Yup, it's that time again... time for a new challenge at Di's
Digis Challenge Blog... what an easy theme we have this time
around; "Use a Sentiment" - told ya, EASY :-)) I made a card for my
Mum's birthday, here it is!
My
Mum likes a CAS sort of look, you don't really get a lot more CAS than
this, it does let the cuter than cute image (Cherry Cake Mice, available
at here) stand out, and means my new Memory Box Happy Birthday die doesn't get lost either, so all good :-)
The
image is coloured with Copics and Prismacolor pencils - and LASHINGS of
Ranger's Glossy Accents on the cherries. I used a punch (Fiskars I
think) for the flower and cut the back off a pearl button for the
centre. My Mum got me the button she likes to see her finds used, so she's happy to get it back!The background paper is a tissue type, with raised metallic dots, I stuck it to the white card the base is made of,
I've used the same paper backed up with different colours and it's
amazing how different the look is then. The corrugated foil card was in
fact silver, I coloured it to match one of the colours of the dots with
a RV Copic... it was a bit too bright to I "washed" it off with some
alcohol - it looks okay IRL, the photo has grabbed the faults - seems to
be the case always doesn't it?
I
embossed some blue pearl paper with Cuttlebug's Swiss Dots folder, then
cut the largest mat from it with a Lifestyle Crafts Circle die... the
increments are quite small between each of these dies (there's 21 in the
set) so you can get quite a small mat - like the pink mat is to the
image mat or miss an increment and get a slightly bigger difference like
between the blue and pink mats.
I've finished the inside of the card with the same layout and elements as the front... as usual, lol.
That's
it! Hope you get time to pop over to the Challenge blog and check out
the rest of the team's work, if you get a chance enter the challenge..
great prize on offer as always - this time from Craftin' Desert Divas, and as always if you use one of Di's cute images you go into an extra draw, woohoo!!
I'd like to enter my little card (not that little actually... it's 18cm or 7" square, lol) in the following challenges
As You Like It Favourite
Layout and Why (I like any "basic" layout... and I SO prefer symmetry, lol)
Art by Miran Anything Goes
Outlawz Friday Colouring Challenge Anything Goes
Simon Says Challenge Anything Goes
Through
the Craftroom Door Anything Goes
Hiding in My Craftfroom Freestyle
On
a personal note, I'd like to thank all you kind people that left
messages of support for our recent bereavement, cyber hugs are hugs just
the same and I really appreciate that you took the time to leave some
love.
Bradley's
funeral was on Monday, it was ... okay. It really hit home the impact
his lifestyle has had: The saddest thing, and most telling thing about
the day was that ONLY family attended, there's plenty of us (it went out
as far as second cousins, so was well attended) but not one friend was
there. No-one, not even the head of the hostel he was living in. It
proves, as if proof were ever needed, that when you're a drug addict (or
even an ex addict, like Brad) you don't have friends.... not in the
real sense. At best you are around people who are in the same situation
as you. Beyond sad.
I'm glad to be moving on.
Anyway that's it for today, I'll be back on Tuesday with another DT make, until then Happy Crafting, Donna
Yup, another fortnight has come and gone... it's time for a new challenge at Di's
Digis Challenge Blog; the theme we've got this time around is sure to prove popular - we would like to see your creations with Ribbon, Lace or Twine, or all three if you want, lol, on. I've used a fancy lacy ribbon
I know, I know... it's another one of Di's mice images... I just can't resist them; they're SO cute!! This one is called Cocktail Mice and you can get it here. I coloured with Copics... didn't get time to add the usual "detail" with Prismacolor pencils... I actually made another card for this challenge, one for my Mum's birthday, and it wasn't until after it was finished, photographed and given that I realised it didn't have any ribbon lace OR twine on it; so it was back to the drawing board - but don't worry you'll be seeing that one soon and YUP, it's more mice!!
The background paper is a flocked sheet from Kaisercraft's Chapter One collection. I made the card 21cm wide (don't know the name of that size, but it fits an envelope that I bought a pack of some time ago so it must be a standard size!) I mounted the DP on silver board and just added the net type ribbon, which has embroidery and sequins on it, as a strip down the side. I've taken a pic of the ribbon just to prove it IS ribbon, lol
It looks so much ni
cer IRL, as do most embellies I suppose - it's really quite elegant.
