A Pinch and a Punch...

Yup, here we are at the first of the month... AGAIN!  Time for a new challenge to start over at Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge, where (as always) all you have to do to enter is make a project with some Patterned Paper on it, too easy!
I have a Christmas card to share, it's actually from my draft folder - and no, it's not the last... sigh.

I'm having a bit of a problem with my pictures looking "flat", I can't work out why but we'll just have to live with it for the time being as life is super busy and I don't have time to dedicate to sorting it!  It's lucky I'm here at all really; we were given a new modem by our ISP - nothing wrong with our old one, they're upgrading the network and old faithful wouldn't have been able to keep up, as it's their doing we get a free modem... but anyone who has ever had anything to do with computers KNOWS what I mean when I say that the "simple" and "easy" instructions, while not too bad were NOT simple or easy; or more to the point the "Troubleshooting" page had to come out and the connection's been a bit iffy - something that WASN'T a problem prior to said "upgrade", sigh
Anyway onto my card.  Simple little number (my Christmas cards generally are, lol) using the oh-so-sweet image Wrynn Angel from Tiddly Inks.  I coloured with Copics, with some Prismacolor details, and added Stickles to the halo.

The "joy" is either a Sizzix or Memory Box die, cut in green card then glittered up with Stickles.  The image panel has a gold foil mat cut using a Spellbinders Fleur de Lis Rectangle die.  The papers are from Kaisercraft, I added a smudging of gold ink around the edges of all panels to soften the overall effect.  
As always I finished the inside of the card with elements from the front, the sentiment (stamped in gold, not that it looks gold in the pic!) is one - actually two, the sentiment and the frame are two stamps - of my favourite Christmas sets from the sadly now defunct Tickled Pink Stamps.
That's it for today's card, it was really quite sweet in real life, I'll have to address these photography issues!  I'll be entering my card in the following challenges

Hiding in my Craft Room: Any Holiday

Cute Card Thursday: Holidays/Vacation

A Snowflakes Promise: Anything (Christmas) Goes

Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Extra Challenge: Anything (Christmas) Goes

Jingle Belles: Banish the Blues… no blue

Holly Jolly Christmas Challenge: Traditional Colours

Bunny Zoes Crafts: Lovely Layers

Craft Your Passion, Through the Craftroom Door, Create and Inspire, Simply Papercrafts, Crafting With Friends Challenge 21, Creative Fingers, Art by Miran, Li'l Patch of Crafty Friends, Cute As A Button, Creatalicious Challenges, and Paper Creator Crafts: Anything Goes

I hope you get a chance to enter the challenge, it's such an easy theme and great prize... why wouldn't you? 

Until next time, Happy Crafting 

May Day

Here we are, first of the month again - time for a new challenge at Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge, where the "challenge" is to use some patterned paper on your creation.  I made a card for our friend's 80th birthday card... it's a "flip" card, the only way I can think to describe it to the uninitiated is in photos, so expect a few :-)

Here's the front, with the cute image from Bugaboo, coloured with Copics (and some Prismacolor pencil detail) with Stickles added to the party favours and hats and - of course - Glossy Accents to the birds' eyes.

These cards are really easy to make, and to adjust to different dimensions.  For example this Splitcoast Stampers tutorial is what I used for the idea and dimensions for my first flip (also know as swing) card, but for this one I adjusted my template to suit the wider image, resulting in a bigger card overall.  You can use dies to cut out the part that "flips" for a different effect; there are a ton of videos on YouTube - check them out.  

Mine's pretty basic, but it IS in metric unlike most others I found, this pic is just a jpg, if it's not clear enough to follow here's a link to a downloadable pdf,  (it's on my Tutorials, Templates and Freebies page too)  
I used a Cottage Cutz Best Wishes die, cut in blue card then smothered in gloss to "fill" the area next to the image... you need to think about that space when you choose an image for this type of card :-)

Anyway, here's the card mid-swing, and then completely flipped over to read the sentiment, which came with one of my Birdbrain Chick images from From the Heart digital stamps.  I just typed the sentiment on the front - tried to match the font on the FTH sentiment as best I could, I think it's okay :-)

The papers are from my stash... can't remember the origin of either I'm afraid... and the wooden 8 and 0 are from my stash too; given the paint and gloss treatment to tie them in. 
That's all there is to it... easy peasy.  I hope you get a chance to pop over to the Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge to check out the rest of the DT... hope you get a chance to enter the challenge too; great prize on offer as always, and of course the theme is so EASY!
I'd like to enter my card in the following challenges: 

OSAAT Anything with Wings

A Snowflakes Promise Anything Spring

Inky Chicks Birthday

Seize the Birthday Anything Goes Birthday

Little Miss Muffet Anything Goes

Crafting With Friends Challenge 19  Anything Goes (Always)

Creative Fingers Anything Goes

Art by Miran Anything Goes

Simon Says Challenge Anything Goes

Craft Your Passion Anything Goes

Tuesday Throwdown Anything Goes

Through the Craftroom Door Anything Goes
Create and Inspire Anything Goes

I'll be back in a few days, I've got a few things ready to blog (finally!) so it's "just" a case of finding the time to write a post up.  Until then, Happy Crafting, Donna

April Already!!

