Ellibelle's Corner

Happy Wednesday and welcome to a new I Spy With My Little Eye challenge taking place right here on my blog. Pauline and I are back with a new theme and we hope you'll join in the fun! We had some wonderful entries last month so be sure to scroll down to see who made the Top 2, both invited to join our challenge as a guest designer next month.

This time around it's Pauline's turn to select a theme and it is................

I Spy With My Little Eye...............

No Designer Papers.

This could be a CAS style card or use stamps/inks to make your backgrounds but we do NOT want to spy any pre-made designer/patterned papers. We can't wait to see what you'll share with us, as always the linky tool is at the end of this post.

Ellie

(All details are right below the card)

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've been wanting to purchase some of Tracy Evans Boutique Designs stamps since their launch but have so many stamps in my stash from her time with Aall and Create (some not yet used!) that I talked myself out of them...until very recently when she released the fabulous Numerical Cats set. Still talked myself out of it for about a week or so but in the end I just couldn't resist :) Shipping from the UK was high and it wasn't available anywhere in the US yet so I placed a large enough order to make it worthwile. All stamps used on today's card are by Tracy Evans Boutique Designs (TE012, TE034, TE035, TE036, TE032). 

The background was made with simple Acrylic Block stamping. I used Salvaged Patina and Broken China Distress inks directly on the block, spritzed with some water and stamped onto Bristol Vellum paper. I made sure this was dry before continuing. The trees, little hearts and rectangular box were stamped using Broken China ink and I used Versafine Onyx for the words, cats and bird. I cut around the image panel and added black ink for a border around the edges then adhered onto a white background where I used TE034 in the corners. 

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I plan to share the above card with these challenges:

• Crafty Animals - Animals
• Crafty Calendar - Hearts
• Critter Crazy Challenges - Critters
• Paper Rock Scissors - Paper and/or Scissors (I used all white card stock but no scissors this time)
• Pearly Sparkles Challenge - Love is in the air 
• Sparkles Forum Challenges - for anyone you love (this was for my husband)
• Sweet Stampin - Masculine Makes 

Pauline 

Another FABULOUS calendar page by Pauline, please visit her blog to find out how she made this page. 

We're so excited to have a guest designer joining us this month and that is Lynda of Loopyloo's Cards. Thanks so much for being our guest designer, Lynda!!

Lynda

Isn't this totally adorable!! Please visit Lynda's blog to find out how she made this cute card.

Top Picks for Challenge no. 22

Many thanks to everyone who joined us in the last challenge of "Feathers and/or Fur"  It was great to see so many of you joining us! Selecting Top Picks is never easy but we finally managed and here they are:

No. 45 Rosi (Pauline's Pick)

No. 47 Gerrina (Ellie's Pick)

Congratulations to both of you!!

Remember, Top Picks are invited to join us in the next challenge if you like to. That would be for challenge no. 24 starting Wednesday March 19th. Of course it's not a requirement but we would love to have you both as guests!!  

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.

Below is your top pick logo, you may place it on your own blogs if you like to :)

To play along in the current challenge please use the linky tool below.

A few things to remember:

(Complete list of guidelines and copyright info can be found here.)

• You may share up to 5 different projects.
• You may combine with as many other challenges as you like to.
• A short mention of products used whenever possible is expected, especially the focal point.
• New: While you are free to link up your creations using pre-colored digital art (AI generated, digital pre-colored toppers/images, digital papers etc.), they will be excluded from top picks. 
• Please include a link back to this blog.
• Back-linking to a recent project is allowed.

Should the linky tool be missing please leave a comment with your entry link and I will get it straightened ASAP.  (I am posting this because in the past the linky wouldn't automatically update when my linky tool membership was renewing - and it will be renewed beginning of March - so it may happen again and I just wanted you to be aware.)

Hello and welcome! It's time already for a new Allsorts challenge theme and for the next two weeks Liz is our host. She chose the theme of "Shades of Blue", of course the Anything Goes option is there too. We have prizes from  Lavinia Stamps and hope you'll be able to join us!

I struggled a bit with this cards as I really wanted to use the Fairy Shops 1 stamp (so I could combine with the February Lavinia challenge where the theme is Abode), a stamp I've neglected for several years and this is my first time using it. So this was (at least) my 3rd attempt for today's card but I am still not really happy with it. However it was time for me to be done at that point. 

I started by using a hand cut mask to ink up the bottom half corner in the form of a sort of hill. Next I stamped the image (both shops are part of just one stamp) on to a snippet of cardstock then fussy cut to layer one shop in front of the other. I used my Faber Castell Polychromos pencils for coloring. Before I added the shops I used Lavinia's Feather Leaf stencil for some interest on the background but as I added a little bit of shading some of the stenciling disappeared. After I decided on placement of the shops I stamped 2 of the Three Dancing Fairies images. I thought the card needed some words so I used part of the Spiral of Spells stamps at the bottom. And for a little more interest I chose the mini star stamp to stamp around the edges and along the hill using the same BlueprintSketch ink. To tie it all together with the way I colored the shops I decided to stamp a few stars using Seedless Preserves ink. 

