Stencil Fun IG Hop - November 26

Hello friends; I here to share my card for the Stencil Fun IG Hop organised by my lovely friend Jane. We are a group of crafters who are determined to use their forgotten and neglected stencils. I'm definitely guilty of this; I have so many stencils but usually forget to reach for them so this hop is perfect for me. The theme is always anything goes but we will have an optional theme to use if we want to. This month's optional theme is 'trees' and I'm sure there will be lots of fantastic creations. I'm excited to see what everyone has made.

I recently picked up an older tree stencil from MFT on sale without even thinking about this hop so I was pleasantly surprised when I realised I could use it for this month's card.  I used a couple of cute images to go with it and I think it turned out adorable.  I hope you like it too. 

Here is my card:

A closer look at the details:

Another view to try and show the gold & white spatter:

Plus I decorated the inside:

I began by cutting a white panel 4" x 5 1/4" and using three different shades of green ink I ink blended the tree stencil.  Whilst the stencil was still in place I added gold and white spatters for some extra interest.  I stamped the images onto alcohol marker friendly card, coloured them with Promarkers and added some white gelly roll pen highlights.  I don't have the dies so I fussy cut them out.  I white heat embossed the sentiment onto black card and used a fishtail banner die to cut it out. I added the images and sentiment with foam squares onto the background and finished off with some faux enamel dots (circles die cut from red card covered with packing tape) that were left over from another project.  The panel was then adhered to my card base using double sided tape.  For the inside I cut another white panel and ink blended onto the bottom third using whatever green ink was left on my brush; I also added some gold and white spatter here too.  I stamped the sentiment in the centre with black ink and added the panel onto my card base using double sided tape.  

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:

* to be updated *

We hope you will be inspired by our Stencil Fun Instagram Hop and will pop over and check out all the gorgeous cards along the way. If you would like to join us please visit my Instagram page or use the hashtag #stencilfunnov2026 and we will find you. 

Thanks for stopping by.  I'll be sharing another card with you on Saturday and I'd love for you to pop back and check it out if you can.   

Lots of love, 

card supplies:

MFT - Christmas tree background stencil - on sale!

MFT - Christmas cheer stamp

MFT - blueprints 27 (for fishtail banner die)

Gina K Designs - ink pads - key lime, jelly bean green, fresh asparagus

Gina K Designs - white pigment ink cube (I use this when embossing with white)

Gina K Designs - lots of dots die set (for my faux enamel dots)

WOW! - opaque bright white super fine embossing powder

Kuretake - gansai tambi starry colours palette (for gold spatters)

Winsor & Newton - white gouache (for white spatters)

Limetree Craft - 280gsm silky smooth white card (not available but other options are here and here)

Limetree Craft - 300gsm smooth white card (for card base)

Versafine Clair - nocturne ink pad

Heffy Doodle - alcohol marker friendly card

I now have Affiliate Links for the Gina K Designs store. If you are considering making a purchase I would appreciate you using my links as it will earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you. 

Thank you x

Just Us Girls challenge - #849 - Word Week

Hello again everyone and welcome back to my blog. I am here to share my card for this week's Just Us Girls challenge and this week is Word Week and Carol Mayne has given us the theme of 'merry'. Plenty of possibilities with this word, especially with the festive season quickly drawing closer. Think holiday cheer, joyful colours, merry moments, the word 'merry' itself in a stamped or die cut format or perhaps you have something unexpected in mind. As long as your card/project conveys a 'merry' vibe, we're thrilled to see it.  I can't wait to see what you create and I hope you can join in the fun with us. Our guest this month is Jane D. so please pop over and show her some love.

For my card I was inspired by a card I saw by Kristina Werner where she created a very clean and simple card just using her sentiment stamps.  I had last year's Christmas sentiment set by Kristina so thought I would give it a go.  I made a 5" x 7" card for a twist and changed up the colours a little.  I hope you like it.

