Penny Black and Friday Sketchers

Hello peeps, scheduling this one, so it should Monday when you read it and hoping you all had a good weekend. Mine was real fun but hectic to say the least, sixteen for lunch and dinner Saturday, then eight sleepovers just making their way home, so not much blogging or crafting. Work in the morning, then in the afternoon off to watch Anysia taking part in a chariy "Strictly come Show Jumping" - she's dressing as a very pink fairy, tutu and all over her joddies and Ben nicely braided in matching hot pink. Just hope there's not a horsey language where the others can tell him what a woos he looks.

Crafting........well this is it from my weekends activities, a card following this weeks Friday Sletchers and Penny Black who want to see 'Red and Gold'. An easel card as I am rather getting to like these and still have one or two crimbo cards to make. My main image is Penny Black 3768K Christmas Montage, stamped with versafine and embossed with a mixture of red and gold powder. The DP is K and Co, the border punched with Martha Stewart Apline and the gold swirl and poinsettias cut with Sizzix dies through the bug with gold gems added to the centres.

A few Christmas Cards

A quick share in my lunch break of some really quick and easy Christmas cards I made the other evening. Not had a lot of time to make very much for sharing this week as I am working flat out on samples for a new Stamp Addicts programme on Create and Craft later this month.......all top secret at the moment but I will share with you as soon as I can.......really exciting stuff this time and some really yummy products and techniques........but that's as much as I can say right now.


All of the cards are made using my K & Co Winter Wonderland 12x12 pad - these ones really are so 'strokeable' with lots of glitter and foiling which unfortunately do not show up too well on my pictures.

The layout is very similar to the white on white card I did for this week Penny Black challenge and thought I would try it out with some colour and really quite like to finished article.

The square and circle panels have all been run through the Cuttlebug using the Swiss Dots folder and cut with Nesties and the flowers which I hope look a bit like Christmas roses have been made with various punches. The swirly branch has been cut on Cricut Joys of the Season and the sentiments are a variety of different stamps.

Cupcake challenge

My second share today is for this weeks Cupcake challenge who have a sketch from DT Caryn. As it's such a great sketch I decided to keep my card fairly simple using this very pretty DP from K & Co's Peppermint Twist Christmas pad as my base colour. Plus an outing for a new Martha Stewart punch from Sir Stampalot.......they have a huge selection of these punches so if you are in 'need' of one as I was when I got this, you know where to go. And of course they will be at the NEC - Stand H05 with lots of goodies, inspiration and live demos, so do go say hello to the gang.

The image is Penny Black 3997K Majestic stamped with versafine blue and embossed with detail clear and shaded round the edges with Hero shadow ink soft pool. The sentiment which I absolutely love is Hero Arts C2604. The snowflakes are punched with Martha Stewart single snowflake and the butterfly is an X cut punch......I know it's a bit unconventional having a butterfly on a Christmas card, but with that sentiment I somehow feel it's right. The gems are Swarovski, so this card will be for someone rather special.

Allsorts challenge 24

Good morning everyone and as it's Saturday this means it's Allsorts challenge day again and this weeks theme is set by Debs who has chosen "Furry Friends". The DT have all been treated to an image to use from this weeks sponsors Wild Rose Studio.

It is so good to see so many of you joining in with us every week and the inspirational team really enjoy visiting all your projects and of course as well as a prize every week, there is also the Top 5 who get to display our special blinkie on their blogs.

I chose this cute little mouse who definitely looks to be in Christmas mode. I coloured him with Promarkers and added diamond glazed. The DP's are from K&Co's Winter Wonderland 12 x 12 Christmas pad. I ran one panel through the Cuttlebug using the snowflake folder and mounted it onto a red mat edges with my Fiskars threading water punch. The snowflakes are also cur with a punch and red pearls added to the centres. The sentiment is from Woodware FRCL128.

Allsorts challenge 23

Welcome to week 23 of Allsorts challenge and this week it my turn to host the theme. I have come up with a sketch with the added twist of a monochrome Christmas. I think many of us think shades of black and white for monochrome but according to the ancient Greeks "μονόχρωμος" means "a picture done in different shades or a range of tones of a single colour".

You would not believe the problems I had following my own theme her and ended up making the card three time, the first time a lovely card, but then Oh dear.......didn't I do a sketch to follow ? That just about sums up my week.

So here is what I finally ended up with. The main image is Penny Black 3997K Majestic stamped onto Bazzil cardstock using Versafine satin red and embossing with detail clear. I used this stamp for a sample board for Sir Stampalot a few weeks back and they tell me is has been oh so popular, I think it's the pure simplicity of the image which lends itself to so many card designs.

I used the same ink and embossing on the three panels stamping with one of the flourishes from Inkadinakdo 97632. The greeting is that favourite of mine Penny Black 3995F. The corner was created using Martha Stewart embossed scallop and the holly and leaves from punches. I added a spotlight to the tree to add interest and distressed the edges of the mats and DP's which are from K&Co's Winter Wonderland pad, using Tim Holts worn lipstick and fired brick. Pearl gems added to embellish here and there.

