Penny Black Calendar 2016

I have a Penny Black calendar to share today...every year I decorate a few of the Paper Mill 'Create a Calendar' blanks for Christmas gifts...this is the one that I made for my Mum. This calendar is one of the A4 size ones...and I mounted each month on to kraft card cut to A6, so that once the calendar is finished it can be recycled into a set of simple cards. The images are all by Penny Black...I kept the layout very simple with a little doodling, and the papers are a real mixture (American Crafts, Bo Bunny, Crate Paper, Dovecraft, My Mind's Eye & Studio Calico). Apologies for the rather dark photos...these were taken on Boxing Day when the weather was dull and grey :0(

Challenges for this calendar:

• As You Like It - Favourite Paper or Non-Paper (Definitely paper...the possibilities are endless...and so is my stash ;0))
• C.R.A.F.T. - Not a Card
• Creative Moments - Anything Goes with a Twist of New Beginnings
• Inky Chicks - Anything Goes
• Inky Impressions - All Things New (New Year)
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Inky Butterflies

I have a couple of inky cards to share today...made using the 'smooshing' technique that's the theme of this month's Happy Little Stampers CAS Challange. It's not something I'd tried before, before it looked like fun...so I got out my Distress Inks and had a play. I started by stamping one of the butterflies from my Penny Black 'Social Butterfly' set on to watercolour paper using Versark ink, along with a Hero Arts sentiment stamp, then heat embossed them in white. I used a couple of different colour combinations...greeny blues (Cracked Pistachio, Mermaid Lagoon & Peacock Feathers) and orangey yellows (Wild Honey, Spiced Marmalade & Picked Raspberry)...pressing the inkpads onto a  craft mat and spritzing with a little water before 'smooshing' my embossed images into the colours a few times. I dried each layer using my heat gun before adding the next, and finally splattered some water over the top, leaving it a little while before sponging off so as to remove some of the colour underneath, leaving little faded spots.

Here are some close-ups of the two cards:

Challenges for these cards:

• Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes
• Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes
• Crafting for All Seasons - Monochrome
• Fab 'N Funky - Something New ('Smooshing' technique)
• Happy Little Stampers CASE the Designer - CASE Kylie's Card (The yellow/orange card)
• Happy Little Stampers CAS - Ink Smooshing
• Moving Along with the Times - Spots & Dots
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Something New ('Smooshing' technique)
• Sparkle 'N Sprinkle - Anything Goes with Loose Glitter or Embossing Powder
• Wags 'N Whiskers - Anything Goes

Pile It On! - Something Beginning with...

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

'Use something beginning with the initial of your first name'

We're changing things up over at Pile It On! and from today, our challenges our challenging to every other Sunday...so you have twice as long to join in the fun!

My first name begins with an 'H' so I picked a cute Penny Black hedgehog stamp to use on my card...this little guy is called 'To cake moment'. I simply coloured him using watercolour pencils, then fussy cut him out. He looked a little bit swamped on even my little A6 sized card, so I cut a smaller panel to mat him on, and pierced some holes (another 'H') around the edges using my CutterBee Bug. I added a sentiment (pieced from one that says 'seize the cupcake' from the Hero Arts 'Cupcakes' set) stamped on to a die cut speech bubble (cut using a die from a Sizzix Thinlits set for Craft Asylum).

Here are the challenges I've piled on::

• Pile It On! - Use Something Beginning with the Initial of your First Name (Hedgehog & Holes)
• Addicted to CAS - Cake
• Creative Knockouts - Anything Goes
• Fantasy Stampers - Birthday
• Seize the Birthday - Anything Birthday
• Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes with a Die

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

ABC Christmas Challenge - A is for...

It's time for not just a new ABC Christmas Challenge...but the start of a brand new alphabet! That's right...we're starting our seventh (!!!) trip through the alphabet...and we have a nice & easy theme for you:

'A is for Anything Goes!'

(Well, anything Christmas, that is!)

Our sponsor for this challenge is Sami Stamps:

Prize - $12 Gift Certificate!

I had another play with the oil pastels that I received for Christmas...and cased this card by Kristina Werner. However, things didn't go entirely to plan...and despite carefully ensuring that all of the edges of my masking tape were firmly secured, my watercolours seeped underneath it, so that when I removed the tape once the paint had dried, instead of the crisp straight lines that Kristina had...my trees all had fluffy edges! Nevermind...I actually kind of like how they turned out, although I had to trim one of the pieces down, as the paint had leaked too much. I doodled on some decorations...adding a touch of gold using some Cosmic Shimmer pigment mixed with water. I added a sentiment (from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous), then matted them on to gold & green.

