Oh What Fun!

Hello and welcome! Hard to believe it's the last Saturday of the month, and it's also time for a new challenge at Allsorts! This week Dena is hosting and she selected the optional theme of "Embossing". It can be dry embossing or heat embossing, and as always now the theme is optional so you may share any of your new creations (up to 3) for a chance to be entered into the prize drawing. As this challenge ends in November we have new prizes and if you haven't already, be sure to check the October winners list on the challenge blog.

Below are the FABULOUS prizes for the next few challenges, from Stampendous, Oakwood Direct and WOWVOW. Winners will be selected weekly then all announced on the last Friday of November.

I wanted to get another chance at joining the Cat Lovers Christmas Kickstart challenge in honor of dear Janis who started the Cat Lovers Hop many years ago but sadly passed away this January. So I decided to make my Allsorts DT card a Christmas card with a cat to be able to combine. 

I used 2 different stamp sets to create the scene along with the dies and embossing folder. The presents (and sentiment)  are from the Penny Black set "Christmas Cycling" but originally there is a dog peeking out from the box on top. To make it cat themed I used this fun cat from the Hero Arts stamp set Meowy Christmas and sat the cat right on top of the last present but making it look like he knocked over one of the gifts as he jumped up there. The single gift is also part of the Penny Black set. If you look closely you can see the dog's paws peeking out from the top LOL, something I tried to hide.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Cardmaking on Sale at scrapbook.com/Ad

The floor was done with Penny Black's Floor die set and inked in a color to match the cat's fur.  Embossing folder is an oldie by Cuttlebug, I think. I added a few sticky rhinestones and Stickles glitter for some sparkle. Glitter has this funny way of either showing up too much or not at all in photograph, today it's much more sparkly than in real life. 

Challenges I'd like to share with:

• Cat Lovers Christmas Challenge
• Simon Says Stamp -AG
• The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge - Christmas
• Peace on Earth - Christmas
• Can You Handle The Pressure? - Embossing Folders
• Jingle Belles - Holiday Creatures

PS: Still plenty of time to sign up for the Papercrafters Year in Review 2023 hop where we share our favorite creations of the year. If interested, please visit this post where I shared all the info about it at th end of that 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!

Nature Reveals Her Miracles One by One

Hello and welcome! It's Saturday again and that means we have a new challenge for you at Allsorts and this week it's Lynn's turn to host. Her optional theme is "Autumn Colors" a nice and easy one for this time of the year so hopefully you will join us for your chance to win. If Autumn Colors aren't your thing then you can go with the "Anything Goes" option too.

Our October prizes come from: Stamp Addicts, Oakwood, Highlight Crafts, Ruth Hamilton Design, AALL and Create and Craft Stash, the winners will be selected from the weekly challenges and then announced on the last Friday of the month. 

Here is what I made using one of my new Aall and Create stamps (Garden Times) I purchased during their sale.

This card came together rather quickly. The smooshed background was already previously done using Tea Dye Distress ink (I think), next I stamped the image (this is all just one collage style stamp minus the extra sentiment) using Ground Espresso Distress Oxide and heat embossed with clear embossing powder. I colored the blossom with Faber Castell Polychromos pencils an then added the sentiment from Stampers Anonymous (old, found at a thrift shop). I distressed the edges, mounted onto yellow cardstock and then a dark brown card base. I embellished with a button and some jute twine.

Related Products:

I'd like to share with these challenges:

• The Paper Funday - AG with option of yellow, orange or green
• The Crafty Addicts - AG
• A Perfect Time To Craft - AG
• Classic Design Challenge - AG
• Crafts Galore Encore - AG
• Daisy Chain Challenges - AG
• DL.Art Linky Challenge - AG
• Incy Wincy Designs - Colors of Autumn
• Triple B - Blooms/Birds or Butterflies
• A Place To Start - AG
• Aud Sentiments Blog Challenge - Fall and a sentiment
• Make My Monday - Fall Colors
• Path of Positivity - Anything Positive
• Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Text It
• Beautiful Blossoms - Blossoms and opt. mood board

>>>>>>>>>>Gift Guide Preview at Scrapbook.com/Ad

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!

By the way, in case you missed it... I started the linky tool for the Year in Review hop taking place at the end of the year. 

I copied the info from the other post in case you are interested:

Papercrafters' Year in Review 2023 Hop Sign Up

Before I let you go, I wanted to mention that I am once again planning the "Year a Review" hop where we will feature our favorite creations of the year and looking for a few co-hosts. As always, you may choose how many project you will feature. It could be a top 5 or top 10. Maybe you have just one you are especially fond of having created. I usually go with a favorite of each month to make the choice easier. 

