Daffy Duckling

Hi everyone, I’m still in the groove with springtime images and colours, and I see that this week’s challenge at Allsorts is to use yellow, so I decided to make an Easter card with this adorable Penny Black duckling stamp …  I’ve had him forever and he still has an outing most years! Sadly the weather here today is anything but spring-like - it is really dark and miserable, so please excuse the rather dull picture! 

I cut a small square of stamping card, stamped my duckling and coloured him with Zig pens, then added some soft cloud stencilling using Tumbled Glass Distress Oxide ink. I cut a stitched square frame and applied soft yellow stencilling using my Lavinia Leaf Trails stencil and Sundance Elements ink. I attached my image panel behind the aperture and attached the whole frame to a 6” square card blank, then added some die cut flowers and foliage and a stamped and cut out greeting.

Stamps: Penny Black Duckling (3347H), Happy Easter (2855D);

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxide ink (Tumbled Glass); Lavinia Elements ink (Sundance); Versafine Clair (Nocturne); Kuretake Zig Clean Colour watercolour brush pens;

Tools: Hunkydory Moonstone Duo-Stitched Squares dies; Joy! Crafts flower die 6003/0024; unbranded foliage die; Lavinia Leaf Trails stencil; home made cloud stencil.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Allsorts #771 - Use Yellow

Crazy Is Our Fame, Stencils Are Our Game (March) - Use Stencils with option Easter/Spring

Creative Moments #256 - Flora and Fauna

Cutie Pie #192 - Easter/Mother's Day

Double D - First Signs of Spring (2nd entry)

FarmQuest Country Store #14 - Anything Farm or Country Goes

Make My Monday #221 - Spring - Flowers, Weather, Young Animals etc. - TOP 3

Paper Funday #63 - Anything Goes with option The Dies Have It

Penny Black Saturday Challenge (March) - Anything Goes with option Easter

Simon Says (Monday) - Bright and Cheerful (2nd entry)

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Add a Sentiment (2nd entry)

Stamping Sensations (March) - Spring (2nd entry)

Word Art Wednesday #637/638 - Anything Goes (7th entry)

Worldwide Crafters and Colourists #14 - Anything Goes (3rd entry)

Here’s hoping the weather will soon pick up to match the spring vibes! Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

I Spy With My Little Eye...

Hi everyone, my lovely blogging friend Ellie has exciting news today, as she is launching a new monthly challenge on her blog Ellibelle's Corner, entitled I Spy With My Little Eye...

.. and my exciting news is that she asked me to be her Guest Designer for the first challenge - woo hoo!! Thanks Ellie!!

As mentioned above, the challenge will start on the 3rd Wednesday of each month and will end on the Sunday before the next challenge at 23.59 US Central Time … so that’s Sunday April 16th. Here’s a link to the first challenge and the theme is ..

I Spy With My Little Eye ... a Spring or Easter Critter

Here is my card for this challenge.

One of the things I love about Ellie's style of crafting is her use of adorable Penny Black stamps - both recent and vintage. I myself have a good collection of vintage wooden PB stamps all the way back to when I first started crafting in 2005, but since coming back to crafting in 2021 after a few years away they have been rather sadly neglected. I think this is partly because my confidence in colouring with alcohol markers was low on my return, and I kind of got out of the habit. Easter is a time though when I do tend to turn to these cute critter images, so this challenge was the perfect opportunity!! I have to say this duckling really is one of my favourites … he looks so daffy, the expression on his face is priceless somehow!

I cut a frame of pearlescent white card using my stitched square dies, then embossed with a floral folder I recently picked up in the charity shop. I stamped my image onto a square of Neenah card stock and coloured with Promarkers and Flexmarkers, then lightly inked grass and sky with Distress Oxide inks. I gently blended DOX inks in co-ordinating colours over the embossed frame using teeny stencil brushes, then attached my image panel behind the aperture.  I stamped my Easter greeting direct onto the image panel, and the springtime sentiment onto a snippet of white pearlescent card which I then cut out with a stitched square die and edged with pink DOX. I assembled the card by adding two colours of twine with the bow secured with a sparkly brad, and the sentiment popped up on foam tape. Lastly I added a bit of sparkle to the duck's flowers with my Spectrum Noir sparkle pen - here is a closeup to capture the twinkle.

Stamps: Penny Black Duckling (3347H), Spring Magic (2852C), Happy Easter (2855D);

Media: Promarkers and Flexmarkers; Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Squeezed Lemonade, Spiced Marmalade, Picked Raspberry, Twisted Citron, Bundled Sage, Tumbled Glass); Memento ink (black); Versafine Clair (Nocturne); Spectrum Noir Sparkle Pen (clear);

Tools: Hunkydory Duo-Stitched Squares; Die’sire Embossalicious Floral Frenzy embossing folder;

Twine and brad from my stash.

