To Halloween or not to Halloween....?

We have a new challenge starting today at Di's Digis Challenge blog... the theme is "Too Cute to Spook" but you're not required to use a Halloween image.... you can use Halloween or Harvest themed images, or (like me) Halloween or Harvest related colours.  I chose not to use a Halloween image as I don't really have use for Halloween projects (we don't celebrate Halloween here, well there ARE celebrations, but none that we personally are really involved in) but I can always combine Green, Purple and Gold :-))  I've made a Post-It note holder with space for two mini pens. 

I think this image is really sweet, it's "Girl's Best Friend" and is on sale here.  I coloured with my usual mix of Copics and Prismacolor pencils... no shine/glitter/pearl or anything else on this one :-))  Oh, unless you count the gold mirror card I used as the outer mat for the image.

Cutting down an existing box and making a "flap" lid seemed like a good idea at the time, in truth it would have been quicker to make something up from scratch, ah well live and learn. 
I have just about come to the end of my Kaisercraft Lilac Avenue pad... all the combos of purple and green in it made paper choice easy for Halloween projects :-) 
The purple pattern on the main paper covering the box has a gloss finish, the lilac coloured 'flap' at the top is in fact one of the border elements included in the pad.
I've used the same pattern paper  in the inside of the box, it is a scaled down version and doesn't have the gloss, but it keeps it all nice and matching without being too "matchy" - if you know what I mean. Making the little troughs for the pens took the longest time, like I said I'd do it different next time.  The sticky notes came with the little silver butterfly on, I added some purple ink to the edge of the first couple of sheets just to tie it in.
I lined the inside of the lid with more paper from the same pad and taped some polka dot gros grain ribbon around the outside of the box to finish it off, a sliver of velcro keeps the lid shut.
That's it really ;-)  Pop over to the Di's Digis Challenge Blog and check out the rest of the team's inspiration - it's a lot more "in theme" than mine, for sure.  Hope you get a chance to enter the challenge too, great prize on offer as always and don't forget there's extra opportunities if you use one of Di's cute images :-)
I'd like to enter my note pad holder thingy in the following challenges:

Without Words Purple and Green but not Halloween

Hiding in my Craft Room Super Scraps Saturday

Whimsy Inspirations Challenge Anything Goes

Craft Your Passion Anything Goes

Through the Craftroom Door Anything Goes

Papertake Weekly Anything Goes

Art by Miran Anything Goes

Li'l Patch of Crafty Friends Anything Goes

I'll be back in a few days with something out of my drafts... I am DETERMINED to clear it all out before the end of the year, lol!  Until then, happy crafting, Donna

Time to Use Your Dies for the Card Mania Challenge

I can't believe more than (another!) week has gone by since I posted on my blog... I've been spending a lot of time over at Bonesmart... sharing recovery stories with my fellow Hip replacees, time to think about bigger issues, like Craft, lol.  There's a new challenge starting today at the Card Mania Challenge, my third already as Guest DT, the theme this time is "Use Your Dies"... I love dies, not a problem; here's my contribution, a boxed set of note cards.

Now this project was a lot of work, very fiddly, so I'm going to bore you with a lot of photos... even if it's "more of the same" :-)  The main thing to note (as this challenge is about using dies) is that the dies I used are from the Spellbinders Shapeabilities Curved Borders 2 set. 
I love these things as they nest really well, but getting the "lining" behind the scrollwork lined up with the fancy edges perfectly was harder than I thought it would be... and of course I was committed to doing it seven times once I started!   I used very heavy weight textured brown card.  The orange paper is textured too, but light weight; it was a peachy shade originally... I coloured it with a YR Copic. Clear It Out has Theme: Orange  Stash: Use orange things so I'll be entering there. The patterned paper is from my "go to" shop for gorgeous paper; Starfish Lane.  Hiding in my Craft Room and Sparkles Monthly Challenge have Autumn colour challenges, so I'm entering there too.

Front of Box

Box Open

Back of Box

Here's the box, the front matches the note cards, the back uses the plain edge die used along the edge of the orange paper on the front of the box to cut the brown card as a flap,  I used some Velcro as a closer.  I'll pop back and post a template for the box... I just can't find where I hid, err I mean 'put' it at the moment!

The "pearls" are gold flatbacks from my stash coloured to suit using the same YR Copic I used for the paper.  The little brown bows were part of the fabulous basket of goodies my son Chris bought as my birthday gift, again from Starfish Lane
The note cards themselves are... well more of the same.  The only hiccup I encountered when making them was that I cut the top layer of first one with the "grain" of the textured card going in the opposite direction to the base of the card... so I had to cut the others the same, it meant I used more card in the end, ah well.
Crafty Cardmakers want to see something Cut Out for their challenge so I'm in, and the cut outs I have are Swirly and Curly so they'll fit in the Delightful Challenges Swirls and Curls Challenge.

