Cute and Cuddly at Di's Digis

Well here we are again... another fortnight's FLOWN by and it's time for a new challenge at Di's Digis.  The theme this time around is Cute and Cuddly, too easy!!  
My hubby's cousin, the one we went to see recently in New Zealand, and his wife had no grandchildren until last week... and they have another TWO on the way due in two and four weeks, phew!  When I saw this cuter than cute image with three babies in the pram I knew it was PERFECT for a "Congratulations" card for them.  I am superstitious so it won't be getting sent until bubs number three has arrived, but I'm happy to share it here :-)

The oh-so-cute image is called Nursery Mice, you can get it here.  I coloured with Copics and just a touch of Prismacolor pencils, as usual, lol.  I inked the clouds in with some Kaiser ink and a homemade stencil... that smudge of golden yellow on the top right is the sun... it looks heaps better IRL, honest!
There's no glitter or gloss on the card at all... I wanted the gold detail on the paper (from Kaisercraft's Sweet Nothings collection) and matting to literally shine; and it fits better with the pastel tones I think (well it's pastel for ME, lol)  Baby one is a boy so I was happy to add the blue, Baby number three is a boy too... but I'm not sure if Baby #2 is a boy or a girl... if it turns out to be a girl I'll have to work some pink into the card somewhere

I'm really loving this cleaner look for my cards I've been favouring recently... actually it's feast or famine for me - CAS or the box cards I've got a couple of in my drafts - I don't think I've quite nailed the look I want yet, but I am getting closer :-))  
I used my Stitched Hills border dies again for the patterned paper and the gold foil "edge", the strip of cream ribbon with gold detail is from my stash, and the Congratulations is a Sizzix die
The sentiment on the inside is just something I made up on the computer, the couple involved have a great sense of humour, they'll "get it" 
Anyway that's it... another good thing about the CAS style; there's not a lot of detail to describe, lol.
Hope you get a chance to pop over to the challenge blog and check out the rest of the Cuteness... and a chance to join in the challenge too.  Great prize on offer as always, this time it's from Taylored Expressions... and as always if you use one of Di's images you go in an extra draw with an extra prize, woohoo!!
I WILL be back in a few days, I've still got (an ever increasing pile) stuff from last Christmas and before in my Drafts that I just HAVE to get out... and it's my son's birthday on Tuesday which means another card, another cake to add to those drafts - and my DIL's birthday in two weeks, ditto! 
In the meantime I'd like to enter THIS card in the following challenges: 
Southern Gals Challenge Use Patterned Paper

Corrosive Challenge Add a Sentiment (on the front)  
Through the Craftroom Door Anything Goes
Crafting With Attitude Anything Goes

Creative Fingers Anything Goes

Simply Papercrafts Anything Goes

Craft Your Passion Anything Goes

Brown Sugar Challenge Anything Goes

Art by Miran Anything Goes

Li'l Patch of Crafty Friends Anything Goes 
Until next time, Happy Crafting, Donna

Tic Tac Toe-tally Challenge Time

Yep, it's that time of the fortnight again... time for a new challenge at Di's Digis Challenge blog; this time around we have a Tic Tac Toe or Bingo Board.  I made a Christmas card, I read somewhere that it's only 7 weeks until Christmas, 'bout time I got serious about the card making :-) I made an easel card, nothing unusual in that, but at least this one is round for a change

I used one of Di's newer digis.. this is Jolly Reindeer Cheers, you can get him here... isn't he the cutest??!!  
I thought the oval die cut on the circular card looked like a stripy Christmas ornament, the main reason I used it though was because I wanted to show the "fold" of the easel and have the image stand out more... this is how it looks set up
I  coloured with Copics and, instead of adding Stickles and Glossy Accents as I usually do, I heat  embossed the fur on his cap with a white glitter EP I mixed myself (oh so technical; clear EP and white glitter, lol) and Ranger Clear on his nose and the ornaments... it is a more subtle finish than the "liquids" I usually use, but it looks quite nice :-)
Ooh, now for that all-important Tic Tac Toe Board... I used the line "Die Cut/Digi Image/Hand Coloring" or was it "Fancy Fold/Hand Coloring/Sentiment", lol

The snowy sky background I made myself in Photoshop, feel free to grab it... I'll have it on my Freebies Page too if you want to come back later... I have it in two shades and is 15cm or 6" square so prints up to quite a good size 
I used Lifestyle Crafts Circle Dies to cut the card and DP (which is from Basic Grey) and a Spellbinders Oval Floral Die (not to be confused with Spellbinders Decorative Elements Floral Oval die for the image mat ... really?? couldn't come up with a different name Spellbinders, geez!)  The plain red oval is from that set too but the gold mat was cut free hand as was the image panel. Here's a pic from the back
Actually I have half the set of these Oval Florals... I was in my LSS and trying to decide whether to get the set, coz they're not cheap, and I only use the bigger dies in all my sets and hate the waste; another lady was pondering the same set of dies, I mentioned (coz I'll talk to anyone, anywhere, lol) that I only want the big ones, she laughed and said I only want the small ones, I suggested we buy one set between us, she smiled and we left it at that... then when I was paying she approached me asked me if I was serious and we did exactly that; both left happy and even the shop owner was pleased as neither of us would have bought a set so one sale is better than none! 
I used a nice cream pearl card for the mat, it embossed beautifully too.

