Splish, Splash

 Good morning blogland,

It's challenge time!  Crafty Calendar Challenge is back from our Summer holidays and a new challenge starts today.  

Even though it's officially the start of Autumn we are still holding onto those Summer vibes at CCC and so the theme this month is 'Summer', as always this is a very easy going challenge.  We only have a few rules, which are : follow the theme, no backlinking and a maximum of 3 entries per person.

As always everyone who enters and follows the rules is entered into a prize draw, with a randomly drawn winner and this time the prize is from Lili of the Valley.  We do also have Top 3 Picks chosen from all the entries by the Design Team.

Onto the card I made for this challenge:

Supplies used:

Digital stamp:

Saturated Canary - Snorkelling

coloured with my copics

Polkadoodles - Coral Mermaid

for the sentiment

Dies:

un-branded stitched rectangles

Paper:

Papermania - Retro Florals paper pack

Anything else:

distress inks and blending brushes for the panel behind the image

vellum for the layer above the image

red and blue lightweight card for matting

self-adhesive gems

A much more layered card than I normally make but, from its start as a very clean and simple card, it just seemed to evolve into this!

On a personal note, did I tell anyone that I got a Cricut Joy Xtra for my birthday? It's something I'd thought about for a very long time, then saw a 2nd hand one on ebay for a very reasonable price and told 'Im Indoors that that was my birthday present.  I'm finding it a little erratic - not the machine itself, that works fine, but how the overall Design Space programme works and the results I then get.  

I do one thing that I think will get me 'that' and instead it seems to give me 'this' - I've still not worked out what it is I'm doing wrong. However, for this card, it gave me exactly what I wanted!  A nicely fussy cut out digi stamp (I'm a very messy fussy cutter!) and the sentiment looking like it had been cut with a die. 

I am also determined to not let it beat me!  I will learn!

So there, that's my little bit of sharing of a Summer event - now I'm looking forward to seeing all the left over Summer vibes that your projects conjure up!

See you soon,

Sarah

Challenge/s:

Krafty Chicks Challenge: #836 - Birthsday

Creative Knockouts: #578 - Lots of Layers

Tic Tac Toe Challenge: TTTC300 - Bottom Row: Die-cut/Punch \ Patterned Paper \ Bright Colours

Crafty Gals Corner: #279 - AG / optional Summer Vibes

Not my normal

 Good morning blogland,

It's time for a new challenge over at Passion for Markers, this week it's our Teamie Marlene's turn to pick the challenge theme.  Marlene has gone for 'Ribbons and/or bows' - we don't mind if it's one or the other or both - there just needs to be some ribbon or a bow or two there, along with using your markers of course!

We are sponsored this week by Uniko Stamps, who are offering one lucky, randomly drawn, person 1 product of their choice from the website as a prize.  Please remember to follow the rules when you enter the challenge; those rules being use your markers, follow the theme and don't backlink - else you won't be entered for the draw.

So, moving on - this is the card I made for this challenge.  Now I know you are going to say - oh, that's nothing like your normal card style, but the thing is this used to be my normal!  It just hasn't been since I re-entered the crafting world.  This card was made to actually be handed over in person for a specific occasion to a specific person - so I went 'old school' and loaded up the embellishments.

Here you go, take a peek and you will see what I mean:

Supplies used:

Digital stamp:

Polkadoodles - Winnie - Expecting a New Baby

coloured with my Copics

Dies:

Creative Craft Products: Stitched Nestables - Circle

Creative Craft Products: A2 essentials - everyday sentiments

Paper:

Melissa Frances - 5th Avenue

piece of dotty light card

Anything else:

piece of ribbon

pre-made bow

flowers

acetate, sequins and glitter - for the shaker

And that's it folks - I hope you liked the throwback card and I hope to see you in our challenge this week!

Sarah

challenge/s:

Unicorn Challenge Blog: #123 - Layer it up

The Neglected Stuff Challenge: August 2026 - Confession time - the only new thing on that card is the digi stamp! The flowers are more like 10 / 12 years old; the designer paper pad I can't even tell you when I bought that but maybe 10 years ago? The ribbon and pre-made ribbon bow, probably also over 12 years old - seriously the circle and sentiments dies would be the newest and they are most likely 3 to 5 years old.  I went really deep into my stash for this one!

Gem of a Challenge: Challenge #8 - AG

Just Add Ink: Challenge #792 - Choose two or more: circles / flowers / sequins (in the shaker element of the card)

I'm so late with this one!

 Hi Blogland,

This is going to be super short - just to get the card up - as this is my post about it being new challenge that started over at Sweet Stampin' Challenge but it started Saturday just gone (15th)!

I will probably go into the weekend woes at some point that meant I had next to no time to craft, but not now.

So this fortnight's challenge theme is 'Summer Fun!' - anything you associate with happening in the Summer.  This is a 'for fun' challenge so no prizes and the rules are really simple: you have to stamp, you have to follow the theme and no backlinking but it really doesn't have to be a card you enter. Just stamp!

Having said that - here's my card!

Supplies used:

Digital stamp:

Polkadoodles - Vacation Winnie Special Moments

coloured with my Copics

Rubber stamp:

Tonic Studios: Say it with Sentiments

Dies:

un-branded stitched rectangles

Creative Craft Products - Stitched Nestables

Anything else:

Distress Inks

blending brushes

Scrap of designer paper from BoBunny 'Surprise' collection

homemade cloud stencil

white pen

And that's about it folks!

Again absolute grovelling apologies to my Teamies and 'The Bosses' at Sweet Stampin' for being so super late with this card and post.

See you soon,

Sarah

Challenge/s:

Retro Rubber: Challenge #278 - Off to the tropics.  I've asked for the entry to be removed - I hadn't realised it was tropical flowers not colours, apologies

Try it on Tuesday: Inspired by a Song - In the Summertime (by Mungo Jerry).  It's one of my favourite Summer songs, tho I doubt it would be approved by my daughter today!

As You Like It: Favourite colouring medium (and why?) Can you guess, no go on really - I hardly ever mention what I like to colour with the most!! :-) Did you guess? It's Copic markers - they are just such fun and you get a great look from them and I love them and I will use them for ever! Seriously though, once you've got the hang of them they are wonderful marker pens, they blend so well, so many colours and just a wonderful finish.  I was swayed by Polychromos pencils for a while (and I do still have my box of them) but I still went back to Copics.

Cardz 4 Galz: #282 Blue Skies - Is the stencilled panel enough blue sky?  No problems if it doesn't 100% fit your theme.