The Boys Are Coming......

Just a lightening fast post to give you the heads up that the fabulous NEW challenge blog, designed with cards for Men and Boys in mind, will be here very soon......

Here Come The Boys Challenge has REALLY GOOD CANDY - enter by Saturday 30th April, then the challenge goes LIVE on Sunday morning (GMT), I've been picked as one of the very first GUEST DESIGNERS, I'm chuffed!

I'm in very good company, the team is made up of some familiar names including:

Sharon Press (Ewe Two Can Craft, Fab’N’Funky), 

Lynne Salmon (DCD Christmas, Do It With Digis, Totally Tilda)

Karen (http://mycraftycupboard-karen.blogspot.com/, Fab’N’Funky ) 

Jacky (Paddington Fan) 

Wendy (DCD Christmas Club, Do It With Digis, The Craftymonkey

So don't forget to come back on Sunday Morning (afternoon here in the land of Aus) to check out the new blog, I'll have a link to the site so you can go and check out the rest of the DT work and have a go yourself: I promise, it's an easy one to get you started!

Until then, (unless I actually finish one of the three cards I have on the go that I don't have to hold back)  Happy Crafting, Dee

I'm a Silly Moo

What a silly moo I am: I forgot my Brother in Law Brad's birthday, so I made this as a belated birthday card.

 As soon as I saw this Just Inklined digi image I just had to have it!  I went here  - and bought him (Conroy) and eight more, as well as adding about twenty to my Wish List! They will be featuring in my cards in the very near future; I love the quirky humour in them and that they are cute without being cutsie, if you know what I mean.  They do have other styles too, I can't believe I only just found them. 
The background is another digi stamp, from Di's Digi Downloads, another of my favourite shops, coloured with Prismacolor Pencils. Conroy is coloured with Copics, both are printed on Xpress Blending Card, which is my favourite card for use with Copics, Copic Creations want to know your favourite in place of a challenge this time around. The background image is cut using Classic Circle Nestabilities.
I used this great sketch from Card Patterns, love a clean sketch.  Originally the little green pearls were brown, but you can imagine what they looked like in that position, so a quick change to green was in order, now it just looks like Conroy has a very bad tummy,lol!
Digistamsps 4 Joy and Pink Gem Challenges both have Pearls and Swirls (or Swirls and Pearls!) as their theme this week, here are the pearls and there's swirls on the sparkly paper from DCWV All Dressed Up Mat Stack, so in it goes. ABC Challenge has Sparkly as it's theme, so it's in there too.
The background paper is from DCWV "Mariposa" collection, the spotty paper is from Kaisercrafts Le Chateau 6" collection, the ribbon is from my stash, the polka dots look black in this photo but IRL they are chocolate brown.  Papertake Weekly has Spots n Stripes as it's challenge this time, you can use either but I do in fact have both; the Lacey Circle Nestie is cut from brown ribbed paper, which looks stripy. Crafty Creations has a recipe challenge 1 image, 2 embellishments (ribbon and pearls), and 3 papers, I'm entering there as I'm considering my image as "one" albeit made up of two parts :-0 
Everything is popped up on foam dots, giving seven layers altogether, meaning I'm in Cupcake Craft Challenge for this week, "Lots of Layers", which is always easy for me - love my foam dots! Though not as easy as Delicious Doodles and Whoopsi Daisy, they have Anything Goes and Free and Easy.

I finished the inside very simply, in keeping with the clean and simple look of the card.  I used my Fiskars Apron Lace punch to echo the Lacey Circle die on the front, I tried another circle but it just didn't look right. Digital Tuesday has "Pretty Punches" for it's challenge, I don't know how pretty my die and punch are, but I'm entering there too. Maybe Conroy would be happier if it was "Dashing Die Cuts", lol
Anyway, that's the end of this (yes, I know very long) post.  Now I've posted about Brads card, I'm off to actually Post his card and his scratch n win tickets too, of course! Thanks for looking, until next time - Happy Crafting, Dee.

Birthday Time

April is a busy time for birthdays in my family: it was my husbands birthday on the 13th, mine on the 16th (thanks to all the Outlawz girls that left me best wishes!), my cousins' husband on the 20th, my Aunty on the 24th and my cousin on the 30th.....so you'll be seeing a few cards.  This one is for my cousins' husband...does that make him my cousin-in-law?

