Neutral Noel

I have another neutral card using my 'Pumice Stone' Distress Ink today...I hadn't realised how pretty 'beige' could be until I used this ink on this card last week. I stamped the tree stamp (from the 'North Country' set by Prima) in Versamark, then eat embossed it in white, before blending the 'Pumice Stone' ink over the top. I matted it on to white, and then kraft card, and added a sentiment (from the 'Bubble Tree' set by Woodware) stamped in Memento 'Rich Cocoa' ink.

Challenges for this card:

• Crazy Challenge - No Designer Papers
• Jingle Belles - Neutral Noel (I was inspired by the colour scheme, and gorgeous tree & snowflake cushions in the photo)
• Lollipop - White with a Splash of Colour

I'll be back with another Christmas card tomorrow for our current ABC Christmas Challenge.

Bun Buns

I have another Easter card to share today...using a stamp I bought in the post-Christmas sales...called 'Bun Buns' (by Penny Black). I coloured the bunnies in pastel colours to match the 'Hippity Hoppity' papers (by We R Memory Keepers)...and cut out a few flowers from one of the papers to act as embellishments.

Challenges for this card:

• 2 Sisters - Spring colours
• Allsorts - Say it with flowers 
• Crazy4Challenges - Spring
• Digi Doodles - Animals
• Penny Black And More @ Allsorts - Springtime
• Sweet Stop Sketches - Sketch

Pile It On! Challenge - St. Patrick's Day and/or Shades of Green

This week's Pile It On! Challenge theme is:

'St. Patrick's Day and/or Shades of Green'

Our sponsor for this challenge is:

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

I've used a digi image from Hambo Stamps on my card...he's called 'Monster Sax'...coloured using watercolour pencils. The papers are all BasicGrey...from the 'Marjolaine' and 'Boxer' pads. I distressed all of the edges using 'Pumice Stone' Distress Ink, and my distressing tool...then added faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The stars were cut using my Nesties, and the sentiment stamp is by Studio G.

Here are the challenges I've Piled On:

• Pile It On! - Shades of Green/St Patrick's Day
• Birthday Sundaes - Green Birthday
• C.R.A.F.T. - Inspired by a Song ('Monster' by Automatic)
• Crafty Calendar - Spring Clean (I've had some of these papers for years! lol)
• Digi Stamps 4 Joy - Mainly Green
• Do You Stack Up? - Go Green
• Inky Impressions - Use Green
• Just Some Lines - Spring Clean (I've had this image, and both paper pads for well over a year)
• Love to Create - Monochrome
• Phindy's Place - Green
• Prairie Fairy - Distress It
• Raise the Bar - Go Green
• Sweet Stampin' - Layers
• Totally Papercrafts - My Favourite Things (Distressing, Embossing, BG papers, Nesties)  

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

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge - No Image, Just Words

It's Linda's turn to choose the theme of this week's Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge, which is:

'No Images, Just Words'

Our sponsor for this challenge is:

The prize is a $10 voucher to spend in the Digi Doodle store.

I've gone for a CAS style card...using a die cut flower (cut using my 'Tattered Florals' dies) as the focal point. I used Core'dinations card (in a couple of the Distress Ink shades), embossing them with my Cuttlebug 'Victoria' and 'D'Vine Swirls' folders, then sanding over the surface to reveal the core. The sentiment stamp is by Hero Arts, the blingy brad is from Craft Obsessions, and the lilac pearls are from Wild Orchid Crafts.

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

• Kaboodles Doodles - Flowers
• Shopping Our Stash - Embossing

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

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - The Young Ones

Woo-hoo...it's Saturday! Which means it's time for a brand new Penny Black Saturday Challenge...where this week our theme is:

'The Young Ones'

(Cards for children)

 Our sponsor for this challenge is:

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

I've used 'Birthday Dog' on my card...I love using him on boy's cards. I kept everything really simple, just adding some strips of spotty papers (from the '72 & Sunny' pad by We R Memory Keepers), and a sentiment (from the 'Sending Sunshine' set by Simon Says Stamp) stamped on a star cut using one of my Nesties.

