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Mar 6, 2026

Double Trouble with a Birthday Pig

Hello everyone. Yesterday (and the day before) we had some really gloomy weather and I decided to "hide" in my craft room for a little bit and I made a card for the Double Trouble challenge. Along with their regular challenge, their "twisted sister" asked for pigs and I thought why not dust of one of my cute pig stamps and make a card? I've had this stamp for a few years now but only used once before.

For Double Trouble's main challenge we are asked for (at least) 3 layers, 2 colors from their wheel (I chose Magenta and Teal) and one image. Plus Use something old instead of new.


The little Pig is a stamp by Penny Black, Piggy Love 2549K. This stamp is no longer available but occasionally will show up on eBay or Etsy. That's how I found mine a few years ago :) I used Versafine Onyx for stamping and Faber Castell Polychromos pencils for coloring. It's been fussy cut to add to the sketch. On the background I used an inky paper I found in my box of extra backgrounds where I had used a coordinating ink. I decided to add some stamping to this background using a My Favorite Things Birthday background stamp. The tiny "Happy Birthday" is from a mini greetings set also from My Favorite Things (both no longer available as the company went out of business). 




I found the stars in my box of die cut pieces (this particular star die is an oldie from Whimsy Stamps). They were a great matching color too so decided to add them. Two enamel dots finish off the card. Oh, and the card front behind the image panel was embossed using a cuttlebug folder which I've had for a very long time. I think I did really well using old things :)

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 don't usually follow sketch challenges much anymore as I prefer simple designs and not too many layers but this one seemed simple enough. Linked below.






Challenges I'd like to share with:

Thanks so much for visiting!
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Mar 4, 2026

Flowers and Penguins

Hello everyone, I came across a new challenge blog called "The Little Things" (linked below)   and as I want to continue making (at least) one ATC each month I decided to follow their theme of Penguins and then combine that with the Tag-Along &ATC challenge (also linked below) where the theme is Spring Flowers. 

We usually think of winter when we think of penguins and definitely not flowers, but I wanted to make this work. Then I got curious and googled if penguins only live where it's cold and to my surprise I learned that there is a species of penguins - the Galapagos Penguins - that live in a more tropical climate on the Galapagos Island. So my little ATC isn't as far fetched as I thought it would appear 😀 And I could be the only one who didn't know before that some penguins do live in warmer climates 😊


I used stamps from Tracy Evans for this ATC - Malva TE8, Winter Delights (TE23), Myriad of Designs TE44 and Miniatures released by Aall and Create. If you're in the US then you can easily get Tracy Evans stamp at Simon Says or Topflight stamps. In UK of course directly from Tracy's shop. 

I made the background by dabbing a brush with Mowed Lawn Distress ink onto a slightly wet background, then I used a mini tiles stencil and the word stamp to add interest to the background. Stamping was done with Versafine Onyx for the black and Versafine Clair Grass Green for the words on the background.
Flowers were colored using Faber Castell Polychromos pencils. To complete my card I simply ran the Mowed Lawn ink pad along the edges of 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!




I plan to share this ATC with these challenges:


Thanks so much for visiting. 

at 2 comments:

Mar 1, 2026

Springtime at the Four Seasons Challenge

Hello everyone. March has arrived and springtime is just around the corner. At the Four Seasons challenge we're already in full spring mode starting today and have a wonderful new mood board to inspire your creativity for all things spring and Easter. As always, it is not required to use the mood board as "Anything Spring Goes". 

Below is the mood board. Isn't it wonderful?



The cute little bunny was my main inspiration and I decided to ink up a stamp set by Colorado Craft Company. 


The set is called "Happy Easter". Stamped with Versafine Onyx ink on Bristol Vellum and then colored with Derwent Inktense pencils then fussy cut. There is a matching die available for this set too. My "hill" diecuts were done with an old die from Whimsy Stamps and no longer available. This die set by Lawn Fawn would be a great option and I really like the different hills version. 

On the background I used a stencil by Penny Black Hypnotic with Tumbled Glas Distress ink. Sentiment is part of the same stamp set and I added die cut butterflies with some gems to finish it off. There is also some glitter on the Easter eggs and bunny's bow.

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 here:


Thanks so much for visiting. Hope to see you at the challenge blog :)
at 17 comments:

Feb 28, 2026

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:

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. 



at 17 comments:

Feb 24, 2026

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

at 23 comments:

Feb 18, 2026

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:


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
at 11 comments:

Feb 14, 2026

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:

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.

at 34 comments:

Feb 12, 2026

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:

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





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




at 11 comments:

Feb 4, 2026

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:

Thanks so much for visiting! 

at 13 comments: