Doggo & Mousy Winter Walk

Today's card features a new (to me) stamp by Purple Onion called 'Doggo & Mousy Winter Walk'. I stamped it on to a snippet of watercolour paper, coloured it using watercolour pencils, then carefully cut it out. I used a snippet of snowy sky paper (from the 'Christmas' pad by Craft Sensations) for the background, adding a snippet of white card, torn along its top edge, for the snowy ground, before matting it on to some grey card and adding it to a card blank. The sentiment stamp is from an old Lili of the Valley set.

Challenges for this card:

• 2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Anything Goes
• Cardz for Guys - CAS
• Crafty Animals - Anything Goes
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
• Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes

Christmas Star

Today's card features some more of the stamps from the 'All is Bright' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company. I stamped them on to watercolour paper, adding a sentiment from an old Lili of the Valley set, then coloured them using watercolour pencils. I used papers from the 'Santa's List' pad by Kaiserkraft for the background, distressing the edges a little before adding some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. Then matted the layers on to red card before adding it to the card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Fab 'N' Funky - Include a Stamped Image
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• Time Out - Pick Two (Stitch & Layer)

Bauble Decoration

Today's card features an old Papermania stamp called 'Bauble Decoration'. I stamped it directly on to a kraft card blank using Versamark ink, then heat embossed it in white. I added a sentiment using a stamp from a Lili of the Valley set...heat embossing that in white to match.

Challenges for this card:

• Christmas Kickstart - Baubles
• C.R.A.F.T. - Christmas
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Peace on Earth Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes (Optional 'Photo Inspiration')
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Rudolph Days - Anything Christmas Goes

ABC Christmas Challenge - A & B are for?

It's the second Wednesday of a new month, so that means it's time for a new ABC Christmas Challenge...and today, we are starting our sixteenth trip through the alphabet! I'm the host, and the themes are:

'A is for Anything Christmas Goes

&

'B is for Buildings'

The prize for the lucky winner is this stamp set & paper pad:

For my 'Anything Christmas' card, I used a new Penny Black snowman stamp that I received for Christmas...he's called 'Jolly Snowy'. I stamped him on to watercolour paper, along with a sentiment using an old Lili of the Valley stamp, then coloured him using watercolour pencils. For the background, I used papers from the 'Back to Basics Christmas' pad by Dovecraft...distressing the edges, and adding some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

For my 'B is for Buildings' card, I used a Memory Box die called 'Snowy Cabin Circle'. I cut the whole die from a snippet of white card, then used tiny snippets of blue, pink and yellow papers to cut some of the details of the cabin, and added those to the scene. I layered a circle of paper from the 'Glittering Snowflakes' pad by Crafter's Companion behind the scene, then added it to a card blank using 3D foam. The sentiment stamp is from an old Lili of the Valley set.

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

• Crafty Calendar - Use a Die Cut (Second card only)
• Peace on Earth Christmas - Anything Goes/Optional 'Moodboard' (First card only)
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Something New (The stamp is new) (First card only)
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Something New (The stamp is new) (First card only)
• Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes/Hand Coloured Image (First card only)

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

Penguin Pals

Today's card features an old Lili of the Valley stamp called 'Penguin Pals'. I stamped it on to kraft card blank, coloured it using watercolour pencils, then added a sentiment using a stamp from the 'Snow Much Fun' set by Crafter's Companion.

Challenges for this card:

• Addicted to CAS - Brrrr!
• As You Like It - Anything Christmassy
• Crafts Galore Encore - Anything Goes
• Creative Knockouts - Time to Be Merry
• My Time to Craft - Something Snow-related
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes

ABC Christmas Challenge - W & X are for?

We have a fun new ABC Christmas Challenge starting today...Fabiola is the host, and the themes are:

'W is for Watercolour'

&

'X is for Xylophone'

(Photo Inspiration!)

