Have a Heart

New challenge starting today over at Di's Digis Challenge Blog... we want you to include at least one heart on your creation.  Now, I do like to be thorough... so I've added "more" than one... try about a gazillion, lol.  I made a card for my Mum and Dad's Anniversary next Tuesday... their 64th!  I made an easel card because both of them LOVE easel cards, as do I, sweet :-)

The image is "Celebration Moments" available here.  I coloured with Copics, adding some extra shading with Prismacolor pencils, adding some Glossy Accents to the champagne glasses (pink champagne... of course!!) and the bubbles. Papertake Weekly has a Take Your Pick challenge, I'm picking Warm Colours and Fancy Folds 
 
The papers are all digital - a scrapbooking kit called Glitterati Cupid from Just Betsy, it was one of the very first digi kits I bought when I started card making, as the image is new I'm entering the Something Old Something New challenge at Crafty Creations and the Something New challenges at Top Tip Tuesday and Crafty Calendar  
You can see some of the "gazillion" hearts I've added in this close up of the paper used on the horizontal strip.  I punched a border for that strip using a Martha Stewart Doily Hearts punch... I've kept the little hearts that came out and I'm going to make a shaker card using them... one day, lol.  Bunny Zoes Crafts has a Hearts challenge so I'm entering there, Pile It On has Hearts and/or Flowers so in there too, while Little Miss Muffet, That Craft Place and Sweet  Stampin' have Love or Valentine's challenge so I'm entering them as well.  
I used ruby red cardstock from my stash, As You Like It want to know if we prefer Matt or Shiny card/paper... I like Matt as there's a much bigger range of colours, I like the image to "shine" and it's easy enough to add sparkle with embellies :-) I do use pearl paper... and sparkle sometimes, but usually matt.  Oh and I'll be entering Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge as the base of my card is covered in patterned paper!

I added some faux stitching using gel pens.  I followed the sketch from Moving Along With The Times, you can see the "following" better in this picture of the card closed :-))  The sentiment is a Kaisercraft stamp, the ink is Versamark, the pearl hearts are from my stash.  Aud Sentiments wants to see a Valentine's or Love sentiment, I hope an Anniversary is "Love" enough :-) 
On the "inside" of the card, I added a stopper to the centre of the horizontal strip by cutting a cardstock heart with an Mpress Heart die then gluing on a pink (it was white until I Copic-ed it!) resin heart - works a treat
The Paper Shelter and Winter Wonderland have "Lots of Layers" challenges running (and Winter Wonderland is in it's non Christmas phase) so I'm in.  Craft Your Passion, Simon Says Challenge, Paper Creator Crafts, Inky Chicks, Art by Miran, Outlawz Friday Colouring Challenge and Through the Craftroom Door all have Anything Goes challenges running so I'm entering them.
That's it for today's card, hop over to Di's Digis Challenge Blog and check out the rest of the team's work - hope you get a chance to enter the challenge too; there's a great prize on offer from Jaded Blossom Stamps, and if you use one Di's images you go into an extra draw with a prize of a couple of digis, woo hoo!!
I'll be back in a few days - hopefully!  We are going to redeem a voucher tomorrow that my hubby got for his 60th birthday... nine months ago!  It's for a joy flight in a Tiger Moth... he's torn between being excited and terrified (he doesn't even "do" rollercoasters - he used to 'watch the bags' while I took the kids on fair rides!) I'll let you know how he goes.  Mind you we have to ring first thing because they don't fly in thunderstorms and - even though we are in the middle of summer and have had only 8mm (1/3") of rain in the last two MONTHS, you guessed it, there's a thunderstorm forecast tomorrow!  Sigh.
Until next time, Happy Crafting, Donna :-)

With More Sympathy for Sid

I was going through the cards in my Drafts folder earlier and found this one... it was the Sympathy card I made for my Mum and Dad to give to my Aunty when my dear Uncle Sid died... that was in September 2013!  I figured as this was the oldest card in my drafts it should be the first one to see daylight!

