Being Fabulous Comes Naturally

Hello and welcome! 

I have a new card to share today for the new Allsorts challenge theme, this week hosted by Lynn. Her theme for the week is "So Girly". As always we'd love for you to join us for your chance to win! We have two Aall and Create stamp sets to give away this week!

And here is what I made:

This is a "new to me" image from Mo Manning - Wall Girl, as I wanted to make a card for a teenage girl and this one caught my eye when I was browsing Mo's shop. This image comes with a colored graffiti  brick wall but they are separate and I only used the image and stamped my own wall instead which happens to be a Mo Manning rubber stamp from Penny Black - Brick Wall. 

She's been colored with my Faber Castell Polychromos pencils and fussy cut. I added a die cut circle from Penny Black's new die set Soaring. 

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The script paper is from my stash and I have no idea what brand it is. Sentiments are oldies from Whimsy Stamps, think they work so well for teenage girl cards and it's a shame they are discontinued along with the ticket die I used. Some more paper scraps were added to the bottom right as I messed up and needed something covered, then I added the button as well. The two black brads were already there and planned so it might look like too much going on there now... not much I can do about it though!! 

Thanks so much for visiting!

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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'm sharing with these challenges:

As You Like It Challenge - Feminine or Masculine (Definitely feminine - I just enjoy working with feminine images and embellishments more) // Cardz 4 Galz - Diei Cuts // Craft Rocket Challenges - Girls // Krafty Chicks - All Occasions // Crafty Gals Corner - AG // Path of Positivity - AG // 

These are Always Anything Goes:

Taylor Made Cards 4 U // 613 Avenue Create opt. twist watercolor // Creative Moments // Through The Craft Room Door // The Corrosive Challenges // A Bit More Time to Craft // A Perfect Time To Craft // Classic Design  Challenge * // Crafts Galore Encore // DL.Art Linky Challenge // Love to Craft // QKR Stampede // The Creative Crafters // World Wide Open Design Team Challenge // Lil Patch of Crafty Friends // Creative Fingers 

Link Parties:

Dare to Share // Sunday Showcase - First Sunday with Ada and Mireille  //  Inspire Me Monday //  Link Up Potpourri //  Random-osity Good, Random, Fun // You're The Star Blog Hop Link Party @Stonecottage Adventures // Anything Goes with Your Hosts @ My Random Musings // Jenerally Informed The Happy Now // Spread the Kindness Linkup @ Shelbee on the Edge //  Thursday Favorite Things // Little Things Thursday // Encouraging Heart and Home @ Slices of Life //  

Summer Flowers

Hello and welcome! 

It's time already for a new theme at Allsorts challenge and this week Dena is hosting. Her theme for this week is "Summer Flowers" and as always we hope you'll join in the fun! There are two prizes up for grabs this time, a beautiful floral stamp set and a choice of 3 digis from Ruth Hamilton Design who has some equally beautiful floral images (and others) to choose from!

Here is what I made using one of Ruth's digis - Cosmos.

I printed on Neenah 80lb card stock and then colored using a few Copic markers. I also used a Faber Castell Polychromo pencil for some more shading. The image was fussy cut. 

I used a small envelope die I've had for many years, this exact one came from Whimsy Stamps but it's no longer available. Alternative options might be available here. 

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After die cutting the envelope on white card stock I used a MFT dotted stencil which I also used on the card base with Wilted Violet Distress Oxide ink. The patterned paper is from my stash, probably by DCWV.

The sentiment is from Penny Black's Set Blooming Sentiments, I bend it on a clear block to make it work on this banner die (from Avery Elle Wonky Stitches set). To finish it off I added a small button with some twine and Stickles glitter in the flower center. 

Thanks so much for visiting!

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!

Sharing with these challenges:

Cardz 4 Galz - Die Cuts // Crafty Gals Corner - AG // Simon Says Stamp - Add a Sentiment // 

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes

Hello and welcome! 

It's time for my weekly card share for our new theme at Allsorts challenge and it's another easy one so you can all join us for a chance to win! It's Brenda's turn to host and she wants to see a stamped image in focus - traditional or digital!  

Our prize this week comes from Stamp Addicts and we have a second prize of a stencil too, so come share your new stamped creations with us for a chance to win! You have all week to play along!

And here is my card:

A CAS-ish card with a stenciled background using Tumbled Glass and Picked Raspberry Distress ink which blended nicely for a purple shade. 

The carriage is one of Lavinia's stamps - Horse and Carriage. I've had this stamp for quite some time but this is my first time using it. This was the perfect opportunity to ink it up and give the card it to my daughter for her upcoming ballet performance (this evening) of Cinderella. She is playing/dancing the role of the stepsister Anastasia.  Really looking forward to seeing it!!!

The sentiment is one from Penny Black's set Happy Wishes, a perfect match for the image although I wish it was a smaller font. I inked it up with both Tumbled Glass and Raspberry ink to get a bit of an ombre look. 

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I also used a clock stencil to add to the background for the Cinderella theme. And the black sentiment is a metallic sticker from Tim Holtz's Idea-ology sticker book which I recently purchased as I was running out of my other TH sticker sheets, at least out of favorite quotes. 

I finished the card by using a clear glitter gel pen for some highlights (hard to see) and a few rhinestones. Then did some paper piercing around the edges.

Thanks so much for visiting! And hope you'll check out the challenge blog to see what my teammates made too, and of course to link up your own creations.

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!

Linking up here:

Challenges:

A Gem of a Challenge - AG // Crafty Calendar - AG // The Fairy and The Unicorn - AG Fantasy (Fairy Tale) // Crafty Catz - AG // Pattie's Creations - AG // 

These are Always Anything Goes:

Taylor Made Cards 4 U // 613 Avenue Create opt. twist watercolor // Creative Moments // Through The Craft Room Door // The Corrosive Challenges // A Bit More Time to Craft // A Perfect Time To Craft // Classic Design  Challenge * // Crafts Galore Encore // DL.Art Linky Challenge // Love to Craft // QKR Stampede // The Creative Crafters // World Wide Open Design Team Challenge // Lil Patch of Crafty Friends // Creative Fingers 

Link Parties:

Dare to Share // Sunday Showcase - First Sunday with Ada and Mireille  //  Inspire Me Monday //  Link Up Potpourri //  Random-osity Good, Random, Fun // You're The Star Blog Hop Link Party @Stonecottage Adventures // Anything Goes with Your Hosts @ My Random Musings // Jenerally Informed The Happy Now // Spread the Kindness Linkup @ Shelbee on the Edge //  Thursday Favorite Things // Little Things Thursday // Encouraging Heart and Home @ Slices of Life //  

Life's Better with Sandy Feet (and how I made a seaside scene with 4 easy steps)

Hello and welcome! 

There is a new challenge starting today at Allsorts, our theme this time was chosen by Lorraine - Sun, Sea and/or Sand or Anything Goes. We would love for you to join in! As always we have a fabulous prize, this time there will be one winner who will receive a gorgeous summer themed stamps set and a stencil. Remember you may join in up to 3 times with a new creation for more chances to win!

And here is what I came up with:

I used some older stamps and products from my stash and created a seaside scene.

I really need to create seaside cards more often because each time I do, I struggle with how to start!! So this took me a couple of tries but I finally managed  and looking back it wasn't actually that hard. 

I'm writing down how I did this, so maybe next time I'll remember to check back here as I am sure I will once again forget!!!

1. I started out with a piece of torn printer paper which I placed on the top portion of the card as a mask, then started inking the sand from the bottom of the card upwards. I used Pumice Stone Distress Oxide ink. 
2. Next I added the other part of the torn paper over what I  had just inked and removed the top part, and I used painter's tape where I wanted the horizon to be so there would be a (hopefully) straight crips line. I used Peacock Feathers Distress ink and Hero Arts Sea Glass ink for the water. (This ink was part of a Monthly stamp kit and I am not sure if it's still available, but this ink lot would be a good alternative or use any similar inks you have.)
3. When this was done I moved the masking tape down a bit and inked up the sky. I used Peacock Feathers, Blueprint Sketch and Faded Jeans Distress inks on the sky but I'm sure any blues will do here too.
4. I always like using one of Stampin Up's Itty Bitty Background stamp on the sand, but the sandy texture can also be achieved by using a fine tipped marker or pencil in a similar color.    

I have the Hero Arts Layering Waves stamp set so I used one of the waves stamps to create some waves. The sentiment I stamped in the sand is also part of this stamp set. The birds, beach ball and starfish are part of the Hero Arts stamp set Layering Sea and Sky, stamped with Versafine Onyx ink.

I'm sure many of you recognize the cute Penny Black hedgie - Lazy Days. He's been stamped on Bristol Vellum, colored with Zig Clean Color markers and some Distress inks, then fussy cut.

The anchor die is an oldie I have from my Design Team days at Whimsy Stamps (similar options), thought it would make a nice addition and I tied some natural Jute Twine onto it. 

Oh, and the frame was done using the Faux Shiplap technique. I've shared in this post how that is done. Then I used the smaller die from this die set to cut out the frame.

You have all week to join us. The linky tool can be found on the Allsorts challenge blog.

Thanks so much for visiting!

I'm sharing my card here:

The Card Concept - Red White and Blue (part of the challenge is to define a style, from all those listed I'd probably say Mixed Media as I used ink, markers, fibers and papers and it doesn't really fit into any of the other categories) 

Penny Black Saturday - AG // Four Seasons Challenge - Summer // Krafty Chicks -Stamp Act // Crafty Gals Corner - Buttons or Bows // Fab n Funky - No Square // Simon Says Stamp - Little Critters // The Paper Funday - Male // Cardz 4 Guyz - On the Water // Double Trouble Challenges  - Anything // Path of Positivity - Something Positive // Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - It's Up in the Air (birds) // Use Your Stuff - AG

These are Always Anything Goes:

Taylor Made Cards 4 U // 613 Avenue Create opt. twist watercolor // Creative Moments // Through The Craft Room Door // The Corrosive Challenges // A Bit More Time to Craft // A Perfect Time To Craft // Classic Design  Challenge * // Crafts Galore Encore // DL.Art Linky Challenge // Love to Craft // QKR Stampede // The Creative Crafters // World Wide Open Design Team Challenge // Lil Patch of Crafty Friends //

Link Parties:

Dare to Share // Sunday Showcase - First Sunday with Ada and Mireille  //  Inspire Me Monday //  Link Up Potpourri //  Random-osity Good, Random, Fun // You're The Star Blog Hop Link Party @Stonecottage Adventures // Anything Goes with Your Hosts @ My Random Musings // Jenerally Informed The Happy Now // Spread the Kindness Linkup @ Shelbee on the Edge //  Thursday Favorite Things // Little Things Thursday // Encouraging Heart and Home @ Slices of Life //  

May Card Chain Challenge Reveal

Hello and welcome! Last month I played along again at the Card Chain Challenge (a world wide card exchange) and today is reveal day. I signed up right after Brenda from UK and she was my recipient. Happy that she liked the card and that it arrived in plenty of time :)

As always, there are several challenge options to choose from, a sketch, colors and several themes /  techniques. This time I decided on using the sketch.

Thought Brenda might like a butterfly themed card so chose the large butterfly from the Penny Black stamp set Butterfly Garden as my focal point.

I started out by using Altenew's Classy Stripes stencil on the background with Twisted Citron and Bundled Sage Distress inks. Then I added the die cut frames and negatives (Penny Black Frames die set) which I die cut using white card stock then inked with Walnut Stain (frames), Twisted Citron (negative) and Mustard Seed (flowers).

 

The butterfly was stamped on a separate piece of card stock, colored and fussy cut before adding to the card. The sentiment is from the Penny Black set Snippets.

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!

Challenges:

Penny Black Saturday - Nature 

 

Link Parties:

Dare to Share // Sunday Showcase - First Sunday with Ada and Mireille  //  Inspire Me Monday //  Link Up Potpourri //  Random-osity Good, Random, Fun // You're The Star Blog Hop Link Party @Stonecottage Adventures // Anything Goes with Your Hosts @ My Random Musings // Jenerally Informed The Happy Now // Spread the Kindness Linkup @ Shelbee on the Edge //  Thursday Favorite Things // Little Things Thursday // Encouraging Heart and Home @ Slices of Life // 

If you'd like to join in the Card Chain Challenge you still have a few days to sign up for the month of June. It is a different type of a challenge where everyone send a physical card as well as receives one, lots of fun and you can find all the info on the blog. That said, I feel like I need to take a break from it over the summer months, but we will see...

