Word Power

Hello again. Cardz 4 Galz has started a new challenge. Helen is the host, and she has chosen the theme of:

Word Power – sentiment to be the focus of your card

Here is my card:

As you may have realised from my previous posts, hubby and I have recently adopted three kittens, so – this card would seem perfect. We arrived at the sanctuary to view two kittens, and they sneakily added their sister – so – we just had to take all three of them. They have had a rough time already, and Calli – the sister they snuck in – has rickets due to malnutrition (who knew that was a thing in cats?)…….she has shorter and bowed front legs, not completely solid yet – but she is a fast and feisty girl despite that.

Anyhoo – back to my card.

I started by die cutting the sentiment from white card, then added some patterned paper for the top layer, glued all together. The shadow in white and the words added on top. These dies are from Time 4 Tea Designs, a UK company.

The background panel was dry embossed using a stencil, also from the same company.

The cat was die cut, which was from Spellbinders Advent Calendar 2024, and added as you see.

I hope you can join us with yoru creations following our theme. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

Crafty Animals – anything goes with an animal

Critter Crazy – anything goes with a critter

Christmas Scene Shaker

Hello everyone, I’m afraid this is my second post of the day as the new challenge has started at ABC Christmas Challenge. Fabiola is hosting, and the themes are:

Christmas and W is for White, X is for X-ray – something see through.

I decided to combine the two themes to create this shaker card:

I first created the scene, by using Pinkfresh Studio ‘Storybook Christmas’ images. These were stamped, coloured with layering stencils, the die cut. The mountains were cut off from the road part of the stamped image, and set to one side whilst I made the rest.

A white background panel was dry embossed using a Waffle Flower Crafts ‘Snowflake Background die’ and glues to the card base.

To make the shaker dome, I die cut the dome several times in white card stock and layered. I die cut a white glitter layer for the top, as well as the acetate layer.

I also die cut the snowflake panel in a light blue card stock to obtain some small snowflakes, and die cut the shape again to get a white glitter background.

The scene was glued down, then the blue snowflakes added, the dome without the acetate and white glitter layer glued down, sequins inserted into the well, then the acetate and glitter top layer glued.


the final step was to add the previously created gold foiled sentiment – also from Pinkfresh Studio.

I hope you can come and join us with your Christmas creations following one of both of our themes. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Peace On Earth – anything goes Christmas

Aud Sentiments – stencils and/or Christmas and a sentiment

Craft Rocket – Christmas and/or Winter

Dragonfly Dreams – embossing – wet or dry

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Glitter & Snowflakes

Hello. Some more time in my craft room to create this card inspired by the current challenge at Festive Friday. You are given a list of items, and you have to use at least three form the list.

Here is their list:

Here is my card using Something glittery, detailed die cuts, jewels, and vellum:

I used a lot of the white glitter card from a local merchant – Pink Frog Crafts – as I love that this is low-shed – and I can colour it with my Copics….

I started by die cutting the snowflakes from The Greetery (Snipped Snowflakes) and from Pinkfresh Studio (Large Snowflakes) from the white glitter card, also die cutting one from Vellum.

One of the snowflakes I took a blue Copic marker and coloured it. I dabbed, more than swiped of brushed, to try and protect the nib.

The background panel was die cut out of the same glitter card and using Pinkfresh Studio ‘Snowflakes‘ cover plate. This was adhered directly onto a white card base.

The scalloped circle is from The Greetery ‘Shortbread Shapes: Scalloped Hearts‘ and die cut out of vellum.

I put this together by adding the snowflakes together, including the vellum one, then adding them using glue behind the large snowflake onto the vellum. This was then glued down onto the glittery panel on the card base.

I added gems around the edge of the scalloped circle, also adding a gem into the centre of the snowflakes.

The final touch was to add the silver foiled sentiment.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Festive Friday – pick at least three items from the list – vellum, detailed die cuts, jewels, something glittery

A Cut Above – anything goes with die cuts

Christmas Crafts All Year Round – Christmas with V &/or W – V is for Vellum

Speedy Green Trees

Hello. I have a card to share following the current challenge at As You See It. The theme is to create a card in shades of green – no other colour except neutrals – and to create the card in 10 minutes or less.

