Penny Black And More – CAS

December 3, 2017December 2, 2017 linda9 Comments

we’ve got a very easy theme for you this month at the penny black and more challenge – to share your CAS (clean and simple) creations.

penny black lamp post.linda @ snailzpace.wordpress.com-1

i painted this penny black cling stamp, 40-174 winter illumination, with twinkling H2Os as usual. although i made a christmas card, your CAS creation can be for any reason.

remember, your focal point must be hand stamped, any company, just no digis please; a future guest designer will be selected from those who use a PB image and as always, you’ll love the prizes to be won from: Penny Black, Tattered Lace, Fantastic Ribbons.

visit the blog to be inspired by the rest the team and their lovely CAS cards.

thanks for popping by.

A Little Christmas Treat

December 1, 2017December 1, 2017 linda3 Comments

I’m playing with some new crafty goodies and the LAWN FAWNATICS CHALLENGE 17 – COLOR INSPIRATION:

i was inspired by the bottom right photo to create these little treats for one of my specialists and his staff. i die cut the lawn fawn winter tiny tags mitten, stamped and heat embossed one of the sentiments from the LF tiny tag sayings set and finished them off with a white die cut bow. i hope they like the ghirardelli peppermint bark squares as much as i do.

thanks for popping by.

Candy Cane Treat

November 28, 2017November 29, 2017 linda6 Comments

I wanted a festive way to present a candy cane so I came up with this:

impression obsession holly.copyright linda @ snailzpace.wordpress.com-1

i stamped the IO holly leaves (retired) and sentiment from the IO Christmas Minis (MC199) clear stamp with versafine olympia green ink, coloured with watercolour pencils and added red stickles to the berries.

i’m playing along with the Impression Obsession ‘Tis The Season Challenge to create holiday projects, the Winter Wonderland Challenge to use Traditional Christmas Colors of Red and Green and the last Rudolph Days Challenge for 2017.

thanks for popping by.

Christmas Chickadee

November 27, 2017November 14, 2019 linda6 Comments

i’m rushing now to complete my holiday to do list since a number of doctor appointments are interfering with my creative play time.

impression obsession chickadee.copyright linda @ snailzpace.wordpress.com-1

i’ve had this beautiful IO Holly Chickadee (E7024) for eight years now and don’t use it as often as i should. it really is quick and easy to colour; this time i coloured with watercolour pencils and stamped the IO Enjoy the Splendour (D6165) in black ink. a perfectly flat card to mail.

i’m playing along with the Impression Obsession ‘Tis The Season Challenge to create holiday projects and also these challenges:
Happy Little Stampers CAS November – Christmas – must be Clean and Simple
Happy Little Stampers Christmas November – Anything Goes + option : Tag
Winter Wonderland Challenge to use Traditional Christmas Colors of Red and Green.

thanks for popping by.

Christmas Tree Notecard

November 26, 2017December 5, 2017 linda4 Comments

i’m playing along with the Impression Obsession ‘Tis The Season Challenge to create holiday projects and i’ve been working on plenty of those.
impression obsession trees.copyright linda @ snailzpace.wordpress.com

this is a notecard made with the IO Christmas Minis (MC199) clear stamp set; i bought it for 50% so maybe it’s retired because i couldn’t find a link to the IO shop. i coloured with watercolour pencils, added red and yellow stickles and covered the trees with clear wink of stella.

i’m also playing along with these christmas themed challenges:

Challenge Up Your Life – Trees
Winter Wonderland – Traditional Christmas Colors – Red and Green

thanks for popping by.

Chalet Christmas Card

November 24, 2017November 14, 2019 linda9 Comments

i’m almost finished all the christmas projects i’ve been working on; hopefully i’ll be done by next week.

one layer christmas card.copyright linda @ snailzpace.wordpress.com

this is the card that i made a set of for my dad; his only request was for a ‘peace on earth’ sentiment so i chose this cling mount one from magenta. the chalet is a nellie snellen image that stamps beautifully; i coloured it with pencil crayons and for the first time i used a blue pan pastel for the sky.

i’m playing along with these challenges:
Stamping Sensations – one layer christmas cards
Happy Little Stampers CAS November – Christmas – must be Clean and Simple
Noor! Designs UK November – Winter

thanks for popping by.

