Allsorts Challenge #714

Good morning everyone, it’s Saturday so it's time for another weekly Allsorts Challenge. This week it is Lynn's turn to host and she has chosen the theme

*** Anything Goes -  option “I Love ...”  ***

If you choose to follow the option you could interpret it by using your crafty loves (stamps, equipment, techniques etc.) or by making a love occasion card such as Valentine's or anniversary. However we welcome all your makes so long as they follow our simple rules.

This month’s prizes come from WOWVOW, Craft Stash, AALL and Create and Ruth Hamilton Design. Please click on the links to visit their individual websites, and you can read more about them on our Patrons’ page.

Here's my card for this week. 

There are so many crafty things I love that it’s difficult to know where to start, but this card was inspired by the fact that I love snowdrops, and I saw the first ones of the year last weekend when we went out for a country walk with a couple of friends. Also I love Uniko stamps, particularly the spring flowers and sentiments, and I won this fabulous Spring Botanicals set a year ago but received it just a bit too late to make any snowdrop cards so it has had to wait until now! I also love distressing, Lavinia stamps and spattering, all of which I have managed to incorporate on this card. Last but not least I love motivational sentiments, and this one from the same Uniko Spring Botanicals set is a real good one!

I cut a square of kraft card and stamped the focal flower, which I coloured with Distress Watercolor Pencils and then re stamped using my stamping platform.  I grounded the flowers with blended Distress Oxide ink, stamped my background wording in sepia, and sponged around the edges with 2 colours of Distress Ink before roughing up the edges with my distressing tool. I added a little sparkle to the flower petals with my Sakura Stardust pen, added some white Posca pen spatter and when dry stamped the sentiment in green and heat embossed. Finally I matted onto green card stock which also had the edges distressed, and attached to my card blank (the matting is more of a leaf green shade than the camera shows).

I realise this card is a bit unusual for a spring card as it is in grungy vintage tones. This was largely inspired by the fact that I wanted to play with my new Distress Watercolor pencils, and stamping on kraft card gave me the opportunity to try the white pencil. Although I have watched various videos, I’m still experimenting with how they work best for me… so far I’m getting the best results if I pick up colour on a wet paint brush and paint with them.  

Stamps: Uniko Spring Botanicals - Snowdrop; Lavinia Words of Spring;

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor pencils (Picket Fence, Peeled Paint); Distress Oxide ink (Mowed Lawn); Distress Ink (Walnut Stain, Vintage Photo); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Shady Lane); clear embossing powder; Posca pen (white); Sakura Stardust pen (clear);

Tools: Tim Holtz distressing tool.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Country View Crafts (February) - Be Sentimental

Crafts Galore Encore #108 - Anything Goes

Crafty Catz #623 - Anything Goes - TOP 3

Creative Crafters #60 - Anything Goes

NBUS #47 - Use Your Never Before Used Schtuff

(Mine is the snowdrop stamp and sentiment)

Papercraft Challenges #90 - Anything Goes

Path of Positivity #108 - Anything Positive Goes (3rd entry)

QKR Stampede #460 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday #581/582 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Hope you can join us this week, and I look forward to seeing your entries. Don't forget to visit the challenge blog to see more fab inspiration from the rest of the team. Thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Allsorts Challenge #713

Good morning everyone, its time for another weekly Allsorts Challenge. Ellie has chosen the theme this week and it is

*** Boys and Men ***

We know that it can sometimes be challenging to create for the men in your life, so we hope this week's theme will inspire you to get ahead with some masculine makes!

We are now into our February prize draw period, and our next announcement of prizes will be on Friday 24th February

Don't forget to check the main challenge blog to see if you have won a prize for any of the January challenges - you can claim them up until midnight Friday 3rd February.

February’s prizes come from WOWVOW, Craft Stash, AALL and Create and Ruth Hamilton Design. Please click on the links to visit their individual websites, and you can read more about them on our Patrons’ page.

Here's my card for this week.

I must admit I struggle with men’s cards as I have endless supplies of stamps showing flowers, butterflies and/or cute animals, but relatively few “masculine” images. I decided to go with a Lavinia scene in fairly bold and graphic colours using my reindeer .. I have only ever used him for Christmas cards until now!

I created my hills and sky by blending Distress Oxide inks with circle and hill acetate masks, then lightly sponged more DO across the sun using torn paper to create wispy clouds. I stamped the reindeer, trees, birds and field grasses using a mix of black and grey Versafine Clair, and 1st/2nd generation stamping, then stamped my sentiment in black.  I “grounded” the reindeer and trees with black Distress watercolor pencil, edged the finished piece with black marker then matted onto black linen card stock and my card base.  

