Penny Black Saturday #162 - Penny Black-Ground

Yippee, Saturday's here, and time for another Penny Black Saturday Challenge. I'm hoping that things are finally settling down for me after the distractions of the past few weeks, and I'm raring to go with a card for this week's theme. Thanks to everyone who entered last week's challenge - don't forget to check the main challenge blog to see if you have won.

This week our theme is

Penny Black-ground

... which is a not very subtle pun lol, to ask you to use your PB stamps for your background as well as your main image. There are lots of options for this and the DT have come up with some brilliant examples.

Our prize this week is a guest DT spot on the PBSC for September - woo hoo!!

So if you would like to join our happy band during that time, you know what you have to do ... just ensure you submit a new piece of work for the challenge, uisng a PB image, large sentiment or stickeroo as its main focus, and also following the theme.

This is what I did for this week.

I decided to go for a shabby chic look so that I could do a bit of background stamping onto a distressed background. First I cut a deckle edged square of paper, and distressed it with Tim Holtz distress inks in "Antique Linen" and "Vintage Photo". Then I stamped my main flower image (Penny  Black "Quite Dandy" (3623K)) off-centre using "Peeled Paint" and "Tumbled Glass". I stamped a few background lines in "Vintage Photo" using a stamp from the transparent set "Salutations", and overstamped with tiny dragonflies from the same set. 

My sentiment is PB "friends matter" (4073F), stamped in a blend of "Tumbled Glass" and "Faded Jeans". I finished my background stamping with some random dotty areas using Penny Black "fantasy" (3880K). Finally I assembled the card by tying some loopy trim from my stash, decorating with die-cut sparkly butterflies and pearls from my stash, and mounting onto crackle distress gold card.

I actually managed to use FIVE separate PB stamps on this card - think that's pretty good going lol!

Challenges:

Simon Says Stamp and Show - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

PaperPlay #30 - In the Garden

By The Cute & Girly (July) - Things With Wings

Crafty Cardmakers #50 - Flutterbies

Cupcake #152 - Shabby Sparkle

Hope you will join us this week - have a great weekend!

Oldie But A Goodie #24 - Francesca's Sketch

Hi there, and welcome to another Oldie But A Goodie challenge. This is my first card for about two weeks, as I have just got back from a week's holiday, and before that I had a bit of a health crisis (thankfully resolved !) .. so apologies that I didn't manage any commenting over the past fortnight. Hopefully things will settle back down to normal now ... so on with the next challenge!

This fortnight we have got a fantastic sketch for you by Francesca

We also have a fab prize - this fortnight we are sponsored by Stempelkallan. Don't forget that to be eligible for the prize you should follow the sketch and also use a stamped image (no digis please) that is at least 6 months old - that's why we're called An Oldie But A Goodie ;-)

Here's my card - Francesca's sketch inspired me to make my first Christmas card of the year ... and not before time (eek!)

Recipe:

Main image: Penny Black "Poinsetta" coloured with Marvey markers, and edged with "peeled paint" distress ink;

Sentiment: LotV Chirstmas Sentiment Circles;

Papers: Dovecraft "Jolly Happy Christmas";

Supplies: ribbon, brads, corner peel offs and spacers from my stash;

Tools: Martha Stewart snowflake edge punch; Marianne D Creatables small poinsettas.

Here's a closeup of the poinsettas - I used my "no more shims" mat from Once Upon A Stamp for the first time (bought it in May lol!!) and it made a big difference to the embossing.

Challenges:

Penny Black Challenge - Christmas In July

Craft Your Passion #68 - Christmas In July

Creative Inspirations #64 - Christmas In July

Pollycraft Monday #103 - Christmas In July

Fun With Shapes and More #88 - Christmas In July

Creative Belli #122 - Christmas In July

Penny Black At Allsorts (July) - Flower Power (3rd and final entry!)

Crafts & Me #44 - Add a Flower

Crafty Pad #131 - Embossing

Stamp Something - Something Embellished

Totally Gorjuss #90 - Punch or Die

Crafty Catz #92 - No Pink Or Blue

ABC Christmas - O is for Older Image

Simon Says Stamp and Show - Anything Goes

Allsorts #113 - Free and Easy

Looking forward to seeing all your interpretations of the sketch - have a good week!

