Ellibelle’s Garden Party #16 - Guest DT

Hi everyone, I was delighted when my bloggy friend Ellie picked my May calendar page as  a top pick for her Ellibelle’s Garden Party challenge, and asked me to be a guest designer this month. Of course I said yes!

The challenge is always

*** Anything In or From a Garden ***

Plenty of choices there, so there’s really no excuse not to join in! Please do visit Ellie’s blog to see more fabulous inspiration, and to link up your entries here.

Here’s my card for the challenge. I decided to go with a dragonfly, and my choice of this particular image was heavily influenced by the fact that I thought it went well with my new grungy frame dies, which I was absolutely desperate to play with!

I cut the grungy frame (AALL & Create Film Drip) - outer frame from black cardstock and inner panel from white stamping card. I then created a smooshed background on the white panel using Distress Oxide inks. I stamped and heat embossed the focal image, then stamped and heat embossed again onto a separate snippet of card. I coloured the dragonfly wings with metallic watercolour paints to give an iridescent sheen then fussy cut out. I added some faint deep blue stencilling around the edges of the image, then attached the painted dragonfly on top of the original image. I added a Tim Holtz sticker sentiment then attached the finished panel to the black frame and a 6” x 4” card blank (one of the few I had as I don’t normally make cards this size!) I finished off with some faux white spatters.

The background actually has a bit more colour than the photos suggest, but it is very dark here today so not the best for photography. Here’s an angled picture to show the iridescent sheen on the dragonfly wings. 

I used several card snippets on this project, and unusually for me I even remembered to take a photo of them!

Stamps: Visible Image Dragonfly Dreams; 

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Cracked Pistachio, Blueprint Sketch); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Twilight); Cosmic Shimmer watercolour paints (Jade Mint, Sapphire Sparkle); Luminarte watercolour paints (Bolivian Blue); Posca pen (white);

Tools: AALL & Create Film Drip dies; Visible Image stencil - Off the Grid; 

Other: Tim Holtz Ideaology ‘Small Talk’ word stickers.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Colourful Options (June) - Tiffany Blue

(Aqua, teal, turquoise, blue/green)

Creative Artiste #127 - Anything Mixed Media Goes

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

Girlz Creative Crafts #68 - Die Cuts and/or Punches

Make My Monday #279 - Add Texture - Dry/Heat Embossing

{PIN}spirational # 338 - Blue  and Green

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Add a Sentiment

Snippets Playground #534 - Use Snippets

Try It on Tuesday - Flying High

Word Art Wednesday #756/757 - Anything Goes

The Garden Party will end on Monday July 6th, 11:59pm US Central Time …. We look forward to seeing your entries! 

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

The Wanderer Returns!

Hi everyone, I’ve been MIA for most of April, as my mojo has been on a long exotic holiday, and I just couldn’t seem to get motivated or inspired to make anything! Yesterday, however, I had to sit down to make my latest calendar page, so while I was in the mood I also made a card using a statement sentiment stamp that I picked up in a charity shop a few weeks ago, but which I haven’t inked up until now!

I cut a 14.5cm square of white stamping card, and stamped the Inkylicious Spatter Circle XL, which I had inked with bright pink, orange and yellow Elements ink and spritzed with water. I stamped the sentiment towards the right using Nocturne Versafine Clair, then die cut a black mesh panel and a couple of white daisies to place on the left. I coloured the flower centres with the same pink Elements ink, and added some gold Posca brush pen highlights both to the flower centres and the text. I matted the stamped panel onto a black border and card blank, then attached the die cut pieces.

Stamps: Inkylicious Splatter Circle XL, Stampendous sentiment;

Media: Lavinia Elements inks (Pink Elephant, Russet Orange, Lemon Drop); Versafine Clair (Nocturne); Posca brush pen (gold);

Tools: Visible Image Broken Mesh die; flower dies from Amazon.

