AAA Birthday challenge #81 - winter birthday

Good morning lovely friends and welcome to 2026! It seems like last year went by in a blink of an eye; let's hope this year takes it a bit slower lol!  I hope your year is happy and healthy and all your dreams/goals come true.  As it's the first of the month it means we have a brand new challenge over at AAA Birthday. This month's theme is 'winter birthday' and our guest designer this month is Cathy R so please pop over to her blog and leave her some love.

I always think of critters such as penguins for winter birthdays as they are synonymous with cold, icy climes.  I used a cute image from a holiday set but the image itself is very suitable for a birthday card.  I went fairly CAS and let the little fella shine.  I hope you like it. 

Here is my card:

A closer look at the adorable image:

Plus I decorated the inside:

I began by cutting a white panel 4" x 5 1/4" from alcohol marker friendly card and stamped the adorable image in memento ink in the lower right of the panel.  I coloured the image with Promarkers and added some white gelly roll pen highlights.  I did some stamp surgery to my sentiment so that it would ready happy brrr-thday which I thought was perfect for a winter birthday card and cut it out with a sentiment strip die.  I found a piece of scrap patterned paper in my stash that had an icy, snowy feel and cut a piece 2 3/4" x 5 1/4" and gave it a decorative edge with a scalloped die.  I added the paper to the left side of the white panel with double sided tape.  I added an extra layer of scrap card behind the sentiment before adhering it below the image with liquid glue.  The panel was adhered to the card base with double sided tape.  I didn't add any embellishments this time as I liked the clean and simple look.  Can you believe there is no dimension on this card at all, which is very rare for me!  For the inside I cut another white panel the same as the front and stamped another, smaller, image from the same stamp set and again coloured it with Promarkers.  I added a very thin strip of the paper at the bottom of the panel with liquid glue and stamped the sentiment in the centre with black ink.  The panel was adhered to the card base with double sided tape.  

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:

Christmas BINGO (or not) challenge - Line N - winter weather, blue, free or Line O - rectangle, free, patterned paper

Colorful Options challenge - blue & white

Crafty Animals challenge - ATG must include an animal

Creative Knockouts challenge - celebrations

Critter Crazy challenge - ATG with a featured critter

Inkspirational challenge - cold

Little Red Wagon challenge - use the force! (I stamped and die cut)

Pearly Sparkles challenge - use patterned paper

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - add a sentiment

The Four Seasons challenge - ATG winter season optional inspiration board

The Design Team have created amazing cards as always so please pop over to the blog and check them out and perhaps leave them some love on their personal blogs.

I hope you will be able to join in with the challenge this month but don't forget it has to be birthday themed. I can't wait to see your creations in the linky.

Have a great day.

Love and hugs,

card supplies:

MFT - sweet holiday penguins stamp

Heffy Doodle - alcohol marker friendly card (store now closed)

Promarkers

Sakura - white no. 10 gelly roll pen

MFT - bearly special birthday stamp (for outside sentiment which I modified)

Clearly Besotted - scalloped edges die collection - retired

Kristina Werner with Concord & 9th - joyful & merry dies (for strip die)

LOTV - verses polymer stamp (for inside sentiment) - no longer available

Limetree Craft - 280gsm silky smooth white card (for card base)

Versafine Clair - nocturne ink pad

Memento - tuxedo black ink pad

patterned paper from a pad I got from TK Maxx a few years ago

*I now have an Affiliate Link for the Gina K Designs store. If you are considering making a purchase I would appreciate you using my link as it will earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you. 
Thank you x

Krafty Chicks challenge #801 - birthday

Good morning lovely friends and Happy New Year to you!  I would like to take this opportunity to wish you love, happiness and good health in 2026 with some crafty goodness thrown in for good measure too lol!  I'm not totally sure where 2025 went but onwards and upwards in a brand new year.  

It's time for a new challenge over at Krafty Chicks challenge and this week we are on Week 1; as always the theme is 'birthday' and Leanne is our hostess. This is such an easy challenge as we always need birthday cards so we hope you will come over and join in the fun with us.