Details:

• Create a blog post featuring YOUR OWN favorite creations of 2023 to be scheduled on your blogs for Friday December 29th 6am CST (12 noon UK time)
• I will provide the html code for the linky tool to each person signing up as a co-host. It would be great if you included this in your post on your own blogs but not neccessary as long as you post a list of each participant.
• Your blog followers are welcome to link up their own favorites during that time period should they decided to create their own "year in review" posts. The linky tool will be open for one week.
• You must have a blog to participate.
• This will be a blog hop, so please plan on visiting and commenting on each participant's "Year in Review 2023" post when time allows during hop week.
• This sign up is for any paper crafter with a blog. You don't have to have a papercraft only blog - as long as you have some favorite handmade cards to share in your review post you are welcome to sign up. 
• Optional: You are welcome to offer a small prize to a winner selected from those who commented on your post (including other co-hosts) but that is totally up to you and it is absolutely not needed to offer a prize in order to be a co-host. 
• The blog hop will run for one week (December 29th - January 4th)
• To get an idea of how it works you can click here to see last year's hop.

I will close the sign-up linky tool on December 9th (may close sooner if enough sign up before that date), then I will message everyone with the hop list by December 15th so everyone will have plenty of time to prepare their posts even before Christmas should you want to work ahead on it. 

I Spy With My Little Eye ..............Shades of Autumn (Challenge No. 8)

Hello 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 hopefully you'll join in the fun too!

We had many fabulous entries last month, thank you all so much for playing along with us! Our top 2 are at the end of the post, remember, if you were selected then you have the option of joining us as a guest designer next month :)

It's Pauline's turn to select a theme and she chose:

I spy with my little eye....................

Shades of Autumn.

We can't wait to see what you'll share with us. Remember, you may share anything crafty, it doesn't have to be a card! As long as it fits the theme and is handmade by you we'd love to see it! The linky tool is at the end of the post.

Here is my card:

I used a mix of stamps/brands on my card, I think they all work together so nicely! The carved pumpkins are an old stamp by Stampressions (Baby, Mama, Papa boo- sorry, no link) found at a thrift store, the flowers are from a new to me Aall and Create set - Flower Journey - and the tree/branches are Lavinia's Seasonal Tree. The background was inked with Villainous Potion, Chipped Saphire and Black Soot Distress Oxides/inks with a circle die cut as a moon mask. Lavinia's hill masks were used in the foreground and I also used a stamp from another Aall and Create set for some interest on the foreground. Some water splatter created the "orbs". Happy Autumn is from an old Hero Arts stamp kit. 

I plan on sharing my card (above) with these challenges:

Everybody-Art-Challenge - Pumpkin // Unicorn Challenge - Autumn or Halloween // Bastel-Traum - Autumn Mood // FarmQuest General Store Challenge - Anything Farm or Country Goes // Two Old Bats Halloween Challenge - Anything Halloween // Crafting Happiness Challenges // Make My Monday - Autumn Colors // Double D Challenge - Pumpkins // The Card Concept - I was inspired by the beautiful colors and think the style might be "mixed Media"

Pauline's Card:

Love the way she captured the beautiful shades of Autumn on this wonderful scenic card! Be sure to visit Pauline's blog to read all about how she made it!

We're so happy to have a guest designer joining us this challenge and that is Maxine from Kiwime's Creations. So glad you joined us this month, Maxine!

Maxine's Card:

What a beautiful way to showcase these gorgeous Autumn Leaves! Please visit Maxine's blog to read more about her creation! Below you can see that she completed her project by decorating the envelope to match her card. It's always such a nice touch to receive a matching envelope too! 

Top Picks from Challenges No. 7

Many thank to all of you who played "I spy" with us last month. We had many fabulous entries and as always selecting our top picks wasn't easy but something that needed done so here they are in the order of entry. 

*To be in compliance with GDPR, Top Pick photos and links will be removed after the start of the new challenge. 

Remember, both Top Picks are invited to join us in the next challenge if you like to. That would be for challenge no. 9 starting November 15th! Of course it's not a requirement but we would love to have you as guests!!

No. 2 Jolanda (Ellie's Top Pick)

No. 57 Aimeslee (Pauline's Top Pick)

Congratulations to both of you!! Your top pick logo is below to display on your own blogs if you like to.

You are both invited to join us as guest designers (optional of course!) for challenge no. 9 starting on Wednesday November 15th. If you are interested in taking part, please message me (Ellie) at ellibellescorner at gmail dot com so I can give you all the details for our upcoming theme.

