August Desk Calendar

As it's the first day of a new month, I'm sharing my desk calendar page for August today. In honour of the Olympics, I've used a one of the stamps from the 'Cheering Critters' set by Penny Black...stamping him on to watercolour paper, then colouring him using watercolour pencils...of course in Team GB colours...then used one of my circle Nesties to cut him out. For the background, I used red, white and blue papers from the 'Festival of Prints' stack by Stampin' Up and 'Christmas Cheer' pad by Lily Bee Designs...distressing the edges, before adding some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

Challenges for this calendar:

• A Perfect Time to Craft - Anything Goes
• Crafty Animals - Anything Goes
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Four-legged Friends
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes

Butterfly Birthday

Today's card features another recent charity shop find... a swirly background stamp by Stampin' Up! I started by making a simple watercolour background, by blending Distress Inks (Peacock Feathers, Mermaid Lagoon, Broken China and Chipped Sapphire) on to wet watercolour paper. Once dry, I stamped the swirly background stamp over the top using Versamark Ink, then heat embossed it using metallic gold embossing powder from WOW. I cut a butterfly from a snippet of gold mirror card, using a die from the 'Mini Detailed Butterflies' set by Tim Holtz for Sizzix, then cut the matching solid butterfly shape from a snippet of pearlised aqua card to layer behind it. I added the butterfly to the background using 3D foam pads, and matted it all on to some more gold mirror card before adhering it to a white card blank. Finally, I stamped a sentiment (from the 'Go To Words' set by Visible Image) on to a snippet of white card, matted it on to another snippet of gold mirror card, before adding it to the card.

Challenges for this card:

• Aud Sentiments - Use Dies + a Sentiment
• My Time to Craft - Make Your Own Background
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Seize the Birthday - Anything Birthday

Party Animals

Today's card fetaures a Penny Black stamp called 'Party Animals'. I stamped it on to watercolour paper, along with a sentiment from the 'Let's Party' set from the 'Everyday with Barkley' collection by Crafter's Companion, then coloured the image using watercolour pencils. The papers are a mixture...the striped one is from the 'Pure Frozen' pad from Poundland and the spotty one is from the 'Festival of Prints' pad by Stampin' Up...I distressed the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. 

Challenges for this card:

• AAA Birthday - Anything Birthday
• Allsorts - Spots and/or Stripes
• Dream Valley - Hip to be Square
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Sweet Stampin' - Cards for Kids

Snowy!

Today's card features one of my most favourite stamps...it's 'Snowy' by Penny Black. I was inspired to ink him up after seeing Jo's card for the current Christmas Kickstart Challenge. I'm this month's Guest Elf, and picked the theme of 'Show Us Your Snowfolk', but didn't use Snowy on my Guest Elf card, as I wanted to include several snowfolk in a wintry scene. I couldn't resist getting him out to join in with some of the 'Christmas in July' themed challenges that around at the moment. I kept it really simple, stamping him on to a piece of hammered white card (the same as I use to make my card blanks so that it would match perfectly), along with a sentiment from the 'Winter Blessings' set (by Crafter's Companion). I used watercolour pencils to add some minimal colouring, then paper pieced his hat and scarf using a snippet of paper from an unnamed Stampin' Up pad. I then distressed the edges of the image panel before adding it to my card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Christmas in July
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes (Optional 'Christmas in July')
• C.R.A.F.T. - Christmas
• Krafty Chicks - Christmas
• Less is More - Traditional Christmas Colours

Reindog

I have a Christmas card to share today...featuring a cute Penny Black pup from the 'Wintertime Cheer' set. I stamped him on to a snippet of watercolour paper, coloured him using watercolour pencils, then carefully cut him out. I added a snippet of spotty paper from an un-named pad by Stampin' Up (that I picked up a few years ago in a charity shop) along the bottom of a kraft card blank, before adding the pup on top using some 3D foam pads. The sentiment is an old wood mounted Penny Black stamp.

