Hayley, Queen of Hearts

The young lady across the road from us, whose 21st birthday card I made last year (here's a link) became engaged last weekend.  She and her fiancé are chefs and they had a Mad Hatter's Tea Party theme for their engagement... it was seriously good food, and the cake was FABULOUS (I hope to get a copy of one of their photos - I will share it; yup it was that good!  I made a card/gift card holder "in theme"

 I used Saturated Canary's Queen of Hearts image, I've had it for ages (like so many of my digis) and finally found time (and the ideal opportunity) to use it. I've coloured with Copics, Saturated Canary has Pretty Pastels for their challenge theme so I'm entering there, The Pink Elephant has Spring Colours,  Fab'n'funky Challenges has Spring, The Corrosive Challenge has Spring Fling  and Joanna Sheen has Spring into Spring so I'm entering there too.  Colour Me Copic has All About Hair - Queenie here has plenty of hair, I'm in ;)
The papers are from Kaisercraft's Made With Love Collection, the background paper is foiled, the bracket border is one of the die cuts from the pad and the pink heart border is Martha Stewart's Lace Heart Edge punch.  The pink hearts with the happy couple's initials on (stickers) are Mpress dies, I was going for a playing card look.

The inside of the card has more of the Made With Love paper and die cuts and a sentiment I got from Ginger's House, so many lovely freebie sentiments, thanks Ginger  >:D<  I left the inside cover as a "pouch" for a gift card. Stamping Sensations has Celebration Other Than Birthday as their challenge theme, so I'm entering there.  Bearly Mine Challenges, 2 Sisters Challenge and Catch the Bug all have Anything Goes challenges, so I'm entering those.
That's it for today's card... see I CAN do a short post :))  I'll be back in a few days, life's still very busy helping with my darling twinnies... they've been weighed again today; Emily has put on 200g since she left hospital and  Nathan has put on a whopping 250g - he's trying hard to catch up with his sister, bless him, he's still tiny!
Until next time, Happy Crafting, Donna

Ice Cream and Pickles to Celebrate

I have a "special" card today; it's special for a number of reasons... it is a card to celebrate a pregnancy, always special, and in this case it is my Son and Daughter in Law that are going to become parents - so, EXTRA special..... and they're expecting TWINS so EXTRA EXTRA special, lol

 I made a Joy Fold card, to make it more special, lol, here's a tutorial by Beate Johns, like all her tutes it's very easy to follow.  Joy Folds are pretty straightforward to make... hard to photograph though, so I've erred on the side of what the heck and taken LOTS :-)

The fabby image is Ice Cream and Pickles from Saturated Canary, perfect blend of Sassy and Cute, isn't she?  I've coloured with Copics adding gloss to the cherry and the eyes.  Colour Me Copic has Bright Colours as their theme,  and Deep Ocean Challenge is to Use More Than Two Colours, I have in my image, I'm in!! 
The Patterned paper is from DCWV All Glittered Up Mat Stack, which I've had for years!  I don't keep my mat stack pads with the rest of my paper so I keep forgetting I've got them, which is a shame as they're so lush, there's loads of glittery goodness too, without being too "shouty", lol  I used the colours on the photo Cupcake Inspirations have as inspiration for their challenge this time around, Simon Says Challenge has Glimmer and Sparkle and Paper Play Challenges have Shine On, so I'm entering there.

The sentiment on the front is from Craftworks Cards, the flowers are from my stash as is the  (Metallique) Card Candi.  The challenge theme at the Saturated Canary Challenge Blog is to use office supplies, I've used a lovely acrylic bulldog clip from Officeworks, it's decorative and it keeps the card shut!  Divas by Design want us to use Texture (Flowers.... or bulldog clips, lol) so I'm entering there.
Totally Gorjuss has an Anything Goes theme and Papertake Weekly has Anything Goes, optional theme Celebrate I'm in on both counts ;-)

The sentiment on the inside I made up on the computer, feel free to grab it!  I added a jotting panel to the inside front and the card was done, tada!  All the ovals are Nestabilities Classic Ovals.  I added some faux stitching with gel pen.  Cutie Pie Challenge is to Use a Digi, which is never a challenge for me, lol, and they'd like you to have regularly entered their challenges (and to mention which ones) - I checked: I've entered challenges # 2,7,9,11,12,13,15,19,20,25 and 26 - I've even had a few wins, hope that makes me regular enough :-)  BTW, checking was much more of a challenge!

Matt and Elaine have been together for eleven years, and we didn't think they were going to have kids, as my youngest son is gay and Australian Law not kind to gay men in regard to adoption, we thought our chances of becoming grandparents were slim at best; we are SOOO pleased that we are getting the chance to join this "club", the twins bit is admittedly scary but I'm sure we'll adapt, lol.  We've had to wait until now to share this great news, my DIL is at the age where "the 13 week scan" holds significance, but it's all good so I'm blabbin'!! Sassy Cheryl's Show Me Thursday is a good place to "blab" ;-)
That's it for today's card, and my bit of news.  Until next time, Happy Crafting, Donna.... (a thought: I've always been AuntDee am I now going to be Nannaonnna? lol) 

Not a Card....

