Wednesday, 16 September 2026

I Spy With My Little Eye #41


Hi everyone, September is really flying by, and 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 month it was my turn to choose the theme, which is

I Spy With My Little Eye 

*** Background text ***

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 delighted to welcome Diane as guest designer -  - so please do click on her name to visit her blog and view her beautiful creation.

Here’s my card for the challenge. I always associate background text with a vintage look, though of course that doesn’t have to be the case. I felt inspired to use an AALL & Create set of border stamps I received for my birthday and hadn’t inked up yet, along with a focal flower I don’t think I have ever used even though it is part of a set I’ve had for a long time!


I cut a piece of stamping card 6.5” x 4.5” and created a smooshed background by applying dye inks using acetate spritzed with water. I then stamped the focal flower using Nocturne Versafine Clair, and the background text and film strip using Morning Mist. I stamped the script and butterfly again in Nocturne onto separate card, then coloured the flower and butterfly using Zig pens, and highlighted the flower with white pastel pencil. I added some background stencilling with Della Blue Elements ink, then added a sentiment sticker with two stamped birdies sitting on top. I matted the panel onto a purple border and a 7” x 5” card blank, then to finish I fussy cut and attached the butterfly on top of the original stamping, and added Spectrum Noir sparkle pen to the wings.

Stamps: AALL & Create #648 Friendship Florals, TP-1334 Splatter Film; Tracy Evans Boutique Designs TE30 Garden Elements;
Media: Lavinia Elements ink (Della Blue); Spectrum Noir Harmony dye ink (Pale Fig);  Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Morning Mist); Kuretake Zig Clean Color watercolour pens; Spectrum Noir sparkle pen (clear); Posca pen (white); pastel pencil (white); 
Tools: Tim Holtz Dot Fade stencil.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Ally’s Angels #110 - Anything Goes
Beautiful Blossoms #45 - Anything Floral Goes
Crafty Catz #719 - Anything Goes
Creative Crafters #104 - Anything Goes
Creative Inspiration #42 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)
DL.Art (September) - Anything Goes
Ellibelle’s Garden Party #19 - Anything In or From a Garden
NBUS #90 - Use Your Never-Before-Used Schtuff
(‘Splatter Film’ background stamp)
Neglected Stuff (September) - Use Neglected Supplies
(the main floral image)
Paper Funday #91 - Anything Goes
Path of Positivity #143 - Anything Goes Positive
Sparkles #204 - Your Favourite Technique
(ink smooshing)
Triple B (September) - Birds, Blooms and/or Butterflies

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 October 18th, and the next challenge will begin on Wednesday October 21st.

Take care, and thanks for visiting.
Hugs,
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Friday, 4 September 2026

I’m Late! … I’m Late!! … 🍁🍂


… for a very important date!

Hi everyone, what with one thing and another I’ve neither had much time nor motivation to make my September calendar page, so for the first time ever the first of the month rolled around and it wasn’t ready! ☺️ I finally managed to get myself into gear though yesterday afternoon, so here it is. This page is inspired by a previous autumnal card I made here, with a few changes to reflect the bigger space on this page. I particularly wanted to incorporate toadstools into the design, as they are the printed illustration on the page.


I cut a piece of stamping card 19.5cm x 14.5cm, and created a background by blending Sundance, Sahara, Russet Orange and Paprika Elements inks, working outwards with increasingly darker shades. I edged the panel with Spectrum Noir Harmony dye ink in Bordeaux to add depth, then began stamping. I stamped Tree Goddess Luna using Nocturne VFC, then a variety of Toadstools at varying heights and some trailing oak leaves using Pinecone. I then added in some landscaping and a harvest moon using Vintage Photo Distress Ink, hill and circle masks. I then stamped some falling leaves in various autumnal shades, and masked the tallest toadstools so I could stamp background trees using Portobello VFC and autumn text using Sand Dune. I added a couple of loved up hedgies and a heart (a nod to our wedding anniversary this month) plus an owl flying across the moon, then coloured the toadstools and leaves with Zig pens and the fairy wings with Sakura Stardust pens. To finish I added some white Posca accents, then attached the finished panel to my calendar.

Here’s an angled pic to show the sparkly wings. 


Stamps: Lavinia Luna Tree Goddess, The Wallace Family, Elfin Cap Cluster, Oak Leaf Flourish, Oak Leaves, Spring Trees, Brodwin and Maylin, Wild Foliage, Mushrooms Mini, Leaf 1 Mini, Single Heart Mini, Winter Spice;
Media: Lavinia Elements inks (Sundance, Sahara, Russet Orange, Paprika); Spectrum Noir Harmony dye ink (); Tim Holtz Distress ink (Vintage Photo); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Pinecone, Portobello, Sand Dune); Kuretake Zig Clean Color watercolour pens; Sakura Stardust pens (Red, yellow, orange); Posca pen (white);
Tools: Lavinia acetate Hill Mask and Circle mask.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Crafty Animals #109 - Include an Animal
Creative Inspiration #42 - Anything Goes
Heart’s Quest #87 - Anything with a Heart Goes with option Red Hearts (2nd entry)
Heart’s Quest Fantasy #54 - Anything Fantasy Goes
Love to Craft #94 - Anything Goes
Love to Scrap #181 - Anything Goes
Moving Along With the Times #193 - Four Legged Friends
{PIN}spirational #341 - Orange, Red, Brown and Yellow


We Love 2 Create #8 2026 - Anything Mixed Media/Papercrafting Goes (2nd entry)

Take care, and thanks for visiting.
Hugs,
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