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

Delivering Warm Hugs

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

The main image is another layering washi tape from AALL and Create. A couple of foxes on top of a whole mound of presents.

Once the washi was layered onto some white card stock, I cut it into a square.

The background paper was added to a square card base, then I used a piece of previously created paper from a gel plate play session to die cut a scalloped square frame. Before die cutting the square I added the paper onto some white card for stability, then die cut the frame.

I went with the vintage feel to this card.

The sentiment is a foiled strip and added as you see.

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

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Jingle Belle’sChristmas and vintage

Allsortsdelightful animals – or anything goes

Creative Inspiration Challenge anything goes

Double Duse shapes – squares, rectangles, circles, ovals – I used square shapes

Creative Fingersanything goes

Ally’s Angelsanything goes

Swan Friend

Hello. A little playing in my craft room to produce this card:

Usint the colours from the current Color Throwdown Challenge, I decided to use an older Spellbinders die of the swans.

I die cut them out of cream card stock, all layers twice for dimension and stability, and added the wings with a little piece of 3D foam.

The face details were die cut out of Kraft and black.

The oval shapes were cut using another Spellbinders die, and I took some light blue card and die cut that with the same smaller oval. I then took some scene creator dies to die cut the two layers of the water, then ran those two pieces through an embossing folder to give the effect of waves.

The uppermost water layer was inked slightly on the edge to make it stand out a little more.

The layers were glued together, but I did raise the top water layer on some thinner 3D foam, then glued the swans flat.

The sentiment is a black foiled strip.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Color Throwdown light blue, cream, Kraft

Crafty Animals anything goes with an animal

2 Crafty Critter Craziesanything goes with a critter

A Perfect Time To Craftanything goes

Craft Rocket animals

Die Cut Divasdie cuts and wet or dry embossing (embossing folder)

Double D Challenge use shapes – squares, rectangles, circles, ovals – I used ovals

Merry and Bright

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

The image is from Spellbinders, and was hot foiled onto a piece of white card stock. Once foiled, I then coloured parts of the image with Copics, then cut the centre out with the matching die.

This panel was then layered onto a shimmery red card stock base – glued flat – and the foiled sentiment inserted into the middle space.

I then added some gems, and some white gel pen detail to some of the berries.

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

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Crafty Gals Corner anything goes, option of Christmas taken

Krafty ChicksChristmas

Merry Little Christmas Challengeanything goes Christmas

Love To Craft anything goes

Addicted to Stamps and Moreany occasion

A Perfect Time To Craft anything goes

Thanks So Much

Hello. I was inspired by the sketch – quite literally – at the current Altantic Hearts Challenge to create this card:

As I said – quite literally……

I have juts bought a Sizzix die in a sale and it was sitting on my desk ready to be catalogues in the CML app. It was perfect for the leaves.

The background panel is in a ‘Fog’ cardstock, a scalloped circle die cut from the centre, and then dry embossed using one of my all-time favourite embossing folders from Stampin Up’. I raised this with thin 3D foam tape to a white card base.

The leaves were die cut from three shades of green card stock – Spellbinders and Concord & 9th – then inserted into the aperture, glued using wet glue.

The sentiment is a previously foiled strip, and then three silver sequins added to the top right to compliment the silver of the foiling.

It has been absolutely ages – possibly years – since I entered a sketch challenge – I might have opened Pandora’s box here….

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Atlantic Hearts Challengesketch

Snowflake Kisses

Hello once again. The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge has finished their summer break and we start another challenge. The theme is always ‘anything goes Christmas’. Here is my card:

The blue star background was created using a new product from Uniko. An ink and flip stencil. I did have to watch YouTube videos made by the owner – Bev – to get my head around it.

I used one shade of blue Distress Oxide, and by flipping the stencil and ink blending again, you get the different tones, and the snowflake shape. I still have no idea how it works – but it does. There are a few of the ink and flip stencils on the web site, and I did buy a couple of them, so I’ll be playing with them at some point.

Once the background snowflake was done, I decided to heat emboss some snowflakes on top. I did make sure the inked panel was completely dry before doing this, of course.

I randomly stamped the snowflakes in the background – no rhyme or reason – and used a silver embossing powder.

The snowflake panel was cut with Gina K Master Layouts, a black layer added, and then adhered to the card base.

The foiled sentiment was also layered with black, and adhered flat to the panel.

