Cards For All Seasons IG Hop Week 22 - Boo!

Hello again friends; I'm back 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 22 and our theme is 'boo'. Such a fun theme this week and open to lots of interpretation; even if you don't want to make any more Halloween creations you could use Halloween colours instead.  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.

I found some plain white gift bags recently that I've had in my stash for years so I thought, even though I don't have many trick or treaters, why not decorate them to fill with sweets and chocolate (and if I don't have any callers I'm sure my sons and myself will eat the goodies lol!).  I know I've used this stamp set once already this year but it's so super cute and I gave more of the images some love this time around.  I went with the same layout and design on each bag just changed up the images and colours.  There are lots of photos today as I wanted to give each bag its moment in the spotlight haha!  I hope you like them.

Here are the bags all together:

Here is each bag and a close up of the image:

 

 

 

 

 

I worked in a production line style as I felt it made everything go faster.  I cut all the pieces of pattern paper, the striped paper is 4 7/8" x 5 1/8" and the strip of paper is 4 7/8" x 1 14".  I also cut black card mat layers for each piece and adhered them together with double sided tape.  I cut 5 of the arches from white card and using the next size up cut a black layer.  Before adhering them together I stamped the spider webs in black ink (although I used second generation stamping on 4 of them as I thought the first one was too dark) and stars in a colour to match the paper.  I did some ink blending around the edges in the same ink colour as the stars and then adhered the arches together with liquid glue.  I stamped and die cut all the images (except for the bats which I die cut from black card) and then coloured them with Promarkers.  I also added some white gelly roll pen highlights.  It was then time to assemble; I added the strip onto the black and white panel with double sided tape, added the arch into the centre with foam tape and placed the images and sentiment onto the arch with foam squares.  I added the bats with liquid glue and also added a string to the spider so he wasn't floating in mid air!  I think they are adorable and if I do have any kiddos at my door on Friday I'm sure they will love them.  

I would like to enter my gift bags into the following challenges:

Allsorts challenge - autumn colours

Cardz for Guyz challenge - use orange, black, purple - 1 or more

Crafty Catz challenge - ATG optional twist Halloween

Crafty Gals Corner challenge - fill in the blank - spooky____ treat bags

Creative Crafting Uncles challenge - Halloween

Creative Inspirations challenge - autumn/something spooky

Creative Knockouts challenge - Halloween or fall

Double D challenge - Halloween colours

Make My Monday challenge - Halloween colours

Papercraft challenges - spooky delights

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - ATG

Sweet Stampin' challenge - Halloween or Halloween colours

The Dream Factory challenge - Coco: day of the dead and/or Halloween

Try It On Tuesday challenge - Halloween

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 tomorrow 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,

supplies:

Hobbycraft - small gift bags 5 pack

MFT stamps - fab-BOO-lous friends stamp & die

Mama Elephant - B2B arches die set

MFT - black & white stripes 6x6 paper pack

Authentique - glowing 6x6 paper pad

Dovecraft - back to basics II 6x6 designer paper pack

Limetree Crafts - 280gsm silky smooth white card

Limetree Crafts - 220gsm black card

Promarkers

Versafine Clair - nocturne ink pad

Sakura - white no. 10 gelly roll pen

Gina K Designs - large strip sentiments dies

*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 link as it will earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you. 
Thank you x

AAA Birthday challenge #76 - sport

Hello again friends and happy 1st of August. I hope you all had a wonderful July, although it went by in the blink of an eye once again.  I had a great month as it was my birthday on the 12th and I was spoilt as usual by my lovely friends and family.  I even got to relax and watch the Wimbledon finals that weekend too.  

I'm here today to share my card for this month's AAA Birthday challenge and this month our theme is 'sport' which is such a fun challenge.  Don't forget sports are unisex so you can make a pink football card if you like!  I hope you will take on our challenge this month and get creating. Our guest designer this month is the lovely Cathy R. so please pop over to her blog and leave her some love.

I recently bought some dies from a new-ish craft company and they were perfect for this month's theme.  Most of the men in my life enjoy football so this card will definitely find a new home very soon.  I hope you like it.

