The Crafty Den: skin cancer awareness hop

Friday, 22 May 2026

4th Annual Sunshine IG Hop!

Hello friends; I hope you're having a great day. We're almost to the Bank Holiday weekend now (if you're in the UK at least) and the weather is supposed to be glorious (for a change)! I'm taking part in the 4th annual Sunshine IG Hop hosted by lovely friend Kelly in honour of Skin Cancer Awareness Month. This hop was inspired by Kelly’s personal journey to raise awareness and remind everyone to prioritise skin checks. Join us as we celebrate with sunshine-themed projects, helpful tips, and important reminders about skin health.

Hidden somewhere at one stop on the hop is a gift certificate to shop @prettypinkposh! To be eligible to win you must follow @prettypinkposh and @createwithkas and leave a comment and ❤️ at each stop.

🌞 It is important to stay in the shade between the hours of 10am and 4pm as that is when the sun is at its strongest; if you can’t stay under cover make sure you cover any exposed skin or add sunscreen regularly ⛱

For my card I created a fun beach scene using ink blending, cute stamps and my Promarkers. Hopefully it reinforces that you can enjoy the beach/outdoors but you have to take shade and look after yourself whilst having fun.

Here is my card:

A close up of the images:

Plus I decorated the inside:

I began by cutting a white panel 4" x 5 1/4" and ink blended my background using a cloud background stencil and using kraft ink to replicate the sand. I did however completely forget about the sea lol so I took a strip of white card and ink blended some sea glass ink onto ink and using liquid glue adhered it below the clouds over some of my 'sand'. I think it looks really good and you wouldn't really notice it was added afterwards. I used a Promarker to add some dots to the sand for some texture. I decided to die cut my panel using a stitched rectangle die for a little more interest. I stamped all my images onto alcohol marker friendly card and coloured them with Promarkers. I used the coordinating dies to cut them out and then added some white gelly roll pen highlights. I also stamped the sentiment in black ink and die cut it out. For the sun, deckchair and sentiment I cut 3 more plain white die cuts so that I could stack them up, which I did with liquid glue. I decided on a rough placement of my images but before sticking them down I stamped a boat on the horizon and some birds in the sky using a mid grey ink. I adhered all the images with liquid glue. As a final finishing touch I added a shadow under the boat and some 'waves' in the sea with an aqua Promarker and some stickles over the sea to replicate the sun shining off the surface. I added some scrap white card behind my panel before adhering it to my card base with double sided tape. For the inside I cut another stitched rectangle from white card. I ink blended the kraft ink along the bottom and added some Promarker dots and adhered the flip flops image in the left bottom corner with liquid glue. I stamped the sentiment in the centre in black ink and 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 *

Please pop over to my Instagram post to join the hop or use hashtag #SCASunshineHop2026 to find us. Don't forget we have an amazing prize up for grabs so get hopping!

I hope you have a wonderful day. Thank you for stopping by and leaving me such lovely comments; I really appreciate them all.

I'll be back later with another card so I hope you can pop back and check it out.

Love and hugs,

card supplies:

*Gina K Designs - the good life stamp & die

Gina K Designs - ocean silhouette stamp (for boat & birds)

Gina K Designs - just keep swimming stamp & die (for bucket and sandcastle)

Gina K Designs - master layouts 2 (for stitched rectangle)

Gina K Designs - background builder stencil

Gina K Designs - ink pads - sea glass, kraft, stormy sky

Promarkers

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

Versafine Clair - nocturne ink pad

Sakura - white no. 10 gelly roll pen

Ranger - crystal stickles

Memento - tuxedo black ink pad

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

Monday, 13 May 2024

2nd Annual Sunshine Hop

Hello and welcome to a brand new week! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend; wasn't the weather glorious last week? For once I have an empty washing basket (but not for long I'm sure).

I don't normally post on a Monday but I am honoured to be part of an Instagram Hop to raise awareness of skin cancer, which has been organised by my lovely friend Kelly. This has a personal significance for me as my mother-in-law was diagnosed with skin cancer on her face and had to have surgery to remove it. It was a scary and worrying time but thankfully they told her that they managed to get it all during surgery.

The purpose of this hop is to bring awareness to skin cancers/melanoma with helpful tips, reminders to get your annual skin checks and beautiful projects focusing on the sun and the colour yellow! As a thank you for hopping with us, there is a giveaway prize hidden somewhere on the hop so make sure to visit each stop along the way! I used some fun dies for my card today that I've had for a while but haven't used before so that was a bonus.

Here is my card:

A closer look at the fun sunglasses:

I also decorated the inside:

I began by die cutting the sentiment from white card 3 times and before I stacked them I did an ombre ink blend using yellow ink on one set. I then adhered them together with liquid glue. I die cut the sunglasses (again 3 times) and also adhered them with liquid glue. I thought it would be fun to put a sunshine image behind the glasses so stamped the image onto alcohol marker friendly card and coloured it with Promarkers. I then use the sunglasses die to cut out image. I again stacked them 3 times so that they would be the same depth as the frame. I cut a piece of yellow card 4" x 5 1/4" and used a cloud embossing folder to create a fun background for my card. I die cut a stitched rounded rectangle from white card as a base for my sentiment and sunglasses. The yellow panel was added to the card base with double sided tape and the white rounded panel was added with foam tape. The sentiment and sunglasses were added with liquid glue. I tried adding some bling but I preferred it without so left it as it was. For the inside I cut a white panel 4" x 5 1/4" and stamped a sentiment in the centre with black ink. I used the cloud embossing folder to emboss a thin piece of the yellow card and added that to the bottom of the panel with double sided tape. I stamped and coloured an image of the sunglasses and die cut it out before adding it onto the yellow strip with liquid glue. A really fun and cheerful card. I hope you like it.

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

AAA Colourful challenge - inspiration colour board

Can You Handle the Pressure challenge - must use an EF option ~~flowers~~

Crafts Galore Encore challenge - ATG

Crafty Catz challenge - ATG optional twist summer

Creative Knockouts challenge - finish the inside (10 challenges max)

Cut It Up challenge - add a sentiment (3rd entry)

Inkspirational challenge - seasonal (summer)

NBUS challenge - never used my dies before

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - use die cuts

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

I thought I would add a fact about skin cancer/melanoma, which you may find interesting. I have another fact for you on my Instagram post too.

* Did you know regular daily use of SPF15 or higher sunscreen reduces risk of melanoma by 50%.

Please pop over to my Instagram post to see the list of stops along the hop or use hashtag #scawarenesssunshinehop to find us. As a thank you for hopping along with us there is a giveaway prize hidden somewhere on the hop so make sure to visit each stop along the way!

I hope you have a wonderful day. Thank you for stopping by and leaving me such lovely comments; I really appreciate them all.

Love and hugs,