To make up for my tardiness in getting it "blogged" I've included loads of pics... I always take this many but usually manage to restrict myself to just a few - not this time!
I actually loved this card - the papers and cardstock were all such good quality - bought, as are all my "specialty" papers, in Starfish Lane.  The textures are gorgeous, I used pearl card as the base and gold foil for the matting.  The background layer was very fine paper with an oriental style pattern on it, I embossed that with a folder I just had to have... and have used just this once I think!  It's a Sizzix folder and I had to buy it in the Hello Friend set as it's discontinued as a stand alone product.... but that's okay - more folders for me :-)  The Crazy Challenge theme this time around is Embossing... I have this type, "dry" embossing and heat embossing too so I'm definitely IN!  The folder was new (still is, haven't used it since!) and the image is new too so I'm entering the "Something New" challenge at Top Tip Tuesday  and Crafty Calendar.  Crafty Creations has a Something Old Something New challenge... the gold flatbacks are well and truly from my stash, so I'm entering there too.
The next layer up is one of the Pebble range of papers, card really... very heavy.  It takes on a different hue depending on the angle you view it, love it!  It is a bit hard to get a decent "clean" edge on it when you cut it, I always end up trimming it by hand - so it's not for quick cards, for sure.  The green layer is handmade paper, again it cuts a little "fluffy" but a sharp blade does help.  It has a nice texture and the gold sort of wash through it is really nice too.  The Paper Shelter has a "Lots of Layers" challenge, I've used the "at least three" required so I'm entering there. 

The image is from Delicious Doodles, Teri has had to close her shop but you can still get her images from Cardmaking Downloads... I'm not sure if all of them (including this one) are available, I'm scared to go and check as it'll cost me a fortune; I'm just the gal who can't say "no", lol.  I coloured the image with Prismacolor pencils, I like the effect you get on textured (this is linen) paper.  I embossed around the edge of the image panel, cut with Spellbinders Labels Four, and added some extra texture to the centre of the flowers too with Old Gold EP.  I added a couple of gold flatbacks to the flowers and the corners of the green panel and the top right edge of the background.  The sentiment was computer generated.  
I bought loads of chipboard laser cuts from Make It Crafty before Zoe decided not to stock them anymore... that's where the dragonfly came from.  I embossed it with the gold EP then decided it still looked a bit flat, so embossed it's body again with Midnight Sparkle EP... very glittery IRL, but being dark not too garish for the "theme" of the card!  Bit fiddly holding it to heat the EP though, and HOT!!

When I made this card I used one of the Papertake Weekly sketches with the thought in the back of my mind that I could enter one of their regular "Sketchie Free For All" challenges; as it happens this week they have a "Take Your Pick" challenge so I'm picking "Sketch" and using sketch number 68, albeit flipped horizontally.  I used the same sketch for the inside of the card... but then I usually do, lol  The sentiment on the inside is computer generated too.  I inked around the edge of the jotting panel in the rose colour to tie it in to the front better.
Art by Miran, Paper Creator Crafts, Inky Chicks, Craft Your Passion and Through the Craftroom Door all have Anything Goes challenges so I'll be entering them.
Well that's it for Sid's card, my next "dragged from the drafts" card will at least be from 2014!!  There have been so many "events", all with their own card, lol.  In the meantime I'll be back on Saturday with my Di's Digis DT card.... as yet another fortnight has flown by!  Until then Happy Crafting, Donna

Get Yer Sunnies On, We're Set To Sparkle!

As always the time has FLOWN by and it's time to start a new challenge at Di's Digis Challenge... the theme this time is "Sparkle"; as you can see by my offering, I took the brief pretty seriously - like I said, get yer sunnies on :-)

Actually, you may not need the sunnies... sparkle is SO hard to photograph - you can see where the sparkle IS in this pic, but IRL it'll have your eye out, lol. Card Mania Challenges has Make It Sparkle and Corrosive Challenge has Shiny and/or New as their theme, so I'm entering there... my paper is new, as is the image so I'm entering the Papertake Weekly, OSAAT, Crafty Calendar and Fab'n'funky Challenges which all have "New" themes.

I've made an easel card, my favourite fold, I like it as it's a bit "different" than most store bought cards... and you get to show off some of the "inside" of the card without opening it!  I scored the card in the "wrong" place resulting in this card laying down a bit further than usual. The sketch from Sketch Saturday lends itself to this sort of card... with the image protruding above the fold.  

The image is Ballerina Izzy, you can find her here.  I've coloured with Copics, adding some Prismacolor shading and oodles of Stickles to the dress and and the centre of the flowers.

I used mustard cardstock from Kaisercraft for the first layer of matting, and the blue SUPER glittery card is from Merci.  Crafty Creations has "The Blues" as their challenge, so I'm entering there.  The paisley patterned paper is from my favourite "specialty" paper store, Starfish Lane - it's gorgeous IRL. The blue mat was cut with the biggest die from the Mpress Petal Frame set, I used the die as a template to cut the mustard mat.  The leafy flourish is Memory Box Lavish Branch, I gave it a coat of Glossy Accents, to add some more "spaklyness", and some rhinestones to that to add some more!  The Paper Shelter and Moving Along With The Times have Dies and Punches challenges, so I'm entering them.

The inside of the card is finished with another Lavish Branch.  I added some rhinestones to the corners of the horizontal panels... using the ones on the inside/base as a stop for the front/top.. whatever you call the "easel" bit!  The sentiment is computer generated.

