Jun 7, 2025

Flowers Make Me Happy

Hello everyone and happy Saturday! Today is the start of a new challenge at Allsorts and Gail is hosting. Her theme for the next two weeks is.......What makes you happy. A fun and easy theme but as always there is the Anything Goes option if you prefer. We have prizes from Buddly Crafts. 

There a lots of things that make me happy and I decided to go with Flowers. 



I didn't always love Geraniums, somehow it seems to me like a very "old-fashioned" flower with not the most pleasant scent, but in the recent years it's become one I purchase every year. Love that it's available in a variety of colors, they are very heat tolerant and last three seasons long into late fall with minimal upkeep. So for my card I selected this beautiful Penny Black stamp Light Touch which features a beautiful brushstroke Geranium. 

Brushstroke stamps need a stamp positioning tool (in my opinion) and that is what I used along with Distress inks/oxides (Picked Raspberries, Wilted Violet, Blueprint Sketch, Mowed Lawn, Twisted Citron). When the ink was dry (I used my heating tool to help it along) I stenciled a mini tile design on the background (Tim Holtz stencil). Then I randomly stamped a Nature verse on the background which is part of a Tracy Evans set (Miniatures by Aall and Create). This set is retired but possibly still available through some retailers).


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For the sentiment I chose Especially for You from the Penny Black set Blooming sentiments. I added this with a couple of staples along with a piece of crimped paper. I've had my paper crimper tool for many years since my early cardmaking days and when I recently decluttered it almost had to go because I simply never use it. Well, here we are, it still has a place in my craft room and it was time to put it to work :) Anyone else having such a hard time parting with tools even though used so rarely?

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!


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I plan to share with these challenges:

Speaking of challenges, I wanted to remind you about my Garden Party where anything in or from a garden goes. Just a few more days remain for you to join in the current challenge and I hope to see you there :)


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Jun 4, 2025

Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday - June and July

Hello everyone and welcome to the June/July edition of Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday challenge taking place right here on my blog. As you have probably guessed from the title of this post, this challenge/linky will be open for 2 months as I have family visiting from overseas and I won't be on the computer much during that time so I thought it would be best to keep it open for 2 months to give me a chance to visit each one of you before I announce my top picks. They will all be announced the first Wednesday of August, I will select 2 separate sets of Top Picks with a Twist, one set from the  June entries and one set from the July entries. So you are welcome to enter 6 times in total over the next two months :)

As most of you know, the theme at Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday 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 :) The linky tool is at the end of this post.

And here is what I made:

I've had this beautiful PSX stamp (K 2250) for a few years now, an oldie from 1997 purchased from eBay and this was my first time using it. No idea why I've not reached for it before as it's beautiful. For this card I decided to leave it in black and white. I used shimmer gold paper for the background. The flowers are cut with Penny Black's Frames die set and the leaf is cut with a Martha Stewart punch. 

Another view below. The words are a bit hard to read, they say "Beautiful Moments", they are from Tim Holtz's metallic sentiment sticker book. 

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 plan to share with these challenges:

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May Top Picks with a Twist:


Now it's time to announce the Top Picks with a twist from the May entries. Thank you all again for joining in the fun, I really enjoyed visiting your entries and selecting a "twist". This time the twist is.... Fabulous Backgrounds:

And here they are listed in the order of entry:

No. 18 Helen F.

Who made this fabulous celestial background using Distress inks.



Who used a fun background stamp on her design.



Who used strips of Alcohol Ink panels for her background.


Congratulations to each one of you for your well deserved recognition. The Top Pick logo is below, you may post this 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. Remember, this linky tool is open for both June and July challenges. So you have until the last Wednesday of July to join in (July 30th). 


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A few things to remember:
  • You may combine with any other challenges.
  • You may use any brand of stamps/digis/dies/papers (no company restriction as long as copyright laws are followed).
  • Please note: entries using pre-colored digital products will no longer be selected as top picks. 
  • A short description of products used is expected, most importantly the source of focal point.
  • This linkup is for sharing handmade projects of any kind not limited to papercrafts.
  • Please try to limit 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.
  • Remember: June and July challenges are combined this year and you may enter up to 6 times!
You can read more about the Guidelines/Copyright info here.