Challenges for this card:

• AAA Cards - Anything Goes (Optional 'Christmas Pets in July')
• Allsorts - Allsorts of Animals
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes (Optional 'Red')
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
• Happy Little Stampers (CAS) - Christmas
• Incy Wincy - Wincy/Meow
• Krafty Chicks - Stamp Act
• Little Red Wagon - Christmas in July
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets & Christmas
• The Holly & the Ivy - Anything Christmas Goes

Happy Mother's Day!

Today I'm sharing the card I made for my Mum for Mother's Day...although I made it at half-term while I was visiting my parents...I'm hoping that my Dad has remembered to give it to her this morning! I used one of the Hedgie's from the 'Wonderful' set by Penny Black, which I coloured using watercolour pencils. The papers are a mixture of Stampin' Up (from an un-named Christmas pad), and American Crafts (from the 'My Girl' pad)...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 'Sentiments' set by Hero Arts.

Challenges for this card:

• As You Like It - Favourite Colouring Medium (Watercolour pencils - they're so quick & easy to use...portable too!)
• CCEE Stampers - National Pencil Day
• Crafty Cardmakers - That Special Someone (Mum)
• Daring Cardmakers - A Special Lady
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
• My Time to Craft - Mother's Day
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes

Time Out

Today's card features another of my recent charity shop bargain stamps...it's from the 'Moonbeam Meadows' collection by Crafter's Companion and is called 'Time Out'. I coloured it using watercolour pencils, then cut it into a circle shape using one of my Nesties. I found a spotty piece of paper to (almost) match the toadstool in a pad by Stampin' Up (also found in a charity shop), distressed the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

Challenges for this card:

• Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes
• Crafting with Friends - Anything Goes
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes
• Use Your Stuff - Furry Friends

What a Snow!

After a brief slow-down to make some Halloween goodies, I'm firmly back into Christmas card making this week! Today's card features a cute Penny Black image called 'What a Snow!', which I coloured using watercolour pencils. For the background, I heat embossed the top and bottom of the front of my kraft card blank using 'Metallic Gold Sparkle' embossing glitter from WOW. I then added a piece of patterned paper from a Stampin' Up! pad over the top, and a strip of kraft card stamped with my Simon Says Stamp 'Abstract Triangles' stamp, and heat embossed in more sparkly gold. I added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a gold gel pen.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Traditional Christmas Colours
• Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Goes
• Jingle Belles - Animals
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Merry Christmas - Anything Goes
• Penny Black Inc - Holiday Cards
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Animal Antics

ABC Christmas Challenge - P, Q & R are for?

It's the first Wednesday of the month, so that means that we have a fun new ABC Christmas Challenge starting today! Sharon is the host, and we have a bumper crop of three themes:

'P is for Plain'

'Q is for Quote'

&

'R is for Rabbits or Robins'

Our sponsor for this challenge is Freckled Fawn:

Prize - $25 Gift Certificate!

There's also a prize on offer from Sharon:

A cute set of Penny Black stamps!

I made a card for each of the three themes...on my 'P is for Plain' card, I used a Stamping Bella stamp set called 'Caroling Chicks' to make a simple one layer card. I coloured the image using watercoloure penils.

For my 'Q is for Quote' card, I used stamps form the 'Tattered Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous...the sentiment stamp is a quote from the song 'Winter Wonderland'. I used a piece of paper from a pad by Stampin' Up that I found in a charity shop recently for the background...I distressed the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

For my 'R is for Rabbits or Robins' card, I found a stamp by Lili of the Valley that combined the two called 'Winter Bunnies' which I coloured using watercolour pencils. I added a strip of Stampin' Up paper (form the same pad as the last card) having cut the curve using one of the dies from the 'Stitched Hillside Borders' set by Lawn Fawn. The snowflakes were cut using dies by Tim Holtz for Sizzix, and the sentiment stamp is also by Lili of the Valley.

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

• City Crafter - CAS Christmas
• Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Goes
• Crafty Sentiments - Anything Goes
• Cut It Up - Christmas in July (Just the last card)
• Holly & the Ivy - Anything Goes
• Inkspirational - 10 Minute Cards (Just the first card)
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• Sweet Stampin' - CAS
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

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

Simple Thanks

I have a set of (very) simple thank you cards to show today...

