Anything Goes at Card Mania Challenges

There's a new challenge starting today over at Card Mania Challenges... it's my last challenge as Guest Designer... I've thoroughly enjoyed my stint as Guest, though I've made more "sudden death" offerings for this Guest spot than any other I've ever had... due mainly to my patchy "personal time availability" during my recovery from the hip replacement, then Christmas arriving with unseemly haste; so I hope it wasn't too tiresome for Ani and the crew at Card Mania... thanks for having me :-)  Anyway here's my "Anything Goes" card :-)

I've made a card to welcome a baby girl, as it was nearly 2am when I photographed it I had to use my photo tent, it is a little "softer" looking IRL.

As Di's Digs is one of the sponsor's this time around I used Di's soooo sweet "Little Mouse on the Moon" image, available here, Creatalicious Challenges has New Beginnings for their challenge, so I'm entering there. 

I coloured with Prismacolor pencils this time around... not a Copic in sight!!  I did add some Sakura Glaze pen to the stars, of course you can't see it in the pic, but refrained from adding sparkle as I thought the gold foil highlights on the designer paper (which, again, you can't see in the pic, sigh) was enough, with all this designer paper, I'll be entering Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge for sure!

The current Sketch Saturday sketch was perfect for the look I wanted... I just "squashed" it in a bit :-)  
The base of the card is a beautiful salmon pink pearl card, the background layer was cut with my new (I've been itching to open these for weeks!) Spellbinders Majestic Labels 25 dies... in fact ALL the layers were cut with dies from this set!
I cut the background paper (all the paper is from Kaisercraft's Sweet Nothings pad) in a rectangle, then used the largest die in the set to cut the filigree border/layer; while it was still in the die I cut around the edge by hand to give it a very small edge, matching it to the rectangle of course.  I used the same paper to cut the next layer with the next die down in the set, then cut the image panel with the next smallest die, distressed the edges with some gold pigment ink, stuck it to the fancy mat and mounted that on to some foam pads to lift it from the background... giving it some real dimension... as always it's better in real life!
I cut the "Congratulations" using a Spellbinders die with gold foil card.. I had to 'peel' some of the backing paper off the gold card first... it just would NOT cut through it and come cleanly out of the die, even though it's got ejection foam in it (which incidentally I'll HAVE to get for these "Majestic" dies, it took me longer to pick the die cut out of the die and clean all the bits out than it did to make the card up, lol)

The inside of the card is finished with "more of the same"(without backing the largest filigree rectangle up with designer paper, or lifting the jotting panel up on foam, it's amazing the difference it made having the card base show through instead) with the Baby Girl being Cottage Cutz dies, alas you can't see the lovely subtle gold foil in the DP in this pic either... the one reason I really prefer to use natural lighting whenever I can!  and the distressing and die cuts are GOLD, not the strange green colour they appear in the pics, lol.
This slimline photo does at least prove it IS gold  :-))
Anyway, that's all there is to my simple little Anything Goes card, the sweet image lush papers and fab dies do all the work for me, I hope you agree.  There's a lot of "Anything Goes" challenges running at the moment, I'm entering the ones at: Through the Craftroom Door, Corrosive Challenge, Sparkles Monthly Challenge, The Paper Shelter, Divas by Design, Simon Says Challenge, Art by Miran, Sweet  Stampin', That Craft Place, Little Miss Muffet, The Crazy Challenge and Hiding in my Craft Room which has Anything Goes as long as it's NOT Christmas :-))
Pop over to the Card Mania Challenge blog and check out the rest of the team's inspiration, what a wealth of talent!  Hope you get a chance to enter the challenge, no excuse with the ever-popular Anything Goes theme... and the great prize on offer from Di's Digis of course.
I'll be back very soon... I want to get some of my "unblogged" Christmas cards out there while they're still relevant, then maybe make a start on "that" draft pile :-)  Until then, Happy Crafting, Donna

