Sunday, December 20, 2015

Anything Christmas at Di's Digis... and I'm gutted!

The new challenge started over at Di's Digis Challenge Blog yesterday... and I didn't get a chance to publish my post; proving that I learned nothing last fortnight when I neglected to press "Publish" on my "not going to get caught out THIS time" scheduled post, ah well, all I can do is apologize to Di and the team for the delay; 'tis the season and all that.  
The reason I'm gutted is I've lost 3 Followers this week!! I don't know what I did to offend you guys, if you're reading this anyway - again all I can do is apologize.... "must  try harder"
Back to today's post... My "Anything Christmas" ended up being a card; I'm so short on Christmas cards some of my friends will be getting "bought" cards - those that love me will forgive me I'm sure :-)
The cuter than cute Santa cooking his steak and snags (sausages) on the barbie is just perfect for our Aussie Christmas... thanks Di for thinking of us Hot Christmas peeps :-))  He's called Barbeque Santa and you can get him here  I coloured the image with Copics and added lashings of gloss to the steak and sausages (that's one juicy steak, lol)
I followed the sketch from Bugaboo's Stella Says Sketch challenge, I've flipped it and the sentiment is not right down the bottom, but I did follow the sketch, honest :-))
I've used papers from Kaisercraft... the Christmas Carnival pad.  The curved panel at the top is cut from one of the sheets in the pad... it's great as it looks like I've spent ages cutting curved strips from different papers whereas I took about 30 seconds to follow one of the lines :-)  
The card base is green card, I added Spruce Stickles to the same card to make the mat for the image a bit more interesting.  You can see in this pic that I coloured Santa's boots with a combo of brown and Warm Greys... I like this better than just using Cool Greys as I think it looks more like leather, well it does to me, lol.
I added some Gold Stickles to the belt buckle and would normally add Ice Stickles to the fur trim... but I got distracted and forgot, lol.  Worked okay though.
I used the same layout for the inside of the card... it's how I roll, lol, adding red stickles to the red card for matting in place of the green as there was already enough green on the inside.  Another piece of the border print page at the top .. great value as I've still got enough for a card or two -from one piece of paper!
The twine is from my stash, well technically... I only bought it last week but it wasn't "bought for purpose" so "stash" and the snowflake is a wooden laser cut that I added some silver stickles to, and a red rhinestone to the centre.
The Ho Ho Ho are stickers... well they were ONE sticker that I cut into three bits :-)
That's it for today's card, I tend to keep my Christmas cards pretty simple, to be honest because I'm generally running out of time to get them all ready not because of some artistic "rule".
I'll be entering this card in the following challenges: 
Crafty Creations Happy Holidays
Gem of a Challenge Anything Christmas
Inky Chicks Merry Christmas
Sweet Stampin' Merry Christmas
Corrosive Challenge Merry Christmas
Jingle Belles Christmas
Hiding in my Craft Room Favourite HIMCR challenge (#228 Christmas Colours)
Pile It On Anything Christmas or Winter
OSAAT Anything Goes with the Colour Red
Sweet Stampin' Christmas Father Christmas
Little Miss Muffet Holiday Cheer
Without Words Feeling Festive
My Time to Craft Last Minute Makes
Creatalicious Challenges Something Old (paper) Something New (image)
Bunny Zoes Crafts Glitter/Sparkle
Sparkles Monthly Challenge Favourite Christmas Colours
As You Like It Favourite Christmas Colours and Why (I like "non traditional colours but I just can't use them... as soon as I see "Christmas" out comes "Red and Green", lol)
Craft Your Passion Anything Goes
Art by Miran Anything Goes
Polkadoodles Anything Goes
Tuesday Throwdown Anything Goes
Clear It Out Anything Goes
The Paper Shelter Anything Goes
Phew!!
Pop over to Di's Challenge Blog and check out the rest of the team's inspiration... worth the trip :-)   I hope you get a chance to enter the challenge too, great prize on offer as always - from the fabby Crafters Companion this time around - and (as always) if you use one of Di's gorgeous images, whether a Di's Digi or a Candibean rubber stamp you go into an extra draw for a further prize... with so many cute images to choose from why wouldn't you??
I'll try (though I have been trying, still lots going on here, more than just the Christmas thing) to get back in a few days and get the last of LAST year's Christmas cards blogged before the end of THIS year... maybe that's why  I dropped 3 Followers, I don't post often enough ?  Anyway, until then Happy Crafting, Donna 
Posted by at 21 comments:
Labels: , , ,

Saturday, December 05, 2015

When is a "Winter Holiday" a "Summer Holiday"?

