Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday - September Challenge

Hello and welcome to the September edition of Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday challenge, taking place right here on my blog. I'm so glad you stopped by and hope you will join in this month too. There were some wonderful entries last month, a little slower than usual but still lots of beauties thank you all so much for sharing! My "Top Picks with a Twist" are at the end of this post.

As most of you know, the theme at Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday 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 :) The linky tool is at the end of this post.

Here is what I came up with this month using a cute cat image in remembrance of my dear ginger cat Thomas.

On September 1st was Ginger Cat Appreciation Day and I miss my dear handsome cat Thomas so much. I had to say my final goodbye to him on August 17th. When we adopted him in September of 2010 I had no idea that losing him would be this hard and these almost 15 years of having him flew by so fast. He had a fun and adventurous life, always up to something and he knew how to keep us entertained! What a special kitty he was, my constant companion inside the house and out in the garden. My heart is still broken but I am so thankful for all the wonderful memories he left me with. 

So for today's card I decided to ink up this new to me stamp from Colorado Craft Company - No Peeking. It's a small set including this cute kitty along with some sentiments suitable for Christmas as well as other occasions. There is also a steel die available to match this stamp but I think it would be easy enough to fussy cut so I don't have the die.

After stamping and coloring the image (I used Memento ink and Copic markers on Xpress it blending card), I cut out the image using Penny Black's Postal die set. Then I used a thin washi tape to mask off the edges and used Tumbled Glass Distress ink for some color around the image. The patterned paper I recently won from Diana's challenge at DL.Art. 

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!

The sentiment is part of the same stamp set and I added the tiny hearts made with an Avery Elle die set which unfortunately seems to be retired so I don't have a link to share.

>>>>>>>>>>Click Here for More Stamps by Colorado Craft Company/Ad

I plan to link up with:

• A Cut Above - Die Cut Challenge Blog - Die Cuts
• A Perfect Time To Craft - AG
• Crafty Animals - Animals
• Critter Crazy Challenges - Critters
• Cut It Up - At Least One Die Cut
• DL.Art Linky Challenge - AG
• Neglected Stuff Challenge - My neglected stuff are those tiny heart dies
• Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Stamp It
• Talk About It Tuesdays - AG

Top Picks with a Twist:

Now it's time to announce the Top Picks with a twist. Thank you all again for joining in, it was so great to see your posts! 

The twist from the August entries is: More than one fold. 

No. 11 Carrie Sheridan

No. 37 GerJanne 

Front of card with attached belly band.

No. 39 Silke

closed

How amazing are these!!!

Congratulations to each one of you on your well deserved recognition! The Top Pick logo is below, you may post this 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.

To join in this month's challenge please use the linky tool below.You have until the last Sunday of September to join in (September 28th). 

A few things to remember:

• You may combine with any other challenges.
• You may use any brand of stamps/digis/dies/papers (no company restriction as long as copyright laws are followed).
• Please note: entries using pre-colored digital products will no longer be selected as top picks. 
• A short description of products used is expected, most importantly the source of focal point.
• This linkup is for sharing handmade projects of any kind not limited to papercrafts.
• 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.

You can read more about the Guidelines/Copyright info here.

If you like this post then I invite you to subscribe to receive post updates sent directly to your inbox. Simply add your email address below to be added to the list. 

Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday August Challenge

Hello and welcome to the August edition of Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday challenge, taking place right here on my blog. I'm so glad you stopped by and hope you will join in this month too. There were lots of great entries in June and July which had a combined linky tool. Be sure to scroll down to see if you are one of the "Top Picks" and this time there are 2 sets of Top Picks, one for June and one for July.

As most of you know, the theme at Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday 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 :) The linky tool is at the end of this post.

Here is what I came up with this month.

I love visiting second hand shops (you'll never know what you'll find!!!) and on my last visit I found this beautiful wood mounted stamp set from Stampin Up - Asian Artistry. I knew I had to have it as I absolutely love this quote and of course I love the stamps in this set too. To make my card I followed a few challenges which helped me come up with the design.

