PBSC May - Anything Goes (Optional 'Make Your Own Background')

It's the first Saturday of the month, so that means it's time for a new Penny Black Saturday Challenge...where the theme is:

'Anything Goes'
or
'Make Your Own Background'

As usual, we are sponsored by the awesome 1-2-3 Stitch:

Prize - a $20 voucher!

I used a mixture of Distress Inks and heat embossing to make a background for a Christmas card. I started by smooshing the inks (Stormy Sky, Broken China, Mermaid Lagoon, Blueprint Sketch & Dusty Concord) on to a piece of watercolour paper...doing a couple of layers, drying with my heatgun in between. I then stamped my Simon Says Stamp 'Falling Snow' background stamp over the top using Versamark Ink, then heat embossed it using 'Sparkling Snow' embossing glitter by WOW. I stamped 'What a Snow!' on to a fairly large piece of card, and extended the snowy ground to the edges using a fine liner pen, then coloured the image using watercolour pencils. I added a sentiment (from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous), then carefully cut around the image, then glued ut over the top of my background.

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

• Christmas with the Cuties - Feature a Creature
• Crafter's Cafe - Make Your Own Background and/or Use Dies or Punches

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

Guest Designer - CAS Christmas Challenge

I was thrilled to be chosen as a guest designer for the CAS Christmas Card Challenge a little while ago. I'm sure any regular visitors to my blog will be aware that I love making Christmas cards...and try to make as many of them as CAS as possible in an attempt to save on postage costs so I was delighted to be able to join then for this month's challenge.

The theme for this month is 'Stocking'...I have quite a few images that feature stockings, but the first one that popped into my head was this cute one by Penny Black called 'Joy Filled Stockings'. I coloured the image using watercolour pencils, then carefully cut it out. I stamped a sentiment (from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous) on my card blank, before adding the image popped up on some 3D foam pads.

For more inspiration from the awesome design team, please pop over to the CAS Christmas Card Challenge.

ABC Christmas Challenge - J & K are for?

We have a fun new ABC Christmas Challenge starting today...Dorte is the host, and there are two themes this month, which are:

'J is for Jingle'

&

'K is for Kids'

There's a surprise prize from Dorte on offer for one lucky winner!

For my 'J is for Jingle' card, I took inspiration from the words of the song 'Jingle Bells'...although instead of a 'one horse open sleigh', I have a 'two mouse open sleigh'! The image is from the 'Jolly Follies' set, and is coloured using watercolour pencils. I found a sentiment stamp (from the 'Tattered Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous) with words from the song 'Jingle Bells', so added that to the image panel. I made a simple background using my Simon Says Stamp 'Mod Trees' background stamp, heat embossing it in clear on some plain green card. 

For my 'K is for Kids' card, I picked an old Lili of the Valley image featuring some carol singing kids that came in a set of vintage themed stamps. I stamped it on to a piece of watercolour paper, then coloured it using watercolou pencils. I added a sentiment (from the 'Tattered Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous), then distressed the edges a little and added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen before adding it to a kraft card blank.

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

• Alphabet Challenge - C is for Clean & Simple (Second card only)
• Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Goes
• Crimbo Crackers - Anything Goes
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - 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.

Rainin' Daisies

I used another 'oldie but a goodie' stamp on today's card...'Rainin' Daisies' must be one of the first Penny Black stamps I bought...I've had it since before I started my blog, so it's been in my collection for well over 10 years! I coloured it using watercolour pencils to match the green shades in the papers, which are from the 'Charming' pad by Recollections/Michaels (found at TKMaxx). I distressed all of the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The sentiment is from the 'Cupcakes' set by Hero Arts.

