C.R.A.F.T. #776 - Guest Designer

Hi everyone, I was thrilled to be asked to be guest designer on this fortnight’s C.R.A.F.T. Challenge, where the theme for the next two weeks is 

*** Christmas - Children ***

The fabulous sponsor for this challenge is

All Dressed Up

The prize is 2 images from their online store.

The design team have made some fabulous projects to inspire you, so please do visit the challenge blog to check them out, and to link up your own entries. 

Here is my card for the challenge. I will hold my hand up that I did struggle a bit with this - I have absolutely no requirement for children’s Christmas cards so my stash is not really geared that way; but I decided a glittery, fantasy Christmas tree and fairy might work for a girl, so that’s what I went with!

I die cut a stitched rectangle of white stamping card, then stamped the Christmas tree in pink and heat embossed with holographic glitter embossing powder. I stamped the fairy with the lantern she normally carries masked off, then coloured her wings with Sakura Stardust pens. I hand drew a bauble in her hand using my White Orbs stencil,, which I also coloured with Stardust pens along with the baubles on the tree. I added a stamped sentiment and a few stars, then matted onto turquoise glitter card and a 7” x 5” card blank. To finish I added the absolute last star gem that I could find in my stash to the top of the tree!

This card is really VERY sparkly - here’s an angled picture.

Stamps: Lavinia White Pine, Dragonfly Keepers; sentiment and stars free with craft magazine; 

Media: Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Baby Pink, Bali Blue); Sakura Stardust pens (pink, turquoise, clear);

Tools: Hunkydory Moonstone Duo-Stitched rectangle die; Lavinia White Orbs stencil.

Challenges I would like to enter:

12 Months of Christmas #132 - Anything Goes Christmas

613 Avenue Create (March) - Anything Goes with option Things With Wings

ABC Christmas  - G is for Gems

Christmas or Not BINGO #18 - BINGO Card

(I have chosen column “I” - Christmas / Pink / Stamping)

Christmas Crafts All Year Round (March) - F is for … Fairy

Crafty Catz #709 - Anything Goes

Merry Little Christmas #67 - Anything Christmas Goes

Outlawz Christmas (March) - Anything Christmas Goes

Peace On Earth #108 - Anything Goes Christmas

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Clean and Simple

Word Art Wednesday #744/745 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Thanks very much to the C.R.A.F.T. challenge Design Team for asking me to be guest designer this time.

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

I Spy With My Little Eye #35/36

Hi everyone, once again it’s the third Wednesday in the month which can only mean one thing … it’s time for another 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 time we have got double the fun for you, as we are running a two month long challenge with two themes, so you have got both plenty of time to enter, and plenty of choice of subject. So … our two themes for this challenge are

*** Spring Flowers***

and

*** Spring Showers ***

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 be joined by a guest designer - Jolanda - so please do click on her name to visit her blog and view her beautiful creation.

Here’s my card for the challenge - as you can see I decided to go with spring flowers.

Last autumn I bought a fabulous extra large background “spatter” stamp by Inkylicious at a craft fair, but for some unknown reason I had never inked it up until now. It is VERY big, so I decided to make a one layer card to give maximum space to accommodate it! I scored a piece of 30cm x 15cm Pink Frog super smooth card to make a square card blank, then dabbed various colours of Distress Oxide onto the stamp and spritzed with water then stamped - it acted rather, like a gel plate! I stamped the daffodils, then stamped again onto a separate snippet of card, coloured with Zig pens and Wink of Stella, fussy cut and attached. I stamped two bunnies in the corner which I highlighted with white Posca pen and pastel pencil, then stamped the sentiment - job done! 

Stamps: Inkylicious Spatter Circle XL; Visible Image Golden Daffodils; Lavinia Wild Hares (large); Uniko Spring Botanicals Snowdrop (sentiment);

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Twisted Citron, Cracked Pistachio, Peacock Feathers, Broken China); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Medieval Blue); Kuretake Zig Clean Color watercolour pens; Posca pen (white); pastel pencil (white).

