The Lookout

This lovely Penny Black stamp was a Christmas present from my Sister and its the first time it's seen ink. Stamped with Memento ink and coloured with pro markers, I'm more at home with pencils or water colours but was quite pleased at how it turned out.  The brickwork is an old Sizzix folder but I'd had it so long I couldn't work out what "sandwich" to use, tried on Cuttlebug and Big Shot and gave up, went to put the folder back in the box and staring me in the face was a piece of card on which I had written what to use DUH! no good being efficient if you forget where you have put the useful information.  I'd like to enter my card into

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Anything goes 

and

Cardz4galz -Furry Friends

Twinkle, Twinkle

This month at Sparkles Christmas it is my turn to choose the challenge theme and I'm asking for Twinkle, Twinkle Stars.  Now I had made a totally different card for my DT card but I just could not get a decent picture of it as it was mostly gold and sparkly, just looked like a dirty grey colour! So I have made this card instead, all stamps from Stampin Up Star of Light set. I made a lot of cards last Christmas with this set and I'm still totally loving these stamps. Hope to see you joining in at our challenge.

Woops! late posting this ,forgot to set the time on the schedule buttons, better late than never as the saying goes. I'd also like to enter my card in these two challenges

The Merry Christmas Challenge - Anything goes
and
Watercooler Challenges - All about Christmas

Rudolph Day Robins

Got a blizzard outside right now, can hardly see across the road, think the Beast From The East is here ! We have had overnight snow and small flurries of snow on and off all day but this ones a real white out.  Not many days for the Rudolph challenge this month with February being such a short month. For my card I have used this Robin stamp which I have had for a few years and never made a card with it as I find the robins so hard to colour. This is my third attempt this time and its not wonderful! I finally settled on using watercolour pencils but the robins looked a bit pink so I went over them and the berries with festive berries distress ink. I'd also like to enter my card into

The Holly and Ivy Christmas challenge - anything goes

Beginning with B

I have been playing about instead of getting on with making all the Birthday cards I need for next month. I've been in a colouring mood so have been colouring up a few stamped images sitting in a folder waiting to be made into something. I see that Allsorts challenge this week is for "Something beginning with B" so I'd like to enter my card into their challenge.  My card has quite a few B's. Bicycle, basket, Blue, Blooms, Birds and birthday.

Allsorts challenge -I Spy something beginning with B
and
Cardz4galz challenge - Stamping

Vintage

Time for a new challenge at Try It On Tuesday and this time we want to see your vintage creations. For my card I started with a Distress Oxide inked base, added some torn patterned tissue and a bit of random stamping, doily die cut, lace, ribbon and some old stickers. The main image is a very old StampinUp stamp, one I have used a lot over the years. 

50th Wedding Anniversary

I've struggled at get a half decent picture of this card, of course I should have known that gold is very hard to get a decent photo of, especially taken in very poor light but this is the best of a poor job !  I have made this card for my Brother and his wife, it's not until next month but I'm trying to get ahead with family cards. Most unusually for me, there is not a stamp in sight, Spellbinders heart die and Appleblossom numbers, no idea where the corner die or the wording dies came from and the little hearts are a punch. Recently I have been taking smaller dies out of their packaging and putting them into DVD size cases on magnetic sheet,can get quite a few in one case, much easier to find and less likely to get lost amongst the debris I always seem to create when I'm making something !

I'd like to enter these challenges

Crafty Card  Makers- Love and Romance

                                                Use Your Stuff - Love is all around

                                                Die Cut Divas - Love

One for the girls

I have been browsing the Paper Playful challenge site looking for a challenge to inspire me to make something but everything is either Any Thing Goes or Valentines/hearts etc but then I spotted

Fashionable Stamping Challenge - One for the girls.

I had already stamped and coloured a few of the Fun Time Girls so it was just a case of die cutting a  stitched square round one of the images and a bit of mounting and layering.The sentiment is from a Woodware Wine Stamp set.  This card will be going to one of our Grandsons girlfriend for her birthday next month. Now I am not saying she drinks a lot but on every picture she posts on facebook she has a glass of wine in her hand . Love her to bits tho !  Seeing the awful helicopter crash in the Grand Canyon shook me up as its only just over two weeks since Grandson and her were celebrating his 30th birthday with a helicopter ride down the Grand Canyon. 