Here is my card:

A closer look at the details:

Plus I decorated the inside:

I began by die cutting a panel 5" x 7" (but I will cut it down later) and using 6 different colours of ink pads stamped the merry word in the upper 2/3rds of the card.  I also stamped the Christmas word below this using black ink.  At this point I trimmed down the panel to 4 1/2" x 6 1/2" and added a slight larger red mat layer with liquid glue.  Kristina drew a black border around her design so I thought I would do it too.  My lines went a little wonky in places so added some extra detail to mask the wonkiness lol!  I finished off with some die cut circles, cut from red card covered with packing tape, which gives the effect of an enamel dot (reminded of this by Gina K. recently).  The panel was adhered to my card base using double sided tape.  For the inside I cut white panel and red mat layer. On the bottom of the white panel I ink blended using the same colours as the front.  I adhered the panels together and added three more faux enamel dots using liquid glue.  I stamped the sentiment in the centre, using lime ink for the large word and black for the sub-sentiment, and added the panel onto my card base using double sided tape.  

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:

* to be updated *

I can't wait to see all your 'merry' creations this week.  Please pop over to the challenge blog and leave some love for the rest of the design team.

I appreciate you stopping by.  I have one more card for today so please pop back later and check it out.  

Love and hugs,

card supplies:

Kristina Werner (for Concord & 9th) - joyful & merry stamp set

Gina K Designs - ink pads - Christmas pine, key lime, cherry red, light cranberry, medium cranberry, jelly bean green

Gina K Designs - lots of dots die set

Limetree Craft - 280gsm silky smooth white card (not available but other options are here and here)

Versafine Clair - nocturne ink pad

Craft UK Limited - 5" x 7" card blanks & envelopes

red card from my stash

I have Affiliate Links for the Gina K Designs store. If you are considering making a purchase I would appreciate you using my links as it will earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you x

Krafty Chicks challenge #846 - Christmas

Good morning lovely friends. I hope you're all doing ok and having a great week so far. It's time for a new challenge over at Krafty Chicks challenge and this week is Week 2, our theme is 'Christmas' and I am your hostess. I can't believe that Christmas is now only 6 weeks away (how did that happen?) so if you haven't already started your Christmas cards it's time to ramp up production.  We hope you will join us and build up your collection and take the pressure off and even if you're done and dusted for this year why not get ahead for next year!  So come on over and join in the fun with us.

I used a new-ish mini stamp from Gina K; isn't the mouse just adorable?  His face is just so cute, I couldn't resist him.  I also recently got this gorgeous frame die so decided to use that too.  I think it turned out great and I hope you like it too.  

Here is my card:

A closer look at the mouse:

Plus I decorated the inside:

I began by cutting a panel 4" x 5 1/4" from silver shimmer card and then die cut the gorgeous regal frame from white card, adhering them together using liquid glue.  I used a small snowflake from the stamp set and some light grey ink to make my own background design.  I coloured the mouse with Promarkers and used the coordinating die to cut him out. I also stamped, coloured and die cut the garland and Santa hat.  I stamped the sentiment onto a scrap of white card using black ink and used the die to cut it out.  I added the hat onto the mouse with liquid glue then adhered both the mouse and sentiment using foam squares and the garland with liquid glue.  I didn't add any embellishments as I liked it as it was.  I adhered the panel to my card base using double sided tape.  For the inside I cut another sliver panel and white frame and adhered them together with liquid glue.  I stamped, coloured and die cut one more mouse and Santa hat and added them to the bottom left corner using liquid glue.  I stamped the sentiment in the centre and then adhered the panel to my card base using double sided tape.  

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:

The 12 Months of Christmas Link Up challenge - ATG Christmas optional twist go with the flow

Allsorts challenge - winter mood board or ATG (inspired by the animals and snow)

Aud Sentiments challenge - stencils and/or Christmas + sentiment

Christmas (or not) BINGO challenge - Line G - Christmas, foiling or metallic, free, 3 or more layers

CRAFT challenge - Christmas/ATG

Craft Rocket challenge - Christmas and/or winter

Crafty Animals challenge - ATG must include an animal

Creative Knockouts challenge - time to be merry

Critter Crazy challenge - ATG with a featured critter 

Daisy Chain challenge - Christmas and/or winter

Make My Monday challenge - Christmas animals

Merry Little Christmas challenge - anything Christmas goes

Sweet Stampin' challenge - use red

The Paper Funday challenge - autumn or Christmas 

The Sisterhood of Crafters challenge - get ready for Christmas 

Try It On Tuesday challenge - getting ready for Christmas 

Unicorn challenge - Christmas and/or winter

We Love Stamping challenge - Christmas critters or ATG

I hope you will be able to join us for our 'Christmas' challenge and I cannot wait to see your creations in our linky.  Please leave some love for my fellow chicks - Leanne, Diane and Lori. 

Thank you so much for stopping by; I appreciate your lovely comments.  I'll be back in a little while with my card for this week's Just Us Girls challenge. 

Love and hugs,

card supplies:

Gina K Designs - from our mouse to yours mini stamp & die set

Gina K Designs - regal frame die *link to Dies to Die For, UK

Gina K Designs - soft stone ink pad

Promarkers

Sakura - white no. 10 gelly roll pen

Limetree Craft - 280gsm silky smooth white card (not available but other options are here and here)

Limetree Craft - 300gsm smooth white card

Versafine Clair - nocturne ink pad

Memento - tuxedo black ink pad

Heffy Doodle - alcohol marker friendly card - store now closed

silver shimmer card sent to me by a crafty friend

I now have Affiliate Links for the Gina K Designs store. If you are considering making a purchase I would appreciate you using my links as it will earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you. 

Thank you x

Card Clubhouse IG Hop - Week 23 Gather & Give

Hello lovely friends; I'm here to share my card for the Card Clubhouse IG hop organised by my sweet friend Kelly. We are on Week 22 and our theme is 'gather & give' so we want to see all your harvest/gratitude creations. Think thank you cards, cornucopia, fall, harvest, baskets, turkeys, warm tones. This is going to be a great hop this week and I can't wait to see what sparks your imagination.

We don't really do harvest or thanksgiving cards here in the UK so I opted to make a grateful for you/thank you card using warm autumnal colours.  I did some gold heat embossing and I think it looks so warm and elegant and I hope you like it too.  

Here is my card:

A closer look at the details:

Plus I decorated the inside:

I began by stamping the image onto white card and heat embossed it using versamark and gold powder; I also did the sentiment the same way in the centre.  I then used warm, autumn inspired ink pads and randomly blended over the entire image (no skill required for this colouring lol!).  I used the coordinating die to cut it out, along with 3 more from plain kraft card so that I could layer it up.  I die cut a panel of this beautiful rich patterned paper using a stitched rectangle and added it onto my card base using double sided tape.  I added the stacked image with liquid glue in the upper portion of the card.  I finished off with some gold circles (die cut from the lots of dots die from Gina K) and added them with liquid glue.  For the inside I cut a white panel 4" x 5 1/4" and stamped part of the image at the very bottom, again using versamark and gold embossing powder.  I again inked all over the image using the same ink pads and then die cut the panel using the stitched rectangle die.  I added a mat layer cut from the same patterned paper as the front and adhered them together using liquid glue.  I stamped and gold heat embossed my sentiment and then adhered the panel to my card base using double sided tape.  

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:

Addicted to Stamps & More challenge - die cuts and/or stencils

Craft-alnica challenge - autumn colours with mood board for inspiration

Dragonfly Dreams challenge - embossing (I heat embossed my image/sentiments)

If You Give A Crafter A Cookie challenge - we are grateful

Love Those Pretty Papers challenge - use patterned paper optional coffee, tea, drinks

Paper Rocks Scissors challenge - use paper and/or scissors

Shopping Our Stash challenge - so very thankful

Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge - thanks/thanksgiving

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - thanks/thanksgiving

The Four Seasons challenge - ATG fall theme with mood board for inspiration

I hope you will pop over to Instagram and check out the hop; please use the hashtag #cardclubhouse2026 to see all the gorgeous creations and also if you want to participate we will be able to find you.

Thank you so much for stopping by.

Love and hugs,

card supplies:

Altenew - autumn bounty stamp & die set

DCWV - the natural stack 8"x 8" pad

Gina K Designs - master layouts 14 (for stitched rectangle)

Gina K Designs - lots of dots die set (for cut circles for embellishing)

Gina K Designs - ink pads - sweet mango, honey mustard, sweet corn, red velvet, jelly bean green

Limetree Craft - 280gsm silky smooth white card (not available but other options are here and here)

Versamark - embossing & watermark ink pad

Cosmic Shimmer - bright gold detail embossing powder

I have Affiliate Links for the Gina K Designs store. If you are considering making a purchase I would appreciate you using my links as it will earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you. 

Thank you x

Gorgeous Gift Tags IG Hop - November 26

Hello and welcome back to my blog lovely friends. It's time for the Gorgeous Gift Tags IG Hop, which takes place on the 5th of each month. You always have the option to go for anything goes but the extra prompt this month is 'celebrate'. I think this month's theme covers just about any occasion; birthday, Christmas, New Year, so just go for it.  I can't wait to see what the rest of my fellow hoppers have made and I hope you can pop over to Instagram and join us.

It's my youngest son's 30th birthday at the end of the month so this month's tag is for him.  I stencilled the background and die cut the numbers and sentiment from gold mirror card.  I think it turned out great and I hope you like it too.

Here is my tag:

A closer look at the details:

Plus I decorated the back of my tag:

I die cut my tag from white card and used a balloon stencil and some cool colours of ink pads to create my background (my son likes blue so that's why I went with cooler colours).  I die cut the 30 and my sentiment from gold mirror card and the shadow for the sentiment from vellum.  I also die cut 3 more extras from white card so that I could stack them up.  I adhered everything together with liquid glue and added them onto the tags, again using liquid glue.  I cut the hole reinforcer from gold mirror card and added it with liquid glue.  I decided to add a couple of stars as embellishments, which I cut from the gold mirror card and added with liquid glue.  For the back of the tag I die cut another white tag and added some stencilling at the very bottom to match the front.  I added a hole reinforcer and also 3 more stars, all cut from the gold mirror card using liquid glue.  I adhered both tags together with liquid glue.  I threaded some white ribbon through the hole and tied a bow around it using blue and white twine.  

I would like to enter my tag into the following challenges:

613 Avenue Create challenge - ATG optional twist sentimental star

A Cut Above challenge - ATG with a die cut (entry #2)

Aud Sentiments challenge - stencils and/or Christmas + sentiment

Heart's Quest for Shaped Cards and Tags challenge - ATG

Moving Along With The Times challenge - masculine

Mix It Up challenge - ATG optional anything but a card

NBUS challenge - first time using the sentiment dies

Pearly Sparkles challenge - add some sparkle and shine

Stencil Fun challenge - must use a stencil optional use one colour plus one neutral

Tag-along (& ATC's) challenge - create your own background

The Outlawz Anything But A Card challenge - ATG optional theme it's on the door

Word Power challenge - sentiment as the focus

We hope you will be inspired by our Gorgeous Gift Tags Instagram Hop and will pop over and check out all the gorgeous tags along the way using the hashtag #gorgeousgifttagsnov26.

Thanks for stopping by and take care.

Lots of love,

tag supplies:

Waffle Flower - nesting tags die set

Craft Addiction UK - create your own football shirt die set (for the numbers)

Simon Says Stamp + CZ Design - let's celebrate die & shadow

MFT - balloon party stencil

MFT - blueprints 13 die set (for star)

Gina K Designs - ink pads - blue sky, applemint, medium lilac

Limetree Craft - 280gsm silky smooth white card (not available but other options are here and here)

Stampin' Up!  - card stock vellum 

gold mirror card, ribbon & twine from my stash

I have Affiliate Links for the Gina K Designs store. If you are considering making a purchase I would appreciate you using my links as it will earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you x

Just Us Girls challenge #848 - Die Week - Acorns

Hello everyone and welcome back to my blog. I am here to share my card for this week's Just Us Girls challenge and this week is Die Week and has Lisa given us the theme of 'Acorns'.  Something a little different but I'm sure we all have at least one acorn die lurking in our stash so come over and join in the fun with us. I cannot wait to see all your gorgeous creations. Our guest this month is Jane so please pop over and show her some love.

