One For the Girls at DigiDesigns

Not even going to go to the "yet another two weeks has passed" place (or did I just go there? lol) Anyway.... it's time for a new challenge at the DigiDesigns challenge blog, this time we'd like to see you make something "For the Girls".  I made a birthday card, coz you can never have too many cute birthday cards :-)  I'm having a bit of trouble with my camera giving a slightly grey cast on my pics... I don't want to edit them too much so you'll have to believe me when I say it's a bit more 'defined' in real life.  I'll have to work out why it's happening

Once again I've gone with a large format, A5, I like this size as it  means I can print the image up nice and big (one of the many reasons I love digis!) which makes the colouring easy... and in this case add a big sentiment too... without losing all that lovely patterned paper.  This too-cute image (I LOVE Di's mice images!) is Doughnuts and Sprinkles and you can get it here at Di's Digi Stamps store.  I coloured with Prismacolor pencils, I've been practicising and it's a shame the photo isn't clear as I'm really pleased with how much detail I got with just pencils.  Polkadoodles has Cream and Sugar as it's theme, this fits the "Ivory, pink, sugar" idea so I'm in!

I added lashings of Ranger Glossy Accents to the glass cake cover, then decided to step away from the gloss/shine/glitter so it could be a focal point... again, it looks heaps better IRL.
The patterned paper is from The Paper Mill, I just bought this pad, and couldn't believe that the ribbon I've had in my stash for YEARS matched it so well!  It's nice and "girly" which means as well as "our" challenge I'll be entering Sparkles Monthly Challenge with the same theme and The Crazy Challenge which has a Floral theme
The pearl/metal embellies on the corner of the image panel are brads, the pearls were cream but my trusty Copics soon changed THAT, lol.
The fabulous sentiment is from Created with TLC, I got it as a freebie (from the ever-generous Paulette) but I have since bought the Birthday Mega Bundle from the store and it came in that too - along with loads of other great sentiments.
I finished the inside of the card very simply with elements from the front, nothing unusual in that :-)  Craft Your Passion.  Through the Craftroom Door, Simply Papercrafts,  Crafting With Friends (#17), Creative Fingers, Art by Miran, Li'l Patch of Crafty Friends, That Craft Place and Corrosive Challenge all have Anything Goes Challenges so I'm entering there.
All in all this is a very simple card, very reliant on the super cute image (have I said how much I love Di's meeces? lol)  
Pop over to the challenge blog and check out the rest of the team's girly inspiration... you'll see it doesn't have to be pink to be girly!  I hope you get a chance to enter the challenge this time around, great prize on offer - this time we have two sponsors: SVG Attic and Dies R Us... Woot WOOT!!  and as always if you use one of Di's images (digi or a Candibean stamp) there's an extra opportunity to win.
I'll be back.... SOON I hope!  Until then, Happy Crafting, Donna

Layer It Up

Time for a new challenge at Di's Digis... the theme this time is "Layer It Up", no challenge at all really; I love adding a few layers even if I don't add a lot in the way of embellishments.  I thought I'd add another baby card to my collection, here it is

The image I've used is called  "Cute Cradle" and it's available here.  This is one of the images I coloured when we were "Down South" recently, as i had left my Copics at home it's coloured completely with Prismacolor pencils... I'm getting happier with the results I'm getting with my pencils - and as I've got another half a dozen ready coloured you may be seeing more in the near future.  Then again I've got LOAD of cards in my drafts so they may get an airing first.

I followed the sketch from Tuesday Morning Sketches, I don't "do" asymmetrical as a rule, this is the closest I get, lol.
The theme for this challenge is "Layers", and I've got plenty on here; the cardstock is from my stash, it has a lovely texture.  The papers are all Kaisercraft, from various pads.  I love embossing - the dry variety! - I think it adds interest without the "noise" that another pattern would bring.  I used a swirls folder on the background paper and the purple feature panel... it embosses really well... a little TOO well, it practically cut through this paper, card would be better as it is sturdier!
I used my newest acquisition to cut the mats with those gorgeous borders; this was the Sue Wilson Mini Gemini "Aquila" die... actually it's a set of three dies, very clever as you can cut into the border, have the border as an "outie" (like I have for the mats on the front) or cut the whole shape out to use as a die cut... like I have on the inside of my card.
The flowers were cut with the textured card using a Joy Crafts die, the centres are from the batch of melted pony beads I made a while back.
I just found the "baby girl" embellishments in my LSS, I found "baby boy" as well so of course two packets (well four actually, pink and blue versions of each) found their way into my little basket.  These were actually much paler so I used a RV Copic to match them up with my papers... I thought I'd lose the sparkle on them by colouring them over, but they still sparkle nicely
That's it for my card today, really quite simple, layering isn't difficult - hope to see your efforts in the challenge.  Pop over to the blog and check out the rest of the team's work, we've got some new team members so there's a real variety of inspiration there for sure!  There's a fab prize on offer from Magnolia-licious, and don't forget if you use one of Di's cute digis, or one of the Candi-Bean rubber stamps you get to go in an extra draw with an additional prize of two digis, Woo HOO!!
I'd like to enter my card in the following challenges: 

Clear It Out Theme: Anything Goes Stash: Paper more than a year old (try more than 5 years old, lol)
As You Like It Favourite Type of Embossing and Why (Dry, less mess, more user-friendly!)
Moving Along With The Times Purple Haze
4 Crafty Chicks 7 Layers (I have 7 plus embellishments)
OSAAT Fancy Borders
Card Mania Challenges Polka Dots and/or Stripes 
Whimsy Inspirations Challenge, Hanna and Friends, Simply Papercrafts, Creative Fingers, Art by Miran, Li'l Patch of Crafty Friends, Craft Your Passion and Through the Craftroom Door all have Anything Goes

I really hope to be back in a few days with something from my drafts; I have been adding regularly to it and not getting the opportunity to get anything OUT, it's getting a little crowded in there.  
That said, my nephew is getting married on Friday and I have to get their card made, my sister (his Mum) is up from the country for the week so we "do" stuff while she's up and hubby has got a super quiet week at work, more stuff lol... along with the twins' 3rd birthday (yup, 3... where did THAT three years go huh?) coming up in two weeks with a cake to consider, I'm not sure how much time blogging is going to get!!
Either way, until next time, Happy Crafting, Donna

As We March Into March...

Yup, MARCH already, eek!!  Being the start of a new month means the start of a new challenge at Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge, as always the "theme" is to use Patterned Paper somewhere on your creation.  I made a card for my hubby and my (not sure of the grammar there, lol) 38th Wedding Anniversary last week.  These colours were the colours we had for our wedding, so of course our anniversary card is always based on these :-)

I thought I'd do a cut-out card, using acetate - the photo isn't the best quality I'm afraid, I took this one in my photo tent and didn't get around to redoing it!
The cuter than cute image is from The Paper Shelter, it's called Jurassic Love (I said to my hubby that being married this long these days makes us practically dinosaurs in the marriage stakes!) it's available here.  The Paper Shelter  has "Animal Magic" as it's challenge theme this time around so I'm entering there.  Cutie Pie Challenge  has All You Need is Love, while Great Impressions has Any Celebration as their challenge theme, so I'll be entering them too.
I DID manage to re-take the picture of the inside, which shows that cute image off much better, I coloured - as usual - with Copics and Prismacolor pencils.  There's lashings of glossy accents on the eyes, toenails and hearts. 

The patterned paper is from Die Cuts With a View's Once Upon a Time collection, I love it - then again I would, wouldn't I? this being my favourite colour combo and all :-) Cute Card Thursday has Florals so I'm entering there. I used a textured paper to mat this time, it is really quite fibrous and has a nice glitteriness about it that is hard to pick up in photos.

I've added a detail shot of the eyes. If there's enough "room" in the image I like to finish the eyes like this, it just adds a little "something" - looks more realistic; not that I REALLY know what a dinosaur's eyes look like or whether the ladies wore ribbons in their "hair" lol.

The ribbon is from my stash, I used my Bow-Easy to tie the bow, Inky Chicks wants to see Ribbon and/or lace, The charm is from my stash too - it's quite heavy, which in this case is a good thing as it helps to keep it vertical. Creatalicious Challenge wants to see a charm and Polkadoodles has a Tic Tac Toe challenge; I've used Charms/Animal/Sentiment line.
I added the last of my self adhesive flat backed pearl "string" to the edge of the heart on the inside and outside of the card to neaten that up... these things are great, I really will have to try and source some more of them, especially in this size.

I stamped the sentiment directly onto the card, but it was very crooked.  So I stamped some squiggles on some cream card using the edge of a small floral die from Kaisercraft in different colours of Stazon; burgundy, black and Timber Brown - I took the excess ink off the stamp first so that it wasn't too strong - then I stamped the sentiment using brown pigment ink, distressing the edge with the same ink to soften the effect.  Actually considering it was to cover a botch up, I was quite happy with it.  I used my latest "tool", my Stamp-a-Ma-Jig.... and I still managed to get it a bit crooked, ah well, it's better than the version stamped on the card!! The sentiment on the inside of the card was a freebie from the ever generous Paulette at Created With TLC... one of my all time favourite places for sentiments; Aud Sentiments wants to see "Cute + a Sentiment", tick tick, and Winter Wonderland want us  to Use a Sentiment (this is the last challenge for the year where they don't have a Christmas theme too) so I'm entering there.
Whimsy Inspirations Challenge, Little Miss Muffet, Li'l Patch of Crafty Friends, Simply Papercrafts, That Craft Place, Crafting With Friends, Creative Fingers, Art by Miran, Simon Says Challenge ,Craft Your Passion,  Through the Craftroom Door  all have Anything Goes themes so I'm in there too.

That's about it for today's card, pop over to the blog and check out the rest of the team's inspiration... I hope you get a chance to enter the challenge, there's a great prize on offer as always, and it's such an easy theme :-)  I'll be back very soon with something a little different.  Until then, Happy Crafting, Donna