Just for a change, and because I still want to "create" but have a  burgeoning stash of cards, I've made a couple of bookmarks... one for me and one for  hubby; today I'll show you "mine"!!

This is a magnetic bookmark, I found a tutorial on YouTube, Here, and jigged it around to suit what I wanted... it's very easily "jigged", lol. I made the back longer than the front to show off some of the paper from the inside.

One of the best hints is to not use too strong a magnet, I've used pieces of magnetic tape, and that's enough to still clip "closed" over a couple of pages. it works a treat.  

I've had this fabulous Saturated Canary image What The Librarian Reads in my stash since Krista released it, waiting to be used on a project... I figured that a bookmark was appropriate :-)   Bearly Mine Challenges and Stamptacular Sunday Challenge have Anything But A Card as their themes, so I'm entering there.   I've coloured with Copics and a touch of pencil, with lashings of gloss on her glasses and her mug.  I fussy cut the image then glued it directly (no foam pads, you don't need dimension when you're fitting a bookmark between the pages of a book, lol) on to a panel of cream backed patterned vellum (the pattern doesn't show in the pic) cut using an impress Curved Rectangles die.                     The paper is from Basic Grey's Indian Summer collection... autumn is my absolute favourite time of the year, we're heading towards summer here in Australia, so it was kind of poignant using autumn-y paper :-) 

I'm not the only one that likes autumn, Cute Card Thursday, Without Words, Paper Play Challenges and 2 Sisters Challenge all have autumn themes, so I'm entering there.  The Pink Elephant has Use Patterned Paper... easy peasy, I'm in there too!

The only embellishment on this card is the gros grain ribbon, I ran it around to the "inside" of the bookmark and then glued a piece of the patterned paper over it to cover it and the magnet, I covered the very back simply because I wrecked the card by inadvertently gluing it to my work table! I thought the dots on the ribbon  tied in with the so-much-more-subtle dots on the paper, the Joanna Sheen challenge is Going Dotty, so I'll be entering there.  The One Stop Craft Challenge is No Floral Embellishments, no floral embellishments here, I'm in - and The Cutie Pie Challenge is no flowers AT ALL, I've checked and there's no flowers here, only leaves, so I'm in there too!

Even though this bookmark is for me, I think it fits the Back to School theme that is running at Di's Digi Designs, The Secret Crafter and Crafty Creations so I'm entering there and I know it fits the Anything Goes challenges at Papertake Weekly and My Mums Craft Shop so definitely entering there!

Well, that's it for MY bookmark, my hubby's is super simple but as I haven't taken a photo of it I'll be back with it another day.

My son Chris is involved in a fund raising activity at the moment, actually, he's always involved in some fund raiser or another - last month it was the City to Surf "fun" run, which involved running 12 kms and didn't float my boat at all, lol - this one is art based, I'm donating a couple of my paintings and thought I'd make a couple of these bookmarks to go be sold for a gold coin donation; last year Chris sold a couple of his paintings for $600 each! I'm sure not everyone is in the position to donate that, but everyone can afford some loose change.

I'm off to bed, though I'm in no rush as the dreaded night sweats (menopause is so much harder than I was expecting!) keep me uncomfortable all night and worried about disturbing hubby... though he's not working tomorrow so it's not such a concern as usual!

Until next time, Happy Crafting, Donna

A Tie Father's Day

And now for something completely different.... It's Father's Day here in Australia on Sunday, I've made a card for my husband that's not exactly "appropriate" for Father's Day, but is like a play on words... more a play on theme, really, in that it is all about ties, the traditional Father's Day gift.

The computer generated sentiment says "A nice tie is a very traditional Father's Day Gift, what you decide to do with it is entirely up to YOU!"  

I made the template up for the tie myself, with the front being a full tie and the back "easeled" off it about half way down, it did make the card a bit prone to flattening out due to the extra weight on the  front, so I added a brad as a tie pin and used the stems of the brad to hold the card half closed.  I added some foam dots under the "knot" to give it dimension.
I also "made" the textured card myself, I wanted to get a textured fabric effect as a reference to the tie used by Mr Grey in the Fifty Shades of Grey book I have just finished reading (and telling my hubby about), which is the same book that inspired the fabulous Saturated Canary image that's on the inside of the card.  
  I stamped a grid pattern over grey card with black ink then randomly embossed with silver using the same stamp, then dry embossed the whole thing with Cuttlebugs Swiss Dots folder; Craft Your Passion has Emboss It as their theme, plenty of embossing here, I'm in!, and Saturated Canary challenge is Dotty, so I'll be entering that one too.

