Allsorts Challenge ~ 16th Birthday

A special Allsorts Challenge begins today for our 16th Birthday, with a simple theme of  'Anything Goes'.  As it's a special challenge, there are also prizes to be won by our US entrants.

I used an AALL & Create #928 'Flower Press' stamp, stamped with Memento 'Tuxedo Black' and coloured with Promarkers.  The image was die cut with a Sizzix 'Stitched Rectangles' die and I used a border die from the same set to die cut two pink strips.   The sentiment is a stamp from the Stampin' Up 'Best Year' set, stamped with Versafine Clair 'Nocturne'.  I added a few tiny pink pearls to finish off my card.

There are four prizes of products from AALL and Create.

 

and three prizes just for our US based entrants:

A $25 store voucher from Lawn Fawn

Three stamps from Colorado Craft Company

A $25 store voucher from Gina K Designs (Worldwide)

I am joining in the following challenges:

Fab 'n' Funky Challenge #617 ~ Add a sentiment

The Sisterhood of Crafters Challenge ~ Flowers

Passion For Markers Challenge ~ Anything Goes

Beautiful Blossoms Challenge #29 ~ Anything Florals Goes 

The Flower Challenge #102 ~ Add Spots or Stripes

AAA Birthday Challenge - Game #73 ~ Anything Birthday Goes

Lupin

While we were on holiday with friends last week, we had two hares visit us every morning and we enjoyed watching them playing in the field outside our accommodation while we were eating our breakfast.  I wanted to send a thank you card to the couple who found the amazing house we stayed in and this image was the perfect one to use.

I stamped a Lavina Stamps 'Lupin' hare on a square of white card with Memento 'Rich Cocoa'.  I stamped a second image on a scrap of card to use as a mask.  After covering the original hare with the mask, I positioned a Card-io MajeMask 'Leaf', stencil over to top and lightly fill in the leaf aperture with 'Peeled Paint' Distress Ink.  Keeping the stencil in place I put a second stencil over the top, Lavinia Stamps 'Glory', and stencilled the pattern using the same ink pad.  The image was coloured with Promarkers and I added a little shadow to ground the hare.  The sentiment was a stamp from Stampin' Up 'Humming Along', stamped with Versafine Clair 'Acorn'. The stamp and the leaf stencil were used for the first time, so I'll be sharing my card over in the NBUS Challenge.

I am joining in the following challenges:

NBUS Challenge #74 ~ Use Never-Before-Used-Schtuff 

We Love Stamping May Challenge ~ Four Legged Friends

Stamping Sensations May Challenge ~ Anything Goes

May Stencil Fun Challenge ~ Anything with a Stencil Goes

Passion for Markers Week 789 ~ Special Anniversary Challenge - ATG

Badminton

I came home on Friday from a lovely week away with a group of friends, in a large self-catering house just outside Clovelly, North Devon. I'll add a few photos at the end of this post.

I made this card for a friend who celebrated her birthday just before we went away.  We both play badminton once a week with a few other friends, so this was the theme of my card.

 

The racket and shuttlecock are dies from Sweet Dixie 'Badminton' set. The shuttlecock is attached with foam pads to add some dimension.  I die cut two squares using dies from the Lisa Horton 'Stitched Scalloped Layered Squares' set and embossed the smaller square with a folder that look a bit like a badminton net.  I'm not sure of the brand as it is a preloved folder I bought a while ago and there is no brand name on the folder.  The sentiment and mat were die cut with two Sizzix dies.

I remembered to take a photo of the snippets I used, so I'll be joining in the challenge in the Snippets Playground.

I am joining in the following challenges:

Snippets Playground Challenge #506 ~ Use Snippets

NBUS Challenge #74 ~ Use Never-Before-Used-Schtuff (pre-loved embossing folder)

 Little Red Wagon Challenge # 807 - D is for Die Cut

Let's Craft and Create Challenge #219 ~ AG + No Patterned Paper

AAA Birthday Game #73 ~ Anything Birthday Goes

If you've read this far, here are a few photos taken last week.  Clovelly and Hartland Quay were both film locations for the 'The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society' film.

 

Clovelly

The dramatic coastline at Hartland Quay.

...... and finally, a photo of the dining room in our accommodation, what a fabulous wall!

Allsorts Challenge ~ Paper Piecing

A new Allsorts Challenge begins today and Lynne has chosen the theme 'Paper Piecing'.  I've paper pieced stamped images in the past, but decided to find a die that I could paper piece.

