Mo's Challenge #20 - A Sketch

It's a new challenge week over at Mo's Challenges and I couldn't resist using this fabulous new mermaid image Mo Manning released recently - her name is Melia. The challenge this week is a sketch - and I hope you can see it in my layout! I've used individual "shells" from my Martha Stewart Daisy Fan deep edge punch and some pearls in place of the corners. I've drenched them in Dazzling Diamonds too - along with some more Dazzling Diamonds on Melia's tail, top and hair accessories - this card sparkles IRL let me tell you!!!! I've also skewed everything slightly sideways for some interest - oh OK - it was really to fit everything in - LOL.

Now Melia is a bit of a redhead here - I couldn't resist as I LOVED Ariel in Disney's The Little Mermaid - and with touches of orange on her tail too she's a very colour co-ordinated mermaid - LOL. The sentiment is from SU, the DP is from Bo Bunny.

Apologies for being around on too many blog visits recently - it's just been one of those weeks - I'll be playing catch-up soon........

Have a GREAT weekend everyone!

xXx

Sunshine Stamps - Hopscotch Sneak Peek

I was really happy when I was asked to be Sunshine's Stamps first ever guest DT member - and this is my last week - how time flies when you're having fun!!! Hopefully they'll have me back sometime because their images are a lot of fun to play with! I was really excited when Christina (aka Sunshine) also sent me along a few extra images to play with - ones that have yet to be released!

This cute little guy is one of those and his name is Hopscotch - I just couldn't go past him when I was looking for an image to use for an 11yo boy's birthday card - he has just the right mix of young man and cute boy! And like any boy he's a sucker for cupcakes - although I'm sure he's wondering if any of them are carrot cake - LOL!!!!

This wonderful Basic Grey DP came from their "nook and pantry" paper pad - I picked this up from Kristy when I was at her place last Saturday - she'll be stocking it in her store when it opens! The digi ticket stamp is Bizzy Becs - and doesn't the sentiment fit perfectly!?!

I've distressed the edges of all the CS - little boys are hardly EVER neat and tidy - LOL.

Thanx again for having me on board this month Sunshine!!!

xXx

New "Hoppy Easter" Collection At Magnolia Down Under

The new Easter Collection is going in store today and they are all so cute you are going to have a REALLY tough time choosing! They are perfect for not only Easter Cards but Birthdays, Thank Yous, Baby cards -  the list is endless. And then there's the papers OH WOW they are gorgeous! Kellie is adding them now.

To get the store re-opening off to a good start Kellie is also having a 10% OFF SALE TOO - on all the wonderful stamps….

Kellie is also adding in some new products - charms, flowers, leaves...

Be sure to pop over to the store HERE…. and check everything out.
 
xXx

The Last of my Ribbon Challenges for The Stamp Spot!

Phew - I made it to the end of the month and managed to use all the ribbon and lace Marcia sent me for her Stamp Spot DT challenge. I've used it in a very traditional way - as a simple embellishment. I didn't have enough to tie a bow - but a knot can often be just as effective I think!

The DP is from Basic Grey - from another of their paper pads - this one is Figgy - an older Christmas one! I LOVE these paper pads because the pattern is downsized from the 12x12 papers to fit the 6x6 - so they are a perfect scale for cards! Most of the DP's I use are from paper pads so I'm glad Marcia stocks them at The Stamp Spot Store! And aren't stripes fun!!!! You can change the whole look of a card by the way you orientate the stripe!!!

This Greeting Farm image is one of the new ones Marcia will have in stock soon - isn't she cute!?! I had started colouring her for the Anya Ink challenge - blue, grey and cream/white - but the lace dictated a browner tone - so I changed along the way!

I've use this week's fabulous Mojo Monday sketch for the layout.

And don't forget to check in at The Stamp Spot blog to see what wonders the other gals come up with!!!

xXx

"Oh Alice" Challenges - Chapter One

With a newly formed DT of 13 Twisted crafter's over at "Oh Alice Challenges" I couldn't believe it when 3 of the gals proved to be close blog buddies of mine - maybe we're friends because I'm a little twisted at times too - LOL. Of course I HAD to support the girls and what a fun idea for a challenge site too!!!! Check out this amazing inspiration piece - forget the challenge I want one of THOSE!!!

