Here Come....Monsters!

Well the challenge theme starting today at Here Come The Boys is monsters:  As you can see by my dear little chaps, they don't have to be THAT monstrous

I love these little dudes, they are from the Monsters collection available at Digistamp Boutique.  Like all the Digistamp Boutique images I've used, they're a dream to colour.  I've used Copics with Gloss on their eyes...not that the photo shows it up.  All you have to do to enter Digistamp Boutique's monthly challenge, is use one of their images....too easy, I'm in!  Paper Crafting Journey wants us to use a digi...very nearly as easy as too easy for me, lol.

I used the sketch from Sketch and Stash - I couldn't quite fit all my monsters on the circle so I cut them out and popped them up on foam dots... which you know I love to do :-)  
The paper is from a pad I picked up in Big W (I didn't just pick it up of course, I bought it!!)   It's simply called Masculine and it's got some great prints for guys, the quality of the paper itself isn't fantastic, but if you're backing it up, (like I have here with cardstock from American Crafts) it's fine.
The image panel is cut with Standard Circles Nestabilities, and the blue mat behind the sentiment (which is computer generated) is actually the smallest Lacey Circles Nestabilitles.  I would have preferred to use Scalloped Circles Nesties, I've ordered some from the US but I still haven't received them... two MONTHS later! It's the first time I've had any real problems ordering over the net (which I do a LOT) but as the order is over $100 worth, I am a bit concerned and am trying to get some action on it (and so the blame game begins!)
Some Bakers Twine that I won in a Candy and some Card Candi finish my monstrous card off. 
As usual the inside of the card is finished with papers from the front.  I used a larger Nestabilities Lacey Circles to cut the light blue circle between the jotting panel and the red mat.Charisma Cardz Challenge, Simon Says Challenge  and Sweet Stampin' all have Anything Goes as their challenge themes this time, so I'm entering my mini monsters there.
I had an absolute ball making this card, I love it and hope you like it to.  Don't forget to pop over to the Here Come The Boys blog to check out the rest of my teamies work, if you enter the challenge I may just come and visit you too!  I'll be back if a few days, until then Happy Crafting, Dee

Wanna join a fun Design Team?

Pssst....have you heard!?! Anita Be Stampin is looking to expand the design team. Check out all of the details of how to join this fun team here.

Anita Be.....Back

Anyone who knows Antia Be Stampin' knows the challenge blog has been on holiday; well as of today.... it's back, and guess who's invited on to the DT for three months? Can't guess ....it's ME!!!
In case you haven't worked it out the challenge theme this week is "Spooky Halloween Themed Projects".

I've used the digi image Tabitha for my creation, pop over to the blog and check out my teamies inspiration ...they're using a couple of new-to-digi images Broomhilda and Frankenbride that were so popular as rubber stamps.
You need to use an Anita Be Stampin' image (rubber or digi) to enter the challenge, if you don't have one but want the chance to win you can always join the Anita Be Stampin' Papercraft Planet group where members have access to a free digi image, also for a limited time you can get the Batty digi image free at Anita Be Stampin' - perfect for this weeks challenge.

To celebrate starting up again - and to thank you for your patience -there's a super prize this time....a $25 ABS gift certificate.  All the details are on the challenge blog, so go check it out - you've got until 8pm (CST) Monday to enter.  There's loads of Halloween challenges out there, so you could (like me) get real value for money out of one ickle ol' card, lol.

I coloured Tabitha with Copics. Cupcake Inspirations has this great photo inspiration this time and Craft Your Days Away has Halloween Colours so I'm entering there. Stamptacular Sunday Challenge has Black Orange Purple and Scary... not sure how "scary" little Tabitha is, but I'm entering there too.The base card is from my stash, the fab designer paper is called Oogie Boogie...love it, but I am down to scraps and its discontinued :-(  I can't complain, I've made quite a few cards from it and I only bought one 12" sheet!
Paper Play Challenges wants us to use black, the base of the card is black and my lovely glittery paper is black...just with green glittery dots on! The corrugated card, which I mounted on orange cardstock punched with my Fiskars Apron Lace punch, is black too...so I'm in! Totally Papercrafts has Layer Upon Layer, exactacally what I have; I'm in!
The "Boo" are letter stickers, and the little black cat-looking pearls on the corners of the image are in fact little tulips, I got them at Perth's big craft show earlier this year, and as soon as I got home I thought...what the... am I ever going to USE these? Answer is yup!!
I just bought the orange buttons, well I bought a bag of buttons and these were in it, lol and the twine is from my stash.