Here is my card:

A closer look at the images:

Plus I decorated the inside:

I began by die cutting the football silhouette images from black glossy card, plus I also cut an extra two layers from white card and stacked them up with liquid glue.  I die cut 4 of the postage style rectangles and leaving the die in place lightly ink blended some green and blue ink for a soft background.  I white heat embossed my birthday sentiment onto black card and use a sentiment strips die to cut it out.  I cut a white panel 4" x 5 1/4" and arranged the 4 rectangles in a grid layout, adhering them with liquid glue.  I also added each of the football silhouette images with liquid glue over each rectangle.  I added the sentiment in the centre with foam squares.  I added some scrap white card behind my white panel for some thin dimension and then adhered it to my card base with double sided tape.  No embellishments this time as I thought there was enough going on.  For the inside I cut another white panel 4" x 5 1/4" and ink blended the green and blue inks to about half way up.  I adhered another silhouette footballer to the bottom left corner with liquid glue and stamped the sentiment in the centre with black ink.  The panel was adhered to the card base with double sided tape.  I'm really happy with how this card turned out.  

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

Addicted to Stamps & More challenge - birthdays

Creative Moments challenge - embossing (my sentiment is heat embossed)

Girlz and the Art of Letters challenge - Letter F - football

Girlz Makes Guyz cards challenge - ATG masculine

Halloween & Other Occasions challenge - birthday

If You Give a Crafter a Cookie challenge - happy birthday

Inkspirational challenge - word prompt 'birthday'

Little Red Wagon challenge - masculine

Make My Monday challenge - masculine

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - ATG

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 the challenge this month but don't forget it has to be birthday themed.  I can't wait to see your creations in the linky.

Have a great day.

Love and hugs,

card supplies

Craft Addiction UK - mini football collection dies

Lawn Fawn - little letter die set (for postage style rectangle)

Clearly Besotted - happy birthday all stamp (for outside sentiment) - retired

Gina K Designs - sentiment strips dies

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

Lawn Fawn - sweet smiles stamp (for inside sentiment)

Limetree Crafts - 250gsm silky smooth white card - not currently available - but they do have 280gsm silky smooth white card available here

Verasafine - onyx black ink pad

Wow! - opaque bright white super fine embossing powder

Hobbycraft - A4 black card

Imagination Crafts - glossy black card (I got mine from eBay)

Gorgeous Gift Tags IG Hop July 25

Hello friends, I hope you're having a lovely Saturday so far. It's time for this month's 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 'stencil(s)', which is a fab theme. I expect the rest of the hop will have some gorgeous stencilled creations so I hope you will pop over to Instagram and check them out.  

Stencils are such a staple in a crafters arsenal these days that it's not really a challenge to use them. I actually used two different stencils on my tag and it ended up with a mixed media vibe, which I love.  I hope you like it too. 

Here is my tag:

A closer look at the details:

Plus I decorated the back:

I began by stencilling the sun spots stencil using red and pink ink onto a piece of white card and then used my tag die to cut it out.  I wanted to add some texture so grabbed my white texture paste but unfortunately it had dried up and I couldn't use it so instead found a sparkle texture paste so used that instead.  The sparkle paste is really pretty and although it doesn't stand out as much as the white the paste really glistens in the light for a different effect.  Once that was dry I added some white splatters all over the tag.  I debated for ages as to what to use as my focal point and then remembered I had this cute birdie die set that hadn't been used so thought I would show him some love.  I ink blended some of the pink and red ink onto scraps of white card and used that to die cut most of my pieces for the bird.  I did use black for the base layer and white for the eye patch piece.  I adhered him together with liquid glue and added the top layer of the wing with a foam square.  I die cut the 'branch' from brown card.  So that my bird wouldn't be lost on the tag I die cut a circle from vellum to use as a grounding piece and I adhered the bird with foam squares.  The vellum was also added to the tag with foam squares.  I white heat embossed my sentiment onto a scrap of black card and cut it out with a sentiment strip die; this was adhered with liquid glue.  I felt that my tag needed a bit more black so grabbed a stamp set of distressed patterns and randomly stamped them onto the background with black ink.  I recycled some ribbon from a dress I bought recently but as it was white I decided to ink blend some of the pink ink onto it with a blending brush; I think it turned out really well.  I die cut another two white tags and adhered them behind my tag with liquid glue.  I wasn't going to decorate the back this time but couldn't leave it plain, however I had already stuck everything down so had to careful adding things as it was an uneven surface.  I decided not to stencil but instead inked around the edges with the inks and added some of the distressed stamps as I thought it wouldn't matter if they didn't stamp properly.  I did risk stamping the 'to and from' stamp using a clear block but thankfully it stamped ok.  This tag went in a completely different direction that what I planned but I love the finished result.  