Challenges I would like to enter:

As You Like It - Favourite Easter Critters (and why) - TOP 3

(I would normally say bunnies, but there is something just so adorable about this duckling holding his bunch of Easter flowers - he is my favourite!)

Beyond the Blue #81 - Blooms

Can You Handle the Pressure? - Anything Goes Embossing - TOP 3

Crafty Animals #70 - Anything Goes with an Animal - TOP PICK

Crafty Calendar (March) - Buttons/Bows

Crafty Catz #628 - Anything Goes with option Spring

Creative Inspirations (March) - Spring Blooms (2nd entry)

Critter Crazy Challenges #72 - Anything Goes With a Featured Critter

Cutie Pie #180 - Beginning With B (Blooms)

Dream Valley #289 - Things With Wings (2nd entry)

Happy Little Stampers: Dies (March) - Anything Goes With Dies

I ❤️ Promarkers #530 - Anything Goes with option Add a Flower

Make My Monday #196 - Spring Colours

Passion For Markers #681 - Colours of Spring - TOP 5

Penny Black Saturday (March) - Anything Goes with option Easter

Simply Create Too #188 - Spring Colours

Stamping Sensations (March) - Anything Stamped with option Wings and Tails (3rd entry)

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

We Love Stamping (March) - Anything Stamped with option Spring Is In the Air

Word Art Wednesday #587/588 - Anything Goes

Please do pop over to Ellie's blog to see her fab creations, and link up your spring/Easter critter makes here.

That's all from me for today - take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Allsorts Challenge #667

Good morning everyone,

It's Saturday so it's time for another weekly Allsorts Challenge. This week Brenda has chosen the theme and it is

Spring Is in The Air

A lovely cheerful theme as we look towards the lighter nights, which will also perhaps distract us from all the terrible things currently happening in the world!!

This week’s prize has been kindly donated by Stampers Grove -  this beautiful AALL & Create stamp set "Birthday Blooms".

Here's my card for this week.

The starting point for this card was the intricate floral punch that I have used down one side ... I have quite a few of these punches but now very rarely use them, though I have to unpack them from my dining room cupboard every time I craft in order to get at my papers and stamps stored behind!

The spring theme also motivated me to go a bit retro with this one, and I had a delve in my stamp boxes to find some old, much loved but sadly much neglected Penny Black wooden stamps that would be suitable for a spring theme. This darling duckling just spoke to me, so I soon got busy colouring him with my Promarkers. I die cut him using my stitched squares and sponged the edges with Distress Oxide ink, then matted him on a slightly large die cut. I cut a square of yellow card which I punched down one side, then layered up my image, paper and matting card with a piece of ribbon onto my card base. Lastly I added my sentiment popped up on foam tape and a few teeny gems to pull the colour scheme together.

Stamps: Penny Black Duckling (3347H) and Happy Easter (2355D);

Media: Promarkers and Flexmarkers; Tim Holtz Distress Oxide ink (Rustic Wilderness);

Papers: snippets from my stash;

Tools: Stitched rectangle dies from Amazon; Martha Stewart floral Punch Around the Page.

Challenges I would like to enter:

A Gem of a Challenge #6 2022 - Anything Goes

As You Like It - Favourite Interactive or Not (and why) (2nd entry)

(My favourite is definitely NOT - scarcely ever tried an interactive card and wouldn't really know where to start!!)

Card Concept #170 - Wearing O’ the Green

(I was inspired by the colours yellow and green, and the general spring feel of the pic. I think I would call this card style “clean and layered”?)

Crafty Calendar (March) - Spots/Stripes or Easter - TOP 3

Crafty Catz #586 - Anything Goes with option Spring Colours - TOP 3

Crafty Gals’ Corner #229 - Add a Flower

Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper (March) - Anything Goes with Patterned Paper

Creatalicious #230 - Anything Goes with option Something Green

Creative Inspirations (March) - Spring Flowers

Daisy Chain #61 - Use Dies

Day of the Month #37 - Poultry Day (and 3rd birthday of blog)

Dragonfly Dreams (March) - Something to Make You Smile

Four Seasons (March) - Spring

Get Creative #109 - Use Green

I ❤️ Promarkers #505 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Paper Funday #39 - Anything Goes with option Use Green and Gold

Penny Black Saturday (March) - Anything Goes with option Bright Colours

Penny's Challenge #516 - Anything Goes with Patterned Papers

Pixie's Snippets Playground #423 - Anything Goes With Snippets (Ruby's Memory)

Sheepski #60 - Flowers (3rd entry)

Simon Says (Monday) - Add Some Green (2nd entry)

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Bit O' Green

Sisterhood of Crafters - Old Rejected Stamp - TOP 3

(This stamp is from 2005, and I've had it nearly that long!!)

Stamping Sensations (March) - Stamp Something for Spring

We Love Stamping (March) - Anything (Stamped) Spring

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,

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.

