Smile. Dream. Love

Hello and welcome! A new challenge starts today at the Allsorts challenge blog and Brenda is hosting this week. Her optional theme is "It has to be spring" and we would love to see all your spring themed creation or you can choose the "anything goes" option. All entries following our simple rules will be entered into the drawing wether you go with the optional theme or not. You may enter up to 3 times for more chances to win. Prizes come from AALL and Create for challenges 776 and 777, winners announced at the end of the month on the challenge blog.

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!

Easter came early this year and I am not done creating with bunnies (luckily not all bunny stamps are Easter themed!!) and I am featuring some cute Lavinia hares (Whimsical Hares, Pipin) on today's card. I started out using the "negative" of a circle die then parcially inked inside the circle and created hills using a paper mask. I also used a Lavinia stencil (Feather Leaf) although it's hard to tell. The flowers are Lavinia's Lavender stamp, stamped in Picked Raspberry and Shaded Lilac. 

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The springtime sentiment is a Penny Black wood mounted stamp (old and no longer available), a favorite for spring. Smile Dream Love is from the Penny Black clear set Dream. Love. Sentiments. I finished off the card with some die cut butterflies using the PB die set Soaring and black enamel dots.

Thanks so much for visiting, I hope you're having a wonderful weekend. 

I plan to share with these challenges:

• Addicted to Stamps and More - Die Cuts or Stencils
• CAS on Friday - Spring
• Crafty Catz - Cute Critters
• Crafty Gals Corner - AG
• Creative Fingers - AG
• Critter Crazy Challenges - Critters
• Daisy Chain Challenges - Not Square
• Double D Challenges - Cute Animals
• Dragonfly Dreams - Dies
• Fab n Funky - Add a Sentiment
• FarmQuest General Store Challenge - Anything Farm or Country Goes
• Path of Positivity - Something Positive
• Simply Clean and Simple - CAS
• Stamping Sensations - Spring
• Unicorn Challenge - Dies
• We Love Stamping - Spring

>>>>>>>>>>>Stamping Sale at Scrapbook.com/Ad

Meow Like No One Is Listening

Hello and welcome! Happy Saturday! After a two-week challenge we are back to our normal weekly challenges at Allsorts and this week it's Lolo's turn to host. She selected the optional theme of "For the love of Animals" or you can go with our Anything Goes option too. We have a nice set of prizes from  Highlight Crafts and Stamp Addicts for challenges 773, 774 and 775 and winners will be announced on the last Friday in April and as always you may enter up to 3 times for more chances to win.

This challenge was the perfect opportunity for me to ink up the wonderful stamp set Bad Cats Club from Aall and Create and I combined it with a couple of other sets also by Aall and Create, Night Stalker (sentiment) and Blackbird (the numbers and birds).

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!

If you're in the US then you can purchase this set from Joggles. Unfortunately it appears sold out from the Aall and Create shop in the UK but maybe there are some other UK retailers that still stock it?  As mentioned above the sentiment is part of another cat themed set called Nightstalker and that one is also out of stock from Aall and Create. The number in pink and birds are from the set called Blackbird. The black numbers and circles are part of the stamp Wild and Free also by Aall and Create but sold out too.

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This is a large stamp that fills up almost half of an A4 page so I made a larger than normal card. As I was looking for a stencil to use on this card I came across a homemade stencil I made some years ago for the Bokeh technqiue where I punched out several sizes of circles on acetate and I thought this would make a nice background for these "up to no good" cats :)  The sentiment was stamped on a snippet of cardstock and layered on a snippet of pink. I attached it with staples and then put some striped twine through the staples to tie a bow. 

              >>>>>>>>>>>>Tim Holtz Brand Products on Sale Now at Scrapbook.com/Ad

I plan to enter these challenges - I found many:

• Addicted to Stamps and More - Die Cuts or Stencils - Does a homemade stencil count?
• A Perfect Time To Craft - AG
• Cardz 4 Galz - Cute Animals
• Classic Design Challenge - Four Legged Friends
• Crazy is our fame - STENCILS are our game! - Does a homemade stencil count?
• Creations in Pink - Mainly Pink
• Creative Inspirations Challenge - AG
• Critter Crazy Challenges - Critters
• Daisy Chain Challenges - Not Square
• Double D Challenges - Cute Animals
• Get Creative Challenges - April Fools Day (my cats fool me nightly with their meows!!)
• Krafty Chicks - Use Stamps
• Lost Coast Designs - Cute or Fluffy
• Stamps & Fun = Creativity - Fun
• The Crafting Challenge - AG
• The Creative Crafters - AG
• Word Art Wednesdays - AG

Thanks so much for visiting, enjoy your weekend!!

Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday - April Challenge

Hello and welcome to Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday - April 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 made a CAS card using the beautiful Fairytale stamp by Lavinia as my focal point. The background was done with a stencil by Vicki Boutin from this set of 3 stencils. I used Tumbled Glass, Shaded Lilac and Spun Sugar Distress inks. The sentiment at the top is from an older Hero Arts stamp kit (this particular one is no longer available) and the word "Dandelion" is from this set by Aall and Create. I added Stickles glitter and some gems by Honeybee Stamps to finish off the card.