I received my new Gina K goodies yesterday and had to use them straight away.  I love this bundle; the size is perfect for smaller or larger cards and the design is just beautiful.  I think I will be reaching for this one often.  I saw a beautiful card by Mindy Eggen that I wanted to recreate for an upcoming birthday.  As the card will be for a family member I made it slightly larger at 5 1/2" x 7 1/2".  Mindy's card just made me swoon when I saw it and I know mine's not as perfect as hers but I am really happy with how it turned out.  I hope you like it too.  

Here is my card:

A closer look at the beautiful flowers:

Plus I decorated the inside:

I began by making my card base which I created from smooth white card cut to 11" x 7 1/2" and scored on the long side at 5 1/2".  I began by die cutting 4 of the floral arrangements from smooth white card.  I then took the coordinating stencils and using the same colour combo as Mindy stencilled 2 of the die cuts and left 2 of them white so that I could layer them up with liquid glue.  I cut a pink panel 5 1/2" x 7 1/2" and attached it to the card base with double sided tape.  Funny story the first time I did this I attached it upside down, haven't done that for a while, so I chopped off the front and reattached it to another card base.  I cut a stitched white panel from ML 17 and layered some scrap white card behind for a little bit of dimension and adhered that to the centre of the pink panel with double sided tape.  Mindy used a 'spatter' stamp to add some interest to the corners of her white panel and initially as I didn't have this stamp I wasn't going to put anything there except maybe a few pearls, however I remembered that the snowy background looks like splatter so I carefully masked off the corners and just using part of the background stamp added some black 'splatters' to the top left and bottom right corners.  I then adhered the flower arrangements in the top right and bottom left corners with liquid glue.  I stamped and die cut a sentiment and again layered it up with another one cut from white card and added that to the centre of the white panel with liquid glue.  The front didn't need anything else so I left it like that.  For the inside I cut a pink panel 5 1/4" x 7 1/4".  I also die cut another white stitched rectangle and stamped the sentiment in the centre with black ink.  I decided to stencil just the one flower in the bottom left corner using the same pink inks.  I adhered the panels together with double sided tape before adding it onto the card base, again with double sided tape.  

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:

Beautiful Blossoms challenge - anything floral goes with optional mood board

Craft Rocket challenge - something new (new die/stencil bundle and ink pads)

Creative Knockouts challenge - celebrations

Cut It Up challenge - ATG with a die cut

Die Cut Divas challenge - use a new crafty item (my die/stencil bundle & cranberry inks)

Little Red Wagon challenge - use the force! (I stamped, die cut and stencilled)

Moving Along With The Times challenge - use stencils and/or dies (I used both)

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - add a sentiment 

Stencil Fun challenge - ATG must use a stencil optional winter related

I hope you will be able to join us for our 'birthday' challenge and I cannot wait to see your creations in our linky. Please leave some love for my fellow chicks - Leanne, Diane and Lori. 

Thank you so much for stopping by; I want to say how much I appreciate your lovely comments, your support really does mean the world to me.   

Love and hugs,

card ingredients:

*Gina K Designs - divine rose die & stencil bundle

Gina K Designs - master layouts 17 die set (for stitched rectangle)

Gina K Designs - snowy background stamp

Gina K Designs - graceful greetings stamp & die set (for outside sentiment)

Gina K Designs - on the inside: birthday (for inside sentiment)

Gina K Designs - ink pads - light cranberry, medium cranberry, key lime, grass green, fresh asparagus

Limetree Crafts - 280gsm silky smooth white card

Versafine Clair - nocturne ink pad

pink card from my stash

*I now have an Affiliate Link for the Gina K Designs store. If you are considering making a purchase I would appreciate you using my link as it will earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you. 
Thank you x

Krafty Chicks challenge #800 - Masculine

Good morning lovely friends and a very Merry Christmas to all of you that celebrate. I know it can be a tough time for some and to those I am sending big hugs and love.  If you are lucky enough to be spending it with family or friends I hope you have a wonderful day.  

I'm sharing my card for the new challenge over at Krafty Chicks challenge and this week we are on Week 4; as always the theme is 'Masculine' and Lori is our hostess. We hope you will come over and join in the fun with us.

It was my son's birthday last month and this is the card I made for him.  The colours are not overly masculine but I thought they were fun, bright and happy colours.  He's a proper teapot and drinks copious amounts through the day so this die set was perfect for him.  I hope you like it.