Once again I have finished the inside of the card very simply. I forgot to take a photo of it, so this one is a bit dark, oh well. I added Card Candi to the corners of the jotting panel and little googly eyes (which I've had literally for years, close to twenty years, who says I'm a hoarder? lol.
These challenges have Spooky as their theme so even though Tabitha's not that spooky she is going there; Pollycraft, Divas by Design, Stampin' for the Weekend and Crafty Calendar. The other challenges I'm going to enter all have Halloween as their theme, they are Digital Tuesday, Allsorts Challenges, The Crafty Pad and Addicted to Stamps.
That's it for today, I'll be back in a day or so with "something other than Halloween" (don't know what it will be yet, but I do know what it won't be, lol).
Until then, Happy Crafting, Dee

T&E in the pumpkin patch

As promised in my post yesterday, here's a cute couple of Sugarplums, or is that "a couple of cute"? hmmmm....

This is Pumpkin Emma and Autumn Trevor, more of the digis (you knew they'd be digis, right?) that are being reviewed at All That Scraps; check out the rest of the DT reviews here or go on over to the shop and grab your very own.  I've coloured with Copics, I tried to get a textured look to the clothes by "pouncing" the markers and not blending right in, I wanted a country sort of feel.  The sky is coloured with Prismacolor pencils and OMS.
The path is another digi, "Pebblestone Patch" from Make It Crafty.  I added the chicken wire to the background by downloading a free image (grab it from my freebies page if you like) and copying and pasting until I had enough to fill my Labels Nine Nestie, then I made it lighter (just using the format option in Word, easy peasy).  I really like the effect, I can't claim credit for thinking it up in the first place; I saw (a far more gorgeous version) here on Pam's blog and just loved it so thought I'd shamelessly scraplift it, more or less ;-)  I fussy cut Trevor and Emma out and popped them up on foam dots, it's always so hard to show the depth in photos, grrr.  Totally Papercrafts has Layer Upon Layer as its theme... easy for little-foam-dot-loving-me!
I've used the sketch from Pink Ink Sketch Challenge, great sketch with just enough elements to it for me :-)  I actually added some brown pearls on the corners after I took these photos, they don't want to stick so I'm not sure if there's a message in that, like "enough already" lol.
I love the colours on this card, probably because I love autumn... though of course we're hurtling into spring here in the land down under, complete with pollen and that sudden rise in temperature that takes you by surprise... EVERY TIME!  The Paper Shelter has a Harvest Theme, so in there too.  The papers I've used are from yet another Kaisercraft pad, the Devonshire Collection; as well as the colours I think they go with my "country" theme, I added a bit of distressing around the edges but that's all. Fab'n'funky Challenges Beat up Torn or Distressed as their challenge so I'm in.
The flower is from my stash, as is the button and the bakers twine; now it's not much of a bow, but it IS a bow and Cupcake Craft Challenges has Buttons and Bows as its challenge theme, so you guessed it...IN!  Totally Gorjuss has a Bingo challenge, I've used the Bows Buttons Flowers line to enter.  I added the foliage punched with my new arrival: the Martha Stewart Pine Branch punch...going to use this one A LOT!  The autumnal leaves came in a pack I found in a hobby store, they go with model trees, not any more...they go on cards now, lol.  I added flocked sheer ribbon across the card, it just disappeared on its own so I backed it up with brown card, stops any fraying issues too, which is a plus.
Once again I've finished the inside of the card pretty simply, with some of the paper from the front, another Labels Nine Nestie with the Pebblestone Patch digi from Make It Crafty on and more of the digis in review at ATS; the pumpkins, which I foam dotted at different levels.
Whoopsi Daisy Challenge has Free and Easy and Stamptacular Sunday Challenge has You Choose ...easy challenges to fit, so I'm in.
That's it for today, I have a few irons in the fire as they say with DT work coming up...so stay tuned! Until next time, Happy Crafting, Dee

If friends were apples....

