Clean and Simple. It was so tempting to add stuff, but I'm so glad I didn't; it only has a little smudge of blue & green colour behind the image. Tim Holtz stamp sentiment, unknown wheel, Distress inks, Stickles.
22 February, 2026
13 February, 2026
Right Here Heart
Texture and contrast, stencil & paste, tearing, and inky splatter, topped off with gems. Lovely fun.
Galentines, valentines, missing you - whatever your need it to be.
Mulberry paper torn in a rough heart shape, overlaid with diecut heart frame. The background is a pasted stencil with splatter. Gems echo the shape and a popped up punched sentiment.
letscraft&create-228-ag-from-heart
craftycalendarchallenge-february-love
creativemoments-278-love-and-romance
craftygalscorner-274-anything-goes-woptional-heart
simonsaysstampmonday-spritz/splatter
cupcakeinspirations-634-february-love
addictedtostamps&more-510-diecuts-andor-stencils
asyoulikeit-cute-or-elegant-and-why Elegant: can take many forms and lasts long, cute is for a moment.
fabnfunky-630-love-is-all-around
10 February, 2026
Hook Line Sinker
A valentine card for my husband, not mushy, simple & heartfelt.
I used pink & red DOxI's to blend areas where I wanted colour when I stamped. I stamped onto a post-it note and cut out for a mask, which covered the image so I could stencil some of the background, also DI. I coloured the eyes & lips with Copics and used Glossy Accents. For the heart I used Glossy Accents and sprinkled some frosty glitter on. This is one of my fave border dies, diecut from patt paper. White pen highlights.
letscraft&create-228-ag-from-heart
craftycalendarchallenge-february-love is in the air
stencilf-february-own background
creativemoments-278-love-and-romance
craftsgaloreencore-february--anythinggoes
07 February, 2026
Hearty Hugs
These gals are out to have Fun.
These cute Ewes are stamped and shaded with Copics, partial fussy cut with paperpieced balloons stamped on patt. paper. The 3D EF is We Are Memory Keepers, hugs stacked die is Simon Says Stamp. Designer paper cut in wedge. Also heart sequins for pretty. All from stash.
shoppingourstash-566-love-me-do
simonsaysstamp/wednesday/simon-says-add-a-heart
giveacrafteracookie-213-february-happy hearts
colorfuloptions-february-pink purple
aaacolourfulchallenge-colourboard-24
letscraft&create-228-ag-from-heart
creativemoments-278-love-and-romance
sweetstampinchallenge-all-you-need-is-love
cyhtp-anything-goes-with-twist-of-all white
02 February, 2026
Remember to Play
No matter what the weather, if you feature a creature you can join us here: crittercrazy
We would like to see what you can create
I stamped, coloured and masked a stamped bunny from Colorado Stamps, then made a watery background using metallic watercolour paints. With some lovely splatters and puddles, and a bright paper pieced umbrella, I finished off with rounded corners and droplets of Stickles.
The Colorado bunny stamps are some of my favourite characters to work with.
and inside...
22 January, 2026
Boy Girl Twins
Check it out here: simplyellibelle and select I SPY.
We'd love you to join us with your new beginnings!
Babies are wonderful new beginnings. My friend asked me for a twin card that had blue and pink on it (guess what the grandbabies are?).
So I knitted these teeny, tiny bootees in 3ply wool from a pattern for cardmaking by Sue Corbin that I've had for years. I used a Cuttlebug EF, yarn, ribbon, gems.
Shared on challenges
08 January, 2026
Feline Better
A card to make someone smile I hope.
Stencilled background using DI's, cat stamped. Also stamped onto kraft card and fussy cut. The sentiment & paw is also stamped and cut out, edged with ink, set onto orange card. Stickles on eyes and white pen.
Shared on challenges:
movingalongwiththetimes-185-use-stencils-and/or-dies stencils
07 January, 2026
Love Lives Here
A bit of colour blending, paperpiecing, diecutting, stamping, heat embossing. What more could you want? Stacked geese... watchgeese.
