Showing posts with label Four Seasons Challenge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Four Seasons Challenge. Show all posts

Oct 1, 2026

Each Season Brings Its Own Delights: Four Seasons October

October has arrived and that means it's time for a new challenge at the Four Seasons challenge blog. We're of course still in full autumn mode with another optional moodboard for your inspiration. The challenge runs until October 25th evening US time and hope to see you there!!

And here is what I made:


The star of the card is the cute Pipspell from Lavinia Stamps. I masked off the Christmas lantern and instead stamped a Pixie Lantern in its place as Pipspell is taking a walk in the pumpkin patch on this card. I used Tracy Evans' stamp set Myriad of Designs for the pumpkins, ivy leaves and blackbirds. The sentiment is also from Tracy Evans, part of the set Framed Delights. The dark green ink pad smeared a little bit on the left side when I stamped the ivy leaves so I decided to use Lavinia Stamps Texture 2 along part of the sides and the bottom so it looks intentional and not like a smudge.

For the background I used a circle to mask off a moon shape and also used a flourish type stencil for some interest on the background. (That was all done before stamping the images.) The edges were distressed with scissors before adhering to a brown card base.

Below is our wonderful moodboard. As you can see I was mainly inspired by the bottom right image of pumpkins and the lantern was why I chose Pipspell with a lantern :) You can also see some leaves  around the pumpkins if you look really close at that image. I did originally want to add a fence but that didn't work out as I wanted to so I left it off.

Another view is below:

I am sharing with these challenges:
That's a lot of challenges but always fun to join in when possible 😊

Have a wonderful day and Happy October!!
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Sep 1, 2026

Little Squirrel Amongst the Sunflowers

It's hard to believe but September has arrived!! I'm always sad when summer comes to an end but luckily here in Illinois we usually still have summer-like temperatures throughout September (in fact we are currently having a heatwave) and the weather stays mild until mid October (usually). And my Dahlias and Zinnas are still blooming happily with lots of butterflies around them. 

I do love working with autumn colors and themes so really enjoyed making today's card for the new Four Seasons challenge where we've now switched seasons and it's now All Things Fall/Autumn. As always we have a wonderful moodboard if you need a starting point.

I am actually sharing 2 cards today, they are similar but not exactly the same. First one is the one for the Four Seasons design team.

Card No.1:

 

The moodboard (see below) inspired me to reach for this beautiful sunflower PSX stamp (G-2003). A real oldie released 2006 that I purchased from eBay several years ago along with a few others. After stamping I used my Zig Clean Color brush pens for coloring and "smooshed" some distress ink color onto the background using a small acetate sheet. Then I stamped the script from Tracy Evans stamp set Magnolia and the little squirrel is also from a Tracy Evans set, Alpha Florals. Sentiment is from a Hero Arts autumn stamp kit from several years ago. I added gingham ribbon and a couple of staples, and used my black Posca pen for splatter.

Our moodboard is below, isn't is wonderful? As you can see my inspiration came from the bottom right image of sunflowers and black gingham ribbon, and then just had to add a squirrel!

You have until September 25th evening to join us and hope to see you there!


I am entering my card with these challenges:
Card No. 2:
While I had the sunflower stamp out I decided to make a second card, this time a birthday card. It's just slightly different the the card above so I thought I'd include it in the same blog post.


Here I used the My Favorite Things Birthday background stamp (part of it) instead of Tracy Evans script stamp and the gingham ribbon was placed above background stamping. Instead of a squirrel I used a little blackbird from one of Tracy Evans sets Amongst the Flowers. Love her little critters!! Sentiment came from a Stampin Up set with lots of small sentiments (found at a thrift store so it's most likely retired). On this card I used Faber Castell Polychromos pencils for coloring instead of the Zig Brush pens I used on the first card.

I am sharing the second card with these challenges:

Here they are side by side. Not sure which one I prefer :) But probably the birthday card as it's just a little bit more CAS.




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Aug 1, 2026

Four Seasons August Challenge - Never Stop Exploring

Hello everyone, today I am sharing 2 separate posts, they are due at different times so I didn't combine.  It's the first of August (how time flies!!!) and of course that means it's the start of a new Four Seasons challenge. This is our last month of summer for this year and hope you'll join us. As always it's Anything Summer Goes but we do have a wonderful mood board to inspire you if you need a starting point. 

And here is my card inspired by the sealife and colors. 



I still had the Silent Sea paper pad by Stamperia out on my desk and thought these small squares from one of the pages would work well with the moodboard in mind. They were glued onto a piece of smoky blue cardstock and then onto a stenciled background. I used Lavinia's Feather Leaf stencil, the pattern reminds me a little bit of water droplets. Inks for stenciling are Stormy Sky and Anique Linen (Distress inks/oxides) but it looks like the colors got mixed up a bit as it's hard to tell a difference. I found a perfect shade of red cardstock to coordinate with the crab and coral and I used my sewing machine along the edges. Card base is by Stampin Up but not sure which color. Probably retired as it's been a long time since I purchased colored cardstock and I no longer sort by color name. 
The small words are stamps from Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous Tiny Text Stamp set.