Yup, like the title says... it's April already - eeeek!!  Whatever!!  It's time for a new challenge at Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge, as always the "theme" is to use patterned paper somewhere on your creation.  I have a (pretty simple) Christmas card to share

The gorgeously cute image was from Tiddly Inks it came as a freebie with another image, though I can't find any reference to it on the site now.  I coloured with Copics and Prismacolor pencils - with the obligatory shiny nose (Glossy Accents)
The papers are from Basic Grey's Jovial collection (well the tartan is, not sure about the other one)  The image panel was cut with a Lifestyle Nesting Circle the image mat with Spellinders Lacey Circles using cream pearl card, and the "noel" was cut with a Tim Holz die, using red card from my stash with LASHINGS of Glossy Accents on it.  I added the red dots on the image mat with Stickles.  The festive looking braid is from my stash, and I've had the Kaisercraft Twinklet for ages... it looks so much better IRL, but I gave up trying to capture the sparkle and still keep the image at least reasonably in focus!
I know the rectangular tartan panel looks crooked, I have no idea why as it was definitely straight!
As usual I added a bit of detail to the inside of the card... I never add too much to the inside of Christmas cards as I'm always behind the eight ball time wise; now of course that's NOT the case this year but old habits die hard, lol.  The sentiment is a wooden stamp I've had for-eva!  I have no idea of the origins, it does stamp really well :-)  I kept the reindeer theme going with a small wooden reindeer coloured to suit with Copics
That's about it for my card, pop over to the challenge blog and check out the rest of the team's inspiration... and why not join in while you're there... it really IS the easiest of themes and as always there's a fab prize on offer. 
I'll be back soon, until then here's the challenges I'd like to enter this card in ... and Happy Crafting until next time.
Challenges: 

Fab'n'funky Challenges Christmas

Holly Jolly Christmas Challenge (Christmas) Use Your Stash

Jingle Belles Santa or any other "North Pole" character

Sweet Stampin' Christmas Cute Christmas

Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge (Christmas) Use a Sentiment

Hiding in my Craft Room Any Holiday

Crazy 4 Challenges Use Circles

Pixies Snippets Playground Use Snippets

Crafting With Friends Challenge 17  , Little Miss Muffet, Li'l Patch of Crafty Friends, Simon Says Challenge, Creative Fingers, 4 Crafty Chicks, Through the Craftroom Door and Craft Your Passion  Anything Goes

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 

It's February Already

Yup, it's February ALREADY, eek.  It's the first of the month so it's time for a new challenge at Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge... where it's really no challenge at all as all you have to do is use patterned paper somewhere on your creation :-))  I made a sympathy card as they're the sort of card we all need at some point and are loathe to make "on demand" as it were - good to have one or two on hand.

I cut two of the corners with my 1" corner cutter... I rarely use this, now I see how much it cuts the card down I can see why, it looks alright when used as a feature though, in my opinion anyway.

The background paper is GORGEOUS in real life, the green foil is really lush against the charcoal background; it is from my "special" papers box... most of those come from my favourite shop Starfish Lane... either as treat-myself purchases or with the proceeds of gift vouchers from my lovely son Chris - as this was :-)  The image is from Beccy's Place, it was a freebie  called simply  "Magnolia"
I broke with tradition this time around and used only Prismacolor pencils to colour the image... well not really broke; I printed the image on Versa Linen card and I usually use pencils on the heavier textured card as I have found that gives a nicer finish than Copics... well I think so! 
I did manage to get some Copic action happening though; the pearl in the centre of the embellishment on the ribbon was cream, I coloured it to suit with a Yellow Green Copic.  The ribbon is VERY glittery (let me translate, it loses fine black glittery bits all over the place!!) and didn't look good tied in a bow, or even a knot, so all I did was gather it with a little cotton and plonk the embellishment on, as I only had a little bit left it worked out well as I ended up with (just!) enough for the inside
The sentiment is from a set I've had for years; stamped in green pigment ink and embossed with clear... not that the gloss shows.

