Spoo-keee!

It's that time again at Di's Digis Challenge, and the theme this fortnight is Halloween...a very popular one right now :-)

I've used Di's super cute image  "Li'l Witches Brew", coloured with Copics (with some added highlights and shading with Prismacolor pencils) and heaps of glitter... there's glitter on the brew, bubbles flask (which has gloss on it too, for good measure, lol) the stars on the witches hat and shoes.  

The orange matting is super glittery too... all in all this thing not only glows in the dark (well, not literally, but it's pretty bright!) but twinkles a LOT!

The only embellishment is (are?) the stars on the corner of the image, they're MFT Stacking Stars, I've had them ages but have never thought to stack them (duh!) looks okay :-)  
The oh-so-fun paper is from a freebie Halloween pack by Shery K Designs, love it!

I used the same layout for the inside of the card, with more of the MFT stars... the negatives of the others really.  I printed the jotting panel as part of the designer paper; I added a text box in Word and formatted it with a purple border and inner shadow, it looks quite effective IRL, and means I didn't use more ink than necessary - I love digis!
I've listed all the challenges I'm entering this time, as they are all either Halloween (I told you it was a popular  theme!) or Anything Goes.
Pop over to Di's Challenge Blog and check out the rest of the team's not-so-spooky creations, I hope you get a chance to enter the challenge too... we're being sponsored by There She Goes Stamps with a fantastic $10 voucher - and as always if you use one of Di's stamps (and why wouldn't you, so cute!) you're in an extra draw for 2 images of your choice.
That list of challenges is:

Clear It Out Theme: Halloween Stash: Something Orange (that glittery paper, I didn't think I'd ever use it, lol)

Inky Impressions Halloween or Black and Orange

Kaboodle Doodles Halloween Colours

2 Sisters Challenge Cute and Spooky (TICK, tick)

Cute Card Thursday Spooktacular

Card Makin Mamas Trick or Treat

Stampin' for the Weekend Something Spooky

Divas by Design Halloween

Pile It On Halloween

Cupcake Inspirations Halloween

My Mums Craft Shop Halloween

Crafty Calendar Halloween

Creative Belli Halloween
Totally Gorjuss Halloween

The Crazy Challenge Halloween

Simon Says Challenge Halloween

Crafts 4 Eternity Happy Halloween

Card Mania Challenges Halloween

Through the Craftroom Door Anything Goes

Crafty Little Fairies Anything Goes

Paper Crafting Journey Anything Goes

Creative Craft Challenges Anything Goes

In closing, I'd just like to tell my fellow Aussies that are affected by the bushfires (in NSW in particular) that I'm thinking of them.  A friend lost her home in the Black Saturday fires in Victoria in 2009 and I know how stressful it was when we lived in the hills here, dreading every summer but not wanting to leave the lovely environs; I couldn't take it in the end and moved closer to the coast only to have our house under threat the very first summer from a grass fire in Whiteman Park (a huge bush reserve) over our back fence!!

Until next time, Happy Crafting, Donna 

Christmas in Brown and Cream

Whew, the weeks are just rushing by!  It's time (already!) for a new challenge at Here Come The Boys, and this time the theme is "Christmas in Brown and Cream".  