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Jun 1, 2025

Pink Lemonade

June has arrived and that means today starts the new Four Seasons challenge. It's hard to believe but Summer has arrived at the challenge blog and we are celebrating all things summer! Check out our fabulous mood board which of course is optional to use as Anything Summer Goes. 



How about some pink lemonade?? Of course I had to ink up this cute stamp when I saw the mood board. 


This is an old wood mounted stamp by Penny Black - Make Lemonade 1675K. I stamped it on watercolor paper and colored it with Distress inks. Also stamped it on a post it note which I then fussy cut to use as a mask. (Btw., although this stamp is an oldie, there are currently 3 listings for it on eBay so still a chance to purchase if you are in the US.) 

The pretty border stamp is part of a recent Penny Black Flower of the Month set. I used the same border stamp at the top of the card (second generation stamping) and added a bit of watercoloring around the edges so it's not as bold as at the bottom. The slice of pink lemon is from a set by Stampin Up a more recent thrift store find and probably retired - Lemon Zest. I cut this out and glued to the card then added the sentiment from Penny Black set Micey Day. This is an older set but still available online through Lighthouse Books and Crafts (a Wisconsin, USA based Christian gift and craft shop with an Amazon store front as well.) 


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Another look below. I'm not sure I like the watercolored textured paper and also not a fan of how the watercoloring around the edges appears on the photo. It does look a bit more blended in real life. I found the sequins in my stash while moving things around/decluttering. The colors were a great fit so I added them for some shine and interest.

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 found several challenges to enter so I will link up here:


Thanks so much for visiting and I hope you'll check out the challenge blog to see what my teammates made for our first Summer 2025 challenge.



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May 24, 2025

Presents, Prizes and a Bouquet of Roses

Happy Saturday and welcome! It's time for a special celebration at the Allsorts challenge blog where we are celebrating Allsorts' 16th Birthday with lots of prizes and a super easy theme!!!  Lots of challenge blogs have come and gone since then and it's so great to be part of this long-running challenge blog for "all sorts" of crafts. I've been a part of this team for 8 out of the 16 years. How time flies!!

To celebrate this special occasion, we have  several prizes to give away: Four prizes of products from AALL and Create, a $25 store voucher from Lawn Fawn, three stamps from Colorado Craft Company and a $25 store voucher from Gina K Designs. Our theme is simply Anything Goes! 


I have two cards to share this time... first up is a card I made using this darling stamp by Colorado Craft Company - Big Love. 

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 stamped on Copic Xpress It card with Memento Tuxedo ink then colored with Copic markers. Next I added washi tape along the edges for a mask and inked inside the mask using Tumbled Glass Distress Oxide ink. A polka dot stencil was used for a little more interest on this otherwise CAS card. Sentiment is part of the same stamp set. I embellished with a little button and some white twine.


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I plan to enter this card with these challenges:


For my second card I used a stamp by Aall and Create which I was lucky enough to win a couple of months ago - Roses in Bloom.

The embossed background was done with a Cuttlebug embossing folder I've had for a long time. To add more interest to it I wiped a rose red ink pad over the raised texture. The image was stamped with Versafine Onyx ink and colored with Faber Castell Polychromos pencils. The "script" stamp I used on the background is part of a retired roses set by Aall and Create (Sent with Love #831), I thought it would be a perfect fit for this bouquet of roses. The sentiment stamped in black is part of the same retired stamp set.

Finally I added a small layered butterfly (Penny Black die Soaring) to finish off the card. 


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I plan to share this card with these challenges:



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Thanks so much for visiting. I hope you have a great weekend and maybe you'll find some crafty time too :) 

 

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May 21, 2025

I Spy With My Little Eye..... At Least One Butterfly (Challenge No. 26)

Hello everyone and welcome to the 26th edition of "I spy with my little eye" challenge hosted right here on my blog! Pauline and I are back with a new theme for you and hope you'll join in the fun too! We  had some great entries last month, thank you all so much!! Be sure to scroll down to see who the top picks were, both invited to join us in the next challenge.


This month it was my turn to select a theme and I chose............

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

at least one butterfly.

As always, you are welcome to share anything handmade as long a it follows the theme. We can't wait to see what you'll share with us!


And here is what we made for your inspiration:

Ellie (my card)

(All details and a mini tutorial are right below the card.)

