Handmade Backgrounds at Allsorts Challenge

Hello everyone, today is the start of a new Allsorts challenge and Donna is hosting. Her optional theme is "Make your Own Background" and our prize is a set of 4 background stamps from AALL and Create. There are lots of great ways to make your own background but if that's not a challenge for you then the Anything Goes option is always there too!

Here is what I made:

I decided to get out my gelli plate for today's card and brayered Chipped Sapphire ink onto it. Next I placed AALL & Create's Crisp Tulips stencil onto the gel plate and went over it again with the brayer (I have this one). Then I took the print. The stamps on the background are by Tracy Evans Magnolia TE43 (available here and here in the US or directlty from Tracy Evans' shop in the UK.) I used Chipped Sapphire and Saltwater Taffy Distress ink/Oxide ink. The birds are from another one of Tracy Evans sets Myriad of Designs. The script stamped onto the background is part of the same Magnolia set and I used Versafine Clair Twilight ink for stamping the words. I wanted to add stitching but didn't want to mess with the sewing machine so I chose a retired stitching stamp from Whimsy Stamps instead for some cross-stitching. 

I had a negative circle mask out on my desk and decided to use that too for an additional interest and finally flicked some diluted Chipped Sapphire ink onto the card before adding the coral layer and card base.

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 with these challenges:

• Cardz 4 Galz - Pink Flowers (I hope coral pink is ok?)
• Simon Says Stamp - AG
• TIME OUT Challenges - A Favorite Cardmaking Technique (Love adding script and splatter to backgrounds)
• Try It On Tuesday - Add Some Text
• We Love 2 Create - Anything Creative

Below is a peek at the prize. You have about 2 weeks to join us!

Krafty Penguins

Hello everyone, I actually ended up in my craft room working on design team cards and I ended up making an extra card so I decided to share it today. 

I started out with a square piece of kraft cardstock from Michaels. Love that it comes in heavy weight for card bases and lighter weight for card fronts. I used the negative of a circle mask and moonlight white Brilliance ink pad to ink up the circle and snowbanks for the scene. Stamps are all by Tracy Evans and they are all part of one set: Winter Delights available at Simon Says Stamp or Topflight Stamps  in the US, or directly from Tracy Evans shop if you live overseas. 

I used a white Posca pen for some "snow flurries" and added glitter to the trees and snow. Since the kraft card front was very CAS I decided to use my scoring tool around the edges.

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 would like to share my card with these challenges:

• Cardz 4 Guyz - Epic Adventure
• Little Red Wagon - Neutral Colors
• Simon Says Stamp - AG
• The Paper Funday - AG
• TIME OUT Challenges - Favorite Cardmaking Technique (stamping scenes)

 

Hope you stay warm! It's getting a bit better over here, finally not below -20 degrees (celsius). It's still below freezing but I'll take it :) 

I Spy With My Little Eye...........New Beginnings (Challenge No. 33)

Hello everyone and welcome to a new I spy with my little eye challenge, the first one of the New Year taking place right here on my blog. Pauline and I are back with a new theme and we hope you will join us! As most of you know, we took a little break from hosting the challenge during December and instead I decided to hold the yearly "Year in Review" in its place. Many thanks to those of you who also shared their own year in review, I'm always curious to see what your favorites were and enjoyed visiting your blogs! Speaking of favorites, our Top Two from the last challenge (the one that started way back at the end of November) are listed at the end of the post, both invited to join us in the next challenge, so be sure to scroll down.

This time it was Pauline's turn to selecte a theme and it is:

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

New Beginnings.

How about New Year, New Home, New Baby, New stash, New Techniques, a New Season…. There are lots of possibilities and you have plenty of time to join us! Maybe this challenge will help you along if you have a lack of mojo like some of us seem to have in this new year.

My card (Ellie)

(All details are right below the card.)

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 couple of months ago I purchased a box full of mixed stamps, I couldn't really tell what was all in the box but I did noticed a few Penny Black stamps and the price was right. While several of 

the stamps were donated I did keep quite a few of them too and this one by Art Impressions was one of them. My stamp is wood mounted but I found the unmounted cling version on Etsy. And apparantly there is a whole line of stamps by Art Impressions called "Windows to the World" that are just like this one and there is a shadow box window die to go with these stamps... maybe something I need?? Probably not...