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Another view below. As you can see I added glitter to some of the stars, the shops and the fairy wings for a little bit of magical sparkle.

Hello and welcome to the February editition of Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday challenge taking place right here on my blog. I'm so glad you stopped by today and hope you'll join the fun too! There were some fabulous entries last month - thank you everyone for joining in - so be sure to scroll down to see the Top Picks. 

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 :) The linky tool is at the end of this post.

  

As there is a new challenge blog in town blogland (Neglected Stuff Challenge) I thought why not  look through my stash to see what I can find that's been neglected. And I found plenty of items, most included on this card are neglected.

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While I didn't have this Penny Black stamp - Sweet Love 2292K - for many years, I did purchase it over a year ago from eBay, absolutely love it but somehow I just haven't reached for it until now. I stamped with Memento ink and colored with Copic markers. Then I also found the Heart Embossing Folder by Cuttlebug which I've had in my stash for many MANY years and I've last used it in April 2020. That doesn't really sound too long ago to me but it was almost 5 years ago. Time flies!! The Ticket Sentiment set is an absolutely neglected item from my design team time at Whimsy Stamps - The Fun Life Ticket sentiments and Ticket Die. The last time I used this particular sentiment set was 2015, the die a few years ago with another ticket sentiment set. I actually don't think I have ever used this particular quote from the set!! also found some very neglected ribbon in my stash, the lilac grosgrain ribbon. I'm not sure I've ever used this! Oh, and not to forget the fancy die -Curved Stitch, this was a "had to have" Penny Black item when newly released several years ago but I only used it once in 2018 (I did a search on my blog to find out :)

Well, I'm really happy how this turned out using mostly neglected items. 

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:

• Can You Handle The Pressure? - Embossing Folders
• Colourful Options - Mood Board (below)
• Crafty Calendar - Hearts
• Critter Crazy Challenges - Critters
• Daisy Chain Challenges - Layer it up
• Dream Valley Challenges - Pink or Red
• If You Give a Crafter a Cookie - Hearts Galore
• Neglected Stuff Challenge - AG using neglected stuff (I wrote about my neglected stuff above)
• Paper Rocks Scissors (also a Brand NEW challenge blog!) - Must Use Paper and/or Scissors (I used cardstock from Stampin Up and Neenah, and scissors for cutting ribbon and twine)
• Penny Black Saturday Challenge - PB stamps and option of hearts
• Stamping Sensations - AG option Valentines, Romance, Weddings
• Talking About it Tuesdays - Anything Goes
• The Crafting Challenge - Love is Red
• We Love Stamping - AG option CAS

 
     Colourful Options                            If you give a crafter a cookie

January Top Picks with a Twist:

 
Now it's time to announce the Top Picks with a twist from the January entries. Thank you all again for joining in the fun, I really enjoyed visiting your entries and selecting a "twist". The twist I went with is "Furry Friends" meaning all three Top Picks have featured a furry friend :)

   No. 20 Carol Gill 

who featured this pretty Stamperia paper with the adorable bunny.

No. 50 Helen F.

who stamped an sweet scene using Colorado Craft Company stamps.

No. 66 Mary Marsh

who used these cute Cottage Cutz puppies on this sweet Valentine.

Congratulations to each one of you for your well deserved recognition. The Top Pick logo is below, you may post this 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.

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To join in this month's challenge please use the linky tool below. You have until the last Wednesday of February to join in (February 26th 11:59pm CST). 

A few things to remember:

• You may combine with any other challenges.
• You may use any brand of stamps/digis/dies/papers (no company restriction as long as copyright laws are followed).
• Please note: entries using pre-colored digital images will no longer be selected as top picks. 
• A short description of products used is expected, most importantly the source of focal point.
• This linkup is for sharing handmade projects of any kind not limited to papercrafts.
• Please try to limit 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.

You can read more about the Guidelines/Copyright info here.

I am back with a second post today. My first post was scheduled to go live just a couple of hours ago, you can see it here or simply scroll down.

Today is the start of a new Allsorts challenge. Our host is Gail who selected the theme of Romance and/or Music, along with the option of Anything Goes. Our prizes for this challenge are a wonderful selection of stamps and stencils from AALL and Create. 

February is here and that means it's the start of a new challenge at the Four Seasons challenge blog. It's still winter up here in the Northern hemisphere so we have another wonderful winter mood board to inspire you. As always, the use of the mood board is optional as Anything Winter Goes. 