I added patterned vellum to the inside of the cards, I had just a panel of it initially but it just didn't look right. I added another "loose" layer with a strip of the orange paper to hold it on and I think it works well.
Catch The Bug, Through the Craftroom Door, Divas by Design, Simon Says Challenge and Anything But A Card challenges all have Anything Goes themes this time around so I'm entering them all.
Well that's it for today's project, I hope you liked it... and aren't sick of all the photos, lol.  Pop over to the Card Mania blog and check out the rest of the DT's inspiration, and I know we all like our Dies so why not get cutting and enter the challenge too.... there are great prizes from Marianne Design and Hobbisimo!
I'll be back in a day or so with a card from my drafts... I really thought this hip replacement would have me crafting and blogging every day - but for one reason or another I just haven't made it yet... and I can drive in less than two weeks so I'll defo be out partying then, lol
Until next time, Happy Crafting, Donna

Notes for Mother.

Today I have something a little different, I've made a set of note cards in a presentation box as one of the little gifts I plan to give my Mum on Mother's Day - which is next Sunday here in Australia; Mum's always needing a card for this or that so I made them with different sentiments.  Warning; Photo-Heavy post coming up 

I made the box by cutting up a box that one of the presents to my grandbabies came in, it holds six cards, six envelopes and I made some envelope seals by printing on self-adhesive paper which I mounted on a piece of card on the inside of the lid. Here's a picture of them...  

Gem of a Challenge has Recycle for their challenge theme, so I'm entering there, That Craft Place wants to see an Altered Item, hopefully this is fine to enter there too.

The patterned paper is silver grey, the black is flocked and has silver glitter detail, very pretty IRL.  The ribbon is from my stash, it's glued on up to the slider and to the edge of the base, the bow keeps the box shut (the lid is "hinged") 

The whole idea came about when I saw the theme at Less is More is this fab Sketch - I really love a sketch and thought this nice Clean and Simple look is easy to replicate to make a set of cards like this!  Easy it was, but time consuming nonetheless.    

I used a digistamp from Digistamp Boutique one of  the Black Floral set.  I used word to change the colour so I could have a set of six variations, I added six different sentiments (Thinking of You, With Love, Just Because, A Note To Say... and For You)  I'll be entering the Digistamp Boutique Monthly Challenge

I mounted each image on cardstock to match the image and sentiment (made on the computer) and added pearls from my stash to match too - those I didn't have a match for I coloured to suit with Copics.

I used my Versa Mark pen, traced over the image and embossed with Clear Detail EP - it's hard to see in the photos, but it's there!)

I did a simple embossed border using my score board, mounted the image panel on foam pads then the sentiment on to that with more foam pads.  
Simon Says Challenge theme is "Happy Mail" - cards that are for Just Because rather than specific occasions, I'm in - in spades!  Sweet Stampin' has Anything But a Birthday so I'm in there too :-)
I used the same image on the inside of the cards, scaled down and flipped (I love digis!) to "fit" the outside edge of the card. Bearly Mine Challenges and Paper Crafting Journey  have Anything Goes challenges so I'm entering there.
That's (finally!) about it for today's project, I'll be back on Sunday with my latest offering for the Here Come The Boys challenge.  I

I've had a lovely day today, we went in to Perth to the Mint to buy some gold as a birth gift for the twins; Perth Mint is world renowned, it holds over 3 billion dollars worth of gold reserves from countries around the world,half of that from the US alone!  It's a beautiful old building and it has a most drool-worthy jewellery shop.  The watch I got for Christmas came from there, made with a 1959 (yup, I'm that old, lol) Australian sixpence as its face and a fob chain - it's gorgeous!  We had lunch at one of our favourite haunts and I've done nothing but craft/blog since we came home - perfick!
Until next time, Happy Crafting, Donna

A Note for School

Today I thought I'd share a little project that I made a while back but didn't get around to posting.  It's a notebook suitable for "Back To School" or just as a notebook!!

The image is Schoolgirl Emma (with Pencil) by CC Designs, available at All That Scraps...great for "back to school", she is available without pencil too (surprise!).  I've coloured her with Copics then fussy cut her to sit on her little ribbon ledge.

I've altered a couple of these notebooks, Here is one of them.  They start life pretty plain with  a cute little pen attached, I "flatten" them out before I decorate them, it just seems to be easier that way...and I'm into "easy", lol. 

I covered this one with some scrapbooking paper, then added the bottom panel with paper from Kaisercrafts Class of '87, the ribbon is from my stash as is the little metal sticker.  One Stop Craft Challenge has Anything But a Square as its theme this time, this is not a square card...not square, not a card so I'm in!
The inside is covered with a panel of the scrapbooking paper, the scalloped border is from the Class of '87 paper and more of my dotty ribbon....that is basically it; told you it was easy!  Sundays With Chrissie want us to KISS (Keep It Simple Stamper) this month, lots of my cards are pretty simple...but they don't get much simpler than this, lol.

