It's Your 60th... Make a Scene!

The card I have today was a commission... well, one of the ladies I meet up with at the park when I walk the dog asked if I could make a card for her friend Vicki's 60th birthday, so "commission" sounds a bit posh :-)  There were quite a few "elements" of Vicki's life my friend wanted to be incorporated, a scene seemed the most appropriate form... picture heavy LOOOOONG post, sorry;-)

The birthday girl is "not a twig" :-) has bought a campervan to use in her retirement with her hubby, their name is "Read" their kids names are Belinda and Mark - she loves a cocktail (or three, lol) and is a FANATICAL supporter of  "our" Footy team The West Coast Eagles...  whose colours are Blue and Gold. The card was for her friends to sign so it had to have plenty of room for signatures - PHEW, that's a lot of details to squash into one li'l ol' card, lol. It's an easel card, I just love easel cards :-)

There are several images used here; the caravan is the same one I used for my son's birthday card in 2016, which is when this card was made, it's from (the sadly now defunct) The Stamp Fairy and called "Lenny Camping".

I erased Lenny from the front of the van and drew in a drawbar and jockey wheel, as well as adding the spending-kids-inheritance logo on the side of the van and giving the door the appropriate number, one of the reasons I love digis, so easy to mask off and add personalisation :-) I fussy cut the caravan and popped it up on foam dots.
Another little "feature" is the West Coast Eagles flag flying proudly on the back of the caravan.  I downloaded a pic from the WCE Homepage, shrank it down to as small as I could still having it recognisable, wrapped it around a toothpick and glued it in behind the van - of course, it looks so much better IRL

"Vicki", seen here in her cocktail glass is, in fact, Martini Bianca from Dr Digi's House of Stamps... I DID slim her down a little - and fussy cut her & popped her up on foam dots too.  I've added her hubby to the window of the van, he is also from Dr Digi's (Weekend Walter), I've used him for one of my Hubby's cards - bonus here is... he actually looks like Vicki's husband!

I coloured the images with Copics, adding Glossy Accents to the glass and the window of the van.  The grassy hills were cut with Lawn Fawn Stitched Hillsides using some green spotty paper from my stash, I added some shadows to accentuate the layers.  
The "hill" with the pine trees is Poppy Dies Freemont Pine Landscape, the Grassy Border, signpost with "Work" and "Life" on and Picket Fence are all My Favorite Things dies,  the clouds (popped up on foam dots) are Memory Box and the flowers are punches - with gems as centres on the larger and Stickles as centres on the smaller  

I love the arched border... it's MFT as well, "Fanfare Scalloped Border".  I added it in yellow on the blue card (which has a lovely texture called Pebble, and a pearl finish that shifts blue to black that I can't do justice to in photos) that I added the computer generated sentiment panel to... and in blue - though plain blue as the Pebble paper looks nice, but cuts like a dog! - on the jotting panel

As the jotting panel was going to get a lot of signatures it had to be BIG, so I added an "extra" fold and tada... there we have an A4 panel for all to sign - hopefully the pics show what I (obviously!) am having difficulty describing :-)
I added some gems to the Fanfare border on the sentiment panel but left them plain inside so the card stayed pretty flat.
And that, finally, is that!!  I actually REALLY enjoyed creating this card, and the recipient LOVED it, so that was very satisfying too :-)  
I'd like to share it in the following challenges:

Tuesday Throwdown Add Some Texture, The Paper Shelter Use a Sentiment, Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge Use Patterned Paper, Pixies Snippets Playground Use snippets (the green paper), Die Cut Divas Use Yellow, Little Miss Muffet, Through the Craftroom Door, Digi Choosday, Crafty  Creations, 4 Crafty Chicks, Crafting With Friends Challenge 73, Creative Fingers,Li'l Patch of Crafty Friends, Polkadoodles A Perfect Time to Craft, Create and Inspire, Creatalicious Challenges, Crafting With Attitude and Corrosive Challenge Anything Goes

Well, that's it for today... this card was one I found on an a camera card.. I'm still trying to resurrect my laptop from the Great OneDrive Fiasco.  I am "getting there", I've found 47 cards from my Drafts- I know I had 52 or 53, so I haven't lost TOO many.  Can't say the same for all my photos sadly, but I am still looking, loading, sorting and labelling so it's not over yet
Until next time, Happy Crafting, Donna

Christmas in July... and Some!!