I am sharing the card with these challenges:
Some of the links included are affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the links. As always, this is at no extra cost to you.


You can click here to see my second post of the day (will be live at 2am US central time/8am UK time). 




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Jul 1, 2026

Oh Happy Days - Four Seasons July Challenge

Hello everyone, happy July! A new month meant it's time for a new challenge to start at the Four Seasons challenge blog where it's  All About Summer! We would love for you to join in the fun and share all your summer themed creations with us.  As usual, we have a new mood board to inspire you but it's optional as anything summer goes. 

Here is my summer themed creation inspired by the bottom right of our moodboard which you can see towards the end of the post.

The beautiful paper used as the focal point is from another pack by Stamperia. A few month ago I went on an online shopping frenzy and bought several 8x8 paper packs by Stamperia. This pack is called Blue Dream, released in 2023 so it's not very easy to find.

As always, I had the hardest time cutting into these beautiful papers so I used part of a sheet for my focal point/card front and added a couple strips of paper to the sentiment part. Sentiment is an oldie from Whimsy Stamps (Summer Letter Seals - no longer available). I distressed the edges and used my sewing machine for a special touch.  I added some jute twine to the lemon bundle to finish it off. 

Another view below..


And a peek at our wonderful moodboard... Which one of these inspires you? The challenge is open until July 25th (evening US time). Hope to see you there :) 



I plan to share my card with these challenges:



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May 1, 2026

Happy Thoughts for Four Seasons May Challenge

Hello everyone, I just got back from a 2 week blogging break. The last few posts had all been scheduled as I was in Europe visiting with my family and friends, and I also decided to spend a few days in Northern Italy before taking a train to Germany (we flew into Milan this time instead of Munich so Italy was the first part of our trip.) It's been a wonderful time. When I get around it I'll share a few pictures. I will try to catch up with commenting this coming week and get back to normal life.

May has arrived and that means it's the start of a new Four Seasons challenge where we have another fun Spring Mood Board to inspire you. It's a seasonal Anything Goes challenge, so the mood board is optional and we'd love to see all your spring themed creations (up to 3 entries per participant). 



My inspiration came from the bottom left image of flowers inside a vase and I tried to follow the color scheme of that image too, but my butterflies didn't show up as yellow as I want them to be (adding glitter to them didn't help!)

The stamp I used is from the Penny Black clear set Sunny Wishes. Stamped with Versafine Onyx and colored wiht Faber Castell Polychromos pencils. I masked off the edge and inked the image panel. Then used a Tim Holtz stencil for a design on the background. Sentiment is from the Penny Black set ... A few black Posca pen spots flicked onto the card finish it off.







Thanks so much for visiting and hope to see you at the Four Seasons challenge blog!

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Apr 1, 2026

Purple Delights at the Four Seasons Challenge

Hello everyone, it's a new month and that means the start of a new The Four Seasons challenge. It's all about Spring so come join us with your Spring themed creations. If you need a starting point then check out our wonderful moodboard for your inspiration. As always, the use of the mood board is totally optional as Anything Spring Goes.

Here is what I made following the overall color scheme of the mood board and the small blossoms on the top right. 


I was happy to use another one of my woodblock stamps for today's card. They get overlooked so easily because I keep them separate from my cling and clear stamps. This is a stamp by Penny Black Scented Message 4293K. 

After coloring the image using my Faber Castell Polychromos pencils I used a rectangle stencil/mask by My Favorite Things (no longer in business) for a purple border around the image, then I used the Plaid stencil set by Lawn Fawn to add a pattern to that border. Inks used for stenciling are Dusty Concord and Villainous Potion Distress inks/oxides. A white gel pen was used to add tiny dots around the flower centers.




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!


A tiny white silk bow finishes off the card along with a white card base.

I plan to share the card with these challenges:


The challenge runs until April 25th and I hope to see you there!
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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 :)
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Feb 1, 2026

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:


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!
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Dec 1, 2025

It's Winter Time at the Four Seasons Challenge

Hello everyone, it's so hard to believe December is here, this year flew by so fast and Christmas is right around the corner. I hope you got a good start with your Christmas cardmaking but if not then there is a great mood board at the Four Seasons challenge that might help you along in creating some beautiful winter/Christmas cards. For the next 3 months our theme at the Four Seasons challenge will be Winter, the mood board is not required but a great starting point should you need one.