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'm sure I mentioned somewhere before that I am decluttering (once again!!) and came across a pretty collection of napkins sent to me by the dear Mia and I also picked up a couple from my sister. I've long admired projects made with napkins and tried it before using them with glue but it was a messy project and didn't turn out in a way for me to share. So they just sat unused in a drawer. As they "fell into my hands" while decluttering, I decided to give it another try and this time I found another way to use without the messy glue but with a hot iron, clear plastic wrap (such as saran or other cling wrap) and parchment paper instead. I couldn't believe how easy and mess-free this was!! Needless to say, my collection of napkins will be staying in my craft room :)

How to use a napkin as an Iron-On for paper:

  • Step 1: Place a piece of Parchment paper on an ironing mat (or ironing board).
  • Step 2: Place a piece of cardstock on the Parchment paper (I think wax paper works too).
  • Step 3: Place a piece of clear plastic wrap (such as Saran wrap or Glad cling wrap) over the cardstock making sure it is laying smoothly on the cardstock.
  • Step 4: Place the printed single layer of your napkin over the clear wrap print side up.
  • Step 5: Place another piece of Parchment paper over the napkin, making sure all your layers are covered, especially the clear wrap so it doesn't melt onto your hot iron.
  • Step 6: Use your hot iron (highest stetting) to iron over the parchment paper until the napkin is attached onto the paper. Doesn't take too long but you do need to go over it a few times. 
After this was done I simply added the Butterfly (Penny Black Soft Wings) which I stamped with Versafine Onyx ink and colored with Inktense pencils, then fussy cut. The sentiment is from Penny Black set Snippets, stamped directly onto the "napkin" paper. I also used a script stamp (old from Whimsy Stamps) on the background for more interest. Matted onto black cardstock and then a matching card base. 

I plan to share the above card with these challenges:





Isn't this just beautiful with this wonderful monochromatic color scheme! Please visit Pauline's blog to find out how she made this card.


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We are so excited to have not one but two guest designers this time around. Thank you Silke and Helen for joining us for this challenge!

So beautiful in shades of turquoise- blue! Please visit Silke's blog to find out how she made this card!



Such wonderful gold embossing and gorgeous colorful butterflies! Please visit Helen's blog to find out how she made this card.


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Top Picks from Challenge No. 25

Thank you all again for joining us in  the last challenge, it was so great to see so many wonderful things following our "April Showers or May Flowers" theme! Selecting top picks is never easy but we finally managed and here they are listed in the order of entry:


No. 1 Carol G. (Ellie's Pick)


No. 14 Jackie C. (Pauline's Pick)


Congratulations to both of you!!

Remember, Top Picks are invited to join us in the next challenge if you like to. That would be for challenge no. 27, starting Wednesday June 18th. Of course it's not a requirement but we would love to have you both as guests!!  
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.

Below is your top pick logo, you may place it on your own blogs if you like to :)


To play along in the current challenge please use the linky tool below.

A few things to remember:

(Complete list of guidelines and copyright info can be found here.)

  • You may share up to 5 different projects.
  • You may combine with as many other challenges as you like to.
  • A short mention of products used whenever possible is expected, especially the focal point.
  • New: While you are free to link up your creations using pre-colored digital art (AI generated, digital pre-colored toppers/images, digital papers etc.), they will be excluded from top picks. 
  • Please include a link back to this blog.
  • Back-linking to a recent project is allowed.
  • Linkup closes on May 18th at 11:59pm CST



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May 10, 2025

A Floral Artist Trading Card

Today is the start of a new challenge at Allsorts and it's Lynne's turn to host. She chose "paper piecing" for her optional theme and of course the "anything goes" option is there too if you prefer. Our prize for this challenge is a £25 store voucher from Personal Impressions. You have two weeks to join us.

To switch it up a bit I decided to make an ATC instead of a traditional card for today's challenge. I've only made one ATC before and it's been years ago. It was fun to make but I won't be joining any ATC swaps anytime soon as I really don't like duplicating my projects. Luckily there are no rules and I can just keep it for myself and hopefully add more to my personal collection :)  

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!

The flower is part of a large stamp by Aall and Create (In the Wild - Retired). It was stamped on a handmade background using a previously inked paper and some other parts of the same stamp. After fussy cutting, I decided it was a little too pale so I inked the edges using a darker purple ink - Villainous Potion. For the background I used a Gelli Arts gel plate. I used Wilted Violet and Cracked Pistachio Distress Oxide inks which I applied to the gel plate using a brayer. Next I pressed a Tim Holtz stencil onto the plate before taking the print. And as this ATC was made when I worked on re-organizing and decluttering my craft room I found my jar of texture paste, not used in some years but still perfectly fine so I decided this little ATC would be a good background for some mixed media. I used my Circle Explosion stencil with the texture paste. 