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

Alphabet challenge - f is for feathers (my bird has feathers)

Crafty Animals challenge - ATG must include an animal/bird

Creative Moments challenge - use a die cut 

Creative Friday challenge - neon colours or bold colours

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

Little Red Wagon challenge - to boldly go (use bold colours)

Mix It Up challenge - ATG optional twist mixed media

Stencil Fun challenge - use stencils optional theme your flag colours

Tag-Along (& ATC's) challenge - in the garden/ATG

The Paper Funday challenge - ATG optional twist fun with stencils 

Triple B challenge - birds, blooms or butterflies optional mood board

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. If you would like to join us please visit my Instagram page or use the hashtag #gorgeousgifttagshop2025 and we will find your tags.
Thanks for stopping by and take care.

Lots of love

card supplies:

Gina K Designs - sun spots stencil

Spellbinders - hummingbird textures stencil

Spellbinders - sweet birdie die set

Spellbinders - big jolly Santa die set (I used Santa's stick as my branch)

Waffle Flower - nesting tags die set

Waffle Flower - nesting circles dies

MFT - distressed patterns stamp - ? retired

Cosmic Shimmer - frosty dawn sparkle texture paste - discontinued

Clearly Besotted - bird bath stamp (for sentiment) - retired

Gina K Designs - large strip sentiments dies

Gina K Designs - sketched wreath builder (for to/from stamp)

Gina K Designs - ink pads - passionate pink and red hot

Limetree Crafts - 250gsm silky smooth white card - not currently available - but they do have 280gsm silky smooth white card available here - but limited numbers

Hobbycraft - A4 black card

Versamark - embossing & watermark ink pad

WOW! - opaque bright white super fine embossing powder

ribbon recycled from a dress

AAA Birthday challenge #73 - ATG/our 6th Birthday

Hello again friends; as promised I am back to share my card for this month's AAA Birthday challenge and this month our theme is 'Anything Goes' but we are also celebrating our 6th Birthday so there will be be prizes up for grabs this month. I hope you will take on our super easy challenge this month and get creating. Our guest designer this month is the lovely Jenn Borjeson so please pop over to her blog and leave her some love.

It's actually my father-in-law's birthday today - happy birthday Arthur - so I'm sharing his card with you.  He is an avid Manchester United supporter (I know poor thing) so I thought I would create a football themed card. I hope you like it. 

Here is my card:

A closer look at the images:

It's an easel card so here it is when open:

I began by stamping the images onto alcohol marker friendly card and coloured them with Promarkers.  There aren't any dies with this stamp set so I fussy cut the footballer and dad word, used a circle punch to cut out the footballs and a strip sentiment die to cut out the smaller sentiments.  To create the easel card base I used a 5 3/4" circle and using a 6" x 6" card base ran it through my die cutting machine with the top of the circle hanging over slightly.  I folded the front of the card base in half in readiness to attach the front circle panel.  To create the football I cut another white and a black circle using the same circle die and then die cut lots of white and black hexagons. Using the black circle as my base I added the black hexagon in the centre and arranged the white ones around it, leaving a tiny gap so that the black circle would show through; I then filled the gaps around the edges with the black hexagons, again leaving a small gap.  I was really chuffed with the finished result (although my son told me the black ones should be pentagons not hexagons but I don't think it really matters - could you tell the difference?).  As the black card is quite a low gsm I added that onto a white circle for some extra stability with liquid glue and then adhered that to the folded front of my card base.  I adhered the footballer, footballs and dad word with foam squares and the sub sentiments with liquid glue.  For the inside of the easel I cut a slightly smaller circle from white card and adhered it to a larger black circle with liquid glue.  The difference between the layers was quite large to using my scissors I cut the black layer so that the border was thinner; it's not perfect but it's better than horrible lol!  I adhered the panel to the card base with liquid glue.  I added another football and also a boot to the right side with liquid glue for decoration.  I stamped a sentiment onto a piece of white card and trimmed it with my guillotine trimmer; I adhered it to a black layer and again trimmer it with the paper trimmer.  I added that to the panel with foam squares as this would act as the stopper which enables my card to stand up when open.  I am delighted with how this card turned out, even if it's not 100% perfect, I think my FIL will love it. 

