• Crafty Calendar - Add a Sentiment
• Less is More - Predominantly Black
• Penny Black & More - Birthdays
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Happy Birthday

Pile It On! Challenge - Dies and/or Punches

This week at the Pile It On! Challenge, we want to see you use your:

'Dies and/or Punches'

Our sponsor for this challenge is Doctor Digi's House of Stamps:

Prize - 2 digis of the winner's choice!

I've made this card for the daughter of a friend of mine who will be turning two at the end of next week...using a cute Lili of the Valley stamp called 'The Lost Balloon'...she has a 'bit of a thing' for bunnies...and it's perfect for combining with my Die-namics 'Balloons' die. I coloured the image using watercolour pencils to match the papers ('Bake a Cake' by Jennifer Ellory that came free with a craft magazine), and doodled some simple borders around everything using a black gel pen. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Cupcakes' set by Hero Arts, I used my Cuttlebug 'Olivia' alphabet dies to cut the number '2', the twine is from the Ribbon Girls, and the brad (tethering the die cut balloons to the card) is by BasicGrey.

Here are the challenges I've piled on:

• Pile It On! - Dies/Punches
• Animal Friends - Birthday
• As You Like It - Lines or No Lines (Definitely lines...so much easier to colour!)
• Aud Sentiments - Anything Goes Plus a Sentiment
• Cards Galore Encore - Make a Card
• Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes
• Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes
• Crafty Calendar - Add a Sentiment
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Crafty Creations - Anything Goes
• Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper - Anything Goes
• Creative Corner - Animal Fun
• Creative Inspirations - Anything Goes
• Everybody Art - Anything Goes
• One Crazy Stamper - Anything Goes
• Penny's Paper Crafting - Anything Goes
• Pink Elephant - Anything Goes
• Seize the Birthday - Anything Birthday
• Simon Says Stamp - Happy Birthday
• 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 - Easter and/or Chocolate Brown

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:

'Easter and/or Chocolate Brown'

We are sponsored for this challenge by:

1-2-3 Stitch!:

Prize - a $20 voucher

I combined the Easter theme with the Chocolate Brown colour theme on my Easter treat bag. I used 'Bun Bun'...colouring the bunnies 'chocolate brown'...and papers from the 'Recollections' pad by Michaels. I distressed all of the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutteBee Bug and a black gel pen, and a Hero Arts sentiment.

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

• 2 Cute Ink - Easter
• 4 Crafty Chicks - Easter
• Allsorts - Easter
• Corrosive - Hop into Spring
• Crafting for All Seasons - Animal Magic
• Fab 'N Funky - Lots of Layers
• Little Red Wagon - Call the Vet
• Papertake Weekly - Take Your Pick (Easter Treat Holder)
• Shopping Our Stash - Faux Techniques (Stitching)
• That Craft Place - Easter/Spring

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

Spring Chick Easter Treat Bag

I have another Easter treat bag to share today...using 'Spring Chick' by Penny Black, which I coloured using watercolour pencils. The cloudy sky background is a paper from the '72 & Sunny' pad by We R Memory Keepers, and the green papers are from a pad by Heidi Grace...I used my Die-namics 'Grassy Edges' and 'Picket Fence' dies to cut the grass and fence.

Challenges for this bag:

• Allsorts - Feature a Creature
• Crafter's Cafe - Easter
• Crazy 4 Challenges - Spring
• Creative Knockouts - Die Cut/Punch Frenzy
• Creative Moments - Anything Goes/Anything but a Card
• My Time to Craft - Easter Animals
• Sweet Stampin' - Easter
• Sweet Stamps - Anything but a Card

ABC Christmas Challenge - G is for...

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

'G is for Glitter'

We are sponsored for this challenge by The East Wind:

Prize - 3 Digital Images!

I made a couple of  super simple cards using die cuts and glitter card by Core'dinations. The letters were cut using Cuttlebug 'Olivia' alpabet dies, and the snowflakes are a die from the 'Reindeer' stamp & die set by Sizzix/Hero Arts.

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

• Christmas Cards - Anything Goes
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Stick It (I got out my old Xyron sticker maker to stick down my die cut letters)
• Hiding in my Craft Room - Any Holiday (Christmas)
• Simply Create Too - Anything Goes

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