Feminine in Pink and Mint

Did you get a chance yet to join us at the Penny Black and More challenge? If not, then you're in luck, there is still plenty of time to make something for our "Make it Feminine" theme and be entered into the prize drawing! Some great prizes are up for grabs!!

Penny Black Patisserie // Penny Black Sprinkles and Smiles // Versafine Onyx Ink // Clear Embossing Powder // Zig Clean Color Markers // Penny Black Stencil Hypnotic // Echo Park  Glamour Stripes Stencil // Distress Inks: Broken China, Weathered Wood // Bristol Vellum Paper

I'm sure I said this before ...I love the sketchy style of these feminine Penny Black stamps! For this card I used the Penny Black stamps Patisserie and Sprinkles and Smiles for the sentiment.  To make my card, I first heat embossed the girl, then stamped the presents separately on a post it note, fussy cut and used as a mask to cover up that part of the image. I then stamped the cafe on the top right corner. Removed mask and then everything was colored with myZig Clean Color Markers and a Zig Detailer Brush. I did some stencilling, and since I didn't really care much for the way the bricks stenciled design turned out, I decided to stamp the sentiment onto an extra piece of card stock to add to the card so I wouldn't have to see much of the bricks :-)   I finished the card off by adding a pink button and some May Arts natural jute twine and mountned on to Stampin Up's Rose Red card base.



I am also entering my card here:
Incy Wincy Designs - Sweet and Sassy
As You Like It Challenge - Favorite: Girl or Boy & Why  - Girl cards for me - it's just more fun to play with girly embellishments and colors :)
A Gem of a Challenge - For Girls
Crafting with Dragonflies - Anything Goes
Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Anything Goes with PB or sketch
Dragonfly Dreams - Anything Goes
heARTful Stamping Challenge  - Anything Goes
Pile It On - Think Big (Big pile of gift boxes)
Crafting from the Heart -  Anything Goes

Dream Valley Challenges -  GIRLIE 

Thanks so much for stopping by! I'll be back again tomorrow with two new cards using more of Hero Arts "My Monthly Hero" stamp kit.


Some affiliated links were used, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the links, at no additional cost to you. Thanks so much for your support!

Allsorts 485: Create a Scene

It's time for  a new challenge at Allsorts, and this week it is  my turn to host. I love cards with scenes (although they are a little challenging for me), and so I selected the theme of .............

  Create a scene.

I think this is the perfect opportunity to use silhouette stamps, but you may create your scene any way you like, maybe with dies or masking, and of course any type of stamps! Come play along with us for a chance to win a gift certificate from Swedish House Crafts.

This was an opportunity for me to ink up the rest of my new Lavinia stamps. And now that I have used all but a tiny castle from my first Lavinia stamps order, I feel like I am allowed to purchase more of these beautiful stamps :)  I always feel bad when I buy new stamps while I still have several that haven't been inked yet!

Three Dancing Fairies // Witches Cat // Miniature Slender Mushrooms // Miniature Stars // Penny Black Enamor // Penny Black Nature's Gifts // Stampers Anonymous Rays Stencil //  Distress Ink Broken China // Distress Ink Shabby Shutters // Versafine Onyx Ink // Tonic Stamp Platform // Stickles Glitter

I created the background by using homemade masks and distress inks on  Bristol Vellum Paper. The cat, fairies, fairy dust and mushrooms are all stamps by Lavinia, and the puffy flowers and grass are stamps by Penny Black (sets Enamor and Nature's Gifts). The rays were done with a rays stencil by Stampers Anonymous. I applied some stardust Stickles Glitter to the fairy dust and fairy wings to give the card a little sparkle. 

I am also sharing my card here:

Always Fun Challenges - Create a Scene

Paper Minutes - Feet (kitty paws and fairy feet)

Tuesday Throwdown - One Layer

Star Stampz Challenge - Things With Wings and/or Tails 

Little Red Wagon - Bling It On  (bling in form of glitter)

Sunny Day Crafting -  Any Animals Always

Brown Sugar - All Creatures Great and Small

Crafty Catz -  Anything Goes 

Pattie's Creations -  Fairytale/Fantasy

Dragonfly Dreams -  Anything Goes

heARTful Stamping Challenge -  Anything Goes 

Pile It On -  Think Big (big cat as compared to the fairies on my card)

We Love 2 Create  - Anything Creative/Mixed Media Goes *

If You Gave A Crafter A Cookie... - Anything Goes 

Crafting With An Attitude - Anything Goes
Little Miss Muffet Challenges  - Always Anything Goes
Crafty Creations  - Always Anything Goes 
Creative Moments  - Always Anything Goes 
2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Anything Goes with a Critter
Crafty Animals  - Always Anything Goes
Pause Dream Enjoy  - Any Cards

Thank you so much for visiting!