This is a long post, but it IS three cards, so, forgivable?  Hope so :-)
I live in Western Australia... where Christmas is HOT, being in the middle of our summer and all :-)  We regularly get over 37C (100F), but at least it's not in February which is the hottest month with numerous days over 40C.  (I have worked, outside with my husband back in our pool installing days on 44C or 118F - in the shade, which we were not... it was over 50C in the sun and, no it wasn't pleasant.
All that was just to explain why I LOOOOOVE Christmas in July; I love Christmas full stop, and getting to celebrate with "traditional" fare is nice for us, as I suppose Christmas at the beach (or around your backyard pool in our case) would be for you cold-climaters :-) 
Hence... today I have a few Christmas cards to share:-)) They're all pretty CAS, that's partly because I like them that way... and partly because I invariably run out of time to get all I need made

On the first one I used a Memory Box die (called Grand Merry Christmas) to cut white glittery (very glittery, just ask my craft room floor, though it didn't shed as much as the last lot I got!) card.  I think it looks really effective over the red card.  The ribbon is from my stash, it's really lovely in real life with a gold thread through it. 
As You Like It wants to know our Favourite: Ribbon or Buttons and Why: I like both, but use more ribbon because it's easy, stays flat (ish) for posting and can add, as in this case a nice patterned element without overpowering your card.  Aud Sentiments Christmas in July plus a Sentiment, I think Grand Merry Christmas has that covered :-)

The second card features a bit of ribbon too, yes it's wonky in the pic, I DID straighten it up before sending the card :-)  I used some of my (ginarmous pile of) white snippets for this one on kraft card... you know all those rather skinny white bits you end up with when you trim sheets of card down to make your bases.  The image is a digi from Bugaboo called Snowflake Reindeer Silhouette, available here, that I printed on my laser printer then foiled using my laminator... I did make quite a few foiled cards actually - got on a bit of a roll :-)  This was the first time I've used this image, though I've had it for a while. I printed it on linen card - I know it just looks bumpy in the pic, but actually looked pretty classy IRL.  
The top half of the card was embossed with a Die'sire folder called Let it Snow, the bottom half was embossed with a folder I got with a papercraft magazine... I've got to say it embosses so well - you have to make sure you don't chop right through your card actually!  Pixies Snippets Playground wants to see Snippets, so here they are :-)  The image panel was cut using Spellbinders Ovals, the kraft mat behind it with Spellbinders Scalloped Ovals
Now the third card, lucky last.... for today!

I made a little scene using some paper from a Kaisercraft pad (can't be bothered getting up to find which one, sorry) and some more of the white glittery card I used on my first card today, cut with Lawn Fawn Stitched Hillside border dies to make the snow drifts.  I have the snow drifts at two different levels then the gold glittery reindeer (Cottage Cutz) on a layer above that; it hardly shows in the pic but did make a nice display IRL... which is just as well as it took forever-and-a-half to cut teeeeny little bits of foam dots to put behind their legs :-)) 
The Noel sentiment is a Sizzix die (Tim Holtz Script Holiday Words), the whole scene is mounted on gold foil card.  Little Red Wagon has Ice, Ice Baby as their theme, this is pretty much as close as we get at Christmas... unless you count the stuff in our poolside drinkies :-)
That's pretty much it for card three.

