I Spy With My Little Eye ..... Something Magical (Challenge No. 19)

Hello and welcome to a new "I spy with my little eye" challenge taking place right here on my blog! Pauline and I are back with a new theme and we hope you'll join in the fun! We had some fabulous entries last month, thank you all so much for joining us! Be sure to scroll down to the end to see who made our top 2, both which will have the option to join us for our next challenge.

This time it's Pauline's turn to select a theme and she chose:

I spy with my little eye............

Something Magical. 

Fairies, Gnomes, Witches, Wizards and  Mermaids are just a few ideas for you, I am sure there are plenty more and we can't wait to see all your magical creations! As always the linky tool is at the end of this post.

Here is what we came up with:

Ellie (my card)

All info is right below the card.

This post may include some affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the links. As always, this is at no cost to you. Thank you so much for supporting this blog!

I've had this Lavinia bridge stamp for several years and finally decided it was time to ink it up so I built the scene around it using all stamps from Lavinia - Fairy Bridge, Pan, Fern Leaf, Lavender, Miniature Castle, Miniature Stars, Secret Garden Sign, Spiral of Spells and Winter Magic. 

Distress inks were used for inking and stamping in color (Peeled Paint, Seedless Preserves, Rusty Hinge, Stormy Sky, Victorian Velvet, Weathered Wood, Villainous Potion, Chipped Sapphire, Black Soot,  for black I used Versafine Onyx ink. I added lots of stickles glitter for sparkle but unfortunately it isn't showing up too well in the photo. 

I plan to share the above card with these challenges:

• The Paper Funday - Make Your Own Background
• Word Art Wednesdays - AG 

Pauline's Card

As you can see Pauline also loves Lavinia stamps and created this magical Christmas card. Please visit her blog to find out how she made this card.

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We are so excited to have a guest designer joining us this time and that is Carri of Crafty Carri's Handmade Cards. Thank you so much for being our guest designer, Carri!

Carri

Such a sweet little birthday fairy for a magical birthday card! Please visit Carri's blog to find out how she made this card.

Top Picks for Challenge no. 18

Many thanks once again to everyone who joined us in the last challenge where we looking for things from the garden. Our Top picks are below.

Remember, Top Picks are invited to join us in the next challenge if you like to. That would be for challenge no. 20 starting Wednesday October 16th ! Of course it's not a requirement but we would love to have you both as guests!!

No. 13 Suzanne R. (Ellie's Pick)

No. 25 Rosi (Pauline's Pick)

Congratulations to both of you!! Your top pick logo is below to display on your own blogs if you like to.

You are both invited to join us as guest designers (optional of course!) for challenge no. 20 starting on Wednesday October 16th . If you are interested in taking part, please message me (Ellie) at ellibellescorner at gmail dot com so I can give you all the details for our upcoming theme.

To be in compliance with GDPR, Top Pick photos and links will be removed after the start of the new challenge.

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Now it's time to link up YOUR creations for the new theme!  Anyone is invited to join us with your crafty makes following our theme - "I Spy Something Magical".

A few things to remember:

• You may share up to 5 different projects.
• You may combine with as many other challenges as you like to.
• No fully digital projects (including AI generated projects).
• A short mention of products used whenever possible is expected.
• Please include a link back to this blog.
• Backlinking to a recent project is allowed 

Something Fishy

Happy Saturday! Today is the start of a new theme at Allsorts challenge and Gail is hosting. Her optional theme is "Something Fishy". It doesn't have to be fish only, think anything ocean related such as boats, seagulls, etc. And then there is always the "Anything Goes" option too. As always you may enter up to 3 new projects for more chances to win. Our prizes come from Lavinia stamps, they are for this week's and last week's challenge.