Christmas Greetings For Rudolph Days

October 25, 2017November 13, 2017 linda17 Comments

this is my design team card for october’s Rudolph Days Challenge, which runs until the end of the month and is a great way to tackle those holiday cards.

penny black fox.copyright linda @ snailzpace.wordpress.com-1

this adorable image is from a newer penny black clear stamp set called ‘snow much fun.‘ by the way, Buddly Crafts carries penny black stamps and has a page featuring PB Critters & Cuties Stamps here.

i painted the sky and image with twinkling H2Os, popped it on foam tape to a snow embossed background, added red pearls for the berries and glitter for the snow.

all you need to do to play along is make one christmas card; for more inspiration and to view the prize and simple rules, please pop over to scrappymo’s blog.

The Penny Black Holiday Head Start Challenge ends soon so i just have time to submit this card before the deadline.

i’m also playing along with these challenges:
ABC Christmas Challenge – U for Unlimited/V for Vibrant
Christmas at Sweet Stampin’ – Anything Goes for Christmas
Simon Says Stamp – Anything Goes

thanks for popping by.

Matchbox Snowman

October 14, 2017November 14, 2019 linda6 Comments

i was happy to see the latest taylored expressions’ release included some coordinating stamps and dies for the TE matchbox die i bought when it was released earlier in the spring.

taylored expressions matchy snowman copyright linda @ snailzpace.wordpress.com

i used the matchy snowman die set and of course the matchbox die to create this little treat box. i’m actually making four but it’s getting so overcast that i thought i best rush and get a photo of the one i finished so far.

i’m submitting this to these challenges:
Little Red Wagon – Leftovers: i used leftover scraps of christmas paper and the nose was die cut from a leftover scrap of watercolour paper that i had painted with twinkling H2Os to use on my trick or treat tags.
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge – NOT A CARD
Happy Little Stampers Dies – Always Anything Goes with Dies

thanks for popping by.

A Tiny Christmas Treat Bag

September 27, 2017September 27, 2017 linda4 Comments

i had so much fun making the treat bag yesterday that i made another but this one is tiny; it measures 2 x 2 inches.

i used my scor pal and followed the tutorial at pootles’ blog to create this one.

i’m playing along with the Scor-Pal More than One Score Challenge #41 Bags and Boxes and The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge – #15 – Anything Christmas Goes and the Winter Wonderland Challenge to Wrap It Up.

thanks for popping by.

Christmas Treat Bag

September 26, 2017September 26, 2017 linda4 Comments

it feels strange to be working on christmas projects when we’ve had record breaking high temperatures. even though today it ‘felt like’ 110 degrees fahrenheit, days are passing quickly so i need to keep creating for christmas.

i used my scor pal to make one of these 2-5-7-10 Boxes for the first time; i’ll know better next time to align the stripes more evenly. i think it took longer to tie the bow than it did to cut and score just because of my hands, but i’m pleased with how it turned out and will make more.

thanks for popping by.

Ornamental Christmas Tree

September 6, 2017September 13, 2017 linda3 Comments

i created one more card just in time for the Taylored Expressions birthday celebration and 9th year sketch challenge:

i made a christmas card for my husband using the tree from the TE baby it’s cold outside stamp set, painted with twinkling H2Os and covered the ornaments with glossy accents. i used a clear glitter pen on the tree garland dots and coloured the peel off sentiment and holographic dot stickers with permanent markers. the image circle was popped on foam tape for some added dimension.

thanks for popping by.

Let It Snow

September 4, 2017September 13, 2017 linda4 Comments

i created a second card for Taylored Expressions birthday celebration and 9th year sketch challenge:

i made a christmas card this time to add to my stash. i painted this cute snowman from the TE baby it’s cold outside stamp set with twinkling H2Os, stamped the sentiment from the same set and popped the circle on foam tape. i added clear wink of stella to the white stripes on the scarf and the dots on the hat, glossy accents to the buttons and white flocking to the cuff of the hat.

thanks for popping by.

Get Ready For Christmas at Penny Black And More

September 3, 2017November 13, 2017 linda9 Comments

it’s never too early to get ready for christmas and that’s what we’re doing this month at the penny black and more challenge.

this is an older penny black stamp called 2993F xmas snail that i’ve painted with twinkling H2Os, mixing paint colours to coordinate with the paper and added flower soft to the hat.

you can use any company’s stamp for your focal point, as long as it’s hand stamped – just no digis please; a future guest designer will be selected from those who use a PB image and as always, you’ll love the prizes to be won from: Penny Black, Swedish House Crafts and Rare Earth.

visit the blog for some creative inspiration by my teamies.

i’m also submitting this to the penny black Holiday Head Start Challenge.

thanks for popping by.