Passion for Promarkers

Over at Passion for Promarkers Denise has set the theme were you can use any colours on your project but with a recipe of "3 different shapes, 2 papers and 1 ribbon". This one I made at the weekend fits the bill perfectly.


The image is one I found as a free download here, I fell in love with it immediately, it is so cute. Inger's work is wonderful, do go check her out.


I coloured the image with Promarkers lush green, meadow green, berry red and sandstone plus ivory and pale pink for skin and cool greys for the hair. The border is using Martha Stewart embossed scallop and the DP's K & Co peppermint twist pad. Large snowflake was cut on Cricut Accent Essential and the small ones from a punch. The ribbon is from my stash and added Diamond Glaze to the flowers on the little girls dress and holly wreath and the shading round the image is Tim Holtz peeled paint.


In case it is not clear my three shapes are snowflakes, circle brad and tiny red stars in the centre of the small snowflakes.

Vintage Penny Black

After two days back home have eventually managed to get at least one card completed........spent yesterday working my way through a mountain of work waiting on my desk in the office - yes I do have to do real work occasionally. But on the positive side did manage a couple of cards last evening, one met the bin post haste, the other I am a little happier with and fits the bill for this weeks Penny Black challenge which requires you to use Blue, Tan and Cream and Stamping for the Weekend which has the theme"Days Gone By - Vintage!

My main image is Penny Black 3865K stamped with versafine sepia and coloured in with Promarkers, overs tamped with Hero H2365 French Script using Tim Holt scattered straw. DP's are Bobunny and K&Co. I distressed the edges of the main piece with the same TH ink and rolled the ends to create a scroll effect and scrunched and tore the edges of the blue piece and again shaded with TH ink along the edges. Finally I added a corner embelli, some flowers, lace and gems.

Friday Sketcher & Stamping for the Weekend

Another great sketck to follow at Friday Sketchers which I have combined with this weeks Stamping for the Weekend which has a quirky theme of "Rock and Roll 60's" with a twist - three songs from that eara to depict ........ I can't even remember one, so of the other two I've gone for A White Shade of Pale by Procoal Harum. To me this conjours up thoughts of white and pastel pink so is the route I have followed.

My main image is a stamp with no name I'm afraid stamped onto pale pink vellum with versamark and detail white embossing powder and the same with the sentiment, Art Impressions E1427 which I always think fits this image so well. Both have been mounted onto white glitter paper and all mounts cut using Cricut storybook. DP is some really old K&Co, flowers are hero and I have added pearls and liquid pearls to finish.

Inspirational Card Sketchers 20

This week ICS have a fab sketch, don't know why but this morning I woke up thinking brown and turquoise ........ sad I know, dreaming craft, but I know for a fact that I'm not alone here, so of course this was the basis for my card.

DP's are K&Co and the image one I've had for years from Hampton Arts DF4513 - it's called 'Fan's hat' so figure this is Fanny wearing it ? The image is stamped in versamark and embossed with detail copper onto a Glimmer Misted background of ........ you've guessed, turquoise and brown - well actually creme da chocolate if we are being exact. I added a piece of lace an a flower in Fanny's hat.

Penny Black Challenge 44

The Penny Black Challenge this week is a bit different and really did set a challenge - a gift, but of course a Penny Black stamp must still feature on the project. I decided to do another version of the Easter basket I made earlier this week (make up details can be found in my post Good Friday) and fill it with luxury spa products. The glittery paper this time is from KandCo. The stamp is Penny Black 3949H from Sir Stampalot and has been simply stamped in versafine black onto bazzil cardstock and embossed with detail clear, coloured with Sakura pens and covered with diamond glaze with stickles in the centre. The circles were cut with nesties. I ran a double line of matching ribbon round the bottom of the basket to finish.

Just one more for today

I created this one using Daisy Bucket, Bazzil and K and Co papers. I like the simple design which can be altered to suit the recipient. The card itself is 144cm square which is ideal for the nine squares each cut to 4.5cm. I have run some squares through the cuttlebug using Swiss dots and overstamped others with Hero CL284 & CL300. The butterfly was created with a cuttlebug cut and emboss set. The greeting was cut on Cricut Wild card which I then embossed with clear powder to give a gloss finish.

Will they ever forgive me ?

Although my main focus is stamping and cardmaking, I do the odd bit of scrapbooking and here is part of a layout showing my five lovely grandchildren at the wedding of one of our son's recently. I've used K and Co Kology papers, some flowers and gems and cut the scallops from Cricut Plantin Schoolbook. They may never forgive me for 'publishing' them but as one of them regularly says "hey ho whatever".

Demo day

Just a few of the samples made using the K&Co and Carol Wilson products Colemans (local stationey chain) gave me to use at yesterdays demo. All are really quick and easy cards and as you can see in most I have managed to add a bit of stamping, in this one Penny Black 3948K stamped with brilliance olive and clear emboss powder. Also overstamped some of the paper with Hero F5042, again with the same inkpad. The circle is cut with nesties on my c/b stamped with woodward FRC129 and covered with diamond glaze.