ABC Christmas Challenge - G is for...

We have another fun ABC Christmas Challenge starting today...Lorraine C is the host, and the theme is:

'G is for Green and/or Gold'

Our sponsor for this challenge is The East Wind:

Prize - 3 Digital Images!

I went with green...and picked papers from my 'Bundled Up' pad by Crate Paper, and a cute Lili of the Valley James the Bear stamp called 'Present Pile'. I coloured James using watercolour pencils...then added some shimmer to his presents using a Wink of Stella pen. I distressed the edges a little, then added some faux stitches using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Jolly Christmas Sentiments' set by C C Designs/Pollycraft.

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

• Christmas at Sweet Stampin' - Cute Christmas
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Use a Sentiment
• Rudolph Days - Anything Christmas
• Holly Jolly Christmas - Use Your Stash (The papers have been in my stash for nearly 2 years)

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

Rainbow Celebrations

I have another rainbow coloured card to share today. I used the same stamping technique as yesterday's card (colouring my Prima oil pastels directly on to the stamp, then spritzing with water before stamping), but this time used my Hero Arts 'Magical Backgound' stamp. I got several impressions out of just one 'inking' (I just spritzed the stamp with a little more water each time)...this is the second one, and there was a patch in the centre that didn't stamp as cleanly as the rest, so I used one of my circle Nesties to cut it out. I added a panel embossed using my Cuttlebug 'Swiss Dots' folder behind the aperture, a die cut sentiment (by Clearly Besotted), some adhesive pearls, then popped my stamped panel up on 3D foam tape.

Challenges for this card:

• A Blog Named Hero - Rainbow
• Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes
• Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes
• Crafty Sentiments - Anything Goes
• Sweet Stampin' - Pearls & Swirls
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Rainbow Meadows

I have a bright and cheery card to share today...I'm hoping that it will help encourage some better weather! I stamped my Hero Arts 'Blooming Meadow' stamp using Prima Oil Pastels by colouring directly on to the stamp with the pastels in a 'rainbow' pattern and spritzing with water. As the pastels don't really 'set', I inked over the whole thing using a Versamark ink pad, then heat embossed it all using clear embossing powder. I simply attached the panel to my card using 3D foam, and added a sentiment from the 'Handwritten Borders' set by Simon Says Stamp.

Challenges for this card:

• A Blog Named Hero - Rainbow
• Come & Get It - In the Garden
• Creative Inspirations - Nature
• Fab 'N Funky - Flowers
• Moving Along with the Times - In the Garden
• Seize the Birthday - Anything Birthday
• Stamping Sensations - Flower Power

Chick, Chick, Chick, Chicken!

Happy Easter!

I have one last Easter treat bag to share today. This time I used a couple of Penny Black stamps...'Totally Excited!' (the chicken) and 'Hello World! (the little chicks)'. I coloured the images using watercolour pencils, then fussy cut them out. I made a little background scene using papers from the 'Here + There' pad by Studio Calico and dies by Lawn Fawn (Stitched Hillside Borders), Die-Namics (Picket Fence & Grassy Edges), and Memory Box (Puffy Clouds). The sentiment stamp is from the 'Egg-cellent Easter Sentiments' set by AmyR/C C Designs.

Challenges for this bag:

• Allsorts - Wings
• Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Cute Card Thursday - To Die For
• Fantasy Stampers - In the Springtime
• Hiding in my Craft Room - Any Holiday (Easter)
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets (I stamped the images on to, and cut the clouds out of snippets of white card left over from making square cards from A4 sheets)
• That Craft Place - Anything Goes
• Wags 'N Whiskers - Wings

Sprinkled with Fun!

I have a simple little birthday card to share today...featuring some of the Hero Arts 'Cupcakes' stamps. I started by stamping the cupcake in the centre, then masked it before adding the cupcakes on either side. I coloured the frosting, hearts and flower using watercolour pencils, then paper pieced the cupcake cases using some polka dot papers from the 'Now & Then' pad by My Mind's Eye...adding some shading to the paper folds using a watercolour pencil. I used some Glamour Dust to make the frosting sparkly, then coated the cupcake toppers with some Glossy Accents. The sentiment is from the same stamp set, and I doodled the border using a black gel pen.

