PBSC January - Anything Goes (Optional 'Something New')!

Happy New Year!

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
'Something New

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

Prize - a $20 voucher!

I went with 'New Year' and I'm sharing the calendar that I made for my Mum for Christmas. I've been doing several of these for gifts each gifts for years...the calendar balnks are from Paper Mill Direct...currently in the sale if you fancy getting some for yourself.

I used all Penny Black images, and papers from a variety of brands...lots of snippets used up! I added some faux stitching to the edges, and that's about it...no embellishments, otherwise it becomes rather bulky (and heavy!).

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

• 2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Anything Goes
• Crafter's Cafe - Favourites (Penny Black stamps & patterned papers)
• Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper - Anything Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes

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

Stocking Surprise

Today's card features another Christmas gift...a cute Hunky Dory stamp set called 'Stocking Surprise'. I stamped the images on to watercolour paper, then coloure them using watercolour pencils. I paired it with papers from the 'Home for Christmas' pad by Violet Studio...distressing all of the edges, and then adding some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Silver Bells' set by Kaiserkraft...it's actually in the centre of a bauble outline, so I masked off the outline before inking with Versamark Ink, then stamped it on to a snippet of kraft card, and heat embossed in white before cutting it out using one of my circle Nesties.

Challenges for this card:

• A Bit More Time to Craft - Anything Goes
• Creative Knockouts - Anything Goes
• Time Out - New (New stamps)

Sketchy Sprigs

I have a Christmas card to share today, featuring a stamp set by Woodware stamps called 'Sketchy Sprigs' that I received as a Christmas gift. I used Versamark Ink to stamp the images and sentiment from the set on to black card, then heat embossed them using 'Metallic Gold Rich' embossing powder from WOW. I watercoloured the holly leaves and berries using Cosmic Shimmers pigements mixed with a little water, then matted the panel on to some gold glitter card, before adding it to a DL card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Stamps + Fun = Creativity - Colours of Christmas (Red, Green & Gold)
• Sweet Stampers - Anything Goes

Favourite Christmas Cards 2021

It's become a bit of a tradition to share our favourite five Christmas cards each Christmas Eve...this year I had 105 cards to choose from, so it took me some time! Anyway, here are my favourites of 2021 (for more details of any projects, the photos are linked to the original posts):

Reindog

I made several cards with a similar snowy background, but chose this one because of the cute Penny Black dog.

Brightest Xmas

Many of my cards were one layer cards (cheap to post!) and this one has such a fun Penny Black chicken image...I like the shine on their baubles too.

Baubles

I don't often make a card without stamping, but I love the way the die cuts look against the embossed background on this one.

Holly Jolly Christmas

I know that black isn't a particularly festive colour, but I love the way that the metallic watercolours look against the dark background on this card.

What a Snow!

Finally, there had to be some pretty papers in there somewhere, as well as some faux stitching...and another Penny Black image...lots of my favourite things on this card!

Before I go...I also usually share my Christmas cake on Christmas Eve too...quite minimal again  this year, but here it is all the same:

Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas Boxes

I have a set of Christmas gift boxes to share today...made using my We R Memory Keepers punch board. These boxes are 4x4x4...the largest size the board can make, and are each made one a single sheet of 12x12 paper...these ones are from the 'I Believe' pad by My Mind's Eye.

I made some simple little tags from snippets of gold glitter card, using an old Sizzix die to cut the tag shapes., then added little Christmas trees cut from snippets of the My Mind's Eye papers using a die from a Sizzix/Hero Arts set called 'Reindeer', popped up on 3D foam pads, attaching them to the gold sparkly ribbon with some bakers twine.

Challenges for these boxes:

• Cut It Up - Holiday Gift Giving
• Daring Cardmakers - Baubles, Boxes & Bows
• Happy Little Stampers (Dies) - Anything Goes
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets (Christmas themed)

Quality Street Wreath

I have something a little bit different to share today...it's a wreath made from Quality Street chocolates. It's become a tradition to make one of these each Christmas, and I'm still using the same polystyrene ring that I first covered with chocolates in 2012! They're really simple to make, all it takes is a tub of Quality Street chocolates (you could use any wrapped sweet really, but these have the least obvious branding on the wrappers, and there's a variety of colours and shapes) and a glue gun.

Challenges for this wreath:

• Christmas Kickstart - Anything Christmas Goes
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes
• Creative Inspirations - Christmas Time
• Creative Knockouts - 'Tis the Season
• The Holly & the Ivy - Anything Christmas Goes

Snow Much Fun!

I have a simple one layer Christmas card to share today, featuring one of the images from the 'Snow Much Fun!' set by Penny Black. I stamped it directly on to a kraft card blank, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. The sentiment is from the 'Foxy Christmas' set by Woodware Stamps.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Winter
• C.R.A.F.T. - Christmas
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes (Optional 'Use the word 'Merry'')
• Crafty Sentiments - Anything Goes
• Creatalicious - Anything Goes
• Cutie Pie - Cute & Cuddly Christmas
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
• Stamping Sensations - Choose a Theme & Stamp It (Christmas)
• Use Your Stuff - Snow or Winter
• We Love Stamping - Anything Goes (Optional 'CAS')

PBSC December - Anything Goes (Optional 'Christmas')...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

'Christmas'

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

Prize - a $20 voucher!