Challenges I would like to enter: 

As You Like It - Favourite Brights or Pastels (and why)

(I love both depending on my mood, but I particularly love how the vibrancy of bright colours can make black and white elements ‘pop’)

Beautiful Blossoms #40 - Anything Floral Goes with optional Mood Board

Crafty Catz #712 - Anything Goes

Daisy Chain #106 - No Design Paper

Girlz Creative Splash It With Colour #20 - Yellow and/or Pink - WINNER

Girlz Rebel #51 - Flowers

Paper Funday #86 - Anything Goes with option Die Cuts/ Punches

Path of Positivity #140 - Anything Goes Positive - TOP PICK

Pearly Sparkles #118 - Something Old, Something New

(Sentiment is new to me, flower and mesh dies are old)

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Make It Feminine

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

Unicorn #119 - Use Dies

Word Art Wednesday #750/751 - Anything Goes

Word Power (April) - Sentiment as Focus

I’m still not feeling massively inspired, but I did enjoy making this so hopefully I’ll be back before too long with more new makes.

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 - WINNER

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,

You’ll Always Be a Classic

Hi everyone, today I’d like to share the birthday card I made for my darling husband’s 65th birthday. This is actually an enlarged and expanded version of a card I made last year, and as I really liked it the first time and always had in mind I wanted to make something along similar lines for him. My mojo is still on an extended holiday and this is my first make for 2 weeks, so it was good to have an idea to get me started!

I die cut a grungy square, and created a grungy inky background by smooshing Vintage Photo, Frayed Burlap, Hickory Smoke and Black Soot Distress Oxides using acetate and spritzed water. I then stamped the focal car in Nocturne VFC and coloured the highlights with a white Posca pen. I added various stencilling of diamonds, cogs and dots using more DOX, and background stamped numbers and spatters using Portobello and Nocturne VFC. I stamped the sentiments and numbers, highlighted with white Posca, then matted the panel onto a die cut black border. 

I then cut a larger piece of tan striped DP from an 8” x 8” sheet, lightly stencilled cogs all the way round and added stamped spatters, before matting onto a black border. I matted the image panel onto the paper, a black border and ann8” square card blank. To finish off I added Glossy Accents to the car windows and headlights, and some small metal Tim Holtz cogs.

Stamps: Visible Image You’re a Classic, Sunflower Grunge (spatters); AALL & Create #455 Seasons (numbers);

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxides inks (Vintage Photo, Frayed Burlap, Scorched Timber, Hickory Smoke, Black Soot); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Portobello); Posca pen (white); Glossy Accents;

Papers: LotV ‘Country Gentleman):

Tools: AALL & Create die #42 Papyrus Essence; Darkroom Door stencil - Diamonds; Visible Image stencil - Halftone; craft magazine cogs stencil;

Other: Tim Holtz Idea-ology Mini Gears.

Challenges I would like to enter:

AAA Birthday #83 - Use Die Cuts

As You Like It - Favourite Person to craft for (and why)

(Mine is my husband, of course! ❤️)

Cardz 4 Guyz #383 - Monochrome Colour Palette

Crafts Galore Encore #145 - Anything Goes

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

Creative Artiste #124 - Anything Mixed Media Goes

Cut It Up #351 - Happy Birthday

Heart’s Quest Celebrations of Love #3 2026 - Birthdays 

Little Red Wagon #849 - Boy Inside the Man

Love to Craft #91 - Anything Goes

Love to Scrap #178 - Anything Goes

Mix It Up #84 - Anything Goes

Shopping Our Stash #569 - I’m Counting on You

Sparkles #197 - Vintage/Mixed Media - TOP 3

Tic Tac Toe #288 - Tic Tac Toe

(Stencils / Ink blending / Spatter/smooshing)

Unicorn #118 - Transportation - WINNER

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

Word Art Wednesday #742/743 - Anything Goes

Hope you’re having a great weekend, whatever you’re doing.

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Let It snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow ❄️

Hi everyone, today I would like to share a fairly CAS (for me) Christmas card,, which brought out to play a gorgeous but much neglected Visible Image grungy snowflake stamp.

I die cut a wavy stitched square of white stamping card, stamped the focal snowflake using Versamark, then heat embossed using WOW Midnight Dream embossing glitter. I stamped spatters from the same stamp set using Arctic VFC, then matted onto a border of dusky blue glitter card (my last piece!). I stamped a Uniko sentiment around all 4 edges of a 6” square card blank, then attached the stamped panel. To finish I added a large sparkly crystal gem to the snowflake centre.