This is a very straightforward card: I am usually most comfortable playing it safe with men's cards, especially if they're not in my immediate family (don't want to offend!)  This card is very safe indeed!

The image and the sentiment are from a sheet I got ages ago, it has all kinds of time references on it and I wish I could get more as it's really good for all sorts of masculine events, retirement etc.  I used some for my Dad's Father's Day card last year.  
I used the sketch from Eat Sleep Stamp for their sketchy Thursday challenge, I do love their sketches!
The black paper with the gold fleur de lis on is from Die Cuts With a View "Mariposa" collection.  The image is matted on textured card also from DCWV and popped up on foam dots, but of course.  The stripy paper is from Kaisercrafts Homemade collection, also matted on DCWV card, the ribbon is from my stash (I'll have to get more, it was yummy to work with!) Papertake Weekly has Spots n Stripes (either or both) this week, this card has the stripes!  
Cupcake Craft Challenges has "Lots of Layers", this card has seven (on the front!), that's pretty much "Lots", so I'm entering there.  Whoopsi Daisy has "Free and Easy", so I'm entering there, though I'm not sure if the printed graphic is "allowed", soon find out, lol.
I finished the inside of this card a little differently: all I did was put a square of the black paper in the centre of the card, cover about two thirds of it with vellum then covered the join with ribbon.  It solved the issue nicely of having somewhere to write on; even with a black patterned paper underneath you could see the message perfectly. I'll definitely use this idea again.
Well that's about it for this card, told you it was straightforward....it's all I had time for to be honest, as I got an iPad for my birthday and we got new iphones on Monday and it has taken all my time to set everything up - especially when you factor in losing all your contacts (and we run our own business, that's a lot of contacts!) and having to resurrect them (at which point you find all the rubbish you've kept in Outlook!).  My husbands   phone has all his photos back on, mine none.....and we've both lost all our music because we changed PC's a while back and I forgot to back up iTunes so my music library is lost and gone forever; I just can't get the energy up to re-rip (is that even a term?) it all.  Of course we bought a new all singing all dancing Media centre when we did the lounge up, but that only sings and dances AFTER you put the music into IT's library, so no help there! 
Well, phew, that was a bit of a rant!  I'll be back very soon with one of the (many) cards I've got on the go.  Until then, Happy Crafting, Dee

Happy Birthday to My Darling

Today is my Darling Husband Stefan's  Birthday; 57 today - or is that telling?!!  I've known him since he was 20, where oh where did all those years go?  Here's the card I made for his "special day".

The sentiment says "For Your Birthday I thought you'd like something HOT..." and the inside of the card has as it's punchline a sachet of Wasabi paste and  "you don't get much HOTTER"
The hot babe is Bodacious Bev from Kenny K Downloads, and she fits the bill for their challenge #40 which is "Spice it Up".  
I used this great sketch from Card Patterns, I do like a nice crisp sketch!  The sentiment is computer generated, I got the fonts "Boomerang Italic" and "Flames" online Urban Fonts, I used word art for the formatting.
Bev is coloured with Copics, my Favourite media; Copic Creations has "Use your favourite technique" as it's challenge theme, so I'll be entering there as using them for shading is just that - my favourite!  
The fabulous red textured paper is one of my new favourites, I have used it in different colours for a few cards here and here I got it in Starfish Lane and there are still a few colours I haven't got yet (hint, family, birthday coming up!!) The black and silver pp is from DCWV.

Papertake Weekly has "Truly Dimensional" as it's challenge theme this week, the paper alone has dimension to burn, and then there's the fact that everything is matted on silver mirror board and popped up on foam dots (yes, I love my foam dots, lol) not to mention that FAB rhinestone "lace"....bought in Malaysia by my lovely Mum and Dad on their last holiday, isn't it gorgeous?!  Pixie Dust Studios has "Lace it Up as it's theme this week, so I'll enter my Malaysian lace there.
The black mat is cut and embossed using Classic Scalloped Oval Nestabilites and the silver oval mat is cut using Classic Oval Nestabilities, embossed with Cuttlebugs D'vine Swirls folder....Stamptacular Sunday has Girls and Swirls as it's challenge theme this time, and here we have both, so in it goes!
I used the same Nesties to create a panel to write on inside the card, using silver and red.  Stamp Something has "Sassy Circle Somethings" - how Sassy is this little chicky?... and there are always those little circles on the ribbon!
Digistamps 4 Joy and Lexis Creations both have "Monochromatic" as their challenge theme this time around, I think I can safely say this is the most monochromatic card I've ever made.  
It is hard to see in the photos, but I added a good coat of Royal Coat Gloss on Bev's boots, to give that leather-look, also on her lipGLOSS and some red sparkles and gloss on her necklace.
Well, that's about it for Bodacious Bev and the Birthday Boy....hope you have a lovely birthday, Stefan, and many more.
Until next time, Happy Crafting, Dee