The prize for the lucky winner is this gift certificate:

For my 'W is for Watercolour' card, I used stamps from a Woodware set called 'Sketchy Pure Branch'. I inked the two branch stamps using three shades of green Distress Inks (Evergreen Bough, Pine Needles & Forest Moss), spritzed then with a little water, then stamped each several times on to watercolour paper, inking again each time before stamping. I then spritzed it all with some more water, and allowed the inks to bleed into each other to create a watercolour effect. Once dry, I mixed gold and red Cosmic Shimmers mica pigments with water, then splattered those over the branches, and added a die cut sentiment...cut from a snippet of gold mirror card using a Creative Expressions die. I matted the watercolour panel on to some more gold mirror card...distresssing the edges a little before adding it to a card blank.

For my 'X is for Xylophone card, I took inspiration from the bear shape, and picked a Little of the Valley stamp called 'James the Bear - Little Star'. I stamped him on to a snippet of watercolour paper, coloured him using watercolour pencils, then carefully cut him out. For the background, I took inspiration from the multicoloured bars on the glockenspiel, and picked a piece of watercolour effect paper from the 'Pastel Watercolours' pad from The Works. I embossed it using the 'Jolly Christmas' embossing folder by Couture Creations, then matted it on to a snippet of black card before adding it to a card blank. I stamped a sentiment (from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous) on to a teeny snippet of black card using white pigment ink, then added that and James the Bear on to the background using 3D foam pads.

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

• Allsorts - Anything Goes (Optional 'Christmas' - First card only)
• Aud Sentiments - Glitter and/or Christmas & a Sentiment (First card only)
• Crafty Calendar - Anything Goes (Second card only)
• Elliebelle's Crafty Wednesday - Anything Goes (First card only)
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes (Second card only)
• Incy Wincy - Anything Goes (Optional 'Christmas Card with Handmade Background' - Second card only)
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets (Second card only)
• We Love Stamping - Anything Goes (Optional 'Christmas' - First card only)

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

ABC Christmas Challenge - U & V are for?

We have a fun new ABC Christmas Challenge starting today...Carol is the host, and the themes are:

'U is for Unusual Christmas Colours'

&

'V is for Velvet'

The prize for the lucky winner is a die and pack of embellishments:

For my 'Unusual Christmas Colours' card, I picked a cute Woodware stamp called 'Snowman Family', stamping it on to watercolour paper along with a sentiment from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous. I coloured the image using watercolour pencils, then distressed the edges a littlebefore adding it to a kraft DL card blank.

For my 'Velvet' card, I picked one of the die cut coloured panels by Lili of the Valley that have been lurking in my stash for years...this one is from the 'Traditional Christmas' set. I trimmed it down (mainly to remove the rounded corners, then distressed the edges before matting it on to some teal card. For the background, I used some even older snippets of BasicGrey 'Figgy Pudding' papers...distressing the edges of those too, before adding faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen, and matting them on to more teal card. For the velvet element, I added some coordinating strips of velvet ribbon.

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

• A Perfect Time to Craft - Anything Goes (First card only)
• Christmas Cards All Year Round - Snowmen (First card only)
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes (Second card only)
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes (First card only)
• Peace on Earth Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes (Second card only)
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Use Patterned Paper (Second card only)

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

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

We have a fun new ABC Christmas Challenge starting today...Helene is the host, and the themes are:

'P is for Pink'

'Q is for Quartet'

&

'R is for Rudolph'

The prize for the lucky winner is these Fizzy Moon stamps:

For my 'P is for Pink' card, I picked some snowy sky background paper from the 'Believe in Yourself' pad from The Works, using it as a background for my favourite snowman...'Snowy' by Penny Black. I stamped him on to watercolour paper, coloured him using watercolour pencils, then carefully cut around the top of the image. I added a sentiment using a stamp from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous, then matted it all on to a piece of pink mirror card before adding it to a card blank.

For my 'Q is for Quartet' card, I used four of the animal stamps from the 'Carol Singers' set by Lili of the Valley, masking and stamping them on to watercolour paper. I coloured them using watercolour pencils, then added a sentiment from the 'Christmas Hats' set by Anita Jeram for the Colorado Craft Company. I distressed the edges a little, then added it toa DL card blank.

Finally, for my 'R is for Rudolph' card, I used another Lili of the Valley stamp...this one is simply called 'Santa'. I stamped it directly on to a kraft card blank, along with a sentiment from another Lili of the Valley set, then coloured it using watercolour pencils.