Here are some close-ups of the two cards:

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

• Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes
• Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Extra - Anything Goes
• Crafty Sentiments - Anything Goes
• Crimbo Crackers - Anything Goes
• That Craft Place - Anything Goes
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

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

Irises

I have a pair of cards to share today...made using my new Prima oil pastels, and a much neglected Penny Black stamp simply called 'Irises'. I coloured directly on to the stamp with the pastels, then spritzed over the stamp with water to blend the colours together before stamping. The colours are quite pigmented, so I was able to get two really clear impressions from the one 'inking'. I then stamped a music background stamp (by BasicGrey & Hero Arts) inked with 'Old Paper' Distress Ink over the top...I only inked the edges of the stamp, so that it didn't go too much over the flowers. I blended some more 'Old Paper' over the whole thing, and some 'Dusty Concord' around the edges, before distressing the edges a little. I added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a white gel pen, and a die cut sentiment (the 'hello' is from a Craft Asylum set of Sizzix Thinlits, and the 'thanks' is from the Cuttlebug 'Olivia' alphabet set.

Challenges for these cards:

• Allsorts - What's New? (The oil pastels I used for stamping)
• Artistic Stamper - Anything Goes
• Come & Get It - Something New (The oil pastels I used for stamping)
• Crafty Friends - Use Something New (The oil pastels I used for stamping)
• One Crazy Stamper - Anything Goes
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Snippets (I cut the sentiments from snippets)
• Sweet Stampin' - Something New (The oil pastels I used for stamping)
• Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes with a Die

YOUR most commented & viewed cards from 2015

I'm shamefully copying my lovely PBSC DT buddy Nat with post...who in turn *borrowed* the idea from Coops...in sharing the cards from my blog which YOU liked the most last year! Unlike my favourite five cards of 2015 (which I shared here a couple of days ago), these are the ones that received the most comments and views from my bloggy visitors. For each month, the first card is the one with the most comments, and the second card is the one with most views (although, these coincided for some months) - I've also linked each photo to the original post on my blog, so please click through if you ant any details. 

January

One card for most comments & views

February

March

April

May

One card for most views & comments

June

Three cards tied for the most comments, but this one also had the most views for the month

July

August

September

Three cards tied for most comments, but this set also had the most views for the month

October

One post for most views & comments

November

One card for most views & comments

December

One card for most views & comments

I urge you all to take a little time to look back through the statistics for your own blog posts - it was so interesting to see which cards got the most comments/views last year...a very different selection from my own favourites...in fact only one of my favourite five cards is in this selection too!

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Anything Goes

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:

'Anything Goes'

We are sponsored for this challenge by:

1-2-3 Stitch!:

Prize - a $20 voucher

There are a few changes happening at the Penny Black Saturday Challenge...including a mini makeover...so please take a few moments to stop be there and check them out.

I've made an easel card shaped calendar which I plan to use to keep track of all my design team projects, to (hopefully!) help avoid last minute panics! The image I used is called 'Literally Giant!'...it's a stamp I picked up in a charity shop last week...and I thought that it would perfect for this purpose! I coloured it using watercolour pencils, then added some lettering using a black gel pen. The papers are from the 'Indie Chic (Nutmeg)' pad by My Mind's Eye, which I've had for a while...but this was the first time that I've been brave enough to cut into it! I distressed the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. I popped some Craftwork Cards 'Card Candi' on for decoration, and to help prop up the top of the card, and added a Papermania calendar tab to the bottom.

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

• ABC Challenge - Y is for Your Choice
• Cards Galore Encore - Anything Goes
• Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper - Anything Goes
• Creative Corner - Anything Goes
• Shopping our Stash - My Precious (The paper pad...I hate making that first cut!)

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

My Favourite Cards of 2015

Happy New Year everyone!

Today, I'm sharing my favourite five cards of 2015...my lovely bloggy buddy Debby is hosting and there's of fabulous inspiration to be had over on her blog...along with the chance of winning some yummy candy!

I've linked all of my cards to their original posts so that you can click through if you want any details.

Gift-wrapped - April 2015
I had a bit of a thing for Lili of the Valley images this year...

Fish Trio - July 2015
Just because this makes me smile :0)

Dog-gone It! - August 2015
Love these cute Penny Black dogs...

Watercolour Butterflies - August 2015
I also had fun playing with watercolours...

Cupcake Henry - September 2015
...and washi tape