Today I've got a card that reviews one of the Sugarplums by CC Designs from a previous release, this is Apple Emma.  I LOVE these little Sugarplums :-)

Emma is a digi (well, you knew that didn't you?! lol) and you can get yours from All That Scraps - there's more in review too, you can see what my teamies have come up with on the All That Scraps Blog...and I'll be back tomorrow with another cute couple or a couple more cuties depending on how you look at it :-)

I've used Gem of a Challenge's fab sketch this time around, so I'm entering their challenge.  The papers I've used are Kaisercrafts Hey Birdie collection, I love the foiled apples (though they don't look foiled on the photo, they just look darker - trust me, foil!)
I coloured Emma with Copics and added Gloss to the apples.  Pollycraft has Girls Girls Girls for its challenge this time around, so Emma and I are IN!
The sentiment is computer generated... I enlarged the apple from Emma's hand (another reason I LOVE digis!) and made the sentiment fit, then cut it out freehand. If you'd like the sentiment you can grab it from my freebies page, it looks alright even without the apple :-)  I added some stickles to the leaf ... just couldn't resist!
Sir Stampalot has Food Glorious Food as its theme this month, apples are definitely food so I'm in.  The Paper Shelter has Harvest as its challenge theme, this apple pickin' chickie is definitely harvesting those apples, so I'm in.
I punched the apple embellishment on the right of the card using a punch my lovely Mum got me in her travels (it's how she pays me for budgie sitting duties!); I didn't think I'd get any use out of it, but it is actually pretty neat!  The leaves are from a Martha Stewart Leaf punch, I embossed the green card first using Cuttlebugs Forest Branches (I think) folder... to give the leaves a bit of texture, like veins.
The inside of the card could not have been finished more simply: I enlarged the apple I used for the sentiment even more then cut it out one of the sheets from the Hey Birdie pad, with a slightly smaller pink "liner" inside it. I used a pink Gelly Roll pen that I got as a freebie with an order to run a line on the black edge, of course it doesn't show in the photo, lol.
Stamptacular Sunday Challenge has You Choose and Whoopsi Daisy Challenge has Free and Easy as their challenge themes so I'm entering those challenges too.
Well, that's about it for my card today, don't forget to pop back tomorrow - 
you'll see more of these little darlings; if you can't wait until then, pop over to the ATS blog ... or I'll see you tomorrow, until then Happy Crafting, Dee

Here Comes....Halloween

The card I have today is for Here Comes The Boys challenge starting today, the theme is....Halloween (in case you couldn't guess, lol)

I made an easel card this time, just because it was what was in my head from the start!  Bearly Mine Challenges has "Easel Does It" as its theme this time, so I'm entering there... the fabulous ghosts paper and spider's web paper (digis) on the front of the card were freebies from Bearly Mine, so there's a sort of synergy in entering there!  My Time To Craft has Orange and Black as its theme this time, Just Us Girls has a Orange, Green, Purple and Black and Digital Tuesday has Fall Colours so I'm in there too.

The Pink Elephant has a photo inspiration for their challenge, I've used the colours and the pumpkin as my inspiration.  Crafty Cardmakers has Anything Goes so I'm entering there too.