Crafty Calendar #18 - Spring

Good afternoon ... back again with my second card of the day, (if you're looking for my Penny Black Saturday Challenge card, please go here :-) )

This time it is my DT card for the monthly Crafty Calendar Challenge. Thanks so much to everyone who joined in last month's "love" challenge - don't forget to check the main challenge blog to see if you are the winner.

This month it is Kim's turn to choose the challenge theme, and she has chosen

Spring

Perfect choice to cheer us up after the cold miserable weather we've been having!! :-)

We are lucky enough this month to be sponsored by



who is offering 5 Robyn's Fetish digital products of the winner's choice, which may include digital stamps and digital paper packs.

The other teamies have come up with some gorgeous creations. Several have used Robyn's Fetish products to inspire those of you who use digis, including this month's guest designer Jeanette, who is a member of Roby's Fetish DT.

Here's my card for the March challenge..


Recipe:
Main image: Penny Black "Duckling" (3347H), coloured with Promarkers;
Sentiment: Penny Black "Spring Magic (2852C);
Papers: Papermania "Forever Friends - Spring Time";
Supplies: daffodil, cherry blossoms and pearls from Wild Orchid Crafts; narcissi from local craft shop; ribbon from Hobbycraft;
Tools: large, small anc classic scalloped circle nestabilities; Martha Stewart "wildfloweers" PATP edge punch; Leone Em "Ash Family" leaf punch.


Challenges:
Everybody-Art-Challenge #131 - Spring
Scrapbook Sisters #25 - Spring
Stampin' For The Weekend #5 - Springtime
By The Cute & Girly (March) - Springtime
Bunny Zoe's #9 - Spring - Flowers Everywhere (2nd entry)
Fab'n'Funky #62 - Spring into Action
Incy Wincy #83 - Spring Is in the Air
Cute Card Thursday #154 - Signs of Spring
Delightful - Welcome Spring
Penny Black at Allsorts - Welcome Spring (2nd entry)
Crazy Challenge #56 - Here Comes Spring
Simon Says - Recipe: 2 patterned papers & 3 types of embellishment
(I have used flowers, ribbon and pearls)
Look forward to seeing some cheerful spring time creations. Have a great weekend!

Penny Black Saturday #134 - Card buffet

Woo hoo !! Saturday again, and time for anther Penny Black Saturday Challenge. Thanks as always to everyone who entered last week - there were some fab entries. Don't forget to check the main blog to see if you have won any of last week's three prizes .. including my scrummy "Aspire" stamp :-)

This week we are trying something different and new, and would like to invite you to join us for a

Card Buffet
Please take any 4 of the following items:

Patterned Paper
Ribbon
3 gems
3 flowers
3 buttons
Twine
A charm

.... and use them to make your card.

How yummy is that??

And talking of yummy, we have a fab prize this week for one lucky randomly drawn winner, from our regular sponsor Penny Black Inc.


It's these 2 gorgeous "slapstick" stamps - woo hoo!

40-024 Rain or Shine


40-011 Paisley Swirls



Don't forget that in order to be eligible for the prize, you must link to a new piece of work. and must use a Penny Black image, large sentiment or stickeroo as the main focus of your project.
the other DT members have been tucking in to the buffet with a vengenance, but luckily they left some for me ;-) so here is my card for this week.
Earlier in the week i put in a li'l order to The Glitterpot and it arrived the next day (amazing!), so I just had to play with my scrummy new paper pack which is "Forever Friends - Spring Time" - you will be seeing quite a few of cards using these papers in the near future. I had a little root around and found these cute heart shaped buttons in my box, which I thought went pretty well with the papers. I had also got in mind that I wanted to make a cheer-up card for a colleague and friend who has been quite poorly recently, so the "Friends" charm just kinda suggested itself, and I decided to be bold and try some twine instead of ribbon - so that was 4 items from the buffet - job done!


Recipe:
Main image; Penny Black "Duckling" (3347H), coloured with Promarkers;
Sentiment: Whiff of Joy "swirls" set;
Papers: Papermania "Forever Friends - Spring Time";
Supplies: Papermania shiny purple twine; charm from Bunny Zoe's Crafts; buttons from stash;

Tools: Martha Stewart "doily lace" punch.
I would like to enter this card for the following challenges:

Simon Says - Sketch

(I rotated it by 90 degrees to the left and must admit that I have only just spotted the delicate swirls .. but luckily it seems some of the DT didn't include them either so I hope they'll be kind ;-) )

Oldie But A Goodie #10 - Bright & Cheerful
Cupcake #124 - Something New (my paper pack)
Really Reasonable Ribbon #16 - Heart Theme
Paper Play #2 - Cutie Patootie
Top Tip Tuesday #17 - Anything Goes
Craft your Days Away #11 - Anything Goes

Have a great weekend and help yourselves to the buffet ;-)