Month: May 2025

D is for Dogs

Hello once again. The Alphabet Challenge has reached the letter ‘D’, and Caz has chosen the theme of ‘DOGS’. Here is my card:

Now most of you know I have cats, currently four of them, and have never owned dogs. However, it appears I have quite a few dog-themed crafty products in my stash. For this challenge I used a Spellbinders die for the dogs, die cutting in varying tones of brown and grey. Some black was used for the eyes and noses.

This die was part of the Spellbinders Advent Calendar 2024, and comes with additional elements to make this cute little guy into a Frenchie – a little beret, a little scarf, and stripes for his jacket. As you can see, I kept him quite simple – if die cutting and layering all those pieces can be called simple.

Once he was put together three times, I decided to use a slimline sized card to get them all on comfortably. The slimline scalloped circle die is from Pinkfresh Studio, and the patterned paper behind the three holes is from Time 4 tea Designs.

I added a gold foiled sentiment.

I hope you can come and join us for this new challenge with projects celebrating dogs. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Crafters Café – anything goes – option of no squares taken

Ally’s Angels – anything goes

Love To Craft – anything goes

Floral Frenzy

Hello everyone. It is time for the new challenge at Cardz 4 Galz. Helen is hosting, and has chosen the theme of:

‘Floral Frenzy’

Here is my card:

For this card I used a Concord & 9th ‘Bright Blossoms’ die set. Inside of using the background die to create stitching on the background for the placement of the florals, I dry embossed the pattern. This caused the floral placement areas to be indented, giving an almost cushioned look.

I then die cut the floral images in a variety of cardstock colours, adding some ink blending towards the centre of the flowers, and some ink blending onto areas of the dark green leaves – though this is less noticeable.

The leaves were glued directly into the indented places, and the flowers were added with 3D foam for further dimension.

The centre of the flowers were die cut from gold glitter card stock, and as I had raised the flowers with 3D foam, I had to get a little creative adding those centres – some teeny tiny itty bitty pieces of 2D foam to make them the same height. Somewhat of a challenge – but fun none-the-less.

I die cut some extra little gold glitter dots so I could add them around the background.

The foiled sentiment was added for the final touch.

I hope you can come and join us with your projects celebrating florals, creating a floral frenzy in our gallery. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

If You Give A Crafter A Cookie – pretty flowers

AAA Birthday – anything goes birthday

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

Seize The Birthday – birthday – option to use a frame not taken

Addicted To Stamps & More – birthday

Cherish The Season

Hello everyone. I am back from my short jaunt to Tenerife for some sun and quality time with hubby. The weather here in the UK is gorgeous and yet here I am posting a Christmas card for the new challenge at The Holly & Ivy Christmas Challenge.

I certainly had some messy fun creating this card.

The cute ice skating deer is from Gummiapan, stamped and black heat embossed, then water-coloured, and die cut with the matching die.

The background blue panel was created by ink smooshing Distress Inks, and cut slightly smaller than an A2 card base, then adhered with glue, saving a border to place at the feet of the deer to represent some ice….

The background to the scene was also ink smooshing, but with Distress Oxides this time round, die cut with an arch die, and adhered to the blue panel.

I added the blue ‘ice’ strip at the bottom, then used Gummiapan tree dies and die cut from other previously created ink smooshing panels, slotting them into the background.

The deer was added, then the foiled sentiment.

I hope you can come and join us with your Christmas creations – the theme is always ‘anything goes Christmas’ xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Crafty Animals – anything goes with an animal

Die Cut Divas – die cutting and water-colouring

Peace On Earth – anything goes Christmas

12 Months of Christmas link-up – Christmas – option of blue and gold not taken

Aud Sentiments – water-colouring and/or Spring and a sentiment

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Just Saying Hello

Hi there. A new challenge has started at The Alphabet Challenge. We have reached the letter ‘C’, and Tee has chosen the theme of ‘Circle’. Here is my card:

The background panel is a cream piece of card, and dry embossed using an old Stampin’ Up embossing folder. This was layered flat onto a card base.

To create the colourful piece, I used Brushos and water-colour card – some sprinkling, some sprayed water – and a very colourful panel was created. Out of this panel I die cut a scalloped circle from a Gummiapan die set.

The main floral image is also from Gummiapan, and die cut from black card stock so it would stand out against the colourful circle, and layered again with a white die cut of the same image to give a little off-set look. This was adhered flat to the bright scalloped circle.

I then die cut a further scalloped circle from the same nesting circle dies, and adhered flat to the embossed panel.

The sentiment was hot foiled and die cut using the matching dies, adhered to the panel, and some ombre glitter gems from Pinkfresh Studio added.

I hope you can come and join us with your projects which feature a circle/circles. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Craft Rocket – flowers

Ellibelle’s Crafty Wednesday – anything goes

Crafts Galore – anything goes

Mix It Up – anything goes – option of paper piecing not taken

Love To Craft – anything goes

Things With Wings

Hello once again. It is my turn to host the new challenge at Cardz 4 Galz, and I have chosen the theme of ‘Things with wings‘. Here is my card:

I used a Pinkfresh Studio suite called ‘Fluttering Butterflies’. I first hot foiled the butterflies and flowers, then used the matching layering stencils to colour them in. Once coloured, the matching die set cut them all out, and I could then decide what I wanted on the background.

