Delivering Warm Hugs

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

I had fun creating this card with all those die cuts. I have to be in ‘the zone’ when I do this, but I enjoy the process.

The background panel is dry embossing using a Spellbinders embossing folder, and adhered flat to the card base.

The mug, marshmallows and candy canes are from Spellbinders, die cut and assembled with a mixture of glue and 3D foam.

the sentiment is heat foiled, and some silver sequins added for extra sparkle.

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

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge – anything goes

CYHTP – embossing folder – option of squares/circles not taken

Creative Fingers – anything goes

Ally’s Angels – anything goes

Christmas Craft Creations – Christmas with stencils or embossing folder

Jingle Belles – Christmas and mainly die cuts

X for Xtra Love Hearts

Hello. Caz is hosting the new challenge at The Alphabet Challenge, and for the letter ‘X‘ she has chosen the theme of ‘Xtra Love Hearts‘. Here is my card:

I chose to go with a tone-on-tone look with purple. The background panel was die cut using the ‘Daisy Chain’ cover plate from Pinkfresh studio, and layered onto a white card base.

The Greetery ’round about hearts’ die was die cut twice, and layered to create the circle of hearts, and flowers added as you see. The centre of the flowers are all tiny little gems, but I didn’t have one big enough for the large flower, so I coloured a white one with one of my Copics.

The sentiment was from a previous hot foiling session, added with 3D foam.

I hope you can come and join us with your creations featuring ‘Xtra hearts’. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

A Perfect Time To Craft – anything goes

Crafts Galore – anything goes

MAWTT – love hearts

Crafty Calendar – add a heart

Avenue 613 – anything goes – option love letters

Aud Sentiments – use dies and/or love/anniversary and a sentiment

Dragonfly Dreams – hearts

Crafty Gals Corner – add a heart

Seascape

Hello again. Cardz 4 Galz has started a new challenge. Johanna has chosen the theme of ‘Sea Scape’ Here is my card:

The boat and dolphins are from a die set from Charlie and Paulchen. I started by die cutting the boat twice out of white card stock. On one of the boat die cuts, I coloured the mast and boat itself with a couple of brown Zigs, then the other white die cut I snipped the sails from and adhered onto the coloured die cut.

The dolphins I coloured with a grey Copic marker.

I then die cut a square out of a piece of Yupo paper I had used my alcohol inks on, and arranged the boat and dolphins as you see. I thought the wonky stitching on this die set would look like waves and add more interest.

I thought the blue alcohol inks looked like there was a swirly weather ahead and the dolphins were chasing the boat to warn it…….the way my mind works sometimes astounds me……

The white background panel was created using a Spellbinders embossing folder to continue to nautical theme.

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

I shall be entering the following challenges:

We Love To Create – anything goes mixed media (Zigs, Copics, alcohol inks)

Crafty Animals – anything goes with an animal

2 Crafty Critters Crazies – anything goes with a critter

Creative Artiste Mixed Media – anything goes mixed media (Zigs, Copics, alcohol inks)

A Perfect Time To Craft – anything goes

Crafts Galore – anything goes

Avenue 613 Create – anything goes option

Tipsy Baubles

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

I chose to go with a slimline card so I could arrange three of these large baubles from Spellbinders. I first die cut all the elements for the baubles in red, gold, and black, then assembled them before I thought of the background.

I did think of adding a panel to a white card base, but just to make things a teensy bit more difficult for me, I used a black card base. This was too plain, so I dry embossed the card front using a Spellbinders embossing folder. These embossing folders are large, they measure 3.5 x 8.5 inches, so virtually any card size could be used this way – you just have to make sure the edge of the embossing folder meets the fold of the card base just right….

I toyed with the idea of adding twine to the top of the baubles but I had no-where for the twine to adhere on the back as this was the actual card front. So I adhered with 3D foam and at a jaunty angle.

No sentiment for this card. I’ll attach a white panel on the inside when it comes time to send this, and add a verse or sentiment that way.

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

I shall be entering the following challenges:

A perfect Time To Craft – anything goes

Crafts Galore – anything goes

The Crafty Addicts – anything goes

Ellibelle’s Corner – anything goes

Ally’s Angels – anything goes

Christmas Craft Creations – Christmas with stencils or embossing folder

Seasonal Cat

The ABC Christmas Challenge has reached the letters ‘C‘ and ‘D‘, Helene is hosting this time round, and we have the themes of ‘Cats’ and ‘Dogs‘ – Christmas of course. Here is my card:

I used this large cat die set from Spellbinders/Stampendous to create the cat. A few layers to him, but quickly put together. I coloured the ears, nose and mouth before adding them.

I wanted a hat large enough to be able to fit his head, so searched the CML app to find one in my stash. I Saw this – also from Spellbinders – so I die cut the two layers from glitter foam.

I then chose the colour background which would enable to cat to stand proud and used an embossing folder. The sentiment is from a previous foiling session

I hope you can come and join us with your Christmas creations featuring a cat and/or dog – the Design Team has some fabulous inspiration for you. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Christmas Bingo – holiday Bingo – column ‘G’ – die cuts, red, free

Peace On Earth – Christmas

Krafty Chicks – Christmas

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

Crafty Animals – anything goes with an animal

2 Crafty Critter Crazies – anything goes with a critter

W is for Weddings

Hello. The Alphabet Challenge has started a new challenge. We have reached the letter ‘W’ and Dawn has chosen the theme of ‘Weddings‘. Here is my card:

I wanted to go with a white-on-white card, and it has turned out to be another shaker card, using some older Sue Wilson/Creative Expressions dies. I found this heart shaker cup and made the card and layers around that/

A white square card base, with a couple of layers die cut using a shimmery white card stock.