Challenges I would like to enter:

Beautiful Blossoms #39 - Anything Floral Goes with optional Mood Board

Craft Rocket #134 - No Designer Paper

Crafty Calendar (March) - Spring

Creative Crafting Uncles #75 - Spring and/or Easter

Creative Moments #280 - Bunnies and Blooms

Daisy Chain #105 - Flowers

Ellibelle’s Garden Party #13 - Anything In or From a Garden

Four Seasons (March) - Spring (2nd entry)

Girlz Creative Crafts #66 - Flowers

Papercraft Challenges #128 - Joy of Spring

Passion for Markers #829 - Make It Bloom

Path of Positivity #139 - Anything Goes Positive

Simon Says (Monday) - Beautiful Blooms

Sparkles #198 - It’s Springtime!

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

Try It On Tuesday - Spring

The I Spy Challenge will end on the Sunday before the next challenge starts at 23:59 US Central Time - as our challenge runs for two months this time that is Sunday May 17th, and the next challenge will begin on Wednesday May 20th.

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Spring Has Sprung!

Hi everyone, it’s March and spring is officially here, though looking out at the weather here in the UK you wouldn’t necessarily notice! Confession time … yesterday was time to turn over my Lavinia calendar page for March, but due to a variety of reasons I hadn’t made it - eek! So yesterday afternoon I thought I’d better get busy, and here is the result. 

I cut a piece of stamping card 19.5cm x 14.5cm and first stamped the cottage and fairy path. I then masked them and created the hills and sky by blending Elements and Distress inks using my hill and circle masks. I stamped the fairy washing line (which I treated myself to last week specifically so I could make this page!), carefully masking it so that the washing was stamped in Nocturne while the end trees were stamped in Shady Lane VFC. I stamped Sky the fairy then added some stamped trees on the background hills, adding spring green leaves from the Spring Trees set. I then coloured the cottage and path with Zig pens, and fairy wings with Sakura Stardust pens. Unfortunately my Zigs didn’t blend well on the cottage - I have recently bought a new pack of super smooth stamping card and have noticed it definitely doesn’t blend as well as previously! So … I stamped another cottage onto separate card, coloured it with watercolour pencils, cut out and attached. I added a few finishing touches by stamping a fence, various foliage and bluebells around the cottage and the edges, a flight of birds and lastly some background spring wording.

When my husband saw the finished result he enquired about the absence of any March hares, or (having been brought up in Wales) daffodils. I had to tell him that sadly Lavinia don’t make any daffodil stamps (he replied that as a Welsh company, maybe they should!); but I added the hare sitting looking at the fairy, just for him! ❤️

Stamps: Lavinia Sky, Woodside View, Fairy Path, Fairy Washing Line, Skeleton Tree Scene, Trees, Spring Trees, Bluebells, Thyme, Winter Foliage, Gate & Fence, Forest Hares, Birds, Words of Spring;

Media: Lavinia Elements inks (Olive, Pine, Lime  Punch, Sundance, Lemon Drop); Tim Holtz Distress ink (Tumbled Glass); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Morning Mist, Pinecone, Acorn, Shady Lane, Avocado, Very Peri, Lilac Bloom); Kuretake Clean Color watercolour pens; watercolour pencils; Sakura Stardust pens (pink, yellow, green); Posca pen (white);

Tools: Lavinia Hill mask and circle masks; My Favorite Things cloud stencil.

Challenges I would like to enter:

613 Avenue Create (March) - Anything Goes with option Things With Wings

Country View Crafts (March) - Spring Into Life

Cardz 4 Galz #270 - Wings

Crafts Galore Encore #145 - Anything Goes 

Crafty Catz #708 - Anything Goes

Four Seasons (March) - Anything Goes

Lavinia Creative Challenge (March) - Spring Awakening

Outlawz Anything but a Card (March) - Anything but a Card

Simon Says (Monday) - Whatever the Weather

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

We Love 2 Create #2 2026 - Anything Mixed Media / Papercrafting Goes

Word Art Wednesday #740/741 - Anything Goes (4th entry)

I’m just hoping that the weather will finally get the memo that spring is here, and we can see an end to the relentless rain we’ve been having! 