I've done something a little different (for me) this time, I've coloured a dark background.  I used Copic Ink and a brush, adding some gold Perfect Pearls powder to the mix... it looks SO effective in real life, but is too subtle to see in the picture, sigh.  The too-cute image is Star of Bethlehem by Crissy Armstrong, and you can get it (and many more!) from Whimsy Stamps...the Whimsy Inspirations Challenge is Shabby Chic/vintage - this is about as shabby chic as I go, I hope it's enough :-)
The fab sketch is from Sketch and Stash, you know I like a nice sketch :-)
I coloured the image with Copics as well, adding some extra shadows and highlights with Prismacolor pencils, great for the really fine nooks and crannies, lol.  I know I've taken a bit of poetic licence with the green hills, they should be sand dunes but they just looked unfinished. 
I embossed "the" star by  with a Versamark pen and Gold Sparkle EP, the wooden embellies got the Gold Embossing treatment too; Craft Your Passion has an Embossing theme so I'm entering there.  Crafts-Too Challenge You has a Christmas theme with the Twist being what Christmas means to you; I remember the Nativity plays my kids were in when they were little... and sitting with all the damp-eyed Mums watching their offspring perform, each knowing theirs was the "Star" of the show, even if they were just one of the shepherds :-)  Now I (finally) have grandchildren, I can hardly wait to be on those uncomfortable chairs again :-)  Stamping Sensations has All Creatures Great and Small, Moving Along With The Times has Christmas Cuties (tick tick here methinks!), Deep Ocean Challenge has Christmas is round the corner, Addicted to Stamps has Christmas is Coming, Crafty Little Fairies has Christmas in October and Simon Says Challenge has Christmas or Holiday so I'm entering all those.  Holly Jolly Christmas Challenge has Inspired by a Carol, I have O Little Town of Bethlehem (one of my favourite carols, especially when sung by littlies!) 

I used papers from Kaisercraft, the cream paper has gold dots, the gold and brown card for matting is from my stash, as is the gold cord.   Delightful Challenges want us to Add a Frame or Mat, I've added double - I'm definitely in, lol.  I used the same basic layout for the inside of the card, and another of the wood embellies.  The sentiment is computer generated.

Bearly Mine Challenges, Stampin' for the Weekend, Creative Craft Challenges,Through the Craftroom Door and Colour Me Copic all have Anything Goes challenges so I'm entering them.

Well that's it for today's card, pop over to the blog and check out the rest of the team's Brown and Cream Christmas makes = I hope you get a chance to enter the challenge too; it's not as scary as it sounds, there's a lot of brown and cream Christmas-suitable papers out there, and plenty of images that look great in these colours too.  I even enjoyed colouring this up once I started :-) Until next time, Happy Crafting, Donna

Colours of Halloween at Di's Digis

The new challenge starting today at Di's Digis Challenge Blog has a "Colours of Halloween" theme.... so we want to see Purple, Orange, Green and Black. Here's my card:

I've used Mechanic Ted available at Di's Digi Stamps, coloured with Copics and a coat of High Gloss to the headlights.  Paper Crafting Journey wants us to Use Halloween Colours too, so I'm entering there, 4 Crafty Chicks has Crazy About Wheels and The Male Room has Transport and/or Travel so I'm entering there too.

I've used the sketch from Sunday Sketch and Stamp, it lent itself to the "cut away" front that I find myself using regularly - the lazy man's way of decorating the front of the card while decorating the inside, lol.
I used digi papers on this card, fabulous freebies from Shery K Designs, they print up a treat :-)
The card itself is from DCWV and the black matting is from my stash.  
The Card Candi on the front is from my stash too, as are the pebbles on the "inside" of the card (from Scrappers Must Haves the aptly named "Boo" collection) and the spanner charm that I have placed over a spanner that is in that position on the image.  Craft Your Passion have "Heavy Metal" for their challenge so I'm entering there, The Paper Shelter have Charm Us, so in there too and Totally Papercrafts have 1 image 2 papers 3 embellies (Candi, Pebbles and Charm) so I'm in there too.
The sentiment is something else I've had in my stash for ages... it came with Happy Birthday inside, I changed it to Thank You and altered the colour (in Word) and have had it sitting in my printed folder (I use as much of the space on a page as I reasonably can when I print images, having small sentiments available is handy!)  Clear It Out have Thanks as their theme with a Left over sentiment, so I'm entering there.
I cut and embossed (not that it shows in the pic!) the image panel with a new set of Crafts Too dies I bought from Scrap Dragon... I like the way they cut so I may add some more to my collection. The sentiment is cut with a Fiskars lever punch that I've had for-eva! Paper Creator Crafts has Dies or punches as their challenge, so I'm in!

