As You Like It - Favourite colouring medium. Over the years I've only ever used pencils or watercolour paints, but my favourite are my current Faber Castell Polychromos. They're lovely to use and much more hardy than my previous Prismacolour Premier or Creativespeak pencils
Krafty Chicks - All occasions
Creatalicious - Anything goes *Top 3*
Digi Choosday - Anything goes
Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends - Anything goes
We Love Stamping - Anything goes
Penny Black Saturday - Anything goes
Polkadoodles - Anything goes
Papercraft - Polka dots
Gem Of A Challenge - Anything goes
Allsorts - Anything goes
A Place To Start - Anything goes
Love Those Pretty Papers - Use patterned paper
Critter Crazy - Feature a critter *Design Team Favourite*
Scrapping 4 Fun - Anything goes
Craft Rocket - Animals

A few months ago one of my cards made it into the Top 3 in the C.R.A.F.T. challenge, and I was invited to be a guest designer. The August challenge (where has this year gone???) starts today and the theme is 'Summer'. 

The sponsor is All Dressed Up and the prize is two digi stamps.

Use Your Stuff - Animals
Jan's Digi Stamps - Anything goes
Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends - Anything goes *Top 5*
Gem Of A Challenge - Anything goes
Stamping Sensations - Wings and tails
Polkadoodles - Anything goes
Allsorts - Anything goes
Penny's Paper - Use paper
Digi Choosday - Anything goes
Through The Purple Haze - Anything goes
Crafts Galore Encore - Anything goes
Critter Crazy - Feature a critter *DT Favourite*
The Paper Funday - Anything goes

It's the first Wednesday of December (already?!), so that means it's time for a new challenge over at the ABC Christmas Challenge.  Carol's our host this month, and the themes are -

Our sponsor is -

A Christmas card this time. I've had this stamp for a couple of months, so thought it was about time I actually inked it up.

Craftyhazelnut's Christmas - Anything Christmas
Aud Sentiments - Anything goes + a sentiment
Little Red Wagon - Lions and tigers and bears
The Male Room - Wild and free
The Merry Christmas Challenge - Anything Christmas
Craftaholics R Us - Anything goes
Crafty Friends - Anything goes
Christmas At Sweet Stampin' - Anything Christmas
Crafty Creations - Anything goes
The Corrosive Challenge - Anything goes
Penny Black And More - Something beginning with B (bear, blue, brown and bobble)
Crafty Calendar - Dots and/or stripes
That's Crafty - Animal magic
Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper - Use patterned paper
Creative Inspirations - Holidays

It feels like a while since I last made a masculine card, so I thought I'd remedy that and here's the result. As soon as I saw the current Penny Black Saturday challenge I knew this wee guy would be making an appearance.

Little Miss Muffet - Anything goes
Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends - Anything goes
Crafty Creations - Anything goes
The Corrosive Challenge - Anything goes
Crafty Calendar - Dots and/or stripes
Penny Black Saturday - On the move
Moving Along With The Times - For the boys
That's Crafty - Animal magic
Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper - Use patterned paper

Brown Sugar - Masculine
Crafty Friends - Animals
Pile It On - Small and/or pencils (I use Prismacolour Pencils to colour stamped images) *Sweet Sprinkles Award*
Cute Card Thursday - Anything goes
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - Animal magic
That's Crafty - A stitch in time
Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper - Patterned paper
As You Like It - Favourite animals (my favourite animals are rats. I had them as pets, almost continuously, from 1994 up until September last year, when I lost my last girly, Luna. They're the cutest, most intelligent and affectionate wee creatures and I really miss them)
Aud Sentiments - Masculine + a sentiment
Sweet Stampers - Too cute *Favourite*
Crafty Creations - Anything goes
Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends - Anything goes

One of my rare non-Christmas cards This wee doggy looks shocked to find out how old the recipient of the card is!

Little Miss Muffet - Anything goes
4 Crafty Chicks - Anything goes
Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends - Anything goes
Craftaholics R Us - Anything goes
Aud Sentiments - Bingo + a sentiment (patterned paper, digi or stamp and favourite colour - mine is green)
Crafty Creations - Anything goes
Cardz 4 Guyz - Things with tails
Creative Inspirations - Any occasion
The Corrosive Challenge - Anything goes
Through The Purple Haze - Anything goes
Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper - Patterned Paper

Time for another challenge over at the ABC Christmas Challenge and Wilma is the host this month. The themes are -


Our sponsor this month is -

This card feels like a bit of a blast from the past. I've used a stamp that I've had for a very long time, but not used for ages, and papers that were my favourite brand years ago.