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

• Cutie Pie - Four-legged Friends (Second card only)
• Dream Valley - Hand Coloured Image (First card only)
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes (Second card only)
• Love to Scrap - Anything Goes (Third card only)
• The Holly & the Ivy - Anything Christmas Goes (First card only)
• We Love Stamping - Anything Goes (Third card only)

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

Polar Pair

Today's card features an old Lili of the Valley stamp called 'Polar Pair'. I stamped it directly on to a white card blank, added a sentiment from the 'Beary Merry Christmas' set by Funky Fossil, then coloured the image using watercolour pencils.

Challenges for this card:

• Alphabet Challenge - Holidays (I went with Christmas)
• Christmas with the Cuties - Festive Bears
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Krafty Chicks - Christmas
• Little Red Wagon - Something You Love (CAS Christmas cards - cheap to post!)
• My Time to Craft - CAS Style Layout
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Stamping Sensations - Christmas in July

Dad's the Word

Today I'm sharing the card I made for my Dad for Father's day. It features a cute stamp that I found in a charity shop a little while ago, called 'Dad's the Word' by Lili of the Valley. I stamped it on to watercolour paper, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. The papers are from the 'Fresh Florals' pad by Craft Sensations...I distressed the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen before layering it all on to a kraft card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes (Optional 'Father's Day')
• Cardz for Guys - Father's Day
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes (Optional 'Masculine')
• Cutie Pie - Dads and/or Lads
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Bright & Cheerful
• Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes
• Sweet Stampin' - Father's Day

I also made a simple gift tag for my Dad's present...using a cute Penny Blac chicken stamp called 'Present Pile'. I stamped it on to a snippet of watercolour paper, coloured it using watercolour pencils, then carefully cut him out. I heat embossed a chicken wire background stamp (by Darkroom Door) on to a kraft luggage tag using silver embossing powder, added the chicken on top using 3D foam pads, then tied it all together using some red baker's twine.

Snowman

Today's card features an old Lili of the Valley stamp, called simply 'Snowman'. I stamped him on to watercolour paper, along with a sentiment from the 'Snow Bunnies' set by Anita Jerum for the Colorado Craft Company, then coloured him using watercolour pencils. For the background, I cut snippets of aqua and pink card into sqaures, then embossed them using a couple of 'Snowflake' embossing folders...one by Cuttlebug, and the other is a Sizzix/Tim Holtz one. I distressed all of the edges a little before assembly the card.

Challenges for this card:

• Christmas Cards All Year Round - Inspired by Christmas Drinks or Christmas Movies (My card is inspired by 'The Snowman')
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Crafty Gals Corner - Anything Goes
• Krafty Chicks - Christmas
• Jingle Belles - Cardstock Christmas
• Little Red Wagon - Make Your Own Background

ABC Christmas Challenge - J & K are for?

We have a fun new ABC Christmas Challenge starting today...I'm the host, and the themes are:

'J is for Jesus'

&

'K is for Kings'

The prize for the lucky winner is this Paper Boutique stamp set & Hobbycraft snowflake die set:

For my 'J is for Jesus' card, I used a cute Penny Black stamp called 'The Manger', stamping it on to watercolour paper, then colouring it using watercolour pencils. I paired it with papers from a couple of different Craft Sensations pads ('Fresh Florals' and 'Vintage Dreams'), and one from the 'Prince Charming' pad by Recollections/Michaels (found at TK Maxx). I distressed all of the edges a little, then added a sentiment using  stmp from an old Lili of the Valley set.

I used another Penny Black stamp on my 'K is for Kings' card...this one is called 'We Three Kings'. I stamped it, along with the matching sentiment, on to black card using Versamark ink, then heat embossed them using 'Metallic Gold' embossing powder from WOW. I watercoloured the image using Cosmic Shimmers mica pigments mixed with a little water, then matted it on to gold mirror card before adding it to a card blank.

