Guest Designer - Seize the Birthday Challenge (Make Your Own Snowflake Background)!

Today, I'm excited to share the first of my Surprise Party Guest cards for the Seize the Birthday Challenge, where the theme for the next two weeks is:

This theme is optional, so there's always the option for 'Anything Goes' as long as it's a Birthday card!

For my card, I used a sweet polar bear stamp from a Kanban set that I picked up in a charity shop just before Christmas. I stamped him onto watercolour paper, doodled a line for the snowy ground using a black gel pen, coloured him using watercolour pencils, then cut around the top of the image. For my snowflake background, I embossed a piece of watercolour effect paper, from the 'Mystery Marbles' pad using a Craft Tonic embossing folder, then gently sanded over the raised areas to reveal some of the white core. I added a stamped sentiment, using one of the stamps from the 'What This!' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company, then layered the bear over the snowflake background. I matted it onto some navy card, then added it to a white card blank.

For more inspiration from the fabulous Design Team, please pop over to the Seize the Birthday Challenge.

Little Christmas Owl

Today's card features a teeny tiny owl from a set of clear Christmas stamps that I picked up in a charity shop a few months ago...it's unlabelled, but Google seems to confirm my suspicions that it's by Kanban. I stamped him on to a kraft card blank, along with a little sentiment from the same set, then coloured him using watercolour pencils.

Challenges for this card:

• AAA Cards - One Inchie
• CAS Christmas - Christmas Critters
• Creative Moments - Anything Goes
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
• Incy Wincy - Colour on Kraft Card
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Stamping Sensations - Christmas
• We Love Stamping - Christmas

Teddy & Snowman

Today's card features another charity shop find...the cute stamp (from a clear stamp set that did not have any markings on it, but I think is by Kanban), and a new stencil ('Snowflake Flurry' by Creative Expressions) that I picked up recently in a lovely Aladdin's cave of a craft shop in Diss whilst visiting my parents. I stamped the image on to watercolour paper, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I used the stencil to make a simple background, inking the design with 'Stormy Sky' Distress Ink on some light blue card. I inked around the edges, then distressed them lightly, before adding some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. I matted everything on to some navy card, then added a die cut snowflake (cut using my Cuttlebug 'Ice Crystal' die), with a little adhesive pearl in its centre.

Challenges for this card:

• Christmas Card Throwdown - Three Shades of Blue
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes
• Crafty Sentiments - Anything Goes
• Happy Little Stampers (Stencils) - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Fun with Stencils
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Lots of Layers
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Sending Hugs

Today's card features a stamp from an old Kanban set called 'Get Well Soon' that I picked up in a  charity shop. I stamped it on to watercolour paper, then coloured it using watercolout pencils. The papers are from the 'Refreshing Basics' pad from The Works, and the sentiment stamp is from the 'Doodled Flowers' set by Happy Little Stampers.

Challenges for this card:

• A Bit More Time to Craft - Anything Goes
• A Perfect Time to Craft - Anything Goes
• Cards Galore Encore - Anything Goes
• Corrosive - Anything Goes
• Crafty Sentiments - Anything Goes
• Cutie Pie - Bears
• Sweet Stampin' - I Spy Something Beginning with B (Bear)
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Get Well Soon!

Today's card features a charity shop stamp find...it's from an old Kanban set called 'Get Well Soon'. I stamped it on to watercolour paper, then coloured the image using watercolour pencils. The papers are from the 'Prince Charming' pad by Recollections/Michaels. 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 'Go To Words' set by Visible Image.

Challenges for this card:

• Creative Moments - Anything Goes
• Cutie Pie - Hip to be Square
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• Stamping Sensations - Masculine

Old MacDonald Had a Farm...

I have a little set of 'thank you' cards to share today, featuring some farm animal stamps from a set by Kanban. I coloured them using watercolour pencils, then cut them out, and mounted them on to my cards using 3D foam pads on top of a simple background of snippets of paper from the 'Yours Truly' pad by Pebbles Inc. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Anytime Messages' set by Hero Arts.

We have, a pig:

...a cow:

...and a sheep:

Challenges for these cards:

• Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Simply Papercraft - Anything Goes
• Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes
• The Pencil Cases - Anything Goes