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Misty Meadow

Hi everyone, I had a gel plate print left over from a previous crafty playtime and it reminded me of a misty, rainy sky, so I decided to make a simple scenic card for this month’s Lavinia Creative Challenge. Unfortunately I seem to have missed the challenge as this afternoon the entry box wasn’t there on the website - grr! 

I don’t normally make sympathy cards to have in reserve in my stash, but the background on this card just spoke to me that way! Please excuse the poor photograph - it is SO dark here today!

I cut a square of white stamping card, brayered Shaded Likac and Stormy Sky Distress Oxide inks onto my smaller square gel press, spattered with water then took a print. I masked the white edges of the card, created a misty sun with a circle mask and blended DOX, then stamped a variety of meadow flowers in various shades of Versafine Clair. I edged the sun with clear Sakura Stardust pen, and added sparkle and white Posca highlights to the flowers. I added stamped birds and a sentiment, then matted onto a border and 6” card blank.

Stamps: Lavinia Wild Poppies, Dandelions, Fairy Dandelions, Buttercups, Birds, Heartfelt Verses;

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Shaded Lilac, Stormy Sky, Hickory Smoke); Versafine Clair  (Monarch, Lilac Bloom, Very Peri, Morning Mist, Medieval Blue, Nocturne); Sakura Stardust pen (clear); Posca pen (white).

Challenges I would like to enter:

Beautiful Blossoms #38 - Anything Floral Goes (2nd entry)

Classic Design Challenge #2 2026 - Blooms and/or Butterflies  (2nd entry)

Craft Rocket #133 - Flowers (3rd entry)

Lavinia Creative Challenge (February) - Magical Meadows

Little Red Wagon #847 - Leftovers

Moving Along with the Times #186 - Floral (3rd entry)

Pammie’s Inky Pinkies #2608 - Anything Goes

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Anything Goes

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

Word Art Wednesday #740/741 - Anything Goes (3rd entry)

I took a small crafty delivery today so I’m hoping that will trigger some action shortly on my March calendar page! 

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

February ❤️

Hi everyone, January has been and gone already, so it’s time for me to share the February page on my Lavinia calendar. Last year I did a very sweet and cute February page of loved up wintry hedgies, so this year I decided to go in a different direction with my steampunk heart, and the theme ‘key to my heart’. This is vaguely inspired by a Jo Rice design though it actually turned out very different!

I cut a piece of white Pink Frog super smooth card 19.5cm x 14.5 cm, then stamped and heat embossed the focal heart. I masked the heart then stamped and heat embossed an arrangement of cogs down one side. With the mask still in place I created a smooshed background by applying Blue Lagoon Elements ink to acetate, spritzing with water then dabbing onto the card. I stamped the wooden platforms and mice, then stamped the key and heat embossed in gold. I coloured the heart with Zig pens with gold Posca for the cogs, added Stabilo pencil and Posca white shading to the mice, then stamped a texture stamp in red around the edges. To finish I stamped the word ‘love’ from 3 different sentiment sets randomly onto the background, then matted the finished piece onto my calendar.

Stamps: Lavinia Heart (Large), Cog Set 2, Cog Set 3, Tilly and Tango, Basil and Bibi, Hobbit Door Accessories, Key (Small), Texture 2, Heartfelt Verses, The World Is Full of Beauty;

Media: Lavinia Elements ink (Blue Lagoon); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Strawberry, Twilight); Kuretake Zig Clean Color watercolour pens; Versamark; clear and gold embossing powders; Sakura Stardust pen (yellow); Posca pens (white, gold); Stabilo pencil (white).