Catch The Bug has a Bingo Challenge as part of it's Christmas in July week-long challenge (for Day 4) I've covered seven of the square in this - if you count Gold Blue and White as three colours; using Texture, Die Cuts, Sparkle, Patterned Paper, Bugaboo Christmas Image, 3 Colours and Ribbon... of course getting three on one line was still a challenge, but I made it with my first card (Texture, Die Cut, Sparkle or Sparkle, Use 3 Colours, Ribbon
Jingle Belles have this fabulous Blog Header to inspire us, I have the reindeer, more than once in fact :-) and the snow
Now, the other thing I like about Christmas in July is all the lovely challenges that are around at this time; 

Fab'n'Funky Challenges, Hiding in- my Craft Room, and Sasayaki Glitter all have Christmas in July so I'm entering there.  A Snowflakes Promise, Merry Christmas Challenge, Crimbo Crackers and Sweet Stampin' Christmas are Christmas Challenges that all have "Anything Christmas" themes as is  Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge which has the option to "Add Some Red", which I have done
The other thing is that, as a lot of DT's are on Holidays, there's a lot of Anything Goes challenges... and right at the time I'm tucked up in my cozy craft room with time to craft - summer being our busy season with work... win/win I say.  All the following are Anything Goes challenges
Simon Says Challenge, Through the Craftroom Door, Digi Choosday, Crafty  Creations, 4 Crafty Chicks, Crafting With Friends Challenge #72, Creative Fingers, Li'l Patch of Crafty Friends, Polkadoodles, A Perfect Time to Craft,  Create and Inspire, Creatalicious Challenges, Simply Papercrafts, Crafting With Attitude, Corrosive Challenge and Card Mania Challenges 
Phew, that's it for today.  I'll be back soon with some more cards... probably Christmas, possibly foiled, then again it could be with one of the 38 still in my drafts.  Until then, Happy Crafting... or sun-soaking or family-funning - whatever you're up to, Donna

Oh "Deer", More Christmas Cards

Yup, it's another simple Christmas card (or two) from me today.  I will blog something different next time... promise!  These were made for this Christmas (2017); you can tell by their simplicity, lol.  They did look pretty nice IRL, truly :-)
The first is a scene that I made using inspiration from Pinterest
 
I embossed the base of the card with a really nice snowflake embossing folder from Die'sire (I think)... unfortunately it's a bit "munted" along one edge where I forced it through my Big Shot (causing some damage to that too, sigh) in a moment best described as, umm, tantrum!  I was tired, it wasn't going through - so I made it, I'm not proud, lol... and I have to try and replace the folder!  I cut the circle out of the gold foiled card with a Stitched Circle die set from Li'l Inkers that I've had for ages and hardly used, though I LOVE it.  I sponged in some sky, with a masked off moon, with pigment ink.  The snowbanks were cut from glittery fun foam using Stitched Hillside Border dies from Lawn Fawn... again I've hardly used them despite loving them!

The deer are Cottage Cutz, I used a snippet of gold-glittery card - it really WAS a snippet; I actually didn't have enough to do a complete deer, so Mr Deer has had a foot amputated... that's why it's tucked behind the frame :-)  Pixies Snippets Playground Snippets is well covered here, as is Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge: Anything Christmas, Option- Upcycle or use something old... that glitter paper is ANCIENT :-) 
The deer are popped up on foam dots, the hills are on different layers and the whole gold piece is up higher on more foam dots.  Tuesday Throwdown has "Layer It Up" as it's challenge theme, I think this qualifies, lol.  The snowflake dies were from a set of four on eBay... they were technically "for Christmas", but as I bought "a few" dies as my Christmas gift from hubby, I was able to filter out the ones I could use BEFORE Christmas - these cut beautifully and I have found that the fun foam is SO much sturdier than card, especially glittery card; this cut cleanly and you could really tug it out of the dies, be slapdash with the glue and position them more than once - try THAT with card, lol.  A few flat back pearls in the centres helped break it up.  Jingle Belles has "Look What Santa Brought Me" as their challenge theme, Santa was busy so I brought me with these dies - so I'm in, lol, Allsorts Challenges wants to see Something New as does Cute Card Thursday and 4 Crafty Chicks has Anything Goes with a "Use Dies or Punches" twist... in there too.
The second card is even more simple: I had the scalloped-edged card in my stash, I embossed it with a Couture Creations folder "Sugarplum Ball"... what a lovely crisp finish it gives!  
The image is from the net, I used my laser printer to print on linen card and laminator to add the foil... the sentiment is from Pink Petticoat, it doesn't show in the pics but that is gold foil too.  I just tied it on to the gold cord wrapped around the flap of the card. Done.  Card Mania Challenges has a Monochromatic theme, this should do, and The Crazy Challenge has Winter Wonderland - I think either card will do there, and either will do in these "Anything Goes" or "Anything Christmas" challenges:

