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Thursday, 24 July 2025

Krafty Chicks challenge #778 - Masculine

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 we are on Week 4; as always the theme is 'masculine' and Lori is our hostess. I know masculine makes can be difficult but we always need them so take the challenge and get ahead. We hope you will come over and join in the fun with us.
I recently purchased a new Penny Black wooden stamp, of course featuring my favourite hedgie character, and I was itching to use it so I grabbed it for today's card.  I love these images as they are so cute and really easy to colour.  I hope you like it.
Here is my card:
A close up of the cute image:
Plus I decorated the inside:
I began by stamping the image onto alcohol marker friendly card, coloured him with Promarkers and added some white gelly roll pen highlights.  I cut the panel down to 3 1/2" x 4 3/4".  I also cut a lovely green striped patterned paper to 4" x 5 1/4" to use as my mat layer and adhered them together with double sided tape.  I cut two banners, one from green card and one from red card; I added the green banner with double sided tape and the red banner with a foam square to the top left corner.  I originally stamped the sentiment directly on the panel but I pressed a little hard and it didn't come out very well so I stamped it again onto a scrap of white card and cut it out with a sentiment strips die (I also cut another 3 plain white strips and adhered them together with liquid glue).   The sentiment was added below the image using liquid glue covering up my boo-boo!  I added some scrap white card behind my panel for some dimension and stability and then adhered this to the card base with liquid glue.  For the inside I cut a white panel 4" x 5 1/4" and stamped the image in the bottom right corner (I used second generation stamping for a softer look).  I used the left over ends of the banners from the front of the card and added them in the bottom left corner with liquid glue.  I had a small strip of the patterned paper left so added that to the top of the panel with double sided tape.  I stamped the sentiment in the centre with black ink.  The panel was adhered to the card base with double sided tape.  A fun card and I'm really happy with how it turned out.  

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

Colourful Options challenge - summer mood board (I used red, green and a smidge of yellow)
Crafty Animals challenge - ATG must include an animal
Crafty Catz challenge - ATG optional child's birthday
Creative Inspirations challenge - stars and/or stripes
Critter Crazy challenge - animal birthday
Die Cut Divas challenge - happy birthday
Double D challenge - a card for the kiddos
I Love Promarkers challenge - ATG or super heroes
Inkspirational challenge - word prompt 'birthday'
Love Those Pretty Papers challenge - use patterned paper optional theme birthday
Penny Black Saturday challenge - ATG optional 'in or on the water'

I hope you will be able to join us for our 'masculine' 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.

Love and hugs,

card supplies:
Promarkers
Penny Black - balloon ride clear stamp (for outside sentiment)
Echo Park - little girl dots & stripes 6 x 6 paper pad
MFT - blueprints 18 (for banners)
Gina K Designs - sentiment strips die set
Clearly Besotted - simply said birthday (for inside sentiment)
Limetree Crafts - 250gsm silky smooth white card - not currently available - but they do have 280gsm silky smooth white card available here
Versafine - onyx black ink pad
Heffy Doodle - alcohol marker friendly card - store now closed

Wednesday, 23 July 2025

Cards for All Seasons IG Hop - Week 15

Hello friends; I hope you're having a great week so far. I'm back today to share my card for this week's Cards for All Seasons IG hop organised by my lovely friend Kelly. We are now on Week 15 and our theme is 'Hollywood Glam'.  Such a fun theme this week; think glitter, sparkle and glamourous.  There are going to be so many awesome creations along the hop this week and I can't wait to see what sparks your imagination.
As soon as I saw the theme I immediately thought of Marilyn Monroe; to me she is the epitome of old school Hollywood Glam.  I didn't have anything Marilyn related in my stash but found an awesome stamp set online that I purchased immediately.  It has two different images so used the second one on the inside of my card.  I hope you like it. 
Here is my card:
A closer look at the image:
Plus I decorated the inside:
I began by stamping both the images onto alcohol marker friendly card, coloured them with Promarkers and fussy cut them out.  It's hard to tell in the photos but I did add some gold glitter gel pen onto the shoes and as eyeshadow on main image but I couldn't really capture it that well but it looks fab in real life.  I cut a panel from black shimmer card 3 3/4" x 5" and using a spotlight stencil and some white pigment ink created a fun background to emulate a stage.  I also white heat embossed the sentiment in the top left corner.  I matted the panel onto some gold glitter card; my border is slightly larger than my usual cards because I wanted the gold glitter to stand out a bit more. I added the image, standing in the spotlight, with foam squares.  As the sentiment was all about stars and twinkling I decided to cut some stars from the glitter card and placed them randomly around the image with liquid glue, apart from the two larger ones which were added with foam squares.  I added some scrap white card behind my panel and then this was adhered to my card base with double sided tape.  For the inside I cut a white panel 3 3/4" x 5" and again a gold glitter mat layer and adhered them together with double sided tape.  I added a 1" strip of the black shimmer card to the bottom of the panel and also a thin strip of the glitter card above it, both with liquid glue.  I added the second image in the bottom left corner and 3 glitter stars with liquid glue.  Finally I stamped the sentiment in the upper centre in black ink.  The panel was adhered to the card base with double sided tape.  I love how this card turned out and I think the colour combo is dramatic and gorgeous.  