The background card is sponged & colour blended with DOxI's, splattered with water, dried and diecut with a stamp frame (...), then subtly stamped with stars (Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous)and embossed with sparkly clear EP. Houses stamped and fussy cut from snippets of scrap patterned paper. Geese (TimHoltz) diecut and stacked from snippets of white card. Sentiment stamp is magazine freebie.
sweetstampinchallenge-anything new
simonsaysstampblog/mondaychallenge/somethingnew
welovestamping-january-challenge-new
pearlysparkles-115-use-patterned-paper
movingalongwiththetimes-185-use-stencils-andor-dies
letscraft&create-227-ag-something-new
06 January, 2026
Sympathy Butterflies
Here I let the EF do the work, adding Stickles and pearls (which symbolise tears). Stamped sentiment on strip with a row of pearls. EF is Craft Concepts Flutterby. I like the white on white too, although it is quite difficult to get something interesting. I use texture and dimension to make shadows and I like to make it so people want to touch.
Shared on challenges:
aaacards-305-anything-cas-white
thecraftingchallenge-white/snow
craftsgalorechallenges-january-anythinggoes
avenue613-january-anything-goes-w-opt
stampingsensations-january-beginning with B
04 January, 2026
Split-Colour Robin
Made for a NZ cardswap; theme is using the split-colour technique or spotlight technique. I chose the split colour. Check it out, lots of fun but really need a stamping tool of some kind. It gives a two-fer, because you have two pieces of card (white and coloured), stamp and clear emboss one, and stamp and colour the other, then slice them and swap them over to reassemble.
You really need a biggish stamp and probably best to keep it fairly simple. I screwed up my first attempt as it was too fussy and then I smudged it ... started over with this new stamp. SO new stamp, new technique.
This is a statement stamp and worked well. Colouring with Copics, gold heat embossed sentiment, gold pearls to embellish. I made a coordinating envelope.
simonsaysstampwednesday/simon-says-add sentiment
craftsgalorechallenges-january-anythinggoes
dd-tripleb/january-birdsbloomsbutterflies bird
ellibelles-garden-party-no-10-anything in a garden bird
and the envelope:
02 January, 2026
Happy Geese
Come and join us here to celebrate: crittercrazy, all you need is a critter as the focal point!
Did you know geese eat as much grass as a sheep? and apparently they make good watchdogs alarm systems (does that make them watchgeese?)
Shared on Challenges:
A bit of ink blending with Distress Inks, spritzed with water and also silver Shimmer mist, layered onto brushed silver card. I stamped (I think it's Kaisercraft) the sentiment in two colours to match the background and layered with silver too. Diecut geese with a touch of Copics, and pearls to complete. I do love pearls.
31 December, 2025
Find Joy
This is a totally free card. A cardmaking friend sent me a couple of the gold diecut borders and some extra pieces of the gold card to play with. The strips are leftover patterned paper strips collected in my strippy bin over time. I diecut the sentiment from the extra bits and matted in black from the scrap bin. I think the monochrome green snippets make a great background for the bright gold borders.
shoppingourstash-564-free-is-good
simonsaysstampwednesday/simon-says-addasentiment
cutitupchallenges-346-anything-goes
28 December, 2025
Beary Special
I made this for a NZ cardswap.
The background is made using DI's as watercolours, smooshing and blowing - it's the aurora! A diecut bear complete with cosy scarf, popped up. Shadows made with Copics. A bit of stamping and some bubbly embellys. And a peek inside...
27 December, 2025
My own best of 2024
January 2024, its a sun umbrella, not a rain umbrella! We celebrate summer in NZ.
February 2024 You know I love to get inky.
March 2024 a special birthday deserves recognition.
April 2024 sometimes a little sweet & pretty is necessary.
May 2024 I had such fun with this one.
June 2024 A mid-winter holiday in Samoa. I really enjoy making strippy layers.
July 2024 I'm so glad I made this for Peter when he was having treatment and feeling rotten. He loved it and kept it on display. He died in September.
August 2024 This one is filled with joy - it made me happy making it, and I hope it brought joy in the receiving.
September 2024 I like the twist of the message not being words but music. It was for the Simon Says Stamp Stamptember design team.
October 2024 I like the lush colouring and the fragility of the leafy stamp.
November 2024 I do like using patterned paper and liked the layering effect as well as the cheery bright colours.
December 2024 I liked making this because it has stamping, diecutting, some paper piecing... and is fun!
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Shared with i-spy-with-my-little-eye-crafty-year
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Tell me what is your fave?
I hope to see you all in 2026 with your creations, and I hope you'll check in to see what I am up to.
Happy crafting whatever kind it is!!
CarolG
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