Fun Time girl

I got this Penny Black Fun Time stamp as a Christmas present and it's the first time I've used it, there are actually two ladies on the stamp but I chose to just use one of them. I've made this card for one of our daughter in laws , she never looks any older but won't share her secret with me LOL. I wanted to keep the card fairly simple so just added the sentiment and cocktail glass, both freebies, and a few sequins. I'd like to enter these challenges

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Anything Goes

and

Watercooler Challenges - Feminine -anything goes

and a second card

This card is for Butterflyspot Challenge which has a choice of colours and elements,

I have used Cornflower Blue

Checks

and Scarlet (on the butterfly)

Love is in the air

The new challenge at Try It On Tuesday is "Love is in the air" Pondered a while on this one as I don't do valentines, thought about an anniversary card but while I was looking through various stamps I came across this little Banksy Girl stamp by Inkylicious.  I just tapped some red and blue brusho onto a piece of crd stock and spritzed with water, stamped the little girl with Versafine ink and her heart balloon in red, found a teeny tiny with love stamp and then stamped the Indigo Blue wording (one of my favourites),  Very simple but I was happy with how it turned out. Hope to see you joining in our challenge.

Botanicals

This month at Stamping Sensations we want you to dig out your flowers stamps and show us your botanical creations.  We are sponsored this month by Bee Crafty, check out their store. As always we are a stamping challenge and we must see stamping as the FOCAL point of your entry, a small added sentiment is not enough to make your entry be considered for the prize!.  For my card I have used a favourite Penny Black stamp called Botanical notes, coloured using my Polychromo pencils. The background paper is coloured with DI Fossilised Amber and over stamped in the same colour with a small rose stamp.

Happy Birthday card

Well when I've finally got over all the virus/coughs that have been ongoing since before Christmas and I finally feel like doing a bit of crafting I find I have so many family birthdays this month and next I am having to try and get ahead of the game, most of the birthdays are for men/boys and although I am happy enough making mens cards I will be glad when I have them finished and I can just play with new stamps and stuff.  This card is for one of my adult stepsons and it's quite a CAS style for me. The car stamp is from Amy Design vintage vehicles set and the sentiment is Penny Black. I'd like to enter my card into a couple of challenges

Alphabet Challenge - Wheels
and
Always Happy Birthday Challenge - CAS birthday

Fun in the snow

Time for a new challenge at Sparkles Christmas and this time Cheryl has chosen the theme

Outdoor Fun.  I was a bit stumped with this one until I remembered I had some old Lili of The Valley stamps and this one was amongst them.  I've used up more snippets of Christmas papers, these were LOV too and I've hoarded every scrap ! Coloured the image with pro markers and cut it out with a stitched oval mounted onto a floral oval die cut.  I think the fancy die cut at the bottom is a Sue Wilson but it is one that belongs to a friend so I'm not sure, the snowflake is a Sue Wilson one and I've just added a bit of glamour dust sparkle. Hope to see you on our challenge.

All at sea

Couldn't get a very good pic of this, its not quite as dark as it looks on here. Its my husband's birthday card. He likes all things nautical so think he will like this. He never looks on my blog or at any of my craft stuff so safe to post it on here. The stamps are Stampin Up and the DP and die cut are both freebies from a magazine. I'd like to enter my card into

 My Time to Craft Challenge which is Transport

I

Rudolph Day is here again !

A whole month since we were celebrating Christmas and here I am starting on Christmas cards again. It's time for Rudolph Day Challenge once again, many thanks to Maureen for running this challenge that gets us making a head start on our cards.  My card is made entirely from bits and pieces left over from earlier card making. I have two boxes, one with Christmas die cuts and the other with stamped images and off cuts of paper etc, everything left over from my card making marathons gets swept into these boxes, this year I am intending on trying to get them used up! The Lily Of The Valley snowman was already stamped and coloured on a stitched square, mounted on a fleur des lis square die cut from a scrap of glitter card, the die cuts were in the box and the DP was also a left over piece. I feel quite virtuous when I've used up scraps ! As well as Rudolph Day I'd like to enter my card into

The Merry Christmas Challenge  - Anything goes / option of ornaments

 and

The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge - Anything goes

Pixies Playground - I've used loads of snippets

Fire and Ice

The new challenge this week at Try It On Tuesday is Fire and Ice, use either or both.

My card was inspired by the fabulous sunsets we see at the rear of our house, over the beautiful views we have for now.  I've used Penny Black Restful stamp for the main image, the rabbits and birds are Inkylicious and the snowman is Lyndsey Mason designs. All colouring done with pan pastels, added chunky glitter and white pen snow on the branches