Critters and Creatures Linky Party 8

Good morning, happy Monday and welcome to the new Critters & Creatures Linky Party! So happy you decided to stop by here today!! It was wonderful seeing so many of you join in last month, be sure to scroll down to see if your creation was a top choice.

As usual, the theme here is simple 

anything goes but the focal point must be a critter or creature.

(animal, insect, sea life, imaginary creature).  

For today I decided to create a cute Christmas card using another one of Penny Black's cute kitties.

Colored with copic markers and this time I fussy cut the image to fit my design.

The green paper is actually SU's wild wasabi, but I added wink of stella to make it sparkle. Patterned paper is by Whimsy Stamps (retired) and I used gold cord and some sticky dots as embellishments. Sentiment is from a Penny Black sentiment set.

If you're interested in purchasing the cute set I used today, you can find it brand new here in my Etsy shop.

As you can see it includes several cute critters :-)

 

 The card has also been listed, and you can find it here on Etsy.

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Time to announce the top choices now, always hard to choose, but I did manage, and here they are in no particular order:

Babs 

Sue Kment

 

 Judy 

 Congratulations ladies! Your top pick badge is below.

Now it's time to think about a new critter or creature to feature! Can't wait to see what you make.

You have until October 31st to play along. Just leave a link to your blog post or online gallery (Flickr or Splitcoast Stampers) using inlinkz below.

ETA 5/20/18:
To protect the privacy of those who entered this challenge, the linky tool has now been removed.

Penny Black and More - October Challenge

Happy Sunday and thanks so much for visiting! Time already for the October challenge at Penny Black and More, and this month we're having a color challenge. Can you guess the colors by looking at my card?

Well here is the inspiration photo for you, I did pretty good capturing them all, don't you think?

I knew I wanted to use the beautiful sunflower stamp from the new set "Grateful".  Perfect stamp for some messy watercoloring and that is just what I did. 

I stamped it using versafine onyx ink on bristol vellum card stock and colored with Zig Clean Color brush pens. I was not very careful when coloring as you can see, but it's the look I went for, and I also added some ink splatters.

Did some more stamping using an old small harlequin stamp from Stampin up and a clock stamp from Just For Fun. The Autumn sentiment is from the set "Autumn Letter Seals" by Whimsy Stamps. Layered some torn papers on the bottom and added a little button and twine to finish it off. The card was then framed using black card stock to make it stand out and green for my card base.

A close up below...

 This stamp set is available brand new in my Etsy shop if you're interested.

I am also playing along here:

Cardz 4 Galz - Fall Colors
Creative Knockouts - Fall
DL ART Thursday Challenge- Fall
DRS Designs- Autumn Wonders

And that is all I have for today. Hope you'll come join us. Don't forget you don't have to use a Penny Black Stamp, any company works just no digis as they aren't eligible for the prizes.  

 Have a great day!!

Birthday Buddy

Good morning and happy Sunday! Time already for the mid-month reminder at Penny Black and More, if you haven't played along yet, there is still time to join us for a chance at one of the wonderful prizes. And don't forget you can join up to 3 times for more chances to win. Our theme this month is Add a Sentiment.

For today I played again with the set "Buddy and Duck", such a cute set for all kinds of kids cards or baby cards. This time I made a boy themed card.

The puppy was stamped onto xpress it blending card and colored with copic markers. I fussy cut the image. The balloon was stamped and colored a second time so I could add it to the card with dimesionals. Papers are from packs I picked up earlier this year at Hobby Lobby - sorry I don't remember the brands. Embellished with a button and twine and added a couple die cut stars (whimsy stamps die) and a die cut cloud (memory box die). A Martha Stewart grass die was used for the grass. Sentiment is part of the cute set by Penny Black. A white Pitt marker by Faber Castell was used to add some white to the dots on the balloon, and I finished off the card by adding sparkles  using some wink of stella on the stars and balloon.

 Both the card and Penny Black stamp set (brand new) are listed in my Etsy shop if you are interested. 