Sketch and Stash had this great sketch to follow ...I needed an unfussy sketch with the busy paper I used so it was ideal.  The new stash I used was the digital image Franky Pastry from The Paper Shelter How ca-ute is he?!!!  I think he's gorgeous and perfect for a boy's Halloween card.  Simon Says Stamp has Halloween or Goth for their challenge this time,  Cupcake Craft Challenges has Halloween and Crafty Calendar has Spooky (well, he's not THAT spooky but I think he's trying, lol) so I'm entering there.  Pollycraft Challenges has Boys Boys Boys so I'm entering there too.  I've coloured Franky up with Copics, he looks roughly the colour my youngest son used to look when faced with any vegetable...until he became a gym junkie and VERY serious about his diet, lol.

 I double matted the image and the patterned paper on purple card from DCWV and Green from American Crafts...the extra orange layer under the image is a manila style folder I got from a stationery store...I got a few in different colours and they've come in really handy!
As you can see I've distressed the edges of, well, EVERYTHING!  It's so "not what I do" I was actually not going to put this card up... but in the end I liked the result and think it suits the theme.  The tool I used to distress the edges was very hi-tech; an emery board and the edge of my craft mat (yup, I did miss a bit and have a slightly distressed cover on my craft table, lol)  Stamptacular Sunday has Distressing as their theme this time around and Creatalicious Challenges has Distress your edges ...I'm definitely entering as this may be one of the few and far between that I do that qualify, lol   
I added the Happy Haunting to one of my blank ticket digis I bought from Bizzy Becs a while ago ...they're really useful too, and easy to add whatever sentiment you like to.  I'm going to get a ticket die, at the moment I cut them out and punch the corners and ends with my 1/4 handheld punch - it works okay but the die would be better.

The paper I used on the inside is a digi set from Susan at Crafty Chaos Designs, the Eye of Newt collection; I used the eraser in Photoshop to rub out an area for the jotting panel...it just seems to work better with the easel style of card and was really easy to do.  I used textured paper for all my printed papers, I like the extra dimension it gives and will definitely use it again, even though it's a bit more expensive than the plain card I usually use.  The "boo" letters are from Die Cuts With a View, they came that colour and glittered up ready to use in a box but I can't remember the name, they're nice and solid making a good stop for the easel.

Well that's it from Franky and me, why don't you pop over to the Here Come The Boys blog and check out the rest of my teamies inspiration, hopefully you'll be - well, "inspired" - to enter the challenge this fortnight.

Until next time, Happy Crafting, Dee (cough cough, still got my silly chest infection...lucky it's not contagious over the net, lol)

Happy Birthday Dre

I have a birthday card today for my friend Andrena (aka Dre).  The main premise behind the sentiment is the fact that Dre has lost a staggering amount of weight (close to 40Kg, or 90lb) in the last year or so, by sheer hard work; she joined the "Spin" class at her gym some time ago and invariably describes it as "Evil", lol.

The image on the front is digi Li'l Perfect Match Christina from Tickled Pink Stamps, they have a challenge blog too, the theme this time around is Anything Goes, so I'm entering there.

The image on the inside is Maude Doodlebuns, Flab Fighter (how cool is that name?!) from Just Inklined, also a digi, both are coloured with Copics.  I've got to say I'm really happy with all my colouring on this card, it was just so easy and I didn't go out of the lines once (pushing that ink back sometimes is HARD! lol)  I've added some more Copics to my collection too, which does make it easier to add several shades.  The sentiment is computer generated, the sentiment and image panels and mats are cut with Nestabilities Classic Ovals and Nestabilites Classic Scalloped Ovals.

I've used papers from Kaisercrafts Magic Happens pad, I love the soft colours, and I'm not even "into" soft colours as a rule :-)  Fairy Fun Fridays challenge this time around is Sugar and Spice, I think this card is girly enough, but can't help having a chuckle when I think that Dre has morphed from "Maude" to "Christina" by staying pretty much away from the Sugar and Spice! 
The Cutie Pie Challenge this fortnight is a Bingo challenge, I've used the "Sentiment/Lilac/Punch Out" line to enter there.

