Joy, Hope and Wonder

Hi everyone, I have recently seen some lovely winter scene cards featuring the Northern Lights, so I thought I’d have a go at my own version, broadly inspired by the look of this card by CarolAnn.

 I always use Pink Frog super smooth 300gsm card for stamping, and last weekend they gave me a pack of 30cm x 15cm sheets to try, as I visited their depot which is in my home town of Chesterfield to exchange a large box of A4 super smooth which had unfortunately been damaged in transit. I was delighted by this kind gesture and it struck me that these sheets would be brilliant for making 6” square one layer cards, so I cracked open the pack and made 4 cards - two each of 2 similar but different designs.

I created my card blank, then placed a Lavinia Mini Hill mask in the centre and created a snow line by blending blue Distress Oxide ink. I then blended angled stripes of Picked Raspberry, Wilted Violet and Cracked Pistachio DOX before filling in the gaps and blending out using Blueprint Sketch and Chipped Sapphire. I then applied a paper mask over the snow line and stamped the row of fir trees using Twilight VFC. I stamped additional trees in the foreground in Twilight, then added a couple more snowdrifts using blended DOX. I added snowy accents to the trees using a white Signo pen, then added some Spectrum Noir sparkle pen to the trees and snowdrifts. I stamped a Penny Black sentiment which seemed to me particularly apt for a Northern Lights scene, then finished off by adding white Posca dots for falling snow.

Here are a couple of closeups of the 2 designs. They are actually very sparkly but it is impossible to capture that in the poor winter light here.

Card 1

Stamps: Lavinia Christmas Tree Group, Fir Tree 1; Penny Black joy.hope (3898F);

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Chipped Sapphire, Blueprint Sketch, Picked Raspberry, Wilted Violet, Cracked Pistachio); Versafine Clair (Twilight, Blue Belle); Signo Uniball broad (white); Posca pen (white); Spectrum Noir sparkle pen (clear);

Tools: Lavinia Mini Hill masks.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Addicted to Stamps and More #482 - Christmas (2nd entry)

Beccy’s Month of Holiday Cards - Holiday Themed (7th entry)

C.R.A.F.T. #742 - Christmas

Double D - Get Ready for Winter (2nd entry) - TOP 3

Heart’s Quest Celebrations of Love #11 2024 - Christmas (2nd entry)

The Holly and Ivy #173 - Anything Christmas Goes (2nd entry)

LeighSB Designs #34 - Anything Goes with option Falling Into Winter (2nd entry)

Night Owls #43 - In the Snow  (2nd entry)

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Anything Goes

Simon Says - Celebrating 20 Years of Distress #SSS20YearsofDistress

Simply Clean & Simple (November) - Christmas is Coming - TOP 3

Card 2

Stamps: Lavinia Christmas Tree Group, Fairy Fir Tree (small), Fairy Fir Tree 2 (small); Penny Black joy.hope (3898F);

Media & Tools: same as card 1.

Challenges I would like to enter:

AAA Card Challenge #279 - Anything CAS Goes  Christmas/Winter

Allsorts #808 - Anything Goes (2nd entry) - TOP 5

Aud Sentiments #319 - Glitter and/or Christmas + a Sentiment (2nd entry)

FarmQuest Country Christmas #14 - Anything Country Christmas Goes (4th entry)

Little Red Wagon #784 - Non-Traditional Winter Holiday

Peace On Earth #76 - Anything Christmas Goes (3rd entry)

Rudolph Days (November) - Christmas

Simon Says (Monday) - Trees - DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT

Simon Says - Celebrating 20 Years of Distress #SSS20YearsofDistress

Word Art Wednesday #675/676 - Anything Goes (3rd entry)

I definitely need more practice to get a better effect with the Northern lights, and I think my blending brushes are perhaps not quite up to the task, but I’m reasonably happy with my first attempt and really enjoyed trying it.

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Bobby and Holly

Hi everyone, today I’d like to share a card I made using one of the new release robins by Lavinia. When they came out I didn’t order them as I didn’t actually like them, but since then I’ve seen so many lovely makes with them that I have changed my mind! This card is also the first wreath card I have made using my recently acquired holly stamp, which is proving so useful I’m at a loss as to why I never purchased it until now!