Challenges I would like to enter:

613 Avenue Create (February) - Anything Goes with option Animal Magic

Crafty Catz #706 - Anything Goes

Country View Crafts (February) - Hearts

Creative Color Girlz #1 - Anything Hand Coloured Goes

Creative Moments #278 - Love and Romance

Dream Factory #146 - Love Actually

Heart’s Quest Challenge #82 - Anything Goes with a Heart, with option Red or Gold Heart

If You Give a Crafter a Cookie #213 - Happy Hearts

Inkspirational #360 - Word Prompt

Krafty Chicks #805 - Anything Goes with option Embossing - TOP PICKS

Outlawz Anything but a Card (February) - Anything but a Card

Pearly Sparkles #116 - Hearts

Shopping Our Stash #566 - Love Me Do

Simon says (Monday) - Have a Heart

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Anything Goes

Sweet Stampin’ - All You Need is Love

We Love 2 Create #1 2026 - Anything Mixed Media / Papercrafting Goes

Word Art Wednesday #736/737 - Anything Goes (3rd entry) 

I’ve still not been finding much time for crafting with everything that has been going on during the past month, but I hope things may be moving into calmer waters, so we’ll see what happens! 

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Happy New Year! 🎇🎆🥳🎉

Hi everyone, I’d like to start by wishing all my visitors a Happy New Year, and best wishes for a happy, healthy and peaceful 2026.

Back in October I won a prize in a crafting challenge, so I went back on an earlier decision and selected a new Lavinia calendar to decorate for 2026. I loved decorating my 2025 calendar but it took a huge amount of work, so I had decided not to go there again … but when I won this prize I couldn’t resist! Fairly predictably, what with the run up to Christmas, not being well and being away, I haven’t found much opportunity to get ahead with it. However I sat down at the weekend to make a page for January, so at least I would be able to turn the page to the current month! I am pretty sure life will quieten down a bit now so I am planning on getting further ahead with it, but in the meantime here is my January page. It is based on a Jo Rice design here but with a few changes.

I cut a piece of stamping card 19.5cm x 14.5cm, and stamped the Berry Branches and Fir Cone Branches using Pinecone Versafine Clair. I stamped the robins Bobby and Jemima, then added berries to the branches. I masked Bobby and Jemima and used a large circle mask for the moon, then blended Della Blue Elements ink to make the sky, which I spattered lightly with water to add texture. I coloured the branches, berries, pinecones and robins with Zig pens, and the robins’ bellies with fine strokes of white Posca pen. I added white Posca snow to the branches and accents to the cones and berries, then added sparkle to the pinecones and snow with Spectrum Noir sparkle pen. I highlighted the fir branches with a Sakura Stardust pen to make them look frosty, and also outlined the moon. Finally I added a stamped sentiment in blue, then attached the finished piece to my calendar.

Here’s a ‘sparkle’ picture.

Stamps: Lavinia Bobby, Jemima, Berry Branch, Fir Cone Branch, Let Your Spirit Take Flight;

Media: Lavinia Elements ink (Della Blue); Versafine Clair (Pinecone, Medieval Blue); Kuretake Zig Clean Color watercolour pens; Sakura Stardust pen (clear); Spectrum Noir sparkle pens (clear); Posca pen (white);

Tools: Lavinia acetate circle mask.

Challenges I would like to enter: 

Crafty Animals #101 - Include an Animal (or Bird)

Critter Crazy #196 - Anything Gies featuring a Critter

Four Seasons (January) - Winter

Girlz Creative Crafts #63 - Anything Goes

Girlz Rebel #47 - Anything Goes (3rd entry)

Lavinia Creative Challenge (January) - Frosty Dreams

Love to Craft #90 - Anything Goes

Outlawz Anything but a Card (January) - Anything but a Card

Shopping Our Stash #564 - Free Is Good

(2026 Lavinia calendar was a challenge prize)

Simon Says (Monday) - Sparkle and Shine (3rd entry)

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

Word Art Wednesday #730/733 - Anything Goes (4th entry)

So it’s onward and upward for what will hopefully be another great year of crafting.

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Merry Christmas Everyone! 🎄🎄

Hi everyone, I’m just popping by with a scheduled post to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. I hope you have a happy, joyful and peaceful time with loved ones, and find time to relax and have fun.