I cut the image panel with the largest Spellbinders Wonky Squares Nestabilities, then cut the mat by drawing around the edge of the die and cutting freehand. I inked around the outside edge of the image mat before removing it from the die - it gives a nice clean edge.
I added loads of Glossy Accents to this one; the cherry, strawberries, olives and glass all got a good slathering, lol. I added some Icicle Stickles to the umbrella for good measure!
The sentiment is computer generated, I embossed some black card with home made glitter EP to use as a mat, which I then mounted on Silver card - of course you can hardly see the glitter on the photo, sigh. I added black pearls from my stash, a silver strip to finish the join between the ribbon and the background paper and cut one of the flower motifs out of the ribbon and added that to the corner of the image panel.
I followed the same layout for the inside of the card, only this time I used the cut out centre from some silver card as a start and cut a narrow frame that goes on TOP of the jotting panel that was cut freehand... not particularly well, it gets covered by the frame anyway so hey ho!!
That's it for today's card. I hope you get a chance to enter the challenge; like I said it should be a popular one, too easy! Great prize on offer too, as always, and if you use one of Di's images (it doesn't HAVE to be one of her meeces, that's just ME, lol) you go into an extra draw with it's very own prize.
I'd like to enter the following challenges with my card:
Simon Says Challenge Food and/or Drink (Cocktails have both, lol)
Pile It On Summer or Winter (I actually prefer winter... well Aussie winter! but nothing says "Summer" like a Midori cocktail!)
Without Words Fruit and/or veg (Strawberries, Cherry and Olives... enough??)
As You Like It Favourite
two embellishments and Why (Pearls and die cuts, pearls because they give a nice finish, and die cuts because they add interest and look professional)
Paper Creator Crafts Dies or Punches (Wonky Squares dies)
Seize the Birthday Birthday (I didn't use the "Anything That Flies" option... but after that interesting green concoction those meeces will probably BE flyin'!!)
OSAAT Anything Goes with Sweet Treats
I hope to be back soon - definitely sooner than I've managed this time! The thing is my life still is tumultuous, I desperately want it to calm down but it's contriving against me.
The latest thing to rock our world is that my husband's nephew Brad (his sister's son) was found dead in his room yesterday. He was not a child... 45 years old, and he has had issues with alcohol and substance abuse - it doesn't seem to be an overdose that has taken him... we think the lifestyle has caught up with him. Thinking this was inevitable and it happening are proving to be completely different things, I can't believe how sad I feel. His life has not been a happy one for some time, and it makes me so sad to compare where he ended up with my boys... we are lucky, and he was not
I've known him since he was 6 and he was such a sweet child... too sensitive for the family situation he found himself in. My sister in law has worked hard to get her life on track, sadly it's too late for at least three of her four children... they are suffering still from a poor start, though none as badly as Brad.
All I can think about is the last thing he said to me, which was when we saw him some months ago; after lunch with his mother and grandmother we gave him a lift back to the station, he thanked us as if we'd given him $1000 and said as he got out of the car "I love you Aunty Donna"... he was 45 years old and he sounded exactly like he did the first time he called me Aunty Donna in 1976, when I was 17 and had no nephews of my own - it made me feel very "next generation"... good when you're 17 :-))
We have to wait for a Post Mortem, which won't be until next week, then I suppose we'll be organizing his funeral; my Sister in Law has said she doesn't know how to do it and can't afford to pay for it. He will have a funeral, his father has not said if he will help... he "washed his hands" of his kids YEARS ago; if we have to pay for the lot we will, sweet Brad deserves a decent funeral at least
Until next time, Donna
Well time has flown AGAIN, and not in a good way AGAIN... but so I don't get a reputation for being a misery guts I'll leave it at that... until the end of the post at least, lol. It does mean that I haven't had a lot of Crafting Time, so today's card is doing "double duty" as my DT card for the challenges starting today at Di's Digis Challenge - where the theme is Monochromatic - and Crafty Hazelnut's monthly Patterned Paper challenge
I wonder if you can guess what colour I chose for my Monochromatic card, lol. I used papers from Kaisercraft's Lullaby collection, the white detail on the background paper is flocked - it feels really nice. I used one of the "sets" of stripes from the other patterned paper to paper piece the shelf, I added some shading "under" and on the ends of the shelf to emphasize the 3D effect
The cuter than cute image is called Animal Shelf and it's available here
for only $2.50. I coloured, as usual, with Copics and Prismacolor pencils, adding some Ranger Glossy Accents to the balloon and some Sakura Glaze pen to the noses. I inked around the image panel with Kaisercraft Orchid ink.
