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Please click HERE to join in "I Spy With My Little Eye" challenge.


Mar 16, 2024

Easter Prank with Feathers and Fur

This week it's my turn to host at Allsorts challenge and I selected "Feathers and/or Fur" for my optional theme and everyone is invited to join us with a new crafty make. If feathers and fur aren't for you then you can go with the Anything Goes option too.  We have prizes from Craftstash and AALL and Create. Winners will be announced next Friday of the month on the challenge blog.

And here is what I made with a digistamp I selected from a recent challenge win. I thought it was absolutely perfect for the theme :)


This post may include some affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the links. As always, this is at no cost to you. Thank you so much for supporting this blog!

The image is called Easter Prank from The Paper Shelter. It comes in black and white as well as pre-colored. I don't usually use pre-colored images but since we got a new printer within the last year I was curious to see how well it worked when printing a colored image and I thought it printed just fine so I went with the precolored version. I did use a dark gray colored pencil on part of the image for a little more shading. 


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To make the sky I used my cloud stencil and Blueprint Sketch Distress Oxide ink. Both the large and small sentiments are from this cute set by Colorado Craft Company. 


There was a small smudge in the sky so I added these tiny butterflies. 

Thanks so much for visiting!


Mar 9, 2024

Daffodils and Blackbirds

Hello and welcome! It's time for a new challenge at Allsorts and Lynn is hosting this week. For her optional theme she selected "Add Yellow" which I happen to love, especially this time of the year so it was perfect for me to finally ink up a new to me stamp set.


I didn't plan on making 2 cards but somehow that's how it ended so here they are both using the same stamps - Elegant Spring Florals #623 and Blackbird #530 both by Aall and Create.

This post may include some affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the links. As always, this is at no cost to you. Thank you so much for supporting this blog!


On the card above I made a smooshed background using Squeezed Lemonade and Wilted Violet ink (or was it Villianous Potion??) then stamped the floral image onto the card. I colored with distress inks and pencils. I wasn't too thrilled with it so far and that's when I decided to start working on the second card (below). But when that one was finished I decided to go back  this one and added the blackbirds and garden sentiment which is also part of the Blackbird set. I inked the edged with Squeezed Lemonade ink then mounted onto black cardstock and then a white card base.

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I plan to share this card with these challenges:


And here is the other card I made with the same stamps.


Here I started with a circle die cut mask then inked with Squeezed Lemonade Oxide ink and also used a stencil (Circle Explosion). Next I stamped the image and colored with Faber Castell Polychromos pencils. I stamped "Narcissus" on a scrap piece and added 3 enamel dots next to it. I wanted to turn this into a birthday card so I added the Penny Black birthday sentiment from the set Sprinkles and Smiles and Stickles glitter to the bloom. Still seemed like it needed something else so I got out the Blackbird set and stamped the birds. Believe it or not but this is when I thougth there was too much going on now LOL so this is when I decided to finish the above card. Well, my daughter liked this one more so I decided to show both :) And I can't really say which one I prefer now that I finished both. Which one do you like more?


I plan to share the above card with these challenges:


Btw, Allsorts challenge is open for one week and I hope to see you joining us for your chance to win. We have prizes from Craftstash and AALL and Create for challenges 771 and 772 with winners announcements on the last Friday of the month. 



Mar 6, 2024

Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday - March Challenge

Hello and welcome to Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday - March challenge taking place right here on my blog! I'm so glad you stopped by and hopefully you'll share your own crafty makes too. The linky tool is at the end of this post. There were so many fabulous entries last month so be sure to check out who made the top 3!

As most of you know, the theme is now always ....

Anything Goes 

and instead of a challenge theme there will be a "Top Pick Twist", meaning I will select a twist from all of the entries for the Top 3. Nobody will know what the twist will be (not even me) until the end of the challenge. So do link up all of your crafty makes, your entry might be the one inspiring the Top Pick twist :)

Here is what I came up with:

This post may include some affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the links. As always, this is at no cost to you. Thank you so much for supporting this blog!

I was inspired to give my gel press another try so I started by brayering Tumbled Glass, Blueprint Sketch and Wilted Violet Distress Oxide inks onto my square gel press then flicked some water onto it with a brush before taking the print. I wasn't too thrilled with the outcome but was determined to make it work so I stamped my old Stampin Up French Script onto the background for some more interest. For the focal point I decided to use a Penny Black Christmas wreath die (birds on a wreath) but used pastel colors and cut away the baubles and relocated the birds to turn it into a wedding/ anniversary card.

wreath die

The little flowers were done with an old Stampin Up punch (flower trio). I added white enamel dots to the flower centers. The hearts are another Penny Black die (heart bow die), I trimmed part of the die cut off to make it work for the design. Finally I added the silk ribbon bow and sentiment which is from an old Whimsy Stamps set. Love the simple font. For some shimmer and sparkle I used my Wink of Stella clear glitter brush on the flowers, birds and wreath.


