Joy Of The Season

Hello everyone. ABC Christmas Challenge has started a new challenge. We have reached the letters ‘N‘ and ‘O‘, and the Christmas themes this time are:

N is for Non-Christmas Stash

&/or

O is for One Layer Cards

Here is my card for the ‘O is for One Layer Card’:

I started by gold heat embossing the Pinkfresh Studio ‘Berry Branch’ stamp set onto a white card base, then used the matching layering stencils to colour the image.

The sentiment was also gold heat embossed.

So – truly a one layer card. No added bling (very unlike me!), and looking very clean and simple. The Design team has some fabulous inspiration for both of the themes for this month, and I hope you are able to join us with your Christmas creations following one or both of our themes. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Addicted To Stamps & Moremake your mark

Everybody Art Christmas

Daisy ChainChristmas in July

Craft RocketChristmas in July

Merry Little Christmas Challenge anything goes Christmas

12 Months of Christmas Link-Upanything goes Christmas

Feathered Birthday

Hello again. I have a card to share for the new challenge which has just started at The Alphabet Challenge. Vicki is hosting, and having reached the letter ‘F‘, she has chosen the theme of ‘feathers‘. Here is my card:

This card turned out to be very technique based. I didn’t plan it that way, it is just the way things happened – and I quite enjoyed the process.

I started by creating the ink well, a layering stamp from The Greetery. This was die cut, and the label for the ink well stamped then die cut, layered on top of the ink bottle.

The feather is a die cut from Waffle Flower, then ink blended the layers to create the mottled effect on the feathers – then going over very lightly to take some of the whiteness off. The nib as die cut and glued down.

The wax seal is from Spellbinders, using their wax, then the flowers and sentiment on the seal was coloured with gold using a gold paint pen from Crafters Companion.

Then I turned to creating the background panel. I thought a postage die would fit in with the quill and pen, so I used an old Catherine Pooler die for that panel, die cut out of a light grey card stock. I added another layer of light grey card stock on top which had been die cut with a stitched detail around the edge.

The written details were added using a slightly darker grey ink and a Spellbinders press plate. I cannot remember how I did the darker grey rim around the edge of this panel………

All layers were added to the white card base using either glue or 3D foam when I was happy with the layout.

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

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Addicted To Stamps & More die cuts and/or stencils

Inkspirational – use stencils – option of geometric not taken

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friendsanything goes

Ally’s Angels anything goes

Ellibelle’s Corneranything goes

Have A Cool Summer

Hello everyone. Cardz 4 Galz is starting a new challenge. Pamela is hosting and has chosen the theme of:

‘Welcome to summer – anything summer related’

Here is my card:

To create this card, I used some die sets from Spellbinders, and an embossing folder -also from Spellbinders.

The background panel is a piece of light blue card stock for the sky, with a darker blue card for the sea, which I used the embossing folder for – looking like waves.

The hippo and the beach scene were all die cut and attached together, and I added some patterned paper for the ring and umbrella to add some pops of colour.

The clouds are die cut from white card stock, and the sentiment was attached as the final addition.

I hope you can come and join us with your creations related to summer. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Crafty Animals anything goes with an animal

Crafts Galoreanything goes

A Cut Aboveanything goes with die cuts

Aud Sentiments fun fold and/or summer and a sentiment

Jolly Holiday Branch

It’s time the new challenge at The Holly & Ivy Christmas Challenge. The theme is always ‘anything goes Christmas’. Here is my card:

I first started by stamping and heat embossing the Pinkfresh Studio berry branch images in gold. I then used the layering stencils to colour them in, then die cut with the matching dies.

Whilst I was heat embossing, I also did the sentiment.

The background was created by using a Spellbinders embossing folder, then attaching a gold glitter frame from some Pinkfresh Studio dies, with some 3D foam.

The images were arranged to my liking around the sentiment, and added with a mixture of glue and 3D foam pieces. For some reason, I had some gold glitter leaves laying around on my desk – so I added them in certain places for added interest.

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

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends anything goes

Crafts Galore anything goes

A Cut Above anything goes with die cuts

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

Peace On Earth anything goes Christmas

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 Challengeflowers and add heat or dry embossing (both added)

Crafty Animalsanything goes with an animal

Crafts Galoreanything 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 Friendsanything goes

Mix It Upanything goes – option of paper piecing not taken

Love To Craftanything goes

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

The Flower Challengeflowers 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 Earthanything goes Christmas

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friendsanything 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 ThrowdownChristmas with dies/punches

Cut It Upanything goes with die cuts

Peace On Earthanything goes Christmas

Love To Craft anything goes

Merry Little Christmas Challengeanything 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 Angelsanything 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 Birthdaybirthday – option to use a frame not taken

Addicted To Stamps & More birthday