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

Creative Inspirations challenge - stars and/or stripes
Creative Knockouts challenge - sparkle and shine
I Love Promarkers challenge - ATG or super heroes
The Paper Funday challenge - ATG optional theme fun with stencils

I hope you will pop over to Instagram and check out the hop; please use the hashtag #cfascardhop2025 to see all the gorgeous creations and also if you want to participate we will be able to find you.

I'll be back in the morning with my card for the Krafty Chicks challenge so I hope you will pop back and check it out. Until then thank you so much for stopping by.

Love and hugs,

card supplies:
AALL and Create - Marilyn stamp set
Promarkers
Funky Fossil Designs - in the spotlight stencil - retired
Gina K Designs - white pigment ink cube
MFT - sweet 16 stamp set
MFT - blueprints 13 die set (for larger stars)
Mama Elephant - confetti creative cuts (for smaller stars) - retired
Limetree Crafts - 250gsm silky smooth white card - not currently available - but they do have 280gsm silky smooth white card available here
Versafine - onyx black ink pad
black shimmer card from my stash

Sunday, 20 July 2025

Patterned Paper Party IG Hop - July

Hello friends; I hope you're having a great weekend and are looking forward to the brand new week.

I'm here today to share my card for this month's Patterned Paper Party Instagram Hop. Do you love patterned paper? Do you have a huge stash that needs using? Well so do we and it's time to get it used! We will be hopping on the 20th of each month to share our ideas. We will definitely be creating cards, but maybe sometimes tags, ATCs, gift bags, boxes, mini albums and scrapbook pages too. We want our patterned paper to be used.
The theme is always 'anything goes' but each month we will have an optional twist that can be used if you like; this month the twist is 'bright' so if you have any super bright and fun papers now is the time to grab them and use them up.  I have to be honest I completely forgot about the twist and, even though my papers are quite fun and bright, that was a total fluke lol!  I hope you like it:
Here is my card:
A closer look at the papers:
Plus I decorated the inside:
I began by cutting a white panel 4" x 5 1/4" (although I will cut it down later).  I found a paper pad I wanted to use and selected 6 papers that I thought were fun and looked good together.  I used a rounded banner die and cut one from each of the papers.  I used a 'hello' die and cut it from brushed silver card 4 times and stacked them up with liquid glue.  I also stamped a sub-sentiment onto white card using black ink and cut it out with a sentiment strips die.  I arranged the banners in a pleasing arrangement and adhered them with liquid glue.  I also used liquid glue to add the hello and sub-sentiment across the banners.  It was at this point that I decided that I wanted a stitched edge around my panel.  This proved to be tricky because as the middle was raised due to the stacked sentiment it took about 4 goes through the die cutting machine to cut it out and even then I had to snip the sides with my scissors - next time I'll try to remember to cut the panel first or leave it as it is lol!  I finished off with some silver metallic pearls.  I added some scrap white card behind my panel for some slight dimension and then added it to my card base with double sided tape.  For the inside I cut the same sized white panel and added another set of the patterned paper banners at the bottom with liquid glue.  I stamped the sentiment in the centre with black ink.  Once again I used the stitched rectangle to cut the panel down but this time it was fine as there wasn't as much dimension to get through.  The panel was added to the card base with double sided tape.  A fun layout and it would be suitable for all ages and genders.  