The background panel was cut and dry embossed using a Spellbinders embossing folder, then attached to the card base.

The gold panel was die cut using a Pinkfresh Studio die set, then also adhered flat to the embossed panel.

I then played around with all the images until I was happy, and adhered them with glue, adding the foiled sentiment, and some Spellbinders gems as the final touches.

I hope you can come and join our ‘things with wings’ challenge. I look forward to seeing you in our gallery. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Craft Rocket – flowers

Crafty Animals – anything goes with an animal

Ellibelle’s Crafty Wednesday – anything goes

Mix It Up – anything goes – option of paper-piecing not taken

Love To Craft – anything goes

Christmas Bells

Hello everyone. I little lax in posting this past week or so – good weather here in the UK so I made the most of it.

The new challenge at ABC Christmas Challenge has started. Having reached the letters ‘J’ and ‘K’, we want to see your Christmas/festive creations featuring ‘Jingle (bells)’ and/or ‘Kraft’. Here is my card covering both of the themes:

I started by stamping the Tim Holtz bells onto some water–colour card several times with Archival black ink, as I wanted to layer some of the elements.

I then used mica sprays and Distress water-colour pencils to colour in the images. Once they were dry completely, I fussy-cut one whole image, then cut parts of the ribbon from other images and layered them on top.

The background panel was created using Kraft card stock, and stamping a Hero Arts rubber background stamp in a brown ink for a tone-on-tone look. This panel was adhered to the card base, then the bells attached with 3D foam pieces.

The sentiment was stamped, a rectangle die to cut it out, then a ran the brown ink pad along each edge to make it stand out more.

It’s very difficult to photograph the mica – but those bells really do shine.

As a finishing touch, I added glue to the berries then glitter.

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

Addicted To Stamps & More – Christmas

My Time To Craft Christmas – Christmas and use glitter

We Love 2 Create – anything goes mixed media

Creative Artiste – anything goes mixed media

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Shaker Holiday Cheer

Hello everyone. I have a fun Christmas shaker card to share today as The Holly & Ivy Christmas Challenge has started a new challenge – anything goes Christmas. Here is my card:

I used a Tonic Studios shaker pocket to create this. I first cut a panel of red card stock, then adhered the shaker pocket to three sides, added just a small amount of sequins and beads (a lot actually!), then stuck down the last edge.

This shaker panel was then adhered to a white card base.

The frame image is using the Pinkfresh Studio ‘Joy of the Season’ suite, and foiling the image and sentiment in black foil, then using the matching layering stencils to colour them in with a traditional colour pallet. Once die cut, the frame and sentiment were glued to the shaker panel.

I hope you can come and join us with your Christmas creations. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

My Time To Craft Christmas – Christmas and use flowers

Peace On Earth – Anything goes Christmas with optional mood board

Creative Fingers – anything goes

12 Months of Christmas link-up – anything goes Christmas – option of blue and gold not taken

Christmas Bingo – column O – free/sequins/vellum or clear plastic overlay

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Butterflies – More Than Two

Hello again. Veronika is hosting the new challenge at The Alphabet Challenge. For the letter ‘B‘ she has chosen ‘Butterflies – more than 2‘. Here is my card:

I first started by ink blending the background panel. This is a layering stencil set from Spellbinders, and I used Pinkfresh Studio inks. This panel was cut down slightly so I could add it to a dark green card base allowing a small border.

I then used some Pinkfresh Studio washi tape ‘Fluttering Butterflies’, stuck down to white card, then die cut with the matching die set.

I chose three of the butterflies which would match but also be seen on the background and glued them down.

The sentiment was previously foiled, and I chose a black sentiment to stand out from the colourful background.

I hope you can come and join us with your creations featuring two or more butterflies. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Make My Monday – things with wings

Crafters Café – anything goes – option of feminine

Ally’s Angels – anything goes

Crafty Animals – anything goes with an animal

Crafts Galore – anything goes

Floral Thanks Gatefold

Hello everyone. It’s been a few days since I posted – I was out and about in the gorgeous weather we are having currently in the UK. Cardz 4 Galz has started a new challenge. Billie A is hosting, and has chosen the theme of ‘flowers‘. Here is my card:

I decided to do another fancy fold, this time a gate fold, and used the last of the previously prepared washi panels from a Pinkfresh Studio suite.

I first created the gate fold base card, and used the stamps from the suite all over the front.

The washi panel was created using an embossing folder on the background, then adhering all the washi images, cutting away the overhang, then matted this with a dark blue panel. The gold foiled sentiment was added, then the panel attached to the left opening of the base card.

I also completed the inside of the card using a white panel, some of the washi floral off cuts, matted with another piece of blue card stock, then adhered to the centre.