Creative Craft Challenges has Anything But a Card as its theme - no card here and Totally Gorjuss has As You Like It: definitely qualify there! Paperplay Challenges, Totally Papercrafts, Stamp Something, Just Us Girls Challenges and  Allsorts Challenge all have Back to School...so I'm in, in, in, in and in!

That's it for today, I'll be back in a day or so, until then Happy Crafting, Dee

A Note for the Teacher

Today's post is a short one....as promised!  This is the third project I've made as Guest Designer for Karber Digital...it's a little notebook and pen set that would make the perfect gift for a favourite teacher. 

 I bought the notebook (actually I bought half a dozen, when you find a good thing and all that!) and pen set in my local supermarket....just snuck them in with my groceries, which means they didn't cost anything, lol  (Actually they cost $1.47 per set, even in Australian Dollars that is practically nothing!)  
This one was pink but the pen is a nice red which went with the colour scheme I had in mind as soon as I saw the apple on the Karber Digital image "Lovely Teacher" 

I started out by covering the book inside and out with some lovely self-patterned red paper (in a pack from the $2 shop, yup I'm a cheapskate!) Then I coloured the image with Copics, adding a good dollop of gloss to the apple and earrings...and as lip gloss to the Lovely Teacher, who is popped up on foam dots (but of course!) 
The tags are from Kaisercrafts Class of 84 collection...I added one to the inside so you can write a little "note to the teacher". Craft Your Passion has Text It (use text) as its challenge, there's text on the tags, so I'm in.  Both  Simon Says Challenge and Sir Stampalot have Anything Goes as their challenge theme, so I'm entering there too.
The metal apple embellishment on the front is a sticker...in a pack from a discount store :-) and the paper one on the inside is punched out of one of the sheets from the Kaisercraft pad. 

The little pens that came with the notepads are so cute...you lever the clip up and it extends the nib for you to use...dinky!  I just thought I'd take a pic so you could see what I mean!

That's it for my little project for today,  I'll be making a few more of these, firstly because it was quick and secondly because I love little useful somethings as Christmas "stocking fillers. 

Moving Along With The Times has "Favourite Things" as it's challenge theme this time around...this project has a few of mine...I love digis, I love Copics, I love red, strong patterns and most of all I LOVE A BARGAIN!!
Until next time, Happy Crafting, Dee.

A Hundred Thank You Notes

If one "thank you" note says "Thanks", what does a notepad of a hundred say?  This Post-It note and pen holder has a magnet on the back so it can sit on the refrigerator - handy for shopping lists and of course it still fits in your handbag nicely where it is handy for EVERYTHING!!

This project is going in a few challenges: All That Scraps Wednesday Challenge had "make a magnet" as the theme this week.  Hopefully this project, with its magnet on the back, qualifies.  I am also entering it in the Stamp Something challenge for this week "use a digi".......as I use digital stamps 99% of the time - that was EASY!!  Sweet Stampin' has an "Anything But a Card" challenge so guess where my little Post-it Note holder is going:-)
I was going to enter Flutter By Wednesdays challenge for this week, which was anything goes, and the Simon Says Stamp Challenge with the theme "thanks"- but I got distracted when I was typing up my blog and didn't get it entered in time - ME STOOPID!
The cardstock that  the Post-It note holder is made from is from the Die Cuts With a View "Mariposa" collection, I am loving it and it is so much more versatile than I thought it would be when I got it. I used the basics of a template from Dawn Griffith I saw on YouTube, but I had to metricate it as I don't even own a ruler with inches on anymore!!  It took longer to convert (even using an online converter) than to do one from scratch - so I have made a metric version.  I'll put it in my Tutorials and Templates  page when I've tidied it up a bit. The pen came from BigW in a pack of ten, they are gel pens and multicoloured - I wish I could get some black ones, but that is proving impossible here.
I used a strip of gold metallic card (some people know it as Mirri or Mirror Board, I think) punched with Fiskars Apron Lace border punch for Emma to sit on -she needed a seat or she appeared to just "float"- the red polka dot ribbon is from my stash.  
I have used the digital stamp Rose Emma from CC Designs Sugarplums "Take a Seat" collection, available at All That Scraps, coloured her with Copic and Bic markers (I have ordered some more Copics, so the colouring should get easier and my palette broader, soon!) I cut her out and pop dotted her in place.  The sentiment is made up of gold letter stickers.
I'll be making more of these - they are really easy, quick and use offcuts, YAY, I always have offcuts- don't we all!  What's more, they can be as cute or elegant or masculine as you like - very versatile.
Happy crafting, Dee