Stencil Fun IG Hop - Sept 26

Hello again friends; I am back to share my card for the Stencil Fun IG Hop organised by my lovely friend Jane. We 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 'butterflies', which I'm sure will be very popular, as most people like butterflies don't they?  I'm sure there will be lots of fantastic and colourful creations, and I'm excited to see what everyone has made.

I used an older ink & flip stencil from Uniko called 'geometric butterfly' which I actually forgot I had. It has two layers but I didn't use the background layer just the butterfly one.  I paired it with an old embossing folder and a stitched frame die and I think it turned out really pretty.  I hope you like it too. 

Here is my card:

A closer look at the beautiful butterfly:

Plus I decorated the inside:

I began by stencilling the butterfly onto some scrap white card using light blue and light green ink pads.  The great thing about these ink and flip stencils is that there is only one layer and you literally flip it over to do the other part of the design.  I decided to fussy cut the butterfly so that I could add some dimension behind it with foam squares.  I cut a white panel 4" x 5 1/4" and embossed it using a very old script folder.  I die cut a stitched frame from white card, as well as 2 more from 300gsm card, so that I could layer them up using liquid glue.  I added some blue and green spatter to the embossed background (it's quite subtle so a little hard to see in the photo) and then adhered the frame onto the panel with liquid glue.  I added the butterfly with foam squares in the upper part of the frame; I only added the foam squares behind the body of the butterfly so that the wings could be raised up.  I stamped the sentiment using the light blue ink pad and cut it out with a sentiment strips die.  I added the sentiment below the butterfly with foam squares.  I finished off with some blue and green sequins.  The panel was adhered to my card base using double sided tape.  For the inside I cut another white panel and partially stencilled the butterfly along the bottom.  I partially embossed the script folder just over the butterfly and I think it looks really effective.  I stamped the sentiment in the centre with blue ink and added the panel onto my card base with double sided tape.  

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

A Cut Above challenge - ATG with a die cut

Can You Handle The Pressure challenge - use an EF optional cloudy day

Craft Rocket challenge - use dies

Crafty Animals challenge - ATG must include an animal

Critter Crazy challenge - ATG with a featured critter

Let's Craft and Create challenge - frame it

Mix It Up challenge - ATG optional embossing

Paper Rocks Scissors challenge - I fussy cut the butterfly

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - add some texture

Stencil Fun challenge - ATG use a stencil optional yellow

The Sisterhood of Crafters challenge - frame it

Triple B challenge - birds, blooms or butterflies optional inspiration photo

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 #stencilfunSeptt2026 and we will find you.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Lots of love, 

card supplies:

Uniko - Ink & Flip geometric butterfly layering stencil

Uniko - floral vines clear stamp (for sentiments)

Provo Craft - cuttlebug script embossing folder

Gina K Designs - master layouts 18 die set (for frame die)

Gina K Designs - large strip sentiments die set

Gina K Designs - ink pads - ocean mist and applemint

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 and extra frames)

sequins from Little Things by Lucy's Cards & Studio Katia - both sadly closed

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 - September 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 'school days'. It's very apt as the little darlings have now gone back to school (although my darlings are not so little anymore and not in school lol!).  So get creating and let's see all your school themed tags. 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.

As I did last month I decided to create a fun shaped tag as I had the perfect die in my stash - an apple shaped die.  I used some super cute images and I think it turned out really sweet.  I hope you like it. 

Here is my tag:

A closer look at the details:

Plus I decorated the back of the tag:

I began by die cutting the apple from red card and the inner part from white card.  I decided to add some lines to the white piece using an old red rubber cling stamp and some light blue ink and I think it looks like it's been cut out from a notepad.  I stamped the images onto alcohol marker friendly card using memento ink and coloured them with my Promarkers.  I don't have the dies so I fussy cut them out.  I stamped the sentiment directly onto the background with black ink.  I added the white piece onto the apple using liquid glue and the images onto that using foam squares.  For some final decoration I die cut some stars from gold mirror card and added them with liquid glue.  I punched a hole at the top and added a red hole reinforcer before threading through some red and white twine.  I also used some black twine to tie a bow around the apple stem.  For the back of the tag I kept it fairly simple.  I added another white piece, which I again stamped with the lined stamp, and added a few gold stars.  

