52 Christmas Card Throwdown - Guest Designer

Hi everyone, I was delighted to be invited to do a guest designer spot for 52 Christmas Card Throwdown challenge - I’m always behind with my Christmas makes so it is great to have a reason to get busy at the start of the year.

The 4th Saturday of January is a technique challenge, and this time it is

*** Easel Card***

There is lots of inspiration from the Design Team over on the challenge blog, so please do pop over to have a look and link up your entries here.

I hadn’t made an easel card for a very long time, so I decided to throw myself right into it and really ‘go retro’ with old and neglected stamps, designer papers, dies and even an embossing folder! Here it is. 

I created a 6” square easel base card using two pieces of Pink Frog 30cm x 15cm super smooth card, then cut 2 large stitched squares of snowflake designer paper and attached them to the base and the standing up part of the card base. I cut two rectangles of white card, embossed with a snowflake embossing folder, then lightly shaded with a pink/lilac ink. I attached 2 layers of ribbon to the wider embossed panel, matted onto silver glitter card and attached to the front of the card; then I wrapped one layer of ribbon round the narrower embossed panel,  matted onto silver glitter card as above, attached a sentiment panel heat embossed onto a die cut rectangle, and also attached a die cut snowflake border. This finished panel was attached to the card base to form a ledge to prop up the easel.

I die cut a smaller stitched square of stamping card, stamped the focal image and coloured using Zig pens and Spectrum sparkle pen with white Posca accents, then matted and attached to the card front with foam tape. I finished off by attaching a variety of die cut snowflakes in silver and white.

Stamps: LotV James and Snowman; Uniko Christmas Sentiments;

Media: Versafine Clair (Nocturne); Spectrum Nir Harmony dye ink (Pale Fig); Kuretake Zig Clean Color watercolour pens; Versamark; WOW Opaque White ultra fine embossing powder; Spectrum Noir sparkle pen (clear); Posca pen (white);

Papers: LotV Frozen Snowflakes; Pink Frog silver glitter card;

Tools: Hunky Dory Duo- Stitched square and rectangle dies; Memory Box Frostyville Border; various snowflake dies including Joy! crafts Winter Wishes, Whimsy Stamps Winter Jewel 1; Cuttlebug Snowflakes embossing folder.

Challenges I would like to enter:

12 Months of Christmas #130 - Anything Goes Christmas with option Snow People

ABC Christmas - A and B are for …

(B is for blue, bear)

Alphabet Challenge - T is for Texture

As You Like It - Favourite Occasion (and why)

(It just has to be Christmas … I love making Christmas cards!)

Can You Handle the Pressure? - Anything Goes with an embossing folder

Christmas Crafts All Year Round (January) - A and B

(B is for blue, bear)

C.R.A.F.T. #772 - Christmas

Crafty Animals #101 - Use an Animal

Crafty Gals’ Corner #273 - Anything Goes with option Snowman

Creative Aunts #109 - Snowmen and Glitter

Creative Creases #111 - Use a Fun Fold

Daisy Chain #103 - Use Dies

Four Seasons (January) - Winter (3rd entry)

Love Those Pretty Papers (January) - Anything Goes with paper + option Snowman

Make My Monday #269 - Use Paper with Pattern

Merry Little Christmas #66 - Anything Christmas Goes

Neglected Stuff (January) - Use Your Neglected Stash

(Pretty much EVERYTHING on this card is neglected stash!)

Outlawz Christmas (January) - Anything Christmas Goes

Peace On Earth #104 - Anything Goes Christmas with optional Mood Board

Pearly Sparkles #115 - Use Patterned Paper

{PIN}spirational #333 - Blue and Purple

Sparkles #196 - Snowflakes

Word Art Wednesday #736/737 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

I’d like to thank Andreja and the Design Team over at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown for inviting me to be a guest designer this time.

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

I Spy With My Little Eye #33

Hi everyone, after our little break during December, it’s already the third Wednesday of January so it’s time for the first  I Spy With My Little Eye... challenge of 2026 over at Ellibelle's Corner. Thanks so much to everyone who joined in last time with the November challenge - please do check over on Ellie’s blog to see if you are one of our top picks. 

I chose the challenge theme this month, and it is

I Spy With My Little Eye 

*** New Beginnings ***

So think new home, new baby or new job … or you could always go with new stash or a new crafting technique. We look forward to seeing your makes! Please don’t forget to pop over to Ellie's blog to see her fab creation and link up your entries here.