The stamp I've used on my card is called 'We Three Kings'...I stamped it on the black card, along with its matching sentiment stamp, using Versamark Ink, then heat embossed it all using 'Metallic Gold Rich' embossing powder by WOW. I watercoloured the image using mica pigments from a Cosmic Shimmers set called 'Festive Brights' (individual colours used: Soft Gold, Christmas Red, Bright Holly & Regal Purple). Once dry, I masked the image ans sentiment, then splattered some more of the Cosmic Shimmers around the edges. I matted the panel on to some gold mirror card, and then on to a black card blank.

The mica pigments are so shiny in real life, but as with anything sparkly or shiny, a real pain to photograph!

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

• Cards Galore Encore - Anything Goes
• Everybody Art - Christmas
• Happy Little Stampers (Christmas) - Anything Goes
• Happy Little Stampers (Watercolour) - Anything Goes
• Little Red Wagon - Christmas
• Merry Little Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Stamping Sensations - Choose a Theme & Stamp It (Christmas')
• We Love Stamping - Anything Goes

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

Simple Snippets Notecards

I have a set of simple 'Thank You' cards to share today, that feature lots of snippets of patterned papers...some from pads that I must have had for over 10 years! I lightly distressed the edges of all of the papers, ans added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen, before placing them o the card blanks. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Signature Greetings' set by Memory Box.

'Marjolaine' pad by BasicGrey:

'Hattie' pad by My Mind's Eye:

'K-Ology' pad by K & Co:

'So Sophie - Graceful' pad by My Mind's Eye:

'Bittersweet' pad by BasicGrey:

'Bumblebee's Dance' pad by The Paper Boutique:

Challenges for these cards:

• A Bit More Time to Craft - Anything Goes
• A Perfect Time to Craft - Anything Goes
• Corrosive - Anything Goes
• Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Creative Moments - Anything Goes
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes

Kraft & White Snowflakes

I have a super simple one layer Christmas card to share today, featuring the snowflakes from the 'Bold Snowflakes' set by Creative Expressions. I stamped them along the edge of a kraft DL card blank using Versamark Ink, then heat embossed them using white embossing powder. I added a sentiment from the  'Winter Blessings' set by Crafter's Companion, again heat embossing it in white.

Challenges for this card:

• 52 Christmas Card Throwdown - Pick a Previous Challenge (Slimline Cards from March 2021)
• AAA Cards - Christmas (Optional 'Slimline Cards')
• CAS on Friday - Christmas
• Crafter's Cafe - Anything Goes
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes (Optional 'Quick & Easy')
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Cold as Ice
• Sweet Stampin' - Anything Christmas

Holly Jolly Christmas Tree

I have a trio of tree-themed Christmas cards to share today...featuring a Crafter's Companion stamp called 'Holly Jolly Christmas Tree'. I stamped it on to red, green and teal card using a white pigment ink, then heat embossed the images using white embossing powder. I did the same with my Simon Says Stamp 'Mod Trees' background stamp, then distressed all of the edges before layering up on co-ordinating card blanks.

Here are some close-ups of the individual cards:

Challenges for these cards:

• Crafty Calendar - Christmas
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes (Optional 'Chritmas')
• Crafty Creations - Anything Goes
• Creative Knockouts - Time to be Merry
• Fab 'N' Funky - Christmas
• Jingle Belles - Anything Christmas
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Stamping Sensations - Choose a Theme & Stamp It (Christmas Trees)
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Wintertime Snowman

Today's card features a cute little snowman from the 'Wintertime Messages' set by Hero Arts. I stamped him on to watercolour paper, coloured him using watercolour pencils, then carefully cut him out (minus his arms!). I stamped him again on to a snippet of 'snowy' sky paper (from the 'Christmas' pad by Craft Sensations), then placed the coloured version over the top to give him back his arms, then matted it on to some pink card before adding it to my card blank.The sentiment stamp is from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous.

Challenges for this card:

• Christmas Kickstart - Anything Christmas
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Crafty Sentiments - Anything Goes
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
• Happy Little Stampers (CAS) - Christmas Characters
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Cold as Ice
• We Love Stamping - Anything Goes (Optional 'CAS')

Little Presents

Today's card was inspired by the inspiration photo over at the Less More Challenge. I cut the little presents from snippets of red, white and gold card using a Poppy Stamps die called 'Abundant Gifts', then added them to a kraft card blank using 3D foam pads. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Wintertime Messages' set by Hero Arts.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Use a Die
• C.R.A.F.T. - Christmas Present
• Less is More - Photo Inspiration
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Christmas

PBSC December - Anything Goes (Optional 'Christmas')

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
'Christmas'

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

Prize - a $20 voucher!

I used a stamp called 'What a Snow!' for my card, stamping it on to watercolour paper, along with a sentiment (also by Penny Black), then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I paired it with papers from a Craft Sensations pad called simply 'Christmas', distressing all of the edges and adding some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. I added some adhesive pink perals as a finishing touch.

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

• Aud Sentiments - Christmas/Winter/New Year & a Sentiment
• CCEE Stampers - Celebrate with Song
• Dream Valley - Christmas
• Little Red Wagon - Let It Snow!
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Christmas
• Winter Wonderland - Anything Christmas Goes

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

Melting Snowmen

Today's card features a stamp from an old Woodware set called 'Melting Snowmen'. I stamped the 'melted' snowmen along the bootom edge of a kraft card blank, along with one of the sentiments from the set, then coloured them using watercolour pencils.

Challenges for this card:

• AAA Cards - Along the Edge (Optional 'Snow')
• CAS on Friday - Winter
• Creatalicious - Anything Goes (Optional 'Christmas')
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Christmas
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes