Flowers for You with a Ribbon or a Bow

Hello everyone, today is the start of a new theme at Allsorts challenge and Sarah is hosting. Her optional theme is "Ribbon and/or Bow" and then we also have the Anything Goes option if you'd rather go that route. We have a prize of an A5 stamp set, stencil and ribbons, and also a £10 digital download from Polkadoodles. Hope you'll join us. As always, the challenge runs for two weeks.

I recently mentioned that I purchased a mixed lot of stamps inside a box (only those at the very top were visible), curious but unsure of what else I'd receive, and this gorgeous stamp was part of that stamp lot. The German saying "buying the cat in the bag" come to mind, I don't think it's one used in English, but it means buying something without knowing what you're getting😀Sometimes we have to take risks, right??

This is an older wood mounted stamp by Penny Black 4164K the Rose. I used Versafine Onyx ink for stamping and Derwent Inktense pencils for coloring. For some background stamping I chose a stamp by Tracy Evans and Antique Linen Distress ink. The strip of paper on the right side is from my box of scraps. I added white silk ribbon next to the patterned paper and then tied some striped twine around the card. The mini tag die is an oldie from Whimsy Stamps and sentiment "for you" is from the Penny Black sentiment "Blooming Sentiments". Glitter was added to the roses for some sparkle.

This post includes 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 your support!

I plan to share with these challenges:

• Crafty Catz - AG
• Crafty Gals Corner - AG
• Creative Fingers - AG
• Creative Moments - Feminine
• Double D - Signs of Love
• Little Red Wagon - Leftovers (the paper strip and tag die cut are made from leftover pieces)
• Simon Says Stamp - AG
• Sweet Stampin - A Special Woman
• Woodblock Wednesday Challenge - Use any woodblock stamps

Excited that I finally managed to join in the Woodblock challenge again (it's been a while!!), as I do have so many woodblock stamps which I love and always want to join in but then it's usually closed by the time I get my act together. If you want to give your woodbock stamps some love then do check out this challenge. It starts on the last Wednesday of each month and is open for one week. 

A Bare Tree and Broccoli Stamping

The other day some sort of a promoted post popped up in my Instagram feed where someone used a piece of broccoli and acrylic paint for an art piece. The only vegetable I probably ever used as a stamping tool had been a potato in Kindergarten (we probably all did that!!) so I really wanted to give Brocccoli stamping a try. Here is what I came up with using stamps by Tracy Evans besides the broccoli. I did use traditional inks, not acrylic paints.

I started out by creating an inky background with a circle in place for a moon. I used Tumbled Glass, Broken China and Chipped Sapphire inks. Some water droplets were splattered on to the background to create some interest. Stamps used are all by Tracy Evans - TE38 Silhouettes (tree), Miniatures released by Aall and Create (bunnies and quote) and TE50 On the Wild Side (foliage stamped in green at the bottom part). Inks used for stamping are Versafine Onyx, Versafine Clair Grass Green, Arctic and a tiny bit of Baby Pink to make it look like the tree is starting to flower.

I used a torn paper mask and Rustic Wilderness Distress Oxide ink to make a hill for the bunnies. 

Can you see where I used the broccoli 😀😀 It's the speckled stamping around the trees and a little bit at the bottom too.

I am sharing my card with these blogs:

• 613 Avenue Create - Animal Magic
• Ally's Angels - AG
• A Perfect Time To Craft - AG
• A Place To Start - small critters
• Classic Design Challenge - AG
• Crafting from the Art Challenge - AG
• Crafty Animals - Animals
• Crafty Catz - AG
• Crafty Gals Corner - AG
• Creative Fingers - AG
• Creative Inspirations Challenge - AG
• Critter Crazy Challenges - Critters
• DL.ART Thankful Thursday - AG
• Double D - Signs of Love 
• FarmQuest General Store Challenge - Anything Farm/Country Goes
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - AG
• Make My Monday - for a male
• Paper Rock Scissors - AG with papers and/or Scissors (all paper layers)
• Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - whatever the weather (dewy spring weather)
• Stamping Sensations - AG
• Talk About it Tuesday - Anything blog post
• The Paper Funday - AG
• Try It On Tuesday - 3, 2, 1 (3 layers, 2 bunnies, 1 moon)
• Unicorn Challenge - Animals
• We Love Stamping - AG
• We Love 2 Create - Anything Creative
• Word Art Wednesday - AG

Have you tried broccoli stamping yet? Or any other fun "non-crafting" items you tried? I would love ot hear from you!