Santa Hedgy For Rudolph Days

August 25, 2017January 20, 2018 linda11 Comments

it’s time for the august rudolph days challenge to make at least one christmas card on the 25th of every month so you’ll avoid that last minute rush to create holiday cards; ‘anything goes’ is always the theme.

this penny black hedgy is having fun playing santa. i painted with twinkling H2Os, added flower soft to his hat, stickles for snow and some memory box lower case alphabet letters. the snowflake paper is printed paper. another fun to make holiday card for my stash.

the challenge runs until the end of the month so be sure to visit the blog for more inspiration and to check out the simple rules.

i’m also submitting this to the penny black Holiday Head Start Challenge.

thanks for popping by.

Christmas Trees

August 11, 2017 linda1 Comment

i had some trees that wouldn’t quite fit on the christmas card so i used them to create a christmas tag.

i painted the sky and trees from the Essentials by Ellen Home & Hearth die set by Julie with twinkling H2Os and stamped the sentiment from the Avery Elle Retro Ornaments set. to finish it off, i added stickles to the stars and centres of the snowflakes in the sentiment.

i’m also submitting this to the august mix it up challenge at ellen hutson to pair EH with Avery Elle products.

thanks for popping by.

Christmas Lights

August 11, 2017August 11, 2017 linda2 Comments

i’m working on my christmas cards; i know it’s a bit early, but i’m a slow card maker.

i’m playing along with the august mix it up challenge at ellen hutson – this time the challenge is to pair EH with Avery Elle products. i used the lights and sentiment from the Avery Elle Retro Ornaments stamp set and the houses and stars from the Essentials by Ellen Home & Hearth die set by Julie.

i was inspired by the colourful houses in newfoundland and of course i painted the sky, houses and lights with twinkling H2Os and added some stickles to the stars.

thanks for popping by.

Painted Poinsettia

August 4, 2017November 14, 2019 linda10 Comments

it feels so good to have a bit of time to relax, paint and create.

i used one of my favourite poinsettia stamps for the christmas in july theme for the Impression Obsession challenge : i love this IO Poinsettia (H8301) because it’s so open and i paired it with a new IO sentiment stamp Warmest Wishes (D14682).

the image was stamped three times, painted with twinkling h2os, fussy cut and attached to a splattered background, sponged with distress inks; to finish it off i added some nuvo crystal drops.

i’m also playing along with:
Little Red Wagon – Use Favorite Products: twinkling H2Os, my favourite red twink, paint brushes, watercolour paper, poinsettia stamp.
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday – Splatter it
Happy Little Stampers Christmas August – Poinsettia
Craft Stamper Take It, Make It Challenge – Anything Goes

thanks for popping by.

Happy Rudolph Days June

June 25, 2017June 25, 2017 linda15 Comments

while i’m recuperating with my new hip, my crafting and computer time is limited so this is a scheduled post.

this is my DT card for scrappymo’s rudolph days challenge in june where we make a card, or more, on the 25th of the month but the challenge runs until the end of the month. and, you have a chance to win a fabulous prize.

i love snowmen and i have quite a collection of stamps but i had to have this one because it’s a family of four. i painted this Wild Rose Studio Snowmen image with twinkling H2Os, added white flocking and some stickles for the snow on the ground.

i’d like to submit this card to these challenges:
ABC Christmas Challenge: L & M are for Love and More than one
Simon Says Wednesday: Use Patterned Paper
Jingle Belles: Stars or Stripes or Both

thanks for popping by.

Jingle All The Way

May 29, 2017 linda10 Comments

i’ve been a bit slow so far this year with my holiday card making so a couple of christmas card challenges provided me with the perfect inspiration.

i painted with twinkling H2Os, which you probably already guessed, and i added the penny black jingle die and some Bo Bunny Christmas papers that have been discontinued; i should’ve stocked up.

these are the challenges i’m playing along with:

Rudolph Days at Maureen’s (scrappymo)
ABC Christmas Challenge – J – jingle bells

thanks for popping by.

Rudolph Reindeer Treat Box

April 27, 2017 linda10 Comments

i’m playing along with the poppy stamps challenge #31; the theme is ‘gift it’.

design team member Pam Simpson created a beautiful and elegant pillow box, so i was inspired to make one too only mine is much simpler; and, if you know me, i chose a cute and whimsical image. i painted the poppy stamps rudolph reindeer with twinkling H2Os, cut it with the matching die and attached it to a tiny pillow box made from birch tree print christmas paper.

thanks for popping by.

Happy Rudolph Days And Twinkling H2O Tips

April 25, 2017April 25, 2017 linda12 Comments

it’s the 25th so i’m sharing my DT card for the monthly rudolph days challenge, which runs until the last day of the month. visit scrappymo’s blog to be inspired and have fun!

as usual, i painted the sky and this adorable Darcie’s reindeer with twinkling H2Os, added some snow, a snow drift and a die cut sentiment covered in stickles.

i’ve painted most of my images with twinkling H2Os for years; i love these shimmery watercolour paints! if you haven’t tried them yet, i’d like to share some tips to show you just how easy they are to use.