I cut the image panel with Spellbinders Standard Ovals and the mat (which I embossed with homemade black glitter EP) with Spellbinders Classic Scalloped Ovals.
As usual I finished the inside with elements from the front of the card... instead of the rhinestone/pearl embellishment from the front I used three flat back pearl embellies... they started life cream too, lol.  I didn't gather the ribbon this time, so it needed more pearls.
That's it for today's card, pop over to the blog and check out the rest of the team's inspiration, hope you get a chance to join in the challenge this time around: great prize as always and the theme is so easy, why not??
I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Hanna and Friends Die Cuts

Crafty Cardmakers Die Cuts and/or Punches

As You Like It One or Multi-Layer (I'm going for "Multi-Layer" coz they're easier, lol, but I love One layer too!)

Pixies Snippets Playground Snippets (ribbon, I have about 2cm left, sob)

Aud Sentiments Anything Goes with a Sentiment

Hiding in my Craft Room Freestyle

Little Miss Muffet Anything Goes

That Craft Place Anything Goes

Li'l Patch of Crafty Friends Anything Goes

Addicted to  Stamps Anything Goes

Crafting With Friends Anything Goes

Art by Miran Anything Goes

Simply Papercrafts Anything Goes

Simon Says Challenge Anything Goes

Tuesday Throwdown Anything Goes

I'll be back soon (with something from my drafts I think, or maybe the cake I did for the twin's first birthday, seems as I'm already thinking about their THIRD which is on Easter Monday)  I have been press ganged into making a cake this week for one of my son's friends; I made a cake just before Christmas, now it only seems right that her eldest daughter get the same sort of cake - Sep's a nice lady so I said yes even though I don't do cakes "commercially" any more; three years of wedding cakes for a shop cured me of THAT, lol
Until then, Happy Crafting, Donna

Happy New Year... and a new Challenge at Crafty Hazelnut's

Happy New Year to you all... Followers and Visitors... I hope 2016 brings all that you wish for.  

Being the first of the month... even though it's also a New Year... means a new challenge has started over at Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge, where the always-easy "theme" is to use Patterned Paper on your creation.  I have a Christmas card to show you as my DT inspiration, but the truth is it is one out of my drafts from last year; no, not 2015... 2014!!  My New Year's Resolution is - you guessed it - to get my projects out of my Draft pile within a month of being made.  We'll see how THAT one goes, though if my bitten nails and unused stash are anything to go by Resolutions aren't worth the mental paper they're written on, lol

Not only is this a card from my Drafts, it's a Christmas card, which you're all probably heartily sick of by now... and a very basic one at that; oh well, it DOES show off that lovely paper from Basic Grey's Jovial collection nicely.  The image is from Bugaboo; it comes with or without the sentiment - see if you can guess which way I went, lol.  I coloured with Copics and Prismacolor pencils (as usual) and added lashings of Ranger's Glossy Accents (it really is the best!) to the eyes, noses and hooves.  I also added Stickles (Spruce) to the ornaments and stars (Stardust)... it helped tie in the super glittery red ribbon from my stash; super glittery ribbon that liked to share its "super-glitteriness" EVERYWHERE I might add!

I finished the inside of the card in very simple fashion, always a good idea with Christmas cards when there's so much time pressure... not THIS year though, I'm starting them in January... another New Year Resolution (you can stop laughing now, hehe)
The sentiment is a freebie from the fabulous Paulette at Create With TLC, at least I think it was a freebie, it may have been in one of the sets I purchased, but Paulette does offer a LOT of freebies (she's such a sweetie) so the chances are it WAS a freebie :-)
That's it for my card, embarrassingly simple really.  I'd like to enter it in the following challenges:

Gem of a Challenge Anything Christmas

Pile It On Anything Christmas or Winter

The Crazy Challenge Celebrations

Pixies Snippets Playground Use Snippets

OSAAT Anything Goes with the Colour Red

Bunny Zoes Crafts Sparkle

Sparkles Monthly Challenge Favourite Christmas Colours

Crafty Hazlenuts Christmas Challenge Anything Christmas

Crafty Hazlenut's Christmas Extra Challenge Anything Christmas

Tuesday Morning Sketches Anything Goes

Tuesday Throwdown Anything Goes

Through the Craftroom Door Anything Goes

Crafty Creations Anything Goes

The Paper Shelter Anything Goes

4 Crafty Chicks Anything Goes

As You Like It Anything Goes

Cute Card Thursday Anything Goes

Outlawz Friday Colouring Challenge Anything Goes

Li'l Patch of Crafty Friends Anything Goes

Hiding in my Craft Room Freestyle

I hope you get a chance to pop over to the blog and see the rest of the team's inspiration... they've all pretty much managed to avoid the ol' Christmas cards unlike me!  Don't forget all you have to do to enter the challenge is to use some patterned paper somewhere on your project, there's a great prize on offer as always so it's well worth entering
I'll be back tomorrow with my DT make for Di's Digis Challenge Blog... at least that's a new card, and a bit more complex than this one - AND I only made it yesterday so I'm managing to stick with my New Year Resolution so far; what do you mean it's only been one day? lol
Until then, Happy Crafting, Donna