We are also restarting our monthly guest designer spots for 2026, and this month are delighted to be joined by Carol and Helen - please click on their names to visit their blogs and see their gorgeous cards.

Here’s my card for the challenge. It is also my first card of the year, as I haven’t done any crafting for the past three weeks for various reasons that I’ll touch on later. I don’t really have any need for new baby or new home cards, and I didn’t receive any new stamps for Christmas, so I decided to take this theme in a different direction. I love seeing snowdrops as we enter the New Year, as for me they really do symbolise regeneration and ‘new beginnings’. So that formed the basis of my design - here it is.

I die cut a stitched rectangle of white card and stamped the focal snowdrop, which is a beautiful retired stamp by Tracy Evans for AALL & Create. I then masked the flower with masking fluid, and created a smooshed background by dabbing Elements inks onto acetate and spritzing with water. I added some background text and grunge stamping, then inked through a harlequin stencil in one corner and heat embossed with white powder. I removed the masking fluid and coloured the snowdrop with Zig pens and Spectrum Noir sparkle pen, then added a heat embossed sentiment which was stamped onto a separate snippet of card, and two stamped birdies with a teeny heart gem. Finally I matted the panel onto a teal border and a 7” x 5” card blank.

Stamps: AALL & Create #623 Elegant Spring Florals, #648 Friendship Florals, #756 Miniatures; Tracy Evans Boutique Designs TE30 Garden Elements;

Media: Lavinia Elements inks (Blue Lagoon, Pine); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Morning Mist, Very Peri); Kuretake Zig Clean Color watercolour pens; Spectrum Noir Sparkle pen (clear); Versamark; WOW Opaque Ultra Fine white embossing powder;

Tools: Hunkydory Moonstone Duo-Stitched rectangle die; Darkroom Door small stencil - Diamonds.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Beautiful Blossoms #37 -  Anything Floral Goes

C.R.A.F.T. #771 - Anything Goes

Crafty Catz #705 - Anything Goes

Crazy Is Our Fame, Stencils are our Game (January) - Use a Stencil

Creative Inspirations (January) - Anything Goes

Dragonfly Dreams (January) - Floral

Everybody Art #592 - Anything Goes

Four Seasons (January) - Winter

Girlz Rebel #48 - Anything Goes

Heart’s Quest #81 - Anything Goes with a Heart

Moving Along With the Times #185 - Anything Goes

Papercraft #126 - Anything Goes

Path of Positivity #137 - Anything Goes Positive

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Emboss It

Triple B (January) - Birds, Blooms and/or Butterflies

Try It On Tuesday - Add Some Text

Word Art Wednesday #736/737 - Anything Goes

I have to say it’s been a bit of a difficult start to the year - problems always seem to come along in convoy like buses! I’ve been wrestling with one or two health niggles over the past few weeks, and since New Year we have been thrust into a domestic drama as our (only) bathroom shower stopped working: the solution isn’t remotely straightforward so is likely to result in a huge amount of expense, stress, inconvenience and mess! I think the stress of everything came together to create a perfect storm, as last week I started to feel unwell and ended up in A&E being checked over potential heart problems! Thankfully my symptoms weren’t down to that, but it seems that anxiety had got a grip of me! Now I’m trying to rest and hoping I’ll soon be feeling better.

The I Spy Challenge will end on the Sunday before the next challenge starts at 23:59 US Central Time - so this time that is Sunday February 15th, and the next challenge will begin on Wednesday February 18th.

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Happy New Year! 🎇🎆🥳🎉

Hi everyone, I’d like to start by wishing all my visitors a Happy New Year, and best wishes for a happy, healthy and peaceful 2026.

Back in October I won a prize in a crafting challenge, so I went back on an earlier decision and selected a new Lavinia calendar to decorate for 2026. I loved decorating my 2025 calendar but it took a huge amount of work, so I had decided not to go there again … but when I won this prize I couldn’t resist! Fairly predictably, what with the run up to Christmas, not being well and being away, I haven’t found much opportunity to get ahead with it. However I sat down at the weekend to make a page for January, so at least I would be able to turn the page to the current month! I am pretty sure life will quieten down a bit now so I am planning on getting further ahead with it, but in the meantime here is my January page. It is based on a Jo Rice design here but with a few changes.

