Christmas Wishes 🎄

Hi everyone, I’m doing my best to stay on a roll with my Christmas cards - here’s another tranquil Christmas scene using some of my recently purchased Card-io stamps along with a couple of older ones.

I cut a square of white stamping card, and created a circle by softly blending Stormy Sky Distress Oxide ink using a large circle mask. I then stamped the branches from Card-io Oriental Blossom using 1st and 2nd generation in Morning Mist VFC to form a wreath. I placed some torn paper as a hill mask and stamped the Christmas tree using Shady Lane VFC, then coloured the tree lights with an Sakura Stardust pen and added a couple of blended ink snow lines. I added a bit of colour to the sky by blending some Versacolor around the Christmas tree and in the sky using a dry baby wipe, then stamped a fence and a couple of trees in the background plus a couple of teeny deer in the foreground, and the sentiment. I matted the panel onto a blue border and card blank, then finally I added some Stickles to the snow lines and Liquid Pearls to simulate berries on the wreath branches. 

Stamps: Card-io Oriental Blossom, Peaceful Panorama, Pine Forest; Inkylicious Deer Stamp Set 1; Tracy Evans Boutique Designs TE22 Christmas Wishes;

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxide ink (Stormy Sky); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Morning Mist, Shady Lane); Versacolor (Canary, Peony); Sakura Stardust pen (yellow); Stickles (Stardust); Liquid Pearls (White Opal).

Challenges I would like to enter:

12 Months of Christmas #138 - Anything Goes Christmas (3rd entry)

Beccy’s Month of Holiday Cards - H

(Holiday)

C.R.A.F.T. #792 - Christmas (3rd entry)

Christmas Crafts All Year Round (November) - W is for …

(Wreath, Winter Wonderland)

Craft Rocket #142 - Christmas and/or Winter

FarmQuest Country Christmas #35 - Anything Country Christmas Goes (3rd entry)

FarmQuest General Store #43 - Anything Farm or Country Goes (2nd entry)

Inkspirational #380 - Christmas Florals and Greenery

Little Red Wagon #883 - Anything Goes

Merry Little Christmas #71 - Anything Christmas Goes (3rd entry)

Outlawz Christmas (November) - Anything Christmas Goes (2nd entry)

Peace On Earth #123 - Anything Christmas Goes (2nd entry)

Pearly Sparkles #125 - Add Some Sparkle and Shine (3rd entry)

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Bling It On

Unicorn #126 - Christmas and/or Winter

Word Art Wednesday #776/777 - Anything Goes (5th entry)

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Firework Party! 🎇

Hi everyone, wow it’s November already, so time for me to publish this month’s Lavinia calendar page. The illustration on the page this month is of a row of fairies dancing, which inspired me to create a party scene. For my 2025 calendar the fairies had a New Year party for January (here), so I decided that this year they could have a firework party for Guy Fawkes Night!! 

I cut a piece of stamping card 19.5cm x 14.5cm and created the background landscape using blended Elements and Distress inks with hill and circle masks. I stamped the tree using Pinecone VFC then the fairies using Nocturne. I added some dancing and serenading mice, with Mini hanging upside down in the tree after imbibing a little too much mulled wine! I stamped some mini mushrooms, falling and fallen leaves to frame the scene using various shades of Elements inks, and background trees. To complete the scene I stamped some “fireworks” exploding in the sky, for which I used various dandelion stamps stamped with Versamark and heat embossed in gold and silver. I don’t have a lot of sparkly embossing powders so for the gold I added some Stickles and Wink of Stella. I coloured the fairy wings with a gold Posca brush pen, then added some white Posca accents and pastel pencil highlights to the silhouette figures before attaching the finished piece to my calendar. 

Here’s an angled picture to show the sparkle of the fireworks. Sadly one firework went a bit wrong, but I was so invested in the project by then I just carried on regardless!