And that would be all for today, hope you're having a wonderful sunny day, still summery warm over here but I have noticed some trees turn color already. Not much longer until Fall is officially here.

Critters & Creatures Linky Party 7

Happy Monday and Welcome to the September Critters and Creatures Linky Party!!
 Lots of wonderful entries again last month, it's always so nice seeing many of you join in! Be sure to scroll down to see if your entry was a top pick. 

 As usual, anything goes here as long as you feature a Critter or Creature.

I used one of my newer Penny Black stamp sets today, Buddy and Duck. I also have this set available brand new in my Etsy shop for US shipping if you are interested. 

I thought this cute duck was perfect for a baby shower card or new baby card, and that's what I decided to make. 

Image was heat embossed using versafine onyx ink and embossing powder on bristol vellum card stock, then water colored using my Zig Clean Color bush pens. An old SU stamp was used for the random dots on the white background paper. Designer paper I  believe is by Authenique, picked up at Hobby Lobby. Sentiment is from the Penny Black clear set Snippets, another set I have available brand new on Etsy. 

I added a little button and twine for embellishments and did some zig-zag machine sewing to finish it off. 

Dimensionals were used to adhere the the image to make it pop up a little. I also used clear wink of stella on the umbrella, but you can't see it in the photo, because I've done that after I took the photos :-) :-) 

The card is listed here in my Etsy shop if you're interested. 

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Now onto the top 3, as always it's super hard to choose, but I did manage and here they are in no particular order. 

Sarah

A stunning design using mostly black and white!

Mindy Baxter

Mindy is talking about light source in her post, some great tips!

Darlene

Visit her blog post to find how how Darlene used acetate to create this beautiful card.

Congratulations ladies, your top pick badge for your side bars is below.


Now it's time to feature another Critter or Creature. Can't wait to see what you create this time around!
Simply link your creation below.

ETA 5/20/18:
To protect the privacy of those who entered this challenge, the linky tool has now been removed.

Let's Color Linky Party 12

Hello and welcome to the September Let's Color Linky Party, where anything  colored (by you) goes!

It was great seeing so many of you join in again last month, lots of wonderful entries! Be sure to scroll down to see if your creation is being featured below!

For today I inked up one of my  new Penny Black stamps - Poppy Gems, and if you're interested in this stamp, check out my etsy shop, I have just added some new stamps and a couple
Christmas dies, simply click on the Etsy Mini in my sidebar. 

For today I decided to play with my zig clean color brush pens, they have been neglected for a long time, but I thought these poppies would look great watercolored. I really need more water color practice! I went for a bit of a messy look and added some random watercolor spots and used greens and blues around the flowers. Decided to stamp some random words onto the background too using antique linen distress ink and a clear stamp from Whimsy Stamps. The sentiment was stamped using versafine onyx ink and is from the Penny Black set "Heartfelt".
Finished the card off by layering onto black card stock , did some machine sewing and then I used a light green card base. Oh, and I used Winsor & Newton watercolor marker paper (my favorite to use for watercolor techniques using markers) for the poppies, which were stamped in versafine onyx ink. 

Now onto the top choices, it's always so hard to choose favorites from all the beautiful entries, but as always I managed and here are the top picks in no particular order. Each one very different from the other, and each one gorgeous!

Borqna
 

Blue Daisy

Helen

Congratulations to the 3 of you!

Below is your top pick badge for your side bars.

Now it's time to get coloring again, can't wait to see what you choose to do this time around!

A few reminders:
Must include something colored

Blog post must include link back here

Unlimited entries and feel free to combine with other challenges

Anything goes with something colored

Please note, I always try to comment on all your entries, if you haven't heard from me then it's most likely because your blog requires google plus or it's listed in a gallery that I am not a member of.

But I do visit all entries and all will be considered for top choices! 

Have a wonderful Saturday everyone, hope you have some fun things planned.

I'll be back again tomorrow with another card :-)

ETA 5/20/18:
To protect the privacy of those who entered this challenge, the linky tool has now been removed.

