ABC Christmas Challenge - C is for...

I'm back with another card for our current ABC Christmas Challenge, where the theme is:

'C is for Charming'

(Feature a charm on your project)

We have three fabulous sponsors for this challenge:

The prize is a $15 voucher to spend in the Simon Says Stamp store

The prize is a$10 gift certificate for the Stamp Fairy store

The prize is a £10 voucher for the Ribbon Reel store

I've used a Penny Black stamp from the 'Jolly Friends' set on my card...which I coloured using watercolour pencils. For the background I embossed plain card using my Cuttlebug 'Swiss Dots' and Sizzix/BasicGrey 'Snowglobe' folders. I added the little stocking charm (sorry, it's been in my stash for so long I can't remember where it's from!) on some Baker's Twine (from the Ribbon Girls).

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

• Christmas Cards - Sketch
• Cupcake Craft - Entwined
• One Stitch at a Time - Anything Goes
• The Stamp Man - Texture

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

Whimsical Flowers

I've used more stamps from my prize on today's card...these flowers are from the 'Touch of Whimsy' set by Penny Black. I masked off a vertical strip, then blended 'Milled Lavender' Distress Ink over the card blank...I then blended more of the same ink over the top to create some darker stripes (I'm afraid I couldn't get the stripes to show up very in a photo...but they are there...lol). I stamped the flowers over the top using Memento 'Tuxedo Black' ink. The sentiment stamp is from the CCSR set by Papermania.

Challenges for this card:

• Crafty Cardmaker's - Monochrome 
• Less is More - One Layer Card with Stripes
• Sweet Stampin' - Clean & Simple

Magical Mimi

It's half-term...so I have more time to play...yippee! I inked up another of the stamps I got as part of my Cardmaker of the Year prize ...this one is called 'Magical Mimi'. I coloured her using watercolour pencils, then added sparkle to all of the wings using a Sakura Stardust pen. The papers are all from the 'Hello Luscious' pad by BasicGrey, and the sentiment stamps are from the 'Party Critters' set (also by Penny Black).

Challenges for this card:

• Charisma Cardz - Things with Wings
• Crafty Sentiments - Girly
• Gem of a Challenge - Fairies
• Papercrafting Journey - Fairies/Angels
• Sir Stampalot - In the Garden

Pile It On! Challenge - Heartfelt Thanks

This week at the Pile It On! Challenge, we want to see projects for the theme:

'Heartfelt Thanks'

(Something to say 'Thanks' featuring at least one heart)

Our sponsor for this challenge is:

The prize is a whopping $30 gift certificate to spend in the fabulous Stampotique online store!

The DT were very kindly sent stamps from Stampotique to work with for this challenge...I chose 'Heart Flowers'. I coloured the image using watercolour pencils, then added a Hero Arts sentiment underneath (from the 'Anytime Messages' set. The papers are all from the 'Hopscotch' pad by BasicGrey...I embossed the plain one using my Cuttlebug 'D'Vine Swirls' folder...sanding lightly over the surface to reveal the white core. I distressed all of the edges using 'Old Paper' and 'Brushed Corduroy' Distress Inks, and used my EK Success 'Scalloped Diamonds' punch for the scalloped borders. The little heart was in a pack of buttons from a charity shop...and I attached it using some button twine (from the Ribbon Girls)...the brads are also BasicGrey.

Here are the challenges I've Piled On!:

• Pile It On! - Heartfelt Thanks
• 2 Sisters - I {heart} You
• Allsorts - Free & Easy
• BasicGrey - Love (My papers are from the 'Hopscotch' pad)
• CES - Layers
• Cooking it up with Katie - Spooled (twine), Metal (brads) & Sentiment
• Crafter's Companion - Anything Goes
• Crafts & Me - Use a New Image
• Crafty Creations - Swirly Wirly
• Fussy & Fancy - Hearts
• If the Shoe Fits...Scrap It - Anything Goes
• Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes
• Scrapbook Sisters - Anything Goes

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

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge - Red, White & Black with Texture

Please scroll down for my Penny Black Saturday Challenge DT post

*********************************************

It's Jane's turn to set the theme of the Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge this week, and she has chosen a colour combination of:

'Red, White & Black
With Texture'

Our sponsor for this challenge is:

The prize is a $10 voucher for the Digi Doodles Shop!