Stamps: Lavinia Dancing ‘Til Dawn, Seasonal Tree, Tree Scene, Basil & Bibi, Tilly & Tango, Mini & Moo, Fairy Dandelions, Dandelions, Slender Mushrooms Mini, Mini Maple;

Media: Lavinia Elements inks (Truffle, Paprika, Russet Orange, Sahara, Della Blue); Tim Holtz Distress inks (Vintage Photo, Tea Dye, Chipped Sapphire); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Pinecone); Versamark; WOW embossing powders (Metallic Gold Rich, Metallic Silver Sparkle, White Twinkle); Heat It Up! Embossing powders (Enchanted Gold); Kuretake Zig Clean Color watercolour pens; Sakura Stardust pen (clear); Wink of Stella (clear); pastel pencil (white); Posca pens (white, gold); Stickles (Gold, Stardust).

Challenges I would like to enter:

Country View Challenges (FB) (November) - Wings

Crafter’s Cafe #335 - Anything Goes with option No Cards

Creative Moments #287 - Things With Wings (2nd entry)

Double D 10/26 - Wings - TOP 3

Dragonfly Dreams (November) - Embossing

Fab ‘n’ Funky #643 - Three of Something 

(3 mice, 3 fairies)

Four Seasons (November) - Fall

Girlz & the Art of Letters #39 - M is for …

 (Moon, mice, magic)

Heart’s Quest Fantasy #55 - Anything Fantasy Goes (3rd entry)

Mix It Up #86 - Anything Goes with option Anything but a Card

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

Pearly Sparkles #125 - Add Some Sparkle and Shine

Simon Says (Monday) - Trees (2nd entry) - WINNER

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

Try It On Tuesday - Make It Magical

 We Love 2 Create #10 - Anything Mixed Media/Papercrafting Goes

Word Art Wednesday #776/777 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Eagle eyed readers of my blog may have noticed that I didn’t publish a calendar page on 1st October … well, the reason for that is that it was the one and only page I made back in 2025 when I first bought the calendar, ahead of the current year - I posted it here.

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Country Christmas 🎄🎄

Hi everyone, as I mentioned in a previous post, I recently visited Port Sunlight craft fair with the express intention of getting some inspiration for Christmas makes. I particularly enjoyed seeing the samples on the Card-io stall, so I bought a couple of sets of stamps to make some Christmas scenes. Here is my first make with them, which was heavily inspired by a card sample on the Card-io stall. 

Sadly I don’t seem to be able to share the picture I took of my inspiration card  on this post - don’t know whether it is a copyright issue or a blogger problem - but there were some fabulous Christmas cards on display there generally. The main changes I made from the original were to substitute different background trees and branches, animals and a different sentiment, but the overall layout is very similar so I can’t take credit for that!

I die cut a scalloped square of white stamping card, and masked the edges.  I tore  some paper masks for the landscape and stamped the focal tree with a mask in place, then added some landscaping with blended Morning Mist VFC. I stamped the second Christmas tree, then created the sky by blending with dry baby wipes, using a mixture of Morning Mist VFC and Versacolor cubes in Canary and Peony. I added the background trees and small deer, and coloured the tree lights with a Sakura Stardust pen. I stamped the sentiment and matted the panel onto a card blank, then to finish I added white Posca accents and faux snow spatters, crystal Stickles on the snow lines and red Stickles for baubles on the trees.

Stamps: Card-io Peaceful Panorama, Evergreen Encounter, Pine Forest; Inkylicious Deer Stamp set 1; Lavinia Fern branch; Uniko Christmas Sentiments;

Media: Versacolor (Canary, Peony); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Morning Mist); Sakura Stardust pen (yellow); Posca pen (white): Stickles (Stardust, Christmas Red);

Tools: Craft Addiction UK die - Scallopstack Square Frames.