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I thought a little more was needed so I stamped the numbers from the same Aall and Create set Wild and Free on the top left and used a stamp from the Aall and Create set Follow Your Own Path on the bottom right. For whatever reason I ended up with a smudge on the bottom left and another craft item I found while decluttering came to the rescue, Tim Holtz' Botanical collage paper. I had purchased this several years ago but never used it before. The script on the bottom left and top right are part of this collage paper. I love that it's almost translucent and mainly just shows off the black print. I definitely want to use more of this paper. It has such beautiful botanical prints on it along with some vintage text. To finish it off I used a white Posca pen to flick some ink onto the card and added the word Nature stamped on a scrap piece of paper. 




In two weeks we are celebrating Allsorts' 16th birthday and we will have some special prizes for the occasion. Hope you will join us then too and we would love it if you shared our logo on your own blogs to help us spread the word.


I plan to share with these challenges:


Thanks so much for visiting and hope you're having a wonderful weekend. Lots of sunshine in our forecast which makes me happy.


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May 8, 2025

Ellibelle's Garden Party No. 3 - Anything in or from a Garden

Hello everyone and welcome to my 3rd Garden Party taking place right here on my blog! I'm so glad you are here and do hope you will bring something along to share this month too. Remember, anything in or from a garden goes, this can be any type of craft, photography (from a garden), garden tips, garden weddings, etc. As always the linkup is at the end of the post. And don't forget to check out who made the top picks from the last party. 

Here is my garden themed project featuring some beautiful daises recently released by Penny Black.

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!

This is Penny Black's newest Flower of the Month, Dainty Daisies along with the matching die set. With each flower of the month release there is also a "flower holder" and this time it was this flower pitcher set called Hand Picked and matching die. 

The embossing was done with the Mini Brickwork 3D embossing folder by Tim Holtz. I've had this folder for a little while now but this is my first time using it. Along the sides I used the border stamp included in the Dainty Daisies stamp set. Green cardstock from Stampin Up was used for the card base. On the pitcher I used 2 other stamps included in that same set Hand Picked. To complete the card I added stickles glitter to the flower centers. 


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I plan to share with these challenges (lots of flower challengens at the moment so I found many to combine :)


I couldn't resist photographing this pretty dandelion puff from my garden. We don't use weed killer as we have cats and they do roam around in the garden when the weather allows, besides that I just love dandelion. I love the quote "Some see a weed, some see a wish". Do you see a weed or a wish? Ok, they do annoy me (along with all the other weeds) in my vegetable garden so it just depends where they are. 


Top Picks for Garden Party No. 2


As expected, it was extremely hard to select the top picks. There were so many beautiful things shared and thank you all for taking part at the Garden Party. I did finally narrow it down and here they are listed in the order of entry:

No. 9 Helen F.

So pretty and elegant with the gold embossing!

No. 10 Papierelle

A gorgeous design reminding me of flowers painted on a chalkboard.

No. 16 Rosi

Simply beautiful! My few Lily of the Valleys (spread from the neighbour's into my garden) will be blooming soon!


Congratulations to each one of you on your well deserved recognition! Your top pick logo is below, you may post this on your own blogs if you like to.


To stay in compliance with GDPR links will be removed at the start of each new party.


Now it's time for the 3rd Garden Party to start!

Simply link a new or recently shared post (featuring something in or from a garden) using the linky tool below. To make it even more fun and maybe meet a new blogging friend I invite you to visit another entrant's blog post and leave them some love. This is just a suggestion and in no way do you have to :)






Below are the main guidelines at a glance:

  • Your entry must feature something in or from a garden.
  • You may combine with any other challenges/link parties.
  • Please leave a link back to this blog.
  • Up to 5 entries per blogger please.
  • Backlinking to a recent post is allowed.
  • The party ends on Monday June 9th at 11:59pm CST

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This linky list is now closed.
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Please click HERE to join in "Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday" challenge.


Please click HERE to join in "I Spy With My Little Eye" challenge.


Please click HERE to join in "Ellibelle's Garden Party" challenge.