Here is my card:

A closer look at the details:

Plus I decorated the inside:

As the card was for my son I made the card base 6" x 8" (using a piece of 12" x 12" card and cutting it to 12" x 8" and scoring it at 6" on the longer side).  I cut a white panel 5 1/4" x 7 1/4" and ink smooshed the background using blue, yellow and green ink pads.  Once it was dry I matted it onto a black layer with double sided tape.  I stamped and die cut 3 of the teacups and also die cut 6 more white cups so that I could layer them up.  I ink blended the 3 same colours onto the teacups, blending more heavily around the edges.  I also stamped the dog, coloured him with Promarkers and fussy cut him out.  Finally I stamped and die cut the teabag image and blended it with some light brown ink and used Promarkers to colour the heart.  Now it was time to arrange my pieces.  I stacked the cups in a 'wobbly' arrangement and added them with foam squares.  I popped the dog at the top, so that he looked like he was sitting in the teacup.  I stamped the tea-riffic sentiment in black ink onto white card and use a sentiment strips die to cut it out.  I stamped the second sentiment directly onto the bottom teacup with black ink.  I finished off with some gold pearls.  I added some scrap white card behind my panel and added it to the card base with double sided tape.  For the inside I cut the same white and black panels and did some ink smooshing at the bottom of the white panel.  Once it was dry I stamped the outline of the dog over the smooshing with black ink and added a sentiment in the centre.  I adhered the layers together and added them to the card base with double sided tape.  

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:

Color Dare challenge - #683 bold & bright colours

Crafter's Cafe challenge - ATG optional use the colour yellow

First Cup challenges - ATG must include a drink on your project

Girlz Makes Guyz Cards challenge - ATG masculine

Heart's Quest Celebrations of Love challenge - BEWAS (birthday)

I Love Promarkers challenge - ATG or use purple & yellow

Paper Rocks Scissors challenge - use paper and/or scissors (I fussy cut the dog image)

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - add a sentiment

We Love Stamping challenge - red & green or ATG

I hope you will be able to join us for our 'Masculine' challenge and I cannot wait to see your creations in our linky. Please leave some love for my fellow chicks - Leanne, Diane and Lori.

Thank you so much for stopping by; I appreciate your lovely comments.

Love and hugs,

card supplies:

Funky Fossil - layering cup dies (retired)

Funky Fossil - critters in cups (retired)

Promarkers

Clearly Besotted - happy birthday all stamp (retired)

Stampin' Up! - family party stamp (retired)

Honey Bee Stamps - inside: birthday sentiments (for inside sentiment)

Limetree Crafts - 280gsm silky smooth white card

Limetree Crafts - 220gsm black card

Versafine Clair - nocturne ink pad

Memento - tuxedo black ink pad

Heffy Doodle - alcohol marker friendly card (store now closed)

*Gina K Designs - large strip sentiments dies

Gina K Designs ink pads - in the navy, blue raspberry, grass green, lucky clover, sweet mango, honey mustard

Gina K Designs - black, gold & silver metallic pearl mix

*I now have an Affiliate Link for the Gina K Designs store. If you are considering making a purchase I would appreciate you using my link as it will earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you. 

Thank you x

Cards For All Seasons IG Hop - Week 26 Countdown to 2026

Hello again friends; I'm back to share my card for this week's Cards for All Seasons IG hop organised by my lovely friend Kelly.  We are now on Week 26 and this is our final week for 2025! Our theme for the last week of the year is 'countdown to 2026'. Such a great theme this week and open to many interpretations.  There are going to be so many awesome creations along the hop this week and I can't wait to see what sparks your imagination.

I had an idea in my mind to make a card highlighting my goals for 2026 and happily got to work. About half way through I decided to change my idea and instead using the same basic idea decorated the cover of an old, tatty notebook to use as my goals/plans book for 2026.  It turned out super fun and I cannot wait to use it.  I did put my top 2 goals on the front to remind me to do them lol!  I am the world's greatest procrastinator and always leave things until the last moment so that is my top goal this year - be more organised.  Have you set yourself any goals for the new year?  