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

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Peace On Earthanything goes Christmas

Daring CardmakersChristmas in July

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friendsanything goes

Creative Fingers anything goes

Ally’s Angelsanything goes

Crafty Gals Corneranything goes – option of Christmas taken

Merry Little Christmas Challenge anything goes Christmas

Christmas (or not) Bingothe column – free/rectangle/stenciling

Hello Friend

Hello once again. The Alphabet Challenge has started a new challenge, our leader Caz is hosting, and she has a colour mood board for you to base your creations on. Here is the board:

Here is my card:

I chose to make the background the darker grey to highlight the pink of the flowers, and the lighter grey of the vase.

I dry embossed the background panel with a Spellbinders embossing folder, and die cut the vase and foliage from various colours of Concord & 9th card stock using Spellbinders die sets.

Once the flowers were layered together, and the vase adhered with 3D foam, I arranged them as you see. It usually takes me a while to figure out arrangements like this, so this actually took longer than die cutting and gluing….

Once arranged to my liking, I used glue and little pieces of 3D foam, then added a previously foiled sentiment.

Some pink pearls added to the flower centres and the background for extra interest and dimension.

I hope you can come and join us with creations for which the mood board colours are most prominent – neutrals can be added too.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

A Perfect Time To Craft anything goes

Crafts Galoreanything goes

Ellibelle’s Corneranything goes

Here Is A Place To Start anything goes

Triple B birds and/or butterflies and/or blooms

Tic Tac Toemiddle row – free, layers, flowers

Double D challenge basket and/or posies

Beautiful Blossomsflowers

ABC ‘N’ and ‘O’

Hello everyone. The ABC Christmas Challenge has reached the letters ‘N’ and ‘O’, Fabiola is the host this time round and the Christmas themes are:

‘N’ for No Stamping and ‘O’ for Off The Edge’

I went with the no stamping option. Here is my card:

I am sure you all know by now that I am a Spellbinders fanatic, and this card was created using one of their die sets and one of their embossing folders.

The background was embossed and then a darker blue ink blended around the outside edges to create a halo effect.

The baubles were all die cut, and all those little pieces of white and blue were die cut and inlaid back into their little places – a fiddly job, but I treated as a therapeutic endeavour.

I also used some white glitter card stock for some portions of the die cuts.

The sentiment is from a previous hot foiling session.

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

I shall be entering the following challenges:

AAA Colourful Challengemainly blue colour board

A Perfect Time To Craftanything goes

Sparkles Forum Christmashandmade ornament or ornament card

Christmas Crafts All Year Roundanything goes Christmas

Merry Little Christmas Challengeanything goes Christmas

Christmas (or not) Bingo column ‘I’ – free, embossing (wet or dry), glitter (glitter card)

Stencilled Poinsettias

Hello there. I have had a little time from crafting as it was difficult to sit for long periods, but I had planed ahead for my DT cards. This card is for the new challenge at The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge‘:

The card was created using a Simon Says Stamp layering stencil set. I added some shading with a slightly heavier hand to the middle of the flowers, and along the edges of the leaves. I also used gold paste through the layer for the middle of the flowers.

The panel was then cut down, matted with a thin black layer, and a gold foiled sentiment on black card stock added.

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

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Creative Fingers anything goes

Peace On earth Christmas Challengeanything goes Christmas

Allsorts Challenge – flowers galore or anything goes

Merry Little Christmas Challenge anything goes Christmas

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friendsanything goes

MAWTT early Christmas

Stencil Funuse a stencil – option of birthday not taken

Especially For You

Hello everyone. It’s been a busy few days but I managed to find time to create this card using the colour scheme from the Color Throwdown Challenge:

The background is using a piece of card stock from Concord & 9th and a Spellbinders embossing folder. Once embossed, I used Hero Arts white pigment ink to swipe across, which meant it highlighted the raised areas.

I then used a Spellbinders die set to create the flowers, and some ‘Marmalade’ card stock from concord & 9th, which they discontinued last year – but I do have a stash of that still.

I also used two shade of purple for the stamens, and the centre of the larger flower.

Once adhered to the card background, I added a foiled sentiment. I also wanted that to pop, so used black with white foiling, and then added some black gems.

I shall be entering the foloowing challenges:

Color Throwdownorange, purple, aqua

CYHTPembossing folder – option of flowers taken

A Perfect Time To Craft anything goes

Craft Rocket flowers

Cut It Updie cuts and ‘send me flowers’

MAWTT flowers

Beautiful Blossomsflowers