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

Addicted to Stamps & More challenge - make your mark

A Place to Start challenge - ATG optional twist, black, white & red

As You Like It Challenge - soft or bold colours (it depends who I'm making a card for but generally for masculine cards I go with bold colours)

Creative Creases challenge - ATG with a fun fold

Halloween & Other Occasions challenge - birthday

I Love Promarkers challenge - ATG or masculine

Pearly Sparkles challenge - black and white plus one colour (red)

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - ATG

The Male Room challenge - geometric (hexagon background)

Word Art Wednesday challenge - ATG 

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 the challenge this month but don't forget it has to be birthday themed. I can't wait to see your creations in the linky.

Have a great day.

Love and hugs,

card supplies:

Kanban - footballer & sentiments stamp - retired but available on eBay

Promarkers

Go-Kreate - XXL frames plain circles dies - retired 

Honey Bee Stamps - inside: birthday sentiments

Gina K Designs - sentiment strips dies

Limetree Crafts - 250gsm silky smooth white card - not currently available - they do have 300gsm bright white card available here

Hobbycraft - A4 black card

Versafine - onyx black ink pad

Memento - tuxedo black ink pad

Heffy Doodle - alcohol marker friendly card - store now closed

hexagon dies were bought from a FB selling page and brand is unknown

Krafty Chicks challenge #762 - Birthday

Good morning lovely friends. I hope you're all doing ok and having a great week so far. It's been another glorious week here in South Wales, with lots of sunshine but also a stiff breeze - perfect weather for drying clothes on the line lol! 

It's time for a new challenge over at Krafty Chicks challenge and this week we are on Week 1; and as always the theme is 'birthday' and Leanne is our hostess. It can't get any easier than this week's challenge so we hope you will come over and join in the fun with us.

Today is my lovely mother's birthday so I'm sharing the card I made for her.  I always try to make her an extra special card and usually a larger than normal card (today's card is 6" x 7 3/4").  I hope you like it.

Here is my card:

A closer look at the florals:

Plus I decorated the inside:

I began by cutting my card base from a 12"x12" piece of white card.  I stamped all the florals in a light grey ink before colouring them using the coordinating stencils.  After all the stencilling was complete I then re-stamped the images using a black ink pad.  I used the matching dies to cut them out.  I created the stitched frame by die cutting 2 smaller frames (sized for an A2 card) from white card and used them horizontally instead of vertically. I laid them together and cut out the inside piece so that it would create one larger frame.  I cut a white panel to go behind the frame and using a stencil and light grey ink created a soft background.  I added thin foam strips behind the frame and adhered them together and then added a black mat layer behind with double sided tape.  For the panel behind the frame I used a pale purple piece of card and added a black mat layer with double sided tape.  This was added to the card base with double sided tape.  I fussed with the arrangement of my florals for quite some time but finally decided on adding them to the top right and bottom left corners going largest to smallest out from the corner.  I added them with a mixture of foam squares and liquid glue.  I also added a small leaf to the top left and bottom right corner with liquid glue.  I used a few different stamp sets to create my sentiments but I think the fonts really match.  I die cut all the sentiments except for the 'mother' which I had to fussy cut.  I added them all with teeny tiny slithers of foam squares.  I added a few black pearls for some bling and also added some white gelly roll highlights to the flowers.  For the inside I cut another purple card panel and added a black mat layer behind and also cut a white panel and adhered it with double sided tape.  I stamped the sentiment in black ink in the centre and as I had quite a few flowers left over replicated the arrangement from the front in the bottom right corner.  I also added a small leaf in the upper left corner.  The panel was then added to my card base with double sided tape.  I'm really happy with this card; I love the colour combo and the frame turned out exactly as I had hoped.