I cut a piece of stamping card 19.5cm x 14.5cm, and stamped the Berry Branches and Fir Cone Branches using Pinecone Versafine Clair. I stamped the robins Bobby and Jemima, then added berries to the branches. I masked Bobby and Jemima and used a large circle mask for the moon, then blended Della Blue Elements ink to make the sky, which I spattered lightly with water to add texture. I coloured the branches, berries, pinecones and robins with Zig pens, and the robins’ bellies with fine strokes of white Posca pen. I added white Posca snow to the branches and accents to the cones and berries, then added sparkle to the pinecones and snow with Spectrum Noir sparkle pen. I highlighted the fir branches with a Sakura Stardust pen to make them look frosty, and also outlined the moon. Finally I added a stamped sentiment in blue, then attached the finished piece to my calendar.

Here’s a ‘sparkle’ picture.

Stamps: Lavinia Bobby, Jemima, Berry Branch, Fir Cone Branch, Let Your Spirit Take Flight;

Media: Lavinia Elements ink (Della Blue); Versafine Clair (Pinecone, Medieval Blue); Kuretake Zig Clean Color watercolour pens; Sakura Stardust pen (clear); Spectrum Noir sparkle pens (clear); Posca pen (white);

Tools: Lavinia acetate circle mask.

Challenges I would like to enter: 

Crafty Animals #101 - Include an Animal (or Bird)

Critter Crazy #196 - Anything Gies featuring a Critter

Four Seasons (January) - Winter

Girlz Creative Crafts #63 - Anything Goes

Girlz Rebel #47 - Anything Goes (3rd entry)

Lavinia Creative Challenge (January) - Frosty Dreams

Love to Craft #90 - Anything Goes

Outlawz Anything but a Card (January) - Anything but a Card

Shopping Our Stash #564 - Free Is Good

(2026 Lavinia calendar was a challenge prize)

Simon Says (Monday) - Sparkle and Shine (3rd entry)

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Add a Sentiment (2nd entry)

Word Art Wednesday #730/733 - Anything Goes (4th entry)

So it’s onward and upward for what will hopefully be another great year of crafting.

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

I Spy With My Little Eye … 2025 Crafty Year In Review 🔍

Hi everyone, as 2025 winds to a close our thoughts turn both to the year that has just gone, and the year ahead. Like many of us I have had a year of mixed fortunes, and I hope both for myself and for everyone a happy, healthy, peaceful and crafty 2026.

My bloggy friend Ellie is hosting a Crafty Year In Review on her blog instead of our usual monthly ‘I Spy With My Little Eye’ challenge, where she is sharing her favourite cards of 2025 and inviting everyone to share their own favourite makes. You could share your favourites by month, or a top 5 or top 10 - whatever works for you! 

Looking at Ellie’s beautiful collection of cards encouraged me to review my own, so here are my favourites from each month.

January

(original post here)

February

(original post here)

March

(original post here)

April

(original post here)

May

(original post here)

June

(original post here)

July

(original post here)

August

(original post here)

September

(original post here)

October

(original post here)

November

(original post here)

December

(original post here)

Just like last year, I found my favourites weren’t very evenly distributed throughout the year - for some months I struggled to find a favourite at all, whereas for others it was much easier! So just for good luck, I’d also like to add my ‘overall favourite’ of the year (original post here).

Like Ellie, I also looked back to see which of my cards received the most views during 2025, and it was this one (original post here).

I’m not sure why this one was so popular, but for a period of about a month during the summer my page views went absolutely crazy at several thousand per day, before settling back down to normal! I never found out why this happened!

Overall my crafty output has been very similar to last year, with publication of 104 cards (108 in 2024), 8 calendar pages (5 in 2024) and 2 bookmarks//tags (2 in 2024). This surprised me for a couple of reasons: firstly because I have taken up a few other social activities and hobbies this year (eg. Creative writing and running my local history discussion group) which have left me with less time for crafting; and also  because I have gone through periods, particularly at the start of the year, when I didn’t  enjoy crafting as much for a variety of reasons. The main area where I have been less productive is ATC’s - in 2024 I made 78, but only 9 this year. I think that partly reflects the increasing cost of postage, my reduced crafting time,  plus I just haven’t felt motivated to get involved in swaps when my mojo went on holiday. 