What's better than a cupcake?...

What's better than a cupcake?.....A stack of cupcakes!

This little darling's name is Cupcake Birgitta, she one of the latest Swiss Pixies by CC Designs that you can get now at All That Scraps.

I used the sketch over at Eat Sleep Stamp, I love their sketches and use them a lot.  I visit Tracy's blog often: it's a great blog to visit and...icing-on-the-cake time...I WON Tracy's recent fabby blog candy - the first I've ever won!  Can't wait for it to arrive -"good" post is always a nice change :-)

The colour inspiration came from Cupcake Inspirations, how yummy these colours are, and the cakes don't look bad either, lol.  I coloured most of the image with Copics, Copic Creations has "Use your favourite technique" as it's challenge; like I've said before, just using Copics is my Favourite, so I'm entering there.  Birgitta's dress is in fact coloured with Prismacolour pencils, it's a first effort and okay, but I need practice - especially so I don't go over and over it with solvent taking OFF all the pencil I've just put on!

The blue card is from American Crafts and the designer papers are from Kaisercrafts Bubblegum Hills collection, all those lovely butterflies are going into Flutterby Wednesday's "Open" challenge this week.  The sentiment is a freebie from Bizzy Becs (she has a stack of great freebies as well as all the good stuff for sale!) coloured with Copics, cut with a circle Nestie mounted on a Lacey Circles Nestie.  Everthing on this card is popped up on foam dots - you should see the profile of it!

I used Craft Concepts Cupcake embossing folder, it gives really deep, crisp embossing.  ABC Challenge this week is R is for Ribbon: Birgitta is sitting on ribbon, though it's a bit rough and can't be that comfortable!  The strip of sheer ribbon with butterflies on has a pink tinge: I have it in blue as well, but the pink seemed to go better with the card than the blue, which sounds contrary, doesn't it? 

I finished the inside off in fairly standard fashion, I love the new 6.5" Kaisercraft collections; being that little bit bigger means you have enough left over from one sheet to embellish inside.  I added some Stickled butterflies (using Martha Stewarts Large Monarch Butterfly and MS Three in One Classic Butterflies punches)

By the Cute and Girly has, wait for it, Cute and Girly as it's challenge theme for this week, I think this card is very- cute and girly, so I'm entering there.  Craft Your Passion has "Anything Goes" and  Papertake Weekly has an Open theme with the Option of using something new, I've used a new image.  

I was going to use my lovely new image on a card for All That Scraps recent blog hop, it would have been the first one I'd been on a DT for.....but I went away for a few days that just happened to be THE few days that it was organized over!  Oh well, it doesn't matter, next time *sob*

Well, that's my card for today.  I hope to get some more papercrafting done this week, but I really need to get the curtains finished for my lounge room (we finished all the decorating and refurnishing weeks ago, it's just waiting for the side drapes, oops!) 

Until next time, Happy Crafting, Dee

Cake, Candle and Balloons....?

.....it must be a birthday!!

Well, I finally got around to showing you my latest card, I went away for only a few days, but as anyone who runs their own business will tell you it takes MUCH more than the time you're away to get it all together again.  Hopefully I'm "back" now!  I have a couple of cards made, I just need time to "blog" them!

This birthday card uses one of the new Swiss Pixie stamps by CC Designs, available at All That Scraps; this is Birthday Gretel, and she is available as Rubber or digi - mine is (of course) a digi! I coloured her with Copics, Copic Creations has "Use Your Favourite Technique" as it's challenge theme this week, just using them is my Favourite thing, so I'm entering there!

