Floral Butterfly

Hi everyone, yesterday I spent the afternoon making a special card for a friend’s milestone birthday which I can’t share just yet, but I also managed to sneak in another very quick CAS card using a few bits and pieces I had lying around!

I cut a large stitched square from a large snippet of white card, and die cut an aperture using my new Craft Addiction UK dies which I had my eye on for a while - they arrived yesterday and I had them out of the packet almost before they landed on the doormat! I then created a smooshed background on a smaller snippet and stamped the floral butterfly by dabbing with various shades of Versafine Clair - my colour scheme was inspired by a current colour challenge. I attached the butterfly panel behind the aperture then stamped the sentiment and attached the finished panel to a card blank. To finish I added two teeny gems to the butterfly’s antennae - job done! 

Unfortunately this card illustrates the main crafty problem I’m struggling with at the moment - my die cutting machine is a CC Gemini A4, and the plates are now so warped that they are wrecking my die cuts by causing creasing and waviness on the card. I really need new plates and shims but they are incredibly difficult to get hold of (quite apart from the price!) I’ve currently got my eye on some and hope to get them within the next week as I can’t carry on the way things are! To flatten this card out I had to place it under a heavy pile of books overnight!

Stamps: Chloe’s Creative Crafts Summer Florals (free with Simply Cards & Papercraft magazine issue 283 (May 2026));

Media: Lavinia Elements ink (Violet Chalk); Spectrum Noir Harmony dye ink (Pale Fig); Versafine Clair (Medieval Blue, Very Peri, Lilac Bloom, Monarch);

Tools: Hunkydory Moonstone Duo-Stitched square die; Craft Addiction UK Stitch Craft Fusion Frames (square).

Challenges I would like to enter:

AAA Colourful #28 - Colour Board

Addicted to Stamps & More! #518 - Birthdays

Die Cut Divas (June) - Anything Goes with a Die Cut

Double Trouble #217 - Birthday

Girlz & the Art of Letters #28 - B is for …Butterfly

Just Us Girls #826 - Use a Die

Krafty Chicks #823 - Birthday

Paper Players #788 - Tic Tac Toe

(Die cut / free / happy sentiment)

Simply Clean & Simple (June) - Anything CAS Goes

Snippets Playground #533 - Use Snippets

I’m hoping to get another craft session in this afternoon as I have to stay in for a BT Outreach engineer to survey our property for installation of full fibre broadband. Last time I stayed in for 5 hours and they never showed up, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed the visit will be more successful this time! 

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

I Spy With My Little Eye #37

Hi everyone, it’s the third Wednesday in the month so it’s time for a new I Spy With My Little Eye... challenge over at Ellibelle's Corner - back from our little break last month. 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 

*** Something Monochromatic ***

We would love to see your makes in shades of any colour, and of course black, white and neutrals are also fine! 

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 back Gerrina 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. My start point for this project was to select a colour I wouldn’t normally choose for a monochrome card - in this case orange - and then think what kind of image would suit that colour scheme. I decided on a butterfly, and off I went…

I die cut a scalloped square of white stamping card, and created a large stencilled butterfly using a Visible Image stencil and two shades of orange Distress Oxide inks which I then spattered with water. I stamped the smaller butterfly onto a separate small snippet of white card, coloured with an orange Sakura Stardust pen and Spectrum Noir sparkle pen, then fussy cut out. I stamped some background script in 2nd generation Nocturne VFC, using part of a much larger floral stamp by AALL & Create which I have cut down into separate bits. I also stamped some Visible Image butterfly-related words onto the butterfly wings,, then matted the white panel onto a square cut from a large snippet of orange cardstock, and onto a square card blank. Finally I attached the smaller butterfly and bent up its wings.

Stamps: Visible Image Minis #1, Wings of Change; AALL & Create Daisy Elegance;

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Spiced Marmalade, Ripe Persimmon; Versafine Clair (Nocturne); Sakura Stardust pen (orange); Spectrum Noir sparkle pen (clear);

Tools: Visible image stencil - Butterfly Ink; Craft Addiction UK die - Scallopstack Square Frames.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Colourful Options (May) - Black & White with a Pop of Colour

Crazy Is Our Fame, Stencils Are Our Game (May) - Use a Stencil - TOP 3

Fab ‘n’ Funky #637 - Monochromatic - TOP 3

Love to Scrap #179 - Anything Goes - TOP PICK

Pearly Sparkles #119 - One or More Butterflies

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Use Craft Dies

Snippets Playground #532 - Use Snippets - TOP PICK

Sweet Stampin’ - Things With Wings

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

Word Art Wednesday #752/753 - Anything Goes

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 June 14th, and the next challenge will begin on Wednesday June 17th.

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Simon Says (Monday) - Something New with AALL & Create

Hi everyone, welcome to 2025 and here’s hoping it will be healthy, peaceful and creative for everyone! 

I'm feeling really excited today, as I can finally share what I have been bursting to tell everyone since the summer - having been in the Designer Spotlight a few times during 2024 on the wonderful  Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge, I have been asked to be the Guest Designer again for January. I was previously a Guest Designer back in March 2023 so am  absolutely thrilled to be asked back, and to have the opportunity to showcase some cards for the next 4 weeks alongside the immensely talented regular members of the Design Team.

This week the theme is

Something New

As it’s the first Monday of the month we are showcasing a brand/company, and this week it is the fabulous AALL & Create. You don’t have to use them to join in with the challenge but if you have them we would love to see them on your creation.

The lovely folks over at Simon Says Stamp are generously giving away a FABULOUS $25 voucher to shop at the  Simon Says Stamp Store! All you have to do is take out your crafty supplies, make something following this week’s prompt, and add a link in the Inlinkz  on the challenge blog post!  You can enter 5 times so that's 5 possible chances to win! All winners are chosen randomly, so everyone has an equal chance - good luck everyone!

Here's my first Guest Designer card, using a “new to me” butterfly stamp set and die sets by AALL & Create, as well as a couple of their older stamps  (links to my supplies are below the description).

I die cut a piece of cream stamping card using AALL & Create die set #42 Papyrus Essence, then created a smooshed background using Antique Linen, Speckled Egg and Vintage Photo Distress Oxide inks applied with acetate. When dry I stamped the A&C butterfly  #1171 Floral Flyer using Portobello  Versafine Clair for a nice vintage look, and heat embossed with clear powder. I then stamped and heat embossed it again onto separate card and coloured it with Tim Holtz Distress watercolor pencils in Speckled Egg, Mermaid Lagoon and Vintage Photo. 

I added some background stamping in 2 corners of the main panel using #906 Art Notes and 2nd generation Very Peri Versafine Clair, then added some stencilling using Tim Holtz Dot Fade layering stencil and Scorched Timber DOX, and blended more Scorched Timber DOX round the edges. I fussy cut the coloured butterfly and attached to the panel by its body only. I die cut a small piece of cream card using a small die from set #57 Parallel Rectangle, stamped the sentiment from set #1171 in Portobello and heat embossed, then blended Speckled Egg DOX around the edges and attached below the butterfly. 

I stamped the pen nib from #908 Quill Ends in the top right corner and heat embossed, stamped and heat embossed again onto separate cream card, and coloured with Vintage Photo Distress Watercolor pencil then fussy cut and attached.

I die cut a piece of brown linen card stock using the largest die from set #42, matted the stamped panel onto it and then matted onto a 6” square kraft card blank. To finish I added Ranger Glossy accents to the stamped pen nib, and attached a vintage style pen nib from my stash to the butterfly body. 

Here are links to what I used: 

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Stamps: AALL & Create #1171 Floral Flyer, #906 Art Notes, #908 Quill Ends;

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Antique Linen, Speckled Egg, Vintage Photo, Scorched Timber); Versafine Clair (Portobello, Very Peri); Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor pencils set 1 (Speckled Egg), Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor pencils set 2 (Mermaid Lagoon, Vintage Photo); WOW Clear Gloss Regular embossing powder; Ranger Glossy Accents;

Tools: AALL & Create #42 Papyrus Essence dies, #57 Parallel Rectangle dies; Tim Holtz layering stencil - Dot Fade;

Other: vintage style pen nib from my stash (a similar one is available in Tim Holtz Idea-ology Odds and Ends Embellishments).

Don’t forget to visit the challenge blog to see the amazing inspiration from the rest of the Design Team.

You have until Monday 8am Ohio time (EST), 1pm UK time (GMT), 2 pm CET to join in.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Craft Rocket #121 - Something New

Crafty Calendar (January) - Add a Die Cut

Creative Inspirations (January) - Something Old/Something New

(new A&C butterfly stamp set and die sets)

Die Cut Divas (January) - Use Something New

Festive Friday (January) - Something New

Make My Monday #242 - Favourite Challenge Theme from 2024

(#227 - B is for … Butterfly)

My Time to Craft #550 - New

Pearly Sparkles #103 - Something Old, Something New

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Something New

Sweet Stampin’ - New!

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

Word Art Wednesday #681/682 - Anything Goes

Take care, and thanks for visiting my blog today.

Hugs,

Triple B - March GDT

Hi everyone, I was really thrilled to be asked recently by Diane to be this month’s Guest Designer on the Triple B Challenge. 

Of course I said yes straight away, as I am always a keen entrant into the challenge due to the fact that I absolutely love the theme which is always

*** Birds, Butterflies and/or Blooms *** 

with the option to be inspired by a mood board, which this month is the incredibly pretty picture below.