The embossing glitter really is very sparkly - here is an angled picture to show it.

Stamps: Visible Image Let It Snow; Uniko Background Builders - Winter Wonderland;

Media: Versafine Clair (Arctic, Medieval Blue); Versamark; WOW Midnight Dream embossing glitter;

Tools: Craft Addictions UK Wavy Double Stitched square die.

Challenges I would like to enter:

613 Avenue Create (December) - Anything Goes with option Sparkle and Shine (3rd entry)

A Place to Start (December) - Anything Goes with option Winter Things (3rd entry)

As You Like It - Festive Creations (2nd entry)

Cardz 4 Galz #265 - Christmas Sparkle (2nd entry)

CAS on Friday #324 - Snowflake

C.R.A.F.T. #770 - Christmas

Creative Crafting Uncles #72 - Christmas/New Year

Everybody Art #591 - Christmas and/or New Year

Krafty Chicks #798 - Christmas

Make My Monday #267 - A CAS Quickie Christmas Card

Papercraft Challenges #125 - Festive Sparkle

Shopping Our Stash #563 - My Sweet Embossable You

Simon Says (Monday) - Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays

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

Tic Tac Toe #285 - Tic Tac Toe

(I chose Texture/Free/Sparkle)

Word Art Wednesday #728/729 - Anything Goes (5th entry)

Again I made two of this design. Yesterday was in fact a mega productive day by my standards, as I managed to make 10 Christmas cards in total. This was the only ‘new’ design though - the others were all variations on other cards I have produced over the past month or so. Nonetheless I am finally getting there: not only are all my posted cards done and dusted, but I’ve very nearly finished all my hand delivery cards too - I’m actually further ahead than normal!

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Poinsettia Grunge 🌺

Hi everyone, whilst poking around in my Christmas stash to find some inspiration, I dug out this Visible Image Poinsettia Grunge stamp set which has been pretty neglected - in fact although I often use the sentiment from this set, I reckon I’ve only ever inked up the flower once before back in 2023! I must admit I’m not usually a big fan of poinsettias, but I rather like the offbeat quirky look of this one with the script writing on it, and since it last came out to play I have acquired my Zig pens which are ideal for colouring it with. 

I die cut a wavy stitched square of white card and stamped the focal flower, then masked it. I stamped co-ordinating background script text and spatters, then removed the mask and coloured the flower with Zig pens topped with Wi k of Stella, and gold Posca in the centre. I added white Posca accents then matted the finished piece onto a red border and card blank before adding a stamped sentiment.

Stamps: Visible Image Poinsettia Grunge, Sketched Tulips (script), Sunflower Grunge (spatters);

Media: Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Morning Mist); Kuretake Zig Clean Color watercolour pens; Wink of Stella (clear); Posca pens (white, gold);

Tools: Craft Addictions UK Wavy Double Stitched Squares die.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Addicted to Stamps and More! #507 - Christmas

Aud Sentiments #332 - Traditional Christmas + a Sentiment  (2nd entry)

 Beautiful Blossoms #35 - Anything Floral Goes (2nd entry)

Christmas Kickstart #105 - If It’s Christmassy Link It Up!

Colourful Options (December) - Colour Mood Board  (2nd entry)

Country View FB Challenge (December) - Christmas (2nd entry)

Crafty Calendar (December) - Winter/Christmas

Creative Inspirations (December) - ‘Tis the Season

Everybody Art #590 - Bingo (2nd entry)

(Green / Red / Christmas)

Fab ‘n’ Funky #627 - Christmas

Let’s Craft and Create #226 - Anything Goes with option Vintage Feel

Neglected Stuff (December) - Use Your Neglected Stuff

Simon Says (Monday) - Use Dies in DIEcember (3rd entry)

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Use Dies in DIEcember (2nd entry)

Sparkles Christmas #179 - Poinsettia

Sweet Stampin’ - It’s Christmas!

Word Art Wednesday #728/729 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Flutterby Birthday 🦋

Hi everyone, today I’m taking a little break from Christmas makes as I needed to make a friend’s birthday card. I decided to try another eclipse card, but this time with a rainbow of butterflies.