Anyhow, I am currently feeling quite motivated craft-wise as I won a 2026 Lavinia calendar, and due to the Christmas card rush I have scarcely started decorating it, so I have a fairly large project to keep me occupied after New Year! In fact I’ll be back tomorrow with my January page, starting the New Year as I mean to go on! 

Huge thanks to Ellie for organising this fun review … do pop over to her blog to see her fab makes, and to share your own review of the year here.

Take care, Happy New Year everyone and see you in 2026.

Hugs,

Merry Christmas Everyone! 🎄🎄

Hi everyone, I’m just popping by with a scheduled post to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. I hope you have a happy, joyful and peaceful time with loved ones, and find time to relax and have fun.

I know that Christmas can be a difficult time for some people, particularly if you or your loved ones are ill, if you have lost loved ones during the year, or if you do not have family and friends to spend the festive season with. If you are having difficult times I wish you all the best, and I hope you will be able to enjoy the season as much as possible for your circumstances, and that you will have better times ahead.

I will be spending Christmas quietly - just me and my husband  - but I hope to have an enjoyable time eating, drinking and relaxing while watching some festive TV! Here is the card I made for him - I always wait to publish it until he has opened it on Christmas morning!

I decided to make a variation on my Lavinia mega-project which I made a month ago during my DT stint on the Simon Says (Monday) challenge (here). I just had to use the adorable Pipspell and the fairy post box, though this time, in the interests of making a more masculine card, I didn’t include a fairy!

I cut a 7” square of white stamping card, stamped the focal Wishing Post post box, and then masked it. I added masks for the landscape and moon, then created the sky by blending Elements inks. With the masks still in place I stamped a variety of pine trees in 1st/2nd generation, then added snow drifts by blending ink using my hill masks. I stamped Pipspell, and opposite I stamped Basil holding the orb on a branch. I also stamped Tilly (or Tango?) dangling joyfully from the postbox - this is one of my favourite stamps as he/she always looks so joyfully abandoned when hanging upside down! 

I stamped some Starpine and Sugar Pine Cones in the top right corner, then coloured the Wishing Post, Pipspell, Pinecones and orbs with Zig pens. I added Wink of Stella to the orbs for sparkle, and also added it in flicking motions to the Starpine leaves. I added white Posca snow lines to the scene and topped them with Spectrum Noir sparkle pen for a more silvery sparkle. I cut out a teeny rectangle of card and drew on it with fineliner to represent a stamp and loving message on the front of an envelope, then popped it into Tilly’s paw.

 I matted the panel onto two shades of blue card stock and an 8” square card blank, then stamped the sentiments onto separate card,  coloured with Sakura Stardust pen, then edged with dark blue and attached. Finally I added Posca snowfall.

This is another very sparkly card which doesn’t show up on the photos! 

Stamps: Lavinia Wishing Post, Mailbox Names, Pipspell, Tilly and Tango, Basil and Bibi, Everlight 2, Small Pine Trees, Small Fairy Fir Tree 2, Christmas Tree Group, Starpine, Sugar Pine Cones, Winter Foliage, Christmas Greetings, Seasonal Words; Uniko Christmas Greetings (inside);

Media: Lavinia Elements inks (Pink Elephant, Della Blue, Dark Denim); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Pinecone, Rainforest, Shady Lane, Avocado, Medieval Blue); Kuretake Zig Clean Color watercolour pens; Wink of Stella (clear, gold); Spectrum Noir sparkle pen (clear); Sakura Stardust pen (clear); Posca pen (white);

Tools: Lavinia acetate circle mask and Mini Hill Masks.

Challenges I would like to enter:

12 Months of Christmas #129 - Anything Goes Christmas (5th entry)

52 Christmas Card Throwdown - Pick a Previous Theme Challenge (3rd entry) - HONOURABLE MENTION

(I picked December - Winter Scene)

613 Avenue Create (December) - Anything Goes with option Sparkle and Shine (4th entry)

Ally’s Angels #101 - Anything Goes

Cardz 4 Guyz #381 - Christmas Critters

Country View FB Challenge (December) - Christmas (4th entry)

Craftlandia #25 - Snowflakes (3rd entry)

Crafts Galore Encore #142 - Anything Goes (3rd entry)

Creatalicious #296 - Anything Goes with option Winter Animals (2nd entry)

Creative Crafters #95 - Anything Goes - TOP 3

Everybody Art #591 - Christmas/New Year (2nd entry)