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I plan to share with these challenges:





February Top Picks with a Twist


As always I had a hard time selecting the top picks with a twist but it is a part of the challenge I enjoy as I take more time to study the linky tools gallery, and I finally decided on the Twist of: Feathered Friends. And here are the top picks listed in the order of entry:


 No. 9 Melanie

No. 28 Debbie

No. 32 Chrissy


Congratulations to each one of you! Well deserved recognition! Your top pick logo is below, feel free to post it to your own blogs if you like to. 




I will continue to pin the top picks to the dedicated Pinterest board, but will also include photo and link back to the original blogs/sites here. These will be removed at the start of the new challenge to stay in compliance with GDPR.

To join in this month's challenge please use the linky tool below. You have until Wednesday March 27th to play along.


A few things to remember:
  • You may combine with any other challenges.
  • You may use any brand of stamps/digis/products (no company restriction).
  • Please try to limit your linked up cards to 3 entries per month - it's ok if you end up with more than 3 but I may not be able to visit your entries after the 3rd.
  • Please do include a link back here to my blog in your blog post.
  • Backlinking to a recent post IS allowed.
  • Digital products are allowed and very welcome but the final piece has to be a physical handmade creation, not just digital


Mar 2, 2024

Spring has Sprung at Allsorts Challenge and Card Chain Challenge February Reveal

Hello everyone! This is a "two in one" post today as I am sharing two cards - my weekly Allsorts challenge card and the February Card Chain Challenge card.

First up is my card for the new Allsorts challenge where Lorraine is hosting this week with her optional theme of Spring. Hope you will join us for your chance to win. Prizes come from AALL and Create and Aldridge Crafts for weeks 769 and 770. Remember, winners will be announced on the last Friday of the month and Top 5 next Friday.


This post may include some affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the links. As always, this is at no cost to you. Thank you so much for supporting this blog!


For my card I decided to ink up some Lavinia stamps and created this cute spring scene. I started out with Lavinia's hills masks and a MFT cloud stencil to create the background. Then I stamped the tree (Celestial Tree) and Hares (Whimsical Hares) using  Ground Espresso Oxide ink and a bit of green ink on the tree buds to make it look like a spring tree. The flowers are Lavinia's Lavender. The bee is also from Lavinia and sentiment is an oldie from Stampin Up. I added stickles glitter to the tree, bee and flowers for some sparkle.
 
Iplan to share the above card with these challenges:

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Next up is my card for the February Card Chain Challenge where today is reveal day. My card went to Alice in Finland this time. As always we are given a variety of themes/challenges to choose from and I went with the colors this time.



I love these colors and knew right away it's what I wanted to choose. I also got a bit inspired by the sketch so I added my image panel at an angle although I'm not sure I like it that way. 




The image is new to me from a set by Aall and Create Don't Stop Me Now. I colored with zig clean color markers. I added some diluted distress ink onto the background then stamped just the 2 flowers from the same image onto the top right corner. Sentiment is a quote from Tim Holtz' Small Talk sticker sentiment book. My plan was to tie some twine onto the staple (twine was another option from the February challenge) but it seemed out of place to my eye so I took it off again and added sticky rhinestones in sky blue instead. I haven't heard yet from Alice but hopefully she received the card and likes it. 

Still a little time yet to join in the March card chain challenge if you like to sign up. You do need to be willing to make and mail a card to one other participant (the person who signed up before you) and you will receive one card from another participant. All the details can be found here

I plan to share the above card here:


Mar 1, 2024

Springtime at Four Seasons Challenge

Happy Friday!! March is here and we are switching seasons at the Four Seasons challenge blog as it's now time to put away those winter stamps and start thinking SPRING!! As always we have a fun mood board to inspire you but you may share anything spring, the mood board is optional in case you need a starting point.


 Here is what I came up with inspired by the mood board.


The stamp is from the Penny Black set Chick to Chick. It's an older clear set but available at Amazon (USA) with free shipping as I type this. I stamped with Memento Tuxedo ink then colored with Copic markers and fussy cut. On the background I stamped the grass from the PB set Enjoy Life, another oldie. I used the circle frame die from Penny Black's die set Soaring which also includes the little butterflies I added to the top of the card. Two blossoms from my stash and some enamel dots finish off the card. I also used a Wink of Stella clear glitter brush on the Easter eggs for some sparkle. The sentiment is part of the set Chick to Chick.


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This post may include some affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the links. As always, this is at no cost to you. Thank you so much for supporting this blog!