I Spy With My Little Eye ........Something You Love (Challenge No. 34)

Hello everyone 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 will join us! As always, our top two from the last challenge are at the end of this post, both invited to join us in the next challenge.

It's my turn to choose a theme this time and it is...........

I Spy With My Little Eye...........
Something You Love.

It could be a particular stamp or craft tool, favorite colors, flowers, animals, gardening, a hobby... maybe a particular technique or embellishment, a particular season etc. So many options, but please do let us know in your post what it is that you love featured in your design.

Here is what we came up with:

My card (Ellie)

(All details are right below the card)

This post includes 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 your support!

Lots of things I love on this card... cats, birds, the garden, watercoloring (although I'm not too great at it), Penny Black stamps, CAS-ish design.

The stamp is an old wood mounted stamp by Penny Black called Cat Bath. I stamped on Bristol Vellum paper and colored with Zig Clean Color brush pens. The wording stamped on the bottom part of the background in green and the cut out sentiment are the same: "Nothing lifts the spirits like being out in the garden". This is from a set by Tracy Evans for Aall and Create (Blackbird). The small bird is from another one of Tracy Evans sets (Myriad of Designs).  A little bit of splatter finishes off the card.

I am sharing the above card with these challenges:

• Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Use PB Stamps
• Sweet Stampin - No Designer Paper

Pauline's Card

So beautiful and how cute is that little mouse!! Please visit Pauline's blog to find out how she made this card.

We're so excited to have a guest designer joining us this time, that is Chris from And Here's One I Made Earlier. Thanks for being our guest designer, Chris!

Chris' Art Journal Page

A stunning page with such great details! Please visit her blog to find out how this was made.

Top Picks from Challenge No. 33

It was a quiet month for the last challenge, but many thanks to each one of you who joined us! Our Top Picks are below listed in the order of entry:

No. 1 Deb Horst (Ellie's Pick)

No. 3 Jolanda (Pauline's Pick)

Congratulations to both of you on your well deserved recognition! Your Top Pick logo is below.

Remember, you are both invited to join us as guest designers for the next challenge starting March 18th. If you would like to be a guest designer please message me (Ellie) at ellibellescorner at gmail dot com so I can give you all the details. Of course, this is not a requirement but would love to have you joining us if you like to :)

To play along in the new challenge please use the linky tool below.

A few things to remember:

(Complete list of guidelines and copyright info can be found here.)

• You may share up to 5 different projects.
• You may combine with as many other challenges as you like to.
• A short mention of products used whenever possible is expected, especially the focal point.
• New: While you are free to link up your creations using pre-colored digital art (AI generated, digital pre-colored toppers/images, digital papers etc.), they will be excluded from top picks. 
• Please include a link back to this blog.
• Back-linking to a recent project is allowed.
• Linkup closes on Sunday, March 15th at 11:59pm CST

You Are My Dream - Allsorts Embossing

Hello everyone, it's time for a new theme at Allsorts challenge and this time our optional theme is Embossing (Heat or Dry) selected by Val. Prizes come from Lisa Horton and you have about two weeks to join us! If embossing isn't for you then there is always the "Anything Goes" option and we love to see those too!

Here is what I made very fitting for today's Valentine's Day :) 

I made a CAS card using Lavinia Stamps Swans along with a sentiment by Penny Black Dream.Love.Sentiments and a die cut heart also by Penny Black. For embossing I chose dry embossing using an old  Cuttlebug embossing folder. I used red cardstock from Stampin Up for the card base.

This post includes 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 your support!