Here are the products I prepared ready for the timer to start:

And yes – I did get some red out for a poinsettia and only realised I couldn’t use it once I was putting everything together.

Here is the card:

Timer started, off we go – the first thing was to get my grip mat, put down the card, then add the Uniko stencil on top.

The three Pinkfresh Studio inks and a large blending brush to create the tree background. The panel was cut down slightly and glued to the white card base.

The letterpress sentiment – previously created – were glued, the three holly leaves were die cut using my Spellbinders Platinum Scout, and glued down.

I added the Pinkfresh Studio gems to the base of the holly leaves and a few here and there. Done.

Time:

That time went soooooo quickly.

As mentioned, I am entering this into the current challenge at As You See It. xx

Have A Holly Jolly Christmas

Hello everyone, I have a card to share using products from the recent SCT Holiday 2026 event.

Firstly, this event was not purely for card making, but I was intrigued by the ‘Holiday Circle Album’ class by Virginia Nebel. This is meant to be a memory creation, adding photographs to certain parts of the album – which is something I never do. I do not create memory albums or scrapbooking pages, so this was really out of my comfort zone.

Here are pictures of the finished project – not my own design, not my own layouts – but the effect is quite sweet. This was my first attempt, and it requires a little tweaking – but I like how it turned out – I may even go so far as to print some photos and add them:

So the card I made was using some of the papers and ephemera from the kit – and just letting things flow:

As the album was created by cutting 10.25 inch circles from the 12×12 papers, I had some leftovers, and used some of them for the background, adding pieces and parts to cover the white card base.

I then chose some other items from the kit, including the red chip board frame, and the white circle sentiment added with 3D foam. The poinsettia is acetate, also from the kit and had a sticky back, and the enamel dots were added on the white sentiment.

I actually had fun putting the album together, then playing with the pieces – though there are absolutely loads more to be used. I have them out on my desk still, and may play a little more before putting them away…..

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

Jingle Belles Rock – Christmas and leftovers

Love Those Pretty Papers – patterned papers, option of coffe/tea/drinks not taken

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Ho Ho Ho

I have a purely die cutting Christmas card to share following colour inspiration from Color Hues with red & green – certain neutrals are also allowed:

I started by creating the Santa from a Spellbinders die set ‘Big Jolly Santa‘. I chose to use white glitter card for the fluffy elements of his clothes, and set him aside to work on the background.

The panel behind the scene was created using a Spellbinders embossing folder, and adhered flat.

The trees and snowy slopes were created using die cuts from MFT ‘Snowy Scene Builder’, with the slopes die cut from the same white glitter card, and the trees die cut from two shades of green/ I did back each of the trees with another white layer as the card used was quite thin.

The three ‘Ho Ho Ho‘ die cuts were also from MFT from a set with that name, die cut from white glitter card, each one backed with a white layer.

To put everything together, I adhered the back snowy slope with 3D foam, added the top slope with glue and 3D foam, then attached Santa.

The three words were glued flat to the embossed panel, then the trees also added with glue.

The final step was to add black gems for the two buttons on his tunic, and a red gem to the centre of each word.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Color Hues – red & green

Craft Rocket – Christmas and/or Winter

Daisy Chain – Christmas and/or Winter

Dragonfly Dreams – embossing – wet or dry

Christmas Winter Scene

Hello. Another card I was able to put together over the past few days, even though it did take me quite a while, with a few techniques involved.

For this scene, I used a Hero Arts kit which has been sitting in my drawer for ages. The kit came with the dies for the scene, three layers to create the scene, as well as the three peeking animals you can see. I couldn’t decide which animal to use – so I used all three.

To being with, I created the background panel. This was a toner sheet, onto which I used an iridescent foil, and then ink blended a dark blue over the foiling.

Whilst this was drying, I die cut the layers for the scene out of dark blue, lighter blue, and a grey.

I die cut the layers again using a white glitter card, and inlaid all those itty bitty lines. I do like to make things difficult – I could have just backed each panel with the white glitter, but no – I went the hard way. Actually, this was quite therapeutic once I figured out how to do it…….behind each panel, I attached double sided sticky tape, then just placed all those lines. I even added some of the stars into the dark blue background layer….

The layers were glued together, and then the peeking animals were die cut from the same white glitter card, and attached as you see.