As You Like It, Catch The Bug, Little Miss Muffet, Through the Craftroom Door, Digi Choosday, Crafty  Creations, Li'l Patch of Crafty Friends, Polkadoodles, Creatalicious Challenges, Crafting With Attitude, Paper Creator Crafts, Corrosive Challenge, A Snowflakes Promise, and  12 Months of Christmas all have Anything Goes or Anything Christmas Goes themes

Like I said I'll bring something better to the table next time... or at least it won't be Christmas!  Until then, Happy Crafting, Donna

Another Simple Card

I have (yet another) simple card from my (yet again) Drafts Folder today, ONE day I'll get back into my Bloggin' Groove.  I've still got a lot of cards "unblogged" so I'll keep chipping away at them :-)
This is a card I made for my Sister in Law when her son died in 2015... I can't believe it is over two years since sweet Bradley went to a better place, but it is!

The grey and white designer paper is gorgeous in real life... just impossible to capture in photographs!  It has a lustre on the gold and a true pearl finish to the white... yummy!  It is from one of my "birthday vouchers" from my son, from one of my favourite haunts for "fab" paper... Starfish Lane in Perth.'

I popped the patterned paper (with flat black mat) up on foam dots.  I used versa linen light card for the image, colouring the sky and grass with Prismacolor pencils before printing the trees - which is just a free-to-use image I downloaded from the net, resized and flipped to make each tree look a little different.  I added a few native grass trees (Brad loved the bush) with permanent marker and some long grass and shadows around the base of the trees, I also added some highlights to one side of the trees to indicate light source... and to just break it up a bit!
The sentiment on the front is from a clear stamp set, can't remember the maker, the larger dots (they are faceted, but that doesn't show in the pics) are stickers I've had for yonks, the small flatbacks are also from my stash

In the inside I used a sentiment I made in Photoshop a while ago, I have the .png file for it on my "Templates and Freebies page" or here, if you'd like to grab it, and the same techniques and finishes on the front.  I added the jotting panel to the inside "cover" as I think it looks nicer than writing on the card base itself
... and that's it :-))
I'd like to enter my card in the following challenges: 

Moving Along With The Times Theme: Trees

Allsorts Challenges Theme: Colours of Autumn

Paper Creator Crafts Theme: Reds, Browns and Oranges

Cupcake Inspirations Using this pic as inspiration.......

Fab'n'Funky Challenges Theme: Masculine Touch

Cuttlebug Mania Theme: Masculine

Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge Theme: Use Patterned Paper

… and the following challenges have "Anything Goes" themes
Aud Sentiments, Polkadoodles, Cute As A Button, Little Miss Muffet, Crafting With Friends  Challenge #54 , Creative Fingers, Li'l Patch of Crafty Friends, Create and Inspire, Creatalicious Challenges, Simply Papercrafts, Crafting With Attitude, Paper Creator Crafts, Corrosive Challenge, Card Mania Challenges

So that's all folks for today.  I hope to be back a little sooner with my next card, I also hope to MAKE a Christmas card or too... but it's my son's birthday (again, I know!!) so that will have to take precedence, along with his cake of course

Until next time, Happy Crafting, Donna

It's Summertime... and the Livin' is Easy

New challenge starts today at Di's Digis Challenge Blog... Summer Fun i the theme... which feels a little strange to me as it's literally midwinter's Day here, lol.  It has been mid 20's Celcius so not THAT wintery, though we did get some rain today, woohoo!!  Anyway here's my card for the challenge;

I've made a centre stepper card this time around, Crafty Calendar has a Fancy Folds challenge so I'm entering there.