Challenges for this card:

• 4 Crafty Chicks - Less is More
• ABC Challenge - D is for Delicious
• Less is More - Polka dots
• Seize the Birthday - Anything Birthday
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Food & Drink

Fluffy Wabbit

I have another Easter treat bag to share today...this one uses 'Fluffy Wabbit' by Pollycraft, which I coloured using watercolour penils, adding some googly eyes. The papers are a mixture of Crate Paper Farmhouse' and Stdio Calico 'Here + There' snippets...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 'Egg-cellent Easter Sentiments' set by AmyR?C C Designs.

Challenges for this bag:

• Crafty Cardmakers - Easter
• Crafting with Friends - Anything Goes
• Crafty Catz - Stitching
• Little Red Wagon - Happy Easter/Spring
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Food & Drink
• Simply Papercraft - Anything Goes
• Stamping Boutique - Masculine

A Little Birdie...

The lovely Less is More ladies are challenging us to show them what is outside of our windows this week. The view from the windows on the front of my flat currently features roadworks which have been there for just over two months...so I decided to take a look out the back. Right by my bedroom window is a tree which is popular with the local bird population...including green parakeets (I live in Ealing in West London,  and there are thousands of them round here...rumour has it that they escaped from a film shoot in Ealing Studios in the 1950s). I picked a couple of stamps from a stamp set by Marion Emberson Designs called 'Birds & Trees', and stamped the tree in black ink, then heat embossed the bird in verdigris powder - it was the only green-ish shade of embossing powder I have! I doodled a simple border around the image, and added a sentiment from the same stamp set.

Challenges for this card:

• Creative Card Crew - Clean & Simple
• Dream Valley - Birthdays
• Less is More - What's Outside your Window?
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Penguins - Peace, Love & Joy

I'm sneaking on before bed to share a Christmas card...using a Bugaboo Stamps image called 'Peace, Love & Joy Penguins' 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 ribbon is by American Crafts, and the adhesive pearls are from Hobbycraft.

Challenges for this card:

• Chocolate, Coffee & Cards - Use Ribbon
• Christmas at Sweet Stampin' - Cute Christmas
• Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes
• Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Cute
• Crimbo Crackers - Animals
• Love to Scrap - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Cute & Cuddly
• Winter Wonderland - Penguins

Pile It On! Challenge - Stitching

We have a fun new Pile It On! Challenge starting today, with a theme of:

'Stitching'

Our sponsor this month is the fabulous Bugaboo Stamps:

Prize - 7 Digi Stamps!

I used faux stitching on my project...I used my CutterBee Bug to pierce holes in the papers, then drew in the stitches using a black gel pen. The image is 'Bun Buns' by Penny Black...I coloured the bunnies using watercolour pencils to match the 'Charming' papers (by Michaels). I distressed the edges of the papers a little, and added a sentiment from the 'Egg-cellent Easter Sentiments' set by AmyR/C C Designs.

Here are the challenges I've piled on:

• Pile It On! - Stitching
• Allsorts - Easter
• Artistic Inspirations - Anything Goes (Twist of Easter)
• Come & Get It - Add Stitching
• Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes
• Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes
• Fantasy Stampers - Easter Parade
• Gem of a Challenge - Easter
• Inky Chicks - Happy Easter
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Cute & Cuddly
• Sweet Stampin' - Easter
• The Male Room - Easter
• 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 Reminder - Easter

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:

'Easter'

We are sponsored for this challenge by:

1-2-3 Stitch!:

Prize - a $20 voucher

I decorated another Easter treat bag...this time using a couple of the bunnies from the 'Bunny Friends' stamp, and paper from the 'Farmhouse' pad by Crate Paper. I distressed the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and white gel pen. The flowers are by Prima, and are held in place using BasicGrey brads and the sentiment stamp is from the 'Egg-cellent Eatser Sentiments' set by Amy R/C C Designs.