Challenges for this card:

• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes (Optional Add a Sentiment)
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Going Round in Circles
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• Stamping Sensations - April Flowers Bring May Flowers
• Sweet Stampin' - Anything Goes

Wee & Reindeer

I have a super simple Christmas card to share today...featuring a really old Whiff of Joy stamp called 'Wee & Reindeer' which, to my shame, has not seen ink for nearly three years! I doodled a frame around the image, then coloured it using watercolour pencils, added a sentiment (from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz), then added it to a kraft card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• CAS Christmas - Elf
• Crafty Cardmakers - Mythical Creatures (Elves)
• Crafty Creations - Anything Goes
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes
• Crafty Sentiments - Anything Goes
• Creative Moments - Anything Goes (Optional 'Animals')
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• The Holly & the Ivy - Anything Christmas Goes
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Burst into Bloom

I have another watercoloured card to share today...this one features another Woodware stamp ('Burst into Bloom') heat embossed on watercolour paper using white embossing powder. I watercoloured it using Distress Inks (Picked Raspberry, Dusty Concord, Blueprint Sketch, Mowed Lawn, Forest Moss, Stormy Sky & Faded Jeans), and added a Hero Arts sentiment (from the 'Fabulous Birthday' set), then distressed the edges a little before adding it to a kraft card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Cute Card Thursday - Flowers
• Daring Cardmakers - Flowers
• Happy Little Stampers (Watercolour) - Anything Goes (Optional 'Bright')
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Beautiful Blooms
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Spring Mood Board
• Sparkles Forum - Flowers or Religious
• Stamping Sensations - April Showers Bring May Flowers

Pile It On! Challenge - Lots of Layers and/or Use Your Scraps

I  have some more inspiration for this month's Pile It On! Challenge, where the themes are:

'Lots of Layers'
and/or
'Use Your Scraps'

Our sponsor for this challenge is Angie's Digital Stamps:

Prize - 2 Images of the Winner's Choice!

I combined the two themes, and used lots of scraps of papers from the 'Blue Floral' pad by My Mind's Eye (I'm on to my second pad of these papers, and have lots of scraps!) to make a birthday card for my brother. I paired them with a Tim Holtz 'Crazy Dog'...colouring him using watercolour pencils, the using the corresponding Sizzix die to cut him out. I distressed all of the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The sentiment stamp is from a set by Lili of the Valley.

I used more scraps of the papers and another of the 'Crazy Dogs' to make a matching gift tag.

The tag is actually quite large...I wanted to make a pocket on the back for a gift card:

And here it is on his gift:

Here are the challenges I've piled on:

• Pile It On! - Lots of Layers and/or Use Your Scraps
• A Bit More Time to Craft - Anything Goes
• Aud Sentiments - Happy Birthday
• Cheerful Sketches - Sketch
• Corrosive - Anything Goes
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes (Optional 'All Creatures Great & Small')
• Crafty Sentiments - Just for the Boys
• Happy Little Stamps (Dies) - Anything Goes with Dies
• Love to Scrap - Masculine
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Sweet Stampers - Birthdays/Celebrate
• Sweet Stampin' - Anything Goes
• The Male Room - Anything Goes

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

PBSC April - Anything Goes (Optional 'Fresh Spring Colours')...More Inspiration!

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:

'Anything Goes'
or
'Fresh Spring Colours'

As usual, we are sponsored by the awesome 1-2-3 Stitch:

Prize - a $20 voucher!

I picked papers from an old My Mind's Eye pad called 'Pretty Please' that I picked up (complete!) in a charity shop recently for my fresh Spring colours'...and paired them with another charity shop find...the 'Bonnet Bunny' stamp. I coloured the image using watercolour pencils, then distressed all of the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The sentiment stamp is from a set by Lili of the Valley.

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

• Moo Mania - Spring
• Penny Black & More - Springtime
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Spring Mood Board

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

Easter Treat Boxes

I have some little Easter treat boxes to share today. They measure 4x4x4 inches, and were each made form a single sheet of 12x12 paper from the 'Bright Freshness' pad by Craft Sensations (they're double sided so even the inside is pretty!). I used my We R Memory Keepers punchboard to make the boxes...so quick and simple...when you make the largest size (like these are), there's no measuring or cutting at all...just some scoring and punching, then folding. I added a mini kraft tag (from Hobbycraft) to each one...stamping a Hero Arts sentiment on one side (from the 'Sentiments' set), then attaching them using baker's twine.