I die cut a stitched square of stamping card, and created a background circle by blending Elements ink through a circle mask. I then placed a home made circle mask and stamped the background text using Sand Dune VFC. I stamped a wreath of holly then added some second generation mini holly, and stamped Bobby using Pinecone VFC. I highlighted the holly leaves with white Signo pen and coloured the berries with red Signo pen and Sakura Stardust pen, then highlighted Bobby and coloured his red breast with Zig pens and his tummy with white Stabilo pencil. I stamped the sentiment in Nocturne and a couple of pinecones in the corner which I also accented with my white pen, then matted the finished piece onto a 6” card blank. I finished off with a little festive gingham bow … it’s not currently stuck down as I seem to have lost my glue dots, so I guess I’ll have to get some when I’m next passing Hobbycraft!

Stamps: Lavinia Bobby, Holly, Mini Holly, Mini Pine Cone, Spirit of Christmas, Christmas Greetings;

Media: Lavinia Elements ink (Pine); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Shady Lane, Pinecone, Sand Dune); Kuretake Zig Clean Color watercolour pens; Signo pens (Red, white); Sakura Stardust pen (Red); Stabilo pencil (white);

Tools: Hunkydory Moonstone Duo-Stitched Squares die; Lavinia circle mask.

Challenges I would like to enter:

52 Christmas Card Throwdown - Ribbon

Addicted to Stamps and More #482 - Christmas

Allsorts #808 - Ribbon or Twine

Beccy’s Month of Holiday Cards - Holiday Themed (6th entry)

Country View Challenges (November) - Winging It (3rd entry)

C.R.A.F.T. #741 - Christmas  

Die Cut Divas (November) - Any Holiday in the Year + Use a Die Cut

Double Trouble #180 - Stitch It Up

Dream Factory #134 - Christmas Again?! (2nd entry)

Fab ‘n’ Funky #605 - Dies and/or Punches

Festive Friday (November) - Christmas / Winter Birds (2nd entry)

The Holly and Ivy #173 - Anything Christmas Goes 

Let’s Craft and Create #213 - Anything Goes with option Use a Bow

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Sparkle & Shine (2nd entry)

Try It On Tuesday - Traditional Christmas

We Love Stamping (November) - Christmas (3rd entry)

Word Art Wednesday #675/676 - Anything Goes (3rd entry)

This card was pretty straightforward to make so while I was at the craft table I made 2 more, just substituting the background colours and/or sentiment. I’m still in experimental mode when it comes to colouring the new robins, so it may be that a few more will appear coloured using different media!

That’s all from me for today. Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Mooch with Honeysuckle

Hi everyone, today I’d like to share another page from my 2025 Lavinia calendar … that’s 4 completed now, only 8 to go (!!) For this one I decided that my design would reflect the illustration of Mooch on the page, so I did a variation on a theme I have used before - honeysuckle climbing against a wall, with Mooch gazing up at the flowers and the dancing bees and butterfly. 

I cut a piece of white stamping card 19.5cm x 14.5cm and started by creating a softly stencilled brickwork background using my Lavinia Red Brick stencil and Confetti Elements ink. I stamped the honeysuckle several times using Morning Mist VFC to give a slightly softer look than Nocturne, then stamped some trailing foliage in the opposite top corner using a mixture of Avocado and Shady Lane VFC. I stamped Mooch looking up at the flowers then positioned my bees, butterfly and dragonfly. I coloured the honeysuckle, butterfly and bees using watered down Posca sparkle pens (very fiddly … my extra fine Lavinia paint brush came in extremely handy for that!) and added a little clear Sakura Stardust pen to the bees’ wings, then I added a few white Posca highlights and gold Posca dots on the flower stamens. Finally I grounded Mooch using a Mini Hill mask and Black Soot Distress Oxide - I think I might have overdone that but hey, it’s done now! 

Here’s an angled picture to try to show the sparkle and shine of the Posca pens, though not very successfully!  You may notice I haven’t actually stuck the panel down yet in my calendar, and that’s because I’m not yet100% sure whether I like it, but having invested the time in making I will probably go with it in the end!

Stamps: Lavinia Honeysuckle, Mooch, Vine Flourish, Bee Mini, Butterfly Mini, Fairy Bugs;

Media: Lavinia Elements ink (Confetti); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Morning Mist, Avocado, Shady Lane); Posca sparkle pens (pink, red, yellow, green, orange, turquoise); Sakura Stardust pen (clear); Posca pens (white, gold);

Tools: Lavinia  Red Brick stencil, Mini Hill masks.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Addicted to Stamps and More #481 - Make Your Mark (2nd entry)

Beautiful Blossoms #23 - Anything Floral Goes

Crafts Galore Encore #129 - Anything Goes

Crafty Animals #89 - Include an Animal

Crazy Is Our Fame, Stencils Are Our Game (November) - Use a Stencil with option Sparkle and Shine (2nd entry)

Creatalicious #283 - Anything Goes

Daring Cardmakers - Sparkle

Dream Valley #325 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Love to Craft #83 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Mix It Up #74 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Sparkle & Shine

Triple B (November) - Birds, Butterflies and/or Blooms (3rd entry)

Try It On Tuesday - Sparkle All the Way (3rd entry)

Word Art Wednesday #675/676 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

I was a bit concerned whether May is too early for honeysuckle, but then I remembered a trip we took in May this year to Rufford Old Hall where it was in full bloom!