I used a couple of heart shaped dies – they were brought out at the same time as the heart shaped cups – to create the back and the surround for the heart – filling it with white, glittery and pearl gems and heart shaped die cuts.

The glittery hearts were die cut from Spellbinders silver glitter foam, and I already had the gems in my stash.

I hope you can come and join us with your ‘wedding’ themedprojects. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Shopping Our Stash – winter landscapes or white on white

Love To Craft – anything goes

Ellibelle’s Corner I Spy – hearts and/or roses

Try It On Tuesday – hearts and/or flowers

Creative Inspiration Challenge – anything goes

A Perfect Time To Craft – anything goes

MAWTT – love hearts

Crafty Calendar – add a heart

Shaker Hello

Cardz 4 Galz has started a new challenge, and Dawn has chosen the theme of ‘sequins’. I went with a shaker card:

For the shaker window, I used the largest nesting die from a set from the Spellbinders 2023 Advent Calendar, Once that was die cut, I dry embossed the panel using a Spellbinders embossing folder.

The acetate was adhered to the back of this panel, 3D foam strips applied all over, added some sequins from my stash, then adhered to the card base.

The ‘hello’ sentiment is also from that Advent calendar, and the florals and foliage are from some other Spellbinders die sets, and using a mix of Concord & 9th and Spellbinders card stock.

I hope you can come and join us with your creations using sequins – the Design Team has come up with a wide range of inspiration for using them. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Ally’s Angels – anything goes

Allsorts – anything goes – Bingo board option not taken

Beautiful Blossoms – flowers

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

Creative Inspiration Challenge – anything goes

A Perfect Time To Craft – anything goes


Cherish The Season

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

I used a stamp set from Tim Holtz and picked this cute little reindeer and wreath. The image was stamped in black onto water colour card stock, then heat embossed in clear.

I then took out my Zig markers for a change and coloured the image, then used the matching die set to cut him out.

I decided to take this card a little more simply, but just adding a hot foiled panel behind him, and then a hot foiled sentiment. He certainly needs to take centre stage.

I hope you can come and join us, and I look forward to seeing you in our gallery. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Krafty Chicks – use stamps

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Mix It Up Challenge – anything goes mixed media – use more than one medium (ink, embossing powder, water colour, foil)

Peace On Earth Challenge – Christmas

Crafty Animals – anything goes with an animal

2 Crafty Critter Crazies – anything goes with a critter

A Perfect Time To Craft – anything goes

Make A Splash……

Hello once again. The Alphabet Challenge has reached the letter ‘U’, and Melanie has chosen the theme of ‘Under something‘. Think of under the sea, under the weather, under an umbrella etc. Here is my card:

I decided to break out several older products for this card.

The background blue piece is a water colour panel coloured with Brushos – I wet the piece down, sprinkled on the Brushos, move it around a little, then let it dry. I wanted a more even background colour with some darker little spots, and I also wanted the water colour card texture to come through too.

The images are from Lawn Fawn, coloured with Copics, then cut using the matching die set.

The sentiment is stamped onto the background panel instead of using a separate sentiment strip, to try and keep as much of the blue background as possible.

A little rainy and splashy scene with the cute Lawn Fawn images.

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

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Crafty Animals – anything goes with an animal

2 Critter Crazies – anything goes with a critter

Creative Inspiration – anything goes

Aud Sentiments – sentiment + make your own background and/or birthday

Daisy Chain challenge – no designer paper

The Crafty Addicts – anything goes

Mix It Up – anything goes – option of more than one medium taken (ink, Copics, Brushos)

Elephant Safari

Happy New Year to you all.
Cardz 4 Galz has started the new year with a challenge theme chosen by Dawn W. – ‘On safari. Here is my card:

The die set of the elephants are from Altenew, and when I saw them just before Christmas – I just had to have them. Aren’t they cute?

I used a lighter grey and a darker grey for the layers, but added a little shading with Distress Inks to the larger elephant on the layers at the back – the legs and the body, just for a little more dimension.

Once the layers were glued together, and some black gel pen added for the eyes, I searched through my designer paper stash for a suitable background paper, and found this from Spellbinders with some faint little hearts.

I matted that layer with black and a gold layer, which I also die cut the sentiment and it’s shadow layer from. The sentiment is from the Spellbinders Advent Calendar.

The hardest part about this was the arrangement of the elephants, and after playing around a little I thought the three of them arranged like this – as though they were waling towards you to say hello – would work best.

I hope you can come and join us with your ‘safari’ themed projects. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Ellibelle’s Corner – I Spy – something old and/or something new (new elephant die set, new sentiment die, old paper)

Crafty Animals – anything goes with an animal

2 Crafty Critter Crazies – anything goes with a critter

Die Cut Divas – dies cuts and never before used stuff (Altenew die set, sentiment die)

Moving Along With The Times – use a new craft item (Altenew die set, sentiment die)

Christmas Bingo – the ‘O’ column – layers, rectangle free