Challenges for these boxes:

• Always Fun - Easter
• Crafty Cardmakers - Easter
• Crazy 4 Challenges - Anything but a Card
• Creative Moments - Spring/Easter
• Use Your Stuff - Easter/Spring

Christmas Trees

I have another watercoloured card to share today...this time a Christmas one. I stamped the 'Christmas Trees' stamp (by Woodware) on to a piece of watercolour paper using Versamark Ink, then heat embossed it using white embossing powder. I stamped one of the sentiments from the stamp set in black, then heat embossed that too using clear embossing powder. I loosely watercoloured the trees using Distress Inks (Iced Spruce, Mowed Lawn, Pine Needles, Forest Moss, Evergreen Bough & Festive Berries), then distressed the edges a little before adding the panel to a kraft card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Christmas at Sweet Stampin' - Anything Goes
• Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Goes
• Fab 'N' Funky - Christmas
• Happy Little Stampers (Christmas) - Anything Goes (Optional Nature)
• Happy Little Stampers (Watercolour) - Anything Goes (Optional Bright)
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - No Designer Papers
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Five in a Row

Today's card is a flowery one...the stamp is called 'Five in a Row' by Woodware, and I heat embossed in white on to a piece of watercolour paper, adding a sentiment (from the 'Sentiments' set by Hero Arts) in black, and heat embossing that with clear embossing powder. I watercoloured the flowers using Distress Inks (Bundled Sage, Milled Lavender, Dusty Concord, Stormy Sky, Spiced Marmalade, Scattered Straw, Wild Honey, Shaded Lilac, Tattered Rose & Victorian Velvet), giving a light wash of 'Stormy Sky' all over, fading it out towards the top of the paper. I lightly distressed the edges before adding the panel to a kraft card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Less is More - Subtle Colours
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Beautiful Blooms
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - No Designer Papers
• Stamping Sensations - April Showers Bring May Flowers
• Sweet Stampin' - Anything Goes

Dream a Dream

I have a birthday card to share today...featuring an older Penny Blank stamp called 'Dream a Dream'. I coloured it using watercolour pencils, and paired it some papers from the 'Vintage Charm' 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. I cut out some of the bunting from one of the sheets of paper in the pad, and added it along with a sentiment (from the 'Critter Party' set by Penny Black).

Challenges for this card:

• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Seize the Birthday - Anything Birthday
• Use Your Stuff - Flora & Fauna

Skating Fun

I have another Christmas card to share today...featuring an old Lili of the Valley image called 'Skating Fun' that hadn't seen ink in quite some time! I coloured it using watercolour pencils, then picked a couple of snippets of paper from the 'Christmas Cheer' pad by Lily Bee Design. I distressed all of the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous.

Challenges for this card:

• As You Like It - Favourite Animal (I'm partial to any cute animal...even mice...as long as they come in rubber form, but dogs would be my most favourite)
• C.R.A.F.T. - Christmas
• Crafting with an Attitude - Anything Goes
• Crafty Creations - Anything Goes
• Crimbo Crackers - Anything Goes
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes
• Winter Wonderland - Cute Christmas

O' Christmas Tree

I have a quick and simple Christmas card to share today using a few Tim Holtz products. I started by stamping one of the trees, and accompanying sentiments from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set on to a piece of watercolour paper, then used the 'Falling Snow' embossing folder over the top. I coloured the tree using watercolour pencils, then added a touch of gold with a gel pen. I distressed the edges a little, then added the panel to a kraft card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• AAA Cards - Made in Minutes (Optional Dry Embossing)
• C.R.A.F.T. - Inspired by a Song (O' Christmas Tree)
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Goes
• Creative Knockouts - Anything Goes
• Happy Little Stampers (Christmas) - Anything Goes (Optional Nature)
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• The Holly & the Ivy - Anything Goes

Pile It On! Challenge - Lots of Layers

We have another fun Pile It On! Challenge starting today, and the theme this month is:

'Lots of Layers'

Our sponsor for this challenge is Angie's Digital Stamps:

Prize - 2 Images of the Winner's Choice!