Hope you’re having a great weekend whatever you’re doing.

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

I Spy With My Little Eye #21

Hi everyone, the past month has flashed by and it’s the third Wednesday in the month again, so it’s time for a new I Spy With My Little Eye... challenge over at Ellibelle's Corner.  Thanks so much to everyone who joined in last time … please do check over on Ellie’s blog to see if you are one of our top picks. 

This is our last challenge of 2024 as we will be taking a little break over Christmas - it will end at the usual time but then we will be back in January. Please see the end of this post for full details.

I chose the challenge theme this month, and it is

I Spy With My Little Eye 

*** Something for Christmas ***

This gives you the perfect opportunity to crack on with your Christmas makes …. and if you’re in the fortunate position of having finished all your Christmas cards already, you could always make a start on them for next year! Please do pop over to Ellie's blog to see her fab creation and link up your entries here.

This month we are delighted to have Helen as our guest designer, so please click on her name to visit her blog and see her fabulous Christmas creation. 

Here’s my project for the challenge. Speaking of next year, I am currently working through designing pages for my 2025 Lavinia calendar, and here is my page for December - it is an extended version of a Lavinia scene on a card I published here.  The fairy village is getting ready for Christmas - snow sparkles on the roofs of the cottages, and fairies decorate the Christmas tree on the village green while Annie and Edward watch on. One of the mice has gotten over-excited as he clutches a bauble, swinging from the nearby lamp post … perhaps he’s imbibed a drop too much mulled wine!!

I cut a piece of stamping card 19.5cm x 14.5cm and  started by stamping the little cottages and lamp post, adding paper masks as I went along. I then added a torn paper mask to the bottom half of the card to form a snow line, and created the night sky and light around the lamp post by blending Elements and Spectrum Noir dye inks. With the masks still in place I then stamped a variety of fir trees behind the cottages using 1st and 2nd generation VFC. I removed the paper masks and added more blended Elements snowdrifts by blending Elements, then stamped the central Christmas tree, Annie and Edward and my naughty mouse! I added a gold embossed star to the top of the tree, then positioned the fairy foragers  to look as if one was placing the star on the tree. I drew baubles  in the hands of Edward, the mouse and one of the fairies (I masked the lantern she usually carries), using a black fineliner pen and my White Orbs stencil

I coloured the Christmas tree using fine brushstrokes of watered down Olive Elements, and coloured the baubles with Sakura Stardust pens which I also used on the fairy wings and Annie and Edward’s lanterns. I watercoloured the cottages and street light with Zig pens, then added Wink of Stella to the Christmas tree and street lamp. I stamped a fence and gate in brown and perched a little robin on top (no it’s not one of the latest robins!) which I coloured with red and white Posca pens, then added holly in 2 corners to frame the scene and coloured the berries with red Uniball and Stardust pens. I added snowy accents everywhere using a mixture of Signo and Posca pens, and added Spectrum Noir sparkle pen to give it some twinkle. 

Finally I added Posca snowflakes (no spatters!), blended dark blue Elements around the edges to add depth, and edged the finished piece with a dark blue marker pen.

Stamps: Lavinia Meadow Cottage, Woodland Cottages, Small Dwellings, Christmas Joy, Fairy  Fir Tree 2 (Small), Red Pine (Small), Small Pine Trees, Street Light, Annie & Edward, Tilly & Tango, Fairy Foragers, Gate & Fence, Holly, Bird Collection, North Star Mini; 

Media: Lavinia Elements inks (Della Blue, Violet Chalk, Dark Denim, Sundance, Olive); Spectrum Noir Harmony dye ink (Pink Tulip); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Pinecone, Acorn, Portobello, Shady Lane, Rainforest); Kuretake Zig Clean Color watercolour pens; Versamark; WOW metallic gold embossing powder; Sakura Stardust pens (Red, yellow, blue, turquoise); Signo pens (white red); Posca pens (white, red); Wink of Stella; Spectrum Noir sparkle pen (clear);

Tools: Lavinia White Orbs stencil.