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

Allsorts challenge - spring flowers

As You Like It challenge - cute or floral (I like both but my mother loves florals so I always make a card with flowers for her)

Beautiful Blossoms challenge - Anything floral goes optional mood board

Classic Design challenge - ATG optional twist bunnies, blooms or butterflies

Craft Rocket challenge - layer it up

Die Cut Divas challenge - flowers

Halloween & Other Occasions challenge - birthday

Inkspirational challenge - use 2 or more sentiments

Little Red Wagon challenge - I guess that's why they call it the blues (include blue)

Moving Along With The Times challenge - spring flowers

Papercraft challenges - spring blooms

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - happy birthday

Stencil Fun challenge - Anything stencil goes optional theme patterns

Sweet Stampin' challenge - female cards

The Four Seasons challenge - ATG spring optional mood board

The Paper Funday challenge - ATG optional twist things that begin with B (birthday, blooms, blue)

Triple B challenge - use at least one bird, blooms or butterflies optional inspiration board

Unicorn challenge - use dies

Word Power challenge - make the sentiment the focus of your card

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

(all Gina K Designs)

Flower Medley stamp & die bundle

Flower Medley stencils

Master Layouts 18 (for the frame)

Elegant Thoughts stamp & die bundle (for happy birthday sentiment)

Lovely Ladies stamp set (for mother sentiment)

On the inside - birthday (for inside sentiment)

Decorative Double stencil

ink pads - blue sky, blue raspberry, wild lilac, jelly bean green, fresh asparagus, soft stone

ink cube - light spruce

Pearl mix - metallic black, gold and silver

other supplies:

Limetree Crafts - 250gsm silky smooth white card - not currently available - they do have 300gsm bright white card available here

Crafts UK Limited - 12"x12" white card (for card base)

Hobbycraft - A4 black card

Versafine - onyx black ink pad

Sakura - white no. 10 gelly roll pen

purple card from stash

Krafty Chicks challenge #761 - Masculine

Good morning lovely friends. I hope you're all doing ok and having a great week so far. It's been a glorious week here in South Wales, although it's set for change today as we've been forecast rain.  

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 it's not everyone's favourite theme but we do need to make these types of cards on occasion so get ahead and have some ready in your stash.  We hope you will come over and join in the fun with us.

I didn't have anyone in mind when I made my card (although thinking about it now, it could come in useful in May when it's my BIL's birthday lol).  I went very clean and simple, which I think sometimes is best with masculine makes as most men don't do fussy.  I'm really happy with the finished result and I hope you like it too. 

Here is my card:

A closer look at the details:

I also decorated the inside:

I began by cutting a white panel 4" x 5 1/4" and using an arrow die cut a row going down the left side of my panel.  I did draw a pencil line so that the centres would be in the same place but eye-balled the gaps between them.  I took another white panel the same size and using some ink cubes swiped them across horizontally to create my own faux patterned paper.  I stamped a simple happy birthday sentiment in black ink about 2/3rds of the way down on the right side.  I added foam squares behind the die cut panel and placed it over the ink swiped panel for some slight dimension.  This was then adhered to a black mat panel with double sided tape.  I added some scrap white card behind the panel instead of using foam tape and this was then adhered onto my card base with double sided tape.  To finish off I added 3 small black pearls around the sentiment.  For the inside I cut another white panel 4" x 5 1/4" and using the same ink cubes swiped them vertically along the bottom to create a border.  Using liquid glue I added two of the arrow pieces that were discarded when I cut the front panel over the border.  I stamped a sentiment in the centre with black ink.  I adhered the panel to a black mat panel with double sided tape and this was added to the card base with double sided tape.  A fun card but one that could easily be mass produced in lots of different colours.  

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

Addicted to CAS challenge - masculine

Addicted to Stamps & More challenge - any occasion

Crafter's Cafe challenge - ATG optional clean and simple

Fab 'n' Funky challenge - one for the boys/men

Halloween & Other Occasions challenge - birthday (5th entry)

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - ATG

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 ingredients:

Clearly Besotted Stamps - geometric style II (for arrow die) - retired

MFT - sweet 16 clear stamp (for outside sentiment) - retired

Spellbinders - fashion jet color essentials pearl dots

Gina K Designs - ink cubes from winter collection & dark lilac ink cube

Gina K Designs - on the inside: birthday clear stamp 

Limetree Crafts - 250gsm silky smooth white card - not currently available - they do have 300gsm bright white card available here

Hobbycraft - A4 black card

Versafine - onyx black ink pad