This was the perfect opportunty for me to ink up a fish stamp I found at a thrift store some time ago but never used. It's an oldie from Rubber Stampede. The stamp is marketed to be used with a curvedecor curve handle. (Have personally never heard of that tool before - you can see it in this ebay listing second photo if you are curious about it) but I made it work with a regular acrylic block. Maybe the stamp itself is meant for room decor as it's a large stamp but I like it on a card :)

The background was done with Distress inks/Oxides, spritzed with water and seasalt. The inks/oxides I used are Peacock Feathers, Cracked Pistachio, Blueprint Sketch and also a blue mini inkpad from a Hero Arts stamp kit. For the background stamping I used that same mini inkpad and Willow from Lavinia stamps, small fish and the other plant stamp are from a retired Hero Arts stamp kit. Sentiment was part of that stamp kit too.

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Back to the main image, I stamped with Versafine Onyx ink and used Antique Linen, Mustard Seed, Rusty Hinge and Spiced Marmalade Distress inks for coloring, then fussy cut and added some Stickles glitter. I thought some sun rays would be a nice touch so I used a rays stencil (options) and Tumbled Glass Oxide ink.

This post may include some affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the links. As always, this is at no cost to you. Thank you so much for supporting this blog!

I plan to share with these challenges:

• Cardz 4 Guyz - Nautical 
• Crazy is our fame - STENCILS are our game!  - Stencils (I used a rays stencil, you can see it better in the first photo)
• Creative Crafting Uncles - AG
• Dragonfly Dreams - AG Birthdays 
• Fab n Funky - Birthday or Anniversary
• Mix It Up Challenge - AG
• Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Stamp it
• Stamps & Fun = Creativity  - AG
• The Crafting Challenge - AG
• The Paper Funday - Make Your Own Background
• We Love Stamping - Hand Colored Image
• We Love 2 Create - Anything Creative/Mixed Media

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A Fox and a Seasonal Tree

Hello and happy Saturday! It's time for a new theme at Allsorts challenge and this week Brenda is hosting. Her theme is "Autumn Colors" but there is always the "Anything Goes" option if this theme isn't for you. You may enter up to 3 times for more chances to win. We have a wonderful assortment of Lavinia Stamps for this week's and next week's challenges. 

I thought this was a good opportunity to ink up some of my Lavinia stamps as I feel like I'm neglecting them. I always struggle with scenic cards even though I've made quite a few over the years.

This is what I came up with for today:

I started out by stamping the tree (Seasonal Tree) and fox (Fox Set 1) using Versafine Onyx ink. I made sure the ink was dry before continuing with scene building. I used Lavinia's Hills mask set to create the hills and a die cut circle for a moon. Next I added more stamping (Quirky Mushrooms, Mini Meadow Mushroom, Fern Leaf, Creeping Vine). The inks I used are Distress Wild Honey, Tea Dye, Aged Mahogany, Peeled Paint.

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The sentiment is part of a Stampers Anonymous stamp set (Tiny Text) which comes with various great quotes. 

Another look below.

This post may include some affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the links. As always, this is at no cost to you. Thank you so much for supporting this blog!

I plan to share with these challenges:

• Alphabet Challenge - L is for Landscape
• Everybody-Art-Challenge - AG
• FarmQuest General Store Challenge - Anything Farm/Country goes
• Krafty Chicks - use stamps
• Lost Coast Designs - Animals
• Simon Says Stamp - Stamping
• Stamping Sensations - Animal Magic
• The Paper Funday - AG opt. make your own background
• Tic Tac Toe Challenge - Tic Tac Toe (I selected the left vertical line)

Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday - September Challenge

Happy Wednesday and welcome to the September edition of Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday challenge taking place right here on my blog. There were some fabulous entries last month, many thanks to everyone who joined in. It's always so nice to see what you've been creating! Be sure to scroll down to the end of this post to see the top picks with a twist.

As most of you know, the theme is now always ....

Anything Goes

and instead of a challenge theme there will be a "Top Pick Twist", meaning I will select a twist from all of the entries for the Top 3. Nobody will know what the twist will be (not even me) until the end of the challenge. So do link up all of your crafty makes, your entry might be the one inspiring the Top Pick twist :)

And here is what I made for this month:

I used a stamp from the set "Flower Journey" by Aall and Create. It is one of their retired sets but you may still find it at a few retailers online, however no longer available from Aall and Create.