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

• Anything Goes - Boys to Men
• Aud Sentiments - Happy Birthday
• Birthday Sundaes - Birthday Sentiments
• Creative Craft - Boys
• For Fun - Cats or Dogs
• Midnight Madness - March Sketch

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

Bunny Bear

I've had this little cutie ('Kiki - Honey Bunny' by Pollycraft) coloured for a couple of weeks...so when I found myself with a little crafting time on my hands yesterday, I made her into a card. I used some papers from a Heidi Grace pad...distressing the edges, before adding some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a white gel pen. The sentiment stamp is by Hero Arts, and I cut the 'eggs' using a couple of my oval Nesties.

Challenges for this card:

• Crafter's Companion - Spring 
• My Mum's Craft Shop - Spring Colours
• Pink Elephant - Layers
• Pollycraft - Spring
• Stampavie & More - Spring/Easter
• Totally Stampalicious - Spring
• Wags 'n Whiskers - Spring

ABC Christmas Challenge - E is for...

We have a brand new ABC Christmas Challenge for you today...Carissa is the host, and the theme is:

'E is for Evergreen'

Feature some traditional Christmas foliage...think trees, holly & mistletoe.

We have two wonderful sponsor's for this challenge:

Simon Says Stamp

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

and

In2Stamps

Prize is a 10 Euro voucher to spend at In2Stamps

I decided to go with trees as my 'evergreen'...using a gorgeous Penny Plack stamp called 'Before the Snow'. I stamped it using 'Forest Moss' Distress Ink...to get the effect of the tree in the distance...I simply re-stamped the image withour re-inking it first. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Bubble Tree' set by Woodware, and I doodled a border using a black gel pen.

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

• Christmas Inspirations - No Patterned Papers 
• Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes
• Lollipop Crafts - Clean & Simple
• Our Creative Corner - Inspired by a Song ('O Christmas Tree') 
• Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes

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

Cuttlebug Spot Challenge - Mother's Day with Stitching

We have a brand new Cuttlebug Spot Challenge starting today....and the theme is:

'Mother's Day with Stitching'

(Real or faux)

I love faux stitching...especially when I've distressed the edges of the papers I'm using...as it makes them kind of look like fabric. To get it to look as 'real' as possible, I use a little tool (my beloved CutterBee Bug) to pierce holes in the papers, before I draw on the 'stitching', with either a white or a black gel pen. I've used a Lili of the Valley image on my card....he's called 'Teddy - Big Bouquet'...for obvious reasons! I coloured him using watercolour pencils, to match the floral BasicGrey 'Hello Luscious' papers I've used. I embossed the plainest paper using my Cuttlebug 'Kassie's Brocade' folder, and cut a couple of flowers from some scraps of the papers using my 'Tattered Florals' die. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Sentiments' set by Hero Arts, and the sparkly brad is by American Crafts.

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

• BasicGrey - Photo Inspiration (Papers are from the 'Hello Luscious' pad)
• CES - Flower Frenzy
• C.R.A.F.T. - Mother's Day
• Craft Your Days Away - Mother's Day
• Dream Valley - Mother's Day
• Oldie but a Goodie - Mum's the Word (I've had this stamp for at least 18 months...really should use him more!)

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

Leap Frog

I'm back with the bright colours today...these papers are from a Heidi Grace pad I got ages ago at TKMaxx...I added so faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a white gel pen. The froggy is 'Leap for Joy' by Penny Black...and, as I always think he should be looking at something, I added a bee from the 'Every Which Way' set (also by Penny Black). The sentiment stamp is from the 'Anytime Messages' set by Hero Arts and the ribbon is from Fantastic Ribbons.

Challenges for this card:

• Digi Doodles - Pink & Green
• Fab 'N' Funky - Leap
• Paper Sundaes - Green or Good Luck
• Papercraft Star - Frogs
• Papertake Weekly - Sketch 
• Stamp with Fun - Pink & Green
• Sweet Stampin' - Nature, Bugs & Bees

Shades of Pumice Stone

After yesterday's highly saturated coloured cards, I've toned it down today for Less Is More's 'Neutrals' challenge. I stamped 'Agapanthus Clusters' (by Stampendous) in 'Pumice Stone' Distress Ink, then 'coloured in' the outline flowers with more 'Pumice Stone' using my waterbrush. For the strip along the bottom, I lightly blended a little 'Pumice Stone' on to white card, then stamped my 'Circular Design' background stamp (by Penny Black) in...yes, you've guessed it...'Pumice Stone'. The sentiment stamp (from a little Wild Rose Studio set) was stamped in Memento 'Rich Cocoa'...just for a change...and the button twine (just seen...it doesn't contrast too well against the stamping) is from the Ribbon Girls.