The image is one of Di's newer ones, called (appropriately) Summer Sun Mouse ... available here - I LOVE this little dude :-))  The Paper Shelter  has Make It Digital, Bunny Zoes Crafts  has Furry Friends and both Cute As A Button and Crafty Cardmakers have For the Boys, so I'm entering their challenges.  

I coloured the image with Copics and Prismacolor pencils, adding some Sakura Glaze pen to the beach ball and Ranger Glossy Accents to the sunglasses.

Simon Says Challenge wants to see our favourite Technique or Product - mine is colouring... particularly with Copics. Without Words has Summer Holidays, Addicted to  Stamps has Summer Colours while Cuttlebug Mania has "Sunny" so I'm entering there.

I used paper from a pad I think is called Pool Party... the sentiment tags came from one sheet in it too... the orange one says "soak up the sun" and the green one originally said "Stay cool by the pool", but as mdy image is a seaside scene I covered the "by the pool" with a scrap of paper from the pad. Of course I'm entering Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge.  Aud Sentiments wants to see a Summertime Sentiment, tick, and Cute Card Thursday wants us to Add a Quote (hope this counts, it did say that a quote as a sentiment was okay)

I cut the wave bordered strip from one of the papers with a wave die, the "waves" on the paper were white, I went over them with Viva Pearl Pen to give a bit more depth.  Top Tip Tuesday  has Cut It Out as their theme, my die cut gets me in there.

The only embellishments on the card are the oh-so-cute pair of thongs... well that's what we call them here; flip flops, jandals, or rubber thonged sandals; whatever they are in your neck of the woods... anyway these are metal brads.  Oh, and a resin dot with "relax" on it as a finishing touch. Card Mania Challenges wants to us to Use a Metal Embellishment so I'm in!
I put the jotting panel on the back of this card as, if you put it inside the card it never sits right again after all the "opening and shutting".  Obviously I used more of the papers and another of the little tags/sentiment blocks... it looks crooked in the pic, but I've checked and it's straight so - I dunno, lol.
Moving Along With The Times has Inspired by a Song as their theme; Ella Fitzgerald's "Summertime and the Living is Easy" is the inspiration here,Corrosive Challenge has Pile It On - I've piled on the folds, the number of bits of paper (truly, all those little bands at the top of the sentiment blocks are tiny strips!) and Craft Your Passion,That Craft Place, Through the Craftroom Door, Art by Miran, Paper Creator Crafts and OSAAT have Anything Goes challenges so I'm entering them.

That's it for today's card, hope you get a chance to enter the challenge, that you're not to busy having Summer Fun :-))  Great prize on offer as always and if you use one of Di's super cute images there's extra opportunities to win, yay!!
I'll be back in a few days.  Until then, Happy Crafting, Donna

Back to School at Di's Digis

Here I am... just as I said I would be (for a change, lol) with my DT card for the new challenge starting today over at Di's Digi Designs Challenge; I've made a diorama card, sort of, here it is.