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends - Anything goes
Crafty Calendar- Two or more layers
Penny Black Saturday - Anything goes
Crafty Catz - Anything goes
As You Like It - Favourite way to add stitching (faux with a pen as it's much neater than my 'real' stitching, and there's also a lot less swearing doing it that way)
Cute Card Thursday - Anything goes
Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper - Patterned paper
Cardz 4 Guyz - Music
Crafty Friends - Anything goes
Little Miss Muffet - Anything goes
Crafty Creations - Anything goes
The Crafty Addicts - Anything goes
Creative Inspirations - Something new (the papers) *Top 3*
Pile It On - 3D embellishments (the pearls)

Time for another challenge over at the ABC Christmas Challenge and this time Carissa is the host. This month the themes are -



Our sponsor this month is -

..fa la la la la, la la la la. Not long to go now! Just under nine weeks, or almost exactly two months. I'm not sure which of those sounds worse, the time's just whizzing by, eek!

Crafting From The Heart - Anything goes
Christmas Card Challenges - Anything Christmas
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas - Anything Christmas
Crafty Friends - Cute
Creative Craft Cottage - Use a sentiment
Through The Purple Haze - Untraditional Christmas colours
Little Miss Muffet - Anything goes
Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends - Anything goes
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Extra - Anything Christmas
Christmas At Sweet Stampin' - Anything Christmas goes
The Corrosive Challenge - Anything goes

I was lucky enough to win both a prize and a GDT spot on the Penny Black And More challenge in August. The theme this month is 'Close To Nature' and here's my card.

Crafty Catz - Anything goes
The Male Room - Anything goes
Crafty Creations - Anything goes
Craftaholics R Us - Anything goes
The Crazy Challenge - Add an animal

I've made an easel card (do people still make them, or am I really behind the times?). It's been years since I last made one and this is the first time I've made a round one.

Image stamp - Penny Black 'Fuzzy Balloon'
Sentiment stamp - Paula Pascual 'Big Sentiments'
Paper - Make & Create 'Trendy Blue Lifestyle'
Colouring medium - Prismacolour Premier soft core pencils
Extras - Spellbinders Nestabilities circle/scalloped circles dies and gems

Crafting From The Heart -Anything goes
Crafty Friends - Anything goes
Polkadoodles - Anything goes
Dragonfly Dreams - Animals *Top 3*
Stamping Sensations - Anything goes
Penny Black And More - All creatures great and small
The Corrosive Challenge - Anything goes
Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends - Anything goes
Crafty Calendar - Shaped card
Penny Black Saturday - Shaped cards
Craft Rocket - Animal kingdom
The Crafty Addicts - Anything goes

Another simple card using one of these fab dog stamps. I love the grumpy look on this dog's face.

Crafty Calendar - Anything goes
Brown Sugar - Anything goes
Crafty Catz - Anything goes *Top 3*
Through The Purple Haze - Spots and/or stripes *Top 3*
4 Crafty Chicks - Anything goes
Cute Card Thursday - Anything goes
Creative Inspirations - Dots and/or stripes
The Crazy Challenge - Animals
Crafting From The Heart - Anything goes
Dragonfly Dreams - Anything goes
Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends - Anything goes

I've made the following card with one of a set of new stamps I bought recently, using leftover birthday money I had (my birthday was in April, how restrained am I?). I've seen these stamps used on several blogs and they make me smile every time I see them. Imagine my excitement when I found out that they had co-ordinating dies!

This card is a bit out of my comfort zone as I don't really do clean and simple, more like messy and simple. I really enjoyed making it though so I can see me making more like this, although this is my second attempt as I realised, when the card was finished, that the sentiment was wonky.

Glitter 'n' Sparkle - Anything goes
Crafting When We Can - Use an image
Crafty Catz - Anything goes
Crafty Creations - Anything goes
The Cutie Pie Challenge - All creatures great and small
Crafting From The Heart - Anything goes
Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends - Anything goes *Top 3*
Creative Inspirations - Our furry/feathered friends

I made a non-Christmas card, yay! I used to have this stamp in the clear version, so when it appeared on a certain auction site I had to buy it. Any excuse!

The Cutie Pie Challenge - All creatures great and small
Crafting From The Heart - Anything goes
Fussy And Fancy - Pamper your pets
The Corrosive Challenge - Anything goes
Penny Black Saturday - Masculine *Favourite*
Creative Inspirations - Our furry/feathered friends
Little Red Wagon - Dogs or cats? *Featured*
Dream Valley - Square cards only