Stamps: Lavinia Large Reindeer, Forest Scene, Small Trees, Field Grass, Leaf Spray, Birds; Crafters Companion Magical Sentiments;

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Black Soot, Hickory Smoke, Stormy Sky, Fossilized Amber); Distress Watercolor pencil (Black Soot); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Morning Mist);

Tools: Lavinia hill and circle acetate masks.

Challenges I would like to enter:

AAA Birthday #45 - Anything Birthday Goes

Crafting Happiness #138 - Celebrations - TOP PICK

Creative Knockouts #486 - Celebrations

Daisy Chain #70 - Birthday

DL.Art ((January) - Anything Goes (4th entry)

Dream Valley #285 - Hip To Be Square

Little Red Wagon #689 - Happy, Happy Birthday

Pammie’s Inky Pinkies #2303 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Word Art Wednesday #579/580 - Anything Goes (5th entry)

Hope you can join us this week, and I look forward to seeing your entries. Don't forget to visit the challenge blog to see more fab inspiration from the rest of the team. Thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Allsorts Challenge #712

Hi everyone, Saturday is here again so it's time for another weekly Allsorts Challenge. Dena has chosen the theme and it is

*** Spots and/or Stripes ***

We look forward to seeing all your dotty and/or stripy creations!

Don't forget that we now announce the prizes for all our weekly challenges monthly on the last Friday of the month.

This month’s prizes come from Oakwood Direct, Stamp Addicts, Sizzix and AALL and Create. Please click on the links to visit their individual websites, and you can read more about them on our Patrons’ page.

Here's my card for this week.

I decided to go dotty (some might say I’m halfway there already!) with stencilling.  I stamped my flowers onto a piece of stamping card, covered them with a fussy cut paper mask, and used Distress Oxide ink to create a smoosh background. When dry I stencilled lightly onto the sides of the panel using a darker green Distress Oxide, then removed the mask and coloured in the image with Distress watercolor pencils.  Using my stamping platform I re-stamped over the flowers to give a crisper image - this is a technique recommended by Tim Holtz in his Distress watercolor pencils launch video. I stamped my sentiment, then sponged more DO around the edges of the panel to give a bit more depth. Lastly I applied some Distress Texture Paste through the same stencil in the opposite corners to where I had stencilled originally, and spattered the image with White Posca pen. When dry I matted everything onto green linen card stock and a 7” x 5” card blank.

Stamps: Woodware Echinacea and Moth; sentiment - Uniko Spring Botanicals Daffodil;

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Twisted Citron, Bundled Sage, Spiced Marmalade); Distress Watercolor Pencils (Squeezed Lemonade, Peeled Paint, Fired Brick); Tim Holtz Distress Texture Paste; Versafine Clair (Nocturne);

Tools: Darkroom Door stencil - Polka Dots.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Classic Design Challenge (January) - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Crafty Catz #621 - Anything Goes

Crazy Is Our Fame, Stencils Are Our Game (January) - Anything Goes With Stencils (2nd entry)

Creative Crafters #60 - Anything Goes

DL.Art (January) - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Make My Monday #192 - Favourite Theme of 2022

(I have chosen #171 - Use a Stencil)

Papercraft Challenge #90 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Path of Positivity #108 - Anything Goes Positive (2nd entry)

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Fabulous Flowers (2nd entry)

Word Art Wednesday #579/580 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Hope you can join us this week, and I look forward to seeing your entries. Don't forget to visit the challenge blog to see more fab inspiration from the rest of the team. Thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Allsorts Challenge #711

Good morning everyone, it’s Saturday again so it's time for another weekly Allsorts Challenge. This week Lorraine has chosen the theme and it is

*** Anything Goes with option Winter Blues ***

As mentioned last week, from now on we will still be publishing weekly challenges with prizes for each challenge, and a Top 5 will be announced every Friday at 6pm. However the prize winners will all be announced monthly starting on Friday 27 January.

This month’s prizes come from Oakwood Direct, Stamp Addicts, Sizzix and AALL and Create. Please click on the links to visit their individual websites, and you can read more about them on our Patrons’ page.

Here's my card for this week.