They're a variation on a theme...just with the squares placed in different positions...

A couple in portrait, and a couple in landscape...

The cards are A6 sized...not too much space to have to fill! lol...the papers are Stampin' Up! (a prize from Lady LIM Mandi from a challenge she sponsored on Totally Papercrafts a while back), and the sentiment stamp is from the 'Sending Sunshine' set by Simon Says Stamp. I lightly inked around the edges of the papers with 'Old Paper' Distress Ink, then added faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

Challenges for these cards:

• Crafty Creations - Thanks
• Less is More - One Word

ABC Christmas Challenge - V is for...

It's time for a new ABC Christmas Challenge...and this time...Lacey is our host. The theme this time is:

'V is for Vintage'

We have two wonderful sponsors for this challenge:

The prize from Crafty Emma is a £10 voucher to spend in her fabulous store!

The prize from the Ribbon Reel is this delicious bundle of ribbons & lace:

For my card, I've used a Sarah Kay image called 'Noel Charity' that was sent to me by my lovely ABC Christmas DT buddy Lacey...which I coloured using watercolour pencils. The papers are from the My Mind's Eye 'Festive Frost' collection...and I distressed all of the edges with inks and my distressing tool...adding faux stitching with my CutterBee Bug and a white gel pen. I added some lace, a snowflake (cut using a Marianne Designs Creatables die...then coated with Glamour Dust), some adhesive pearls, and a sentiment (from a Stampin' Up! set).

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

• Christmas Stampin' All Year Long - Sparkly (It doesn't show too well in the photo, but there's Glamour Dust on the snowflake and image)
• Christmas Inspirations - Die cuts & Punches (I used dies to cut the snowflake & circle)
• Critter - Use 3 Patterned Papers
• Jingle Belles - Soft (I used lace)
• Lollipop Crafts - Embellish It (Lace, Pearls & Snowflake)
• Marianne Designs - Vintage Christmas (My snowflake was cut using a Marianne Designs die)
• Marianne's Design Divas - Dying to Diecut (My snowflake was cut using a Marianne Designs die)
• Moving Along with the Times - Vintage
• Paper Sundaes - Sundae Bar (I picked Sparkle & Distressing)
• Winter Wonderland - Vintage Christmas

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

ABC Christmas Challenge - U is for...

ABC Christmas Challenge...I'm the host this time...and I have a great theme for you:

'U is for Unused Stash'

We want to you use something that you haven't used before on your projects this time...it can be something you've been saving for a special card...you know...only taking it out occasionally to admire/stroke...or something you've just bought...there are lots of lovely new Christmas collections being released at the moment...or maybe there's something in your stash that you have for absolutely ages but have never got around to using...now is your chance!

We have two fabulous sponsors for this challenge...as it's our first challenge of the month, we have Simon Says Stamp:

The prize is a $15 gift certificate to spend in the amazing Simon Says Stamp store!

And...if that's not enough...we are excited to welcome a new sponsor to our challenges...Bugaboo Stamps!

The prize from Bugaboo Stamps is 7 free digis of the winner's choice...wowee!!!

 Ok, so on to my DT card...my  'Unused Stash' is a paper pack that came free with a craft magazine last month, and a stamp from a set I won on Totally Papercrafts a couple of weeks ago:

I also used a previously unused image from our sponsor Bugaboo, called 'Snowman Bells', that I'd got when he a was a freebie last year...I printed him our absolutely ages ago...but this is the first time I've used him. I coloured him using watercolour pencils to match the My Mind's Eye papers, then simply matted everything on to red Core'Dinations card. I cut the circles using my Nesties, and used my EK Success 'Scalloped Diamonds' punch for the border.

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

• Wild Rose Studio - Festive Frolics Blog Hop

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies...and some wonderful guest designers from  Bugaboo Stamps and some winners from Feline Playful's Big Blog Party, please pop over to the ABC Christmas Challenge.