Challenges for this card:

• Clean & Simple - Sketch
• Less is More - Neutrals
• Squiggles & Giggles - White Space

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge - Green for Go!

It's Kate's turn to choose the theme of the Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge this week, which is:

'Green for Go!'

Well, St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner :0)

Our sponsor for this challenge is:

The prize for the lucky winner is a £10 voucher to spend in the Crafter's Companion store!

I've used an adorable Lili of the Valley stamp called 'Lucky Cats', which I coloured using watercolour pencils. The papers are from the 'Marjolaine' pad by BasicGrey...I distressed the edges a little, then added faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The flowers were cut using my 'Tattered Florals' die, and I used my Cuttlebug 'Perfect Paisley' folder for the embossing. The sparkly brad is by American Crafts, and the little sentiment is a Wild Rose Studio stamp.

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

• Card Makin' Mamas - Green
• Everybody Art - Monochrome
• Papercrafting Journey - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes
• Simply Create Too - Lucky
• Stampin' for the Weekend - Bingo (I used Flowers-Polkadots-Die Cuts)
• Sundays with Crissy - Animals

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

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - CASE IT (Domi)

As it's the first Saturday of the month, our Penny Black Saturday Challenge is another 'CASE IT' challenge this week...we want you to take inspiration from Domi's adorable card:

We have two wonderful sponsors for this challenge:

 

From Penny Black Inc

And from the Ribbon Girl

I took my inspiration from the circular shape, and the purple & blue colour combo. I cut my card using Nesties from Core'dinations card...cutting two full circles, then sticking them together at the top, with a little fold in the one on the back so that it stands up nicely. I embossed the blue card using my Cuttlebug 'Flower Fantasy' folder, and a cute little button border folder from the 'Just My Type' set. The flowers were cut using my 'Tattered Florals' die, and I used my EK Success 'Scalloped Diamonds' punch for the border. I sanded over all the edges and the embossing...and I almost forgot...the adorable wee hedgie is from the 'Critter Party' set

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

• Crafty Catz - Punches & Dies
• Crafty Sentiments - Shaped Cards
• Creative Inspirations - Anything Goes
• My Mum's Craft Shop - Throw Us Some Shapes
• My Time To Craft - Circle Circus
• Paper Sundaes - Circles

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

ABC Christmas Challenge - D is for...

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

'D is for Distressing'

We have two fabulous sponsors for this challenge:

Prize - a $10 voucher to spend in the Sweet Stamps store!

and

Prize - 3 digis of the winner's choice from Karen's Doodles!

I'm used another Penny Black stamp...this one is called 'Carollers'...love PB chickens! I stamped on to kraft card, then coloured them using watercolour pencils. The papers are new...I know, I know...surely the last thing I need is more paper...but I popped to Hobbycraft on Sunday morning to as I was out of foam pads...and they'd moved everything round...so I ended up traipsing round the whole shop trying to find them...and whilst I was searching for the foam pads, I discovered all of the clearance stuff left over from the post-Christmas sales had been dumped on some shelves at the back...and peeking out of the bottom of one of the piles of (mostly) tat, I spied a My Mind's Eye 12x12 glitter paper pad ('I Believe')...the cover was a little ripped, but the papers were all fine...and it was reduced to £4.99...so it just had to come home with me ;0)
I distressed all of the edges with 'Brushed Corduroy' Distress Ink, and then my distressing tool...adding faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a white gel pen. The snowflake was cut using my Cuttlebug 'Ice Crystal' die, and the sparkly brad is by American Crafts.

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

• Christmas Cards - Music
• Crazy Challenge - Anything Goes
• Love to Create - Stitching
• One Stop - Colour on Kraft
• Top Tip Tuesday - Stitching

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

Boo Boo Bear

Whilst tidying my messy stamped image box at the weekend...I came across 'Boo Boo Bear' (by Whipper Snapper)...and thought he was too sweet to leave uncoloured...I don't know anyone in need  of a 'Get Well' card at the moment...and not that I want to wish an illness upon anyone, it's always good to have one in your stash just in case! For the background, I embossed Core'dinations card using my Cuttlebug 'Kassie's Brocade', 'Perfect Paisley' and 'Victoria' folders...sanding over the surface to reveal the core. I distressed the edges a little, and cut some matching flowers using my 'Tattered Florals' die...embossing them using my 'D'Vine Swirls' folder. The sentiment stamp is by Personal Impressions, and the brads are BasicGrey.

