May Desk Calendar

Today, I'm sharing my Penny Black desk calendar page for May. I picked one of the frogs from my long neglected 'Toadily Happy' set, stamped it onto watercolour paper, coloured it using watercolour pencils, then used one of my Nesties to cut out the circle shape. For the background, I used snippets of papers from the 'Here + There' pad by Studio Calico...distressing the edges, and adding faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. I matted it onto a snippet of kraft card before adding it to the calendar.

Challenges for this calendar:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Love to Scrap - Anything Goes
• Neglected Stuff - Anything Goes (The frog stamp was last used in 2020!)
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Make it Colourful
• We Love Stamping - All Creatures Great & Small

Birthday Monkeys

Today's card features an old Rachelle Anne Miller/Stampavie stamp called 'Birthday Monkeys', which, according to a search on my blog, I last used in 2014! I stamped it onto watercolour paper, along with a sentiment, using a stamp from the 'What This!' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I paired it with green and blue papers from three different pads: the light green one is from the 'Here + There' pad by Studio Calico; the light blue one is from the 'Shoreline' pad by American Crafts; and the darker green one is from the 'Party Day' pad by Crate Paper. I lightly distressed all of the edges before adding it to a kraft card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• 2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Anything Goes
• Crafty Gals Corner - Anything Goes (Optional 'Make It Green')
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
• Seize the Birthday - Mainly Green
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - A Bit O'Green

June Desk Calendar

As it's the start of a new month, today I'm sharing my desk calendar page for June. This month, I picked one of the cute pup stamps from the 'Man's Best Friend' set by Penny Black. I stamped him onto a snippet of watercolour paper, coloured him using watercolour pencils, then carefully cut him out. For the background, I used a couple of snippets of papers from the 'Here & There' pad by Studio Calico, using one of my 'Grassy Edges' dies (by Die-namics) to cut the green one. I cut the fence from a snippet of white card using another Die-namics die, 'Picket Fence', layered it all up, matting it onto a snippet of kraft card, then added it to my calendar.

Challenges for this calendar:

• 2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Anything Goes
• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• Stamping Sensations - Our Furry Friends

Guest Designer - Penny Black & More Challenge!

This month, I'm a guest designer for the Penny Black & More Challenge..where the theme is:

'Make it Feminine'

I picked an image called 'Uplifting Occasion'...so cute...I just love the cat's expression! I coloured it using watercolour pencils to match the papers from the 'Paper Hearts' pad by Studio Calico. I distressed all of the edges a little, 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, and I added a few adhesive pearls (from Hobbycraft).

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

• Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper - Anything Goes
• Creatalicious - Anything Goes
• Creative Knockouts - Something to Say
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes

For more inspiration from the awesome design team members, and to check out the fabulous prizes on offer this month, please pop over to the Penny Black & More Challenge.

PS - I'll be back later with my DT card for the Pile It On! Challenge, so please stop by.

Penny Black Saturday Challenge January - Anything Goes!

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'

(In fact, all of our challenges will now be 'Anything Goes', but from next month we will have an additional optional theme for those of you that like a prompt)

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

Prize - a $20 voucher!

My project for this challenge is a 2018 Penny Black calendar. I buy a few of the blank 'Create a Calendars' from Paper Mill Direct to decorate and give as Christmas presents each year, and this is the one I made for my Mum. They still have some available here if you fancy making yourself one.

I used a variety of Penny Black stamps and papers from lots of different manufacturers...far too many to list, but I did manage to use up lots of snippets! Here's a look at each of the months:

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

• Animal Friends - New Beginnings
• Cut It Up - Calendars
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Something New (New Year)
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Something New (New Year)

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

Penny Black Calendar 2017

Every year I decorate a few of the Papermill Shop's 'Create a Calendars' for Christmas presents...and today I'm sharing the one that I made for my Mum. I used all Penny Black stamps, and papers from pads by Crate Paper, My Mind's Eye, American Crafts, Studio Callico & Recollections. I kept the layouts all really simple, using two different papers on each one (I managed to use up lots of snippets too!), just adding some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

Challenges for this calendar:

• Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper - Anything Goes
• Little Red Wagon - Hello 2017
• Love to Scrap - Anything Goes
• Open Minded - Stitching (Mine is faux)
• Penny Black & More - Anything Goes
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes

Chick, Chick, Chick, Chicken!

Happy Easter!