Challenges I would like to enter:

12 Months of Christmas #116 - Anything Christmas Goes (3rd entry)

52 Christmas Card Throwdown (November theme) - Sparkle (2nd entry)

ABC Christmas (November) - W is for Watercolouring (3rd entry)

Allsorts #807 - Anything Goes

Beccy’s Month of Holiday Cards - Holiday Themed (5th entry)

Classic Design Challenge #11 2024 - Anything Goes with option Bells and Baubles

Country View Challenges (November) - Winging It (3rd entry)

Craft Rocket #120 - Christmas and/or Winter (3rd entry)

Daisy Chain #91 - Christmas and/or Winter (3rd entry)

Double D - Get Ready For Winter

Dream Factory #134 - Christmas Again?!

Heart’s Quest Fantasy Challenge #11 2024 - Anything Goes Fantasy (3rd entry)

The Holly and Ivy #172 - Anything Christmas Goes (3rd entry)

Lavinia Creative Challenge (November) - Time to Sparkle (5th entry)

LeighSB Designs #34 - Anything Goes with option Falling Into Winter

Outlawz (November) - Anything Goes in a Card Free Zone

Moving Along With the Times #172 - Sparkle (4th entry)

Night Owls #43 - In the Snow

Peace On Earth #76 - Anything Christmas Goes (2nd entry)

Simon Says (Monday) - Emboss It

Sisterhood of Crafters - Landscapes (2nd entry) - TOP 3

Stamping Sensations (November) - Make It Magical (3rd entry)

Try It On Tuesday - Sparkle All the Way (2nd entry)

Unicorn #104 - Christmas and/or Winter (3rd entry)

Word Art Wednesday #675/676 - Anything Goes

I am really enjoying decorating my calendar - each page takes several hours (this one took about 4!) but it’s very satisfying when a page is completed. I definitely need to start speeding up though if it is to be finished by the end of the year! 

Don’t forget - this is the last I Spy Challenge for 2024. It challenge will end at the usual time on Sunday December 15th at 23:59 US Central Time, but there will be no new challenge in December so we will be back with you on Wednesday January 15th 2025, when we will also announce our December top picks.

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Woodside View

Hi everyone, here I am again with another Christmas card using the new Lavinia release. After my previous effort I started thinking about using the little cottages with the gate and fence …. and lo and behold Jo Rice published a Youtube tutorial for a lovely simple design featuring exactly those things! I really liked Jo’s layout so I basically followed it, substituting a different fir tree as I don’t have the new one, changing the colours a bit and adding some framing mistletoe and a heart. 🩷

I cut a square of stamping card and stamped the cottage, then masked it and created the moon, sky and snowdrifts using blended Elements inks with circle and mini hill masks. I stamped the fence and gate and the fir tree, then removed the mask and coloured the cottage with watercolour pencils which I blended out with a water brush. I stamped the little heart dangling from the eaves of the cottage, then added Posca and Signo pen snowy highlights which I also topped with sparkle pen to add some glimmer. I stamped the sentiments which I also topped with Posca “snow”, added some sprigs of mistletoe to frame and added white Posca snowflakes before matting onto a dark blue frame and card blank.

Stamps: Lavinia Woodside, Fairy Fir Tree 2 (Small), Gate and Fence, Fairy Charms, Mistletoe, Christmas Greetings;

Media: Lavinia Elements inks (Della Blue, Violet Chalk); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Acorn, Rainforest, Grass Green, Hawthorn Rose, Medieval Blue); W H Smith watercolour pencils; Posca pen (white); Spectrum Noir sparkle pen (clear);

Tools: Lavinia circle and Mini Hill masks.

Challenges I would like to enter:

52 Christmas Card Throwdown (November theme) - Sparkle

ABC Christmas (November) - W is for Watercolouring (2nd entry)

Beccy’s Month of Holiday Cards - Holiday Themed (4th entry)

Creative Moments #264 - Winter (3rd entry)

FarmQuest Country Christmas #14 - Anything Country Christmas Goes (3rd entry)

The Holly and Ivy #172 - Anything Christmas Goes (2nd entry)

Krafty Chicks #742 - Christmas (2nd entry)

Lavinia Creative Challenge (November) - Time to Sparkle (4th entry)

Little Red Wagon #782 - Wintertime  (2nd entry)

Peace On Earth #76 - Anything Christmas Goes

Sisterhood of Crafters - Landscapes

Word Art Wednesday #673/674 - Anything Goes (6th entry)

I think I’m going to make a little batch of these … according to the weather forecast this could be the view from our windows I the UK when we get up in the morning!

Take care and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Winged Things

Hi everyone, today I would like to share a birthday card I made for a friend who is very artistic so I thought I would try an arty grungy kind of look, using mostly stamps by Tracy Evans…. I hope she will like it!