Challenges I would like to enter:

12 Months of Christmas #137 - Anything Goes Christmas (2nd entry)

Christmas Crafts All Year Round (October) - T is for … (2nd entry)

(Trees)

Creative Artiste #131 - Anything Mixed Media Goes

FarmQuest Country Christmas #35 - Anything Country Christmas Goes (2nd entry)

Girlz Creative Christmas #200 - Traditional or non-Traditional Colours

Outlawz Christmas (October) - Anything Christmas Goes (2nd entry)

Peace On Earth #122 - Anything Goes Christmas

Rudolph Days (October) - Anything Christmas Goes

Simon Says (Monday) - Trees

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday #776/777 - Anything Goes

I’m really liking these tree stamps, so I think they will be appearing some more over the coming weeks. Meanwhile I’m now debating with myself whether to order any of the new Lavinia Christmas release … I’m sure resistance will be futile! 

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Witching Hour

Hi everyone, as I’ve said before I don’t really ‘do’ Hallowe’en, but I was tempted to buy one Hallowe’en witch stamp while I was at Port Sunlight craft fair a couple of weeks ago, so I thought now’s the time to bring her out to play!

I cut a 14.5cm square of white stamping card, and started by stamping the moon which I then masked. I created the background by blending Elements inks to create the landscape and sky, then removed the moon mask and blended more ink across the moon. I stamped the witch Nerissa flying across the moon, then built up the rest of the stamped scene around her. I coloured the tree and path with Zig pens, added a little colouring and accents with Sakura Stardust pens and a white Posca pen, then matted the finished piece onto a black border and 6” square card blank.

Stamps: Lavinia Nerissa, Hill House, Fairy Path, Everdusk Tree, Moon, Bird Collection, Bats, Mushrooms Mini, Witching Hour;

Media: Lavinia Elements inks (Graphite, Violet Chalk, Flying Fig, Russet Orange); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Morning Mist, Monarch); Sakura Stardust pens (purple, orange); Posca pen (white);

Tools: Lavinia acetate Hill and Circle masks.

Challenges I would like to enter: 

C.R.A.F.T. #791 - Hallowe’en/Anything Goes

Craft Rocket #141 - Autumn and/or Hallowe’en (2nd entry)

Crafting Challenge (October) - Autumn/Hallowe’en (2nd entry)

Crafty Calendar (October) - Autumn/Hallowe’en (2nd entry)

Crafty Gals’ Corner #281 - Anything Goes with option Trick or Treat

Creative Aunts #118 - Hallowe’en

Creative Crafting Uncles #82 - Hallowe’en or Autumn (2nd entry)

Daisy Chain #112 - Autumn and/or Hallowe’en (2nd entry)

Dream Factory #155 - Hallowe’en

Girlz Creative: Splash It with Colour #33 - Purple and/or Orange - TOP 3

Hallowe’en Crafts All Year Round #1 - Hallowe’en

Heart’s Quest Fantasy #55 - Anything Fantasy Goes

If You Give a Crafter a Cookie #221 - Come On Get Spooky - TOP COOKIE

Lavinia Creative Challenge (October) - Witching Hour

Pearly Sparkles #124 - Trick or Treat

Simon Says (Monday) - Hallowe’en/Spooky - DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Hallowe’en/Spooky

Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers #279 - W is for Witch

Tic Tac Toe #304 - Tic Tac Toe

(Orange/square card/stamped silhouette)

Try It On Tuesday - Hallowe’en - TOP 5

Two Old Bats Hallowe’en Challenge (October) - Anything Goes Hallowe’en

Unicorn #125 - Autumn and/or Hallowe’en (2nd entry)

Hope everyone is having a great weekend - stay safe everyone with the dreadful storms we are having here in the UK.

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

I Spy With My Little Eye #42

Hi everyone, despite not doing much crafting recently, I couldn’t miss my FT make for 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 Ellie’s turn to choose the theme, which is

I Spy With My Little Eye 

*** Autumn in the Woods ***

A ideal challenge for the time of year, I’m sure you’ll agree - there has certainly been a nip in the air the past few days and the leaves are starting to turn. 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 as guest designer - Lia - so please do click on her name to visit her blog and view her beautiful creation.

Here’s my card for the challenge - I decided to make a scene using some of my favourite autumnal Lavinia stamps plus a brand new autumn sentiment I bought at Port Sunlight recently.