I plan to share with these challenges:

• Addicted to Stamps and More - Die Cut or Stencil 
• Crafty Catz - AG
• Crazy is our fame - STENCILS are our game! - Stencils with option of spring
• Heart's Quest Fantasy Challenge Blog - Anything Fantasy
• Path of Positivity - Something Positive
• The Crafty Addicts - AG

Related Products:

March 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 a lot as I take more time to study the linky tools gallery, and I finally decided on the Twist of: Fun with Die Cuts. And here are the top picks listed in the order of entry, each one featuring some beautiful die cuts.

No. 5 Mary Marsh

No. 11 Jackie C.

No. 69 Donna T.

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. The linky tool closes on the last Wednesday of the month at midnight so you have until Wednesday April 24th to play along.

                       >>>>>>>>>>>>Tim Holtz Brand Products on Sale Now/Ad

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

Black and White Plus One for March Card Chain Challenge

Hello and welcome! It's the 2nd of the month and that means it's time to reveal the cards that were sent for the March Card Chain Challenge. I thought I was going to take a break in March but when I saw the themes I just couldn't resist and this is pretty much the card I had in mind so it didn't take me too long to complete.

My card went to Jeanne in Minnesota and I hope she liked it :) I absolutely loved creating it!

As always we're given a variety of challenge options, this time I selected the color scheme of Black and White plus one other color and I also selected the other option of "postal". This cute girly stamp is new to me but a real oldie from Stampin Up. I found it along with another stamp from the set at a local thrift store for just 50 cents for both stamps and of course I had to get them as I love silhouette stamp. 

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I used the negative of a circle die cut to ink up inside the circle and used a MFT cloud stencil. The ink is Blueprint Sketch Distress Oxide. After removing the stencil I stamped the little girl and birds (birds are part of a past Hero Arts stamp kit ). At this point I wasn't sure what to use for the sentiment when I remembed the postage stamps from Whimsy Stamps (old) with matching die so I chose one of the stamps from that set. A couple small die cut flowers (from the Penny Black Frames die set) finish off the card. The girl stamp includes a sentiment on the bottom but I masked that off and instead chose a sticker sentiment from Tim Holtz' small talk booklet. 

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 so happy to receive the adorable card below from Ella in Germany. Thank you, Ella for this beautiful card! I love it!

If you want to join in the April Card Chain Challenge then you can still sign up here. The linky tool will be open for a few more days. Be sure to check out the FAQ page for all the info if you are new to the CCC.

>>>>>>>>>>>>Tim Holtz Brand Products on Sale Now/Ad

I will share my postal girl card with these challenges:

• A Perfect Time To Craft - AG
• A Place To Start - Add one or more flowers
• Crafting From the Heart   - AG
• Crafts Galore Encore  - AG
• Krafty Chicks - All Occasions
• Just Us Girls - AG with Stencils (I used a cloud stencil)
• Path of Positivity - Anything Positive Goes
• Simon Says Stamp - AG
• The Crafting Challenge - AG

Four Seasons April Challenge - A Little Spring Mouse

Happy first day of April and thank you so much for stopping by! I hope you had a nice Easter holiday weekend with a little bit of sunshine too. It's been chilly over  here but the sun did peak out so that was nice. 

Today is the start of a new Spring challenge at the Four Seasons challenge blog and all are invited to join us with your spring creations. There is a fun mood board as always but it is completely optional to use.

Here is what I made inspired by the pretty daisies and some colors from the mood board. 

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!

April Mood Board

This pre-colored digi is brand new to me. I stumbled onto it while looking for another image on the LOTV etsy site. While I wasn't lucky with that other image, I fell in love with this cute scene so into the shopping cart it went. I love the wonderful artistic pencil coloring it comes in. I've not been doing too well recently with coloring  (I always feel short on time) so this was just perfect. 

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I added a grass border which I simply cut by hand (I used to have a grass punch but somehow it's gone missing!!) I also added the die cut daisies which were done with a really old die from Whimsy Stamps and it is no longer available. I wanted to add something to the background for a little more interest so I got out Aall and Create's Miniatures stamp set for that wonderful quote. I didn't want the words to overpower the cute image so I stamped them with light gray ink. "Create your own magic" is from another Aall and Create set. Before I added the grass border I used the large wonky stitches border die (sold out). And I added a little bit of glitter to the butterflies and flowers. Btw. this image is also available in line art for your own coloring. 

                                   >>>>>>>>>>>>Tim Holtz Brand Products on Sale Now/Ad

I plan to share with these challengese:

• Ally's Angels - AG
• A Perfect Time To Craft - AG
• Classic Design Challenge - Four Legged Friends
• Crafting From the Heart  - AG
• Crafts Galore Encore - AG
• Crafty Animals - AG
• Crafty Gals Corner - AG
• Creative Fingers - AG
• Critter Crazy Challenges - Critters
• Die Cut Divas - AG Spring with Die Cuts
• Krafty Chicks - All Occasions
• Little Red Wagon - Animal Antics
• Simon Says Stamp - AG
• The Creative Crafters - AG

Simplicity at Allsorts Challenge

It's Saturday already and that means a new challenge starts today at Allsorts. It's Sarah's turn to host and she selected "keep it simple" for her optional theme. Should be easy for everyone but if simple cards aren't your thing then you are welcome to share your other new crafty makes with us for the "anything goes" option. Btw. this challenge runs for 2 weeks to cover the Easter holiday so you have extra time to join us. 