Through the Craftroom Door, Paper Creator Crafts, Art by Miran, Inky Chicks, Little Miss Muffet and Aud Sentiments all have Anything Goes Challenges running so I'm entering those too.

That's it for today's card, hope you can pop over to the Challenge Blog and check out the rest of the tam's inspiration... hope you get to enter the challenge too, there's a great prize on offer from Crafty Ribbons... and if you use an image from Di's Digis you go in the draw for an extra prize, yeehaw!!

I absolutely WILL be back in the next few days with a card from my drafts... I'm adding to it and need to MAKE time to get some blogged.  I have been blogging; I've been very "active" on the Bonesmart blog, seeking and hopefully providing some support for the "issues" of Total Hip Replacement... I haven't quite had the dream run home I was hoping for; nothing terminal, "just" tendinitis - pretty uncomfortable and slooooooow to respond.  Enough whinging, I'll be back soon... with a card!  Until then Happy Crafting, Donna

S'Winter

Firstly.. Happy New Year!!  I hope that 2015 brings all that you wish for.

My darling little grandson doesn't say much (his darling twin sister says plenty for both of them, lol) he's been desperate to get in our pool - pressing his face up against the glass fence saying "pool" over and over... when we finally went in the pool a few weeks ago the water hadn't had time to heat up that much and a soft breeze was blowing, it was cool.  He got in as fast as he could and INSTANTLY said "s'cold"... over and over, til we got him out and dried off!!  It was funny, but I guess you had to be there :-)) 
Anyway, I was thinking about this when the challenge starting today at Di's Digis Challenge Blog came up... the theme is simply "Winter", and I thought "s'cold".  The thing is we don't really "do" winters here, they're very mild, but for some reason it's still acceptable to use snowy winter scenes on our Christmas cards (though Christmas falls in Summer, when s'hot, lol)  So for my "winter" card I've made a "Christmas" card with a winter scene on it.

The image I've used is Warm Hooliday Wishes available here.  I've coloured with Copics, adding lashings of Bridal Tinsel EP to the snow... not that it shows - at ALL!  Outlawz Friday Colouring Challenge has Birds as their challenge theme, owls are definitely birds :-))
I've used papers from Kaisercraft's December 25th pad and matted with green card from my stash.  I embossed white paper with the EP before cutting out the Joy Craft Noor Design Snowflake, the centre embellie is adhesive, it's from my stash too.  The holly is cut with a Cottage Cutz die I bought for Christmas 2013... this is the first time I've used it, Sweet  Stampin', want to see "new"... this is new even though I've had it a year, so I'm in!  The red pearl holly berries are from my stash as well - yeehaw, I've made a TINY dent in my stash, lol
I used the sketch from the Digi Sketch Challenge, they have the optional theme of "snowflakes" so I have that covered too :-)

I followed the sketch for the inside of the card too... more or less... adding a tiny computer generated sentiment to the centre of the Marianne Design snowflake (again it's very glttery with Bridal Tinsel EP, again you can't see it, lol) cut with one of the smallest of my LifestyleCrafts Nesting Circle Dies, I added some red gel pen dots to  add some detail....that's it!
One of the reasons I decided to make a Christmas card is that I ended up running out of time this year... as in last year, as in 2014 (!)... and had to resort to sending some "bought" cards, and more embarrassingly, as she knows I make cards, giving a bought card to my neighbour of 20+ years - I am determined not to have that happen again, so my stash is commenced, lol.
That's it for today, hope you get a chance to enter the challenge, there's a great prize on offer from Magnolia-licious, and an extra prize if you use one of Di's fab images too.  Pop over to the challenge blog and check out the rest of the team's inspiration...  s'cool :-)) 
I'd like to enter my card in these challenges as well, as those already listed - Through the Craftroom Door, Crafty Hazlenuts Christmas Challenge, Art by Miran,  Pile It On, Papertake Weekly, Divas by Design, Simon Says Challenge, That Craft Place, Sparkles Monthly Challenge, The Crazy Challenge and Addicted to  Stamps; they're all Anything Goes type themes
I hope to be back in a few days, we are still in holiday mode though, so I'm afraid if it comes down to doing some craft or going out to lunch, gold class movies (you know with recliner seats and wine!), having a massage and doing some clothes shopping with hubby (never a happy captive, but very compliant on this occassion) like yesterday or spending a glorious (30 degrees, soft breeze) day at the fabulous Perth Zoo with both our sons, our DIL and the twinnies including delish lunch, like we did today, then.... I'm outta here, I'll craft later babes
Until next time, Happy Crafting, Donna