tisdag 15 september 2026

AAA Colourful - colourboard #32

Hello Crafty friends,

It's the 15th of September and time for a new colourboard challenge at AAA Colourful. This month we have a gorgeous colour combination of - 

Greens and Pinks

for you to be inspired by. The colours of the board must be the most prominent on your creation, but you may add neutrals like black, greys, browns, white and skin colours. Remember we love all kinds of paper craft projects - scrapbook spreads, art journaling pages, ATCs, cards, tags........ and in any style and technique too.

Here's my take on the board


I hope you like the colours as much as I do, and that you are inspired to play along with us in this fun and colourful challenge! You have until the 14th of October to create, upload and link your project to the AAA Colourful challenge blog, a blog filled with inspiration by the amazing design team and our special guest designer for the month, Cassandra. I really like Cassandra's card, it is so fun. Hope to see your creation there too!




Here's how I created my card.
I really like the picture on the colourboard, and the variation in the colours as the sunlight hits the leaves. In an attempt to recreate the effect I started by ink smooshing a card panel of watercolour paper in different shades of green ink. Once the panel was covered and the paper had dried a little I dryed embossed it with a leaf embossing folder. I die cut and coloured all the pieces for the little parrot. I also die cut some leaves, buds and an oval frame and centrepiece. After assembling all the pieces I started playing with the placement of the objects. When I was happy with the orientation of the card and placement of everything, I stamped a sentiment on the white oval before glueing it all together. A frame from the same paper as the oval frame was added to the panel before addhering it to my card base.

Products used for this card
Inks:
Distress Oxide Inks and Distress Inks by Tim Holtz/ Ranger and VersaFine Ink by Tsukineko
Embossning folder: by Altenew
Die sets: Tropical Friends and Flying High by Spellbinders 
Papers: Scraps from my stash


I would like to enter my card to the following challenges:
A Cut Above - ATG with a Die Cut


Addicted to Stamps and More challenge 525 - Diecuts and/or Stencils


Girlz & The Art of Letters - Letter I (Inks and ink smooshing)
Just Us Girls challenge 840 Word Week - Bold (bold colours)









NBUS challenge 90 - Never-Before-Used-Schtuff (my NBUS: the embossing folder)






The Sisterhood of Crafters - Frame It (framed the embossed panel and the oval with the sentiment)
Triple B - Birds, bloms and/or Butterflies






I hope you like my card, and that you are inspired to get colourful and play along with us. We are so looking farward to see how you are inspired by the colours.

Take care, keep crafting and get colourful!

Jane
x

lördag 5 september 2026

Gorgeous Gift Tags IG Hop - September 2026

 Hello,

It is time for a new Gorgeous Gift Tags Instagram Hop, and for the month of September the optional theme is - 

School Days



As always I have gone with the theme, and I had so much fun creating this school inspired tag. I knew right away that I wanted to create a pencil shaped tag, but I wasn't sure on how to decorate it. So I started by making the pencil by cutting out a rectangle in kraft cardstock for my pencil base. I also cut out a piece of pink cardstock for the rubber/eraser, a yellow rectangle out of patterned paper and a silver strip for the metal part between the rubber/eraser and pencil. To create the pencil shape I cut a point at one end of the kraft rectangle. The pink rubber/eraser and the yellow piece were glued to the pencil shape. Before adding the silver strip, two lines were embossed on it to make it look more authentic. Last but not least I coloured the tip of the pencil. Then it was time to decorate, but how?. I pulled out my hÄnglar&Wings stamps and looking through them I found this cute little guy from a stamp set called "Bokmalar" (bookworms) and I thought he was perfect. I stamped, coloured and fussy cut him out. For the colours I chose the colours of my children's old primary school uniforms (how both they and I missed their uniforms when we moved to Sweden). I gave the little cutie a pair of die cut glasses I found in my stash. I made a blackboard and added it and the boy to the pencil tag. I felt something was missing in the lower corner of the tag, so an apple, the fruit of knowledge, created using a pumpkin die were added. I used foam tape behind the apple to give it some dimention. I wrote on the blackboard with a white gell pen, adding the standard frase "LÅT STÅ!" (meaning: do not clean/erase!) which I know anyone gone to school in Sweden recognise. I hope you like my school days inspired tag!