If you want to make a "proper" diorama card there are a few excellent tutorials out there, here's one.  I did do a third layer, with the intention of cutting out the school house and having that on a middle layer, but (after taking an age to colour it) I decided it was too much... oh well I have a great background coloured and ready to go for another card :-)  I fussy cut the boy then stuck him to the front, and yes - cutting the shoelaces was fiddly, lol, The good thing about these cards is that, while they're really 3D when open, they flatten right down for postage.
I used two of Di's Digis on this card, Boy Off to School and School House.  I coloured the clouds with Versmark ink and a cardboard stencil and coloured the images with Copics adding some extra shadows with Prismacolor Pencils. Totally Papercrafts has Favourite Colour for their challenge - I love all colour :-)  Great Impressions wants us to make a Square Card, which I have, My Time to Craft wants to see an Aperture - the front of this card is more aperture than card, lol. Paper Pretties has School Rules, Clearly iStamp has Back to School and Pile It On has Outdoors so I'm in there too.
The papers are from Kaisercraft's Class Act pad, the border around the aperture is gold stickers (peel offs) and the metal embellishment at the top is from my stash.  Creatalicious Challenges has For the Boys and Hobbycutz has Card for a Child so I'm entering those too!

I made a small card to use as a jotting panel on the back, after sticking it on I realised that it made the balance all wrong - as in the card kept tipping over backwards!  - so I had to rip it off and stick just a single layer jotting panel on, not pretty but it works, lol. 
Bearly Mine Challenges, The Crazy Challenge and Through the Craftroom Door all have Anything Goes challenges running, so I'm entering them.
Pop on over to Di's Challenge and check out the rest of the team's work - awesome!!  Hope you get a chance to enter the challenge too - there's a great prize on offer from MarkerPop, and if you use one of Di's great digis you're in the running for an extra prize too, WooHoo!!
Well that's it for today. I'll be back in a few days, probably, lol.  Until then, Happy Crafting, Donna 

Sunshine and Happiness

I'm a Sweetie!  Well, that's what the lovely ladies at Cupcake Inspirations tell me - I'm their Guest Sweetie (aka Guest Designer) for this week and this is the card I've made using the Photo Inspiration for this week's challenge.

The uber cute image is Beachy Tia, a digi from Some Odd Girl. Stampin' for the Weekend has Holidays as its challenge theme, this little beach babe is CLEARLY enjoying hers, so I'm entering there. Ellephantastic Challenges  theme is Here Come the Girls, so Tiny Tia is entering there too.

I bought a few Some Odd Girl digis recently, this is the first chance I've had to get one coloured up and I thought Tia was just perfect for the colours and style of Cupcakes photo inspiration (they always find some seriously rockin' cupcakes for their inspiration!), she is coloured with Copics -after I took this photo I added some gloss to her sunnies, but I haven't taken another photo so just "think" glossy, lol. Stamp Something has its Digi Day challenge on, so I'm in!

I used the sketch from Papertake Weekly this time, very nice sketch - thank you very much ;-)  The papers are from American Crafts City Park collection (that I won from Tracy in March!!!) and my Echo Park Walk In The Park pad, man I LOVE that pad, I'm going to have to buy another one it just is so usable. 

The image panel is cut and embossed using Nestabilities Classic Ovals, I used Nestabilites Scalloped Ovals for the purple foil mat.  I used the same foil to mat the sentiment ticket (which was a blank ticket digi from Bizzy Becs, I added the sentiment on the computer) I used my smallest circle punch to clip the ticket/mat into shape - I really want a ticket die, but the one I want has been unavailable, I digress.... 

Cute Card Thursday wants us to Pinch and Punch (use at least one punch) and Crafty Creations has Use Three or more Different Dies or Punches as it's theme, this time so I'm in.

Well, even if there weren't enough punches on the outside of the card, the inside makes up for it: I used my new (literally opened the mail, and used the test cut!) Nellies Choice Floral Punch for the flowers on the inside, as well as my EK Success Doily Lace edge punch. 

Paper Play Challenges has Make your own flowers, Moving Along With The Times has Hand Made flowers, as does Craft Your Days Away  so my mail man arrived just in time for me to enter all those challenges, lol. 