The sentiment is black foil, and then die cut and layered twice more, before adding.

I then added some black gems over the smaller gaps in the background which were too small for me to inlay.

I do like how this turned out, even though it was fiddly – my fault – and those peeking animals are just so cute.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Make My Monday – winter animals

Aud Sentiments – Stencils and/or Christmas and a sentiment (Christmas and a sentiment)

Crafty Animals – anything goes with an animal

A Cut Above – anything goes with die cuts

Unicorn Challenge – Christmas and/or Winter

Kitten’s First Christmas

Hello again. This card was inspired by my three new kittens, and the current challenge at 52CCT – for a Christmas mini scene with shaped dies:

For the scene itself, I used a Hero Arts Looking Glass die set ‘Holiday Kitten’. I did have to watch a video or two to remind me how to use and align these to create the scene.

I die cut the three layers from white card stock, into A2 panels, using the Hero Arts ‘alignment tool’ stencil. I also used this stencil to ink blend the dark blue at the back of the scene.

These layers were then coloured with my Zigs, and gold paint applied to the top of the baubles. The cat was ink blended in a light brown. All the layers were glued directly down.

The baubles and greenery were swiped over with a gold glitter pen. The top panel was die cut with the window, then run through with a Spellbinders embossing folder.

The next step was to create the gold frame, and for this I used another Hero Arts die set ‘Wood Frame Infinity’ but I had to use some partial die cutting to make it square, as the frames in this set are rectangular. It turned out to be quite effective.

The sentiment is from Spellbinders, the shadow layer die cut out of vellum, and the words out of the gold card stock to match the frame.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

52CCT – Christmas and mini scene with shaped dies

Crafty Animals – anything goes with an animal

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Christmas Easel Card

Hello. Having just adopted three 18 weeks old Kittens, my time has been taken up with them recently. Now they are settling in, and our other 11 years old cat is ‘tolerating’ them,I have been able to get back into my craft room.

I had a holly berry branch left over after playing with some products from The Greetery, and decided to change my usual style of card to an easel card:

As I already had the holly sprig created, I wanted to keep it as the centre of attention. When I put the piece together, I added some ink blending of a darker green towards the base of the holly leaves, and darker red to the berries.

I created the easel card base, then added gold glitter card stock for little bling effect.

The white pieces were run through with a Spellbinders embossing folder ‘Festive Greetings‘ which has Christmas sayings and words, picking where I wanted the main ‘Merry Christmas’ word to be embossed, which is quite easy when you have such a large embossing folder.

The white piece used as the stopper for the easel part is raised with 3D foam.

The view when the card is closed (but refuses to lay flat!):

I shall be entering the following challenges:

CYHTP – embossing folder, option of numbers not taken

Peace On Earth – anything goes Christmas

Unicorn Challenge – Christmas and/or Winter

Daisy Chain – Christmas and/or Winter

Party Owl Night Long

Hello friends. I have a mixed media card to share for the new challenge at The Alphabet Challenge. The new challenge has the theme of:

Nocturnal Animal

Here is my card:

I started by creating the owl, which is a die from Simon Says Stamp called ‘layered owl’. This was die cut out of a previously created panel when I used ink and a bowl of water to create the marbling effect. This is very easy and straight forward and I have a few panels stashed away. I was taken with this purple panel, and once the elements for the owl was die cut, I then went over one of them with a blending brush to slightly darken that layer.

Now for the background…..I turned to my stash of ink blended and smooshed panels and found this one with the teal and blue at the top and then the orange/red/brown at the bottom. I used the ‘Cloudy Moon‘ die from Hero Arts to cut out the top part, and then used a piece of previously created yellow, brown and grey paper – created using my Gel plate – and placed that behind to make it look like a large moon.

The ‘moon’ piece was adhered to the card base, and the die cut added, the owl was attached with 3D foam, then the die cut branch added for some grounding.

The sentiment is from a Pink & Main stamp set ‘What A Hoot’, stamped onto an ink blended and smooshed piece of card that came out of the centre of the moon die cut, and attached with 3D foam.

I hope you can come and join us with your creations featuring a nocturnal animal.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge – anything goes

Krafty Chicks – anything goes – option of coffee not taken

As You See It – feathers

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

We Love 2 Create – anything goes mixed media