Another "Easy" Challenge at Di's Digis

There's a new challenge starting today over at Di's Digis Challenge Blog... the theme this time around is "Any Winter Holiday"... I've chosen Christmas as my "winter holiday", though for me it's technically not correct as, being Australian, Christmas is slap bang in the middle of summer.  Still it's thought of as a "winter holiday" so Christmas it is... and I still need more Christmas cards so it was never going to be anything else :-))

The image I've used is called Shepherd's Singsong available here.... actually it's not quite the same image; I've had this version in my stash for a few years... the new one is only slightly different and just as cute!!  I coloured with Copics, adding some extra shading with Prismacolor pencils.
I've used cream card for the base and gold foil card for matting.I can't remember the origin of the background paper (those" brown" strips are if fact gold foil!) the horizontal panel is Kaisercraft, I added the pine trees along the top of of it using my Memory Box Fremont Pine Landscape Die... which I've had since January and have only just got around to using, eeek!  I embossed the wood snowflake with Glittering Gold EP and added a self adhesive rhinestone embellie to the middle.  
I finished the inside of the card, well "simply" is probably the kindest description, I added the gold foil border to the bottom and added a stamp (it's stamped in Forest Green Stazon ink) that I've had for years... to be honest I'm so far behind with how many cards I wanted to have ready by this weekend that this is pretty much as complicated as any of my Chrissie are getting finished inside!
Well that's it for this one.  I hope you get a chance to enter the challenge, there's a great prize on offer from Crafty Ribbons and as always if you use one of Di's cute images you go in an extra draw with an extra prize (2 of Di's Digis)  Check out the rest of the team's inspiration, much cuteness to be had :-)
I'll be entering my card in the following challenges

Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge	Use Patterned Paper
Crafty Creations	To Die For
Without Words	Christmas, Modern Look
Tuesday Throwdown	Christmas
Papertake Weekly	Christmas
The Crazy Challenge	Christmas
Crafty Hazlenuts Christmas Challenge	STILL Urgently Needed for Christmas
Cuttlebug Mania	Anything  Christmas
Holly Jolly Christmas Challenge	Anything Goes (Christmas)
Jingle Belles	Anything Goes (Christmas)
Addicted to  Stamps	Anything Goes @ Christmas
Gem of a Challenge	Anything Goes Christmas
Pile It On	Anything Goes/Christmas
Little Red Wagon	Anything Christmas
Art by Miran	Anything Goes
Through the Craftroom Door	Anything Goes
Hiding in my Craft Room	Anything Goes
Corrosive Challenge	Anything Goes
Sparkles Monthly Challenge	Anything Goes
Little Miss Muffet	Anything Goes
Whimsy Inspirations Challenge	Anything Goes
That Craft Place	Anything Goes
Divas by Design	Anything Goes
The Paper Shelter	Anything Goes
Clear It Out	Theme: Anything Goes Stash: Anything Goes

I'm off to the Orthopedic Surgeon EARLY tomorrow, so hopefully I'll get my clearance... FINALLY; it will be so nice not to have to sleep on my back, and once I can bend more than 90 degrees I'm hoping I'll be able to introduce some exercises that increase my range of motion, as I'm still pretty stiff.  

I'll be back in a day or so, I have my Sister's birthday card to blog and it's going to "queue jump" the ones in my draft because I've followed a slightly unusual sketch and I don't want to miss entering in the challenge.  Until then, Happy Crafting, Donna

Christmas is here... at Card Mania

I'm continuing with my Guest DT offerings for the Card Mania Challenges Blog today, the theme is "Christmas"... which was really fortunate for me as I have about four cards made despite my best intentions, here's another one for the pile at least!