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

Alphabet challenge - G is for girlfriend
Girlz Creative Fun Art of Scrap challenge - ATG must use design papers
Love Those Pretty Papers challenge - ATG must use patterned papers

We hope you will be inspired by our Patterned Paper Party IG Hop and will pop over and check out all the gorgeous creations along the way. If you would like to join us please visit my Instagram page or use the hashtag #patternedpaperpartyhopjuly2025 and we will find you. 

Thanks for stopping by and take care. 

Lots of love

card supplies
MFT - blueprints 13 (for rounded banner)
MFT - hello there die set
Gina K Designs - thankful greenery stamp (for 'sweet friend' sentiment)
Gina K Designs - sentiment strips dies
Gina K Designs - pearl mix - black, gold & silver metallic
Gina K Designs - Master Layouts 14 (for stitched rectangle die)
Clearly Besotted - sending love stamp (for inside sentiment)
The Works - pastel basics 12"x 12" paper pad
Limetree Crafts - 250gsm silky smooth white card - not currently available - but they do have 280gsm silky smooth white card available here
Versafine - onyx black ink pad

Thursday, 17 July 2025

Krafty Chicks challenge #777 CAS

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 we are on Week 3; as always the theme is 'CAS' and Diane is our hostess. I know clean and simple means different things to everyone, but generally we want to see an uncluttered design, lots of open space with little or no embellishments. We hope you are up for the challenge and you will come over and join in the fun with us.

For today's card I am again using an image that I had already coloured for another project but never used, although at that time I only needed the horse so hadn't stamped the hedgie but that was easily rectified, along with some fussy cutting.  I hope you like it.
Here is my card:
A closer look at the gorgeous image:
Plus I decorated the inside:
So I began by fussy cutting out the horse which I had previously coloured with Promarkers and added some white gelly roll highlights.  I stamped the hedgie part of the stamp onto a scrap of alcohol marker friendly card, coloured it with Promarkers, added some white gelly roll highlights and again fussy cut it out.  Thankfully because the rope has lines it was easy enough to join them together, with liquid glue, without an obvious line.  I cut a white panel 4" x 5 1/4" and used what ink was left on my green and blue blending brushes to create a soft blended background.  I added the image with foam squares and stamped the small sentiment just above it in black ink.  I cut some scrap white card and adhered that behind my panel for stability and dimension and this was added to the card base with double sided tape.  I decided not to add any embellishments to keep it as CAS as possible.  For the inside I kept it really simple; I cut a white panel 4" x 5 1/4" and stamped the image at the bottom using second generation stamping so that it would be a little more subtle.  I then stamped the sentiment in the centre with black ink.  The panel was added to the card base with double sided tape.   I love Penny Black images and I think it turned out really cute.

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

Alphabet challenge - g is for girlfriend
Crafty Animals challenge - ATG must include an animal
I Love Promarkers challenge - ATG or super heroes
Little Red Wagon challenge - honky cat (if my horse is not appropriate please delete me)
Penny Black Saturday challenge - ATG optional theme 'in or on the water'
Simply Clean & Simple challenge - ATG optional theme 'beachy'

I hope you will be able to join us for our 'CAS' 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.

Love and hugs,
card supplies:
Penny Black - Minding Shelty 2889K wood stamp (I saw some on eBay)
Promarkers
MFT - bitty bears stamp set (for outside sentiment)
MFT - happy hippos stamp set (for inside sentiment)
Versafine - onyx black ink pad
Gina K Designs - blending brushes and ink (although I used what was left on the brushes so not 100% sure but probably sea glass and jelly bean green)
Limetree Crafts - 250gsm silky smooth white card - not currently available - but they do have 280gsm silky smooth white card available here
Heffy Doodle - alcohol marker friendly card - store now closed

Tuesday, 15 July 2025

Wedding card

Hello lovely friends.  I hope you've had a great start to your week.  Today I'm sharing a wedding card I made for my nephew, who got married two weeks ago.  I'm not sure if I can post wedding photos yet but I did have one taken with my nephew so will share that instead.
It was a beautiful day and the venue was stunning.  I'm a bit of an introvert and was really dreading getting dressed up and having to interact with lots of people I didn't know but it was a lovely day and I did enjoy myself.  