Here is my decorated notebook:

A closer look at the details:

I began by stamping and colouring my images before cutting them out with the coordinating dies.  I cut an extra 2 for each image from white card so that I could layer them up.  I also die cut the word 'goals' and numbers for 2026 from gold glitter card and again cut 2 more of each one from white card to layer them up.  I adhered all the layers with liquid glue.  I cut a white panel 4 3/4" x 7 1/2" and stamped it with a writing tablet background stamp in a light blue ink.  I matted this onto a bright yellow card layer with double sided tape.  I arranged the die cuts and when I was happy adhered them with liquid glue.  For a final finishing touch I die cut some stars from the gold glitter card and added them with liquid glue.  I turned out just as I imagined and I can't wait to start using it.  

I would like to enter my project into the following challenges:

613 Avenue Create challenge - ATG optional twist sparkle & shine

Allsorts challenge - create a scene or ATG

Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge - sparkle & shine

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - add a sentiment

Stamping Sensations challenge - fantasy or ATG

We Love Stamping challenge - red/green or ATG 

I hope you will pop over to Instagram and check out the hop; please use the hashtag #cfascardhop2025 to see all the gorgeous creations and also if you want to participate we will be able to find you.

Thank you so much for stopping by.

Love and hugs,

supplies used:

Heffy Doodle - just a note stamp & die set (store now closed)

MFT - writing tablet background stamp

MFT - little letters die set

MFT - by the numbers die set

MFT - blueprints 13 (for the stars)

gold glitter card from stash

Heffy Doodle - alcohol marker friendly card (store now closed)

Memento - tuxedo black ink pad

Limetree Crafts - 280gsm silky smooth white card

Limetree Crafts - 230gsm daffodil card

*Gina K Designs - blue sky ink pad

*I now have an Affiliate Link for the Gina K Designs store. If you are considering making a purchase I would appreciate you using my link as it will earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you. 

Thank you x

Patterned Paper Party IG Hop - December 25

Hello friends and happy Christmas week; I can't believe we are only 3 days away from the big day now!  I'm back today to share my card for this month's Patterned Paper Party Instagram Hop (a little bit late oops). Do you love patterned paper? Do you have a huge stash that needs using? Well so do we and it's time to get it used! We will be hopping on the 20th of each month to share our ideas. We will definitely be creating cards, but maybe sometimes tags, ATCs, gift bags/boxes, mini albums and scrapbook pages too. We want our patterned paper to be used.

The theme is always 'anything goes' but each month we will have an optional twist that can be used if you like; this month the twist is 'Christmas', which I'm sure is going to be super popular, so grab your patterned papers and have fun.  I completely forgot to make my card this month and only remembered at 12.30am on Sunday morning when I should have posted it at 7pm Saturday night!  I blame it on Christmas and trying to do everything in such a short space of time.  Anyway I had to make a super quick card but I think it turned out festive and fun.  I hope you like it. 

Here is my card:

A closer look at the paper:

Plus I decorated the inside:

I began by die cutting the stitched rectangle from white card and die cutting the tree from the centre of that panel.  The inside pieces fall out but of course you can put them back in, cut them from coloured card or even ink blend them (which I did here last year).  As the focus is on using patterned paper I placed a piece of green striped paper behind the tree, some gold mirror card for the star and some brown card for the trunk.  I then matted this panel on a gold mirror layer with double sided tape.  To bring in a bit more sparkle I cut a panel of red glitter card 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" to cover the whole of the front of my card base and added it with double sided tape.  I added some scrap white card behind the tree panel for extra stability and dimension and adhered this to the glitter panel with double sided tape.  I stamped the sentiment in red ink and cut it out with a sentiment strips die.  I added it below the tree with foam squares.  Because I thought the card was fairly basic I went mad and added gold pearls to each of the spaces on the garland of the tree using liquid glue.  I know it's a bit much but I think it looks gorgeous.  For the inside I cut a white panel and added a piece of the green patterned paper to the bottom along with a thin strip of the red glitter card with liquid glue.  I matted that onto a layer of gold mirror card with double sided tape.  I stamped the sentiment in the centre with the same red ink.  I adhered the panel to the card base with double sided tape.  Not too bad for a 1am creation and definitely festive.  

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:

613 Avenue Create challenge - ATG optional twist sparkle & shine

Addicted to Stamps & More challenge - Christmas

Color Dare challenge - #683 bold & bright

Creative Crafting Uncles challenge - Christmas/Happy New Year

Girlz and the Art of Letters challenge - P is for patterned paper/pearls

Inspiration Station challenge - inspiration photo

Little Red Wagon challenge - Christmas cards

Papercraft Challenges - festive sparkle 

Peace on Earth challenge - ATG Christmas challenge optional mood board

Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge - sparkle & shine

We hope you will be inspired by our Patterned Paper Party IG Hop and will pop over and check out all the gorgeous creations along the way. If you would like to join us please visit my Instagram page or use the hashtag #patternedpaperpartyhopdecember2025 and we will find you.

Thanks for stopping by and take care.

Lots of love

card supplies:

*Gina K Designs - Christmas tree cover plate

Gina K Designs - graphic tree stamp (for sentiments)

Gina K Designs - sentiment strips dies

Gina K Designs - red velvet ink pad

Limetree Crafts - 280gsm silky smooth white card

Echo Park - dots & stripes metropolitan 6x6 paper pad

Tonic Studios - craft perfect ruby romance 6x6 card pack

gold mirror card from stash

*I now have an Affiliate Link for the Gina K Designs store. If you are considering making a purchase I would appreciate you using my link as it will earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you. 

Thank you x

Krafty Chicks challenge #799 - CAS

Good morning lovely friends, I hope you're having a good week so far.  It's very wet here at the moment so perfect weather for staying indoors and crafting! It's time for a new challenge over at Krafty Chicks challenge and this week we are on Week 3; and as always the theme is 'CAS (clean and simple)' and Diane is our hostess. Now we know that CAS is subjective but generally it's lots of white space, no embellishments (or very few) and an uncluttered design. It can be a difficult design to pull off but we hope you will take on the challenge and come over and join in the fun with us.

I made this card for my niece who had her special birthday yesterday.  I can't believe she is 21, it only seemed like yesterday she was toddling about playing with my sons.  Time certainly is flying at my time of life lol!  I know my card is pushing CAS this week but I was short of time and I think it mostly fits the bill - lots of white space, very few embellishments but it is a little fussy - but hey ho 2 out of 3 ain't bad and I'm happy with how it turned out.  I hope you like it too.  

Here is my card:

A closer look at the glittery number:

Plus I decorated the inside:

This card was a custom size as I wanted it a little bigger than A2, so my card base ended up being 4 3/4" x 5 3/4".  I cut a white panel 4 1/2" x 5 1/2" and die cut all the numbers randomly from the top left corner to the bottom right corner.  I cut a thin strip of the purple glitter card (just big enough to cover the space behind the 21 and adhered it with double sided tape.  I added lots of foam squares behind the panel and added it onto my card blank.  I also kept the insides of the 8, 5, 0, 4 and 6 and added them back in with teeny tiny foam squares.  I stamped my sentiment with black ink and cut it out with a sentiment strip die.  I added foam squares behind the sentiment strip and adhered it above the 21 (I made a little booboo so this was the perfect spot to cover it lol).  I finished off with 3 tiny black pearls just to bring in a little more black.  For the inside I cut a white panel a little smaller than usual as the purple glitter card was only 4" wide and it was the only piece I had.  I added a thin strip at the top of the panel and a slightly thicker strip at the bottom with liquid glue.  I stamped the sentiment in the centre with black ink.  The panel was then adhered to the card base with double sided tape.  

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:

613 Avenue Create challenge - ATG optional twist sparkle & shine

Crafter's Cafe challenge - ATG optional use the colour yellow

Crafts Galore Encore challenge - ATG

Heart's Quest Celebrations of Love challenge - BEWAS (birthday)

I hope you will be able to join us for our 'CAS' challenge and I cannot wait to see your creations in our linky. Please leave some love for my fellow chicks - Leanne, Diane and Lori.

Thank you so much for stopping by; I appreciate your lovely comments.

Love and hugs,

card supplies:

MFT - by the numbers die set

Uniko - everyday love sentiments, everyday sentiments & everyday family stamps

Clearly Besotted - simply said birthday stamp (for inside greeting) - no longer available

*Gina K Designs - large strip sentiments dies

Gina K Designs - mini gold, black and silver metallic pearls

Limetree Crafts - 280gsm silky smooth white card

Versafine Clair - nocturne ink pad

purple glitter card from scraps bin

*I now have an Affiliate Link for the Gina K Designs store. If you are considering making a purchase I would appreciate you using my link as it will earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you. 
Thank you x