Sunny Wishes on a Cloudy Day

No sunshine here for several days, perfect timing for a spring themed flower-y card here on my blog :-)


This card almost didn't happen, not sure where the time went, but this month seems to be flying by, and I almost didn't get a card done for our Midway reminder at Penny Black and More. Although we aren't required to make a "reminder" card, I definitely wanted to create something. I have several brand new  Penny Black stamps here, and this one was one of my must haves!

It wasn't easy to photograph the card due to the size, so I tried using copic markers as a prop. The lighting wasn't ideal either. It was dark when I took the photos and only used my daylight lamp which shined too much light onto the top of the card... I need a bigger daylight lamp :-)

Below is a smaller version of the card, in case some of you have trouble viewing the large photo.
 

This is a large stamp, perfect for tall cards. My finished card measures around 7.25 x 4.5 inches.

Image was colored with copic markers and I applied stickles glitter to the flower centers and butterflies. Card is kept CAS, I just added a couple strips of designer paper and some machine sewing along the edges. Our challenge theme is "Anything Goes with a Stamp and a Die" so I added my sentiment on a die cut tag ( using Whimsy Stamps Stitched Tag Dies set) and also added a die cut to the top corner (also from Whimsy Stamps - Corner Dies Set) to cover up a  crooked stitch in the corner :-)

I thought the card needed something else next to the vase, so I stamped the sentiment "Sunny Wishes" and a butterfly, which are both part of this beautiful set.

This is what the complete set looks like. 

I currently have one more left HERE in my Etsy shop for US shipping.

I am also playing along in these challenges:

• 2 Creative Chicks - Anything Goes

    A Bit More Time to Craft  - Anything Goes
  ABC Challenge - you choose anything that starts with B (butterflies or blooms)
  Dream in Darkness - Anything Goes
  Our Creative Corner -Sew and Sew
  Crafty Sentiment Designs - Let's Get Sentimental
  Sweet Stamps  - February -  Spring Flowers
  Craft It Up & Link It Up Linky Party by Craftin Desert Divas -  Nature's Wonders
  Crafting from the Heart - Always Anything Goes

 Be sure to stop by the Penny Black and More challenge blog to see what the rest of the Design Team created and to link your card there. As usual you may use any stamp manufacturer, just no digi stamps. We have several wonderful prizes to give away again. 
Have a  great day!!

Penny Black and More - February Challenge

Good Morning and thank you for stopping by! It's already the first Sunday of February and that means time for a new challenge over at the Penny Black and More challenge blog. This month we're making it pretty easy -
 Anything goes with a stamp and a die.  

Before I forget, both cards and the baby hedgehog stamp I used are listed for sale (brand new) in my Etsy shop,  if you are interested. I have also just recently received my first shipment of some pretty cotton crochet lace and burlap twine, which I now stock. And a few more Penny Black stamps from their upcoming release will be listed soon too :-) Still just shipping to the US only, just checked international shipping cost again, and the prices are out of this world...

I hope you'll come join us for this challenge, don't forget you can use any make of stamps, just be sure it's an actual rubber or clear stamp and not a digi. We have some fun prizes to give away and you can enter up to 3 times for more chances to win. 

For today I made two cards, using the same stamps and same sketch, I just switched up the designer paper and small detail.

First up a card for a baby girl. If you are following me on Instagram then you might have already seen it.

Here is the baby boy card I made.

The image has been stamped on xpress it blending card and colored with copic markers and a brown pencil for some shading on the nutshell. 

I used some dies and punches to create the design. Papers are from DCWV and Debbie Mumm. Not sure if you can tell, but on the blue and pink card stock I used large background stamp to add a subtle pattern to the paper.  

I found the pretty pink lace in my box of ribbons. The color matched the light pink perfectly, so I used it. To the boy card I added some sheer ribbon from SU. Punched butterflies with pearls ware added to both cards and a touch of glitter on the flower center. 

Some product links:

In a nutshell

Snippets (this set is sale priced!)