I cut a 14.5cm square of white stamping card, and created a focal circle using circle and hill masks, blending a variety of Distress and Elements inks to form the landscape, sky and sun. With the largest circle mask still in place I then stamped the pheasant and background trees using Pinecone Versafine Clair, and removed the mask to stamp the catkin border and the leaves (stamped in Elements inks). (Confession time … I decided on the catkin border to disguise the fact that my background trees didn’t stamp quite to the edge of my circle!) I coloured the catkins using my Castle Arts pencils which I received for Christmas last year, but for some unknown reason have never really used, then I stamped the birds. I added a sentiment and a couple of acorns in the bottom corner, then added shading with a Stabilo pencil and white Posca accents. I matted the finished panel onto copper glitter card and a card blank.

Stamps: Lavinia Pheasant, Tree Scene, Fairy Catkins, Oak Leaf Flourish, Bird Collection, Ducks, Mini Maple; Inkylicious Autumn Change;

Media: Lavinia Elements inks (Sahara, Russet Orange, Paprika); Tim Holtz Distress inks (Tea Dye, Vintage Photo); Versafine Clair (Pinecone); Castle Arts pencils; Stabilo pencil (white); Posca pen (white).

Challenges I would like to enter: 

Aud Sentiments #342 - Fall and/or any shape but a rectangle, plus a sentiment

Craft Rocket #141 - Autumn and/or Hallowe’en

Crafting Challenge (October) - Autumn/Hallowe’en

Crafty Calendar (October) - Autumn/Hallowe’en

Crafty Catz #721 - Anything Goes

Creative Crafting Uncles #82 - Hallowe’en or Autumn 

Creative Girlz Card Adventures #2 - Autumn

Creative Moments #287 - Things With Wings

Cupcake Inspirations #642 - Fall

Daisy Chain #112 - Autumn and/or Hallowe’en

Double D (October) - Wings

FarmQuest General Store #43 - Anything Farm or Country Goes

Four Seasons (October) - Anything Goes Fall

Let’s Craft and Create #236 - Anything Goes + Colours of Fall

Path of Positivity #144 - Anything Goes Positive - TOP PICK

Sisterhood of Crafters (October) - Fall

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

Unicorn #125 - Autumn and/or Hallowe’en

Word Art Wednesday #774/775 - 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 November 15th, and the next challenge will begin on Wednesday November 18th.

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

It’s Beginning to Look a Teeny, Tiny Bit Like Christmas! 🌲🌲

Hi everyone. OK, so here we are in mid October, and how many Christmas cards have I made so far this year? Err… that would be two then! ☺️. So I thought I should finally get a wriggle on, and to help me with that I visited Port Sunlight craft fair on Saturday, in the hope that I would be tempted by some festive stash which just might give my mojo a kick start! I bought 3 or 4 festive items, so today I would like to share a card I made with a Tracy Evans stencil I purchased, heavily influenced by one of Tracy’s video tutorials even though most of the stamps I used are Lavinia.

I cut a 14cm square of white stamping card, and repeat stencilled the fir tree using different shades of Distress Oxide ink while also having a hill mask in place. I then used the hill mask to blend the landscape, and removed it to blend more DOX for the sky. I stamped the lamp post and coloured the lantern with Sakura Stardust pens, then stamped the robins and coloured their chests with red and white Posca. I stamped the sentiment and added Posca snow spatters, then edged the finished piece with black marker pen and finally matted onto silver mirri card and a card blank.

Stamps: Lavinia Street Light, Small Robins, Seasonal Words; Uniko Christmas Wishes;

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Twisted Citron, Crushed Olive, Rustic Wilderness, Stormy Sky); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Acorn); Sakura Stardust pens (yellow, orange): Posca pens (white, red);

Tools: Tracy Evans Boutique Designs snippet stencil SS044 Tall Trees.