>>>>>>>>>>Gift Guide Preview at Scrapbook.com/Ad

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!

Now it's time to link up YOUR creations for the new theme! Anyone is invited to join us with your crafty makes following our theme - I Spy Shades of Autumn.

A few things to remember:

• You may share up to 5 different projects
• You may combine with as many other challenges as you like to
• No fully digital projects please
• Please include a link back to this blog
• Challenge ends Sunday November 12th
• Backlinking to a recent project is allowed

PS: I am planning a Year in Review hop again at the end of the year  and looking for co-hosts. I shared more info in this post, if anyone is interested :)

Flowers and Some Texture

Hello everyone, it's time already for a new theme at Allsorts challenge with Lorraine hosting this week and her optional theme is "add texture". There are many ways to do this so hopefully you will join us but if the theme isn't for you then you can still choose the Anything Goes option for your chance to win! As a reminder our prizes for October come from: Stamp Addicts, Oakwood, Highlight Crafts, Ruth Hamilton Dedsign, AALL and Create and Craft Stash. We will have weekly winners but all announced on the last Friday of the month.

So.. last month I had ordered stamps directly from Aall and Create (because of a hard to resist sale!!!) but in an effort to avoid custom fees I had them shipped to my dad's address in Germany. Well, as their sale had gotten even better (more of what was on my wish list marked down) I decided to order again and that time I risked having to pay customs and had the order sent directly to me in the US. I was thrilled when the package was sitting on my door step, no extra cost and I could play with them right away while my other order is still in Germany LOL (my brother will send them with a holiday package soon). I don't know if I was just lucky or if the order amount made a difference that I didn't have to pay any custom fees. (It was just under US $100). Anyway, as I type this, their sale is still going on... in case anyone is intested. 

So, for today's card I used one of my new to me stamps from Aall and Create, set #978 - Hexapetalistic by Tracy Evans. 

To start out I inked the card stock using Peacock Feathers Distress ink and stamped my image directly on the card stock. Then I used a Lavinia stencil and texture paste to follow our optional theme. I stamped the image again on a separate piece of card stock, colored and fussy cut around the circle and flowers. A little more stamping on the background using another stamp from the same set. And I used a sentiment from the same set.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>Fall into Autumn Sale at Scrapbook.com/Ad

I plan on sharing with these challenges:

• Alphabet Challenge - N for Nature
• My Time to Craft - In the Garden
• Crazy is our fame - STENCILS are our game! - Stencils
• Creative Inspirations Challenge - AG
• Creative Knockouts - Die cuts, Stencils or Punches (I used a stencil)
• Addicted to Stamps and More - Dies or Stencils
• Dream Valley Challenges - anything but birthdays

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!

By the way, in case you missed it... I started the linky tool for the Year in Review hop taking place at the end of the year. 

I copied the info from the other post in case you are interested:

Papercrafters' Year in Review 2023 Hop Sign Up

Before I let you go, I wanted to mention that I am once again planning the "Year a Review" hop where we will feature our favorite creations of the year and looking for a few co-hosts. As always, you may choose how many project you will feature. It could be a top 5 or top 10. Maybe you have just one you are especially fond of having created. I usually go with a favorite of each month to make the choice easier. 

Details:

• Create a blog post featuring YOUR OWN favorite creations of 2023 to be scheduled on your blogs for Friday December 29th 6am CST (12 noon UK time)
• I will provide the html code for the linky tool to each person signing up as a co-host. It would be great if you included this in your post on your own blogs but not neccessary as long as you post a list of each participant.
• Your blog followers are welcome to link up their own favorites during that time period should they decided to create their own "year in review" posts. The linky tool will be open for one week.
• You must have a blog to participate.
• This will be a blog hop, so please plan on visiting and commenting on each participant's "Year in Review 2023" post when time allows during hop week.
• This sign up is for any paper crafter with a blog. You don't have to have a papercraft only blog - as long as you have some favorite handmade cards to share in your review post you are welcome to sign up. 
• Optional: You are welcome to offer a small prize to a winner selected from those who commented on your post (including other co-hosts) but that is totally up to you and it is absolutely not needed to offer a prize in order to be a co-host. 
• The blog hop will run for one week (December 29th - January 4th)
• To get an idea of how it works you can click here to see last year's hop.

I will close the sign-up linky tool on December 9th (may close sooner if enough sign up before that date), then I will message everyone with the hop list by December 15th so everyone will have plenty of time to prepare their posts even before Christmas should you want to work ahead on it.