I used a Penny Black image called 'To Cake Moment', which I coloured using watercolour pencils. The papers are all from the 'Bright Freshness' pad by Craft Sensations...I distressed all of the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Cupcakes' set by Hero Arts.

Here are the challenges I've piled on:

• Pile It On! - Lots of Layers
• 2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Anything Goes
• A Bit More Time to Craft - Anything Goes
• A Perfect Time to Craft - Anything Goes
• Addicted to Stamps - Lots of Layers
• Always Fun - Happy Birthday
• Cards Galore Encore - Anything Goes
• Crafting with Friends - Anything Goes
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Crafty Friends - Happy Birthday
• Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper - Anything Goes
• Cute Card Thursday - Anything Goes
• Moo Mania - Polkadots
• My Time to Craft - Easter or Hedgehogs
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Animal Antics
• Simply Create Too - Anything Goes
• Sweet Stampin' - Anything Goes

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

PBSC April - 'Anything Goes' (Optional 'Fresh Spring Colours')

It's the first Saturday of the month, so that means it's time for a new Penny Black Saturday Challenge...where the theme is:

'Anything Goes'
or
'Fresh Spring Colours'

As usual, we are sponsored by the awesome 1-2-3 Stitch:

Prize - a $20 voucher!

I used an image called 'Cheesecake Parade' and some papers from the Craft Sensations 'Bright Freshness' pad to make a Spring-y birthday card. I coloured the image using watercolour pencils to match the papers and added a sentiment from the 'Anytime Messages' set by Hero Arts. I distressed all of the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

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

• Creative Inspirations - Easter Wishes and/or Animals
• Seize the Birthday - Anything Birthday
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Animal Antics
• Use Your Stuff - Fuzzy Wuzzy

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

ABC Christmas Challenge - H & I are for?

We have a fun new ABC Christmas Challenge starting today...Lynda is the host, and there are two themes this month, which are:

'H is for Hang It Up'

&

'I is for Intricate'

There are two awesome prizes on offer from our lovely Lynda:

For my 'Hang It Up' project, I made a bauble...it's meant to be a photo ornament, but I used a couple of Penny Black snowmen (from the 'Snow Much Fun!' and 'Holly Jolly Christmas' sets) instead. I coloured the snowmen using watercolour pencils, then carefully cut them out. For the background, I cut a couple of circles from snowy paper from the 'Mystery Marbles' pad by Craft Sensations. I made the 'snow' from a mixture of white Flowersoft, Glamour Dust and white seed beads.

For my Intricate card, I decided to make a wreath from die cut snowflakes...I cut them from lots of snippets of card using a set of Tim Holtz dies for Sizzix. I stamped the sentiment (from a Ranger set called 'Letter It - Christmas') on to the centre of my card blank, then arranged the snowflakes around it...sticking some directly on to the card, and raising the others up on 3D foam pads in a variety of thicknesses.

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

• Artistic Inspirations - Anything Goes
• Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes
• Crafty Sentiments - Anything Goes
• Creatalicious - Anything Goes (Optional Anything But a Card) (Just the bauble)
• Crimbo Crackers - Anything Christmas Goes
• Penny Black & More - Going Round in Circles (Just the bauble)
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets (Just the card)
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• Sweet Stampin' - Anything Goes (Just the bauble)
• The Holly & the Ivy - Anything Christmas Goes
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

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

Carols by Candlelight

I have an ultra simple Christmas card to share today...featuring one of the stamps from the 'Christmas Critters' set by Penny Black. I stamped directly on to a kraft card blank, then coloured the image using watercolour pencils (although I didn't use any water). The sentiment stamp is from a set by Lili of the Valley.

Challenges for this card:

• Incy Wincy - Animals
• Jingle Belles - We Three Kings (Well...we three mice!)
• Less is More - Shine a Light
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• Sparkles Forum Christmas - Feature a Creature