I was really lucky to have spent the day crafting with DT member Kristy last Saturday and was able to raid her stash of rubber to stamp off some wonderful images to play with. After I got home and checked out the Oh Alice Challenge I was going through the images I had stamped off and thought this cute little gal would make a perfect Alice - she had a dress with a belt, and a band in her hair - and in the right colours she could soooo BE Alice.

This cutie is a Gurlee Girl stamp and was designed by my fellow MDUC DT member Chelsea - and she has her for sale at her store - HERE. The toadstool is a fabulous digital image I found over at Stretch N' Bubbles Blog. You can't tell in the picture but the white panel has been embossed with my Forest Branches Cuttlebug folder for some added texture.

The DP is from the Basic Grey Archaic paper pad that I picked up from Kristy - I got to check out and buy some of the fabulous items she'll be stocking when her online store opens so it was a FABULOUS day all round for me - crafting AND shopping!!!

I was really happy with the images I chose but took some time to work out how they'd fit together - I think it worked OK in the end - but I do have a side step card all cut out to use in the future though - LOL. A little bit of Dazzling Diamonds have added the "glam" factor.

xXx

Magnolia Down Under Challenge #34 - Easel Cards

WOW - what a FUN FUN FUN challenge for you this week over at Magnolia Down Under Challenges! You have to make an easel card! Now I love this style of card but wanted to create something a little different to inspire you - and then I found Debbie Dolphin's blog - wow this gal CREATES! Check out her heart shaped easel card HERE. She also does amazing things with round easel cards - I just HAD to try one out!!!

Unfortunately I don't have a circle cutter so my circles have been traced around various lids, tapes and bowls. After hand cutting them I decided that distressed edges would hide a multitude of cutting mishaps - and had the added advantage of looking good too!

My DP is from Basic Grey's Indian Summer paper pad. Roses and ticket sentiment are from Bizzy Bec's.

This week our wonderful sponsor is My Creative Classroom

Hope you have time to come along and play! Just one thing to note - Melbourne time is several hours ahead of most of the places our entries come from  - but it's MIDDAY MELBOURNE TIME that the challenge closes - there's a clock on the sidebar of the MDUC site if you're a bit confused about the time difference!

Our fearless leader Kellie and her wonderful MDUC partner in crime Princess Kristy invited me along to have some fun yesterday - thought I'd share a picture of the 3 of us together!!! And surprisingly enough we actually DID get some crafting done - LOL.

xXx

Mo's Challenge #19 - It's All Clean 'n' Simple...

Last night I was out with a friend and we were discussing card making styles. I lamented that I loved clean lines but also love a card full of flowers, layers and embellishments - and the latter is what I find easier to do! I then come home and see this week's Mo's Digital Pencil Challenge has been posted - and the challenge is...

 "Use white or cream cardstock, your image from Mo's Digital Pencil, and one ribbon.. it's that simple... and, no additional layers!"

How freaky - I'd just been saying I'm not that good at clean and simple cards - LOL. But I didn't want to back down from the challenge - especially as Mo's images do have enough wonderful detail to stand on their own!

I must confess the card front IS layered onto a folded card - I needed to hide the back of the card where the ink had seeped through - as well as the ribbon edges. But the top IS all one layer! I've also added some interest with a gold gel pen border.

I'm pleased with how she turned out but I do confess it was VERY hard not to add a touch of something here and maybe a flower or 2 there - but I resisted the temptation - LOL.

xXx

A Classic Birthday!

One of the things I've always loved about Sunshine's Stamps is the wonderful images they have for the guys in our lives! This '71 Mustang is no exception! Now I was thinking this would make a FABULOUS 40th birthday card if you know anyone having one next year - but since it's only 2010 I've made it into a birthday card for someone who either enjoys classic cars - or believes they are ageing gracefully!

I've generated the sentiment on my computer - and once again there were many laughs as my family "tried" to help out with some of the wording! I do worry how their minds are working sometimes - LOL. My favourite "men's" checker plate embossing folder has been used again - I just can't go past this one for guys. The DP is from SU and the tag has been cut using nestabilities.

A little sponging around the edge of the white panel has just softened the edges and aged it slightly to go with the rest of the card! Being a guy's card there isn't too much embellishment needed.

One more day of work before the weekend - just wish our TV coverage of the Winter Olympics was better - it would be great to spend some time enjoying top class sports - especially the figure skating - a must in this house as my daughter is a skater!!! Ah well - will have to make do with a fun FUN fun day out tomorrow crafting with Kristy and Kellie....

xXx

The Stamp Spot Ribbon Challenge Continues...