I used the sketch from Moving Along With The Times, you know me, love a good sketch!  The paper I bought when I was "Down South",even teeny country towns have good scrapbooking "stuff" now!  It's Echo Park's "Walk in the Park", don't you love how clean and fresh it looks?  Simon Says Stamp has Spring Colours and Whoopsi Daisy Challenge Blog has "Springtime" as their challenges, this card has such a spring feel I'm entering there.

 Cute Card Thursday has Tropical Colours" and I think the lime, mango and papaya colours here are certainly tropical . I cut and embossed the image panel using Nestabilities Labels Four.  Instead of cutting out the whole image and popping it up on foam dots, I have the balloons "sticking" over the edge, thanks Brenda for telling me how, and you're right it was easy!  

The orange paper for the mats is from Kaisercraft's Rewind collection, though the reverse of one of the EP sheets is a lovely orange which would have worked just fine.  The green card is from American Crafts.  I used Royal Coat Gloss on the flame, the balloons and Gretel's shoes (did anyone else out there have red patent shoes when they were little? lol) and of course Stickles on her pixie wings!

The Crafty Pad has "Flowers" as it's challenge theme, loads of flowers here!  Craft Your Passion has "Anything Goes" as does Papertake Weekly with the Optional extra being to use something new: this card uses new paper and my lovely new stamp.

I used an EK success border punch inside, with papers from the front and stamped a simple sentiment, it looks crooked, but it's not (yes, I measured it, lol) - I think that the word "wishes" being on an angle gives that impression; now I'm not sure I'm happy to have used it, probably wont' use it again.  This is why I always (well, obviously NOT always, or I wouldn't have done this) stamp on a panel and not directly onto the body of my card!

BTW, keep your eyes peeled for a new challenge going live 1st May.  It's called Here Come the Boys there's great candy over there right now (there's a link in my sidebar too) and I've been invited as Guest DT for their very first challenge - I"m very excited!!!

That, as they say, is "it" for today.  As I said I have another card ready, so hopefully I'll post it tomorrow.  Until then, Happy Crafting, Dee.

Home again, home again

Well, we are back in Perth after our little sojourn in Margaret River; it was nice and cool down there, we stay in a rammed earth cabin on a bush block so there were loads of possums and even a bilby visiting every evening!  It's still HOT up here, in our Summer-without-end!  Rain is forecast for tomorrow -it will be our first since the 0.4mm (which is about 1/100") we had on 1 Feb... if it happens!  I haven't had a chance to get any craft finished to post, hopefully tomorrow after work.  I thought I would show you the cake I made for my son's 30th Birthday in February in lieu of "real" craft.

 Matt is in the earthmoving business, like us (but not in OUR business any more, he has run his own since he was 18!) so I thought the earthmoving theme was appropriate: he bought a  truck and another excavator (bigger than his original and both of ours) a few months ago, the excavator is bright orange just like this!  

I "dug" a trench out of the fondant and made it look like sand (which is our predominant soil type here) by colouring raw sugar with food colouring.  The orange marker pegs are just tiny bits of rolled fondant, as is the    staff (with "measurements" drawn in food colouring) and the laser level - the yellow lumpy thing set on (in this case) toothpicks.

 Both the truck (I couldn't find a white one like his "real" one)  and the excavator were from The Basket in the games room cupboard, they were Matt's when he was young, in the case of the truck, very young!  I love to use stuff like this, it gives a further sort of reference to things I make, especially for my boys.  I used something from the basket for Matt's 30th birthday card, he loved it! 

Anyway, that was Matt's 30th Birthday cake, complete with sand!!  Hope to post some papercraft tomorrow, until then, Happy Crafting, Dee

I'm off for some R & R

Just thought I'd post to boast!!  My darling hubby and I are off in the morning, actually only a few short hours from now, for a four day weekend in my favourite place; Margaret River.....the only thing is - no internet!!!
I've got to say, wine and cheese and reading and relaxing WINS, sorry chaps, and it is only for a few days!
I'll be back on Tuesday with a post of - well it could be nothing if the wine and cheese works out!  If not there will be craft on show - YES, of course I'm taking some with me!
Hope you have a good weekend (do you Aussies remember that ad?), see you on the other side :-) Dee