I added the border around the sentiment using double sided tape, hot fix powder and black diamond glitter, and a little silver embossing to shade the image panel (it stood out like the proverbial until I did that, lol.  Cutie Pie Challenge has Borders and Frames as their theme so I'm entering there.
The gorgeous Saturated Canary image "Grey Tie" is coloured with Copics, with gloss added to her eyes and her lips (that, again in reference to Fifty Shades) are being chewed!  More of the glittery border finishes it off.
Simon Says Challenge has an Anything Goes challenge, as does Paper Crafting Journey and Craft Your Days Away , so I'll be entering all those.
That's it for my hubby's Father's Day card, I'll be back soon with my Dad's card... once I've made it (yikes! Cutting it fine, lol
or on Sunday when the new Here Come The Boys challenge hits the deck.  Until then (whichever time it is, lol) Happy Crafting, Donna

Aah To Be Twenty One Again!

Well, I don't really know if I WOULD like to be twenty one again really... all that angst!  This card is for the used-to-be-little-girl across the road from us... I can't believe she's 21!! I made a side-stepper simply 'coz it shows off all the card at once! We're going to a party for her on Saturday night, combined with her boyfriends 21st! I have to come up with a card for him yet, bit more of a challenge as I haven't known him since he was eight as I have Hayley!

I'm really pleased with the end result; it doesn't have a huge amount of embellies on compared with some peeps, but for me it's got plenty!  I've taken the piccies indoors, but the colours are pretty accurate. 
The colour was easy to decide, the invitation is red and black (coupled with the fact that her car is black with ladybirds on, her numberplate is "ladybrd" and her first car was red with black dots on.... getting the picture? lol) so I figure she likes the combo.  I've used the delightful digi "Blanche" from Saturated Canary, I have about twenty of Krista's fabby images... this is the first time I've been brave enough to colour one up!  I coloured with Copics and Prismacolors (the black is pencils, I get a better outcome with black pencils than Copics) the Saturated Canary challenge this time is Black White and One as is  Craft Your Passion , I'm hoping the grey that's on the paper doesn't discount it.   Craft Your Days Away wants Shades of Grey + One colour, so I know it's fine there!  I added some Stickles to her earrings and a Swarowski crystal to her sash, very glittery IRL.

Jotting panel on rear of tag

Sentiment tag

The sentiment tag fits in a pocket made simply by not gluing the top edge of the rearmost panel, there's a jotting panel on the back and room in the pocket for the voucher that is our gift.  I attached the sentiment (cut using Standard Ovals and Classic Scalloped Ovals) only at the top so it can "overlap" the front of the pocket.  Aud Sentiments wants us to put our sentiment on a tag, I have so I'm in.
The paper on the main part of the easel is from Starfish Lane, the rest of the papers are from my stash... Kaisercraft After Five and Shaken Not Stirred, the red and black card comes from my stash too... so I'll be entering Lisa's Waste Not Wednesdays challenge.
I cut the scrolls with a Marianne Designs die (that's three dies I've used, so I'm entering the Stamptacular Sunday Challenge to use two or more dies), there are black pearls on the "curlycues" of the black scrolls and the corners of each dp panel, so I'm entering Paper Crafting Journey Swirls and Pearls challenge.  I Stickled up the red scroll... of course it doesn't show in the pics, lol.

Trust me, it Blings!

The flowers are a mix of stash and new arrivals from Mulberry Crafts in the UK... when the parcel arrived (in very quick time, I might add!) it was amazing to see that it came from a place in Wales about ten miles from where I lived until emigrating to Australia with my folks forty years ago!  The world is indeed small :-)  Bizzy Becs challenge this month is Flower Power, so I'm in!
The only other embellishment on the card, apart from the silver and crystal brad on the sentiment, is the metal and rhinestone key in the floral arrangement; I must have taken twenty photos trying to get the bling factor showing, you'll just have to trust me - it blings :-)  The Paper Shelter  wants us to use a Metal Embellishment -I'm in.
My Mums Craft Shop has Birthday Girls and Divas by Design has Birthday, what you might call variations on a theme, lol, so I'm entering those... as well as the Simon Says Challenge Anything Goes challenge, of course!
Well that's it for today, I have to go to bed... should try to get on to making the other 21st card but have so much else to fit in.  The old adage about Haste making Waste showed up big time today; long story short, I was rushing to get some paperwork finished for one of my clients, I Cut information (two weeks worth of Data Entry) from one spreadsheet, Pasted it into another spreadsheet and then promptly saved the one with data cut from it and didn't save the one with it pasted into... normally (as in when I'm not rushing!) I NEVER Cut, I always Copy, figuring it's better to have the info in two places than none... and it would seem that that is very sound thinking, as now I have to do two weeks of data entry AGAIN, grrrrrr.
Hopefully I'll fit some craft time in and be back with something super :-) Until then, Happy Crafting, Donna