I've used an adorable Henry Mouse stamp by Whiff of Joy on my card...I coloured him using watercolour pencils...then added Glossy Accents to his heart. I embossed plain red and black card for the background, using my Cuttlebug 'Flower Fantasy' and 'Swiss Dots' folders. The letters were cut using my Cuttlebug 'Olivia' alphabet dies.

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

• Card Crafter's Circle - Valentine's 
• C.R.A.F.T. - Valentine's
• Crafty Calendar - Love & Marriage
• Crafty Catz - Valentine's
• Creative Stamp Friends - Valentine's
• Delightful - Love
• Everybody Art - Love
• Forever Friends (Monthly) - Valentine's
• Hooked On Crafts - Hearts
• Lollipop Crafts - Valentine's
• Paperplay - Love Letters
• Simon Says Stamp - Love is in the Air
• Sisterhood of Crafters - Valentine's
• Stamp with Fun - Love
• Stampavie & More - Love
• Top Tip Tuesday - Valentine's
• Totally Gorjuss - Lurve
• Truly Scrumptious - Love & Hearts 
• Whimsy - Love

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please visit the Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge.

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Love & Kisses

This week's Penny Black Saturday Challenge is all about:

'Love & Kisses'

 Our sponsor for this challenge is:

and the prize is a $20 voucher to spend in their online store! 

I've used an image from the 'Every Which Way' set on my card...and papers from the 'Adore' collection by My Mind's Eye. I distressed the edges a little, then added faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a white gel pen. The sentiment stamp is by Cuddly Buddly.

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

• Anything Goes - Bingo (Animals - Distressing (My choice) - Stitching)
• Creative Inspirations - Lots of Love
• Crafty Ann's - Love is in the Air
• Fab 'n' Funky - Love is in the Air
• For Fun - Love
• Little Miss Muffet - Valentine's or Love
• Prairie Fairy - Sweetheart
• Stamp & Create - Valentine's or Love
• Sunday Sketch & Stamp - Sketch

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies...including the wonderful Ali, who rejoins us after a little break...please pop over to the Penny Black Saturday Challenge.

ABC Christmas Challenge - C is for...

We have a brand new challenge for you today over at the ABC Christmas Challenge...Miria is the host...and the theme is:

'C is for Charming'

(Feature a charm on your project)

We have three fabulous sponsors for this challenge:

The prize in a $15 voucher to spend in the Simon Says Stamp store

The prize is a$10 gift certificate for the Stamp Fairy store

The prize is a £10 voucher for the Ribbon Reel store

The stamp I've used on my card ('XMouse Ornament' by Penny Black) is an old favourite of mine...he's so cute...and very quick to colour! I used a couple of shades of blue card for the background, embossing the lighter one with my Cuttlebug 'Snowflakes' and Sizzix 'Snowglobe' folders. I cut the snowflakes using Cuttlebug and Marianne Designs dies...and the charm and twine is from my stash.

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

• Christmas Cards - Make your own background
• Christmas Inspirations - Anything Goes
• Craft Your Passion - No patterned paper
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Use a die cut
• Forever Friends - Shades of Blue
• Sparkles Christmas - Anything Goes
• Winter Wonderland - Blue & White

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies and some wonderful guest designers from our sponsors, please pop over to the ABC Christmas Challenge.

Cuttlebug Spot Challenge - Sweetheart

We have a brand new challenge for you over at the Cuttlebug Spot today...and the theme is:

'Sweetheart'

(Anything to do with hearts)

I've made a simple Valentine's card using some adorable Penny Black hedgie stamps from the 'Every Which Way' set. I coloured them using watercolour pencils, then carefullycut them out before adding some Glossy Accents to their hearts. I mounted them onto an embossed panel (using my Cuttlebug 'Swiss Dots' folder), with a sentiment from the 'Sentiments' set by Hero Arts. I used my EK Success 'Scalloped Diamonds' punch for the red border along the bottom.

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

• Card Makin' Mamas - Valentine's
• Clean & Simple Stamping - Sketch
• Cookin' it up with Katie - Punch me an Embossed Heart
• Dream Valley - Valentine's
• Little Red Wagon - Valentine's or Love
• Moving Along with the Times - Hearts
• One Stop Craft - For the one I love
• Paper Sundaes - Clean & Simple
• Sweet Stampin' - The one I love

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please visit the Cuttlebug Spot.