Products used for my tag
Die sets:
Pick of the Patch by Lawn Fawn 
Stamp set: Bokmalar by hÄnglar&Wings
Papers: scraps from my stash
Markers: Copic sketch and ciao
Pen: Gell Roll Bright White by Sakura




Instagram is filled with tags created by the talented members of the Gorgeous Gift Tags IG Hop, so why not hop on over end check them out, and see who has gone with the optional theme and who hasn't. 

Happy hopping!

Jane
x

tisdag 1 september 2026

AAA Birthday Card challenge #89

 Hello Crafty Friends,

Are you like me and just have to have that cute, beautiful and/or fun patterned paper when you see it? If you are, I bet you have a stash full of unused patterned papers, even though you just had to have it when you first saw it. But fear not, over at AAA Birthday Cards we have the perfect challenge for you this month - 

Use Patterned Paper

So dig out your stash of papers and turn them into birthday cards, and join us in this fun challenge. You have the whole month of September to create, upload and link your creation to the AAA Birthday Card challenge blog.


For my card I have used a single sheet of dubble sided paper, 12" x 12". I started by cutting of a strip of paper and scored it at 1" and at 6,5". I folded the paper at 6,5" to create a card, then I folded at the 1" crease, but the other way so that the colour/pattern from the inside of the card showed on the front of the card creating the pink strip. I hope I am making sence.
I die cut a small tag, stamped it with a birthday greeting and added it to the front of the card using foam tape. I also added a bow to the tag, and a few clear enamel dots to the card. On the inside of the card I added a white rectangle to write on. A quick and easy card. You can get three 4" (high) cards from one piece of 12" x 12" paper, so 
perfect if you need to create a batch of cards at once.


I hope you are inspired to join in the fun! In need of some more inspiration? Click on over to the AAA Birthday cards challenge blog, it is filled with fun, creative and beautiful birthday cards created by the fabulous design team and Chris, our special guest designer for the month. Hope to see your creation there too! Remember you have until the 30th of September to create, upload and link your birthday card to the challenge blog.

Take care, keep crafting and have fun!

Jane
x

Critter Crazy challenge #114 - Guest Designing

 Hello Crafty Friends,

I have been invited to guest design for the Critter Crazy challenges this month, which I happily accepted. The theme of the challenge is as always - 

 Anything Goes with featured Critter(s)

All kinds of animals; furry, feathered, fins, scales, insects (real or fantasy) are welcome and any kind of craft project too as long as there is an animal in focus.



I love animals, and we have shared our life with quite a few critters over the years. We have had dogs, birds, hamsters, rabbits, guinea pigs, fish and a frog. At the moment we only have two cute little budgies, Rio and Rafiki, who lent the colours of their feathers to the birds on my card. 

Here's how I created my card:
I die cut and coloured the two birds for my card. A branch, some flowers and leaves were also die cut and coloured. I put all the pieces together and placed the birds on the branch and added the greenery. I inked a blue sky/background for the birds on a card base, and added a front panel with a cut out circle on it. The panel was attached with foam tape to give the card some depth. The birds sitting on the branch were added in front of the circle, and a greeting was stamped. The greeting reads "Det är bra mycket trevligare att vara två" (free translation:" It's so much nicer to be two").

Products used for this card;
Die sets:
Pretty Birds Etched Dies and Flying High Etched Dies both by Spellbinders
Stamp set: Fint Sagt by hÄnglar&Wings
Inks: Distress Oxide Inks by Tim Holtz/Ranger

I hope you are inspired to join in this cute and fun challenge! All the information you need can be found at the Critter Crazy challenge blog, and don't forget to check out the adorable inspiration while you are there.

A big THANK YOU to Becca and the Critter Crazy Design Team for inviting me to guest with them this month. 

Take care, and have a fabulous day!

Jane
x


I would like to enter my card to the following challenges:
Allsorts challenge 857 - All Creatures Great and Small or ATG
NBUS challenge 90 - Never-Before-Used-Schtuff (My NBUS: die sets and stamp)