I have one last Easter treat bag to share today. This time I used a couple of Penny Black stamps...'Totally Excited!' (the chicken) and 'Hello World! (the little chicks)'. I coloured the images using watercolour pencils, then fussy cut them out. I made a little background scene using papers from the 'Here + There' pad by Studio Calico and dies by Lawn Fawn (Stitched Hillside Borders), Die-Namics (Picket Fence & Grassy Edges), and Memory Box (Puffy Clouds). The sentiment stamp is from the 'Egg-cellent Easter Sentiments' set by AmyR/C C Designs.

Challenges for this bag:

• Allsorts - Wings
• Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Cute Card Thursday - To Die For
• Fantasy Stampers - In the Springtime
• Hiding in my Craft Room - Any Holiday (Easter)
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets (I stamped the images on to, and cut the clouds out of snippets of white card left over from making square cards from A4 sheets)
• That Craft Place - Anything Goes
• Wags 'N Whiskers - Wings

Fluffy Wabbit

I have another Easter treat bag to share today...this one uses 'Fluffy Wabbit' by Pollycraft, which I coloured using watercolour penils, adding some googly eyes. The papers are a mixture of Crate Paper Farmhouse' and Stdio Calico 'Here + There' snippets...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 'Egg-cellent Easter Sentiments' set by AmyR?C C Designs.

Challenges for this bag:

• Crafty Cardmakers - Easter
• Crafting with Friends - Anything Goes
• Crafty Catz - Stitching
• Little Red Wagon - Happy Easter/Spring
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Food & Drink
• Simply Papercraft - Anything Goes
• Stamping Boutique - Masculine

Pile It On! Challenge - Use Green and Two Other Colours

We have a fun new Pile It On! Challenge starting today, with a theme of:

'Use Green and Two Other Colours'

Our sponsor this month is the fabulous Bugaboo Stamps:

Prize - 7 Digi Stamps!

I picked turquoise and brown as my two other colours, and made an Easter treat bag. I created a little scene using papers from the 'Here + There' pad by Studio Calico (the sky) and the 'Farmhouse' pad by Crate Paper (the grass). I used one of my Lawn Fawn 'Stitched Hillside' border dies to cut the curve, and a Die-namics 'Grassy Edge' die. I added a fence cut from brown card using my Die-namics 'Picket Fence' die and a sentiment (from the 'Egg-cellent Easter Sentiments' set by Amy R/C C Designs stamped in a speech bubble cut from a snippet of kraft card using a Sizzix Thinlit/Craft Asylum die. The cute bunny is 'Bun Bun' by Penny Black...coloured using watercolour pencils, then fussy cut and mounted on 3D foam pads.

Here are the challenges I've piled on:

• Pile It On! - Green & Two Other Colours (Green, Blue & Brown)
• 4 Crafty Chicks - Easter
• Artistic Stamper - Springtime
• Aud Sentiments - Easter or Spring Sentiment
• Catch the Bug - Anything Goes
• Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper - Anything Goes
• Creative Corner - Bunnies Everywhere
• Creative Moments - Anything Goes (with a Sentiment on the Front)
• Gem of a Challenge - Spring
• One Crazy Stamper - Anything Goes
• Penny Black & More - Feature a Creature
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Ribbon Girls - Spring, Easter or Anything Goes
• Simply Papercraft - Anything Goes

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

I have candy on offer at the moment...you can find it here.

Penny Black Calendar 2016

I have a Penny Black calendar to share today...every year I decorate a few of the Paper Mill 'Create a Calendar' blanks for Christmas gifts...this is the one that I made for my Mum. This calendar is one of the A4 size ones...and I mounted each month on to kraft card cut to A6, so that once the calendar is finished it can be recycled into a set of simple cards. The images are all by Penny Black...I kept the layout very simple with a little doodling, and the papers are a real mixture (American Crafts, Bo Bunny, Crate Paper, Dovecraft, My Mind's Eye & Studio Calico). Apologies for the rather dark photos...these were taken on Boxing Day when the weather was dull and grey :0(

Challenges for this calendar:

• As You Like It - Favourite Paper or Non-Paper (Definitely paper...the possibilities are endless...and so is my stash ;0))
• C.R.A.F.T. - Not a Card
• Creative Moments - Anything Goes with a Twist of New Beginnings
• Inky Chicks - Anything Goes
• Inky Impressions - All Things New (New Year)
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes