Krafty Chicks challenge #715 - Christmas

Good morning lovely friends; I hope you're having a brilliant week so far.  Well the weather here has 

been glorious this week so I've nothing to complain about lol!  I even have an (almost) empty washing basket - which makes me very happy!  

It's the start of a brand new challenge over at Krafty Chicks challenge and this week is Week 2 and as always I am the hostess.  For this week's challenge it's all about Christmas so grab your festive supplies and beat the rush in December.

I decided to dig out an old wood rubber stamp and show it some love.  I have a drawer full and they are so lovely that I feel bad neglecting them.  I must start making an effort to use them in the coming weeks.  

Here is my card:

A close up of the image:

I decorated the inside (not sure why the gold edge looks so wonky, it doesn't look like that in real life):

I began by stamping the image onto alcohol marker friendly card using memento ink and used my Promarkers to colour it.  I have also rediscovered my 'puffy stuff' so added that to the bottom of the image to mimic snow.  It's pretty cool stuff, it goes on like a thick paint but when you heat it with your heat tool it puffs up and hardens.  I die cut the image with a circle die and used the larger size to make a frame with gold mirror card.  I also die cut a topper die so that it would look like a bauble which was adhered to the circles with liquid glue. I stamped a simple sentiment in black ink onto the white circle.  I used some old 6x6 papers to create my background and added some thin strips of the gold card to cover the joins.  I added foam tape behind the patterned paper and added it to my card base.  The bauble was then also adhered with foam tape (I also added a thin sliver of foam tape behind the topper 'string').  I didn't add any extra bling as there was lots of shine from the mirror card.  For the inside I added a thick strip of the green paper, a small strip of the red paper and a thin strip of the gold card at the bottom of my panel.  I then stamped a sentiment in the centre with black ink.  This panel was adhered to the card base with double sided tape.  A fairly simple card but I think it looks really cute.  

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

Addicted to Stamps & More challenge - Christmas

As You Like It challenge - soft or bold colours (I prefer bold colours especially when colouring an image as I'm a bit too heavy handed to use soft colours!)

Crafty Animals challenge - ATG must include an animal

Critter Crazy challenge - ATG with a featured critter

Cut It Up challenge - add a sentiment

Incy Wincy Designs challenge - spring and/or animals

Inkspirational challenge - seasonal (winter)

Merry Little Christmas challenge - anything Christmas goes

Peace on Earth challenge - anything Christmas themed

Pearly Sparkles challenge - cats and dogs

Penny Black Saturday challenge - ATG option pastel colours

PINspirational challenge - designer or patterned paper

Simply Create Too challenge - add an animal

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - use die cuts

Sweet Stampin' challenge - animals 

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 and also our guest designer Rachelle, who is joining us again this month. 

Enjoy the rest of your day and thanks for stopping by. 

Love and hugs, 

Card ingredients:

Penny Black Stamps - Wishing (2998H)

Gina K Designs - holiday toppers dies

Spellbinders - standard circles large dies

Inkylicious - fluffy puffy stuff 

My Mind's Eye - Be Merry 6x6 paper pad

Personal Impressions - Big Christmas Essentials stamp set

Personal Impressions (Paula Pascual) - Christmas messages stamp set (for inside sentiment)

Promarkers

Limetree Crafts - 250gsm silky smooth white card

Heffy Doodle - alcohol marker friendly card

Memento - tuxedo black ink pad

Versafine - onyx black ink pad

gold mirror card from stash

We Love Stamping challenge - guest designer

Good morning lovely friends; I hope you've had a great start to your weekend and of course the added bonus if you live in the UK is an extra day off tomorrow for the Bank Holiday (apologies if you have to work).  The sun was actually warm and shiny here yesterday so fingers crossed it appears today; although we can rarely string two days together at the moment. 

I am delighted and honoured to be a guest designer over at the We Love Stamping challenge this month so I'll be sharing a card today and also another card in two weeks time.  The theme for this month has been chosen by Lynn and is 'Vintage'.   There are some fantastic prizes up for grabs courtesy of Lisa Horton Crafts.  

Now I have to admit that my heart sank when I read the theme as vintage is not really my thing but hey that is what a challenge is all about isn't it.  I used the opportunity to make a birthday card for my Father in Law for this first card and I was really happy with the finished result.  

Here is my card:

A close up of the image:

Of course I decorated the inside:

I began by stamping the car image onto cream card with a brown ink; I cut it out, inked around the edges and also distressed the edges with a edge distressed (which I did to most of my edges).  I stamped the map background in the same way and again inked and distressed the edges.  I used a newspaper style patterned paper for my background and added that to my card base with double sided tape.  The postcards were cut from a piece of patterned paper, inked and distressed along with the circular piece.  The tickets were cut with two different types of dies and again inked with various colours of ink.  I stamped one with a coordinating sentiment.  The letters were die cut from brown card and stacked 3 high for some dimension.  I stamped the happy birthday sentiment with brown ink onto cream card, inked and distressed and cut out with a sentiment strip.  The hardest bit was figuring out placement on the card and I have to say it took me a good while of moving and changing my mind before I came to the final result.  Most things were added with double sided tape except the car image, sentiment and circle embellishment which were added with foam tape and the DAD letters with liquid glue.  For the inside I used the same newspaper patterned paper for my background, I stamped a postcard onto cream card and again inked and distressed it.  I die cut a few more tickets and stamped my sentiment into the centre of a cream rectangle which was inked and distressed.  Everything on the inside was adhered with double sided tape.  I think it is the perfect card for an older gentleman and although I went a bit mad with the inking and distressing I think it turned out ok. 

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

Alphabet challenge - C is for cars

Classic Design challenge - ATG optional twist happy birthday

Crafts Galore Encore challenge - ATG

Crafty Calendar challenge - ATG

Cut It Up challenge - add a sentiment

Daisy Chain challenge - boys/men

The Male Room challenge - trains, planes and automobiles

As I said I will be back with my second card on the 18th May.  I hope you can play along with the challenge and I cannot wait to see all your vintage projects in the linky.  Enjoy the rest of your weekend and thank you so much for stopping by. 

Love and hugs, 

Card ingredients:

Car Stamp - from Amazon (was a set of 4 stamps)

MFT - little letters die (retired)

MFT - mini ticket strip border (retired)

Indigo Blu - map background stamp

Whimsy Stamps - ticket sentiments & friendship ticket sentiments stamps (retired)

Gina K Designs - flowing florals (for happy birthday)

Gina K Designs - large strip sentiment dies

Woodware Stamps - one for the boys (for inside sentiment)

Hunkydory - essential paper pack - vintage newsprints

Gina K Designs - ink pads: sea glass, jellybean green, fresh asparagus, dark chocolate, warm cocoa

Versafine Clair - acorn ink pad

Lidl - Crelando 270gsm coloured card (available in store)

Postcard stamp - unknown brand

Heidi Swapp - edge distresser (discontinued)

Krafty Chicks challenge #714 - Stamps

Good morning lovely friends; I hope you're having a brilliant week so far.  Well the weather here has turned decidedly chilly and wet again, so I'm still dreaming of spring; you would think by May 2nd we would be having spring weather by now wouldn't you?  Anyway enough of my waffling let's get on to the card making lol!

It's the start of a brand new challenge over at Krafty Chicks challenge and this week is Week 1 so we want to see your stamps/digis.  

It was my Father-in-law's birthday yesterday so I used the opportunity to make a card for my sons to give to their grandfather.  I hope you like it.

Here is my card:

A close up of the cute image:

Plus I decorated the inside:

It's strange for me to make a 6"x6" card these days, even though that's the only size I used to make years ago.  It's funny how our preferences change isn't it.  I started by making my own card base from a white 12"x12" piece of card (cut to 6"x12" and scored in the middle); I also made my own envelope using the envelope punch board.  I stamped the image onto white alcohol marker friendly card with black ink and coloured it with Promarkers.  I made a mask for the bear and once in place used a cloud stencil and grass stencil to create my background.  I also stamped 2 small butterflies, coloured them with Promarkers and added some white gel pen dots for extra detail.  I then stamped the sentiment onto the sign with black ink (the happy birthday was part of the same set as the bear but the grandad was from a different company).  I matted the image panel onto some light blue card with double sided tape.  I rediscovered a lovely paper pad which had some great generic patterns which suited a man and chose this 'hessian' looking pattern for behind my image panel.  I again adhered it to a light blue mat with double sided tape and also added it to my card base with double sided tape.  I added the image panel onto the patterned paper panel with foam tape.  I finished the front with a few gold pearls.  For the inside I chose to decorate it quite simply this time.  I cut a white panel and stamped the sentiment in the centre with black ink.  I matted it onto the same light blue card with double sided tape and took a piece of the patterned paper and added it to the bottom of the panel with double sided tape.  This was adhered to the card base with double sided tape.  A fairly simple card overall but I think perfect for my boys to give to their grandfather.  

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

Allsorts challenge - use a stencil (I used two)

As You Like It challenge - soft or bold colours (I tend to use bolder colours as I struggle with pastels)

Crafty Animals challenge - ATG must include an animal

Critter Crazy challenge - ATG with a featured critter

Incy Wincy Designs challenge - spring and/or animals

PINspirational challenge - designer/patterned paper

Sweet Stampin' challenge - animals

The Cutie Pie challenge - simply cuties

Tic Tac Toe challenge - butterflies/free/patterned paper (I appreciate my butterflies are dinky so delete if not appropriate)

I hope you will be able to join us for our 'Stamps' challenge and I cannot wait to see your creations in our linky.  Please leave some love for my fellow chicks - Leanne, Diane and Lori and also our guest designer Rachelle, who is joining us again this month. 

Enjoy the rest of your day and thanks for stopping by. 

Love and hugs, 

Card ingredients:

LOTV Stamps - James thinking of you A5 stamp set

Gina K Designs - autumn splendor 6x6 paper pad

Gina K Designs - ink pads - sea glass & jelly bean green

Gina K Designs - pearl mix - black, gold & silver 

MFT - mini cloud edges stencil & grassy edges stencil

Clearly Besotted Stamps - simply said stamp set (for inside greeting)

Clearly Besotted Stamps - friends and family stamp set (for grandad) (retired)

Craft UK Limited - 12 x 12 250gsm smooth white card

blue card from stash

AAA Birthday challenge #61 - CAS

Good morning lovely friends and Happy 1st of May. I don't know where the months are going, it only seems like last week that I was welcoming April lol!  I'm here this morning for the start of a brand new challenge over at the AAA Birthday challenge. This month Helen is our hostess and she has chosen 'CAS' as our theme. Our lovely guest for this month is Lynne so pop over and leave her some love.

I didn't have anyone in mind when I made this card but knew I wanted to use a few more cute critters from LOTV as I was in the mood for colouring.  Here is my card:

Here's a closer look at the cute bunnies:

I decorated the inside as usual:

I began by stamping the two images with memento ink onto alcohol marker friendly card.  I coloured them with Promarkers, adding a few highlights with a white gel pen.  I trimmed the panel to 3 7/8" square but then decided to add a decorative border to the top and bottom.  I stamped a small happy birthday sentiment in black ink in the lower right of the panel.  I cut a piece of green gingham paper 3 7/8" x 5" and adhered it to my card base with double sided tape.  I added the image panel on top, again with double sided tape.  It took great self control to leave it like that, without any dimension and not add anything else, but I think it looks sweet as it is.  For the inside I cut a white panel 3 3/4" x 5" and stamped a sentiment in the centre with black ink.  I added a strip of the green gingham paper to the bottom of the panel (I again cut a decorative edge) with double sided tape.  I did stamp the image direct to paper but I messed it up so had to re-stamp it on a separate piece of card, fussy cut it out and add it to the panel with liquid glue (but I think it looks ok).  The panel was added to the card base with double sided tape.    

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

As You Like It challenge - clean or fussy (I like both styles but really like the simplicity of a CAS card)

Classic Design challenge - ATG optional twist happy birthday

Crafter's Cafe challenge - CAS

Creative Inspirations challenge - feminine

Creative Moments challenge - cute and cuddly

Critter Crazy challenge - ATG with a featured critter

Cut It Up challenge - starts with a B (bunnies, blooms) I used a die to cut my decorative edge

I love Promarkers challenge - ATG option new home

Incy Wincy Designs challenge - spring and/or animals

Pinspirational challenge - designer/patterned paper

Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge - feminine

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - ATG

Sweet Stampin' challenge - animals

The Cutie Pie challenge - simply cuties

The Sisterhood of Crafters challenge - springtime designer paper (you can't beat a bit of gingham)

Tic Tac Toe challenge - flowers/free/die cuts

The Design Team have created amazing cards as always so please pop over to the blog and check them out and perhaps leave them some love on their personal blogs.   

I hope you will be able to join in with our challenge this month but don't forget it has to be birthday themed.  I can't wait to see your creations in the linky.

Enjoy the rest of your day and thank you so much for stopping by.

Love and hugs, 

LOTV - spring sweeties A5 polymer stamp set

LOTV - bear trios A5 polymer stamp set (for sentiment) (currently unavailable)

Clearly Besotted Stamps - scalloped edges die collection (retired)

Spellbinders - pocket bunny stamp set (for inside sentiment)

Memento - tuxedo black ink pad

Versafine - onyx black ink pad

Heffy Doodle - alcohol marker friendly card

Limetree Crafts - 250gsm silky smooth white card

Promarkers

Sakura - white no. 10 gelly roll pen

Gina K Designs - soft stone ink pad

gingham paper from stash

Krafty Chicks challenge #713 - All occasions

Good morning friends.  I'm back again today to share my DT card for this week's Krafty Chicks challenge.  As we are on Week 4 we are looking for your 'All Occasions' creations; so basically anything goes!  

I didn't have anyone in mind when I made this card, although the background panel was the starting point.  I had made it for another card but it wasn't exactly what I wanted so put it to one side.  When I looked at it again I thought it looked like cheese and that's where my idea began.  

Here is my card:

a closer look at the images:

I decorated the inside:

So when I made the background I originally was going for a beer/lager bubbles feel but I didn't like it and cast it aside and when I went back to it I thought it looked more like cheese so decided to dig in my stash and see if I could find anything cheese related.  I stumbled on this image that I had never used before and thought the punny sentiment was hilarious.  On further searching I found this tiny mouse image in a different set that I thought would be fun to use too.  I stamped the images using memento ink and coloured them with Promarkers.  The mouse image had a matching die so cut them out using that; the cheese/grater image was fussy cut out.  When I created the background I ink blended the panel with yellow ink and then went over it with a stencil using slightly darker inks, moving the stencil slightly with each different colour.  I decided to die cut some circles from the background to make it more like a cartoon block of cheese and added foam tape behind before adding it to my card base.  I stamped the punny sentiment in black ink and die cut it out with a sentiment strip.  I added the main image in the centre of the panel and tucked the mice in the circles as though they were peeking out (all with foam squares).  The sentiment was added overlapping the largest circle with foam squares.  I finished with some gold sequins and the front of my card was complete.  For the inside I cut a white panel 3 3/4" x 5" and used the left over circles that I cut from the front panel and placed them in the same configuration as the front.  I stamped a sentiment in the centre and added one mouse peeking from behind the bottom circle.  A really fun card and one that came from a discarded panel.   I hope you like it.  

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

Addicted to Stamps & More challenge - make your mark

Classic Design challenge - ATG optional twist happy birthday

Crafty Animals challenge - ATG must include an animal

Creative Moments challenge - cute & cuddly (my mice are small but super cute)

Day of the Month Card Club challenge - National Look Alike Day (my two tiny mice)

Get Creative challenge - April Fool's Day (a joke or punny sentiment)

Just Us Girls challenge - anything goes stencil

Scrapping4Fun challenge - ATG

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - ATG

Tic Tac Toe challenge - stencil/die cut/critter (3rd entry)

Unicorn challenge - use dies

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

Thanks for stopping by. 

Love and hugs, 

card ingredients:

Sweet Stamp Shop - cheesy card stamp set (they sadly closed many years ago)

MFT - farm friends (for mouse image) (no longer available)

Gina K Designs - fizzy stencil

Gina K Designs - sentiment strip dies

Gina K Designs - ink pads - wild dandelion, honey mustard and sweet corn

Gina K Designs - birthday cheer mini set (for inside greeting)

Spellbinders - standard circles large dies

Spellbinders - color essential sequins gold smooth discs

Promarkers

Heffy Doodle - alcohol marker friendly card

Limetree Designs - 250gsm silky smooth white card

Spring into Card Making IG Hop - Week 7

Hello crafty friends and happy Wednesday.  I hope your week has been good so far; we've had a great start to the week here in South Wales as the weather is decidedly spring like at the moment, which is a nice change.  Let's hope it lasts for a little while.  

I'm here today to share my card for the final week of the Spring Into Card Making IG Hop, which has been organised by my lovely friend Kelly.  Each week we will be sharing a themed card focusing on the joys of spring.  If our hop inspires you please use the hashtag #2024springintocardmakinghop to join in the fun.   

For Week 7 we are celebrating the Earth.  We know not everyone has earth/world stamps so grab something recycled or reuse something not intended for crafting and get creative.  I didn't have any earth stamps so decided to recycle a cereal box and made a decorative hanger for a friend.  I hope you like it.

Here is my hanger on the wall:

A closer look:

The sweet image in more detail:

I haven't decorated the back yet as I wanted to show the cereal box:

plus I made my own 'flowers' from different circles:

I began by stamping the image with memento ink onto alcohol marker friendly card, coloured it with Promarkers and added a few highlights with a white gel pen.  I took the cereal box and cut it out using a square die.  They were nesting dies but the increments between dies was quite large so for the smaller squares, which I cut from lemon lustre pearlescent card, pink card and patterned paper, I used my paper trimmer.  I adhered all of them together with double sided tape.  I punched two holes at the top with my Crop-a-dile (after dusting it off lol!) and used white brads that came with it.  I die cut a polaroid frame from white card and adhered the image behind with liquid glue (I sadly had to cut off their gorgeous long legs).  I stamped the beautiful sentiment in black ink at the bottom of the frame.  I made my 'flowers' by cutting 3 different circle shapes and before glueing them together I distressed them by scrunching them in my hand.  I used a dot of liquid glue to adhere them together.  I used the pearlescent card to cut out the hello word, the wings of the butterfly and used some of the cereal box to cut the body.  I attached the body to the wings with liquid glue.  The friend word was a pre-printed sentiment strip which I coloured with pink ink and cut with a sentiment strip die (although I did have to trim the sides a little smaller with my trimmer).  The polaroid frame was added with double sided tape, the hello and butterfly with liquid glue and the flowers and friend sentiment with foam squares.  I found some velvet type ribbon in my long forgotten ribbon jar which was the perfect pink colour so added that through the holes so that my hanger would um you know ...... hang!  I'm really happy with the finished result and it was just like making a card so not a big deal.  

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

Addicted to Stamps & More challenge - make your mark

As You Like It challenge - clean or fussy (I like both but today I was drawn to layers)

Classic Design challenge - ATG optional twist happy birthday

Colorful Options challenge - pastels

Cut It Up challenge - starts with B (besties, butterfly)

Dream Valley challenge - make it female

I Love Promarkers challenge - ATG option shapes

Inkspirational challenge - mood board (love the colours)

Inspired By challenge - rainbow pops (again love the colours)

My Time To Craft challenge - everything dies (die cuts)

Sweet Stampin' challenge - earth day or use something recycled (I used a cereal box)

Triple B challenge - use at least one bird, butterfly or bloom

Try It On Tuesday challenge - inspired by a song ('you got a friend in me' by Randy Newman)

I would love it if you would pop over to Instagram and see the amazing work by all the other crafters taking part in the hop.  Please use the hashtag #2024springintocardmakinghop to find us and also so that we can find your creation if you are inspired to take part.  

I'll be back again with you tomorrow with my card for the Krafty Chicks challenge so please pop by and check it out.  I wanted to say a quick hello to my new followers; it's lovely to have you join me and I hope you visit me often.  As always I appreciate the comments you leave and thank you so much for stopping by. 

Love and hugs, 

Card ingredients:

Stamping Bella - curvy girl - besties stamp

Tonic Studios - square layering die set

Spellbinders - simply perfect mix & match sentiment dies

Spellbinders - standard circles large dies

MFT - LLD insert it instaframe die (retired)

Memory Box - Pippi butterfly die (? retired)

Gina K Designs - birthday babble sentiment sheets

Gina K Designs - modern floral bundle (for the tiny sentiment die)

Gina K Designs - dusty rose ink pad (to colour the friend sentiment strip)

Tonic Studios - autumn maple 6 x 6 pearlescent card pack (discontinued)

Crafty Things - 6 x 6 creative paper pack (from Home Bargains)

Promarkers

Versafine - onyx black ink

Memento - tuxedo black ink 

Heffy Doodle - alcohol marker friendly card

Woodware - small circle punch

MFT - gerbera daisy die set (for the tiny circle) (retired)

Recycled bran flakes cereal box (other cereals are avaiable!)

Limetree Crafts - 250gsm silky smooth white card

Sakura - white no. 10 gelly roll pen