Penny Black Saturday #160 - Bunting

Oops!! My scheduled post didn't work - sorry!!

Good morning all - welcome to the weekend, and another Penny Black Saturday Challenge. Thanks as always to all who entered last week - sorry I haven't done any commenting this week due to personal circumstances, but I'm sure all your Christmas creations were fabulous!

This week we are feeling celebratory, so it's time to hange the flags out ... our theme this week is

Bunting

Yes, you know ... those little rows of flags you see at summer fetes and fairs!

And we have a fab prize for you this week from our wonderful former teamie Carole 

This gorgeous cute PB hedgie stamp "Ladybug 'n' Hedgehog"

Adorable!

The rest of the DT have well and truly hung the flags out this week so I hope you'll go check them out ... here's my effort.

Bunting made me think immediatly of a summer party, so this stamp came pretty quickly to hand. Don't you just love those partying hedgies??  I must admit that I found this theme a bit of a challenge as I'm not very dextrous when it comes to things like threading shapes onto string, so I ended up with a string of "faux" bunting!.

Recipe:

Main image: "Partying" (1445K) coloured with Promarkers;

Sentiment: g studio;

Papers: Pink Petticoat "Summer blooms".

Challenges:

Simon Says - Anything Goes!

Have a great weekend!

Oldie But A Goodie - Ribbon and Lace

Good morning everyone - hope it is sunny where you are ... we had a lovely day here yesterday :-)  It's time for another Oldie But A Goodie Challenge - thanks so much to everyone who entered our Anything Goes challenge last time - fab projects as always !

This fortnight we have a theme I'm sure you'll love - I definitely didn't need any encouragement to get going with this one! It is

Ribbon and lace

Ooh! my favourites (along with flowers, pearls etc... etc... lol!!)

This fortnight we are sponsored by Poppy's Cabin - do be sure to check the main blog for further details and all the other ladies' gorgeous ribbony and lacy samples :-) And just a reminder ... in order to be eligible for the prize you should link to a new piece of work that features a stamped image (NO digis please) that is at least 6 months old ... that's why we're called An Oldie But A Goodie ;-)

When I got to thinking about my DT card for this challenge I decided to ink up a stamp which is both old in terms of initial release (1996!!) and also old in terms of the physical stamp in my hand ... but it is new to me. My local craft shop sells a few second hand stamps, and I spotted this pre-loved (but very well cared for as there was hardly a mark on it) vintage Penny Black stamp .... and they were asking £2 for it - that's got to be one of the best crafty bargains I've ever had!! I also got some new summery papers by Prima so I couldn't wait to get started ... the final element of inspiration was this week's Sketch Saturday sketch, which had perfect elements to incorporate as ribbon and lace.  I felt this created a really fresh summery feel, especially when I piled on the flowers :-) Here's the result .... I'm actually rather pelased wtih this one for once :-)

I also noticed that there are a number of stitchy challenges around right now ... and as the image itself has a bit of stitching on it I thought I'd get down to a bit of faux stitching as well (I don't do real stitching lol!!) Unfortunately it doesn't show up too well (my pink marker was running out!!) so here's a closeup just to prove it is there (along with the distressed paper edges)  ...

Recipe:

Main image: Penny Black "A Gift of Flowers" (586K) coloured with Promarkers and Copics;

Sentiment: LotV sentiment circles;

Papers: Prima "Sparkling Spring";

Supplies: flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts and Crafts4U2Do; lace from Crafts4u2Do; ribbons and pearls from my stash;

Tools: pokey tool used to make faux stitching; Tim Holtz distressing tool used to rough up the paper edges.