I used a Sweet Dixie 'Large Owl Applique Patchwork Square' die.  I used the die with brown card and put blue card behind the central square to make the owl stand out.  I then layered the brown frame on a beige mat.  I used the die again with the patterned acorns and leaves paper from a very old paper pad, called 'Woodland Folk'.  To keep all the little pieces in the right place I used a square of  'PRESSN'SEAL' (which is like a slightly sticky thin plastic) over the die cut, before removing the paper from the die.   This keeps all the pieces in place until you need them and makes it easier to inlay all the little patterned papers in the right space.  I used snippets of orange, white and shades of brown with the die so I could inlay the spaces in the owl.  I die cut the leaves in green and laid them over the top of the brown leaves in the frame to add some dimension.

The prize this fortnight is a Personal Impressions £20 store voucher.

I wasn't sure if the card above looked too busy, so I made a second card using paper from The Range with a more subtle pattern.

This time I inlaid all the spaces around the owl so that everything was flat. After removing all the small patterned paper to inlay, I was left with a patterned paper frame. Rather than waste it.......

..... I attached it to a square card blank. I punched a couple of small circles in a darker shade of green and used them for the eyes.  So a really quick and easy card to finish.

Don't forget to put our next challenge in your diary.  As it's our 16th Birthday Celebrations there will be some amazing prizes to be won.

I am joining in the following challenges with the first card:

Love Those Pretty Papers May Challenge

Mix It Up Challenge #77 ~ Paper Piecing

Triple B May Challenge ~ Birds, Butterflies and Blooms

Dream Valley Challenge #336 ~ Things With Wings

Out of my comfort zone....

The Tag-along (and ATCs) Challenge started this month.  I've already made a tag, so I thought I'd have a go at making an ATC.  I usually make 7"x 5" or 6"x 6" cards, so it was a challenge to make something much smaller.

The ATC measures 3 1/2" x 2 1/2".  I covered a piece of card with a snippet of patterned paper from The Range and corner rounded the corners. I doodled a pattern around the edge using a dark green fineliner pen..... no idea why it looks blue in the photo!  The leaves and flowers are stamps from a Two Jays 'Funky Flowers' set, a recent purchase from a charity shop and they had their first outing.  I stamped the leaves on the ATC in Versafine Clair 'Rain Forest' and again on a snippet of green card. I fussy cut the leaves on the green card and paper pieced them on the ATC.  I stamped the flowers and centres with Versafine Clair 'Shady Lane, fussy cut them and glued onto the ATC.  The sentiment is a stamp from the Stampin' Up 'Best Year' set, stamped with 'Rain Forest'.  Three tiny yellow pearls finished off my card. 

I am joining in the following challenges:

Tag-along (and ATCs) May ~ Anything Goes

We Love Stamping May Challenge ~ Anything Goes

Stamping Sensations May Challenge ~ Feminine/Anything Goes

NBUS Challenge #74 ~ Use Never-Before-Used-Schtuff 

Crafty Catz Challenge #693 ~ Anything Goes with an option of May Flowers

Craft Rocket Challenge #693 ~ Flowers

A second make to share today, a card made for a 19 year old neighbour who completed the London Marathon recently for the first time.  The run was made even more difficult due to the unusually hot weather for this time of year.

I used a die and stamps from the Crafter's Companion 'Celebrate your success' set. The layered, punched stars are attached to the card with foam pads.

I added a piece of blue card behind on the inside to show through the 'CELEBRATE' when the card is closed.

I am joining in the following challenges:

Word Power May 2025 Challenge

Butterflies Galore

An easy fancy fold card today after watching a video on the Nifty Noodles Crafting Facebook page..... just one extra fold.

The patterned papers are from The Works and The Range.  I used Memory Box 'Pippi' and 'Isabella' dies to make the two butterflies.

There is a plain panel inside for the message.

I am joining in the following challenges:

Alphabet Challenge ~ B is for Butterflies - more than 2

Krafty Chicks Challenge #766 ~ Birthday

ATG Using Pretty Patterned Paper May 2025 Challenge

Triple B May Challenge ~ Birds, Butterflies and Blooms

Creative Moments May Challenge #270 ~ Patterned Paper

Crafty Calendar Challenge ~ For A Child

The May Crafty Calendar Challenge begins today with the theme 'For a Child'.

The image is an All Dressed Up digi stamp which I coloured with Promarkers using the colours of our local football team. I layered the image on a blue mat and raised it up on foam tape to add some dimension. The sentiment is part of the digi stamp.  The patterned papers are from Anna Marie Designs.

The Crafty Calendar Challenge ends on 28th May.  Please hop over to the challenge blog to see the beautiful creations the DT have made for inspiration.

There is a lovely prize of two stamps for the lucky randomly chosen winner.