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

• A Perfect Time to Craft - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Merry Little Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes
• Peace on Earth Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes

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

James Big Heart

Today's card features a Lili of the Valley James the Bear stamp called 'James Big Heart'. I stamped him on to watercolour paper, then coloured him using watercolour pencils. I paper pieced the heart using a snippet of paper from the 'Vintage Dreams' pad, then added a sentiment from the 'Champagne Anniversary Silhouette'. I added a layer of (barely) patterned paper from the same pad...distressing the edges a little before adding it to a kraft card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• As You Like It - Cute or Floral (Cute stamps for me...they were what first got me hooked on stamping!)
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Crafts Galore Encore - Anything Goes
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes

Snowflake Trees

I have a simple Christmas card to share today...made using one of the Christmas tree stamps from a set by Paper Artsy (Eclectica range 'EKC10'). I started by placing a strip of masking tape across a piece of watercolour paper, then stamped the tree over the top using a couple of blue shades of Distress Ink (Uncharted Marine & Broken China). Once dry, I removed the tape, then stamped a sentiment (using a stamp from an old Lili of the Valley set) in the void using 'Twilght' Versafine Clair ink. I distressed the edges of the watercolour paper a little, then added it to a kraft card blank. This was so quick and easy to do, I can see myself making more cards in this style with other stamps.

Challenges for this card:

• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Krafty Chicks - All Occasions
• Rudolph Days - Anything Christmas Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• The Holly & the Ivy - Anything Christmas Goes

Spring Bunny with Daffs Easter Treat Bag

I have another Easter treat bag to share today...this one features an adorable Lili of the Valley stamp called 'Spring Bunny with Daffs'. I stamped it on to watercolour paper, along with a sentiment from the 'Egg-cellent Easter Sentiments' set by C. C. Designs, then coloured it using watercolour pencils. I paired it with papers from the 'Bright Freshness' pad by Craft Sensations...I distressed the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

Challenges for this treat bag:

• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Easter/Spring
• Stamping Sensations - Spring
• Sweet Stampin' - Easter

Get Well Soon!

Today's card is a 'Get Well Soon' card that I made for my Dad who is recovering from a hip replacement operation. I picked a lili of the Valley bunny image called 'Get Well Bunny', stamped him on to watercolour paper, then coloured him using watercolour pencils. I paired him with papers from the 'Fresh Florals' pad by Craft Sensations...distressing the edges a little, before adding 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:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes (Optional 'Feathers and/or Fur')
• Crafts Galore Encore - Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
• Creative Inspirations - Anything Goes
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes

ABC Christmas Challenge - E, F & G are for?

It's the second Wednesday of a new month, so that means it's time for a new ABC Christmas Challenge! Lynda is the host, and the themes are:

'E is for Embossing'

'F is for Faux'

&

'G is for Gingerbread'

The prize for the lucky winner is these fab stamp sets:

For my 'E is for Embossing' card, I used a Penny Black stamp called 'Warm Reception'...stamping it on to a piece of kraft card using Versamark ink, then heat embossing it using white embossing powder. I added a heat embossed sentiment (from the 'Snowflake Edges' set by Simon Says Stamp), then inked around the edges with the Versamark ink pad and heat embossed that in white too before adding it to a kraft card blank.

FOr my 'F is for Faux' card...I went with faux stitching on some papers from the 'Pure Frozen' pad from Poundland...distressing the edges before adding the stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The snowflakes are a Stampendous stamp set called 'Delicate Snowflakes'...I stamped them on to snippets of navy, turquoise and aqua card using Versamark ink, then heat embossed them in white before cutting them out using the matching dies. I layered them up using 3D foam pads, then added them to the front of the card. The sentiment stamp is from an old Lili of the Valley set.

I really struggled with the 'G is for Gingerbread' theme...but eventually found some paper with little gingerbread men on...it was a freebie from a magazine years ago...but just the job for this! I matted a strip of the patterned paper on to some gold mirror card, and placed it down one side of a card blank, then cut the sentiment (using a Creative Expressions die) from some more mirror card, then added that over the top.

Challenges for these cards:

• Allsorts - Anything Goes (Second card only)
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes (Optional 'Monochrome') (First card only)
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes (First card only)
• Jingle Belles - Use Dies (Second card only)
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes (Second card only)
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Add a Sentiment (Third card only)
• Stamps + Fun = Creativity - Embossing (First card only)

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