Stitched border die set (Whimsy Stamps)

Playing along in these challenges:

Alphabet Challenge -  Y for You Choose

Crafting-With-Friends -  Anything Goes

PDE Linky Party - Anything Goes

Really Reasonable Ribbon - Anything Goes with ribbon or trim

Simply Papercraft -  No. 22 (W2 of 2) - Anything Goes

The Stamping Boutique -  Use Die Cuts/Punches (runs till Feb 11)

Crafty Ribbons - 143 Animals 

Crafty Girls Creations - Always Anything Goes

Crafting With An Attitude - Always Anything Goes

Digital Delights By Louby Lou - Always Anything Goes 

Crafting By Designs -  February Anything Goes

Fresh Brewed Designs - Anything Goes 

2 Creative Chicks -Anything Goes

ABC Challenge - A is for Animals

That would be all for today. Hope you enjoy your Sunday and maybe you'll have some time to come join us. We have some wonderful prizes to give away, this time by Penny Black, Crafts U Love, Sizzix and Crafty Ribbons. Lots of prizes to win!!

Penny Black and More - Midmonth Creation

Good Morning and Happy Friday!

It's been a pretty busy December, but I did manage to create a card for this month's midmonth creation for the Penny Black and More challenge. Still time to come join us for some great prizes. Our theme is easy too, anything goes with stamping.

I made an "all occasion" shadow box card. The beautiful flowers are from the set blooming garden. They were colored with copic markers and a sepia pencil for more shadows. The beautiful sentiment is also from Penny Black, and I currently have it available brand new in my Etsy shop. 

Below is a top view.  

Instructions on how to make this type of card can be found here on SplitcoastStampers.

Thanks so much for visiting. Hope you're having a wonderful weekend with some fun Holiday activities planned. We're going to see a Christmas ballet this evening where my daughter is part of the cast. So excited. Then hopefully we'll get to make some Christmas cookies on the weekend :-)

Penny Black and More - December Challenge

Hello and Happy St. Nicholas Day :-) Hope he left some goodies for the kids :-)

It's the first Sunday of the month and we have a new challenge for you at Penny Black and More. We know everyone is  having a busy month, so we're making it easy for you and this month our theme is Anything Goes with stamping. 

As always we have some wonderful prizes to give away, and don't forget you can enter up to 3 times for more chances to win.

I have two cards to share with you today. First up I made a card using "Snowy" which is a stamp my husband picked out for me a few years ago :-)

I did a water color wash for the colored background. I actually wanted to make a one-layer-card, but when peeling off my masking tape, some of the watercolor paper tore, so I just cut it into a square and mounted it onto purple then the white card base.
I stamped a few snowflakes from the set "Holiday Snippets" onto the background. "Snowy" was stamped onto xpress it blending card, colored with copic markers and fussy cut. The sentiment is from the set "Season's Gifts". I embellished with a few sequins to finish it off.

For my second card I used the stamp "Snowy Hamlet".

The card was very easy to make. I simply heat embossed the image on kraft card stock using versamark ink and black embossing powder. Then added some snowy highlights using a white colored pencil. The image was then framed using the negative of a nestabilities die cut, which I embossed using a polka dots embossing folder and inked with distress ink. 

I also embossed "Merry Christmas" in black on the inside, but forgot to take a photo of the inside.

This stamp is currently up on my ebay, if you are interested.

I am also playing along here:
A Gem of a Challenge- Christmas anything goes
Penny Black Saturday Challenge- Dec - Christmas /holidays
Sweet Stampin - snow time
Crafty Catz - Let It Snow
PDE Linky Party - Anything Goes
4 Crafty Chicks - Winter
Creative Knockouts -Tis The Season
Crafting By Designs-  December Anything Goes
Fresh Brewed Designs - Anything Goes Christmas
Paper Shelter Challenge - A Christmas Card

Thank you so much for visiting!
 Enjoy the rest of your weekend.  

Snowflake Blessings

Hello and Happy December! Hard to believe the year is almost over...time flies!

I finally have a new card to share today using "Holiday Snippets". I just listed this stamp set (brand new) on my ebay and the card is included as a bonus. 

