O is for Ocean Animals

Hello once again. I am hosting the new challenge at The Alphabet Challenge. Having reached the letter ‘O‘, I chose the theme of:

O is for Ocean animals

Here is my card:

I first created the background panel by taking a light blue panel of card stock, then a Brutus Monroe stencil and ink blending some purple stars and dots. I then splattered white and gold shimmery acrylic paint.

This panel was then put aside to dry whilst I die cut the whale and jellyfish from Spellbinders.

Placing the whale at the top of the panel, I then played with placement of the jellyfish. These are interactive/dancing jellyfish, so I made sure to place the tentacles in such a position that they didn’t get stuck on each other when moving.

I then placed a little 3D foam circle in the middle of the tentacle layer, and stuck down the top – the umbrella of the jellyfish.

The sentiment was die cut and added as you see.

I hope you can come and join us with your creations featuring ocean animals. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

2 Crafty Critter Crazies anything goes with a critter

Crafty Animalsanything goes with an animal

Crafty Calendar anything goes

A Cut Aboveanything goes with at least one die cut

A Perfect Time To Craft – anything goes

Die Cut Divasanything goes with die cuts

Stencil funuse a stencil – option of Halloween not taken

Cardz 4 Galz Colours

Hello once again. Cardz 4 Galz has started a new challenge. Sue J has chosen the theme, and she has chosen:

‘pick three colours – purple, orange, black, green – neutrals are allowed

Here is my card:

I started by die cutting the floral and foliage elements from Spellbinders die sets, choosing orange flowers, and three tones of purple for other flowers. The same green for the stems and the foliage.

I put them aside to dry emboss the background panel using a Spellbinders embossing folder – some added interest without creating too much detail.

The frame dies are from Pinkfresh Studio – there are very fine and fiddly to adhere – but I managed!

I then played around with the floral arrangement, and added the elements with a mixture of wet glue and 3D foam pieces.

The sentiment is white foiling on a black strip.

I added further interest with some 3D dots – a mixture of purple and dark green – or are they black…..? I can’t remember now, but both colours are included…..

I hope you can come and join us with your creations featuring three – or all four – of the chosen colours. You can see from the Design Team inspiration that many themes are possible. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friendsanything goes

CYHTPembossing folder – option monsters/Halloween not taken

Crafty Catz anything goes – option of Autumnal colours

A Cut Above anything goes with at least one die cut

Aud Sentiments embossing and/or fall and a sentiment

Die Cut Divas anything goes with die cuts

Triple B Birds and/or Butterflies and/or Blooms

Beautiful Blossoms anything goes flowers/florals

Rainbow Christmas Trees

Hello once again. The ABC Christmas Challenge has started a new challenge. Carol is the host this time round, and as we have reached the letters ‘U’ and ‘V’, we want to see your Christmas creations following the themes of:

U is for Unusual Colours

and/or

V is for Velvet

Here is my card for ‘Unusual Christmas Colours’:

The background panel was cut down slightly and embossed using a Spellbinders embossing folder, and was adhered flat to the card base.

I then used an Avery Elle die for the Christmas trees, die cut out of a range of card stock from Concord & 9th, following a ROYGBIV rainbow.

The hardest part of this was trying to get all these trees in a straight line – the ‘T’ square ruler came in handy for this.

The sentiment is a previously foiled sentiment from Lawn Fawn, and die cut with the matching die.

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

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Ally’s Angels anything goes

Merry Little Christmas Challengeanything goes Christmas

Love To Craft anything goes

Christmas (or not) Bingocolumn N – layers, no stamping, free

Peace On Earth Christmas Challenge anything goes Christmas

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friendsanything goes

Crafty Calendar anything goes

Ellibelle’s Corneranything goes

Birthday Numbers

Hello once again. The Alphabet Challenge has started a new challenge. Having reached the letter ‘N’, Dawn has chosen the theme of ‘Numbers’. Here is my card:

I chose to put my numbers on the background and use the emboss resist technique.

Onto w white panel, I used the large numbers from an LDRS stamp set received as part of the Crop and Create 2023. I arranged them on the panel, stamped with my Misti, then heat embossed.

Using a range of colourful ink pads, I gave my blending brushes a workout – and my arm.

Once colour blended, I used some smaller stamps of cupcakes and a little sentiment, as well as a tiny star, and stamped into the spaces using the same colour which is behind them – a tone on tone effect if you will.

This panel was cut down and a black layer added using Gina K Master Layouts dies, then attached to a white card base.

The sentiment is also part of the products provided by LDRS for this event, die cut a couple of times, and layered, then added to the panel.

I used the off-cut/outline of the black piece I had die cut the letters from to ensure they were straight and even.

I hope you can come and join us with your creations following our theme of numbers. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends anything goes

Crafty Gals Corneranything goes – option of adding a ribbon not taken

Krafty Chicksstamps

Ally’s Angels anything goes

Love To Craft anything goes

Christmas (or not) Bingocolumn I – die cuts, free, stamped image

Addicted To Stamps and Morebirthday

Birthday Circles

Hello everyone. I’m still having some intermittent internet issues, but managed to put this post together whilst things were working. Cardz 4 Galz has stared a new challenge. Caz has chosen the theme of ‘Circles’. Here is my card:

For this card I used the ‘Dotty Turnabout‘ from Concord & 9th, something I have had my stash for quite a while.

I used the turnabout jig to position the stamp and inked and turned all four times.

I then cut this panel down and layered it with a matching layer then added to a white card base.

The sentiment is from Spellbinders.

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

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Allsorts anything goes

Seize The Birthdayanything goes birthday, option to use the word ‘celebrate’ not taken

Ally’s Angelsanything goes

Love To Craft anything goes

My Ride Or Die

Hello once again. The Alphabet Challenge has reached the letter ‘M;, and Billie A is hosting and chosen the theme of

‘Masculine’

Here is my card:

I don’t make very many masculine cards – only if there is a theme for one of my design teams. This card was given to my husband for his birthday last month. We have recently watched some challenge programmes on TV, and this was the sub-title of one of the shows. I knew I had seen the sentiment in my stash and the Color My Life app made it easy to find it – from MFT….

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

The car stamp is from The Greetery – just the car outline stamped, then the solid colour, but I didn’t use the detail stamps for the rest of the image.

Stamped in the colours you see then die cut, arranged onto the embossed panel, then the sentiment stamped and added.

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

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Fab’n’Funkybirthday or anniversary

Ellibelle’s Corneranything goes

A Cut Abovedie cuts – option of monochromatic not taken

Here Is A Place To Start anything goes

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends anything goes

Ally’s Angels anything goes

Hamster Birthday Celebrations

Hello. Now I am back from my week abroad, I may be able to concentrate and do some crafting. Cardz 4 Galz has started a new challenge. Pamela is the host, and she has chosen the theme of:

‘any colouring medium’

Here is my card:

I first stamped the hamsters from a Mama Elephant stamp set, coloured them with Copics, then used the matching dies to cut them out.

The background was created using stencils from The Greetery, and that panel cut down a little and layered onto a white card base.

I added some little teal gems around and about, then the foiled sentiment.

I hope you can come and join us with your creations which utilise any colouring medium. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Fab’n’Funky birthday or anniversary

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challengecreate your own background

Crafty Animalsanything goes with an animal

Critter Crazy Challenge anything goes with a critter

Ellibelle’s Corner anything goes

Paper Funday anything goes – option to create your own background

Ice Skates and a Present

Hello again. It is my turn to host the new challenge at ABC Christmas Challenge. We have reached the letters ‘S‘ and ‘T‘ and we want to see your Christmas creations with the following themes:

S is for stencils, and T is for traditional Christmas Colours

I chose to create a card for each of the themes.

The first card is using some layering stencils from Spellbinders:

These stencils were created directly onto the card base, first ink blending the bow, then adding the mask to the bow and ink blending the foliage.


I added the foiled sentiment, then some purple gems around that sentiment.

The second card is also using Spellbinders:

The background panel was embossed using an embossing folder, then some light blue ink gently swiped across it. The snowflakes picking up a slight blue tinge.

The skates and the foliage were die cut and layered together, then all elements added to the card base until I was happy with the arrangement.

The finishing touches were the gems for the centre of the poinsettias, and a foiled sentiment.

I hope you can come and join us with your Christmas creations following one or both of our themes. I look forward to seeing you in our gallery. xx

Poinsettia and Pinecones

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

I chose to use a 5×7 inch card base as the die cuts are quite large. The pinecones are from The Greetery – die cut from a lighter brown card stock, then each of the little details ink blended at the base the create even more dimension.

The bell was die cut from some brushed gold cardstock using a Honey Bee Stamps die set, then layered with glue.

The foliage and poinsettia were from Spellbinders, die cut with two shades of red for the flower, some different green cardstock and brushed gold for the foliage.

I used an embossing folder for a panel on the card base, then played with the placement of all the die cut elements, adding with a mixture of glue and 3D foam.

The sentiment is a foiled strip, and I also added a faceted gem for the centre of the poinsettia.

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

Thinking of You

Hello everyone. Cardz 4 Galz has started a new challenge, and the new theme has been chosen by Debbie. We want to see your ‘squares, or a square card‘. Here is my make:

Starting with a square card base, I used the stencil you see and ink blended some light pinks to create more interest in the background.

The four squares are from a Uniko stamp set, stamped, coloured with Copics, then die cut with a nesting square die.

These squares were then added with a thin 3D foam tape, and a foiled sentiment added in the centre.

I hope you can come and join us with your creations featuring squares – or a square card base. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Pammie’s Inky Pinkies anything goes

Ally’s Angelsanything goes

Time Out friendship/encouragement/support

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends anything goes