The ribbon, pearls and flowers on the front are from my stash.
Digi Stamps 4 Joy and My Time to Craft has In Full Bloom and Bearly Mine Challenges have Flowers as their theme...but you don't have to make them yourselves so even the paper and the flowers on the front would get me in there!
Simon Says Challenge and The Paper Shelter have Anything Goes and Totally Gorjuss has As You Like It, so I don't even need the flowers to get in there, my colours cute image and great sketch are all as I like it, so I'm in!!
Well, that's it for Beachy Tia and me! Don't forget to check out the rest of the DT inspiration, all Sweeties, and have a go at the challenge too - so much inspiration to be had from those gorgeous cupcakes! 

I'm sorry this post is a bit lacking in the formatting department, Blogger is giving me a LOT of trouble (including not publishing my scheduled posts!)

Until next time, Happy Crafting, Dee

Life's a Beach

I've got a card today I made just for fun! I coloured up a few images when I was away...quite a few actually - which I've had "sitting" on the computer for far longer than I care to admit, ho-hum sound familiar?  These photos aren't truly accurate for colour; I've had to take them at night to hit a challenge deadline and even though I've used my Daylight lamp, it's not the "same" as daylight proper.  Frankly, I'm too lazy to take them again and repost!  So here's my nearly-true-to-colour card...

The images are Summer Dreams and Tropical Beach, both from Make It Crafty.  Great little Aussie company that you just have to go check out. The background is coloured with Prismacolor Pencils, and the girl is coloured with Copics. Creative Craft Challenges has Summertime, One Stop Craft Challenge has At the Beach, Digital Tuesday has I Love the Sea, By The Cute and Girly has The Sea and Die Cut Dreams has Holiday Fun...this little scene fits all these challenges, so I"M IN!! A LOT!

Crafting Life's Pieces have this fabulous sketch for August, it was a really easy sketch to use, I love it.

I've used papers from Echo Park's Walk In The Park collection, and the polka dot paper is from Inque Boutique Cabana collection Stampin' for the Weekend has Spots and Dots as its challenge theme, so I'm entering there.  

The image panel is cut and embossed with Labels Twelve Nestabilities double matted on a sparkly sort of mango colour then lovely orange American Crafts textured card.  Everything is popped up on foam dots, bit foam dot crazy today really!!

The corners have Card Candi to finish them, I've been toying with getting some, now I have and I LOVE it, you'll be seeing more of it - for sure!  I made the flowers using a Fiskars punch I got on sale ages ago and have never used, I don't know why not now - it cuts really cleanly and is kind of cute.  The centres are brads from my stash.  Papertake Weekly's challenge this time was "Grow Your Own Flowers"... so my punched flowers get me in there and  Lexis Creations has a recipe challenge this time: 1 image 2 Flowers 3 papers...tick, tick, tick; I'm in!!

The sentiment ticket was a blank (digi, of course!) from Bizzy Becs, another little Aussie company.  I used Microsoft Word to add the sentiment by using a couple of text boxes (that way you can reduce the spacing between the two lines, and use different fonts more easily).  I mounted it on a piece of the orange card then used the edge of my hole punch to clip into the ends and corners.  I inked the edges with yellow and orange pigment ink to tie it all together.

The base of this card has a slight texture to it, like watercolour paper, it's not as prominent on the inside, though still there.  I used offcuts from the front, some more card candi and a couple more flowers to finish it off. An offcut of plain white card inked around the edge makes the sentiment panel easy to write on.

That's it for my card today, I've got a few more images up and ready but I do have some DT work for next week...and of course none of the images I have coloured are appropriate, for one reason (wrong theme) or another (new release...watch this space!)...doesn't matter, I get to play tomorrow anyway; though the footy - Australian Rules Football to you :-) is on at lunch time and my husband has converted me to a bit of a fanatic (through a sort of system of water torture, drip, drip, drip over 35 years!) so maybe not.  I'll just have to "craft" in between my real work next week, lol.

I hope that your corner of the world is safe and secure, and that for you "Life's a Beach", until next time, Happy Crafting, Dee