The camera really didn't like this card, it looks so FLAT! I may have been fiddling around with the White Balance settings... really should leave well enough alone!  It is much better IRL, really :-)  
The oh so sweet image is from Whiff of Joy; one of the sponsors (along with Hobbissimo) this time around.  I coloured with Copics, adding extra shading with Prismacolor pencils.  I added "holly" to the wrapping paper on the bottom gift with Copics, it matches the holly on the background paper (from Kaisercraft's Mint Twist pad) so much better than it looks in the pic, again I don't know why it's "grabbing" some colours and not others.
I used a sketch from Papertake Weekly... it's not a sketch theme this week but I do like to give credit for a nice sketch wherever possible, here's what I was working with
The red paper with stars and the polka dot paper are from my stash; I have an idea that they're both Kaisercraft, but they've been kicking around for years so I have no clue what the names are.
I added lashings of Star Dust Stickles to the squirrels hat trim and the snow, not that it shows!  the stars are cut from gold foil card using MFT Dienamics Stacking Star dies.  I made the sentiment using the computer (the baubles are from a free font Noel Dingbats) and cut it out using the smallest of my Spellbinders Nestabilities Standard Oval dies. The red matting is from my stash.  I used a stamped sentiment mounted on some more of the red matting for the inside, forgot to take a pic... but as all my cards are ending up with the same simple finish inside I'll post a pic of the next one... seen one, seen 'em all, lol.  That's it.   I would like to join in with the following challenges with my card: 

Divas by Design	Seeing Red
Aud Sentiments	Bingo (Die cuts or punches/Digi image/ Bling
Outlawz Friday Colouring Challenge	Gifts (image of gifts, or gift item)
Winter Wonderland	Christmas Presents
Simon Says Challenge	Bling It On
Papertake Weekly	Paper Play (Stars die cut from gold foil card)
Inky Chicks	Winter Wonderland
Stamping Sensations	Winter Wonderland
Bunny Zoes Crafts	Snow
Crafty Little Fairies	Holly and/or Ivy (Holly on paper)
Tuesday Throwdown	Family Christmas
Without Words	Christmas Present  (Modern Look)
Fab'n'funky Challenges	Christmas
Crafts 4 Eternity	Christmas
The Crazy Challenge	Christmas
That Craft Place	Christmas
Cuttlebug Mania	Anything  Christmas
Gem of a Challenge	Anything Goes Christmas
Pile It On	Anything Goes/Christmas
OSAAT	Anything Goes with Glitter
Little Miss Muffet	Anything Goes
Holly Jolly Christmas Challenge	Anything Goes
Sparkles Monthly Challenge	Anything Goes
Through the Craftroom Door	Anything Goes
Corrosive Challenge	Anything Goes
Whimsy Inspirations Challenge	Anything Goes
Art by Miran	Anything Goes

I hope you get a chance to join in with the challenge, nice easy... and appropriate... theme and great prizes, so there's plenty of incentive. Check outt the rest of the team's work on the blog, should give you an extra push to get those last minute (or if you're like me, your necessary) Christmas cards done.  I only have one more challenge as Guest Designer, that's on Christmas Eve... I'll DEFINITELY be back before then, so until then, Happy Crafting, Donna

Yay!! It's Christmas... at D's Digis too!!

aaargghh!! Just found this in my Drafts, so it's a day late... sorry!!
Well folks, it's THAT time of the year again (uh huh, already!) it's CHRISTMAS!!!!  I love Christmas, which is a good thing as it comes around whether you like it or not, lol.  It being "that" time means it's time for "that" challenge at Di's Digis challenge blog.  I made a card, which is just as well as I've got so few ready every one helps.

This is a "different" sized card for me at 21cm x15cm, I bought a pack of C5 envelopes the other day (I needed one for something else) and I thought to myself... I could make some cards that are big enough to "take" the bigger images I've printed (or more precisely some of the images I've printed out big... after all, the thing about digis is you can print them any size you like!)
The image is called Holly Pudding and you can find it here.  I love Di's meecies :-) there's a few Christmas mice images to choose from, all just as cute as this. The Allsorts Challenges blog has Animal Magic for their theme so I'm entering there.
I coloured with Copics, adding highlights and shadows with Prismacolor pencils.  I added Glossy Accents to the cherries, and a layer of Viva Pearl pen (painted on with a brush) to the plate - impossible to capture in photos!! 
The papers are from Kaisercraft, the green is from the December 25th pad and the horizontal strip is from a 12x12 sheet (I think it's the St Nichloas collection)  Crafty Little Fairies has Holly and/or Ivy for their challenge, I have Holly on the paper and the image, so I'm entering! 
The cardstock for the red and gold mats is from my stash. Hiding in my Craft Room has Holiday Colours... I'm in! The ribbon and the gold flatback "pearls" are also from my stash... and I finally got to use the white pom pom trim I bought from the Ribbon Girls a couple of years ago!  Top Tip Tuesday has Buttons or Bows, I have a bow so I'm entering there.

The sentiment, cut from gold foiled card,  is a Memory Box die - another reason to make "big" cards... it's a pretty big die!  I've bought some Sizzix dies this week that has a smaller version - so I'll keep the MB die for the big guns, lol.
I used the sketch from Stella Says Sketch, great little sketch - very flexible.  I used the same sketch for the inside of the card... nothing new there!
Without Words has a "Christmas, Modern Look" challenge; this card has traditional colours but a "cute" image and "modern" layout so I think it's "modern" enough... I hope it's not over embellished for the Without Words challenge, though there really isn't a lot of "embellishment" on it, so I think I should be right!
 Divas by Design, Simon Says Challenge, Corrosive Challenge, Paper Creator Crafts, Whimsy Inspirations Challenge, Gem of a Challenge, Jingle Belles, Through the Craftroom Door, Little Miss Muffet, That Craft Place, Pile It On, Art by Miran and Papertake Weekly all have Christmas related or Anything Goes challenges running, so I'm entering them too.
Well that's it for today's card, check out the rest of the team's inspiration, well worth the look, as always :-)  With such a "time relevant" theme, hope to see you participate in the challenge too... there's a great prize on offer from The Cutting Café and if you use one of Di's images you go into an extra draw with a prize of 2 more of those fab digis - giving you the chance at TWO great prizes, woohoo!!
i still hope to sometime soon get something out of my drafts!!  Until then, or the next time I post SOMETHING, Happy Crafting, Donna

Card Mania Challenge: Your Favourite Colour Combo

There's a new challenge starting today over at the Card Mania Challenge, the theme is "Your Favourite Colour Combo".  Now, I will be totally honest and tell you I got a little mixed up with challenge themes, and wouldn't consider the red and green I've used on my card as my all time Favourite Colour Combo, BUT.... I LOVE Christmas, I've made a Christmas card and my Favourite Colour Combo for Christmas cards is.... this traditional blend, so I sorta, kinda, got it :-)

The image is from Crafts and Me, she is called Poinsettia and I think she's gorgeous - very classy indeed!!  I coloured her with Copics, adding some detail shading and highlights with Prismacolor pencils.  I then added a lot of gold Stickles to the wings, her ribbon and the centre of the poinsettia.
The papers are from Kaisercraft, the card base is actually white, I covered it with more of the paper from the Kaisercraft pad as the subtle pattern on it looked better than plain cardstock.  The flourish is Memory Box Snowflake Corner cut from glittered cardstock, the pearls on the front are mounted on some gold glittery flat backs that I sanded down a bit with an emery board!  On the inside I just cut some very small circles (using the smallest of my Quickutz Circle dies) and stuck the pearls on them... much easier, lol.  The metal flatbacks on the corners of each panel are from my stash.... I bought a thousand of them on the internet and can actually see my supply dropping; I must use them a lot!

