Presents, Prizes and a Bouquet of Roses

Happy Saturday and welcome! It's time for a special celebration at the Allsorts challenge blog where we are celebrating Allsorts' 16th Birthday with lots of prizes and a super easy theme!!!  Lots of challenge blogs have come and gone since then and it's so great to be part of this long-running challenge blog for "all sorts" of crafts. I've been a part of this team for 8 out of the 16 years. How time flies!!

To celebrate this special occasion, we have  several prizes to give away: Four prizes of products from AALL and Create, a $25 store voucher from Lawn Fawn, three stamps from Colorado Craft Company and a $25 store voucher from Gina K Designs. Our theme is simply Anything Goes! 

I have two cards to share this time... first up is a card I made using this darling stamp by Colorado Craft Company - Big Love. 

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 stamped on Copic Xpress It card with Memento Tuxedo ink then colored with Copic markers. Next I added washi tape along the edges for a mask and inked inside the mask using Tumbled Glass Distress Oxide ink. A polka dot stencil was used for a little more interest on this otherwise CAS card. Sentiment is part of the same stamp set. I embellished with a little button and some white twine.

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I plan to enter this card with these challenges:

• A Place To Start - For a child
• C.R.A.F.T. - AG
• Crafty Animals - AG with Animals
• Crafty Gals Corner - Anything adorable
• Creative Inspirations Challenge  - AG
• Critter Crazy Challenges - Critters
• Everybody-Art-Challenge - Birthdays
• Fab n' Funky - Add a sentiment
• FarmQuest General Store Challenge - Anything Farm/Country goes (a country mouse)
• Just Us Girls - AG with a stencil
• Let's Craft & Create Challenge - No designer paper
• Paper Shelter - Dots or Stripes
• Passion For Markers Challenge - Must use Markers (I used copic)
• Simon Says Stamp - Bright and cheerful
• The Paper Funday - AG
• We Love Stamping - Four Legged Friends 
• Word Art Wednesday - AG

For my second card I used a stamp by Aall and Create which I was lucky enough to win a couple of months ago - Roses in Bloom.

The embossed background was done with a Cuttlebug embossing folder I've had for a long time. To add more interest to it I wiped a rose red ink pad over the raised texture. The image was stamped with Versafine Onyx ink and colored with Faber Castell Polychromos pencils. The "script" stamp I used on the background is part of a retired roses set by Aall and Create (Sent with Love #831), I thought it would be a perfect fit for this bouquet of roses. The sentiment stamped in black is part of the same retired stamp set.

Finally I added a small layered butterfly (Penny Black die Soaring) to finish off the card. 

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I plan to share this card with these challenges:

• 613 Avenue Create - Floral Delight
• A Perfect Time To Craft - AG
• Ally's Angels - AG
• Beautiful Blossoms - AG
• Crafts Galore Encore - AG
• Creative Fingers - AG
• Cut It Up - Send me Flowers and a die cut
• Do-Al(l) Kreatives - Flowers
• Double D - May Flowers (my roses just started to bloom!!)
• Little Red Wagon - Flowers
• Pattie's Creations - AG with an image
• Sisterhood of Crafters - Flowers
• Stamping Sensations - Feminine
• Stamps & Fun = Creativity - Flowers
• The Crafting Challenge - Flowers
• Tic Tac Toe Challenge - I chose the last row: colored pencils, embossing folder and flowers

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Thanks so much for visiting. I hope you have a great weekend and maybe you'll find some crafty time too :) 

 

Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday - January Challenge

Hello and welcome to the January Crafty Wednesday challenge taking place right here on my blog! I'm so glad you stopped by today and hoping you will join in this month too! There were some fabulous entries in December, so be sure to scroll down to see if you were one of my top picks! 

This Month's Theme

Something New

As always, the theme is optional for your inspiration, but do feel free to share any of your crafty makes (any type of craft is welcome) and all entries will be considered as a Top Pick. You will find the linky tool at the end of the post. 

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!

And here is what I made:

For my "Something New" I went with a new (to me) product, this cute Conga Line stamp set from Colorado Craft Company. I got mine from Amazon but it's also available at Scrapbook.com and of course directly from Colorado Craft Company as well as other retailers. 

I've only just discovered this stamp set from a recent Allsorts challenge entrant and fell in love with these cute hamsters (or maybe they are guinea pigs?) Stamped using Versafine Onyx ink and simple watercoloring was done using my Zig Clean Color markers and a Zig Detailer watercolor brush. 

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Party hats and crown were paper pieced using patterned paper scraps and I used the same papers for the banners. 

The sentiment is part of the same set and I decided to use a star stencil on the background. I've had this stencil for several years and don't remember what brand it is, but this stencil is a good alternative, otherwise stamped or die cut stars would also work well. Some green jute twine from May Arts finishes off the card. 