I somehow tend to like the CAS look just a bit more (I did make another card using the same stamp with a bit more inkyness and I will share that one at a different time as it does look quite a bit different.)

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For this card I inked the inside of a rectangle die using Tumbled Glass and Picked Raspberry ink which made this pretty shade of purple. Then I stamped the words from the Aall and Create set Miniatures . After removing the mask I stamped the flower using black ink. Stickles glitter was applied to the flowers, then I added a button and a Tim Holtz sentiment sticker to the card. Mounted onto an inked background using the same 2 inks then onto a white card base.

This post may include some affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the links. As always, this is at no cost to you. Thank you so much for supporting this blog!

I plan to share with these challenges:

• AAA Cards - CAS cards
• Beautiful Blossoms - Flowers
• Sketch Saturday - Design inspired by the sketch (below)
• Triple B - Blooms, Birds or Butterflies
• We Love 2 Create - Anything Creative/Mixed Media

Top Picks with aTwist - August

As always there was such a great variety of themes represented and always so hard to choose favorites and decide on a "Twist". But I finally decided.

The Twist for the August challenges I selected is................The Animal Kingdom.

My Top Picks are listed in the order of entry each one featuring something found in the animal kingdom.

No. 8 Rosi

No. 28 Claudia's Kaart

No. 55 Jenny Martin

Congratulations to each one of you!! Well deserved recognition! Your Top Pick logo is below, feel free to post it to your own blogs if you like to :)

I will continue to pin the top picks to the dedicated Pinterest board, but will also include photo and link back to the original blogs/sites here. These will be removed at the start of the new challenge to stay in compliance with GDPR.

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To join in this month's challenge please use the linky tool below. The linky tool closes on the last Wednesday of next month at midnight so you have until Wednesday September 25th to join in. 

A few things to remember:

• You may combine with any other challenges.
• You may use any brand of stamps/digis/products (no company restriction).
• Please try to limit to 3 entries per month - it's ok if you end up with more than 3 but I may not be able to visit your entries after the 3rd.
• Please do include a link back here to my blog in your blog post.
• Backlinking to a recent post IS allowed.
• Digital products are allowed and very welcome but the final piece has to be a physical handmade creation, not just digital

You Bring Color To My World - Four Seasons September Challenge

September is here and that means it's time to switch seasons at the Four Seasons challenge blog. Time to get out the earthy tones and celebrate all things Autumn for the next 3 months! As always, we have a fabulous mood board to inspire you but it is optional as "Anything Fall Goes". 

And here is what I made:

I immediately was inspired by the top left image of the dog with roses and a cosy scarf. I don't have a dog with a scarf stamp but do have one with a single rose and I remembered having some ribbon matching the dog's scarf so that is why I went with the top left image for my inspiration. 

The dog I used is a Penny Black stamp from a clear set (Critter Party), stamped and then colored with Copic markers. I used the negative of a circle mask to ink up a partial circle and I also used a Lavinia stencil for a leafy background with Weathered Wood Distress ink. The leaves were done with a die/stamp combo from a retired Hero Arts stamp kit. As I was making the card I wasn't sure what sentiment to use but then thought this one from the same Hero Arts stamp kit was a perfect choice  :)

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I tied the ribbon scrap onto some jute twine to finish off the card.

This post may include some affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the links. As always, this is at no cost to you. Thank you so much for supporting this blog!

I plan to share with these challenges:

• Addicted to Stamps and More - Die Cuts and Stencils
• A Gem of a Challenge - AG
• Ally's Angels - AG
• A Perfect Time To Craft - AG
• Crafts Galore Encore - AG
• Crafty Animals - AG with Animals
• Critter Crazy Challenges - Critters
• Cutie Pie Challenge - Four Legged Friends
• DL.Art Linky Challenge - AG
• Everybody-Art-Challenge - AG
• I love Promarkers - Use Markers
• Penny Black Saturday - PB stamps with option of flowers
• Simon Says Stamp - AG
• Stamping Sensations - Animal Magic
• The Creative Crafters - AG
• We Love Stamping - Handcolored Image

Getting Sentimental for Allsorts Challenge

Hello and welcome! It's Saturday again and that means a new challenge starts today at Allsorts. It's Brenda's turn to host and her theme for this week is "Getting Sentimental" meaning she would like to see any sort of sentiment along with the option of "Anything Goes" if you choose not to use a sentiment on your project. Our prize is a selection of Woodware sentiment stamps from Craft Stash.