I did have a small acorn die in my stash but when I saw this large acorn shaker die I HAD to get it (it would have been rude not too right?).  I used shades of cream and brown and embossed my background for a bit of texture and dimension.  I think it turned out super cute and I hope you like it too. 

Here is my card:

A closer look at my shaker:

Plus I decorated the inside:

I began by cutting a cream panel 4" x 5 1/4" and used the falling leaves embossing folder to add some texture.  I die cut the acorn from a few different brown, kraft and cream card and also cut multiples of the inner portion so that I could stack them instead of using foam tape for my shaker window.  I ink blended around all the parts of the acorn as well as the cream embossed panel.  I also traced around the acorn die and cut a 'backer' for my acorn so that I could added foam squares behind it later.  At this point I decided to add a brown mat layer so cut the embossed panel down to 3 7/8" x 5 1/8" and adhered them together with liquid glue.  I assembled the acorn, using a mix of liquid glue and foam squares, and used seed beads and gold sequins for my shaker filling.  I die cut two leaves from cream card and ink blended over them using green, brown, red and orange inks for an autumn feel.  I added one with liquid glue (which is now almost hidden under the sentiment lol!) and the green one with foam squares.  I tied some twine around the stem of the acorn and made a bow. The acorn was added to the background with foam squares.  I stamped the sentiment onto the cream card and used a flag tail banner to cut it out.  I added that to the top of the acorn so that it would look like it was tied on with the twine.  I finished off with some gold sequins.  I adhered the panel onto the card using liquid glue (I went with a light brown card base for a change as I thought white might have looked too stark).  For the inside I cut another cream panel and brown mat layer, I embossed a thin strip of the cream card with the falling leaves folder and added that to the bottom of the panel with liquid glue.  I added one leaf to the bottom right corner and stamped the sentiment in the centre using brown ink.  The panel was then adhered to my card base using double sided tape.  

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:

AAA Colourful challenge - colour board #33

A Cut Above challenge - ATG with a die cut

Can You Handle The Pressure challenge - use an EF optional numbers

Cardz 4 Galz challenge - autumn florals/foliage

Cupcake Inspirations challenge - fall

Die Cut Divas challenge - interactive card (shaker)

Double D challenge - textures

Dragonfly Dreams challenge - embossing wet or dry

If You Give A Crafter A Cookie challenge - we are grateful (inspired by the acorns)

Little Red Wagon challenge - ATG

The Four Seasons challenge - ATG fall season

The Paper Funday challenge - ATG optional twist autumn or Christmas

The Sisterhood of Crafters challenge - fall

I can't wait to see all your acorn die cuts this week and look forward to seeing your entries in the linky. Please pop over to the challenge blog and leave some love for the rest of the design team.

I appreciate you stopping by.

Love and hugs,

card supplies:

Pretty Pink Posh - acorn shaker die

Gina K Designs - falling leaves embossing folder

Gina K Designs - harvest silhouettes stamp (for sentiments)

Gina K Designs - ink pads - warm cocoa and dark chocolate

Spellbinders - harvest magic die set (for leaf die) - on sale!

Spellbinders - gold smooth discs color essential sequins

MFT - blueprints 27 die set (for flag tail banner die)

Limetree Craft - warm mushroom 220gsm card 

seed beads, twine, cream and brown card from my stash

I now have an Affiliate Link for the Gina K Designs store. If you are considering making a purchase I would appreciate you using my links as it will earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you. 

Thank you x