I cut a wavy stitched square of stamping card, and stamped the Visible Image butterflies in a rainbow of colours using Versafine Clair. I then created another eclipse card by die cutting the word birthday, cutting it 3 more times from separate snippets of card, then stacking the sentiment layers. I matted the panel onto a card blank and finished off with a scattering of rainbow coloured gems.

Die cutting the sentiment layers for an eclipse card is a great way to use up snippets - and I even remembered to take a photo of mine (wonders will never cease!). You may notice there are enough word cut outs to furnish two eclipse cards - that’s because I made another one while I was at the table, very similar to my first eclipse card here. I’d already given my first eclipse card away and it was well received, so I thought I’d make another in a different colour to have in reserve for when the need arises. 

Stamps: Visible Image VI Minis (butterfly), Birthday Wishes;

Media: Versafine Clair (Strawberry, Summertime, Cheerful, Grass Green, Blue Belle, Monarch, Nocturne); 

Tools: Craft Addictions UK Wavy Double Stitched Square die; Julie Hickey ‘Birthday’ die.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Colourful Options (December) - Rainbow Inspired (2nd entry)

Double Trouble #205 - Use at least 3 Colours, 2 layers, 1 image

Krafty Chicks #797 - Birthday - TOP PICK

Simon Says (Monday) - Use Dies in DIEcember (2nd entry)

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Use Dies in DIEcember - WINNER

Snippets Playground #520 - Use Snippets - TOP PICK

Sweet Stampin’ - Birthdays - TOP 3

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

Word Art Wednesday #728/729 - Anything Goes

Word Power (December) - Sentiment as Focus

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

Hugs,

Believe In the Magic of Christmas

Hi everyone, I’m finally starting to get a wriggle on with my Christmas cards … for some reason I’m struggling with Christmas mojo this year. I do like a Christmas night sky though, so decided to do a Santa sleigh scene with Visible Image stamps, paired with background stamps and sentiments by Chloe’s Creative Crafts, from my most recent craft magazine.

I die cut a stitched frame from white card, then cut a white square large enough to fit behind the aperture. I created a night sky by blending Distress Oxides onto the cut square and Medieval Blue VFC at the top edge, then stamped three layers of buildings in Morning Mist, Medieval Blue and Nocturne VFC to give a feeling of depth. I stamped Santa’s sleigh riding through the sky, added some yellow sparkle pen to light the windows, and white Posca snow spatter. When dry I attached the panel behind the aperture and added a stamped and die cut sentiment and some stamped stars around the edges, before attaching to my card blank. I still thought it needed something else, so I added some silvery Stardust pen sparkle by outlining the houses and reindeer - here’s an angled pic to show that.

Stamps: Visible Image Christmas Eve; sentiment and stars by Chloe’s Creative Crafts;

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxides inks (Kitsch Flamingo, Picked Raspberry, Blueprint Sketch, Chipped Sapphire); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Medieval Blue, Morning Mist, Very Peri); Sakura Stardust pen (yellow); Posca pen (white);

Tools: Hunkydory Moonstone Duo-Stitched square dies; Chloe’s Creative Crafts Christmas word die.

Challenges I would like to enter:

12 Months of Christmas #127 - Anything Christmas Goes with option Snowfall

Addicted to Stamps & More #502 - Christmas (2nd entry) - TOP ADDICT

As You Like It - Favourite: Square or Not? (and why)

(My favourite is definitely square as I find it gives me plenty of space for my design)

Cut It Up #340 - Use More than One Die

Die Cut Divas (October) - Anything Goes with Dies

Girlz Creative Christmas #145 - Anything Goes Christmas

The Holly and Ivy #192 - Anything Christmas Goes (2nd entry)

Little Red Wagon #827 - H is for Holidays

Merry Little Christmas #64 - Anything Christmas Goes

Outlawz Festive Fridays (October) - Christmas

Peace On Earth #97 - Anything Christmas Goes

Sweet Stampin’ - Feature a Sentiment

Try It On Tuesday - Animals Real or Imaginary

Word Art Wednesday #718/719 - Anything Goes (3rd entry)

Hope everyone is having a great weekend, despite the awful weather. Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,