I immediately had this Penny Black tree/fence stamp (Restful) in mind when I saw the mood board so that is what I used along with a really old little snowman stamp from Stampin Up. To go with the top left image I used mainly browns for my card but decided to color the birds red for a pop of color along with the snowman's scarf. I used waterbased markers and Distress ink to stamp the tree/fence image. A stamping tool was definitely a must-have tool here. After this step was complete I cleaned off the stamp while it was still on my stamp platform then stamped with Versamark ink and heat embossed using clear embossing powder so I could add some ink to the sky with a blending tool. The snowman was stamped on a scrap piece and fussy cut. I wanted a little more interest on the background so I used one of my favorite winter word stamps - Snow Falls - from Lavinia stamps. 

Two weeks have gone by so quickly and it's time already for a new Allsorts challenge. Our theme for the next two weeks is "Close to Nature". Lots of options here and we can't wait to see you creations. As always there is the "Anything Goes" option too if the theme isn't for you. We have prizes from Aall and Create.

And here is what I made using retired stamps from Aall and Create. You may still find these at some of A&C's retailers but they are unfortunately no longer available directly from A&C.

I was inspired by the January Triple B  challenge mood board so I chose a simple green and white color combo and a snowdrop stamp from the set. I can't wait for my snowdrops to bloom but first we're expecting some frigid temperatures starting tomorrow (around -20 degrees celsius during the night and only a few degrees warmer in the daytime). The sets I used are Elegant Spring Florals (#623) and Miniatures (#756). 

I stamped the snowdrop, masking off the root part of the image, then used Twisted Citron ink to make a simple inky background. I stamped the bloom again on white cardstock and fussy cut. I also used a white Posca pen for some splatter. Wording is all part of the same set (Elegant Spring Florals). The little bee is from the set Miniatures. I used a Faber Castell polychromo pencil to color the leaves. 

Another view below:

Hello and welcome to the January "I spy with my little eye" challenge taking place right here on my blog. Pauline and I are back with a new theme and hope you will join in the fun too! Be sure to scroll down to see who our Top Picks from the last challenge were, both are invited to join us as guest designers in the next challenge.

This time it was my turn (Ellie) to select a theme and it is.............

I spy with my little eye....
Something with feathers or fur.

The choice is yours and you may even include both - feathers and fur. We can't wait to see what you'll share with us! The linky tool is at the end of this post.

And here is what we made to inspire you:

Ellie

(All details are right below the card.)

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 used two new to me Lavinia stamps, Swans and Field Grass. The background was done using Distress inks/Oxides. I first applied ink to a stamping block (Antique Linen in the middle, then Broken China and Chipped Sapphire on both sides. Spritzed with water and pressed the acrylic block onto Mixed Media cardstock. When this was dry (you can use a heating tool but I just used a paper towel to dry up the excess ink and waited a little bit) I added more of the same blue inks on each side using an ink blending tool and this time I also used a mask for the moon. There was too much blue ink on the moon part (you can't really control what you get when doing the acrylic block inking technique) so I decided to add a few clouds using a MFT stencil. Not really a fan of how the clouds turned out but at this point I didn't want to start over again. The little heart is part of a Penny Black die set and sentiment from Tim Holtz's Small Talk sentiment sticker book. 

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I plan to share the above card with these challenges:

• Daisy Chain Challenges - No Design Paper
• Dream Valley Challenges - Something News (New Stamps)
• If You Give a Crafter a Cookie - AG
• The Creative Crafters - AG
• Triple B Challenge - Birds, Blooms or Butterflies

Pauline

Such a beautiful design featuring these wonderful stamps! Please visit Pauline's blog to find out all the details.

We are so excited to have a guest designer this time and that is Amy of Amy's Creative Pursuits. So glad you've joined us Amy!!

Isn't that peacock just stunning!! To find out how Amy made this card please visit her blog.

 

Top Picks for Challenge no. 21

Many thanks to everyone who joined us in the last challenge which goes back to a starting day of mid- November as there was no new challenge posted in December. Selecting top picks is never easy. But we finally managed and they are listed in the order of entry. 

Remember, Top Picks are invited to join us in the next challenge if you like to. That would be for challenge no. 23 starting Wednesday February 19th. Of course it's not a requirement but we would love to have you both as guests!!

No. 30 Emma T. (Pauline's Pick)

No. 51 Loopyloo (Ellie'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 for challenge no. 23 starting on Wednesday February 19th . 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.

To play along in the current challenge please use the linky tool below.

A few things to remember:

(Complete list of guidelines and copyright info can be found here.)

• You may share up to 5 different projects.
• You may combine with as many other challenges as you like to.
• A short mention of products used whenever possible is expected, especially the focal point.
• New: While you are free to link up your creations using pre-colored digital art (AI generated, digital pre-colored toppers/images, digital papers etc.), they will be excluded from top picks. 
• Please include a link back to this blog.
• Backlinking to a recent project is allowed.