Challenges for this card:

• Card Positioning Systems - Sketch
• Challenge Up Your Life - Get Well Soon
• Moving Along with the Times - Lots of Layers
• Raise the Bar - Purple Green & ? (I chose blue)

Make a Wish

I have another 'masculine' card today...inspired by the 'Use your scraps' challenge over at Less Is More. I have quite a few paper pads...ok..rather a lot...and I keep every tiny little scrap...'cos you never now when it's going to be just the right colour/size/pattern for something or other! lol Anyway...I raided my little BasicGrey 'Archaic' pad...I've had it for years, and there aren't any full size sheets left...just scraps...of varying sizes...and cut a few stars shapes using my Nesties. I inked the edges with a little 'Brushed Corduroy' Distress Ink, and doodled border with a black gel pen. The letters are cut from a sticker set by Pebbles Inc that has been in my stash for ages...the words were not anything I'd ever use...so I thought I'd cut them up.

Challenges for this card:

• BasicGrey - Seeing Stars (The papers are from the 'Archaic' pad)
• Less is More - Use your Scraps
• Papertake Weekly - Krafty

Pile It On Challenge - Make It a Fun Fold

It's time for a new challenge over at Pile It On! And our theme this week is:

'Make it a Fun Fold'

Try something other than a normal single fold card...for example, an easel card, gatefold, tri-fold, shutter card or step card.

Our sponsor for this challenge is:

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

I decided to make a centre-step card as it's been a while since I made one. The image is 'Celebration Chicken' by Whipper Snapper, which I coloured using watercolour pencils. The papers are all from the '72 & Sunny' pad by We R Memory Keepers...I distressed all of the edges with ink, then doodled a border using a black gel pen to save matting and layering. The letters are stamps from the Hero Arts 'Patterned Alphabet' set...stamped on to some of the orange spotty paper, and the stars were cut using my Nesties...and all popped up on 3D foam pads.

Here are the challenges I've Piled On:

• Pile It On! - Make it a Fun Fold
• 2 Sisters - Anything Goes
• Allsorts - Free & Easy
• Corrosive - Another Dimension
• Crafty Creattions - Fancy Folds
• Crazy Challenge - Use a Die Cut
• Cute Card - Things with Wings
• Delightful - Use Patterned Papers
• Do You Stack Up - Distress
• Simon Says Stamp - Three Different Papers
• Stamp with Fun - Shapes
• Sweet Stampin' - It's a Man Thing

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

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge - White on White

We have a brand new Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge for you today...where the theme is:

'White on White'

(You may use colour on your image, if you wish, but the rest of the card should be white)

We are sponsored for this challenge by:

The prize is a $15 voucher for Heather's Hobbie Haven!

I love all white cards...a great way to show off your embossing folders! I used my Cuttlebug 'Swiss Dots' and 'Kassie's Brocade' and Craft Concepts 'Butterflies' folders to make the background...distressing the edges a little to add definition to the layers. The flower stamp is 'Irises' by Penny Black, which I stamped using the watercolour technique with my 'Forest Moss' and 'Dusky Concord' Distress Inks. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Fabulous Birthday' set by Hero Arts, and I cut the numbers using my Cuttlebug 'Olivia' alphabet dies.

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

• Incy Wincy - Birthday
• Lollipop Crafts - Anything Goes

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

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Sketch by Nat

It's time for a new Penny Black Saturday Challenge, and this week we have a fabby sketch by our lovely Nat:

 

We are sponsored for this challenge by:

 

And the prize is 4 rolls of ribbon of the winner's choice!

I've used a stamp I got in the post Christmas sales on my card...it's called 'Spring chick'...perfect for Easter cards. I coloured it using watercolour pencils, and paired it with some zingy coloured papers from the 'Hippity Hoppity' pad by We R Memory Keepers. I distressed the edges a little, then added faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a white gel pen. The sentiment stamp is by Hero Arts, the strip across the bottom is also from the WRMK pad, and the flowers were cut using my Tattered Florals die.

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

• Crafts & Me - Shades of Spring
• Crafty Catz - Eye Spy Something Beginning with...B (Bunny)
• Simon Says Stamp - Use 3 Papers
• The Stamp Man - Colours of Easter/Spring

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