This theme immediately made me think of Christmas, so I took the opportunity to make my first Christmas card of 2023. This also enabled me to have my first play with a gorgeous intricate die set I bought in December at the Crafter’s Companion shop, and, more importantly, my main Christmas present from my darling husband ❤️

Woo hoo!!! 😍 Mind you,  I hear you ask … what took me so long to get round to using it??? Well .. we were away over Christmas and New Year, so the wrapped box wasn’t taken with us as it is pretty heavy .. and when I got back I was very busy for a few days catching up with myself. I decided to wait til I had got time to look at everything properly, and this is the first result 😀. Early days yet but so far I’m very pleased … it certainly requires a lot less brute strength and elbow grease than my trusty old Cuttlebug …particularly for intricate dies.

I die cut my snowflake frame from pearlescent white card and a matching square of white stamping card. I then created a sponged Distress Oxide background with 3 colours of blue, and stamped a little forest of trees using various Lavinia stamps, different shades of Versafine Clair and 1st/2nd generation stamping, which I highlighted with Sakura Stardust pen. I stamped a Penny Black Christmas sentiment with Versamark and heat embossed with silver embossing powder, and added some white Posca pen spatter to represent falling snow. When the panel was dry I attached the snowflake frame, and then matted it onto a die cut stitched square cut from blue linen card stock. Finally I matted everything onto a card blank and added some silver sparkly gems to accent the snowflakes.

Here is an angled picture to capture the shiny silver of the sentiment + the sparkle.

Stamps: Lavinia Fairy Fir Tree (Small), Fairy Fir Tree 2 (Small), Fairy Fir Tree 2, Fir Tree 1, Christmas Tree Group, Red Pine (Small); sentiment - Penny Black "a wish..." (3502F);

Media: Distress Oxide inks (Stormy Sky, Blueprint Sketch, Chipped Sapphire); Versafine Clair  (Twilight, Medieval Blue, Morning Mist, Nocturne); Versamark; detail silver embossing powder; Sakura Stardust pen (clear); Posca pen (white);

Tools: Crafter’s Companion die set - Falling Snow; Hunkydory Moonstone die - Duo-Stitched Squares;

Other: sparkly gems from my stash.

Challenges I would like to enter:

ABC Christmas Challenge - A is for Anything Christmas

Little Red Wagon #687 - Baby It's Cold Outside! - FEATURED 

Make My Monday #191 - Something New (3rd entry)

Pammie’s Inky Pinkies #2301 - Anything Goes

Path of Positivity #108 - Anything Positive Goes with option Inspired By a Word Collage - TOP PICK and VOTER’S CHOICE

(I was inspired by the words in the example word collage …particularly “snowfall” and “sparkle”

Sparkles Christmas Challenge #144 - Sparkle and Glitter Accents - TOP 3

Stamping Sensations (January) - Add Some Sparkle (2nd entry)

Sweet Stampin’ - New

Try It On Tuesday - In With the New - END OF YEAR SPOTLIGHT 2023

Word Art Wednesday #577/578 - Anything Goes (3rd entry)

Hope you can join us this week, and I look forward to seeing your entries. Don't forget to visit the challenge blog to see more fab inspiration from the rest of the team. Thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Allsorts Challenge #710

Good morning everyone, it's time for the first Allsorts Challenge for 2023. I hope you have all had a lovely Christmas and New Year, and that you're raring to go with some new challenges. This week Mervi has chosen the theme and it is

*** Something New ***

You could share a make for a "new" occasion such as New Home, New Baby, or if Santa has been kind you could have a play with your new stash!!

With the New Year we are making a few changes … From now on we will still be publishing weekly challenges with prizes for each challenge, and a Top 5 will be announced every Friday at 6pm. However the prize winners will now all be announced monthly - more details of our prize schedule and how it will work are on the Allsorts Challenge blog.

This month’s prizes come from Oakwood Direct, Stamp Addicts, Sizzix and AALL and Create. Please click on the links to visit their individual websites, and you can read more about them on our Patrons’ page.

I was away over Christmas and New Year, so I actually made this card before Santa had been to call .. and I decided to use some new stash I acquired in the Black Friday sale. Here is my card using a new Visible Image stencil “Butterfly Ink”, along with new background stamps and a sentiment from an older set which I believe I haven’t used before.

First I lined up the small butterfly stamp and stencil on my square of stamping card, then removed the stencil and stamped/heat embossed the butterfly stamp. I masked the butterfly and stamped the background, then applied Distress Oxides through the butterfly stencil. I stamped the motivational words on the wings and my main sentiment, then removed the mask and coloured the stamped butterfly with Sakura Stardust pens. 

Here is an angled pic to show the sparkly butterfly wings.