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 working on another card when I discovered this negative "frame" next to my die cutting machine from a rectangle die and got the idea to use it as a mask for a simple card. I inked the rectangle using Tattered Lace Distress ink then used a Lavinia stencil for some background fun. And what's easier than stamping a large sentiment onto the background??!! So I selected this beautiful quote by Penny Black (Dance, Sing, Love) and stamped using Versafine Onyx ink. 

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I could have left it as is for an even simpler look but have several extras of these butterflies. This butterfly die (by Penny Black - Soaring) includes 4 sizes of butterflies and I decided to keep them attached to one another so I don't lose any, and since I reach for the tiny ones more often I usually have several of the larger ones cut out. I chose 3 and added sticky rhinestones to their bodies. It was definitely a simple card to make but I love how it turned out.

We have prizes from  Highlight Crafts and Stamp Addicts for weeks 773, 774 and 775. The winners will be announced at the end of April. Btw, there was a winners post yesterday, so be sure to take a look on the challenge blog if you played in the challenge within the last few weeks.

Thanks so much for visiting!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>Spring Themes on Sale at Scrapbook.com/Ad

I plan to share with these challenges:

• Aud Sentiments Blog Challenge  - Bling and a Sentiment
• Crafty Gals Corner - AG
• Crazy is our fame - STENCILS are our game! - Stencils
• Dream Valley Challenges - Dies
• Penny Black Saturday Challenge - PB products
• The Crafty Addicts - AG
• Triple B - Blooms, Birds or Butterflies
• Try It On Tuesday - Stencils
• We Love Stamping - Feminine
• Word Art Wednesdays - AG
• Word Power - Focus on Words

I Spy With My Little Eye ... Something Yellow (Challenge No. 13)

Hello everyone, it's time for a new "I spy with my little eye" challenge (taking place right here on my blog) and Pauline and I are back with a new theme. As always we'd love for you to join us! There were lots of wonderful entries last month so remember to scroll down to see who made our top 2. Both will be invited to join us in a future challenge. 

It's my turn to host this time and I selected the theme of 

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

something yellow. 

I can't help but love yellow this time of the year. I'm sure it has something to do with the beautiful Daffodils that are blooming in my garden. But there are many more things that are yellow and we can't wait to see what yellow things we'll spy on your creations. The linky tool is at the end of this post. 

And here is what we came up with for your inspiration:

My Card (Ellie)

info below

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 absolutely love this quote by William Wordsworth. There used to be a Penny Black stamp with this quote but I never did own it and it's impossible to find now so I finally gave in and typed this up on the computer. I even downloaded a new font to use with it.

The Daffodil stamp is by Penny Black - Daffodil Dance. I used Letraset Aquamarkers (not sure these are still available...) to color directly on the stamp then used my stamp platform to get the results I wanted. I did some stenciling using the Circle Explosion and Chickenwire stencils then added the Lavinia Stamps bunny and bee. The stitched detail is a retired stamp from Whimsy Stamps. I used Stickles glitter around the flowers and bee wings. When it was all finished I wished I had printed the poem in black instead of gray but didn't want to start over again.

I plan to share the above card here:

• Beautiful Blossoms - Flowers
• Craft Rocket Challenges - For the Girls
• Double Trouble - Spring Florals
• FarmQuest General Store Challenge - Anything Country Goes
• Penny Black Saturday Challenge - PB Stamps
• Stamping Sensations - Spring
• Stencil Fun - Stencils and Spring
• The Crafting Challenge - Spring Air (I love it when the spring air smells like Daffodils!)
• Triple B - Blooms, Birds or Butterflies
• Try It On Tuesday - Use a Stencil
• Word Power Challenge - Words in focus (I do wish I had printed this poem in black instead of gray to be even more focal.)

Pauline's Card

I love how Pauline used these stamps to create this spring themed card! Please visit her blog to read all about how she made this.

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We're so happy to have a guest designer this month, Irene who has been busy creating not one but 3 wonderful samples, each one using yellow.

Aren't they all beautiful!! Please visit Irene's blog to find out how she made the cards.

Top Picks from Challenge no. 12

There were lots of wonderful creations last month and we had such fun finding things beginning with "b" on your projects. It was such a well received theme, thank you all!! As always selecting our top picks wasn't easy but finally here they are 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. 14 starting Wednesday April 17th ! Of course it's not a requirement but we would love to have you both as guests!!

No. 7 Steph (Ellie's Pick)

(B for Bird and Books)

No. 18 Liz C. (Pauline's Pick)

(B for Butterfly and Blooms)

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. 14 starting on Wednesday April 17th. 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 be in compliance with GDPR, Top Pick photos and links will be removed after the start of the new challenge. 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>Spring Themes on Sale at Scrapbook.com/Ad

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 Yellow".

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.