I plan to share with these challenges:


Feb 24, 2024

Fly Free

Hello everyone, it's time already for a new theme at Allsorts challenge and Liz is hosting this week. She picked the optional theme of "Things that Fly" or you can go with Anything Goes. All entries following our simple rules will be entered into the prize drawing and considered for the top 5 so hope you'll come join us this week with either option. We have prizes from  AALL and Create and Aldridge Crafts, they are for challenges 769 and 770. This challenge ends in March so look out for the winners post on the last Friday of March. Oh, and if you haven't already, be sure to check out yesterday's winners post where the February winners were announced!

This theme was the perfect opportunity for me to ink up this beautiful butterfly stamp from Aall and Create called Spread Your Wings, another set I purchased when they had their super sale. 


I started out by masking the edges of the image panel using washi tape and brushed some clean water onto the Bristol Vellum paper. Then I added diluted Distress ink with a brush. I used Broken China and Cracked Pistachio ink. The beautiful image was stamped onto the paper using Broken China ink then onto scrap paper using Versafine Onyx ink. Distress inks were then used to color both butterflies and then fussy cut along with the circle. "Fly Free" is from the same set. I layered the image panel on inked cardstock (using Cracked Pistachio ink) then a white card base. 


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This post may include some affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the links. As always, this is at no cost to you. Thank you so much for supporting this blog!







I plan to link up with these challenges:

What you may have missed this week:


Feb 21, 2024

I Spy With My Little Eye...Something Beginning with B" (Challenge No. 12)

Hello and welcome! Today is the start of a new "I spy with my little eye" challenge which takes place right here on my blog. Pauline and I are back with a new theme and we hope you'll join us this month! We had lots of fantastic entries last month so be sure to scroll down to see who made the top 2. Remember, our top picks are invited to join us as guest designers for a future challenge.

But first let's announce our new theme. It was Pauline's turn to select a theme and she chose....


I spy with my little eye...........

"Something beginning with B".


So many options here and I am sure you will have some fun ideas for this one. We can't wait to see what you'll share with us!

Here is the Design Team work.

My Card (Ellie)

B for Bunnies, Blossoms and Blue

This post may include some affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the links. As always, this is at no cost to you. Thank you so much for supporting this blog!

For my card I decided to ink up this cute bunny image from the set In the Wild by Aall and Create. I was lucky to get it at a discounted price but it's back to normal price now. I made the background with Blueprint Sketch Distress Oxide ink where I applied the ink with a brush onto a wet background for a simple watercolor look. Next I stamped the image using SU's Bashful Blue ink, stamped it again using Versafine Onyx ink on scrap paper and fussy cut after coloring with my Zig Clean Color markers. The blossom has been stamped, colored and fussy cut again to add with foam tape. Before adding the image and circle die cut to the card I stamped an image from Aall and Create set Seeds of Hope in bashful blue ink on the watercolor background, then stamped the little bunnies from the set Miniatures. "Happy Easter" is an oldie from Penny Black. Stickles glitter was applied to the flower centers.

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I plan to share with these challenges:



Pauline's Card:

B for Bubble Bloom, Birthday and Butterfly

What a beautiful and unique blossom and gorgeous colors! Be sure to stop by Pauline's blog to find out how she made this card!



We're excited to have not one but two guest designers joining us this time - Jennifer and Pia, thank you both so much for accepting the invitations!
 


B for Butterfly, Blue and Birthday
Absolutely beautiful in these wonderful shades of blue! Please visit Jennifer's blog to find out how she made this card.

 

B for Boy, Ball, Birthday, Balloon, Bling and Black
A fantastic masculine make from Pia with lots of "B". Did you find them all? Be sure to visit Pia's blog to find out how she made this card.


Top 2 from Challenge No. 11 - Hearts and/or Roses


We had lots of wonderful entries last month, many thanks to every who join in the fun! We really enjoyed visiting your blogs. Selecting favorites is never easy but we finally managed and here they are in the order of entry:

*To be in compliance with GDPR, Top Pick photos and links will be removed after the start of the new challenge. 

Remember, both Top Picks are invited to join us in the next challenge if you like to. That would be for challenge no. 13 starting March 20th ! Of course it's not a requirement but we would love to have you as guests!!

No. 41 Irene M. (Ellie's Pick)

No. 53 Elaine (Pauline's Pick)


Congratulations to both of you!! Your top pick logo is below to display on your own blogs if you like to.

You are both invited to join us as guest designers (optional of course!) for challenge no. 13 starting on Wednesday March 20th. If you are interested in taking part, please message me (Ellie) at ellibellescorner at gmail dot com so I can give you all the details for our upcoming theme.




Now it's time to link up YOUR creations for the new theme! Anyone is invited to join us with your crafty makes following our theme - "I Spy Something Beginning with B".



A few things to remember:
  • You may share up to 5 different projects.
  • You may combine with as many other challenges as you like to.
  • No fully digital projects please.
  • Please include a link back to this blog.
  • Backlinking to a recent project is allowed.