And here is what I came up with using stamps from Penny Black.

The daisies are part of the stamp Daisy Dream, they are actually a bouquet of daisies inside a vase but for today's card I just used the daisies, stamped with Versafine Onyx ink and colored with my Faber Castell Polychromos pencils. The sentiment is part of the clear set Love Big, as mentioned, both by Penny Black. I used the negative of a rectangle die to ink up the inside of the rectangle with Spun Sugar ink. My inkpad or foam applicator is a bit "contaminated" with a darker pink so it's not as light as I wanted it to be but it turned out to be a good match for the daisies. I added Stickles glitter to the flower centers and embellished with die cut butterflies done with Penny Black's Soaring die set. 

This post may include some affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the links. As always, this is at no cost to you. Thank you so much for supporting this blog!

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I plan to share with these challenges:

• Creative Fingers - AG
• Cut It Up - use at least one die cut
• Double D Challenges - use shapes (I used a rectangle)
• Double Trouble Challenge - Fruit or fruity colors (plum and lemon colors)
• Everybody-Art-Challenge - AG
• Krafty Chicks - AG
• Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Flowers and PB Stamps
• Simon Says Stamp - AG
• Tic Tac Toe Challenge - see below, I chose the bottom row (multiple flowers and butterflies, die cut butterflies and sparkle in flower center
• TIME OUT Challenges - Encouragement or Support
• Try It On Tuesday - Make it Feminine
• Word Art Wednesdays - AG

To see what the rest of the Design Team made please visit the challenge blog where you will be able to join us with your own new creation(s)! Hope to see there!! 

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Woodblock Wednesday With My Newest Old Stamp

Hello and welcome! I actually found some time today to make a card "just for fun" as I recently purchased a new to me woodblock stamp and I thought this was a great reason to join the Woodblock Wednesday challenge today (before I stash it away with my other woodblock stamps)! 

I came across this Penny Black cutie (854J Forest Friends Seesaw) recently on eBay for a reasonable price and had to "Buy It Now"!! This stamp was released in 1995 when I was a teenager and had no idea cardmaking and decorative rubber stamps were a thing. So this stamp is definitely one of my oldest stamps although I do have some PSX stamps also purchased on eBay which could be the same age or older. There is just something so special about wood mounted stamps so I am still adding them to my collection.

I stamped on Bristol Vellum paper and used my Zig Clean Color markers for coloring. Then I used a torn paper mask to add some snow banks around the image. On the top portion I used another wood mounted stamp which also happens to be from 1995 (PSX F1550) stamped with the same ink that I used for the snowbanks - Weathered Wood Distress ink. 

The wording on the bottom is part of the Penny Black background stamps Christmas Story. Snowflakes are from my box of exta die cuts. I added some candy dots to their centers. It's hard to see but I added some sparkles using a clear Sakura Stardust glitter pen. 

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Below is another view along with the two woodblock stamps that I used. 

This post may include some affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the links. As always, this is at no cost to you. Thank you so much for supporting this blog!

Besides Woodblock Wednesday, I would also like to share with these challenges:

• Cutie Pie Challenge - Four Legged Friends
• FarmQuest Country Christmas Challenge - Anything Country/Outdoor Christmas
• Merry Little Christmas Challenge Blog - Anything Christmas
• Peace on Earth - Anything Christmas
• Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Penny Black stamps
• Simon Says Stamp - AG
• Retro Rubber Challenge - The Great Outdoors
• Rudolph Days - August Christmas Challenge
• Sparkles Forum Christmas - Christmas Critters
• The 12 Months of Christmas Link Up - Anything Christmas
• The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge - Anything Christmas