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

• Artistic Inspirations - Anything Goes (Twist of Easter)
• Crafty Creations - Spring Fever
• Crazy Challenge - Flowers
• Creative Moments - Anything Goes (Spring has Sprung)
• Cute Card Thursday - Easter
• Inky Chicks - Happy Easter
• Moving Along with the Times - In the Garden
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Cute & Cuddly
• Whimsy Inspires - Spring Colours or Easter

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

O' Christmas Tree

I have a couple of CAS Christmas cards to share today...using a Clearly Besotted die (Modern Christmas) to cut simple triangle tree shapes from snippets of white card. I spritzed the 'trees' with some Cosmic Shimmer in 'Baby's Breath', then added some sequins. I mounted the trees on to the card blanks using 3D foam pads, and added a sentiment from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set (by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous).

It's so tricky to get the shimmer to show in a photo...below is the best I could manage!:

Challenges for these cards:

• Corrosive - Anything Goes
• C.R.A.F.T. - Christmas
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets

ABC Christmas Challenge - F is for...

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

'F is for Frills or No Frills'

We are sponsored for this challenge by Sweet Stamps:

Prize - $10 Gift Certificate!

Despite being a 'no frills' kind of crafter, I decided that I'd try to incorporate some 'frills' on my project, and folded some strips of patterned paper (from the 'Bundled Up' pad by Crate Paper) concertina style to make my frills. Then (after much faffing!) I settled on turning them into a rosette...which was far too big to put on a card...which I mounted on to a plain kraft gift bag...then added a die cut snowflake (cut using my Cuttlebug 'Ice Crystal' die and a large adhesive pearl.

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

• Alphabet Challenge - A is for Anything Pink
• Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes
• Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes
• Crafty Sentiments - 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.

Celebrate!

I have a couple of simple watercoloured cards to share today that I made to send out to the winners of my candy with their prizes. I started by painting Distress Inks on to dampened watercolour paper (Broken China, Salty Ocean & Cracked Pistachio for the blue one, and Dusty Concord, Wilted Violet & Seedless Preserves for the purple one)...I laid down a few layers of colour, allowing each one to dry before adding the next, then added some splatters over the top. I then simply added a die cut word (cut using a Clearly Besotted die), and some sequins, then mounted the panels on to my card blanks using 3D foam.

Challenges for these cards:

• Crafting with Friends - Anything Goes
• Crafty Creations - Focal Sentiments
• Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Creative Knockouts - Die Cuts and/or Punches
• Moving Along with the Times - Purple Haze (Just the card on the right)
• Simply Papercraft - Anything Goes
• Sisterhood of Crafters - Die Cuts and/or Punches
• That Craft Place - Anything Goes

Candy Winners!

I'm just popping on to announce the two lucky winners of my candies. Thanks so much to everyone that took the time to link and enter my candy draw - I really appreciate it! I used Random.Org to pick the winners...so here goes:

The winner of the every day candy:

#10 - Liz Cavill

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and the winner of the Christmas candy:

#13 - Regina

Congratulations Liz & Regina!

Please email me (right click here to copy and paste my email address if the link isn't working for you) to claim your prize.

If the prize/prizes are not claimed by 8pm next Saturday (19th March) I shall pick another winner/winners.

Honey Bunny

I have another Easter treat bag to share today...featuring an old Pollycraft image called 'Kiki - Honey Bunny', which I coloured using watercolour pencils. The papers are from the 'Farmhouse' 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 'Egg-cellent Easter Sentiments' set by AmyR/C C Designs, the flowers are a mixture of Papermania and Prima, and are held in place using a BasicGrey brad.

Challenges for this treat bag:

• Allsorts - Spring is in the Air
• Clear it Out - Anything Goes & Patterned Paper Over a Year Old ( I bought these in 2013)
• C.R.A.F.T. - Easter/Spring
• Crafty Sentiments - Easter
• Creative Corner - Hoppy Easter
• Creative Inspirations - Pretty Projects
• The Stamping Boutique - Countdown to Spring

I have candy on offer at the moment...you can find it here...you'll need to be quick though, it ends tonight.

Dog-gone!