This CAS card was so quick and easy to make. I simply stamped the sentiment first, then randomly added the snowflakes using pink and turquoise distress inks. Added silver sequins to finish it off.
Stampin up tempting turquoise card stock was used as a card base to match the turquoise snowflakes.

I am entering my card here:

Crafting By Designs - W,F, 3E -  December Anything Goes
Crafting for all Seasons - 2W, 3E - #115  Brrr It's Cold Outside (Week 2 of 2 )
Crafty Gals Corner -  W, E2 - #48 Anything Goes
Fresh Brewed Designs - W, 5E - Anything Goes Christmas
Inspiration Destination - W, F- #62 Always Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp - W, 5E - Let It Snow
Stampotique Designers' Challenge - Sequins
A Snowflakes Promise  - Anything Goes with a Winter or Christmas Theme 

Crafty Sentiment Designs -Winter

Papertake Weekly  Anything Goes

Crafting from the Heart -  Always Anything Goes
Craft Your Passion - Always Anything Goes
Get Creative Challenges - Holidays 

Ooh La La Creations - Let It Snow

 Stamps & Fun = Creativity - Winter Tones
Amusing - Anything Goes
CAS on Sunday -   Christmas

Thanks so much for visiting!!

Crystal Drops

Time for our mid-month inspiration at Penny Black and More! Still some time to play along with us. Our challenge theme is "Anything Christmas". As always we have several wonderful prizes to give away! Be sure to check out the challenge post to see all the prizes up for grabs and the wonderful inspiration from the rest of the team!

For my mid-month creation I used the stamp "Crystal Drops". I colored directly onto the stamp with an Aquamarker by Letraset, then spritzed it lightly with water. It was then stamped onto Fabriano watercolor paper. I did not color in the extra little stars that are part of the stamp (you can see what I am talking about on the inside view photo.) To create the splatter on the card front, I just flicked some watercolor onto the paper. A pretty simple card front. I thought the trees were so pretty, so I just left it like that, matted onto yellow and golden brown card stock.

 

Below is the inside view. This time I used linen distress ink to stamp the tree onto the paper. You can see the little stars in the background here, that I left off on the card front. The sentiment is from the set "Season's Gifts" which I have available brand new on my ebay for US shipping (ending today 11/18).

I am also playing along here:

Alphabet Challenge - T is for Tis The Season
Christmas Stampin' All Year Long -   - Anything Goes
Crafting-With-Friends -  Always Anything Goes
Jo's Scrap Shack - Anything Goes
Simply Papercraft - Always Anything Goes
C.R.A.F.T. - Christmas
Crafting With An Attitude - Anything Goes
Crafty Girls Creations - Always Anything Goes 
Brown Sugar –  No Patterned Paper

A Snowflakes Promise- Anything Goes with a Winter or Christmas Theme
Inky Chicks- Christmas 

 

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!!

More Christmas Critters

For today's card I used one of the cute image I colored for the daily marker challenge, from the set "Deck the Halls".

The card and the stamp sets I used here are listed on my Ebay, if you're interested. Or you can find Deck the Halls here in my Etsy shop.  

I colored the image using copic markers on xpress it blending card. Crystal effects was added to the berries. White card stock was embossed using a Christmas embossing folder. I used a sentiment from the Penny Black set "Season's Gifts". The little holly leaves are from an older PB set, not sure of the name of the set.

Playing along here:
Inky Impressions -  Our Furry Friends
Inspiration Destination - Always Anything Goes
Sisterhood of Crafters  - It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas
A Snowflakes Promise  - Anything Goes with a Winter or Christmas Theme
Crafting from the Heart -  Always Anything Goes
Vintage Stamping Challenges/Flonz Craft -  Traditional Christmas
The Corrosive Challenges - Add a Sentiment

Thanks so much for visiting! Hope you're enjoying your day!

Deck the Halls

Still working on Christmas cards, another one I have just listed on my ebay page, and I also have this stamp set available for US shipping here on my ebay or here in my Etsy shop :-)

I actually colored this image for last month's daily marker coloring challenge, I just didn't get a chance turn it into a card until now. 

