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ABC Christmas Challenge – E, F, G

Hello. The new challenge has started at ABC Christmas Challenge. Whilst this is a Christmas creation challenge – we do have themes for the letters. This time the challenge is hosted by Carol, and the themes are:

E is for Elves, F is for Food, G is for Gold

Here is my card for the ‘E is for Elves’ prompt:

The image is from Simon Says Stamp, which I stamped, coloured with Copics to match the patterned paper I was going to use, then die cut with the matching die. I added some white gel pen for interest. The sentiment was stamped and white heat embossed on black card.

The background patterned paper, which had some glitter detail, was adhered to the card base with just a little border, I added a red and white layered oval, then attached the elf image, then added the two sentiments – all with 3D foam.

I hope you can come and join us with your Christmas/Festive makes following our themes – I look forward to seeing your creations.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Peace On Earth Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Arty Divas – anything goes

Avenue 613 Create – anything goes = option CAS – option not taken

Ellibelle’s Corner – anything goes

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Snowman Snowflake Kisses

Hello everyone. The new Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge has gone live. As always, the theme is ‘anything goes Christmas/Festive‘. Here is my card:

I saw this snowman die when I visited my local Crafters Companion store, it was on sale – many Christmas products are currently – and decided I had to have it – it’s not as though I have many snowman images or dies – but this one looked too cute to resist.

The snowman is a layering die, so onto the white body, I adhered the gold scarf, and die cut some of the black Spellbinders glitter foam for the hat, gloves, and walking cane – and then used red glitter foam for the nose……..why not a red nose? Maybe he is a Rudolph snowman…..

There is a stamp for the facial features, which I used, but also went in there with a black liner pen.

The die set also comes with a tall lamp post, but I didn’t really want to create a scene this time round – just the jolly snowman.

The bakcground panel is from Pinkfresh Studios, with some silver glitter card behind it, and the sentiment is a previously foiled strip.

I hope you can come and join us with your festive creations -slowly but surely building your stash.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Christmas with the Cuties – cute Christmas – include sentiment

Creative Knockouts – lots of layers (snowman has lots of layers, card base has three layers)

A Perfect Time To Craft – anything goes

Sparkles Christmas Challenge – Christmas and warm winter clothes

12 Months Of Christmas – anything goes Christmas – option of ‘light the way’ not taken

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Birdie Birthday

Hello. Happy Little Stampers anything goes birthday challenge has returned after a little break, and the first challenge for this year is now live.

Here is my card:

I started by taking a white panel and used the Altenew ‘Scalloped Frame 3D embossing folder’. The folder is the full circle, but I only wanted half of it on my card. It came as part of an online class with them – another class I haven’t fully completed.

I then took some Spellbinders dies and die cut, layered, re-arranged, die cut more, re-arranged again – you know it can get sometimes – until I was happy with the layout.

I used a combination of 3D foam and glue to adhere and layer the elements, and added a debossed sentiment from Spellbinders. I find I am loving these debossed sentiments. Sometimes my die-cutting machine has a little too much pressure and the words actually cut through the piece of card – no worries – either cut another, or layer a piece behind. Sorted…..

A Some of these dies came from the Spellbinders Advent calendar – and I will certainly be signing up for the next one…….

I hope you can come and join us with your ‘anything goes birthday’ creations. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Crafty Gals Corner – add a heart (gold hearts in semi-circle die cut)

Seize The Birthday – anything goes birthday (option of red and white and one other colour not taken)

CYHTP – embossing folder – option of things with wings taken

Creative Fingers – anything goes

Crafters Café – cute

Happy Blooming Birthday

Hello once again. I little more time in my craft room to create:

Following the colour scheme for the current Color Throwdown Challenge, I die cut the Spellbinders leaves and flowers – mixing and matching the layers several times until I was happy – then arranged onto w card base.

I thought a little something more was needed in the background, and I was going to add a basket, but instead found this Crafters Companion embossing folder. It is called ‘Hessian’, and I thought looked good for the background – not too much or too heavy – just added interest.

The sentiment is a debossed sentiment from Spellbinders, but to make the words actually cut through the navy blue card, I used a shim to create more pressure – to make it cut through, and not just deboss. A white panel behind to make it stand out more.

No added jewels or gems to the background – I think the coloured gems in the centre of the flowers is enough – even for me…..!

I used to avoid all small die cuts and layering dies, until I did a virtual class which included a lot – I believe it was a Spellbinders Christmas event – and since then I find I like layering all the little doodads, playing with layers and colours, adding little bits here and there, and in fact find it quite therapeutic……

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Color Throwdown – coral, yellow, blue, navy

Beautiful Blossoms – flowers – optional mood board

Shopping Our Stash – flowers

Crafts Galore – anything goes

Die Cut Divas – anything goes with die cuts

AAA Birthday – birthday with stripes and/or dots (flower centres)

Happy Fruity Birthday

Having just been a part of the Pinkfresh Create and Connect event this weekend, and being able to do two classes, I did watched a third class this morning and whilst the instructor was using more realistic colours, I decided to use the colours for one of the challenges I will be entering (sky blue, pink, red):

I gold heat embossed the stamp – a huge slimline stamp – then used the matching die to cut out all the elements. Before choosing which of the elements to use, I die cut the frame – also from Pinkfresh and a previous event – and die cut the inner piece but then dry embossed that inner piece with a Spellbinders embossing folder, and ink blended just a little of the light blue in the bottom corner – to try and ‘connect’ the images and the sentiment.

I inserted that piece then played with which elements to use, where to use them, how to arrange them. I chose a sentiment from this recent event, then adhered all the elements with a mixture of 3D foam and wet glue.

This stamp, die and stencil set also comes with the matching washi tape – another huge roll – and the die cuts out all the elements – playtime for another day…..