I used Papertake Weekly's Sketch #64 - I love symmetry :-) 
The lace is from my stash, as are the tiny buttons and pearls. The Baby Girl dies cuts are Spellbinders, as is the "Congratulations" on the inside of the card. I added a layer of Icicle Stickles to the die cuts... I was going to heat emboss them with Bridal Tinsel EP, but did that to one of the "spare" die cuts I'd made and they were a different shade of pink... so in the interests of matching... they got the Stickles treattment.
That's it for today's card. Really simple, best approach with a monochromatic card IMO, otherwise you spend (substitute "I spend") ages trying to match all the embellies.
Hope you get a chance to enter both Di's challenge and Hazel's... both have great prizes on offer - a nice paper pack from Hazel and Di has TWO sponsors; Crafters Companion UK and SVG Attic...also don't forget if you use one of Di's images - one of her digis or a Candibean stamp - you go into an extra draw with an additional prize of two digis. That cant' be bad can it?
Pop over to Di's Digis Challenge and Crafty Hazelnut's monthly Patterned Paper challenge and check out the rest of the DT's work... I'm sure you'll find it very inspiring :-)
I'll be entering my card in the following challenges:
As You Like It Fur or
Feathers (Fur… I love colourful birds, but fur is FURRY :-)
OSAAT Anything
Goes with Children
Art by Miran Anything Goes
Well I've managed to get this post out, bit later in the day than anticipated as we've been babysitting the kids again while their poor parents try and reassemble their house. They moved back in on Monday after staying the weekend with us (their nine weeks having turned to 14 weeks meant their "holiday house" was no longer available) but it's a long way from finished: The carpets got wrecked during removal, half have been replaced the rest come on the 12th August, the blinds also got wrecked during storage so they're being replaced not sure when, the main bathroom floor = wrecked during the plaster replacement fiasco, that's getting redone "whenever", the walls in the bathroom have to be redone, the spa same, the bench in the ensuite same.... on and on it goes. Stressful doesn't START to describe it. and 104 boxes to be sorted, they were stored by the removal company but some got damp, some got dusty (how you can manage both I've no idea!) so a lot of washing of linen's been going on there and here.
My chest infection (while not unusual, I'm asthmatic and do get one most winters, though not at all for the last couple of years) just won't go. It's been draining. I changed from Windows to Mac for my business, had the hard drive fail (after I'd uploaded and sorted all my data, of course) downloaded Office 2016 for Mac onto the new hard drive - disastrous at this stage, no functionality and crashing constantly, then couldn't get the old version back - I spent over 50 hours THIS WEEK, trying to resolve (mainly email) issues, finally got the clunky-by-comparison-to-Windows-but-OH-so-much-better-than-the-new-version of Office back on my machine, and access to all my contacts back. Let me tell you, when I just signed in to my laptop and they're pushing hard for me to take up Windows 10, I couldn't hit the "not now" button hard or fast enough
Everyone send a wish that things get boring for Donna, ta
Until next time, Happy Crafting, Donna
The
image is coloured with Copics and Prismacolor pencils - and LASHINGS of
Ranger's Glossy Accents on the cherries. I used a punch (Fiskars I
think) for the flower and cut the back off a pearl button for the
centre. My Mum got me the button she likes to see her finds used, so she's happy to get it back!The background paper is a tissue type, with raised metallic dots, I stuck it to the white card the base is made of,
I've used the same paper backed up with different colours and it's
amazing how different the look is then. The corrugated foil card was in
fact silver, I coloured it to match one of the colours of the dots with
a RV Copic... it was a bit too bright to I "washed" it off with some
alcohol - it looks okay IRL, the photo has grabbed the faults - seems to
be the case always doesn't it?
I
embossed some blue pearl paper with Cuttlebug's Swiss Dots folder, then
cut the largest mat from it with a Lifestyle Crafts Circle die... the
increments are quite small between each of these dies (there's 21 in the
set) so you can get quite a small mat - like the pink mat is to the
image mat or miss an increment and get a slightly bigger difference like
between the blue and pink mats.
