Hope Your Day Is Beautiful

Another challenge has started at The Alphabet Challenge. Deborah is hosting and has chosen the theme of

‘Embossing – heat or dry’

Here is my card:

For this card I chose another Pinkfresh Studio product suite called ‘Best Thing‘.

I first stamped and gold heat embossed all the images, coloured them with the matching layering stencils, then die cut them all out.

To put the card together, I added a panel which had been embossed using a Spellbinders embossing folder.

The birdcage was die cut from gold glitter card stock and adhered flat, then the floral images and bird attached and arranged as you see.

The sentiment is also gold heat embossed, and die cut and layered a couple of times.

I hope you can come and join us with your embossed creations – heat or dry. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Love To Craft – anything goes

The Flower Challenge – flowers and add heat or dry embossing (both added)

Crafty Animals – anything goes with an animal

Crafts Galore – anything goes

Stencil Fun – stencils – option of summer fun not taken

Craft Rocket – no designer paper

Swan Easel

Hello once again. It is time for the next challenge at Cardz 4 Galz. Debbie is hosting, and has chosen the theme of:

‘Easel card’

Here is my card:

For the base of the easel card I used a 5×7 top-folding card. I knew I wanted a larger card to ensure I managed to get everything on there.

The front of the card was scored, then I cut a slightly smaller piece of brushed gold card stock for edge of the visible sides – three in total – and before attaching to the card base I die cut the circle from the larger piece for behind the swan.

These three pieces of gold were attached, three pieces of white card stock cut down to layer on top, and each of those three pieces were placed into an embossing folder from Spellbinders to add some interest, then glued down.

The next step was to hot foil the swan and floral images. This is from a Pinkfresh Studio set received from their ‘Create & Connect’ event in February of this year. Once hot foiled, all the images were ink blended using the matching layering stencils, then die cut with the matching dies.

The circle frame is also from Pinkfresh Studio, the gold circle previously cut added to the back, the swan and some florals added, then attached to the easel card.

The rest of the images added below the circle to form a swag.

The next step was the sentiment, which I used as the ‘stopper’ to allow the easel to stand open, and this was two hot foiled sentiments, die cut at least several times for depth, and glued down. Gold gems added for further interest.

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

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

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

Love To Craft – anything goes

Tic Tac Toe – top right to bottom left diagonal – die cuts – free – ink blending

The Flower Challenge – flowers and add embossing – heat or dry (embossing folder)

A Little Holiday Sparkle

Hello everyone. It’s time for the next challenge at ABC Christmas Challenge. We have reached the letters ‘L’ and ‘M’. Our Christmas themes this month for those letters are:

‘L’ is for Lights, ‘M’ is for Music

Here is my card:

This background chock full of lights is using a die from Concord & 9th, but instead of die cutting the background panel and inlaying all those lights, I decided to dry emboss the panel to create the impressions for the lights and the strings.

The lights were then die cut from colours of card stock, then placed on the impressions. The base of the lights was die cut from gold glitter card and then also glued into place.

The gold foiled sentiment was added with some 3D foam.

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

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Peace on Earth – anything goes Christmas

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

Christmas (or not) Bingo – column ‘N’ – Christmas – free – glitter

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

12 Months of Christmas Link-up – anything goes Christmas – option of one or two layers not taken

Sweet Holiday Wishes

Hello there. The Holly & Ivy Christmas Challenge has started the new challenge. The theme is always ‘anything goes Christmas‘. Here is my card:

This card was created using products from a Pinkfresh Studio virtual event which occurred in October 2024, for which I also added the press plate add-on bundle.

The jar was created first by die cutting the back of the jar in a light teal card stock, then die cutting the inner white piece. This piece was dry embossed using a snowflake cover panel for added interest, glued to the base, then the lid was die cut from brushed gold card stock from Spellbinders.

All of the images were hot foiled in gold, then coloured using the matching layering stencils, die cut with the matching die, then arranged onto/into the jar.

I decided to create a coloured background panel by ink blending the panel in one of the colours used on the smaller images, and this too was dry embossed using the snowflake cover plate.

The final addition was the foiled sentiment.

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

I shall be entering the following challenges:

52 Christmas Card Throwdown – Christmas with dies/punches

Cut It Up – anything goes with die cuts

Peace On Earth – anything goes Christmas

Love To Craft – anything goes

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

12 Months of Christmas Link-up – anything goes Christmas – option of one or two layers not taken

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.