I finished the inside of the card to match the outside, it's how I roll, lol. The sentiment is from Tickled Pink Stamps.
Pop on over to Card Mania and check out the rest of the team's work, very inspiring indeed.  I hope you get a chance to enter the challenge, there's a great prize on offer from Digital Delights - I'm actually colouring one of their cute images for a Christmas card I'm working on, with any luck I'll have it posted on here soon - I have just about given up on the idea of getting anything out of my drafts, lol.
As with most people at this time of the year I am very busy... adding in trips to Orthopedic Surgeons and Physiotherapists for my hip is not making my Christmas Shopping any easier, I can tell ya!  I see the Physio again on Friday, and the OS in two weeks; hopefully that will be the end of the intense recovery phase... I'm not even going to discuss my other hip (which apparently needs doing, but isn't bothering me and doesnt' seem to have the Necrosis that all the fuss was about with this one) until next year at least!!
I am entering my card in the following challenges

The Paper Shelter	Metal Somewhere (flatbacks )
As You Like It	Fave Xmas Style (Traditional Colours) and Why (They just say "Christmas" to me!)
Moving Along With The Times	Inspired by a Song (Joy to the World)
Addicted to  Stamps	Lots of Layers
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge	Use Patterned Paper
Digi Sketch Challenge	Theme; Die cuts/punch
Winter Wonderland	Dies and Punches
Fab'n'funky Challenges	Anything with Die Cuts
Outlawz Friday Colouring Challenge	Anything Goes (Christmas Twist)
Paper Creator Crafts	All About Christmas
Crafty Calendar	It's All About Christmas
Stamping Sensations	Simply Christmas
Corrosive Challenge	Happy Everything (pick a holiday)  Christmas!!
Through the Craftroom Door	Anything Goes
That Craft Place	Anything Goes
Art by Miran	Anything Goes
Hiding in my Craft Room	Anything Goes
Simon Says Challenge	Anything Goes

I will be back in a few days, I absolutely WILLLLLL, Until then, Happy Crafting, Donna

For the Kids

I am so late with this post, I swear my time management skills are getting worse... or maybe I just have more and more to do?!  Either way, this should have been posted yesterday when the new challenge started over at Di's Digis with the theme "For the Kids", where we'd like to see a card with an image of a child or children, or a card or project for a child or children.
I have been spending a lot of time making a cake for MY child... it is Chris's 30th birthday tomorrow... and he's my BABY!... he had a party yesterday with a circus/carnival theme so I've been caking it up for days!!
Here's my card for the challenge

I've used one of Di's newer images, she's been drawing up some real cuties recently... you can get this one, "A Little Something" from here.  I coloured with Copics, adding some detail with Prismacolor pencils and some Ice Blue Stickles to the ribbon.

I followed the sketch from Digi Sketch challenge, though my image does take up a bit more of the space than on the sketch!  The papers are Kaisercraft and from my stash.  I added sparkly blue star brads, some blue gel pen "faux" stitching and a metal self adhesive "wish" sentiment I've had in my stash forever!  That's it!

I used the same sketch for the inside of the card, of course, it's what i do, lol

I'd like to enter the following challenges: 

Through the Craftroom Door	Anything Goes
Art by Miran	Anything Goes
Send a Smile for Kids	Anything Goes
That Craft Place	Anything Goes
Clear It Out	Theme & Stash: Anything Goes
Fab'n'funky Challenges	Happy Birthday
Crafts 4 Eternity	Furry Friends
Delightful Challenges	You're a Gem (Add Bling)
Digi Sketch Challenge	Sketch or Food
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge	Use Patterned Paper
Seize the Birthday	Anything Goes Birthday

I hope you get a chance to check out the rest of the Design Team Inspiration, and have a go at the challenge.  There's an awesome prize as always, and an extra draw if you use one of Di's cuties

I have to make Chris's birthday card tomorrow, nothing like last minute!  I'll post a picture of his cake when I put up his card

Until next time, Happy Crafting, Donna

When is a Challenge Not a Challenge?