FarmQuest Country Christmas #27 - Anything Country Christmas Goes (2nd entry)

FarmQuest General Store #35 - Anything Farm and/or Country Goes (2nd entry) - TOP 3

Girlz Makes Guyz #34 - Anything Goes Male

Girlz Rebel #47 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Inkspirational #357 - Cold (3rd entry)

Krafty Chicks #800 - Masculine

Lavinia Creative Challenge (December) - Story Time

Passion for Markers #818 - Mega Christmas Challenge: Add a Sentiment (3rd entry)

Peace On Earth #102 - Anything Christmas Goes (3rd entry)

Rudolph Days (December) - Christmas

Simon Says (Monday) - Sparkle and Shine (2nd entry)

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Add a Sentiment

We Love 2 Create #11 2025 - Anything Papercrafting/Mixed Media Goes (2nd entry)

Word Art Wednesday #730/733 - Anything Goes (4th entry)

This is my last post of a new card for 2025 as I am now taking a seasonal break from crafting, though I’m hoping to find time next week to do a ‘year in review’ post. So I’d like to finish by once again  thanking all my visitors and blogging friends  for all your visits, kind comments and support during the year, and to wish you all a

🎄🎄🎄 Very Merry Christmas 🎄🎄🎄

and a

🥳🎉🥳 Happy New Year 🥳🎉🥳

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Snowy and Frosty ❄️❄️

Hi everyone, I couldn’t let a year go by without binging my favourite ever Christmas stamp, Penny Black ‘Snowy’, out to play. He is just so adorable he melts my heart, and he is also ideal for quick and simple cards as he really doesn’t need much else. 

For my first card I die cut a wavy stitched square of white card, stamped Snowy, then blended Elements inks through a snowflake stencil in the corners. I coloured Snowy with Zig pens (first time I’ve done that!) and Spectrum Noir Sparkle pen on his hat, then ‘grounded’ him with some blended ink and torn paper. I added a couple of small stamped snowflakes and a stamped sentiment, then matted the finished piece onto a card blank - job done!

Here’s an angled pic to show the sparkle.

Stamps: Penny Black Snowy (2521K), Joy, Hope (3898F); Visible Image Let It Snow;

Media: Lavinia Elements inks (Della Blue, Pink Elephant); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Blue Belle, Arctic); Kuretake Zig Clean Color watercolour pens; Spectrum Noir sparkle pen (clear); Posca pen (white);

Tools: Craft Addictions UK  Wavy Double Stitched Square die; Crafter’s Companion Winter Sparkle stencil.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Craftlandia #25 - Snowflakes (2nd entry)

Crazy Is Our Fame, Stencils Are Our Game (December) - Use a Stencil (2nd entry)

Die Cut Divas (December) - Christmas/Winter with a Die Cut (4th entry)

Double D - Santa and/or Snowman

Four Seasons (December) - Anything Goes Winter (3rd entry)

Make My Monday #267 - A CAS Quickie Christmas Card (3rd entry) - TOP 3

Papercraft Challenges #125 - Festive Sparkle (3rd entry)

Passion for Markers #818 - Mega Christmas Challenge: Add a Sentiment (2nd entry)

Penny Black Saturday (December) - Anything Goes with option Snow/Snowmen

Simon Says (Monday) - Sparkle and Shine

Word Art Wednesday #730/733 - Anything Goes (3rd entry)

For my second card I followed the same process, just using a different stencil and sentiment.

All supplies as per card 1, except sentiment stamp is Penny Black A wish... (3502F), and stencil is Visible Image Frosty.

Challenges I would like to enter:

12 Months of Christmas #129 - Anything Goes Christmas (4th entry)

52 Christmas Card Throwdown - Pick a Previous Theme (2nd entry)

(I picked February - Masculine Christmas)

Crafts Galore Encore #142 - Anything Goes (2nd entry) - DT FAVOURITE

Creative Crafting Uncles #72 - Christmas and/or Happy New Year (3rd entry)

Inkspirational #357 - Cold (2nd entry)

Little Red Wagon #838 - Christmas Card (2nd entry)

Peace On Earth #102 - Anything Christmas Goes (2nd entry)

Sisterhood of Crafters - Anything Christmas (3rd entry)

Stamps & Fun = Creativity #347 - Snowman

Apart from my husband’s card these are absolutely the last Christmas cards for 2025! 

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,