Another Wednesday so another DT card for The Stamp Spot from me - and the ribbon and embellishment challenge continues!!! Well I'm almost out of ribbon so I figured this little piece would have to go a looong way on my card! It's become just a fun little embelishment now but it did help to dictate the whole colour scheme of my card - LOL.  I found this fabulous DP in the Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses paper pad I got from The Stamp Spot a while ago. The rich burgundys and pinks look fabulous with the pale blue - and the blue "berries" on the DP helped tie it all together too. I've used my SU Tres Chic background stamp to liven up the blue CS.

My layout is based on this week's Mojo Monday sketch but as I haven't fulfilled all the elements I won't enter it there - but it was a fabulous source of inspiration when I was feeling lost!

The flowers are layered Kaiser flowers with pale blue Kaiser pearl centres. These are both available from The Stamp Spot Store. Be aware that The Big Moving Sale is almost over, it ends this Friday ... so if you haven't grabbed your bargain yet, you need to do so pretty quickly!

Also - the store is going to be closed for a fortnight from the 20th February. You will still be able to place orders, but they won't be invoiced, packaged or sent until after the start of March. Most of the product will be in transit for the move.

So pop past The Stamp Spot Store and get your hands on those things you've been eyeing off for a while! And then get ready for all the new stuff Marcia will be unpacking once the move is complete!

xXx

Friday Sketchers #89

Well the Friday Sketcher's crew have another fabulous sketch to play along with. I took the opportunity to ink up one of my sadly neglected Gorjuss Girl stamps. The colour combo was dictated by the striped DP from Kaiser.

I found it really hard to get motivated to create this weekend - I think I needed some down time after last week! A great sketch was just the medicine I needed to get back to it! And guess what - the last minute rush to send DH off to the east coast of America resulting in his forgetting to take any jumpers/sweaters with him - hmmmmmm - I think he may be hitting the malls when he can - LOL.

Wishing you all a truly WONDERFUL week ahead!!!

xXx

Magnolia Down Under Challenge #33

Sorry guys - no card from me today for Magnolia Down Under's latest challenge - we've split the DT in 2 and it's my off week! The team this week had to use Buttons, Flowers and Bows and we have a WONDERFUL sponsor this week - Michelle's Scraps!

Now if you DO want to see some AMAZING creations you won't be disappointed in what this week's team have to show you HERE - they have set the bar up super high for next week's team - but we'll enjoy the challenge to meet it - LOL.

xXx

Mo's Challenge #18 - It's All About Colours...

... and the colours for this week's challenge over at Mo's Challenges are pink, red and white - and include a heart! Now I just LOVE this fairy - she was one of the first of Mo's images I bought - and I figured she would look adorable in these colours. I wish you could see this IRL - I have her wings all glittered up - and the hearts are too! And a bit of sparkle on the roses makes the whole card look magical - perfect for this fantasy gal!

I must apologise for being a little MIA these past couple of days too - my DH is off tomorrow on a last minute business trip so there's some last minute schtuff to do - and my week at work was - well - I'm just glad I've resigned! I also took DH to the ACDC concert on Thursday night - we went with some wonderful friends and had a great time - a rock concert is a great stress reliever, especially after a pre concert drink or two - LOL!!! I'm not a HUGE ACDC fan - but DH is - so seeing him enjoying himself was fabulous.

Anyhooooo - gotta go finish helping with the packing - sorry for the short and sweet post!!!

xXx

A Heartfelt Thanx

Last Sunday marked the first anniversary of the devastating Black Saturday bushfires we had here in Victoria. The fires brought back many memories for me - both good and bad  - of another time. When I was a teenager my whole family moved to the nearby Dandenong Ranges and joined our local fire brigade. I fought many fires with the CFA but the one I remember most was the Ash Wednesday fires - the most devastating Victorian fires until Black Saturday.

My father had not long passed away - my sister was expecting her first child and we were all struggling emotionally - then came the fires!! My mum drove the fire trucks - we never did get her a truckie tattoo!!! We were all at the fire station - or out on the trucks - and we had no idea if our house was still standing! All the memories and photos of my dad were there - the rest was unimportant as long as we were together!