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

My Time to Craft  Let it Snow

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

Bunny Zoes Crafts Sparkle

Pile It On Use Red and Green 

Crafty Hazlenuts Christmas Challenge Die Cuts and Punches

Hiding in my Craft Room Any Holiday

Creatalicious Challenges Merry Christmas

Cutie Pie Challenge Simply Cute and Christmassey

Card Mania Challenges Christmas 

Crafty Hazfelnut's Christmas Extra Challenge Anything Goes Christmas

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: 

Craft Your Passion

Li'l Patch of Crafty Friends

Addicted to  Stamps

The Crazy Challenge

Art by Miran

Simon Says Challenge

Papertake Weekly

Through the Craftroom Door

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

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

Life's a Circus

It's the first of the month so there's a new challenge starting at Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge, you know - the one where all you have to do is use some patterned paper on your creation!
Sometimes life is a circus... well mine is, lol.  This card however was not to celebrate that fact but to celebrate my son's 30th birthday; he had a circus/carnival theme party, I made this card with that circus theme and his cake along the same lines and colours, so I thought I'd share some pics of that too, first the card - easel of course, we all love 'emin this family!

The papers are from stash and Kaisercraft, the red stripe on the stripy paper is foil, it looks really nice IRL.
I printed the image (called Circus Tent, available from Make it Crafty, here) on linen card, coloured with Copics and Prismacolor pencils and added Ranger's Antique Gold Embossing details.  
The whole base is covered in red foil card.  The swirls are Memory Box and they and the fancy border trim (a die, Nellie Snellen I think) - which is actually a "stopper" made by sliding half a strip of card under the stripy paper and leaving half "free" for the front of the card to sit against when folded - are cut from the same red foil card. The tickets used for the sentiments are from Bizzy Becs (I think!), I cut the red mats around them freehand.
The rhinestones on the border and corners are from my stash.  I added the "Circus Chris" sentiment to the image before printing using a free font called Bingo Star for Circus and another for Chris.  That was basically it for the card..... the cake took a bit more work :-))

It was a "rainbow" cake, so first I baked six different coloured cakes, I stacked them (not dry like in this pic, but with yummy chocolate ganache between the layers) then put a layer of ganache over the whole thing before adding a thin layer of fondant before decorating as you can see.  
The big top roof was just cardboard covered in fondant :-) and the tent poles were straws with twine... but everything else was fondant, or in the case of the animals peeking out of the tent, royal icing.
The ringmaster took the most work, as usual I left my run a bit late and each element didn't really have time to set firm enough before I stuck it altogether... so he ended up a bit squashed looking :-)  
Chris takes his parties very seriously, this one was no exception; he hired space at a very nice park, hired oversized games such as Connect Four, Chess etc, he had face painters, balloon animal makers, gymnasts performing and a popcorn machine and chocolate fountain in the food tent - a real "kids" day that everyone seemed to really enjoy - I was surprised at how "into it" we all got; the tug of war and egg and spoon races were particularly competitive, and the average age was ... well, not kids! 

I shrunk down a copy of one of the invitations Chris had made for the ringmaster to hold in his hand.  The bottom cake was a rainbow cake too... I kept all the bits of different coloured cake mix I didn't use in the Big Top part of the cake and swirled them together (well three shades in each of two cakes) then gave them the gananche fondant treatment.  Even the board is covered in fondant - for a butter cake this thing weighed a LOT!!
Well that's about it for the cake too.  You don't have to do anything elaborate to enter Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper challenge... just use some Patterned Paper, any project...doesn't even have to be a card, why not give it a go?  Great prize on offer as always, and so easy!!
That's it for today, I'd like to enter my card in the following challenges:

Papertake Weekly Take Your Pick: (Technique,embossing)

Sweet Stampin' Use a Non-white base (Red Foil) 
Seize the Birthday Opt: Border punches or dies 
Polkadoodles Favourite card shape (any easel) 
Cute Card Thursday Masculine

Without Words For the Boys

Outlawz Friday Colouring Challenge Anything Goes

Art by Miran Anything Goes

Li'l Patch of Crafty Friends Anything Goes  
Craft Your Passion Anything Goes 
Simon Says Challenge Anything Goes 
Through the Craftroom Door Anything Goes

Until next time, Happy Crafting, Donna