Enough waffling and onto the card.  I used my computer to print the wording but everything else was die cut/embossed and the card was 7" x 7" in size.  I hope you like it.
Here is my card:
A closer look at the details:
Plus I decorated the inside:
I began by making my card base; I cut one piece of white card 8" x 7" and one piece 7" x 7".  I scored the 8" side at the 1" mark and folded it to make a tab so that I could adhere both pieces together to make my card base.  I cut another white panel 5 3/4" square and embossed it with the beautiful tiled hearts folder; it was ever so slightly smaller than the panel but I don't think it's that noticeable.  I cut a mat layer from matte silver card and adhered them together with double sided tape.  I cut the largest heart from the die set from white card, but because I only wanted a small mat layer I hand cut the silver matte card layers (they are a little wonky in places but again they look ok) and adhered them with liquid glue.  I printed all the sentiments using my computer and printer and die cut the longer ones with sentiment strip dies and the names with a smaller heart die (again hand cutting the silver matte card layer).  I adhered the small hearts and sentiments with liquid glue.  I die cut the 'happily ever after' 4 times from the matte silver card and stacked them up with liquid glue.  I now started assembling my card.  I used foam squares for all the elements and overlapped the hearts ever so slightly.  The panel was added to the card base with double sided tape.  For a finishing touch I added some small hearts cut from the silver matte card.  For the inside of the card I cut a white panel 6" square and added a silver matte card layer with liquid glue.  I had some left over embossed card so cut a 2" square and then cut it diagonally to create two triangles and added them in the top left and bottom right corners.  I also hand cut one of the hearts from the embossed piece and added that in the bottom left corner.  I stamped the sentiment in black ink in the centre.  The panel was added to the card base with double sided tape.  I'm really happy with this card and think it turned out really beautiful and elegant (even if I say so myself lol!).

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

Can You Handle The Pressure challenge - must use an EF optional theme in the sky
Cardz  4 Galz challenge - wedding or anniversary
Christmas (or not) BINGO challenge - Line G - square card base, free, sentiment as focus
Inkspirational challenge - three of the same (I have 3 hearts)
Make My Monday challenge - embossing wet or dry
Word Power challenge - make the sentiment the focus

I also made a card for my sister to give to my nephew and his new wife (her son & daughter-in-law) so I'll try and share that one with you in the next few days.  

Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving me such lovely comments; I appreciate each and every one of them. 

Love and hugs, 

card supplies:
Spellbinders - tiled hearts 2D embossing folder (EOM Dec 23) - ? retired
MFT - tag builder blueprints 6 (for hearts) 
Card Making Magic - verses stamp (for inside sentiment)
Limetree Crafts - simply the best 12" x 12" silky smooth 250gsm white card - no longer available
silver matte card from stash (but it may be Tonic but not sure)
Versafine - onyx black ink pad
Computer & printer for wording on front of card

Thursday, 10 July 2025

Krafty Chicks challenge #776 - Christmas

Good morning lovely friends, I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you're all doing ok. It's time for a new challenge over at Krafty Chicks challenge and this week we are on Week 2; as always the theme is 'Christmas' and I am your hostess. Another card to add to the Christmas pile, which really takes the stress off later in the year. We hope you will come over and join in the fun with us.
I recently discovered some gingerbread men that I die cut and assembled last year so I thought I would use a couple on this week's card.  Isn't it great when you find things you forgot about and they are ready to use.   I hope you like today's card.
Here is my card:

A closer look at the gingerbread man:

Plus I decorated the inside:
I am obsessed with Master Layouts 14 and 01 combo at the moment and seem to be using them on every card so it's no surprise that I used them on today's card too.  I cut the stitched rectangle from ML 14 from some houndstooth patterned paper and the plain mat layer from ML 1 from red card and adhered them together with double sided tape.  I die cut a large snowflake from white card and adhered that onto the right side of the panel with liquid glue.  I added foam squares behind the gingerbread man and added him onto the centre of the snowflake.  I stamped and white heat embossed a simple sentiment onto a scrap of the red card and cut it out with a sentiment strip die.  I added that to the left of gingerbread man with foam squares.  I finished off by adding some red sequins onto the snowflake.  I added some scrap white card behind the panel and then adhered it to my card base.  For the inside I die cut a white panel and red mat layer and adhered them together with double sided tape.  I also added a strip of the patterned paper to the very bottom with liquid glue.  I added another gingerbread man to the lower left corner and stamped my sentiment along the top of the paper with black ink.  The panel was adhered to the card base with double sided tape.  