Challenges I would like to enter:

12 Months of Christmas #137 - Anything Goes Christmas

Addicted to Stamps & More #527 - Christmas

Christmas Crafts All Year Round (October) - T is for … 

(Trees)

Crazy Is Our Fame, Stencils Are Our Game (October) - Use a Stencil

Creative Inspirations (October) - Anything Goes

FarmQuest Country Christmas #35 - Anything Country Christmas Goes

Krafty Chicks #841 - Christmas

Love to Scrap #181 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Merry Little Christmas #70 - Anything Christmas Goes

Mix It Up #85 - Anything Goes

Outlawz Christmas (October) - Anything Christmas Goes

Peace on Earth #121 - Anything Christmas Goes

Word Art Wednesday #772/773 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Hope this will be the first of many Christmas makes over the next few weeks!

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

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:

Colourful Options (September) - Warm Earth Tones

Crafts Galore Encore #151 - Anything Goes

Crafty Animals #109 - Include an Animal

Creative Inspiration #42 - Anything Goes

Creative Inspirations (September) - Hello Autumn

Four Seasons (September) - Fall

Heart’s Quest #87 - Anything with a Heart Goes with option Red Hearts (2nd entry)

Heart’s Quest Fantasy #54 - Anything Fantasy Goes

Lavinia Creative Challenge (September) - Harvest Moon

Love to Craft #94 - Anything Goes - SPOTLIGHT WINNER

Love to Scrap #181 - Anything Goes

Moving Along With the Times #193 - Four Legged Friends

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

{PIN}spirational #341 - Orange, Red, Brown and Yellow

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Stamp It

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

Word Art Wednesday #768/769 - Anything Goes

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Sunflower Meadow

Hi everyone, I’ve been missing in action for a couple of weeks as I’ve had a week’s holiday in Weymouth, where we had a fantastic time in a charming olde worlde cottage in the old harbour quarter with great sightseeing and wonderful hot sunny weather. Not really had any time for crafting, but I had to get busy over the past couple of days as my August calendar page was due! Inspired by the illustration of Bumble and Hum on the calendar page plus the summery weather we have been having, I created a sunflower meadow scene. It’s not my best as I felt a bit rushed, but at least I can turn the calendar page over now!!

I cut a piece of white stamping card 19.5cm x 14.5cm and stamped the focal sunflowers and bees. I masked them with masking sheet then created the background by blending Elements inks. I removed the masks and coloured the sunflowers and bees with Zig pens, adding some white Posca accents, plus some gold Wink of Stella. I stamped some additional meadow flowers and grasses, which I also accented with white Posca. Finally I added Glossy Accents to the sunflower centres and added a sticker sentiment.

Stamps: Lavinia Open Sunflower, Bumble and Hum, Summer Flowers, Field Grass, Winter Foliage;

Media: Lavinia Elements inks (Blue Lagoon, Blue Toll, Green Parrot, Pine); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Avocado,Shady Lane, Sand Dune); Kuretake Zig Clean Color watercolour pens; Wink of Stella (gold); Spectrum Noir sparkle pen (clear); Posca pen (white); Glossy Accents;

Other: Lavinia sentiment stickers 6.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Beautiful Blossoms #43 - Anything Floral Goes (5th entry)

Creative Color Girlz #7 - Summer

Everybody Art #603 - Summertime (2nd entry)

Four Seasons (August) - Summer

Girlz & the Art of Letters #32 - F is for .. - TOP 3

(Flowers)

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

Paper Funday (July) - Anything Goes

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Anything Goes

Sisterhood of Crafters (July) - Flowers (2nd entry)

Try It on Tuesday - Summer Blooms

Word Art Wednesday #762/763 - Anything Goes

Here are a few photos from my recent holiday …. Some lovely scenery and great places to visit in that part of the world.

Weymouth Harbour

Portland Castle

Chesil Beach

Portland Bill

Cerne Abbey

Cerne Abbas Giant

Gold Hill in Shaftesbury

Stonehenge

Salisbury Cathedral

Hope everyone is having a great weekend, whatever you’re doing. Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,