I thought it would work well for a new couple and their new home. It's really those swans that make me love this stamp and the whole scene is just charming. I used Faber Castell Polychromos pencils for  coloring and added a touch of glitter to the flower centers. The kraft script paper came from a prize I won from DL.Art challenge some time ago, sentiment I think is by Whimsy Stamps, but a real oldie.

I plan to share the above card here:

• DL.Art Linky Challenge - AG
• Retro Rubber Challenge - AG (I don't know the exact age but I can image it's at least 10 years old!)
• Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Things with Wings (Swans)
• Sweet Stampin - Bright and Beautiful
• We Love Stamping - Something New (New Home, New to me stamp)

Pauline's Card

Such beautiful elements and gorgeous colors! Please visit Pauline's blog to find out how it's made.

We're so excited to have not one but two Guest Designers joining us this time and they are Helen B. and CarolG. Thanks for being our guest designers!! Their beautiful creations are below.

Carol

So very cute!! Please visit Carol's blog to find out how she made this card.

Helen

How sweet is this??!! Please visit Helen's blog to find out how she made this adorable card!

Top Picks from Challenge No. 32

Thank you all again for joining us in the last challenge where we were looking for something festive for Christmas. There were lots of beautiful creations and as always it wasn't easy to select favorites, but we finally managed.

No. 11 Crafticarrie (Ellie's Pick)

No. 50 Chris (Pauline's Pick)

Congratulations to both of you on your well deserved recognition! Your Top Pick logo is below.

Remember, you are both invited to join us as guest designers for the next challenge starting February 18th. If you would like to be a guest designer please message me (Ellie) at ellibellescorner at gmail dot com so I can give you all the details. Of course, this is not a requirement but would love to have you joining us if you like to :)

To play along in the new challenge please use the linky tool below.

A few things to remember:

(Complete list of guidelines and copyright info can be found here.)

• You may share up to 5 different projects.
• You may combine with as many other challenges as you like to.
• A short mention of products used whenever possible is expected, especially the focal point.
• New: While you are free to link up your creations using pre-colored digital art (AI generated, digital pre-colored toppers/images, digital papers etc.), they will be excluded from top picks. 
• Please include a link back to this blog.
• Back-linking to a recent project is allowed.
• Linkup closes on Sunday, February 15th at 11:59pm CST

A Little Bird Told Me....

Hello everyone, it's my turn to host at Allsorts challenge this time around and my theme is For Boys or Men. Of course the Anything Goes option is there too and I hope you can join us. We have prizes from  Sweet Poppy. 

I came across this fun stamp with sentiment by Penny Black (40-327 "A little bird") on eBay a few months ago and the price was just right so I clicked the "Buy  It Now" button :) This is my first time using it. I think it's perfect for masculine cards and of course for any cat lover. I'm a bird lover too but do find this funny as long as this wouldn't happen in real life!!

I stamped on Bristol Vellum paper and colored with my Derwent Inktense pencils. On the background I used a "speckled" stencil from this Tim Holtz set. On the bottom portion I used a birthday background stamp from My Favorite Things (retired) and inked with gray ink. I did stamp the image onto a post it note to make a mask to use when I inked the floor. My sewing machine is still closeby so I stitched around the edges. 

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 with these challenges:

• Ally's Angels - AG
• C.R.A.F.T. - AG
• Crafty Animals - AG with Animals
• Crazy is our fame - STENCILS are our game! - Stencils and opt. Four Legged Friends (I used a "speckled" stencil on background)
• Creative Inspirations Challenge - AG
• Critter Crazy Challenges - AG with a Critter
• Double D - Birthday
• FarmQuest Home Challenge Blog - Anything Home Related (a cute lovable kitty being up to no good is part of many homes)
• Paper Rock Scissors - Papers and/or scissors. All layers are paper and I used scissors to cut out the image from a post it note to use as mask.
• Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Use PB Stamps
• The Paper Funday - AG

Thanks so much for visiting!