I am joining in the following challenges:

Creative Knockouts Challenge #546 ~ For The Kids

Addicted to Stamps and More! Challenge #491 ~ Make Your Mark

Passion For Markers Week 786 ~ Birthdays

I Love Promarkers Challenge #582 ~ Anything Goes/Masculine

Frog Tag

A new challenge begins today, 'Tag-along (and ATCs) Challenge'.  Tags and ATCs are something I rarely make, so I'm looking forward to this challenge giving me the inspiration to step outside of my usual cardmaking. 

The basic tag is MFT 'Cross-Stitch Tag' die.  I have a few Marianne Designs cross stitch dies too and there are free design on their website.  I chose the frog on this download HERE.  I adapted it slightly to fit a rectangle rather than a square and I used crochet cotton for the stitching.  I layered the completed cross stitch tag on two mats.  The hole for the ribbon was part of the die cut, but I used a craft knife to cut a matching hole in the green and red mats.  A piece of ribbon with a stitched pattern finished off my tag.

I am joining in the following challenge:

Tag-along (and ATCs) May Challenge

Dream Valley Challenge # 335 ~ Our 4 Legged Friends

Dragonfly Dreams April Challenge ~ Animals

We Love to Create Challenge #5 ~ Anything Mixed Media Goes

Crafty Animals Challenge #94 ~ Anything Goes with an Animal

Christmas in April

This card didn't start off as a Christmas card.  I was making some invitation cards for our Big Lunch street party which is happening in a few weeks.   

The front was embossed with an old Sizzix embossing folder.  I made 18 of these cards and had the text ready to put on the plain panel on the front of the card.  I designed and printed the inserts in colour with all the details and a photo of last year's street party to perfectly fit a 6" x 4" card..... and then realised the card blanks weren't actually 6" x 4", but I think were the equivalent US size card. (Note to self..... always measure the card blanks to check the size).  As the inserts didn't fit, I decided to attach the printed inserts to a piece of coloured card and send out the invitations as a single layer card.

 

After thinking of what to do with all the half made cards, I made one of the cards into a Christmas card. 

I used a snippet of red card to cut a panel to cover the plain white part of the card. Using a Cheery Lynn 'Winter Neighborhood Border' with a snippet of white card, I cut it long enough to fit the red panel.  After trimming off the excess I glued the panel to the base card.  The matted sentiment was attached with foam pads to add some dimension.  As I still have 17 cards with the embossed front, I think I will batch make a few more Christmas cards like this as they will be quick and easy to complete.

I am joining in the following challenges:

Rudolph Days April Challenge

Snippets Playground Challenge #505 ~ Use Snippets

Inkspirational Challenge #340 ~ Seasonal (Winter)

C.R.A.F.T. Challenge #753 ~ Christmas

Cut it Up Challenge #328 ~ Starts with a "C" (Christmas)

The Holly and Ivy Challenge #183 ~ Anything Christmas Goes

 52 Christmas Card Throwdown April TechniqueChallenge ~ Embossing

Following the Christmas theme, yesterday I was able to use the Christmas present my daughter gave me last December.... a ticket to see the Torvill and Dean 'Our Last Dance' performance in Birmingham with her.  The show was amazing!

Allsorts Challenge ~ Inspired by a Song

A new Allsorts Challenge begins today and Sarah has chosen the theme 'Inspired by a Song'.  I chose the song 'Love Me for a Reason' by the Osmonds.  It was number one in the Official UK singles chart the day Alan and I were married, a really romantic song.  Just as well our wedding wasn't the day after, as the number that day was Kung Fu Fighting. 🤣  I decided to make an anniversary card for good friends of ours who celebrated their anniversary last weekend.

 

The card base was made with a set of  Made To Surprise 'Side Panel Showstopper' dies.  The patterned paper is from The Range.  I used a digi stamp from Bugaboo, which sadly is no long available.  The image was coloured with Promarkers.

The card folds flat for posting.

There are three lovely prizes of die sets from In2Craft to be won.

I am joining in the following challenges:

Creative Knockouts Challenge #545 ~ 2 or More Pattern papers

Alphabet Challenge ~  A is for Alphabet (A is for Anniversary)

Daisy Chain Challenge #95 ~ Not Square

Happy Birthday to my Hubby

It's my hubby's birthday today and this is the card I've made for him.

The card base was made with a Crafter's Companion 'Triple-Stepper' set of dies. Used plain navy card and patterned paper from a Dovecraft 'Blue Skies' paper pad.  I found some football peeloffs, stuck three of them on a snippet of white card and fussy cut them around the edge of the footballs.

I am joining in the following challenges:

Alphabet Challenge ~ A is for Alphabet (F is for Football and Fancy Fold)

Cut it Up Challenge #328 ~ Starts with a "C" (Circles)

Cardz 4 Guyz #370 ~ Fancy Fold

The Male Room Challenge #197 ~ Geometric