New Home

My brother and his girlfriend moved house yesterday...or at least they were due to...not sure if they got snowed off! So, I've made them a 'New Home' card...using a digi from Pollycraft called (rather appropriately) 'New Home', which I coloured using watercolour pencils. I've not seen their new house, but I'm fairly sure the colours I've used are not accurate...lol...but I wanted to make something bright and cheerful...and I love these '72 & Sunny' papers from We R Memory Keepers! I distressed the edges a little, and added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a white gel pen. The brads are BasicGrey, and the twine is from the Ribbon Girls.

Challenges for this card:

• Craft Your Days Away - Get Stitchy With It
• Crafty Creations - Home Sweet Home
• Creative Craft - Bingo (I used Brown-Brads-Scallops) 
• Fab 'N' Funky - Use a Digi (Mine's from Pollycraft)
• My Mum's Craft Shop - Fab & Funky

Aqua Flowers

You may (or not) remember me saying that I'd won a prize in the Cardmaking & Papercraft magazine's 'Cardmaker of the Year' competition...you can see my winning card on this post....well...my prize arrived yesterday:

Such a lot of lovely Penny Black stamps....I think I'm in heaven! lol

I couldn't resist having a little play, and got a little inky making a card for this week's Less is More challenge using a couple of my new stamps. I blended some 'Tumbled Glass' Distress Ink on some plain white card, then stamped the background stamp ('Circular Design') over it using the same ink. I stamped the flower ('Sundial') a couple of times in black ink, adding a little extra shading to the petals using the ink and a waterbrush, then cut them out and layered up some of the petals. To echo the line drawing style of the flower, I added a doodled border with a black gel pen. The sentiment stamp was a freebie with a Docrafts magazine.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Free & Easy
• Challenge Up Your Life - Monochrome
• Crazy Challenge - Flowers
• Less is More - Aqua
• Totally Stampalicious - Clean & Simple

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge - Hugs & Kisses

Please scroll down for my Penny Black Saturday Challenge DT post

******************************************

This week, it's my turn to set the theme of the Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge, which is:

'Hugs & Kisses'

Our sponsor for this challenge is Crafter's Companion

The fabby prize is a £10 voucher to spend in the Crafter's Companion store.

The image on my card is by Penny Black....from the appropriately named 'Hugs' set. I coloured using watercolour pencils to match the pastel shades of card I used for the background. I used a Sizzix/BasicGrey folder called 'Plaid' for the embossing, then added a few pieces of Card Candi in each corner.

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

• Craft Us Crazy - Anything Goes 
• Lollipop Crafts - Anything Goes
• Stampin' for the Weekend - Embossing

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please visit the Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge.

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - CASE IT (Debby)

As it's the first Penny Black Saturday Challenge of the month, we have another 'CASE IT' challenge for you...this time we want you to take inspiration from this fabulous card by Debby:

We have two wonderful sponsors for this challenge:

 

From Penny Black Inc

And from the Ribbon Girl

I took inspiration from Debby's kite-flying kitty...and used an image from the 'Hello Friend' set...which I coloured using watercolour pencils, then added Glossy Accents to the balloons. I used similar papers to the ones Debby used...from the '72 & Sunny' pad by We R Memory Keepers pad...adding faux stitching using a black gel pen. The sentiment is from the 'Sending Sunshine' set by Simon Says Stamp, the ribbon is from Hobbycraft, and the flower is from Wild Orchid Crafts.

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

• Crafts & Me - Bright Colours
• Simon Says Stamp - Animal Antics
• Sundays with Crissy - Birthdays

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

ABC Christmas Challenge - B is for...

I have another card for our current ABC Christmas Challenge today, where the theme is:

'B is for Bears...with one or more of: Bunting, Banners, Brads, Bling, Buttons, Bows & Blooms!'

Phew...what a mouthful! lol

We have two fabulous sponsors for this challenge:

Our very own Lacey with her store Stamp and create:



and a whopping prize

and

Bugaboo



with this fabulous prize

I've used an adorable Lili of the Valley bear on my card called 'Present Pile'...which I coloured using watercolour pencils. The papers are from the 'Countdown to Christmas' pad by My Mind's Eye...I distressed the edges a little, then added faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a white gel pen. The sparkly brads are by American Crafts.

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

• Christmas Cards - Your Favourite Technique (I've used several of my favourites: watercolouring, distressing & faux stitching)
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Make it Square
• Lili's Little Fairies - Oh Boy!
• My Time to Craft - A is for Adorable

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please visit the ABC Christmas Challenge.