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

Just for You

I have a Christmas card to share today...featuring an adorable puppy stamp called 'Just for You' from the 'Strawberry Kisses' collection by Crafter's Companion. I stamped it on to watercolour paper, coloured it using watercolor pencils, then carefully cut around the edge of the image. I used lots of snippets of papers from the 'Christmas Cheer' pad by Lily Bee Design...sticking the little strips on to a snippet of kraft card, then trimming the edges to a neat rectangle. I then simply added the background panel to an A6 kraft card blank, then added the puppy image on top using 3D foam pads.

Challenges for this card:

• As You Like It - Favourite Colouring Medium (Watercolour pencils - they're so easy to use, and portable for colouring on the go!)
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes (Optional 'No Sentiment')
• Creative Knockouts - Anything Goes
• Everybody Art - Anything Goes
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Four Legged Friends
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Skating Fun

I have another Christmas card to share today...featuring an old Lili of the Valley image called 'Skating Fun' that hadn't seen ink in quite some time! I coloured it using watercolour pencils, then picked a couple of snippets of paper from the 'Christmas Cheer' pad by Lily Bee Design. I distressed all of the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous.

Challenges for this card:

• As You Like It - Favourite Animal (I'm partial to any cute animal...even mice...as long as they come in rubber form, but dogs would be my most favourite)
• C.R.A.F.T. - Christmas
• Crafting with an Attitude - Anything Goes
• Crafty Creations - Anything Goes
• Crimbo Crackers - Anything Goes
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes
• Winter Wonderland - Cute Christmas

Ice Christmas

I have another Christmas card to share today...this one uses a Lili of the Valley image called 'Ice Christmas' that I coloured using watercolour pencils. The papers are from the 'Christmas Cheer' pad by Lily Bee Designs...I distressed all of the edges then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The sentiment stamp is from a set by Pollycraft for C. C. Designs.

Challenges for this card:

• Alphabet Challenge - P is for Penguins
• Crimbo Crackers - Anything Christmas Goes
• Fussy & Fancy - Things with Wings
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Rudolph Days - Anything Christmas Goes
• Winter Wonderland - Colour It

Pile It On! Challenge - Holidays

We have a fun new Pile It On! Challenge starting today...and the theme is:

'Holiday'

(No Birthdays)

Our sponsor this month is Gerda Steiner Designs

Prize - $15 Store Coupon!

I went with 'Christmas' as my holiday...and picked a cute Mulberry Wood image from Crafter's Companion called 'Wish Upon a Star' that I picked up recently in a charity shop. I coloured the image using watercolour pencils and added sentiment from the 'Tattered Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous. The paper is from the 'Christmas Cheer' pad by LilyBee Designs...I distressed all of the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

Here are the challenges I've piled on:

• Pile It On! - Holidays (Christmas)
• 2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Anything Goes
• A Bit More Time to Craft - Anything Goes
• A Perfect Time to Craft - Anything Goes
• Cards Galore Encore - Anything Goes
• Crafty Calendar - Three of Something (Owls & Stockings)
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Crafty Girls Creations - Anything Goes
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Goes
• Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper - Anything Goes
• Creative Moments - Anything Goes (Optional Animals)
• Little Miss Muffet - Anything Goes
• My Time to Craft - Holidays (Christmas)
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• Simply Papercraft - Anything Goes

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

House Mouse & Friends Challenge - Guest Designer

I'm back with another guest designer card for the House Mouse & Friends Challenge today.

The fortnightly challenges are always 'Anything Goes'...but if you want more of a challenge, there's an optional theme, which this time is:

'Be Square!'

I picked a sweet little Christmas stamp called 'Mistletoe Moment', which I coloured using watercolour pencils, and made a square card...trimming the image int a square, and using square snippets of papers (from the 'Christmas Cheer' pad by Lily Bee Designs) for the background. I distressed all of the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. 

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

• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Goes
• Crimbo Crackers - Anything Goes
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Rudolph Days - Anything Christmas
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes

For more inspiration from the awesome design team, please pop over to the House Mouse & Friends Challenge.

Crazy Dogs!

I was the lucky winner of a Simon Says Stamp Challenge a little while ago, and one of the lovely things I got with my prize was the Sizzix die set to match my set of Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous 'Crazy Dogs' stamps. I've made quite a few cards using these stamps, and found that I was often fussy cutting them out, so thought that this might make life a little easier! I find it hard to choose just one of these dogs, so made a set of six cards so that I could use them all! I coloured the dogs using watercolour pencils, then cut them out using the dies...I love how there are also dies to cut out some of their facial features, and collars...I used 3D foam pads to layer them up. I had a rifle through my paper pads, and picked snippets from several (Lily Bee Design 'Christmas Cheer', Penny Black 'Madison', My Mind's Eye 'Bright', 'Breeze' & 'Stella & Rose - Mabel'), trimmed them to fit along the bottom of my card blanks, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. I added a sentiment (from the 'Birthday Buddies' set by Paper Smooches), then the dogs popped up on 3D foam pads.