I cut a 6 1/4” square of stamping card, brayered Elements inks onto my round gel press, spattered with more watered down Elements inks and took a print. I stamped my images inside the circle using Portobello VFC for a vintage look, then stamped again onto separate small snippets of card and heat embossed. I coloured the large moth and small butterfly using watered down paint from Posca sparkle pens, fussy cut and set aside. I sponged some Distress Oxide inks around the circle to give a more vintage look, and added some background stamped flowers and script in 1st and 2nd generation Sand Dune VFC, and a little birdie in the corner. I stamped a sentiment onto a snippet of kraft card stock, cut out and attached. I distressed the edges of the panel with my Tim Holtz distressing tool and matted onto a frame of brown linen card stock cut from a larger snippet which I had also distressed, and then onto a 7” square card blank. I then attached the fussy cut moth and butterfly, outlined my gel press circle with gold Posca pen, and added gold spatters with a circle mask in place.

As my friend makes such gorgeous cards I also made the effort to decorate the inside of the card and the envelope.

Stamps: Tracy Evans Boutique Designs TE27 Insect, TE30 Garden Elements, TE11 Background Elements; sentiment - Visible Image Birthday Wishes;

Media: Lavinia Elements inks (Sahara, Russet Orange, Olive); Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Antique Linen, Old Paper); Versafine Clair (Portobello, Sand Dune); Posca sparkle pens (orange, yellow); Posca pen (gold);

Tools: Lavinia Roland gel press; Tim Holtz distressing tool.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Addicted to Stamps and More #481 - Make Your Mark

Creative Crafters #82 - Anything Goes

Dream Valley #325 - Anything Goes

Heart’s Quest Celebrations of Love #11 2024 - Birthdays

Love to Craft #83 - Anything Goes

Love to Scrap #170 - Anything Goes

Mix It Up #74 - Anything Goes

Snippets Playground #493 - Use Snippets - WINNER

Triple B (November) - Birds, Butterflies and/or Blooms (2nd entry)

Word Art Wednesday #673/674 - Anything Goes

Take care and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Robin and Holly

Hi everyone, today I would like to share a card I made with my favourite AALL & Create robin by Tracy Evans - I really love this image. I have made a few cards previously encircling him within a festive wreath, but I always used Lavinia foliage stamps for that. This time I decided to try creating a wreath using Tracy’s festive foliage stamps - it was a bit challenging as the main holly branch stamp is quite long and does not bend around a circle, so I just inked up part of it. Here’s the result.

I cut a square of white stamping card and created a central circle by blending Olive Elements ink around a circle mask. I then created the circular wreath by stamping a variety of 1st and 2nd generation holly, berries and foliage in various shades of green and red Versafine Clair. I stamped the robin in the middle and coloured him with Zig pens and white Signo pen on his tummy. I added white Signo highlights to the holly leaves and berries, then stamped the Robin wording and sentiment onto black card and heat embossed white before cutting out and attaching. I added some white Posca snow to the branch and topped it with sparkle pen to add some glimmer. I edged the finished piece with black marker pen (diagonal corners cut to disguise a slight slip of the pen!) then matted onto green card stock.

Stamps: AALL & Create #690 Robin and Nuthatch, #806 Fallen Leaves; Tracy Evans Boutique Designs TE21 Holly and Berries, TE18 Decorations;

Media: Lavinia Elements ink (Olive); Versafine Clair (Pinecone, Shady Lane, Avocado, Strawberry); Versamark; WOW Opaque white ultra fine embossing powder; Signo pen (white); Posca pen (white); Spectrum Noir sparkle pen (clear).

Challenges I would like to enter:

ABC Christmas (November) - W is for Watercolouring

Allsorts #806 - Christmas (3rd entry)

Beccy’s Month of Holiday Cards - Holiday Themed (4th entry)

Colourful Options (November) - Red

Creative Inspirations (November) - Christmas Animals

Creative Moments #264 - Winter (2nd entry)

FarmQuest Country Challenge #63 - Feathers

FarmQuest Country Christmas #14 - Anything Country Christmas Goes (2nd entry)

The Holly and Ivy #172 - Anything Christmas Goes

Krafty Chicks #742 - Christmas

Little Red Wagon #782 - Wintertime

Tracy Evans FB Create, Share, Inspire (Nov/Dec) - Christmas or Festive Project (2nd entry)

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

Unicorn #104 - Christmas and/or Winter (2nd entry)

Word Art Wednesday #673/674 - Anything Goes (4th entry)

The pile of Christmas cards is looking quite good now, I think I’m further ahead than I normally would be at this point, but not quite there yet! 

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,