Sketch Saturday has this great sketch to work with, I've flipped it but only because I thought Christina was facing the "wrong" way otherwise.  The only other change to the sketch is that I added some tiny buttons, to tie the colours together, Divas By Design has Button Up as their challenge so I'm entering there too.  I've distressed the edges of the card, image and sentiment panels but left the patterned paper un-distressed (only 'coz I'd already glued it on to the mats and didn't want to ink them, lol)  Stamptacular Sunday has Distressing as its challenge this time, so I'm in.  Love how the picture of the sketch is purple, colour coordinates with my card beautifully, hahahaha.

Crafty Cardmakers, One Stop Craft Challenge, Creatalicious Challenges and By The Cute and Girly all have Anything Goes challenges running at the mo, so I'll be entering in all of them.

I'd like to say Happy Birthday to my "little" friend Dre, and wish her many more...I get to make her fun cards, here's last years BTW.

I hope you like my card today, I also hope it means a return of (at least some) mojo...I've got a chest infection and it seems to be dragging the last of my motivation out of me; the joys of an asthmatic in Australian spring!!  Until next time, Happy Crafting, Dee

Before, During......

...and After, lol

When Life Gets in the Way of Craft

Well, you know how it goes sometimes...I've had no chance AT ALL to do craft (though I have managed to fit in some craft-buying, lol) all week.  We've been out again today looking at furniture for our al fresco area, like I said before, there's nothing wrong with what we have, we're just modernising...or NOT if the prices we've been seeing are anything to go by!  I thought I'd share a few photos of the area in question, we "did" the new roof a few years ago and have added the pizza oven, built in the bbq and added bits and pieces since then.  

The screen wall is finished!!!!

These photos show the latest addition; the stack stone and wood screen against the fence.  A lot of my time has been taken up recently with "doing" this screen...all the painting, varnishing and sealing is mine (always is, lol)  as well as cutting the jarrah (native wood) slats to length, and the general fetch and carry that we wives do when a husband "does" a project, you know the stuff I mean :-) I didn't think I'd bore you with the step by step photos that I take a zillion of for every project, thought I'd bore you with these instead! 

At night, with the overhead lights on (but not the downlights in the eaves)

View from the kitchen

View from my craft room

Next day, I've added a couple of my paintings (done a few years ago...been in the shed!)

Rocky...my lovely little Jack Russell....was just glad to have us back to do what we're supposed to do when we're outside; throw the ball for him to fetch  :-)
Hope you weren't TOO bored with my little picture show, I WILL be back with some craftiness in the next day or so, until then, Happy Crafting, Dee

Prescription for Success

My Mum and Dad, being in their eighties, have a pretty close relationship with our local pharmacist, lol.  Recently the chief pharmacist died in the saddest of circumstances, leaving his lovely understudy Loy in the unenviable position of trying to buy the business and take on the mantle.  The sale has just gone through, so my Mum and Dad wanted a card to give him that wished him success, without dwelling on the circumstances. This is what I came up with.

This picture looks very "flat", I don't know why...I took about twenty and they all look the same, I chopped the top off this one but at least the colour is fairly accurate, and you can see the pattern on the background paper even though you can't see that it's glossy!!  As Loy is of Chinese heritage, I thought red was a good choice of colour as it represents good fortune.  The papers are from Kaisercrafts Shaken Not Stirred collection, the image panel is matted on red corrugated card, the red ribbon is mounted on black card.  

The image is a conglomerate of two Sugarplums (digis) by CC Designs available at All That Scraps: Mad Scientist Honey with Trevor's head (I changed the trousers too, so they looked more  masculine).  I've coloured the image with Copics but you can hardly see the shading on his lab coat...it is there, trust me! There's gloss on the bottles...but of course!

  One Stop Craft Challenge has Just for Men as its challenge this time, and The Crafty Pad has One for the Boys, so my card's entering there.

I used the sketch from Papertake Weekly but missed the deadline (again!), luckily for me they have an Anything Goes challenge this week so I'll enter anyway, phew!  Creatalicious Challenges and Crafts 4 Eternity both have Anything Goes and Simon Says Challenge also has Anything Goes with the option of brads... I got brads babe, I'm in!