Stamp Set Used: 

Colorado Craft Conga Line

I'm linking up here:

A Place To Start - AG // Colouring in Scrapland - Coloring // Crafting Happiness Challenges - AG // Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Something New // 613 Avenue Create - AG // Critter Crazy Challenges - Critters // Clever Dexter Challenge - Something New // Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper - Patterned Papers // Creatalicious Challenges - Something New // The Crafting Challenge - AG // Sweet Stampin - Something New // 
 Always AG and Link Parties:

Taylor Made Cards 4 U // Crafter's Castle // 613 Avenue Create opt. twist watercolor // Crafty Creations // Creative Moments // Lemon Shortbread // 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 

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  Thursday Favorite Things // Little Things Thursday // Encouraging Heart and Home @ Slices of Life

Last Month's Top Picks

I will continue to add my favorites to the dedicated Pinterest board, but going forward I will once again showcase the top pick's creations with links to their individual blogs, which will be removed at the start of each new month's challenge to remain in compliance with GDPR.

Selecting just three is never easy but something that needs to be done and here they are from last month's theme of Baby, It's Cold Outside or Anything Goes. They are listed in order of entry.

No. 27 Auntie Sue

No. 34 Pauline

No. 47 Jill

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

Can't wait to see what you will share this month!

A few things to remember:

• You may follow the theme or anything crafty goes.

• 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 - no worries if you end up with more.
• Please do include a link back here to my blog in your blog post.
• Backlinking IS allowed.

Colorado Craft Mouse with a Die for Stamping Sensations and December Card Chain Challenge Reveal Day

Hello and welcome! 

Today's post is a two-in-one, hopefully I'll manage to keep the post from getting too long as I am sharing two cards I made, and a third I received.

It's the first Sunday of a new month and that means a new challenge starts at Stamping Sensations, and since it's the second of the month it also means time for Reveal Day for the December Card Cain Challenge which I had joined in again last month!

So first up is my card for Stamping Sensations where we're starting the year off with an easy theme of "Stamping with Option to Include a Die". Our prize this month is a £25 prize package from Oakwood Archer. Hope you will join us for your chance to win!

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!

So last year I discovered a line of stamps by Anita Jeram from Colorado Craft Company. 

I did wait for quite some time before I purchased any, but then found them at a really great price and free shipping through this Amazon seller and it was hard to resist that free shipping!!

This stamp set is called Big Love (also available at scrapbook.com and direct from Colorado Craft). It comes with this gorgeous - super cute - image and several sentiments, including the one I used on this card. There is also a matching die available but I rarely get matching dies for sets and instead fussy cut using my Cutterbee scissors.

Colored with Distress inks and a Zig Detailer watercolor brush before fussy cutting.

I also finally got the Avery Elle Star Frame die I've had on my wish list for some time and used it on today's card. 

The stencil is by TCW Circle Explosion. 

As mentioned, today is also reveal day for the December Card Chain Challenge - a world wide card exchange where we send one card and receive one card. By the way, if you are a card maker and would like to join in the January card exchange, you can read all the details HERE and sign up there as well. 

My December card went to Tina in Slovenia. I do so hope that my card arrived on time as I haven't heard anything from Tina. It was mailed in the first week of December.

At Card Chain Challenge we are always given a choice of "challenges". For December we had a fun "Tic Tac Toe" type grid and I selected the last row.

Gold, Glitter, Bird, Stamp and Red. I did use some other colors in addition to just gold and red for coloring. 

The image is from Penny Black - Birdhouse Blessings, heat embossed using Versafine Onyx ink and detail clear embossing powder. Coloring was done with Distress inks and Stampin Up re-inkers.

The script border I used on the bottom portion is from Whimsy Stamps (retired) and the mini sentiment is from Penny Black's set Holiday Snippets. The tag die is fromWhimsy (also retired) but there are lot of similar tag sets available, like this set. 

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Patterned paper is from my stash and I tied some gold cord around the card to finish it off. Oh, and some stickles glitter was applied to the star and snow on the bird house. 

Below is a photo of the cute and beautiful card I received from my sender, Pia from Norway. 

I LOVE these colors for Christmas and how cute are the Santas? A really fun mini slimline card!! Thank you, Pia!

PS: I know I just mentioned this in yesterday's post, but there is still time to join our mini hop and/or share your own "2021 Year in Review" post so I am writing another reminder for those of you who didn't see yesterday's post. Some of the hop co-hosts are giving a prize away too, from my blog you can win a code for 2 digis from Rachelle Anne Miller. You can hop along/ join in here or simply click the logo below.

As always, thanks so much for visiting!

I'm linking up here:

Mouse card:

Critter Crazy Challenges - Critters // Crafty Animals - Animals // Creatalicious Challenges - Something New (New Stamp) // Happy Little Stampers - AG Watercolor // A Gem of a Challenge - AG // Sweet Stampin - Something New (New Stamp Set) // Cut It Up - Birthdays // Krafty Chicks - AG // Simon Says Stamp - Time to Party // Crafty Sentiment Designs - AG // Ike's World - Fur or Feathers // 613 Avenue Create - AG // 

Always AG and Link Parties:

Taylor Made Cards 4 U // Crafter's Castle // 613 Avenue Create opt. twist watercolor // Crafty Creations // Creative Moments // Lemon Shortbread // 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 

Bird Winter Card:

Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper -AG w. Patterned Paper // 

Dare to Share // 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  Thursday Favorite Things // Little Things Thursday // Encouraging Heart and Home @ Slices of Life