When I saw this image from Sunshine's Stamps I knew I wanted - no needed - to make a Thank-You card for all of our wonderful volunteer fire fighters. I've been in your boots and know you deserve it. Every time you head to the station for training - or drag yourself out of bed when the alarm sounds - you deserve our thanks.My family all live in fire prone areas and knowing the CFA are out there is a comfort!

My heart also goes out to those directly affected by the fires - especially as this anniversary has come around!

I'm sorry this isn't more upbeat - but I needed to say it, one year on and there is still sooo much emotion. Thanx to Sunshine's Stamps for helping out with this adorable guy!

BTW - I've used the Friday Sketcher's sketch for this card - it's a wonderful sketch by Tanja and I'm sure I'll use it again!

xXx

Laced Up For The Stamp Spot

Well it's week 2 of Marcia's ribbon and embellishment challenge for the DT over at The Stamp Spot. I like trying new things and often use a challenge as a good excuse to try something different. I've never used lacing on my cards before and thought this thin gingham ribbon would work well - so here we are - all laced up! The fabulous large pink rhinestone brad was also in my DT kit - it suited fairy Chloe beautifully!

My CS is SU but I got everything else from The Stamp Spot store. The Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses DP was from the Christmas collection 6"x6" paper pad - and Marcia still had one in stock when I checked.

I've been inspired by what the rest of the DT has come up with using their kits - why don't you pop over to TSS blog and be inspired too!

And don't forget it's the last few days of The Stamp Spot's Moving Sale!!!

xXx

Would You Be My Friend Forever?

This week over at Mo's Digital Pencil Challenges they have a fascinating challenge for us - and I couldn't wait to play along! You need to use "would/wood" on your creation. My mind zoomed straight into fifth gear as I pictured a picture - a wooden framed picture that is! The inspiration for this came from my wonderful friend Leonie - check out her picture frame card HERE.

Then to choose one of Mo's fabulous images - and these guys just jumped off the screen and into my printer - I swear I barely thought about it - LOL. I could see a lazy Summer's day with these guys resting beneath a tree after playing fetch with tennis balls - so that's what I tried to create!

I headed off into my room and dragged inkpads across some CS to create some faux wood for my frame - you can check the colours and details to do this HERE. I didn't add any "plank" lines though.

Now being a boy's card I couldn't use flowers - nooooooooooo - what will I do!!!!! The answer was buttons. These clear buttons are fabulous because you can back them with DPs for a co-ordinated and fun look. A 7 looped bow made out of twine was a fun addition - and really easy to do with my Bow Easy! The sentiment is from Bizzy Bec's Digital range and was just perfect for these guys.

After I had my card put together I looked at it and it seemed to be missing something - so I asked DH what he thought - his answer - "tennis balls.... there" - as he pointed to the bottom right!!! Well I can't argue with a bloke when it's a bloke's card but where was I going to find tennis balls for my card at 10.30pm!?!??! Doh - they were right there on the card already!!! I cropped the one out of the image, made it larger and printed 3 off. Some colouring and cutting - DONE.

xXx

Magnolia Down Under Challenge #32 - Pink and Grey

What a fabulous colour combo we have for you this week at Magnolia Down Under  - Pink and Grey! This is also the first week back as a weekly challenge and also the first week that the DT has been split into 2 groups! So don't forget you only have until noon next Saturday to play along - Melbourne time!!!!

I used some wonderful Kaiser DP that was just the right pink and had the soft look I wanted. I've also used my fabulous new Martha Stewart punch for a bit of interest. And I know I don't use ribbon much - am trying to change that!!! - but I do LOVE this mesh - and I found one that was a bit thinner than the others, and grey - PERFECT!!!! My wonderful bow easy made tying the bows a breeze.

My nesties are layered up on dimensionals - and I ended up needing to pop 3 layers of dimensionals to support Tilda's feet and head!! The problem with Whisper White CS is that it's a bit thinner than most so it does need a bit of support! The best thing - it goes through my fussy printer when I'm doing digi's - if only my printer would take Kraft!!!! The fabulous flowers and leaves are from Bizzy Becs - with the exception of the large pink one.

This week the wonderful Kellie Winnell is sponsoring MDUC - check out the fabulous prize pack she's put together  - and then go and see what this week's DT group have been up to for inspiration. From the sneak peek I've had you WON'T be disappointed!!!! I know, I know - I say that EVERY challenge - but what else can you expect with this fabulous DT - LOL?!?!?!

xXx

February Guest Design Spot for Sunshine's Stamps!!