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

Addicted to Stamps & More challenge - die cuts and/or stencils (entry #3)

CRAFT challenge - back to school/ATG

Craft Rocket challenge - use dies

Cut It Up challenge - in shape (please delete if only cards allowed)

Farm Quest Grocery Game challenge - anything food and/or drink related

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

Sweet Stampin' challenge - use a die cut

Tag-along (& ATC's) challenge - circle or ATG

The Little Things challenge - mermaids and/or fish or ATG

Unicorn challenge - not square

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 #gorgeousgifttagssept26.

Thanks for stopping by and take care.

Lots of love,

tag supplies:

TLC Designs - apple a day die set

Studio Katia - teacher's apple stamp - store sadly closed

MFT - writing tablet red rubber cling stamp

MFT - blueprints 13 & tag builder blueprints 6 (for star dies)

Waffle Flower - nesting tags dies (for hole reinforcer die)

Gina K Designs - blue sky ink pad

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

Versafine Clair - nocturne ink pad

Memento - tuxedo black ink pad

Heffy Doodle - alcohol marker friendly card - store now closed

coloured card and 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

Patterned Paper Party IG Hop - April 26

Hello friends, welcome back to my little blog. 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 'Easter, which I know was a little while ago, but you can get ahead for next year if you follow the twist, so grab your patterned papers and join in the fun.  I needed a last minute Easter card for my in-laws so I'm sharing that today plus I have a bonus birthday card which I made with some leftover paper after making my hubby's birthday card (I'll be sharing that on Thursday).  I hope you like them.

Firstly here is the Easter card:

A closer look at the image:

Plus I decorated the inside:

Here is the bonus birthday card:

A closer look at the details:

Plus I decorated the inside:

For the Easter card I stamped the floral cross image onto alcohol marker friendly card and coloured it with Promarkers, adding a few white gelly roll pen highlights.  I cut it out with a stitched rectangle and matted it onto some yellowy/peach patterned paper. I then cut a piece of wood grain paper to cover the front of my card base (4 1/14" x 5 1/2") and adhered it with double sided tape. I added some scrap white card behind the smaller panel and added that to the background with double sided tape.  I stamped the sentiment in black ink and used a sentiments strip die to cut it out before adhering it to the centre of the image with foam squares.  I finished off with some gold pearls.  For the inside I cut a white panel 4" x 5 1/4" and added a strip of the wood grain paper to the bottom with liquid glue.  I stamped the sentiment in the centre with black ink and adhered the panel to the card base with double sided tape.  

For the birthday card I cut a white panel 4" x 5 1/4" (but I will cut it down later) and used some leftover strips of patterned paper to create my background which I adhered with liquid glue.  Once dry I used a stitched rectangle die to cut it out and added a black mat layer behind with double sided tape.  I stamped the sentiment in black ink and used a stitched circle die to cut it out.  I added the sentiment to the lower left side of the panel with foam squares.  I added some scrap white card behind the panel before adhering it to the card base with double sided tape.  I finished off with some black pearls around the sentiment.  For the inside I cut another white panel 4 " x 5 1/4" and added a strip of pink card to the bottom with double sided tape.  I stamped two presents onto the pink strip with black ink and added some details with a white gelly roll pen.  I then stamped the sentiment in the centre with black ink.  I added a black mat layer before adhering the panel to the card base with double sided tape.  

Two very different cards but both using up some of my vast collection of patterned paper.  Do you have a favourite?  I like them both; the Easter card is elegant and beautiful and the birthday card is just bright and fun.  

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

Easter card:

A Cut Above challenge - ATG with a die cut optional twist pastels

Aud Sentiments challenge - watercolour and/or spring + sentiment

Beautiful Blossoms challenge - anything floral goes optional inspiration photo

Crafty Gals Corner challenge - ATG optional spring

Creative Inspirations challenge - Easter/spring

Creative Moments challenge - gone but not forgotten (Studio Katia is no more)

Girlz Rebel challenge - flowers

Moving Along With The Times challenge - anything spring

Pick 3 challenge - rustic (paper), feminine, pastels

Stamping Sensations challenge - inspired by nature

The Four Seasons challenge - anything spring optional mood board

We Love Stamping challenge - spring 

Birthday card:

AAA Colourful challenge - colour board #27

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

As You Like It challenge - brights or pastels (I like both but I am drawn more to bright colours; they make me happy)

Colourful Options challenge - yellow or use rainbow colours (I went with rainbow)

Creative Knockouts challenge - 2 or more papers

The Dream Factory challenge - use at least 3 colours (I used all the colours of the rainbow)

Unicorn challenge - use dies

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 #patternedpaperpartyhopapril2026 and we will find you.

Thanks for stopping by and take care.

Lots of love

Easter card supplies:

Studio Katia - floral cross stamp

Promarkers

Lawn Fawn - 6x6 petite paper pack 'spiffy speckles'

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

Versafine Clair - nocturne ink pad

*Gina K Designs - friendly wishes mini stamp (for inside sentiment)

Gina K Designs - sentiment strips dies

Gina K Designs - master layouts 02 (for stitched rectangle)

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

birthday card supplies:

Spellbinders - color block slices die set

echo park - summer dots & stripes 6x6 paper pad

echo park - metropolitan dots & stripes 6x6 paper pad

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

Versafine Clair - nocturne ink pad

*Gina K Designs - master layouts 02 die set (for stitched rectangle)

Gina K Designs - master layouts 03 (for stitched circle)

Gina K Designs - birthday cheer mini stamp (for inside sentiment)

Gina K Designs - sketched wreath builder stamp (for outside sentiment)

*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

ATC Scrap Makes IG Hop - March 26

Hello friends, I hope you're doing great and you've had a great start to your week. I'm sharing my creations for this month's ATC Scrap Makes IG Hop. We challenge you to use leftover die cuts, sentiments and card stock to create Artist Trading Cards (ATC's). You can send them in happy mail, save them on a ring to highlight your favorite creations, swap them with friends or add sweet notes to a lunchbox. Join us if you like; the only rules are to use scraps and create cards that are 2.5” x 3.5” in size. We share our little snippets of happiness on the third Tuesday of the month.

I have decided to make an alphabet series of ATC's and this month have created the first three.  I think it will be fun each month finding images/dies for each letter and I'm excited to see them all at the end.  I used mostly older, retired products but I still love them so why not use them.  I hope you like them. 

Here are all three ATC's:

A closer look at 'A':

A closer look at 'B':

and finally 'C':

I decorated the backs all the same:

When I ink blend I always keep a scrap of white printer paper to place underneath so that I don't make too much mess; I re-use this paper over and over again and it ends up either looking a hot mess or sometimes it becomes a really interesting piece that I keep for backgrounds.  I used this piece of paper to create the backgrounds for my ATC's today and to be honest they are better than something I would create from scratch as I can't always do random and messy well.  I added some white and gold spatter for some extra interest and some blending around the edges but other than that they are exactly as they were.  I stamped, coloured and die cut the cute images (I had to fussy cut the apple) and die cut 3 frames from gold mirror card.  The alphabet letters were already cut in my stash but I did cut some extra ones just to stack them up.  I added the frames and letters with liquid glue and the images with foam squares.  For the backs of the ATC's I simply ink blended the matching colours around the edges and stamped one the ATC info stamps (that I won a few months ago) in black ink.  

I would like to enter my ATC's into the following challenges:

Crafty Animals challenge - ATG must include an animal

Creative Inspirations challenge - cute critters

Critter Crazy challenge - ATG with a featured critter

Farm Quest Grocery Game challenge - anything food goes

Paper Rocks Scissors challenge - must use paper and/or scissors (I used scissor to fussy cut my apple)

Show Us Your Pussy Cats challenge - ATG with a cat

Tag-along (&ATC's) challenge - spring flowers or ATG

The Dream Factory challenge - sweet little things (small ATC's)

The Paper Funday challenge - ATG optional twist fur or feathers

We Love Stamping challenge - wild life or ATG (the bear is wild)

I hope you will pop over to Instagram and check out the hop; please use the hashtag #ATCscrapmakes2026 or #ATCscrapmakesMar26 to see all the gorgeous creations and also if you want to participate we will be able to find you.