Remember you do NOT have to follow the board ... it's there for inspiration, but you DO have to use 1, 2 or 3 of the B's ... Birds, Butterflies and/or Blooms.

I hope you will pop over to the Triple B blog to see the superb inspiration from the Design Team and to link up your entries. Here is my effort - I was inspired by the pink and blue butterfly on a mottled pink background.

I cut a piece of stamping card 9cm x 20cm, and made a smooshed background of 2 colours of Distress Oxide ink which I dabbed onto my craft mat, spritzed and then applied to the card with acetate. I stamped the main image, then stamped the butterfly again onto a spare snippet of card and coloured with Distress watercolour pencils overlaid with Spectrum Noir sparkle pen. I shaded some of the circles with Distress watercolour pencils and others with my sparkle pen, then added some background stencilling in blue and background words in grey. I stamped the birdie onto another separate card snippet, fussy cut and attached to the bottom corner. I added white Posca spatters and when dry, matted the panel onto a black border and a DL card blank. I attached the coloured butterfly with silicone glue to give some dimension, scrunching black cotton behind and also adding the small number panel popped up for a bit more dimension. Finally I added the main sentiment which was stamped onto a snippet of black card with Versamark and heat embossed in white.

Here's a closeup of the butterfly.

Stamps: AALL & Create #449 Through the Meadows, #690 Robin and Nuthatch (background words), #533 Bring on the Sentiments; Tracy Evans Boutique Designs TE4 New Beginnings;

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Kitsch Flamingo, Tumbled Glass, Blueprint Sketch); Distress watercolor pencils (Picked Raspberry, Prize Ribbon, Peeled Paint); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Morning Mist); Versamark; detail white embossing powder; Spectrum Noir sparkle pen (clear); Posca pen (white);

Tools: Visible Image stencil - Off the Grid.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Little Red Wagon #745 - Stencil Power (2nd entry) - FEATURED PROJECT

Love to Craft #79 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

My Time to Craft #528 - Make Your Own Background (3rd entry)

Sheepski #84 - Anything Goes

Simon Says (Monday) - Fur or Feathers (3rd entry)

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Anything Goes (4th entry)

Snippets Playground #475 - Use Snippets

Word Art Wednesday #637/638 - Anything Goes (5th entry)

You have until March 31st, 8pm US Eastern Time (ET) to enter.

The winners will be announced on April 2nd before the start of a new challenge. 

Looking forward to seeing your entries. Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Vintage Tag

Hi everyone, I never normally make tags for some unknown reason - in fact I can only ever remember making one before - but I had recently been considering buying a grungy style tag die. However during my recent craft show visit a beautiful Woodware vintage style tag stamp caught my eye and it sent my crafty thoughts in a whole new direction. Here is my first vintage-style tag made with this stamp.

I stamped the tag onto cream stamping card using Pinecone Versafine Clair, then distressed it by blending Speckled Egg and Scorched Timber Distress Oxide inks from the edges inwards.  I stamped two butterflies off the edge, then some 2nd generation background grungy text in Acorn VFC. I added some stamped grungy hearts and a beetle, then coloured the butterfly wings and hearts using Distress Watercolor pencils, adding some sparkle to the butterfly wings with Wink of Stella (which the camera doesn't catch unfortunately). I stamped the words onto a separate snippet of card, cut out, distressed and attached. Finally I fussy cut the tag out then punched a hole and threaded with jute twine.

I also stamped on the back and distressed the edges - I’m loving the new Scorched Timber DOX for a vintage look.

Stamps: Woodware Old Paper Tag, Butterfly, Additions (background text), Blooming (hearts), Mini Flower Silhouettes (beetle); AALL & Create #533 Bring On the Sentiments, #984 Tag o Tag (text on back);

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Speckled Egg, Scorched Timber); Distress watercolor pencils (Mermaid Lagoon, Salvaged Patina, Speckled Egg, Kitsch Flamingo); Versafine Clair (Pinecone, Acorn); Wink of Stella.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Allsorts #769 - Things That Fly

Crafty Addicts #10 - Anything Goes

Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday (February) - Anything Goes

My Time to Craft #528 - Make Your Own Background

NBUS #59 - Use Your Never-Before-Used-Schtuff

(vintage tag stamp and Scorched Timber DOX)

Outlawz (February) - Anything Goes In a Card Free Zone (3rd entry)

Simon Says (Monday) - Not a Card

Stamping Sensations (February) - Animals, Birds and Creatures (3rd entry)

Tag Tuesday - Asemic Writing (wordless open semantic form of writing)

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

Word Art Wednesday #635/636 - Anything Goes (5th entry)

I really enjoyed trying something a bit different, and I have several other ideas for tags using this stamp, so watch this space!!

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,