Stamps: Visible Image VI Minis #1 (butterfly), Where Flowers Bloom (background); Indigo Blu Sarah’s Choice (motivational words); Crafter’s Companion (sentiment);

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Picked Raspberry, Peacock Feathers); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Charming Pink); Sakura Stardust pens (pink, jade green);

Tools: Visible Image stencil - Butterfly Ink

Challenges I would like to enter:

C.R.A.F.T. #663 - New (2nd entry)

Crafts Galore Encore #107 - Anything Goes

Crazy Is Our Fame - Stencils Are Our Game (January) - Anything Goes with Stencils

Creatalicious #250 - Anything Goes with option Something New (2nd entry) - TOP 3

Ellibelle’s Crafty Wednesday (January) - Anything Goes

Make My Monday #191 - Something New (2nd entry)

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Something New (2nd entry)

Stamping Sensations (January) - Add Some Sparkle

We Love Stamping (January) - Favourite Colours

(There are several colour combos I favour, but one is definitely pink + green)

Word Art Wednesday #577/578 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Hope you can join us this week, and I look forward to seeing your entries. Don't forget to visit the challenge blog to see more fab inspiration from the rest of the team. Thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Allsorts Challenge #708/9

Hi everyone, it’s Christmas Eve, and time for a new Allsorts Challenge - the last one for 2022! Thanks to everyone who joined in with my challenge theme last week .. it was great to see all your entries 💕

Today we have a 2 week challenge so that the DT can get some well earned rest and family time over the festive period, and we'll hopefully be recharged and ready to go for 2023!  Brenda has chosen the theme and it is

*** Clean and Simple (CAS) ***

The festive season is a busy time for many people, but if you get even the smallest amount of crafting time we hope the CAS theme will enable you to join us.

We are finishing the year in style with not 1, not 2 but THREE fab prizes for this fortnight donated by our lovely patrons:

First a stamp set from AALL & Create

Secondly a stamp and die set from Highlight Crafts

Finally we have 3 digi images of a winner's choice from Ruth Hamilton Design

Here's my card for this fortnight, using a new Visible Image stamp set I treated myself to in the Black Friday sale 😍

This card really is as simple as it gets … I stamped the focal image onto a square of card using two colours of Versafine Clair, stamped the smaller background stamp to add a little interest, then added a stamped sentiment and couple of teeny heart gems 💕 Finally I edged the image panel with black marker pen and matted onto two matching colours of card stock.  

I have to say I’m really impressed with this stamp set .. the large flower has a real wow factor, and there is another flower, background and wording stamps waiting to be played with on another occasion! 😍

Stamps: Visible Image - Where Flowers Bloom; 

Media: Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Charming Pink, Summertime).

Challenges I would like to enter:

Color My Heart #528 - Anything Goes

Crafts Galore Encore #106 - Anything Goes

Crafty Calendar (December) - Anything Goes

Dare 2B Artzy (December) - CAS (Clean and Simple)

DL.Art (December) - Anything Goes

Dragonfly Dreams (December) - Anything But Christmas

Gem of a Challenge #26 2022 - Anything Goes

Pammie’s Inky Pinkies #2251 - Anything Goes (3rd entry)

Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday #575/576 - Anything Goes (3rd entry)

Hope you can join us for our last challenge of 2022, and I look forward to seeing your entries. Don't forget to visit the challenge blog to see more fab inspiration from the rest of the team, and remember that you have 2 weeks to enter this time - the challenge will close at 12:00 noon GMT on Friday 6 January 2023, and we will be back on Saturday 7 January with the first challenge of 2023.

Until then, wishing you all a 

🎄🎄🎄 Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 🎄🎄🎄

Thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Allsorts Challenge #707

Hi everyone, this week it's my turn to host and choose the theme for the new Allsorts Challenge, which is

*** Anything Goes with option O Christmas Tree! ***

If you are lucky enough to have completed your Christmas makes you can go with the A/G option, or if like me you are still making a few last minute cards I hope you will be inspired to join us!

This week we have 2 lovely Christmassy prizes that have been donated by one of our regular entrants (who wishes to remain anonymous) - so a big thankyou from the team! They are this beautiful stamp set and cute Woodware stamp.

Here's my card for this week - it is the special A5 Christmas card I made for my husband’s aunt. 

I’m still enjoying making snowy scenes with my various Lavinia fir tree stamps, and now I also have a Visible Image Santa’s sleigh and reindeer I’m all set to create the sky on Christmas Eve!