Aren't these cats adorable!!! I colored them with copic markers. Crystal effects was added to the lights to make them shiny. I inked the edges with distress inks and then sewed around the image panel. The designer paper is by BasicGrey and I finished off with some twine from the Twinery. 

Inside I used a Penny Black sentiment set from the set "Season's Gifts". This set is available here in my Etsy shop. 
The cute mouse in the corner is from the set "Holly Jolly".

Another view of the cute image.

Product List:

Deck the Halls, Season's Gifts, Holly Jolly

SU card stock, xpress it blending card

BasicGrey Designer paper, 

glassy glaze, twine

memento ink, distress inks

copics for coloring

I am entering my card here:

Catch The Bug - anything goes
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - bright or sparkly colours
Sisterhood of the Snarky Stampers -  k is for kitties
Crafting-With-Friends - -Always Anything Goes
Wags 'n Whiskers -  Not a Square
Crafting with an Attitude - M, 1st Thurs, E3 - #9 Anything Goes
ABC Christmas Challenge - 'V' is for Very Cute
City Crafter Challenge  W - #286 - Getting Ready For Christmas*
Craft Your Passion - W, E3 - Always Anything Goes

Thanks so much for visiting! Hope you're having a nice Fall Weekend with some fun things planned. Beautiful blue sky over here today, but it definitely got colder. 

Penny Black and More - November Challenge

Happy Sunday :-)

Already November, time for a new challenge at Penny Black and More. It should be an easy one for everyone this month, as our theme is Anything Christmas. I am sure many of you will be working on Christmas cards this month, so you can play along. As always you may enter up to 3 times, and you don't have to use a Penny Black stamp. Just be sure the focal point is hand stamped (this can be a clear or rubber image stamp or large sentiment). The only exception to this is Penny Black stickeroos, but other than that you can use any make of stamps. Digis or die cuts as focal points won't be eligible for the prize draws. 

For my card today I created a cute winter scene using stamps from the set "Deck the Halls". I have this set available for purchase brand new in my etsy shop if you are interested. 

The cute critters were colored with copic markers and fussy cut. I used a Whimsy Stamps die to make the hills. The pretty stamped snowflake behind the sentiment on the front and the inside is from the set "Holiday Snippets", which is also available in my shop. 

This is the inside. The large sentiment is from the set Season's Gifts, another one I have up for sale on Etsy. 

 I added some punched snowflakes and lots of glitter. Designer paper is from my stash, probably by Bo Bunny.

Product Links:

Deck the Halls

Season's Gifts

Holiday Snippets

(the above are avail. in my shop)

Stitched border trio die

(Whimsy Stamps)

 Thanks so much for visiting today!
Hope you're having a great first day of November!

More Autumn Colors for Penny Black and More

Time for our midmonth reminder at Penny Black and More. Our theme this month is Warm Autumn Colors, very fitting for this time of the year. Still some time to join us and we have several wonderful prizes to give away. 

I used a cute stamp from the set "Critter Party". This set is available in my Etsy Stamp Shop, along with the sentiment set I used here. There are lots of other cute little sentiments included in that set, and some butterflies too :-)

Image has been colored using copic markers on xpress it blending card. The red heart button on the bottom is actually a tangerine shade, just a bit darker than the orange card stock. Not sure why it shows up as red in the photo. 

Here is a closeup. 

Products used:

Critter Party, Snippets

Button Die set (Whimsy Stamps), MS butterfly punch

SU card stock, DCWV and Basic Grey Designer Papers

xpress it blending card for image

sheer ribbon,  hemp twine, glitter

distressing tool

I am also playing along here:

A Gem of a Challenge - spots and /or stripes
My Time to Craft -autumnal colours
Alphabet Challenge -  R is for Ribbon 

Crafting-With-Friends -Always Anything Goes 
Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
Kitty Bee Designs -  Animals

 

I also wanted to share this card again, that I made and posted yesterday, but late in the day :-)

You can find all the details about it by clicking here - Inspired by Heather - if you are interested :-)

 

 

 Happy stamping!!