I used papers from the front on the inside of the card it's pretty straightforward because I wanted the "prescription for success" to be a feature.  I scanned a prescription we had here, removed the pertinent details (you'll just have to wonder what it was for, lol) and replaced things like the prescriber's name with my Mum and Dads, and filled it out for "Success, repeat forever" I then printed a scaled down version...it was a real hit with the Pharmacist!!  

That's my Card-for-a-Chemist, I'll be back soon with ... something!  Until then, Happy Crafting, Dee.

A Wheely Nice Card?!

Well, "Wheely Nice" is the challenge theme at Here Come The Boys this fortnight, and this is a card for that challenge so technically it IS a "wheely nice" card, lol

The image is Pitstop Penny from Kenny K, I used the same image for my son's birthday card but she looks quite different in blue!  I've coloured with Copics, with silver Stickles on her shoes (which doesn't show that much in the pic but looks good IRL)  Digital Tuesday has Blue and White as its theme this time, there isn't much else than blue and white here, so I'm in. One Stop Craft Challenge has Just for men, The Crafty Pad has One for the Boys and Cards for Men has Sports - so I'm entering there.

I used the sketch from Divas By Design, it's not symmetrical but I managed (you know I usually use symmetrical sketches, lol) I made the stack of tyres up using a free pic I "Googled" - I just pasted four copies of the one tyre then moved them around (in Word, so really straightforward).  I curved them out from the background a bit for more dimension, gluing the edges and putting foam dots under the middle.  Penny is "foam dotted" except for the hand resting on the tyre, which I pushed back to make her look more 3D.
I made the tyre embellishment by cutting a ring of black card with my Standard Circle Nestabilities, and fitting a Nellie Snellen flower punched from silver board into the centre, with a tiny aqua star as the hub.  Whoopsi Daisy Challenge this time is Make Your Own Embellishments, so I'm in.
Papers on this card were from a budget pad from BigW! I just loved the colours. The silver card has really fine corrugations, I got it in a pack with a range of pastel colours.  Everything is matted on blue foil, with the jotting panel matted on American Craft Weave. The image panel and the jotting panel are both textured (linen) card, it adds a little something so I think I'll be using it more (though I haven't tried colouring on it yet, so it may only be for images I cut out, lol)

Bearly Mine Challenges this time is to use three design/backing papers - I hope my silver corrugation counts as backing paper so I can enter there.

A couple of silver brads, some punched silver stars and some silver strips (to trim the starry panel) are all that's left to finish the card off.  Fab'n'funky Challenges has a recipe: 1ribbon 2design papers and 3buttons brads or gems as its theme, I've used two patterned papers and two bits of one ribbon and more than three brads, so hopefully I qualify!  Simon Says Challenge this time is Anything Goes with the option of using brads, I definitely qualify there!Digi Stamps 4 Joy, Crafts 4 Eternity and Creatalicious Challenges all have Anything Goes so I'm in there too.
Hope you like my card, don't forget to pop over to Here Come The Boys and check out the rest of the DT inspiration...there's some Wheel variety (you know I had to fit ONE pun in, didn't you?!)  There's a great prize on offer for the challenge ... some Flexmarkers from our very own Sharon at Ewe2Can Craft, so get rolling (oh dear, two puns) and get your entry in. Sharon is offering a 5% discount on flexmarkers for followers of the HCTB challenge blog, check out the deets on the blog.
Well that's it for today, I'm off to the Royal Show, we're going to check out furniture for our al fresco area, even though there's absolutely nothing wrong with what we have (clearly hubby's idea not mine); it's simply that the fashion has shifted from table and chairs to sofas and coffee tables. I must admit that as we use the pizza oven more than the BBQ when we entertain, we only use the ten seater table we have about three times a year - we could easily use the plethora of tables and chairs we have inside if we really needed to - more casual seating is probably more appropriate with pizza! Until next time, Happy Crafting, Dee