Twinkling H2O Tips:

Activate: spritz the paint pot(s) to activate.
Wait: put the kettle on and wait at least 5 minutes for the paint to get to a syrup consistency.
Stamp: heat embossed images will help contain the paint in each section of an image. for best results, use watercolour paper and a waterproof ink although twinks do blend well on kraft cardstock with a damp brush; too much water and the kraft paper will pill. the small image below measures 1″ wide by 2 1/4″ long and i painted it from dried palette paints that i reactivated.
Mix: the paint in the pot needs to be evenly blended with the water.
Paint: either direct from pot method for more intense colour or from a palette where you can add water and/or mix colours. A little goes a long way!
Any unused paint on a palette (disposable palette paper, plastic, or my preference – a white corelle sandwich plate used solely for my paints) can be covered (with a paper towel, wax paper or teflon sheet) when dry and reactivated later with a damp paint brush.
Store: if you do want to keep the lids on for storage, let the paint completely dry in the pot; otherwise the lids will glue shut.

Twinkling H2Os Sale at Colourarte: 20% off small jars for the month of April. No coupon required; discount will be applied at checkout.

Twinkling H2Os videos at Colourarte.

if you have any questions, let me know. thanks for popping by.

Snow Globe Fun For Rudolph Days

February 25, 2017February 25, 2017 linda16 Comments

it’s time for february’s rudolph days challenge and i had so much fun creating my design team card with this whimsical image from stampendous.

linda.rudolphdays.feb.2017-1

i love this christmas visions stamp set because it has a few images that fit inside the snow globe along with a few sentiments.

as usual, i painted it with twinkling H2Os, added glossy accents to the ornaments and stickles to the snow; the background was created with a taylored expressions snow embossing folder.

the challenge runs until the last day of the month; visit scrappymo’s blog to be inspired to create christmas cards on the 25th of every month so you’ll be well prepared. have fun!

thanks for popping by.

Designing For Rudolph Days Challenge – January

January 25, 2017January 25, 2017 linda11 Comments

it’s time for the first rudolph days challenge of 2017. i was so excited when maureen (scrappymo) invited me to stay on as a design team member; i love making christmas cards year round. i’ll actually be designing every other month beginning in February, but i’m playing along for fun this month.

i painted this cutie with twinkling H2Os and used some red marianne design paper on the right and my own watercoloured background paper on the left that was embossed and sanded.

the challenge runs until the last day of the month; visit scrappymo’s blog to view the rest of the team’s inspiring cards and the challenge rules. have fun!

thanks for popping by.

A Wish For Peace

December 20, 2016 linda5 Comments

every year i make a set of cards for my dad to send out; sometimes he’s specific about what he’d like and this year it was a peace sentiment so he was quite pleased.

i kept it clean and simple for mass production; i covered the card base with designer paper, die cut the ornaments, and hubby stencilled the snowflakes with distress inks while i die cut and layered the impression obsession peace.

i’ll be taking a bit of a break due to surgery but the minute i’m able to, i’ll be back to my craft table to create.

wishing you a peaceful holiday season and a happy 2017!

thanks for popping by and for all your support and kind words.

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2016 Day 12

December 17, 2016 linda5 Comments

i made it to day 12 and the inspiration is a different colour palette that i found very challenging but now that i finished my tag i might use these colours again.

i was inspired by both day 12 designers to create this tag: i loved the stripes, greenery and focal point on Carolyn Peeler’s tag and i also loved the die cut joy sentiment that Angie Backman used.

i painted the stripes with a blue twinkling H2O and mixed my own colours of twinks to paint the poinsettias and added some tan coloured pearls; the wplus9 joy sentiment was die cut from kraft and layered.

thanks for popping by.

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2016 Day 11

December 16, 2016 linda4 Comments

the day 11 tag inspiration is a really challenging one for me, but i love that this 12 tags challenge forces me to create outside of my comfort zone.

i love designer Anna Wight’s tree shaped tag; although i don’t have any similar tree dies, i think this Darcie’s tree stamp works for the theme. (must be retired) i die cut with the paper smooches stitched tag die, coloured with albrecht durer watercolour pencils and added red stickles to the heart. i die cut a second layer and attached it with twine.

i’m also submitting this tag to the Paper Smooches December challenge: WINTER-HOLIDAYS-NEW YEARS!!!!!!

thanks for popping by.