I know that Christmas can be a difficult time for some people, particularly if you or your loved ones are ill, if you have lost loved ones during the year, or if you do not have family and friends to spend the festive season with. If you are having difficult times I wish you all the best, and I hope you will be able to enjoy the season as much as possible for your circumstances, and that you will have better times ahead.

I will be spending Christmas quietly - just me and my husband  - but I hope to have an enjoyable time eating, drinking and relaxing while watching some festive TV! Here is the card I made for him - I always wait to publish it until he has opened it on Christmas morning!

I decided to make a variation on my Lavinia mega-project which I made a month ago during my DT stint on the Simon Says (Monday) challenge (here). I just had to use the adorable Pipspell and the fairy post box, though this time, in the interests of making a more masculine card, I didn’t include a fairy!

I cut a 7” square of white stamping card, stamped the focal Wishing Post post box, and then masked it. I added masks for the landscape and moon, then created the sky by blending Elements inks. With the masks still in place I stamped a variety of pine trees in 1st/2nd generation, then added snow drifts by blending ink using my hill masks. I stamped Pipspell, and opposite I stamped Basil holding the orb on a branch. I also stamped Tilly (or Tango?) dangling joyfully from the postbox - this is one of my favourite stamps as he/she always looks so joyfully abandoned when hanging upside down! 

I stamped some Starpine and Sugar Pine Cones in the top right corner, then coloured the Wishing Post, Pipspell, Pinecones and orbs with Zig pens. I added Wink of Stella to the orbs for sparkle, and also added it in flicking motions to the Starpine leaves. I added white Posca snow lines to the scene and topped them with Spectrum Noir sparkle pen for a more silvery sparkle. I cut out a teeny rectangle of card and drew on it with fineliner to represent a stamp and loving message on the front of an envelope, then popped it into Tilly’s paw.

 I matted the panel onto two shades of blue card stock and an 8” square card blank, then stamped the sentiments onto separate card,  coloured with Sakura Stardust pen, then edged with dark blue and attached. Finally I added Posca snowfall.

This is another very sparkly card which doesn’t show up on the photos! 

Stamps: Lavinia Wishing Post, Mailbox Names, Pipspell, Tilly and Tango, Basil and Bibi, Everlight 2, Small Pine Trees, Small Fairy Fir Tree 2, Christmas Tree Group, Starpine, Sugar Pine Cones, Winter Foliage, Christmas Greetings, Seasonal Words; Uniko Christmas Greetings (inside);

Media: Lavinia Elements inks (Pink Elephant, Della Blue, Dark Denim); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Pinecone, Rainforest, Shady Lane, Avocado, Medieval Blue); Kuretake Zig Clean Color watercolour pens; Wink of Stella (clear, gold); Spectrum Noir sparkle pen (clear); Sakura Stardust pen (clear); Posca pen (white);

Tools: Lavinia acetate circle mask and Mini Hill Masks.

Challenges I would like to enter:

12 Months of Christmas #129 - Anything Goes Christmas (5th entry)

52 Christmas Card Throwdown - Pick a Previous Theme Challenge (3rd entry) - HONOURABLE MENTION

(I picked December - Winter Scene)

613 Avenue Create (December) - Anything Goes with option Sparkle and Shine (4th entry)

Ally’s Angels #101 - Anything Goes

Cardz 4 Guyz #381 - Christmas Critters

Country View FB Challenge (December) - Christmas (4th entry)

Craftlandia #25 - Snowflakes (3rd entry)

Crafts Galore Encore #142 - Anything Goes (3rd entry)

Creatalicious #296 - Anything Goes with option Winter Animals (2nd entry)

Creative Crafters #95 - Anything Goes - TOP 3

Everybody Art #591 - Christmas/New Year (2nd entry)

FarmQuest Country Christmas #27 - Anything Country Christmas Goes (2nd entry)

FarmQuest General Store #35 - Anything Farm and/or Country Goes (2nd entry) - TOP 3

Girlz Makes Guyz #34 - Anything Goes Male

Girlz Rebel #47 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Inkspirational #357 - Cold (3rd entry)