I used several colors of Distress inks/oxides on the background (Barn Door, Carved Pumpkin, Spiced Marmalade, Wild Honey and Mustard Seed). Then I used a retired stencil from Aall and Create - Crisp Tulips - on the background. 

Related Products:

The image was stamped using Walnut Stain Distress ink directly onto the background and again onto a scrap piece of white cardstock so I could cut out the bird for the "spotlight" technique using a circle die. I mounted the inked cardfront onto brushed gold cardstock (the lighting on the photo makes it appear a bit green-ish but there is no green on the card). Finally I mounted this onto a red card base. The dragonfly and sentiment are both part of this same set by Stampin Up. 

This post does 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 your support!

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I plan to share with these challenges:

A Cut Above - Die Cut Challenge Blog - at least one die cut
Crazy is our fame - STENCILS are our game! - Stencils and opt. Leaves or Trees
Double Trouble Challenge - 3,2,1 recipe (at least 3 colors: red, orange, yellow used; at least 2 layers and 1 spotlight technique) 
Stamping Sensations - Birds, Bees or Butterflies
The Paper Funday - AG
Triple B - Birds, Blooms or Butterflies

Top Picks with a Twist:

Now it's time to announce the Top Picks with a twist. Thank you all again for joining in the fun, I really enjoyed visiting your entries and selecting a "twist". As it was a 2-months challenge I am sharing two sets of Top Picks, one from those entering in June and one from those who entered in July.

From the June entries:

For June I selected the Twist of "Birthdays". So each one of these top picks features a birthday card.

No. 1 Jan R.

No. 29 Pauline C.

No. 73 Irene M.

From the July entries:

For July I selected the twist of "By the Sea" so each Top Pick below features a seaside scene. 

No. 85 Debbie M.

No. 97 Maria

No. 111 Yvette

Congratulations to each one of you for your well deserved recognition. The Top Pick logo is below, you may post this 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.

To join in this month's challenge please use the linky tool below.You have until the last Wednesday of August to join in (August 27th). 

A few things to remember:

• You may combine with any other challenges.
• You may use any brand of stamps/digis/dies/papers (no company restriction as long as copyright laws are followed).
• Please note: entries using pre-colored digital products will no longer be selected as top picks. 
• A short description of products used is expected, most importantly the source of focal point.
• This linkup is for sharing handmade projects of any kind not limited to papercrafts.
• 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.

You can read more about the Guidelines/Copyright info here.

If you like this post then I invite you to subscribe to receive post updates sent directly to your inbox. Simply add your email address below to be added to the list. 

Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday June and July Challenge (Reminder)

This summer I am combining the June and July Crafty Wednesday challenges once again as you may have noticed when I posted the challenge in June. But I had an extra unplanned project prepared so I thought I'd create a "reminder post" where I would share the extra project I made.

As always, the theme at Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday is 

"Anything Goes" 

and instead I will select a Top Pick twist from the entries. Nobody knows what the twist will be (not even me!) until the end of the challenge as it will be inspired by the entrants. As I have combined the June and July challenge, I won't announce any Top Picks in this post, instead I will announce them when I post the August challenge.

Here is my little inspiration piece - an ATC created with a part of a "rejected project" I worked on. 

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!

Maybe you'll remember seeing this recent card I shared for the current "I spy with my little eye" challenge. No idea why I had started over with the card but it left me with another piece, too pretty to throw away so I decided to make it in to an ATC. 

I used Tracy Evans Boutique Designs TE042 Bloom and Grow which I colored with Victorian Velvet ink. The script stamp in an oldie from Just For Fun Rubberstamp (no longer in business) using the same distress ink. And the black stamping on the edges was done with part of TE009 Take Flight.

Related Products:

When/if I get a chance I will try to link up here:

• Tag-Along (and ATC's) - Tags and ATC's

Remember, I will post both June and July Top Picks with the August challenge as I am on a (partial) blogging break and posts are scheduled.

If you like this post then I invite you to subscribe to my blog per email to receive email notifications when I post something new. Simply enter your email address below and click subscribe.

Please use the June/July linky tool below to join in.

Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday - June and July

Hello everyone and welcome to the June/July edition of Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday challenge taking place right here on my blog. As you have probably guessed from the title of this post, this challenge/linky will be open for 2 months as I have family visiting from overseas and I won't be on the computer much during that time so I thought it would be best to keep it open for 2 months to give me a chance to visit each one of you before I announce my top picks. They will all be announced the first Wednesday of August, I will select 2 separate sets of Top Picks with a Twist, one set from the  June entries and one set from the July entries. So you are welcome to enter 6 times in total over the next two months :)

As most of you know, the theme at Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday 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 :) The linky tool is at the end of this post.

And here is what I made:

I've had this beautiful PSX stamp (K 2250) for a few years now, an oldie from 1997 purchased from eBay and this was my first time using it. No idea why I've not reached for it before as it's beautiful. For this card I decided to leave it in black and white. I used shimmer gold paper for the background. The flowers are cut with Penny Black's Frames die set and the leaf is cut with a Martha Stewart punch. 

Another view below. The words are a bit hard to read, they say "Beautiful Moments", they are from Tim Holtz's metallic sentiment sticker book. 

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:

• A Cut Above - Die Cut Challenge Blog - AG
• Crafter's Cafe - AG
• Neglected Stuff Challenge - Something neglected (the PSX stamp)
• Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenges - AG
• Simon Says Stamp - Masculine
• We Love Stamping - Nature

Related Products:

May Top Picks with a Twist:

Now it's time to announce the Top Picks with a twist from the May entries. Thank you all again for joining in the fun, I really enjoyed visiting your entries and selecting a "twist". This time the twist is.... Fabulous Backgrounds:

And here they are listed in the order of entry:

No. 18 Helen F.

No. 41 Alicia OBryant

No. 54 Donna W.

Congratulations to each one of you for your well deserved recognition. The Top Pick logo is below, you may post this 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.

To join in this month's challenge please use the linky tool below. Remember, this linky tool is open for both June and July challenges. So you have until the last Wednesday of July to join in (July 30th). 

If you like this post then I invite you to subscribe to my blog to receive email notifications when I post something new. Simply enter your email address below and click subscribe.

A few things to remember:

• You may combine with any other challenges.
• You may use any brand of stamps/digis/dies/papers (no company restriction as long as copyright laws are followed).
• Please note: entries using pre-colored digital products will no longer be selected as top picks. 
• A short description of products used is expected, most importantly the source of focal point.
• This linkup is for sharing handmade projects of any kind not limited to papercrafts.
• 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.
• Remember: June and July challenges are combined this year and you may enter up to 6 times!

You can read more about the Guidelines/Copyright info here.

Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday - May Challenge

Hello and welcome to the May edition of Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday challenge, taking place right here on my blog. I'm so glad you stopped by and hope you will join in this month too. There were lots of great entries in April. Be sure to scroll down to see if you are one of the "Top Picks" and may have inspired the top pick twist.

In case you missed it... I have a new email subscription option. If you would like to stay up-to-date when something new is posted here, simply enter your email address below and click subscribe. 

If you have been previously subscribed to my old email subscription, please re-subscribe if you would like to continue receiving my email updates as I am phasing that out soon. 

As most of you know, the theme at Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday 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 :) The linky tool is at the end of this post.

Here is what I came up with this month.

I started with a handmade circle mask (the negative) and inked with Wilted Violet, Twisted Citron and Rustic Wilderness on Bristol Vellum paper, then spritzed with water for that fun reaction to create the white blodges. I stamped the flowers from Tracy Evans Boutique Designs Flower Power directly on the card and also on a previously made inky background which I then fussy cut. For the background I used stamps from my stash (Aall and Create Wild and Free, Aall and Create Musical Gears and SU French Script - all retired). As I had the Circle Explosion stencil out from another project I decided to use it as well. Sentiment is a quote from Tim Holtz Small Talk sticker sentiment book. I inked and distressed the edges before adding to the card base. Oh, and the small bird is from Tracy Evans Shadowed Elements stamp. Btw. Tracy Evans stamps are available directly at her shop in the UK or Simon Says Stamp and Topflight Stamps in the USA.