Well as the title of this blog suggests not all things are equal for all people. The challenge starting today at Di's Digis has the theme "Winter Holiday"... now when most of the world thinks of a Winter Holiday they think of Christmas, here in Australia Christmas is in the height of summer; but as this cute image is PERFECT for "our" Christmas I decided to make a Christmas card ... and the "Holiday" can be the holiday from "Winter" that Santa (and his little penguin mate, lol) is having on that surfboard :-))
 

The image is called Surfing Santa and you can get it here.  I coloured with Copics, adding some extra shadows with Inktense pencils, Ranger's Glossy Accents to the water drops and HEAPS of Stickles to the fur trim and buckle - 
I've taken a pic in low light to at least TRY to show how much sparkle and shine it has... one day I'll work out how to photograph sparkle... then I'll patent it and make my fortune, rofl
I used the "Stella Says Sketch" this time, turning it at right angles.  The papers are from Kaisercraft, the baubles on the background paper have a gloss finish too - though of course you can't see it in the pics, sigh.  I cut the image panel with Nestabilities Labels 12, cutting the first mat from gold foil and the red mat freehand, the border at the bottom was cut with a couple of the dies from the Nestabilities Classic Borders set... I've had these for years and hardly ever use them.  I embellished them a little with some faux stitching in gold and some gold Stickle dots.... not that you can really see it, but it IS there, honest :-)

The sentiment is from Create with TLC, one of the many freebies Paulette has offered over the years; I coloured the "Jolly" with an Inktense pencil.  I cut it out with the smallest Nestabilities Labels 3 die, hand cutting the gold and red mats. The Card Candi is from my stash - I didn't even realize until I'd finished the card that I'd used different dies for the image and the sentiment, oh well, it looks okay.
I finished the inside of the card very simply... the only way to go with Christmas cards really, in the interest of getting the required amount readyin time!  What I did on this occasion was to make a red frame that was cut from the centre of the background panel on the front of the card, the square cut from the middle of THIS piece I used for the mats on the front... no waste at all!
I'd like to enter my card in the following challenges:
Clear It Out Theme: Holiday - Christmas Stash: Glitter
Fab'n'funky Challenges Santa Claus is Coming to Town (Use a Santa image)
Little Red Wagon Traditional Christmas Colours -I've used red and green AND aqua is appropriate to an Aussie beach Christmas :-)
Creatalicious Challenges Merry Christmas
Cute Card Thursday Festive Colours
Pile It On Use Red and Green
Inky Chicks Merry Christmas
The Crazy Challenge Anything Goes
Addicted to  Stamps Anything Goes
Papertake Weekly Anything Goes
Craft Your Passion Anything Goes
I hope you get a chance to enter the challenge... like I said MOST of you would find this a particularly Seasonal theme... for the rest of us, we improvise, lol.  There's a great prize on offer as always, and if you use one of Di's cuties (digi or one of the Candi Bean rubber stamps) you go into an extra draw, woohoo!!
Hopefully I'll be back soon with something out of my drafts... even if it's one of the few cards I've still got in there from last Christmas.
My crafting time has been at a premium because, while my lovely Mum is now home from hospital, there are the usual litany of follow up appointments and diagnostics going on.  Her problems are compounded by the fact that she weighs 38kg which is just UNDER 6 stone (83lb) and so doesn't have much in reserve... unlike her daughter, lol 
Anyway, until next time, Happy Crafting, Donna
Posted by at 8 comments:
Labels: , , ,

Wednesday, December 02, 2015

It's December!

Firstly, this post is a day late... I'm sorry :-(  All I can say is "Save" is NOT "Publish".  
Yup, it's December... time for a new challenge at Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper challenge.  Being DECEMBER, it HAD to be a Christmas card... here it is :-))
 The paper I've used is from Wild Rose Studio... the Annabelle's Christmas Paper Pack.  It's a really nice collection of prints, the paper is lighter weight than I usually use, but it cut "cleanly" which is my main reason for using heavier paper, so all okay.
I have had the image "Christmas Fairy Holly" in my cyber stash for a few years now, I just think she's gorgeous!  It's a Mo's Digital Pencil image available here.  I've used my usual combination of Copic markers and Prismacolor pencils to colour and added gloss to the snow globe... it looks quite "globular" in real life, lol.  I also added gloss to the berries in her  hair and the bells on her sash -  and Viva Pearl pen (Creme) to the ruffles on her petticoats; you all know these things look better in real life, right?? :-)  I used Viva's Ice White Pearl pen to add the falling snow.

Those Lawn Fawn Stitched Hillside Border dies have come into play AGAIN... what can I say? I love 'em, lol.  I used Memory Box's Frostyville border die in gold glitter card to add interest to the top of the image matt.  Obviously I used gold glitter for the other matting too.  The ribbon is from my stash... though I remember buying it in Spotlight for a song!  Hope they've still got some because this was three short lengths I had in my scrap box!
I have stamped the sentiment, yup, STAMPED... not digital - an actual rubber STAMP, hehe.  I rarely stamp directly on the image panel, because I'm really BAD at it, crooked nine times outta ten, lol... but not anymore; I bought a Stamp a Ma Jig, who knew a (alright let's face it, overpriced!) bit of plastic could make SUCH a difference?!  Of course, doesn't matter what it cost now, lol.  Another of course is it didn't stop me from getting ink everywhere... which is the reason I added the inked border- to cover a fingerprint, so not quite the CAS I was aiming for at the start, but I actually think it softened the whole look, so a happy accident :-) 
I added some red rhinestones to the sentiment, and three to the other side to balance it out - don't worry, once I saw the pics of the card I moved that top rhinestone so they're straight now, I just couldn't be bothered taking another photo, lol.
The stamp (yup, rubber + Stamp a Ma Jig) on the inside is from a PortaCraf set I've had for years, I've got quite a few rubber stamps that might just get an outing now.  I used the Frostyville border die again, isn't it amazing how different it looks cut in white compared to gold/glitter?
That's it... another really simple card, the look I'm favouring at the mo. I have had some real problems with Photoshop (as in Editor won't open, well it will NOW, but it took some fixing) and have had to use Photoscape to resize and watermark this card... bit of a learning curve, taking time I didn't really have, but I think I might use it more often now I know how.  It's good to have a backup plan too :-)
I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges.

As You Like It Favourite Season and Why (Christmas - Family get togethers and the feeling of goodwill, just LOVE Christmas!)
Clear It Out  Theme: Holiday - Christmas Stash: Glitter
Cute Card Thursday Fairies and Angels
Gem of a Challenge Inspired by a Christmas song or carol (I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas… Holly looks like she is with that snowglobe!)
Sweet Stampin' Sparkle and Shine
Pile It On Use Red and Green 
Creatalicious Challenges Merry Christmas
Cutie Pie Challenge Simply Cute and Christmassey
Pixies Snippets Playground Use snippets… of Anything (card, ribbon etc) -The white die cuts are from "those" bits of card leftover when you make a card base :-) and it's the last of my ribbon (it was in three bits, only just managed to get the bow!
Jingle Belles Use Leftovers (see above) 
Aud Sentiments Anything Goes + a Sentiment 
Outlawz Friday Colouring Challenge Anything Goes, optional Twist: Christmas 
Inky Chicks Merry Christmas
Whimsy Inspirations Challenge Anything Goes Holidays 
and all the following are "Anything Goes" challenges: 
I hope you get a chance to enter the challenge, it's SO easy... and a great prize on offer as always.  Check out the rest of the team's inspiration here
Other things have been occupying my time too.  My Mum has been very ill.  She has ongoing high blood pressure problems, that they just can't figure out; she weighs only 38.1 Kg (which is 83lb or just UNDER 6 stone) and has been fit as flea all her life, really looking after her health... Last Sunday she rang me quite distressed saying she felt very unwell; for her to ring me is unusual, she never complains.  My sister happened to be up from the country so we took Mum to the Doctor - he took her blood pressure and it was 244/115; he called an ambulance, I went with her, my sister saw to Dad (who is a little lost these days) it was awful.  The Paramedics were lovely, but they were clearly very concerned.  Her blood pressure didn't drop below 238/110 all day... then it dropped like a rock to 124/60 which they said was not good (it dropped too fast) so they took the Nitro patch off - which is when "the" headache came back, sigh
Anyway long story short, Mum was in hospital until Friday, she's had a barrage of tests and they've decided she must be "one of those people who are just Hypertensive"....d'ya think??  They have got her blood pressure down to 151 in the mornings - she has the reverse of most people, her blood pressure rises when she gets up - so relatively speaking she's good.  Seeing Dad in that situation has brought up a lot of issues; he is so dependent.  My sister stayed with him for the week, but she lives 400km away - I don't know what will happen if Mum is in hospital for any length of time or worse... I just don't see how I'll be able to do it all myself.  Oh well, I suppose we'll cross that bridge if and when we come to it.  It is the curse of having extremely elderly parents - but the blessings of having them with us fit and healthy AND independent for so long far outweigh the pitfalls.
Until next time, Happy Crafting, Donna
Posted by at 22 comments:
Labels: , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)