Last year I was honoured to be a part of Sunshine's Stamps DT - but life got in the way and I had to pull out of my commitment. Luckily for me they wanted me to be their very first Guest DT member for February and I am honoured to be back with the team, even short term!

This cute little guy is part of Sunshine's Valentine's Day collection and his name is Huckleberry. Now I don't make Valentine's cards as I've mentioned before - but I couldn't resist this little guy and with my anniversary last week I decided to use Huck for a card for my hubby! Where has the time gone??? I can't believe we've been married 26 years - AND I still love having him around!!! Apologies for the soppy sentiment - but I often use the term "Hunny Bunny" with my hubby - I know - too much information - LOL. Needless to sat I didn't have the perfect stamp to use so I generated the sentiment on my computer. Some "macho" DP made sure this wasn't toooo soppy for him, even though I glittered up the heart - LOL. And I guess I'm in black, red and white mode again for this card - LOL

Now I reckon this cutie would also look fabulous holding and Easter egg - or even a bunch of flowers! And I'm sure you can come up with some ideas too!!!

Thanx for Having me back Sunshine - it's gonna be a fun February!

xXx

It's All Kellie's Fault - LOL

Recently I got an email from the lovely Kellie telling me to check out a site offering some cute digi images - so of course I just HAD to pop over and check it out!!!! The site is called Pink Petticoat and this cutie is from their Frillie Millies collection. They have some fun and funky images to check out - so now it's YOUR turn to be tempted - LOL.

We have almost finished decorating DD17s room - in black, red and white - so I was using that for my inspiration. The blonde hair was inspired by DD too. The neatness of the layout was NOT inspired by DD - LOL - how can one teenager spread clothes SOOO far around her room AND have them piled so high with shoes lurking beneath to twist an unsuspecting ankle!?!?!?!?!

The fabulous layout is from this week's Sketch Saturday challenge blog - where I'm entering this card.

xXx

A Sneaky Day Change For The Stamp Spot!

No - your week isn't flying past faster than you thought - it IS Tuesday today - LOL!!! I know my usual DT day for The Stamp Spot is Wednesday but sometimes we DT have things on that get in the way of posting to our regular schedules! This is one of those occasions and Sue and I have agreed to swap days this week - it's great working with these lovely gals and even greater when we can help each other out!

For the month of February Marcia has asked her DT to highlight some of the wonderful ribbons she stocks instore. You may have noticed I don't often use ribbon - not sure why really as a good piece of ribbon or a beautiful bow can be such a highlight on a card - and I certainly have enough hiding in my craftroom!

For this card I've tied this lovely brown lace into a bow and nestled it amongst some roses. All supplies are available at The Stamp Spot Store with the exception of the base CS and sentiment stamp and punches. The DP is from Bo Bunny - I LOVE their papers!!! I've used 3 of the 4 sides on here - who needs to know how to co-ordinate when the hard work is done for you!

I'm sure I'll get some wonderful inspiration from the rest of the DT on using ribbon this month - hope you have time to pop in and check their work out too.

And  don't forget - Marcia's sale is still on instore until February 19th!

xXx

Mo's Challenge #16 and Friday Sketchers #87

This week's challenge over at Mo's Digital Pencil Challenges is "Shades of Grey" and I was a little unsure how this cute baby would come up in greys but I guess Mo's images are fabulous enough to be done in any colour scheme! I'm also entering this into this week's Friday Sketchers - using a wonderful sketch from Jeanette.

My card is fairly self explanatory - I've used Mo's "Kai in the Snow" and paired him with the snowflakes cuttlebug folder and a fabulous free DP download from Jak Heath. I also took the opportunity to use my new icicles Martha Stewart border punch. The ticket sentiment is from Bizzy Bec's Digital Store and the snowflake is a mix of nesties (black) and MS punches (white) which have been drenched in Dazzling Diamonds and layered up with a rhinestone centre.

Now it's a bit hard to see but I've also used a silver glitter pen on parts of Kai's outfit - you can just see the shine off his zippers, cuffs and stars in this photo - as always it looks soo much better IRL! This card came together sooo easily - compared to another one I've seem to have been working on for days and just can't seem to get right! Even my hubby asked why the other card was causing me soo much grief when this one was easy!!! I guess it's because these fabulous images are soo easy to work with. If I EVER get the other card finished I'll show you - maybe you can tell me what's wrong!

xXx