Some affiliated links were used, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the links, at no additional cost to you.

A New Stamp Kit

So I recently decided to subscribe to the Hero Arts "My Monthly Hero" stamp kit. It's my first time ever subscribing to a stamp kit and my September kit arrived this weekend! I wasn't sure what the kit would look like when I subscribed, but I thought it might be fall themed and I have to say I am LOVING it!

This is what the September kit looks like.

Aren't the stamps just beautiful!! And I'm loving the leafy oval die!

I spent some time this weekend playing with my new goodies, and here are 2 cards I made so far.

The first one uses only stamps from this kit.

Hero Arts MMH September Kit // Fabriano Pre-Folded Watercolor Paper // Versafine Onyx Ink // Ranger Clear Embossing Powder // Ranger White Embossing Powder // Versamark Ink // Tumbled Glass Distress Ink // Black Card Stock by Stampin Up // Piercing Kit by Stampin Up (retired)

I first heat embossed the vase using my Versafine Onyx ink pad and clear embossing powder. Then I stamped and heat embossed the floral stem from the Hero Arts September kit (with a post it note covering the vase).  I used the Daniel Smith watercolors and the little brushes that came with the kit to paint the image.  I wanted to add a little color to the background, so I cut out the shape of the floral branch and vase using the dies from the kit and I placed them over the image as a mask.

I splashed some Tumbled Glass Distress Ink onto the background by making a little puddle on my craft mat using the ink spritzed with water and then patted the card stock onto the mat. 

The sentiment is part of the stamp kit, this time I used Versamark Ink and white embossing powder for stamping and heat embossing on black card stock. Stamped, colored and cut out the leave and added it to the card with a glue dot. The paper piercing was done with an old piercing kit by Stampin Up. 

I am sharing this card here:

Little Red Wagon - CAS or One Layer

Simon Says Wednesday - Stamp on it

 If You Gave A Crafter A Cookie... - ATGoes this time

CAS on Friday –  Flowers 

Crafty Catz -  ATGoes or Add a Butterfly

Crafty Friends Challenge - embossing (wet or dry)

Dragonfly Dreams - Anything Goes

heARTful Stamping Challenge - Anything Goes

Crafter's Castle - Anything Goes + option: Fall

Di's Digis Designs - Happy Fall Y'All

Creative Fingers - Anything Goes 

A Bit More Time to Craft  - Anything Goes

Fabrika Fantasy - Autumn

The Creative Crafters - Anything Goes 

For my next card I only used the leafy oval frame from the My Monthly Hero stamp kit.  Love how it frames my cute Penny Black. 

Penny Black Sweet You // Hero Arts MMH September Kit // Distress Inks: Spiced Marmalade, Rusty Hinge, Aged Mahogany //  Bristol Vellum Paper // Versafine Onyx Ink // Ranger Clear Embossing Powder //  Zig Clean Color Markers //  Zig Detailer Brush //  Scotch ATG Glue Gun

I started out by die cutting the leafy oval shape from September Hero Arts kit with my Big Shot machine on white card stock. I then used some distress inks to ink up the die cut (Spiced Marmalade, Rusty Hinge and Aged Mahogany were used). The cute image from the Penny Black set Sweet You and was stamped on Bristol Vellum Paper. I used a mix of Daniel Smith colors from the  September kit and a couple of Zig Clean Color Markers  for the skin tones. Would you believe I forgot (again!) to color the quills part of the hedgehog - I usually leave his tummy white - and just now as I type this I am noticing. Guess I can always color them later :-)

The bottom portion of the image panel was inked with shabby shutters distress ink to give it some color. Layered the leafy oval die cut over the image panel, then added the sentiment which is part of the stamp kit. A little May Arts jute twine finish off the card. 

I am sharing this card here:

Stinkin' Inkers - Leaves are Falling

Paper Shelter Challenge - Make it Bloom

Sunny Day Crafting - Any Animals Always

Cute Card Thursday - Anything Goes

Alphabet Challenge -  L is for Leaves (3rd entry)

Brown Sugar –  All Creatures Great and Small

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Anything Goes with PB

Send a Smile for Kids -Kids Halloween or ATG for Kids

2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Anything Goes with a Critter

A Perfect Time To Craft - Always Anything Goes

Crafty Animals - Always Anything Goes

Die Cut Divas - Yellow

Crafting With An Attitude - Always Anything Goes
Cutie Pie Challenge - Shades of Autumn

Below is a little more info in case anyone is interested in this kit. The September kit is now available for purchase while supplies last. 