>>>>>>>>Click Here for Related Products/Ad

Another view 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:

• 613 Avenue Create - Floral Delight
• Creative Artiste Challenge - Anything Mixed Media
• Little Red Wagon - Goodbye Yellowbrick Road (use yellow)
• Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Stencil Fun
• Simon Says Stamps - Beautiful Blooms
• Triple B - Blooms, Birds or Butterflies
• Word Art Wednesday - AG

April Top Picks with a Twist:

Now it's time to announce the Top Picks with a twist from the April entries. Thank you all again for joining in the fun, I really enjoyed visiting your entries and selecting a "twist". This time the twist is.... Things with Wings. 

And here they are listed in the order of entry:

No. 23 Elizabeth H.

No. 44 Gerrina

No. 49 Lia

Congratulations to each one of you for your well deserved recognition. The Top Pick logo is below, you may post this 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.

To join in this month's challenge please use the linky tool below. You have until the last Wednesday of May to join in (May 28th 11:59pm CST). 

>>>>>>>>>>Scrapbook.com Exclusives Up to 60% off (plus a free gift!)/Ad

A few things to remember:

• You may combine with any other challenges.
• You may use any brand of stamps/digis/dies/papers (no company restriction as long as copyright laws are followed).
• Please note: entries using pre-colored digital images will no longer be selected as top picks. 
• A short description of products used is expected, most importantly the source of focal point.
• This linkup is for sharing handmade projects of any kind not limited to papercrafts.
• 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.

You can read more about the Guidelines/Copyright info here.

Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday - April Challenge

Hello and welcome to the April edition of Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday challenge taking place right here on my blog. I'm so glad you stopped by today and hope you will join in the fun too with your own crafty makes. I love seeing what you've been up to in the craft room so please share in the linky tool below. There were lots of fabulous entries last month so be sure to scroll down to see if your entry may have inspired the twist for the Top Picks. 

As most of you know, the theme at Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday 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 :) The linky tool is at the end of this post.

Here is what I'm sharing this month:

This cute Penny Black stamp (Tulip Jungle) is new to me. I recently came across it on eBay reasonably priced and of course had to have it. It's been stamped on Copic Xpress It blending card which I really need to re-order as this was probably the last small piece of xpress it  paper from my stash and it works so much better with Copic markers than Neenah does. The pink dotted paper I've had for a long time in my patterned paper stash and the tiny sentiment is part of Penny Black's Snippets sentiment set. I used a white gel pen by Sakura for the dots on kitty's cheeks and a clear Wink of Stella brush for some sparkle. Hard to see in the photo above, but the one below shows the shimmer. They do all sparkle in real life but on the photo only the bottom tulips sparkle. So hard to capture sparkle with a camera.

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:

• Crafty Catz - AG
• Creative Fingers - AG 
• Paper Shelter - Feathers or Fur
• Penny Black Saturday Challenge - AG with PB Stamps
• Simon Says Stamps - AG

Related Products:

March Top Picks with a Twist:

 
Now it's time to announce the Top Picks with a twist from the March entries. Thank you all again for joining in the fun, I really enjoyed visiting your entries and selecting a "twist". This time the twist is.... Oh So Cute. 

And here they are listed in the order of entry:

No. 24 Silke

No. 60 Izzy Scraps

No. 65 Amy

Congratulations to each one of you for your well deserved recognition. The Top Pick logo is below, you may post this 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.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Shop New Arrivals From Your Favorite Brands & Free Gifts at Scrapbook.com/Ad

To join in this month's challenge please use the linky tool below. You have until the last Wednesday of April to join in (April 30th 11:59pm CST). 

A few things to remember:

• You may combine with any other challenges.
• You may use any brand of stamps/digis/dies/papers (no company restriction as long as copyright laws are followed).
• Please note: entries using pre-colored digital images will no longer be selected as top picks. 
• A short description of products used is expected, most importantly the source of focal point.
• This linkup is for sharing handmade projects of any kind not limited to papercrafts.
• 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.

You can read more about the Guidelines/Copyright info here.