Die-ing to Punch at Di's Digis

We've a new challenge starting today at Di's Digis Challenge Blog, the theme is Dies and Punches - hence the "Punchy" title for this post (did you see what I did there? lol)  I've made a shaker card, I have made one before, but I'm happier with this one :-)  The only thing is they're a bit hard to photograph "in action" as it were.  Well here it is

Now I realize I've used that blue and yellow paper AGAIN, two reasons; I needed to use a yellow colour on the moon, and - the scraps were in the folder in top of my scraps file! The gorgeous image is Baby Moon, one of Di's newer images... isn't it just too sweet? There's some shading already on the image, handy for you to use as a guide :-)  I coloured with Copics and added STACKS of glitter, sadly it doesn't show in the pics ;-( then fussy cut the image.  At the Cutie Pie Challenge there's the theme "use a cute digi", no problems I'm in. and Crazy 4 Challenges want to see a teddy bear, so in there too.

I've added this picture so you can see how the card works, though better examples and a tutorial on how to make a shaker card can be found here.  The background paper for the shaker is from a digital kit by Passion Fruits Images, there are Day and Night skies.  I added some tiny rhinestones and Stickles to the paper so that even when the card's not shaken there's a bit of sparkle in the sky.  I used my new Lifestyle Crafts Nesting Circles dies to cut all the elements for the shaker... there was a surprisingly large amount of cutting!  Instead of making a raised edge for the shaker from foam dots, as I've seen in some tutorials, I cut two rings from one piece of sticky backed foam and built it up that way... and it meant no "leaks"!!  The acetate was from the set of dies, so that worked well :-)

I added some Shaved Ice Frantage, clear seed beads, tiny blue stars, and some silver ball beads to do the shakin'... and yes I DID nearly forget to add them to the "pit" before I glued on the acetate, just remembered in time.  I edged the yellow and blue frames with silver cord from my stash.  The sentiment was from a tag in Kaisercraft's Lullaby pad, I cut it to a cloud shape to suit, the other clouds are Memory Box dies, the star under the edge by the teddy is from MFT's Stacking Stars die.

At Sketch and Stash you can use any of the sketches from their catalogue this time around, bonus!  I used #73, of course I used it for the inside of my card too, adding more of the Memory Box clouds and MFT stars. 

Catch The Bug want things beginning with C... I have Circles, Clouds and Cute image,  I'm in.  I'm in Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge too, as well as the Anything Goes challenges at Charisma Cards and Through the Craftroom Door

Well that's it for today's card, hope you get a chance to join in with the challenge this time around, we have the fabulous Crafty Ribbons sponsoring, and don't forget if you use one of Di's lovely images you go in an extra draw!

I'll be back in a few days with another offering.  Have a lovely weekend, we're off to my son Chris's later for his annual Christmas in July party.  He hosts with his friend Amna (his faux wife, lol) and they wear cheesy sweaters and do the whole egg nog mulled wine thing, this year I got roped into providing my usual several dozen Christmas cake truffles, and TWO turkey breasts.  Anyway until next time, Happy Crafting, Donna 

Christmas in July

Well, here in Australia Christmas is right in the middle of Summer, so all of you in the Northern Hemisphere that think Christmas in July  feels "odd"... welcome to my world, lol.  When we celebrate "Christmas in July" (my son has a big party on the last weekend in July every year) we take the opportunity to have traditional hot food and mulled wine - not to say we don't love the crayfish (rock lobster), prawns and crisp white wine we have on Christmas day proper :-))  The Christmas cards I'm showing today were in fact made for Christmas 2013 - I wasn't going to share them, (they're very basic) then I thought about the "in July" thing and decided why not?!

All three cards use images from Bugaboo... I find them a fabulous source of images to colour in a hurry... and with a sense of humour (which I like in a Christmas card, as the rest of the season feels a bit like you're playing for Sheep Stations, lol)  The first one is Stella Christmas - Fruitcake, coloured with Copics with Gloss on the "fruit" and glasses, Stickles on the ornaments and iridescent embossing powder on the fur trim on the hat.  The red card is from my stash, the gold stickers around the edge of the image panel are also from my stash.

The second card uses Merry Christmas - Tree. coloured with Copics, Gloss on the ornaments and Stickles on the stars.  The green mat behind the image is from my stash too, again edged with gold stickers - I have a gazillion of these things in my stash, it's nice to get some used!

The third card is covered in paper from a Kaisercraft's pad - can't remember the name, so I'm entering Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge - more of the red card as a mat for the image panel; the image is JJ Christmas Cheer - On Blitzen! ain't she sassy? lol  Moving Along With The Times says Girls Just Want to Have Fun, so JJ's IN! and  Crafty Creations has Let's Party, so (hic) in there too.  Sweet  Stampin' has a Christmas in July challenge... we're in! 