Challenges:

Sketch Saturday #163 - sketch

Simon Says - A Stitch in Time

Simon Says Stamp and Show - Stitching

One Stop Craft Challenge #139 - Summertime

Totally Gorjuss #88 - Summertime

Crazy 4 Challenges #95 - Summer

Pile It On #28 - Favourite Technique

(colouring with Promarkers)

Penny Black Challenge - Favourite Distressing Technique

(distressing paper edges with TH distressing tool)

CES #44 - Recipe: 1 image, 2 ribbons, lace or twine + 3 DP's

Cute Card Thursday #172 - Lace

Penny Black at Allsorts (July) - Flower Power (2nd entry)

Charisma #27 - All About Flowers

Creative Craft - Pretty Blossoms

Crafty Pad #129 - Lots of Texture

Kaboodle #75 - Use Those Scissors

(my vintage image wasn't a perfect rectangle so I cut it out by hand rather than with a  paper cutter)

Craft your Passion #66 - Just For You

ABC - Y is for Yesterday

Cupcake #150 - Your Favourite Challenge

(wow I could choose so many ... but howzabout 1. Flowers, 11. Vintage, 36. Summer, 61. Going Girly, 69. Flower Power, 103. Lace, 138. Lots of Layers ... all great themes in my opinion :-)  )

Hope you can join in the challenge this fortnight - look forward to seeing your creations.

Let's Hear It For The Boys!

I haven't managed any cardmaking over the past week and a half due to studying for an exam that I took on Friday (and the less said about that the better lol!) ... but when I saw the sketch for this week's Lili of the Valley challenge, it put me in mind straight away of inking up this celebratory bear to make a 30th birthday card for one of my workmates.

As it is for a man I decided to go for a no frills monochrome approach, and here's the result ....

Recipe:

Main image: LotV "Cheers Bear" coloured with Promarkers;

Sentiment: LotV "Calendars";

Papers: various from my stash;

Tools: numbers cut using Cuttlebug "hippie chick" alphabet.

Challenges:

Lili of the Valley #104 - sketch

A Gem of A Challenge #25 - Let's Hear It For The Boys

Crafters' Companion #14 - One For The Boys

Sweet Stampin' - Cute and Cuddly

I ♥ ProMarkers #73 - Clean and Simple

Catch the Bug - Clean and Simple

Allsorts #111 - Free and Easy

Craft your Passion #65 - Anything Goes

Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes

Lollipop Crafts - Anything Goes

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Penny Black Saturday #158

Good morning, and welcome to another Penny Black Saturday Challenge. Thanks so much for all your fantastic entries last week - sorry I didn't get opportunity to get around them all, and alas this week won't be any better as I am studyling for an exam this next week .. but hopefullya fter that normal service will be resumed :-)

This week we have an easy peasy theme for you

Desert Island Stamps

You can interpret this two ways for sure ... what is your real favourite stamp that you would have to take with you to a desert island (a bit like Desert Island Discs lol!), or indeed you could use sa stamp with a beach type theme.

The other ladies on the DT have used a fabulous variety of their favourite stamps to inspire you, so please do go and check them out. And to whet your appetite we also have 2 fab prizes this week for randomly chosen winners ..

Firstly ... from Penny Black

This fabulous brushstroke style stamp - 4042K "Daisy Fields"

and also from The Ribbon Girl

a yummy assortment of ribbons and trims.

Don't forget that to be eligible for a prize you should submit a new project which features a Penny Black image, large sentiment or stickeroo as its main focus.

So ... as I'm already running late I'll get straight  onto my card for this week.

Now choosing a favourite would be impossible for me as I love them all ... but this cute little duckling always melts my heart ... also with his yellow bill he was perfect for the Simon Says colour challenge (see below) which is also featuring Penny Black stamps this week :-)

Recipe:

Main image: Penny Black "Duckling" coloured with Promarkers;

Papers: Free with a craft magazine many moons ago;

Supplies: 2-tone yellow rose from Crafts4U2Do, lavender roses from Wild Orchid Crafts; daisy from my stash;

Tools: decorative photo borders shapeabilities; Martha Stewart "eyelet lace" PATP; Leone Em "Ash Family" leaf punch.

Challenges:

Papertake Weekly - sketch

Simon Says - Lemon and Lavender

I ♥ ProMarkers #72 - Include Flowers

Penny Black at Allsorts (July) - Flower Power

Crafty Cardmakers #49 - Spots and Stripes

Fuzzy Wuzzy (July) - Get Punchy!

Allsorts #110 - Free and Easy

Hope you can join us this week - have a great weekend.