Today's card features three little pups from the 'Man's Best Friend' set by Penny Black...I doodled some grass then coloured the scene using watercolour pencils. There's a cute little paw print stamp that comes in the set, so I stamped those across my card blank in black ink, then added the dogs matted on to a snippet of red card. The sentiment stamp is also from the same stamp set.

Challenges for this card:

• Cards Galore Encore - Make a Card
• Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes
• Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes
• Love to Scrap - Bare Necessities 
• Penny Black & More - Feature a Creature
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

I have candy on offer at the moment...you can find it here.

 

Dream a Dream

This is the Mother's Day card that I made for my Mum...it's safe to blog it now! I used a Penny Black image called 'Dream a Dream' which I coloured using watercolour pencils, and papers from the 'Indie Chic - Nutmeg' pad by My Mind's Eye. I distressed the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CuterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Sentiments' set by Hero Arts, the flowers are from Poppicrafts, the brad is BasicGrey and the adhesive pearls are from Hobbycraft.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Feminine 
• Card Mania - Polkadots and/or Stripes
• Crafty Calendar - Mother's Day
• Cute Card Thursday - Mother's Day
• Dream Valley - Mother's Day
• Fantasy Stampers - Mum
• Penny Black & More - Feature a Creature

I have candy on offer at the moment...you can find it here.

Pile It On! Challenge - Use Green and Two Other Colours

We have a fun new Pile It On! Challenge starting today, with a theme of:

'Use Green and Two Other Colours'

Our sponsor this month is the fabulous Bugaboo Stamps:

Prize - 7 Digi Stamps!

I picked turquoise and brown as my two other colours, and made an Easter treat bag. I created a little scene using papers from the 'Here + There' pad by Studio Calico (the sky) and the 'Farmhouse' pad by Crate Paper (the grass). I used one of my Lawn Fawn 'Stitched Hillside' border dies to cut the curve, and a Die-namics 'Grassy Edge' die. I added a fence cut from brown card using my Die-namics 'Picket Fence' die and a sentiment (from the 'Egg-cellent Easter Sentiments' set by Amy R/C C Designs stamped in a speech bubble cut from a snippet of kraft card using a Sizzix Thinlit/Craft Asylum die. The cute bunny is 'Bun Bun' by Penny Black...coloured using watercolour pencils, then fussy cut and mounted on 3D foam pads.

Here are the challenges I've piled on:

• Pile It On! - Green & Two Other Colours (Green, Blue & Brown)
• 4 Crafty Chicks - Easter
• Artistic Stamper - Springtime
• Aud Sentiments - Easter or Spring Sentiment
• Catch the Bug - Anything Goes
• Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper - Anything Goes
• Creative Corner - Bunnies Everywhere
• Creative Moments - Anything Goes (with a Sentiment on the Front)
• Gem of a Challenge - Spring
• One Crazy Stamper - Anything Goes
• Penny Black & More - Feature a Creature
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Ribbon Girls - Spring, Easter or Anything Goes
• Simply Papercraft - Anything Goes

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

I have candy on offer at the moment...you can find it here.

PBSC March - Easter

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'

We are sponsored for this challenge by:

1-2-3 Stitch!:

Prize - a $20 voucher

I decorated an Easter treat bag, and used 'Spring Chick' coloured using watercolour pencils together with some papers from the 'Party Girl' pad by American Crafts. I distressed the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The flowers are really old...they're from Poppicrafts and are held in place using a BasicGrey brad. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Egg-cellent Easter Sentiments' set by Amy-R/C C Designs.

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

• 4 Crafty Chicks - Easter
• ABC Challenge - C is for Cute
• Animal Friends - Easter
• Aud Sentiments - Easter or Spring
• Crafty Catz - Use Three Different Papers
• Crafty Sentiments - Spring
• Creative Corner - Bunnies Everywhere
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Feathers or Fur
• Sisterhood of Crafters - Think Spring
• Time Out - Easter or Spring

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, and our wonderful guest designer Stephanie, please pop over to the Penny Black Saturday Challenge.

Oh...and I have some candy on offer at the moment...you can find it here.