Last month I went on a shopping spree at Del Bellos Designs who is closing her shop. She is/was a stockist for some UK brands such as Lavinia and Cardi-o stamps and as she is selling many of the stamps at a great discount I could not resist. Most of what I purchased were Lavinia stamps but this Cardi-o set came up as *last one* and the price was right so it landed in my shopping cart too :) It's my only Cardi-o stamp set.

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 first stamped the snowman and bunnies using Versafine Onyx ink then used a homemade mask to create some hills and snowbanks. The sentiment is from the Penny Black set Snow Fall. I wanted to add some icy "greenery" and I decided to use a stamp from Lavinia Stamps set Winter Foliage which was part of their latest release. Some glitter and die cut snowflakes (Penny Black Dancing Snowflakes die set) were added as embellishments. I used blue cardstock as a mat and then a white card base.





I plan to share with these challenges:

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






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Nov 1, 2025

The Great Pumpkin and the Little Fox

Hello everyone, it's hard to believe but November has arrived and that means it's the start of a new challenge at the Four Seasons challenge blog. It's our last month of "All Things Fall" for the year so hope you can come join in the fun with your fall themed creations. As always we have a great mood board for your inspiration but it is optional as "Anything Fall Goes". 

Here is what I made for this month inspired by the bottom left image from our mood board. I love those colors and it gave me another reason to ink up the fun pumpkin stamp from Tracy Evans.


I find Tracy Evans' stamps so addictive, they all work so beautifully together and I think the way to combine them are unlimited. This cute little fox is new to me from a retired set (Up Up & Away) also by Tracy Evans for Aall and Create. I had it on my wishlist for some time but never ended up purchasing it. Then recently I came across a cute card by the very talented Sarn who used another fox from this set and I was reminded of the set. It's no longer in production but luckily I found it at Frantic Stamper who still has one in stock (US shipping only). 

I stamped the fox onto a paper where I had used the "smooshing" technique and fussy cut. For the pumpkin from the TE set Myriad of Designs I used Pumice Stone Distress ink and Stampin Up's Creamy Caramel around the edge. I did use my stamping platform for the pumpkin so I could re-stamp if needed. For the stem I used Bundled Sage along with Iced Spruce. Behind the fox/pumpkin I used stamps from Tracy Evans sets Fern, On the Wild Side and the flowers are from the set Poppy. They were also stamped onto a smooshed background. Oh, I also used the script stamp from the set Magnolia. I added a few spatters (watered down Iced Spruce Oxide ink) but left it in a CAS style otherwise. 

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!

Product List:
Inks: Distress Inks and Oxides: Pumice Stone, Bundled Sage, Iced Spruce, Carved Pumpkin, Dried Marygold. Stampin Up: Creamy Caramel. Tsukineko: Versafine Onyx
Other: Stamp Positioning Tool, Paint Brush for spatter
Stamps: Tracy Evans: Myriad of Designs, Fern, On the Wild Side, Poppy, Magnolia available here, here  or here. AALL and Create: Up Up & Away (retired) one set available here for USA shipping






I plan to share the card above with these challenges:
Please visit the challenge blog to see what the rest of the team made and you have until November 25th to join in this month. 

Thanks so much for visiting and Happy November Days!!


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Sep 1, 2025

Seasonal Sunflowers for Four Seasons September Challenge

It's time for a change of seasons in the crafty world and especially so at the Four Seasons challenge blog as we are now celebrating "All Things Fall" for the next three months. I hope you will join us! As always there is a great moodboard to inspire you but its use is optional. We pretty much just want to see "Anything Fall". 




And here is what I made:


A little something different from me today as I'ved used patterned paper as the focal point of my card instead of stamped images. I purchased this paper from a small town scrapbooking store I happened to notice while driving through that small town. The shop only accepted cash payments and I rarely carry cash on me and only had enough for a few sheets of designer papers. This was one of them, by Carta Bella -Seasonal Sunflowers from the Fall Fun collection. I loved the bold sunflowers and the paper is double sided but I only used one side on this card. 

For the sentiment I chose one from a retired Hero Arts stamp kit which I stamped using Walnut Stain Distress ink. The sentiment panel looked a little empty and I had one of Tracy Evans' stamp sets on my desk so I chose a flower from that set and stamped it a few times using Mustard Seed Distress ink. I matted the sentiment onto dark brown cardstock then adhered to the patterned paper card front. I thought some stitches would be nice but didn't want to dig out my sewing machine so I chose a retired set from Whimsy Stamps which includes several stitched elements and used that instead with brown ink.


Related Products:



Looking through my box of die cuts I found this small dragonfly which is part of a dragonfly border die also long retired from Whimsy stamps. To finish off the card I added lots of glitter to all the flower centers and dragonfly.

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!



Challenges I plan to share with:
Always AG
Thanks so much for visiting!
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