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

613 Avenue challenge - ATG optional twist any holiday
Aud Sentiments challenge - tags and/or Christmas + sentiment 
Christmas (or not) BINGO challenge - Line B - Christmas, brown, free
Craft Rocket challenge - Christmas in July
Crafty Gals Corner challenge - fill in the blank....Christmas in July 
Daisy Chain challenge - Christmas in July 
Everybody Art challenge - Christmas in June
Fab 'n' Funky challenge - Christmas in July
Little Red Wagon challenge - Christmas in July
Merry Little Christmas challenge - anything Christmas goes
Peace On Earth Christmas challenge - anything Christmas themed optional mood board
Sweet Stampin' challenge - Christmas in July
Unicorn challenge - Christmas in July 

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.

Love and hugs,
card ingredients:
Spellbinders - stocking full of joy die set (? retired)
Funky Fossil Designs - folk snowflake die
Gina K Designs - merry sentiment strips - (? no longer available)
Gina K Designs - sentiment strips dies
Clearly Besotted Stamps - simply said Christmas (retired)
Limetree Crafts - 250gsm silky smooth white card - not currently available - but they do have 280gsm silky smooth white card available here
Versafine - onyx black ink pad
DCWV - 8x8 The Natural Stack printed cardstock pack (no longer available)
red card from my stash

Wednesday, 9 July 2025

Cards for All Seasons IG Hop - week 14

Hello friends; I hope you're having a great week so far. I'm back today to share my card for this week's Cards for All Seasons IG hop organised by my lovely friend Kelly. We are now on Week 14 and our theme is 'country colours, flags & fireworks'. Such an easy and open theme this week and is open to lots of interpretation.  There are going to be so many awesome ideas along the hop this week and I can't wait to see what sparks your imagination.
I went for the colour part of the theme this week and used red, white and blue (the colours of the UK flag) and made a fun birthday card.  I'm really happy with how this card turned out this week and I hope you like it too. 
Here is my card:
A closer look at the cute images:
I decorated the inside:
I began by stamping all the images onto alcohol marker friendly card, coloured them with Promarkers and used the coordinating dies to cut them out.  I also added some white gelly roll pen highlights.  I used Master Layouts 14 die set, die cut the postage grid panel and used the coordinating stencil to lightly ink blend some red ink around the boxes.  I cut the larger stitched panel from ML 14 out of blue card and used that as my mat layer.  I adhered both panels together with double sided tape.  I stamped the 2 sentiments in black ink and used the dies to cut them out.  I added foam squares behind all the images and both the sentiments and adhered them onto the postage grid panel.  I finished with 3 blue pearls.  I added some scrap white card behind my panel using double sided tape and then adhered this onto my card base with double sided tape.  For the inside I cut the stitched rectangle from ML 14 from white card and the plain mat layer from ML 1 and adhered them together with double sided tape.  I stamped the coffee cup in the left lower corner and again coloured it with Promarkers.  I stamped the sentiment in black ink in the centre.  The panel was adhered to the card base with double sided tape. 

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

Crafty Animals challenge - ATG must include an animal
Critter Crazy challenge - animal birthday
Die Cut Divas challenge - birthday cards
I Love Promarkers challenge - ATG or super heroes
Shopping Our Stash challenge - red, white and blue (my blended red looks a little pink but it is red)
Stencil Fun challenge - use stencils optional theme your flag colours (I used red, white & blue)
The Paper Funday challenge - ATG - fun with stencils (I used the postage grid stencil)

I hope you will pop over to Instagram and check out the hop; please use the hashtag #cfascardhop2025 to see all the gorgeous creations and also if you want to participate we will be able to find you.

I'll be back in the morning with my card for the Krafty Chicks challenge so I hope you will pop back and check it out. Until then thank you so much for stopping by.

Love and hugs,

card supplies:
Gina K Designs - Master Layouts 14 die set
Gina K Designs - Master Layouts 01 die set
Gina K Designs - pearl mix - rainbow
Gina K Designs - red hot ink pad
Promarkers
Limetree Crafts - 250gsm silky smooth white card - not currently available - but they do have 280gsm silky smooth white card available here
Versafine - onyx black ink pad
blue card from stash