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Krafty Chicks – occasions

Here Is A Place To Start – anything goes

Beyond The Blue – use one or more stencils – (at least 6 layering stencils with this stamp set)

Cupcake Inspirations – sky blue, pink, red

CYHTP – embossing folder – (option of things with wings not taken)

X is for ‘XOXOXO’

Hello once again. The Alphabet Challenge has reached the letter ‘X’, Dawn is hosting, and we want to see your ‘XOXOXO – Hugs and Kisses’ cards. Here is my card:

Onto a Distress white heavy-stock panel I ink blended some pink Distress Oxides – I find I can blend them better than the inks – then splattered with metallic acrylic paints in gold and silver.

I took another white panel and ran through through s Spellbinders embossing folder, adhered it to a card base.

Once the ink blended and splattered panel was dry, I used a Time For Tea designs ‘Stitched Hearts’ cover die – I think you can just make out the stitched hearts around the pink edges – and also used inner rectangle to cut out the middle.

Out of that pink cut-out piece, I die cut two hearts and added them to the card as you see, and also cut out the x’s and the o’s, after putting the strip onto double-sided sticky tape, then adding them to another white strip – trying very hard to keep them aligned……

I hope you can come and join us. I’m looking forward to your take on the theme. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Inspiration Station – photo inspiration – inspired by love and hearts

Here is a place to start – anything goes – option to pick a palette not taken

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends – anything goes

Crafty Gals Corner – add a heart

Papercraft Challenge – hearts

Cardz 4 Galz – red, white, pink

Hello once again. Cardz 4 Galz has started a new challenge and this time the theme has been chosen by Pamela – a girlie card with red, white, and pink. Here is my card:

I struggled with this colour scheme a little – I am not a pink kinda girl 0 but it is a challenge, isn’t it, so I went with it and created a card I am quite pleased with.

Onto a 5 x 7 inch card base, I matted a piece of patterned paper with red.

The butterfly is an old one from Sue Wilson, which I die cut in red, then added a glue spray, then added glitter.

To ensure the butterfly didn’t get lost on the background, I added a scalloped circle, and then added the foiled sentiment.

I’m looking forward to seeing your red. white, and pink creations – maybe it will give me some ideas for future challenges with these colours……..

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Crafty Animals – anything goes with an animal

MMM Challenge – all creatures great and small

Shopping Our Stash – something starting with ‘B’

Ally’s Angels – anything goes

Birthday Wishes

I had a chance to play with some new products from Spellbinders:

I cut a white panel and used a Spellbinders embossing folder to create the background, layered onto a white card base.

I then did some die-cutting – when I say ‘some’ die-cutting I really mean quite a bit. I was using the colours from the current challenge at Color Hues, and die cut the hexagons, flowers, and all the layers from white, teal, and lime green card stock. I had no idea when I began which colour I was going to use for which layer, so I played around until I found the layers that I wanted, then glued them all together.

I then played with the positioning of the hexagons until I was happy with the layout above, glued the floral images down, added some small gold gems to the flowers then thought about the sentiment.

I used a debossing sentiment – also from Spellbinders – and some of their gold card stock to match with the centre of the flowers.

I’m getting quite used to the small fiddly layering dies, and instead of dreading them I embrace them wholeheartedly….and the only thing I get just a little worried about are the colours for each layer, but with a colour challenge that is taken care of……

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Allsorts – anything goes – option of wings not taken

Color Hues – lime green and cyan

Creative Knockouts – birthday

Time Out – birthday

Everybody Art – birthday

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

Christmas Soldier

The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge has started a new ‘anything goes Christmas/Festive’ challenge. Here is my card:

Channelling Tim Holtz yet again, I die cut the soldier layers from the white and grey woodgrain card stock – just colouring his little face a tiny bit. I also used some double sided sticky sheets for each piece – a great tip from Tim – not so much glue oozing out of the edges….!

The background is a piece of patterned paper, to which I added a Spellbinders die cut, and a foiled sentiment.

Doing the soldier this way – and many of the ‘Colorize’ dies I would imagine – would look great from this card stock….

I hope you can come and join us with your Christmas/Festive creations and get your stash ready and waiting for the end of the year. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Most Magical Time of the Year – anything goes Christmas/Halloween

Sparkles Forum Christmas Challenge – Christmas and non-traditional colours

12 Months Of Christmas – anything goes Christmas – option of into the woods not taken

Creative Crafters Challenge – anything goes

CAS – Circles

Hello there. I was lucky enough to be chosen as the winner for AAA Cards Challenge in January 2023 with this card here – and so was invited to be Guest Designer for an upcoming challenge. I accepted of course……

The theme is ‘Circles’, and it must be CAS. Here is my card:

This is the third card I made – the theme was a real struggle for me. I went through the CML app and searched ‘circle’, looked through what came up, and came across this stamp set from Uniko which I haven’t used in absolutely ages…..

Onto a white card base, I first stamped the sentiment – a CAS sentiment – then took my newly delivered ‘Lost Shadow’ Distress Oxide ink, and my ‘Salvaged Patina’ Distress Oxide ink, and stamped what you see here. I used two of the smaller stamps in the Uniko set, and I did use my Misti when stamping.

Even though Distress Oxides stamp better than the inks – I still feel a second or even a third stamping gets a better impression.

I am loving the ‘distressed’ look of the stamps, and when I first stamped them I thought they were faulty – but no – just the way they are.

The teal and grey are also a good match for each other.

I hope you can come and join in the AAA card challenge with ‘CAS and Circles’ as the theme – I hope to see you in the gallery over there. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Krafty Chicks – CAS

Crafty Catz – anything goes – option black, grey and one colour – black, grey, teal