Challenges for these cards:

• Cardz 4 Guyz - Things with Tails
• Catch the Bug - All Creatures Great & Small
• Corrosive - Anything Goes
• C.R.A.F.T. - Animals
• Crafty Creations - Anything Goes
• Creatalicious - Anything Goes (Optional Birthday)
• Everybody Art - Anything Goes
• Happy Little Stampers (Dies) - Anything Goes
• Heartful Stamping - Anything Goes
• Inspiration Destination - Anything Goes
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes
• Use Your Stuff - Die Cuts

ABC Christmas Challenge - A & B are for?

Over at the ABC Christmas Challenge, we're starting our ninth (!) trip through the alphabet...I'm the host, and the themes for this month are:

'A is for Antlers'

and

'B is for Birds'

We have two wonderful sponsors for this challenge:

Wild Orchid Crafts

Prize - £20 Gift Certificate!

and

Neat & Tangled

Prize - $25 Gift Certificate!

There's also a little prize from me too...a DoCrafts Christmas stamps:

I made a card for each of the themes...and on my 'A is for Antlers' card, I used a new (to me) die set by Tim Holtz (for Sizzix) called 'Winter Wonderland'. I started by cutting the deer from snippets of kraft card...then inked them with a little 'Brushed Corduroy' and 'Gathered Twigs' Distress Ink. To make the sky, I took a piece of watercolour paper that I'd 'smooshed' with various shades of blue Distress Inks (Faded Jeans, Stormy Sky, Broken China, Salty Ocean & Chipped Sapphire), and used the 'falling snow' die in the set a couple of times, then added a piece of plain white card behind it. I used my Lawn Fawn 'Stitched Hillside Border' dies to cut the snowy slopes, then layered them all up, and placed the deer on top. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous.

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

• Everybody Art - Latest Purchase (I bought the die set last weekend)
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Something New (The die set is new)
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

I stuck with some old favourites on my 'B is for Birds' card...using a trio of chickens by Penny Black called 'Carolers', which I coloured using watercolour pencils. The papers are from the 'Christmas Cheer' pad by Lily Bee Design...I distressed the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The sentiment stamp is again from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous.

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

• Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper - Anything Goes
• Shopping Our Stash - Watercolour (I used watercolour pencils)
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes

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

Moose!

Today's card features a cute moose stamp by Rachelle Anne Mille (for Stampavie) that I last inked up in August 2013 - eeeek! I added a snippet of stripey paper (from the LilyBee Designs 'Christmas Cheer' pad)...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 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz (for Stampers Anonymous).

Challenges for this card:

• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Goes (Optional Reindeer)
• Cute Card Thursday - Birds or Animals
• Happy Little Stampers (Christmas) - Anything Goes
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - It's a Stitch Up
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Furry Friends

Santa Stop Here!

I have a Christmas card to share today featuring a Lili of the Valley stamp called 'Santa Stop Here!' which I coloured using watercolour pencils...adding some sparkle to the snow with some Stickles. I kept the card really simple, adding a piece of spotty paper (from the 'Christmas Cheer' pad by Lily Bee Designs) behind the image. I distressed the edges, then added some faux stitching using one of my CutterBee Bugs and a black gel pen.

Challenges for this card:

• Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes
• Crafting When We Can - Use An Image
• Crafting with Friends - Anything Goes
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Goes (Optional Bears)
• Crafty Sentiments - Anything Goes
• Creative Inspirations - Dots and/or Stripes
• Fab 'N Funky - Christmas Crackers
• Inky Chicks - Christmas
• Rudolph Days - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Use Patterned Paper

ABC Christmas Challenge - June 2017...L & M are for?

We have another fun ABC Christmas Challenge starting today. Dorte is the host this month, and there are two themes to choose from, or combine:

'L is for Love'

and

'M is for More than One'

Our sponsor for this challenge is Wild Orchid Crafts:

Prize - £10 Gift Certificate!

There is also a mystery prize from Dorte for one lucky entrant!

For the 'L is for Love' theme, I picked a cute House Mouse image called 'Mistletoe Moment', which I coloured using watercolour pencils. The papers are from the 'Christmas Cheer' pad by Lily Bee Designs, and 'Happy Day' pad by My Mind's Eye...I distressed the edges, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The sentiment stamp is from a set by Lili of the Valley, and the adhesive pearls are from Hobbycraft.