For me using digi images is no challenge at all, so calling this week's theme over at the Card Mania blog a "challenge" felt a bit like cheating!  I thought I'd add to my Christmas card pile, this is what I came up with

I embossed some white card with my new Snowflakes Embossalicious embossing folder; it's 6x6 so no pesky lining up to do.  The Paper Shelter wants snowflakes so I'm entering there.  The digi I've used is called Santa Mouse; this little cutie is one of the StampArt Design by Kathryne designs available here at Whimsy Stamps  Cutie Pie Challenge has Festive Furry Friends as their challenge, so I'm entering there, Papertake Weekly have 2 or 4 legs, so in there too and Sparkles Monthly Challenge theme is "the Big Guy (Santa)" so I'm entering there, hopefully my mouse sized Big Guy is big enough!  Crafty Creations has a recipe: 3 Layers, 2 Papers and 1 sweet Image... I'm in
I coloured with Copics, adding some of the deeper shadows with Prismacolor pencils.  I also added pastel white shimmering EP... but of course the glitter doesn't show in the pic, grrr.

I fussy cut Santa Mouse out very carefully (okay, I bailed when I got down to the curly bit of the tail, but I got most of it!) then mounted the image on an Action Wobbler... I've just about run out of these, but I've found a few tutorials on YouTube (here's one) on how to make your own... I'll let you know how I go :-)  
Here's a few pics attempting to show how he moves around - but I've got to say it's a challenge getting the thing to wobble and then getting back far enough quickly enough to get a focused photograph with it still moving!!
I thought I'd go the whole digi hog and used digital paper too... these are all from Nitwits Merry Christmouse 2 collection. Top Tip Tuesday wants us to use 3+ papers, I'm in! I tried to trim the red panel so that the "merry Christmouse" printed on the paper could be seen, the lazy way of adding a sentiment (well the quick way, for some reason time is still hurtling by)  The glittery gold matting card is from my stash, the stuff on the front in particular is a nice "soft" gold, I'm really going to have to try and get some more of it.
I used the sketch from Sketch Saturday , I even rounded the corners where appropriate... using my newly obtained 1" EK Success Corner Rounder.  I bought a couple of new corner rounders when I bought a slot punch recently... the reason I bought the slot punch is I was going to make some more tabs to hang my ribbons on; I have loads from Ribbon Ring and they're fabulous... but no longer ship to Australia, so I'm trying to come up with alternatives, at this point I've just got some nice corner rounders out of it, lol

I followed the sketch for the inside of the card too, mixing it up a bit so you can see more of the "Merry Christmouse" paper, I turned the jotting panel so that the rounded corners didn't match the mat, I liked it better that way.
Divas by Design had this gorgeous picture inspiration, I've taken it simply as a picture of Christmas so I'm entering there.   Delightful Challenges,  Without Words, Crafty Calendar, Bearly Mine Challenges and Stamping Sensations all have Christmas Challenges running so I'm entering them, and Holly Jolly Christmas Challenge has a Colour Choice Challenge, I've chosen Red, White and Green.
Christmas Stampin' All Year Long, Through the Craftroom Door, Paper Creator Crafts, Little Miss Muffet and That Craft Place all have Anything Goes challenges so I'm entering them too.
Well that's it for today's card, pop over to the Card Mania Blog and check out the rest of the team's fab work.  Why not enter the challenge, after all, all you have to do is use a digi - no challenge at all really is it?  Great prize on offer too.
I thought I'd add a couple of pics of my "bionic hip" The machine to burn them to disc was not working on the day I had them taken, so these pics were taken with the Xtrays propped up against my lightbox in the craftroom... at least they're backlit!
The surgeon was very happy with me on Friday, I'm allowed to drive now, but alas all the other restrictions are still in place for another six weeks.  I am cheating a bit, I slept (with a pillow between my knees, so not ALL bad) for an hour this morning and yesterday... and I'm going to do it again tomorrow; I just don't get good sleep on my back!  I'm up to all my usual duties in the house, walking without aids and running the business etc, but BOY do I get tired! 
It's my son Chris's 30th birthday next Monday, I'm making him a cake... he's having a party in the park with a carnival theme this weekend (like a kid's party, the BIG 3 little 0 sort of thing)  I've got as far as baking four of the cakes, 3 more tomorrow should be enough... then I've got to start moulding some characters - there could be a very floppy ringmaster on show on the weekend, and I'll know EXACTLY how he feels, rofl
Until next time, Happy Crafting, Donna