Challenge I plan to share with:

• A Cut Above - Die Cut Challenge Blog - AG with die cuts (I used a circle die cut for focal point and small heart die cut)
• Aud Sentiments Blog Challenge - Dies and Love theme
• Can You Handle The Pressure? - Embossing Folders
• C.R.A.F.T. - Love
• Crafty Calendar - Love is in the air
• Cupcake Inspirations - Love is in the air
• Double Trouble Challenge - 3 layers, 2 images (the swans are 2 separate stamps), 1 CAS technique. Also followed option of one color (red - black and white are my neutrals) and option of include a heart.
• Heart's Quest Challenge - Include red or gold hearts
• Heart's Quest Celebration of Love - opt. Valentines
• Make My Monday  - include 2 dies (circle and heart)
• Simply Clean and Simple - CAS
• Stamping Sensations - Favorite Stamps (currently obsessed with swans and these by Lavinia are my favorite swan stamps because I love silhouette stamps)
• Tic Tac Toe Challenge - top row: hearts, die cut, red/pink
  
• TIME OUT Challenges - Pick Two from list (I chose red and heart)
• Triple B - Birds, Blooms or Butterflies
• We Love Stamping - Hearts

Thanks so much for visiting. Hope to see you at the Allsorts challenge blog. Here is our prize for the embossing/AG challenge - an embossing folder with matching layering stencil.

Garden Party No. 12 - Anything in (or from) a Garden

Hello everyone, it's time for a new Garden Party to start and all are invited to join in the fun!

As always, you may share anything in or from a garden. This can be crafts of any kind, garden photography or garden tips, weddings and tea parties taking place the garden... So many options!! As always the linky tool is at the end of the post along with my Top Picks from the last party, each one invited to join me as a special party guest :)

Here is my share this time:

I was asked if I could make a card featuring a robin and this stamp by Penny Black was the first one that came to mind, although I do have a couple more I could have chosen, but loved that this image also included the Snowdrops. We've had milder temperature for the last few days and I was excited to see some of my snowdrops peeking out from the ground. I even saw a robin a couple of weeks ago when it was still very cold, which surprised me because we don't seem them usually until it's a little bit warmer. The American Robin is considered a "harbinger of spring" and we are expecting almost 20 degrees Celsius next week which will be so nice after the cold January we've had. So, I much rather believe the robin in my garden than Groundhog Phil who saw his shadow in Pennsylvania, indicating 6 more weeks of winter  weather :)

I colored the image with Distress inks and used some of Tracy Evans stamps on the background. The sentiment is also part of a set by Tracy Evans as is the small robin stamped at the bottom right. This card was made for a male recipient, so I tried to keep it a bit masculine with striped paper and a navy card base (appears black in the photo). I decided the snowy parts needed glitter so I used Frosted Lace Stickles, my go-to for snow. I do wish I had added some twine but I tried to keep the card as flat as possible for easy mailing. 

This post includes 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 your support!

I plan to share my card with these challenges:

• Alphabet Challenge - U for Uplifting
• Penny Black Saturday Challenge - PB stamps
• Triple B - Birds, Blooms or Butterflies

I'm so excited to announce this month's Special Party Guest, that is Gerrina from Gerrina's Creatieve Wereld. So  happy you joined me this month, Gerrina. 

Gerrina

Such a wonderful scene with beautiful spring blossoms and how cute are the horses!! To find out how Gerrina made this card, please visit her blog. 

Top Picks for Garden Party No. 11

Now it's time to announce my Top Picks from the last Garden Party. Remember each top pick is invited to join me here as a special party guest for the next party if interested. 

No. 12 Donna Ellis

No. 29 Brenda

No. 62 Deb Horst

Congratulations to each one of you on your well deserved recognition! Your top Pick logo is below you may post this to your own blogs if you like to :)

New this year:

I would like to invited each Top Pick to join me as a "Special Party Guest" in the next Garden Party (starting March 12th). Please message me at ellibellescorner at gmail dot com if you would like to be a special guest. Of course this is totally optional as I know we all are busy in one way or another just thought it would be something fun to offer the top picks :)

(Btw. Even if you are a special party guest for the month, you are still invited to share your other garden themed creations in the linky tool during the month!)