For the 'M is for More than One' theme, I picked a Penny Black stamp called 'Carolers'...featuring 'more than one' caroling chickens! Again, I used watercolour pencils to colour the image...this time adding a sentiment from the 'Caroling Chicks' set by Stamping Bella. I also used 'more than one' paper (all from the 'Christmas Cheer' pad by Lily Bee Design), once again adding a little distressing and some faux stitching.

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

• Alphabet Challenge - F is for Feathered Friends (Second card)
• Animal Friends - Animals with Wings (Second card)
• Artistic Stamper - Winged Things (Second Card)
• Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes
• Heartful Stamping - Colouring Fun & a Stamp
• House Mouse & Friends - Think Pink/Anything Goes (First card)
• Inky Chicks - Use Three Patterned Papers (Second card)
• My Time to Craft - Down on the Farm (Second card)

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

Pile It On! Challenge June - Fancy Folds

It's the first Sunday of the month, so we have a fun new Pile It On! Challenge starting today! The theme this month is:

'Fancy Folds'

Our sponsor for this challenge is Bugaboo Stamps:

Prize - 4 Digis of the winner's choice!

I decided to make a diamond fold card...I have made one of these in the past, but I couldn't remember exactly how, so I followed this tutorial. I always think that the shape of this kind of card looks sort of like a Christmas cracker, so I made a Christmas card.The cute mouse image is from Bugaboo Stamps and is called 'Christmas Mouse Ornaments'...I coloured it using watercolour pencils. The paper is from the 'Christmas Cheer' pad by Lily Bee Designs, and the sentiment stamp is from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous (I split it into two separate words). I simply doodled some simple borders around the edges of everything using a black gel pen.

Here are the challenges I've piled on:

• Pile It On! - Fancy Folds
• Allsorts - Christmas in June
• Catch the Bug - Anything Goes
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Goes
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Extra - Anything Goes
• Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper - Anything Goes
• Cut It Up -Follow a Tutorial (I used this one)
• Dream Valley - More Than One Fold
• Little Miss Muffet - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes

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

Skating Fun

I have a Christmas card to share today, featuring a Lili of the Valley stamp that I've had for several years (and used), but only mounted onto cling foam yesterday! It's called 'Skating Fun', and I coloured it using watercolour pencils, adding some sparkle to the icy ground and falling snow with some Stickles. I used a few snippets of patterned paper (from the 'Christmas Cheer' pad by Lily Bee Design) matted on to a snippet of red card for a simple background. I distressed the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bugs and a black gel pen. The sentiment stamp is also by Lili of the Valley.

Challenges for this card:

• Addicted to Stamps - Animals
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Goes
• Creatalicious - Anything Goes
• Creative Playground - Anything Goes
• Fab 'N Funky - Let's Get Sporty
• Heartful Stamping - Anything Goes
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - Little Critters
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Furry Friends
• Sparkles Forum - Four (or more) Legs

Guest Designer - C.R.A.F.T. Challenge

Today, I'm sharing a guest designer card for the C.R.A.F.T. Challenge...where the theme this week is:

'Christmas'

The sponsor for this challenge is Pink Gem Designs:

Prize - 2 Single Digi Images or 2 Card Topper Kits of the winner's choice!

If you're a regular visitor to my blog, you'll know that I love making Christmas cards, so I really enjoyed this challenge! I had a dig around in the bottom of my image box, and found this cute Pink Gem Christmas image, that I think is called 'Winter Milly'. I think that she may have been discontinued though as I can't find her in the Pink Gem catalogue. I coloured her using watercolour pencils, then added some sparkle to the snow using Stickles. The papers are from the 'Christmas Cheer' pad by Lily Bee Designs...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 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous.

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

• Christmas at Sweet Stampin' - Anything Christmas
• Crafting with Friends - Anything Goes
• Happy Little Stampers (Christmas) - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - A Touch of Sparkle

For more inspiration from the lovely Design Team, please pop over to the C.R.A.F.T. Challenge.

Penguin Pals

I'm sharing a Christmas card today...I used a cute Lili of the Valley stamp called 'Penguin Pals'. I coloured the image using watercolour pencils, then added a Lili of the Valley sentiment underneath. The papers are from the 'Christmas Cheer' pad by Lily Bee Design...I distressed the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen.

Challenges for this card:

• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Goes
• Fairytale - Cards with Animals
• Hiding in my Craft Room - Any Holiday (Christmas)
• Rudolph Days - Anything Christmas
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes
• Winter Wonderland - Christmas Animals or Birds