I've got quite a few layers here, it's a bit hard to see in the pictures, but as I do have at least three I'm entering the Divas by Design 3+ Layers challenge.
Creative Craft Challenges, 2 Sisters Challenge, Stampin' for the Weekend, Oozak, and Through the Craftroom Door all have Anything Goes challenges so I'm entering them too.
Well that's about it for today's card... sorry it's been posted a bit late in the day (it's 1am here - I scheduled it but clicked the wrong time so only discovered it hadn't gone live when I checked after coming home from an evening out, ah well you get that sometimes lol)  Check out the rest of the teams creations at Di's Digis Challenge Blog, I hope you get a chance to enter the challenge too - as you can see it doesn't even have to be a Halloween card, just the colours.  We're sponsored this time around by 
Markerpop... with a fabulous $10 store voucher - you can buy Di's images there in rubber form; CandiBean Stamps.  Don't forget, as always, if you use one of Di's images on your entry (and there's plenty of gorgeous images to choose from) you go in an extra draw to win 2 digi images of your choice from her store, what are you waiting for?!

I have quite a few cards made now just waiting to be blogged - as soon as I get time I'll be back with one of them.  Life is still a bit busy, but in a good way - my son Matt started back at work full time this week, he did two days last week but his foot swelled up like a balloon, it's not as bad this week.  I do the paperwork for his business so my time in the office is ramped back up - my other clients have been very understanding, but the time has come to get back to work.  

I've got to say I've never been so glad to be snowed under with paperwork, it means Matt's life is back to normal (or close to it, he still has some adjustments to make, he finds it difficult to do some of the climbing that earthworks involve as he has no forefoot to use as leverage, but he will adapt I'm sure)  I'm back to helping his wife with the babies a couple of times a week, and even though it was soooo intense when he was off work for so long I miss seeing them every day. Until next time, Happy Crafting, Donna

Sketch Time at Here Come The Boys

Time for a new challenge at Here Come The Boys... and it's a Sketch, I love a good Sketch - here's my card

I've used Weekend Walter from Dr Digi (who is our sponsor this time around), I had the image and sentiment ("Just want to say thanks... for being such a great role model for our Sons") printed and ready to make a Father's Day card for my hubby... then ran out of time (sound familiar, lol) Totally Papercrafts have Add Humour (hubby has a great sense of humour, and loved this!) so i'm entering there and Gem of a Challenge has for the Boys so I'm entering there too.
Here's the sketch I followed (well this being a Sketch challenge, I would wouldn't I, lol) I coloured the image with Copics.  The papers are from Kaisercraft's Le Chateau collection (which I think is discontinued) and the black matting is from my stash... as is the jute mesh and the Metallique Bronze Card Candi
My husband, just like Walter, LOVES tea... so the little charm is very fitting :-) Craft Your Passion wants us to Add a Little Charm, so I'm entering there.
I followed the sketch for the inside of the card too, nothing new in that, lol, but used Kaiser cardstock as the background as I didn't have enough of the patterned paper I'd used on the front - the mesh is a bit less mesh-like too because i caught one of the threads on the top piece and had to "match" the bottom... and on it went!

Creative Craft Challenges, Papertake Weekly, Moving Along With The Times, Catch The Bug, Oozak andThrough the Craftroom Door all have Anything Goes challenges running, so I'm entering there.

That's it for today, pop over to the Here Come The Boys blog and check out the rest of the team's inspiration; it's amazing how the same sketch can look so different :-) I hope you get a chance to show us your interpretation of the sketch too, don't forget to make your project suitable for a man or boy!  We've got a great prize of 2 digis from Dr Digi - bonus!
I'll be back in a few days, health permitting (I have a chest infection at the moment, legacy of not taking the head cold I had last week seriously - a mistake oft made by asthmatics!).  Until then, Happy Crafting, Donna