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2016 Day 10

December 15, 2016 linda2 Comments

the tag inspiration for day 10 is a colour palette that i love:

my inspiration for my tag is both designers, Heather Meeson and Kryssi Ng, who created scenes with some greenery and an animal.

i coloured on kraft with albrecht durer watercolour pencils, used adorable images from the memory box bunny wishes set, die cut it with a paper smooches tag die and finished it off with ribbon and twine.

i’m also submitting this tag to the Paper Smooches December challenge: WINTER-HOLIDAYS-NEW YEARS!!!!!!

thanks for popping by.

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2016 Day 9 Second Edition

December 14, 2016 linda3 Comments

i used the colour palette for the day 9 tag and leftover bits of my larger tag to create a small set of tags:

my little tags were inspired by designer Sharon Harnist, who challenged participants to combine frosty white with beautiful metallic gold and/or silver, to create a classic elegant holiday tag! Sharon included a tree with a present on her tag and she also provided a couple of lovely inspiration photos of trees and presents so that’s what i went with. i die cut taylored expressions presents from gold and silver mirri and attached them to a white paper with gold threads.

thanks for popping by.

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2016 Day 9

December 14, 2016November 23, 2018 linda2 Comments

it’s a different colour palette for the day 9 tag and one that i usually find very challenging:

my tag was inspired by designer Sharon Harnist, who challenged participants to combine frosty white with beautiful metallic gold and/or silver to create a classic elegant holiday tag! Sharon included a tree with a present on her tag and she also provided a couple of lovely inspiration photos of trees and presents so that’s what i went with. i die cut taylored expressions presents from gold and silver mirri and attached them to a white paper with gold threads.

thanks for popping by.

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2016 Day 8

December 13, 2016 linda3 Comments

the inspiration for day 8 is my favourite technique of all and one that i use almost every time i create:

i love the colourful inspiration by artist Margaret Berg, who paints outside the lines beautifully, and designer Carly Tee Minner’s interpretation of it so that was my inspiration for my tag.

i painted the lawn fawn stitched circle tag with winsor and newton watercolour paints and added snow. after i die cut the lawn fawn trees i painted them with twinkling H2Os, added stickles and finished it off with two ribbons.

thanks for popping by.

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2016 Day 7 – Second Edition

December 12, 2016December 12, 2016 linda1 Comment

the challenge for the day 7 tag is a sketch:

i was so inspired by Melania Deasy’s elegant gold glitter tag that i created this second tag for day 7; she also used poinsettia’s and greenery for embellishments.

thanks for popping by.

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2016 Day 7

December 12, 2016December 12, 2016 linda2 Comments

the challenge for the day 7 tag is a sketch:

i was inspired by Melania Deasy’s elegant gold glitter tag.

this was a quick and easy tag and i finally used some of this gold/brown printed mirri paper that’s been in my stash for some time; it was already cut in strips so i just attached five of them to a base cut with a paper smooches tag die and added ribbon and twine.

i’m also submitting this tag to the Paper Smooches December challenge: WINTER-HOLIDAYS-NEW YEARS!!!!!!

any tips for taking photos of creations with mirri would be greatly appreciated.

thanks for popping by.

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2016 Day 5

December 11, 2016 linda1 Comment

the day 5 theme, frozen, perfectly fits today’s weather – only our second snowfall, but it looks like a blizzard again.

my tag was inspired by designer Brandi Kincaid’s tag and her white circle, greenery and blue gems. my loose interpretation is that this transparent paper reminded me of the greenery and gems and all i added was a white glitter die cut snowflake and finished it off with a bow and twine.

thanks for popping by.

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2016 Day 4

December 10, 2016 linda4 Comments

i’m up to day 4, which is another technique challenge: felt. store bought felt shapes are the only ones i’ve ever used since i’ve not had much success die cutting it myself – until now.

Jennifer McGuire used die cut felt embellishments on a textured background so that’s what inspired me.

i die cut the tiny hero arts trees from green felt, added garlands of hologram stickers and attached each to a watercolour background that was die cut and embossed.

thanks for popping by.

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2016 Day 3

December 10, 2016December 10, 2016 linda3 Comments

the inspiration for the day 3 tag is a new to me technique to use foil:

i was inspired by Carissa Wiley’s tag and her cute snowman with strips of foil added to her design.

this was my first attempt to use foil and it was fun. i used a laminator after i printed the Lilyboo Designs Digital Stamp – Ho HoHo from buddly crafts and used foil on scor pal tape for the strip and attached it to a gold mirri base.

thanks for popping by.