I really appreciate you stopping by today.

Love and hugs,

ATC supplies:

Studio Katia - teacher's apple stamp

Mama Elephant - carnival cupcakes stamp & die

MFT - furever friends stamp & die

MFT - little letters die set

Hunkydory - Moonstone dies - scalloped edged picture frames

ATC silicone stamp won in a recent challenge

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

Versafine Clair - nocturne ink pad

Winsor & Newton - white gouache (for white spatter)

Gansai Tambi - starry colours palette (for gold spatter)

Sakura - white no. 10 gelly roll pen

coloured card and mirror card from scraps bin

*Gina K Designs - ink pads - red velvet, warm cocoa, stormy sky

*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

CASE IT IG Hop - February 26

Hello again friends. I hope you've had a great start to your Saturday; it's actually been sunny here today but I think it's just a blip and we will be back to rain tomorrow lol!  I'm back to share this month's card for the CASE IT Instagram Hop where we find a project on Instagram that inspires us and we will share that project as well as the project we’ve created. There are so many beautiful creations on Instagram the only difficult part is narrowing down which one to CASE (which means Copy And Share Everything).

This month I was inspired by Stacey (@StaceysCreativeCorner over on IG); her cards are super cute and this one instantly called to me - a cute image, kraft and pretty papers. I don't have any baby cards in my stash so I changed it from Valentine's to new baby.  Here is her card for my inspiration:

Isn't Stacey's card just so adorable? I kept the scalloped layers but I went with white instead of kraft and my layout is vertical instead of horizontal although I think you can still see how I was inspired by Stacey's card! I hope you like it.

Here is my card:

a closer look at the details:

Plus I decorated the inside:

I began by stamping the cute llama onto alcohol marker friendly card, coloured it with Promarkers and used the coordinating die to cut it out.  I die cut the scallop layer and a stitched layer from white card and adhered them together with double sided tape.  I cut three strips of patterned paper (not sure if you can tell but two of them have glittery highlights running through them) and adhered them onto the stitched panel with double sided tape.  I die cut a circle from vellum and adhered the llama on top with foam squares.  I stamped and white heat embossed the sentiment directly onto the vellum but it looked a little lost so I re-stamped it onto white card using sea glass ink and used a sentiments strips die to cut it out.  I then added this over the embossed sentiment with foam squares.  I added foam squares behind the vellum and adhered it onto the background in the bottom right.  I finished off with some mint sequins and also added some glitter accents to the centre so that they would match the papers.  I added some scrap white card behind the panel and then adhered it to my card base with double sided tape.  For the inside I cut the same white layers, cut some small pieces of the papers and added them to the bottom of the panel with liquid glue.  I masked the papers and stamped the llama peeking over the top and stamped a sentiment in the centre with black ink.  I adhered the panel to the card base with 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 CASE IT 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 #caseithop and we will find you.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Lots of love

card supplies:

Taylored Expressions - llama love stamp & die - retired

Promarkers

MFT - blueprints 27 die set (for scalloped die)

MFT - itty bitty baby stamp (for sentiments)

DCWV - nana's nursery baby boy paper pad - discontinued

Spellbinders - fluted classic circles (for circle die)

*Gina K Designs - ML 14 (for stitched rectangle die)

Gina K Designs - sentiment strips dies

Gina K Designs - sea glass ink pad (for sentiment)

Studio Katia - magic mint sequins

Tonic - nuvo glitter accents - fresh snowfall

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

Versafine Clair - nocturne ink pad

Memento - tuxedo black ink pad

Stampin' Up! - card stock vellum - retired 

Heffy Doodle - alcohol marker friendly card - store now closed

*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