If  you'd like to sign up for a subscription box and receive a kit monthly, your subscrition will start with the October kit (last year's October kit was Christmas themed!) But there is no way knowing yet what the October stamp kit this year will look like!

There are options for monthly subscrition, 3-months or 6 months subscriptions. I am signed up for the monthly subscription,  with this option you can cancel anytime before the 15th of the month if you no longer want to receive the kit, otherwise the kit will auto ship at release time. At this time you will have the the option of adding any additional stamps from that month's release and everything ships free with the kit (within the US). 

There were some beautiful additional sets released this month, but I didn't get any extras. Hero Arts does ship their kits an add-ons internationally as well, but shipping charges apply. 

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you're having a fabulous day! I woke up with neck pain today so I need to get my heating pad out. And hopefully I'll get some relief before my Pilates class, can't skip that today - I skipped too many over the summer!

This post contains affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the links, at no additional cost to you. The kit featured today as well as all other products have been purchased by me at full price, and all opinions are my own. 

Allsorts 484: Bears

Good morning and happy Saturday! Hope your weekend is off to a great start! We've had A LOT of rain with flooding these last few days, funny how I had just mentioned a heat wave in my last post, but that's how quickly weather changes sometimes here in Illinois...it does look like we'll be back to sunshine and warm weather again next week :)

It's time for another fun theme at Allsorts challenge and this week Kath picked the theme of

"Bears - Any Type of Bears". 

It's been a while since I used a bear stamp, and had lots of fun looking through my stamps to pick the one I wanted to use for today. Did you know ... my very first stamp was actually a teddy bear stamp by PSX :-) And while I don't have that stamp anymore, I still have the first card I ever made with it, because I had made it for my husband many many years ago!


For today's card I used a rubber stamp by Lili of the Valley. Unfortunately this stamp is no longer available.

LOTV stamp (old, sorry no link) // Sweet Wishes by Penny Black // Avery Elle Wonky Stitches Die // Zig Clean Color Markers // Zig Detailer Brush // Bristol Vellum Paper // Versafine Onyx Ink // Clear Embossing Powder // Scotch ATG Glue Gun // Neenah Linen Cardstock

I heat embossed the image on Bristol Vellum Paper using Versafine Onyx Ink and clear embossing powder. Coloring was done with Zig Clean Color markers and my Zig Detailer brush. As you can see the card is CAS. I just added a small strip of patterned paper from my stash, heat embossed the image and finished off with a polka dotted bow. The card front was cut out using Avery Elle's Wonky Stitches Die and then mounted on a white Neenah Linen Cardstock base. The sentiment is from the Penny Black set  Sweet Wishes, also heat embossed.

A little close up ...

Isn't this bear the cutest!!! I don't know why stamp companies decide to retire things, especially when they are this cute, but I guess they need to make room for new things...although I feel like LOTV retired too many of their designs!!

I know my coloring is pretty simple, but as much as I enjoy sitting there and spending time coloring, I just don't have the time for a long coloring session which is the reason why I love these Zig markers. I'm pretty sure this image was colored in about 10 minutes or less.

We would LOVE for you to join us this week at Allsorts challenge! This week we have this cute stamp by Penny Black to give away to one very lucky participant!

My card also fits these challenges:
The Paper Girls

Stamping Sensations - Something beginning with "B" (Bear, Blossoms, Bow, Bird and Bricks)
Little Red Wagon - CAS or One Layer
Simon Says Wednesday - Stamp on it
Simon Says Stamp Monday - Stamp it On
Sisterhood of Crafters -  Blooming Flowers
Alphabet Challenge -  L is for Leaves
Brown Sugar – All Creatures Great and Small
Sunny Day Crafting  - Any Animal
Simply Create Too - Stitching: Real or Faux
CAS on Friday – Flowers
Crafting with Dragonflies - Spring has Sprung (little bear just woke up from a long winter's nap :)
Send a Smile for Kids - Anything Goes for Kids 
Cute Card Thursday - Anything Goes
 If You Gave A Crafter A Cookie... - Anything Goes this time 
Crafty Catz -  Anything Goes 
Dragonfly Dreams - Anything Goes

I am linking to some of the products I used today available at Amazon.com for those of you interested. Please note these are affiliated links, meaning I may earn a small commision if you purchase something through the links, at no additional cost to you!



Thank you so much for visiting!