This is the pretty card I received from Joanne from California. Such cute cats!! They surely remind me of my own two furry critters. I just love it!

Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday - June Challenge with a little change

Happy Wednesday and I apologize for not having this post up sooner. Time seems to be running away from me faster than I thought I honestly I thought I had another week to prepare this post. But here we are, it's the first Wednesday of the month and time for a new Crafty Wednesday Challenge right there on my blog!

Thank you all so much for joining in last month, there were many fabulous creations so be sure to scroll down to see who made my top picks. There is also a change in how I select the top picks and the way I run Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday challenge and you can read about it further down in the post.

Starting today and going forward the challenge themes will simply be.............

Anything Goes.

This is open to any type of crafty makes - as long as it is handmade by you,   you may link it up! I can't wait to see what you will share this month! The linky tool is at the end of the post.

And here is my creation, a last minute make I whipped up this morning when I realized I had nothing!!  

Not really 100% happy with the turnout but when it has to be done quickly, there just isn't a lot of time to dwell over card design etc, so in my mind I was just thinking "what's the quickest background to create, not much coloring, etc." So this is what it turned out to be. The fussy cutting took the longest but I'm used to it and it was just a few blooms. 

I created my background by inking up an acrylic block with Twisted Lime Distress Oxide ink and Tumbled Glass Distress Oxide ink, spritzed with water and then created a print with this on Bristol Vellum paper. 

The stamp is Penny Black's Demure, one I've had for some years but not used in a while. Thought paper piecing was quicker than coloring, so I stamped the blossoms on some polka dotted paper then fussy cut. I stamped again on my card front then adhered the fussy cut blossoms.

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I thought the background needed something else so I used my trusty script border stamp (Whimsy Stamps - retired) randomly on the bottom portion. The sentiment is a metallic sticker from Tim Holtz's Idea-ology sticker book. I also decided to use a white Sakura gel pen on the little circles on the "branches" but hard to see. 

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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Challenges:

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Nature // Double Trouble Challenges - Something, Anything, Everything // Get Creative Challenges - Flowers // Inspiration Station - Flowers // Jan's Digi Stamps Challenge - AG // Path of Positivity - Inspirational // Use Your Stuff - AG 

These are Always Anything Goes:

Taylor Made Cards 4 U // 613 Avenue Create opt. twist watercolor // Creative Moments // Through The Craft Room Door // The Corrosive Challenges // A Bit More Time to Craft // A Perfect Time To Craft // Classic Design  Challenge * // Crafts Galore Encore // DL.Art Linky Challenge // Love to Craft // QKR Stampede // The Creative Crafters // World Wide Open Design Team Challenge // Lil Patch of Crafty Friends //

Link Parties:

Dare to Share // Sunday Showcase - First Sunday with Ada and Mireille  //  Inspire Me Monday //  Link Up Potpourri //  Random-osity Good, Random, Fun // You're The Star Blog Hop Link Party @Stonecottage Adventures // Anything Goes with Your Hosts @ My Random Musings // Jenerally Informed The Happy Now // Spread the Kindness Linkup @ Shelbee on the Edge //  Thursday Favorite Things // Little Things Thursday // Encouraging Heart and Home @ Slices of Life // 

Last Month's Top Picks

Starting now and going forward the Top Picks will come with a twist: "Top Pick Twist". The twist will be a top pick theme I choose inspired by some of your entries. Nobody knows what the Top Pick Twist will be (not even me) until the link up is closed but they will all have something in common. Hope you like this new Top Pick concept. 

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

May Top Pick Twist

Mixed Media

Maxine D.

Leslie T.

Tindaloo

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

To join in this month please use the linky tool below. You have until Wednesday June 29th 11:59pm US Central time 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).
• No more than 3 entries per person please so I can manage to visit each entry.
• 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 creation, not just digital.
• New work only, meaning you may not re-blog and link up previously blogged creations. It defeats the purpose of this hobby - to stay crafty!