Krafty Chicks #800 - Masculine

Lavinia Creative Challenge (December) - Story Time

Passion for Markers #818 - Mega Christmas Challenge: Add a Sentiment (3rd entry)

Peace On Earth #102 - Anything Christmas Goes (3rd entry)

Rudolph Days (December) - Christmas

Simon Says (Monday) - Sparkle and Shine (2nd entry)

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Add a Sentiment

We Love 2 Create #11 2025 - Anything Papercrafting/Mixed Media Goes (2nd entry)

Word Art Wednesday #730/733 - Anything Goes (4th entry)

This is my last post of a new card for 2025 as I am now taking a seasonal break from crafting, though I’m hoping to find time next week to do a ‘year in review’ post. So I’d like to finish by once again  thanking all my visitors and blogging friends  for all your visits, kind comments and support during the year, and to wish you all a

🎄🎄🎄 Very Merry Christmas 🎄🎄🎄

and a

🥳🎉🥳 Happy New Year 🥳🎉🥳

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Winter Greenery

Hi everyone, in my ongoing quest to make a few last minute simple Christmas cards I wanted to use up some snippets, so I decided to stamp some small stitched squares of winter greenery, then mount them onto an embossed panel made from a larger snippet!

Here’s a picture of my snippets…

…and one of the cards I made.

I die cut a stitched rectangle of white card, then dry embossed it with an extremely old Cuttlebug embossing folder called ‘Holly Ribbons’. I die cut 3 small stitched squares, and stamped them with Lavinia Holly, Mistletoe and Star Pine in various shades of green VFC. I coloured the holly berries with red Signo pen topped with Sakura Stardust pen, the mistletoe berries with clear Stardust pen, and the Starpine with Wink of Stella. I edged both the stamped and embossed panels with blended Olive Elements ink, then  added white Posca accents and faux snow spatter. I die cut a small stitched rectangle and stamped the sentiment, then assembled the card onto a dark green border and 7” x 5” card blank.

Stamps: Lavinia Holly, Mistletoe, Star Pine, Christmas Greetings;

Media: Lavinia Elements ink (Olive); Versafine Clair (Shady Lane, Grass Green, Rainforest, Nocturne); Signo Pen (Red); Sakura Stardust pens (red, clear); Wink of Stella (clear); Posca pen (white);

Tools: Hunky Dory Moonstone Duo- Stitched Square and Rectangle dies; Cuttlebug Holly Ribbons embossing folder.

Challenges I would like to enter:

As You Like It - Festive Creations (3rd entry)

Can You Handle the Pressure? - Anything Goes with option Celebrate Any Holiday

Cut It Up #345 - Oldie But a Goodie + Use a Die Cut 

(My embossing folder is very old)

Krafty Chicks #799 - CAS

Little Red Wagon #838 - Christmas Card

Make My Monday #267 - A CAS Quickie Christmas Card (2nd entry)

The Male Room #205 - Christmas Colours (Red and Green)

Shopping Our Stash #563 - My Sweet Embossable You  (2nd entry)

Sisterhood of Crafters - Anything Christmas (2nd entry)

Snippets Playground #521 - Use Snippets

Once I got going I actually made three cards - another very similar to the one above, plus a third using old designer paper instead of an embossing folder.

… and an angled picture to (not very successfully!) show the sparkle.

All supplies as above except for Lili if the Valley designer paper.

Challenges I would like to enter:

52 Christmas Card Throwdown - Pick a Previous Colour Challenge

(I picked May 2025 - Red & Green)

Colourful Options (December) - Colour Mood Board (4th entry)

C.R.A.F.T. #770 - Christmas (2nd entry)

Die Cut Divas (December) - Christmas/Winter with a Die Cut (3rd entry)

Girlz Rebel #47 - Anything Goes

Love Those Pretty Papers (December) - Use Designer Paper

Pammie’s Inky Pinkies #2550 - Anything Goes

Simon Says (Monday) - Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays (2nd entry)

Word Art Wednesday #730/733 - Anything Goes

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

Hugs,