I used another Spellbinders die on the inside, it's one of the Banners set that has sat unused in my craft room for well over a year, oops! The embossing on these dies is what makes them a stand out... I cut a mat for the sentiment as it just didn't look finished without one.
The (digi) sentiment is from Pink Petticoat's Traditional Christmas Greetings set, the gold beaded thread and gold flatbacks are from my stash.
Well, phew, that's it.  If you made it this far, WELL DONE... I did manage to fill a page with info on what is a VERY basic card, but hey ho :-)  Hope you get a chance to check out the rest of the team's inspiration... and a chance to enter the challenge too of course, great prize on offer as always, and there's extra opportunities if you use one of Di's cute images... a digi from her webstore or one of the Candibean stamps if rubber's your thing ;-)

I'm entering my card in the following challenges 

Crafty Creations Colourful

Fab'n'funky Challenges Die Cuts and/or Punches

Cute As A Button Winter
Pink Gem Christmas Critters

Sweet Stampin' Christmas Christmas Travel (Reindeers = Christmas travel, hope so!)
Graphit Colour Challenge Christmas Sparkle 

Great Impressions Bling on the Holidays

Pile It On Anything But Square or Rectangle
Wags n Whiskers Not a Square
CCEE Stampers Circles (apart from 

Crafty Hazlelnut's Christmas Extra Challenge Anything Goes

Craft Your Passion Anything Goes

Li'l Patch of Crafty Friends Anything Goes

Through the Craftroom Door Anything Goes

Crafting With Friends Anything Goes

Creative Fingers Anything Goes

Art by Miran Anything Goes

Little Miss Muffet Anything Goes

Papertake Weekly Anything Goes

I'll be back soon.  Until then, Happy Crafting, Donna

Time for a New Challenge at Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge

Yup, it's the first of the month... time for a new challenge at Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge... you know the one where all you have to do is use Patterned Paper on your project - too easy!!  
I made a card for my friend Jenny who turned 50 - she loved it, I hope you do too. 

 It's a stair step card, well I think that's what the fold is called, which looks like a "normal" square card on the front - the "fancy" bit's inside; here's the great template and tutorial I followed and here's a pic of that all important inside before I go into detail

The papers are all from Kaisercraft's Hey Birdie collection, the green detail on the leaves is foiled, it really gives it a lift that's hard to see in the pic :-)

I've used an image by Teri Sherman I've had for a while called Beautiful Blossom... I bought it from Delicious Doodles, before the stoopid EU laws that shouldn't affect me, living in Australia shut down that and many more of my favourite digi stores - fortunately you can now get Delicious Doodles images in Teri's Etsy shop here.  
It's printed on Versa Linen card, giving a nice texture.  I rounded two of the corners on all of the panels I used, inside and out using a 1" corner rounder.
I coloured, as usual with Copics and Prismacolor pencils, added glitter to the butterflies, her nails and some Viva Liquid Pearls to her bracelet.
I used brown cardstock as the base for the card and pink cardstock for the matting, embossing the small squares on the steps with Cuttlebug's Swiss Dots embossing folder and inking the edges with some brown ink.
The "Happy" and "Birthday are Spellbinders dies, cut in brown cardstock then covered (carefully!) with Glossy Accents, the "5" and "0" are wood painted with Acrylic paint then lashings of Gloss - I just cut the "th" from the middle of another "birthday" die cut :-)
The ribbon on the front is from my stash, the pink scroll underneath is Memory Box's Ivy Tendril die.  
I used a couple more of the Ivy Tendrils in brown to the inside of the card.  The pearl and rhinestone embellie on the front was from ebay, the gold flatbacks are from my stash.
That's it for the workings of this card... I thought it was a good card to use for a Patterned Paper Challenge with the amount of patterned paper on it! - but you don't have to use anything LIKE as much pp as I have, you just need to have SOME on your project to join in.
Pop over to the blog, check out the rest of the team's work and join in, great prize on offer and always such an easy theme!
I'd like to enter my "stair step or whatever the fold's called" card in the following challenges:

Crafty Creations Colourful 
As You Like It  Pastels or Brights and why (I like pastels, but end up "Bright", lol)

Cuttlebug Mania Trees

Moving Along With The Times Leaves and/or Trees (Both!)

Cute Card Thursday Sparkles

Polkadoodles Sparkle, bling or glitter

Sparkles Monthly Challenge Pearls or Lace (Pearls on embellie, and gold flatback "pearls")

Addicted to  Stamps Things with Wings (Butterfly)

Papertake Weekly Take Your Pick (product: Score Board)

Seize the Birthday Birthday

Aud Sentiments Birthday Sentiment

Craft Your Passion Anything Goes

Through the Craftroom Door Anything Goes

Simon Says Challenge Anything Goes

Art by Miran Anything Goes

Li'l Patch of Crafty Friends Anything Goes
Until next time (still got to get something out of my drafts folder!!) Happy Crafting, Donna