Once again I've coloured with Copics, Gloss on the glass, bubbles and JJ's glasses, Stickles on the headband and Sparkly Fluff on her tummy detail and tail.  Christmas Stampin' All Year Long has a recipe challenge; 2 CS, 1 Image, 2 Embellishments, 1 Sentiment - I hope coloured cardstock and patterned card count as 2CS and "hic" counts as a sentiment :-))  I'll understand if it's too much of a stretch tho', lol

The polka dot ribbon from my stash, actually we got about a hundred metres of polka dot ribbon when we were in Malaysia a few years ago, it's some of that :-)  Jingle Belles wants us to use something from our stash more than a year old, not a problem.... EVAH!  The embellishment in the centre of the bow came from ebay. 

That's it!! I told you they were very basic cards, still I'm sure they qualify for the following challenges: Bearly Mine Challenges has Let's Go Digital (no challenge at all for me!) and Through the Craftroom Door, Aud Sentiments and Charisma Cards have Anything Goes themes.

I'll be back in a few days with another offering, until then Happy Crafting, Donna

Summer Fun

Well it's not Summer here, and I haven't been having a great deal of Fun... but that's the theme of the new Challenge starting today at Di's Digis Challenge Blog, so I'm going with it :-)  BTW, this is a loooongggg post!

The time has so got away from me that it was Thursday midnight before I remembered that the challenge was starting today... didn't leave me a whole lot of time but there's always enough time for an easel card I reckon, lol.  Luckily this image "Butterfly Fairy", available here, was sitting printed and ready to colour so she's "it"!  Allsorts Challenges has Fairies and Crafty Creations has Things With Wings for their challenge, so I'm entering there.

Bearly Mine Challenges wants us to go digital, easy peasy, and Delightful Challenges wants us to use our Favourite Things, that would be digital images and nice fresh papers ... ooh, and Copics; which I coloured with, adding lashings of Ranger Bridal Tinsel embossing powder to her wings - and to the little butterfly that I painstakingly cut an extra wing for to give extra dimension... and it hardly shows, lol. Corrosive Challenge wants us to use our Favourite Colouring Medium (Copics) so I'm in while Hobbycutz and Sweet Stampin' want to see Pink, so in there too :-)  
The papers are from Kaisercraft's Fine and Sunny collection, nice and Summery, he he; I'm entering  Little Red Wagon, My Mums Craft Shop and Crafty Little Fairies Summer Challenges as well as Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge.  
The white mats are cut with Spellbinders Floral Ovals, using glittered cardstock, the blue cardstock is from my stash.
I followed the fab sketch from Tuesday Morning Sketches, and paper pieced and popped up on foam dots the clouds in the top right corner to fit with the sketch, sorta kinda, lol.  I added Stickles to the one cloud, it's nearly the same as the EP. Bunny Zoes Crafts want to see our Layers, here's mine :-)   
The flowers are from the Ribbon Girl and Mulberry Crafts, the organza ribbon is from my stash, I smothered a piece of Card Candi in Stickles and added it to the centre. Divas by Design, Paper Crafting Journey  and Craft Your Passion have Ribbons and/or Flowers challenges so I'm entering them.
The inside uses more of the Fine and Sunny paper and the strip at the top was one of the die cuts that came in the pad. The sentiment is computer generated, if you'd like it grab it here or from my freebies page, don't forget to click on it to open before downloading to give a better version :-)
Tuesday Throwdown, Paper Creator Crafts, That Craft Place, Through the Craftroom Door, Papertake Weekly, Aud Sentiments and Catch The Bug all have Anything Goes Challenges running so I'm entering them too.
That's it for today's card, check out the rest of the Design Team's work, fab as always, and I hope you get to join in the challenge with a great prize from the Cutting Café 
I seriously promise to be back soon with one of the cards from my drafts - though I have made my first crossover card and I'm so pleased with it that it may jump the queue, lol

Talking of Crossovers, one of the things that has taken up my time, along with continuing health issues, (sick babies not just me, lol) and it being the end of the Financial Year (every Bookkeeper's stressful time) is MY NEW CAR. Here's a "few" pics taken at the car yard before the plates ... oh, and the sidesteps - I am short and the car is not, lol - were put on

Now, I should say at this point, that as mentioned in a post some time ago, new car not my idea!  Hubby has been angling for a new car for me (he got one in May!) for two YEARS.  Mine was 10 years old, but only has 77000 km on the clock, and is immaculate; it sits sad and neglected pending sale on our spare driveway, poor thing.  I've got to say, the new one is pretty spiff.  

This is my first ever new car, it has all the fruit; leather interior,  panaromic sunroof, Sat Nav, Blue Tooth  and so on... all I've got to do is learn how to use it all, lol!  and it's a dream to drive.  I am, despite myself EXCITED!!  We got a 7 seater so we can take the family out with us - but as the booster seats have to go in the middle row, it's short straws for the third row, lol.  It's a toss up between the short (my folks) who fit better and the fit (my sons and DIL) who can actually get in easier!!  We haven't even got baby seats yet, so no rush for straws, lol.

That's 10 km on the clock... just over 5 miles!!!

How lucky am I... and maybe now I won't be getting dragged around car yards every weekend, lol
Anyway, I really will be back in a few days, until then Happy Crafting, Donna