I cut a rectangle of stamping card and created my background by blending Distress Oxide inks through a large oval stencil while using masks for the moon and hills. I stamped trees within the oval using a reverse oval mask, and a mixture of 1st/2nd generation stamping; then stamped further trees and branches to frame the scene, and the Santa sleigh. I highlighted everything with my Sakura Stardust pen and Spectrum Noir glitter brush pen, then stamped two lanterns and created a halo of light round each one with a yellow Posca sparkle pen.  Finally I stamped my sentiment, edged the finished piece with black and matted onto purple glitter card and my card blank before adding my Posca pen “snowflakes”.   

Here’s an angled pic which attempts to show the sparkle (it is VERY sparkly!!)

I also stamped the envelope to co-ordinate using some of the same stamps plus additional stars and moon from the Visible Image set.

... and the back ...

Stamps: Lavinia Christmas Tree Group, Fir Tree 1, Red Pine (Small), Fairy Fir Tree (Small), Fern Branch, Small Lanterns, Bird Collection; Visible Image Christmas Eve (sleigh, stars, moon); Uniko Christmas Wishes (sentiment);

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Picked Raspberry, Seedless Preserve, Blueprint Sketch, Chipped Sapphire, Stormy Sky); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Twilight, Morning Mist, Medieval Blue); Posca pen (white); Posca sparkle pen (yellow), Sakura Stardust pen (clear); Spectrum Noir glitter brush pen (clear).

Tools: Press to Impress oval stencil, Lavinia moon mask.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Alphabet Challenge - S is for Snow - TOP 3

As You Like It - Anything Goes for Christmas

Country View Challenges (December) - Christmas (5th entry)

Crazy Is Our Fame, Stencils Are Our Game (December) - Holiday

Scribbles #115 - Not a Creature Was Stirring …

Lost Coast Portal to Creativity #157 - Something Seasonal (5th entry)

Sheepski #69 - ‘Tis the Season (2nd entry)

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Ice Cold

Stamping Sensations (December) - Anything Stamped with option Winter Wonderland  (3rd entry)

Word Art Wednesday #573/574 - Anything Goes (5th entry)

Hope you can join us this week, and I look forward to seeing your entries. Don't forget to visit the challenge blog to see more fab inspiration from the rest of the team. I'll be back on the Allsorts challenge blog on Friday with my winner and top 5! Thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Allsorts Challenge #706

Hi everyone, the weekend is here already, which means another weekly Allsorts Challenge. This week Lolo has chosen the theme and it is

*** Anything Goes with option Let it Snow ***

So we would love to see all your entries so long as they follow our simple rules, but would particularly enjoy seeing your snowy scenes .. and with Christmas just around the corner what's not to like about that?

This week we have 2 great prizes on offer from Oakwood Direct 

They are this lovely Stampendous stamp set and a stencil:

(Stencil designs will vary)

Here's what I made for this week.

I decided it was about time some of my older LotV stamps saw ink again, so I reached out the cute “Snow Family” and went for a vintage sepia look… I actually CASE’d one of my old cards from back in 2013 here.!!

I coloured the image with Promarkers and Flexmarkers then added holographic glitter to the snowy ground and the snow children’s hats, and Liquid Pearls to the snowflakes. I die cut the coloured image with my stitched dies and edged it with Distress Ink in keeping with the overall vintage colour scheme. I layered up my image with kraft coloured snowflake papers and dark brown cardstock, with pearlescent white die-cut snowflake borders and brown gingham ribbon. Finally I added two LotV grungy Christmas sentiments stamped onto snippets of kraft card. 

here is an angled pic to show the sparkle.

Stamps: LotV Snow Family, Christmas Grungy Sentiments;

Media: Promarkers and Flexmarkers; Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Vintage Photo); Memento ink; Versafine Clair (Pinecone); holographic glitter; Liquid Pearls;

Papers: LotV. Krafty Christmas;

Tools:  Memory Box die “Frostyville Border”; stitched square dies from Amazon.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Country View Challenges (December) - Christmas (4th entry)

Creatalicious #248 - Anything Goes with option Christmas in Non-Traditional Colours

Creative Knockouts #482 - Snow Much Fun (2nd entry)

Lost Coast Portal to Creativity #157 - Something Seasonal (3rd entry)

Passion For Markers #670 - Use Die Cuts

Pammie’s Inky Pinkies #2249 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Simon Says (Monday) - Holiday Cheer (3rd entry)

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Add Some Sparkle (2nd entry)

Stamping Sensations (December) - Anything Stamped with option Winter Wonderland  (2nd entry)

Word Art Wednesday #573/574 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Hope you can join us this week, and I look forward to seeing your entries. Don't forget to visit the challenge blog to see more fab inspiration from the rest of the team. Thanks for visiting.

Hugs,