Now it's time for the 12th Garden Party to start!

Simply link a new or recently shared post (featuring something in or from a garden) using the linky tool below. To make it even more fun and maybe meet a new blogging friend I invite you to visit another entrant's blog post and leave them some love. This is just a suggestion and in no way do you have to :)

Below are the main guidelines at a glance:

• Your entry must feature something in or from a garden.
• You may combine with any other challenges/link parties.
• Please leave a link back to this blog.
• Up to 5 entries per blogger please.
• Backlinking to a recent post is allowed.
• The party ends on Monday March 9th at 11:59pm CST

Snowdrops and Numbers

Hello everyone, I don't even want to say it out (in case it disappears again!!) but I feel like my mojo returned for the time being and I decided to make an Artist Trading card as I really missed making them and adding to my small but growing collection, so I decided to follow the theme at the Tag-Along challenge which is "include numbers". And since spring is currently on my mind, I chose Tracy Evans' beautiful stamp set Nature's Beauty TE031 for the focal point. I know it will still be a while before my snowdrops are blooming in the garden, but I'm hoping for a mild February so that they appear soon :) 

I started out with a piece of cardstock from my box of extra backgrounds where I had previously used the Grid Texture stamp by Darkroom Door and rust Distress ink along with some spatter of olive green Distress ink. I thought this was a great starting point for my ATC. 

On this backgorund I used Tracy Evans' for Aall and Create stamp Art Notes with Versafine Clair Avocado ink. Using the same Art Notes stamp I stamped some of the numbers uisng Versafine Onyx ink. On the left edge I used a stamp from Tracy Evans' set Berries. As mentioned, the Snowdrops are from the set Nature's Beauty along with the word "Snowdrop". I used the stapler for a simple "embellishment".

This post includes 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 your support!

I am entering this ATC here:

• Beautiful Blossoms - AG with Blossoms
• DL.Art Linky Challenge - AG
• Moving along with the Times -Floral
• Tag-Along (and ATC's) - Add a Number
• Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Add some texture (staples)
• The Paper Funday - AG
• Triple B - Birds, Blooms or Butterflies

Thanks so much for visiting! 

Four Seasons February Challenge - Snowflake Kisses

Happy February everyone, I'm glad January is behind us as it's been such a bitterly cold month  for the most part here in the midwest and now it's just one more month before March!! I don't like how fast time flies but the older I get the more I dislike winter and I've been ready for spring about a month ago😄

Since it's the first of a new month, a new challenge starts at the Four Seasons challenge blog and it's our last month of "All things winter". We do have a fun mood board to inspire you but the use is optional and you may share anything seasonal, that includes any holidays  happening during the winter months. 

This is another simple card I made using a beautiful paper pack from Stamperia. This one is from the 8x8 Nutracker paper pack. Besides the Nutcracker and The Owl's House paper packs I have now purchased several other paper packs by Stamperia but not yet cut into them. Hope to do so soon but I haven't done much crafting yet this year. 

I'm currently loving kraft paper so I used it as a card base and layer and then used my sewing machine for some zig zag stitching. I even bought some kraft envelopes from Michaels which match the kraft cardstock also from Michaels. The sentiment is from the Penny Black set When Snow Falls. To finish it off I added some Stickles glitter onto the berries for a little sparkle. My favorite is "Stardust".

This post includes 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 your support!

I plant to share with these challenges:

• 613 Avenue Create - AG
• Ally's Angels - AG
• A Perfect Time To Craft - AG
• Crafts Galore Encore
• Creatalicious Challenges - AG
• Creative Fingers - AG
• Creative Moments - Love and Romance
• DL.Art Linky Challenge - AG
• FarmQuest General Store Challenge - AG outdoors
• FarmQuest Grocery Game Challenges Blog -Anything Food Goes (oranges and walnuts for the trim)
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - AG
• Sweet Stampin -All you need is love
• The Creative Crafters - AG

Btw. our optional February mood board is below. My card was inspired by the frosty berries.  

And that is all for today. To join in at the Four Seasons challenge please visit the challenge blog where you'll also see what the rest of the team made. Hope to see you there!