Clowning Around

G'Day from WA :-)

The card I have today was the card I made for my eldest son Matt's 36th birthday in 2017... just getting around to posting it... and no, it's not the oldest one in my Drafts folder, lol.  

 Matt has coulrophobia - a fear of clowns, so being a loving Mum I'd thought I'd tease hm about it.  Well, not really... I actually thought he'd got past this more than he has, he is very much better than he was... and it such a nice clown, but.... ah well.  We are a "jokey" family, he took it in the spirit it was intended, thank goodness.

The image is a digi from Rick St Dennis called, unsurprisingly, "Clown with Balloons".  I coloured with Copics adding some deeper shadows with Prismacolor pencils.  Glossy Accents to the balloon after adding the numbers "36" with my laser printer and then foiling them in iridescent foil with the laminator (hard to see in the pic, pretty effective IRL.  I added some fluffy/glittery cotton balls cut in half on his costume and hat (they DID try to fall apart, but I got 'em, haha) 

The paper is from a Kaisercraft pad, I only had a bit of the paper on the front left, so I cut around the edge of the windmills to give a banner-like effect. I used more paper from the same pad and used the same technique to cut around the flags on the piece I used on the inside of the card, and some more scraps to make the pocket to hold the gift card that was Matt's present

I also foiled the computer-generated sentiment using the laser printer/laminator technique, not that it looks shiny in this pic, mind you the glitter on the DP doesn't show up either, sigh

That's it for today's offering.  We are still (technically) in winter here, though the weather has been really very nice (not that winter is ever "bad" here... I've lived in England and Wales, I know the difference, lol) so I've (technically) got a bit more crafting time on hand.  It hasn't quite panned out yet, but I live in hope :-)  Work is very quiet, beyond the seasonal slump... the economy is pretty sluggish at the moment and hubby and I are enjoying a taster of (semi) retirement... gotta say, we are now not worried that we'll be bored when we DO retire, we are busy, busy, busy, lol.  My "other" bookkeeping clients are in the same boat, same industry more or less so no surprise THERE! If we go back to boom times I think I'll give them up, I'm enjoying the pace I'm at much better, One Power Ball....

Anyway, I'm entering my card in the following challenges:  

Little Red Wagon Digi Do (Use a Digital Image)

Aud Sentiments For a Child + a Sentiment (Matt's my child, and it IS a "child" image, so I hope my entry fits the bill)

Sweet Stampin' Spots and/or Stripes (Spots and stripes on the clown's cossie)

Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge Use Patterned Paper

Pixies Snippets Playground Use Snippets (The piece on the front)

Send a Smile for Kids Anything Goes for Kids (Again, this is a "kid" image, hope it's okay to enter)

Catch The Bug, Cute Card Thursday, The Paper Shelter, Simon Says Challenge, Through the Craftroom Door, Digi Choosday, Crafty  Creations, Creative Fingers, Li'l Patch of Crafty Friends, Polkadoodles, Gem of a Challenge and A Perfect Time to Craft All have "Anything Goes"

and I thought I'd add a picture of "the new dog", not ours... our son said he would leave it until little Rocky was gone before getting another dog.... true to his word, now Rocky is gone, here's Miss Molly with her new owners, The Twins
She is a sweet girl, and the kids love her... unlike her previous owners from whom she was rescued... so sad, but now not, she's landed on all four soft little feet :-))

Until next time, Happy Crafting, Donna

Foiled Again

Well I can't believe it's over THREE WEEKS since I posted on my blog... 'Tis the Season and all that - and it certainly IS the season if you live in Western Australia and work in the swimming pool industry; EVERYONE wants their pool in and looking shcmicko for The Big Day, and they don't mind if you run yourself into the ground to achieve it!!  Ah well, the joys of Self Employment :-) 
Anyways, I'm here today with a few Christmas cards from my stash.  They are very simple cards, always best for the overstressed crafter at this time of year ;-)

The first one is a kraft card base, the white card is embossed with a Darice embossing folder (Snowflake Swirl).  The image panel was linen card cut with MFT Stitched Circles and the kraft mat was cut with Spellbinders Lacey Circles, popped up on foam dots to add some dimension.  I used the rather elegant Snowflake Reindeer Silhouette (digi) from Bugaboo Stamps, printed with my laser printer and foiled (using a laminator) with Rose Gold Deco Foil... it goes really well with the Kraft card, I fussy cut the feet to go outside the circle, it gave a sense of movement.  When I printed the image I added a shadow (just done in Word... very simple to do and it really gives the image depth, it looks as if the whole reindeer has been fussy cut, without the work!)  The sentiment is a digi from Pink Petticoat, given the same laser/laminator foil treatment, raised on more foam dots to add more dimension.
The second card for the day is from the same "set" (as in I set up the laser printer and laminator and did a whole bunch of these cards, lol) as the first

I covered the whole front of this card in patterned paper (from Kaisercraft as far as I can recall... the bottom piece was from my scraps folder so I can't be certain).  
I printed the digital image (can't remember the source) on linen card as I like the effect of the foil on the textured paper... I rubbed a little Ranger Archival ink in Coffee colour around the edge to soften it.  I used green foil (obviously) and it matched the green foiled card I got from the $2 shop ages ago... I wish I could find it again, it's absolutely brilliant - shiny and smooth and cuts really well.  I used word to make the simple sentiment and foiled that to match, popping the image and the sentiment up on foam dots
This card goes so well with the sketch (#366) from Freshly Made Sketches you can use any shape but I have the tree anyway
The last one I'm going to share today is a little different only in that I used a different foil... I think it was Deco Foil Opal... that has an iridescent effect.  

The first pic shows how it looks basically silver grey in one light, but the second pic shows it's "true colours".  It is VERY striking IRL

The image is another I have had for years and unfortunately didn't label, I got it back in the days when I somewhat ignorantly - and it would seem wistfully, lol -  thought that I would only ever use one or two tree images, so I labelled it "Swirly Tree 2" and didn't note the source) 
I sprayed glue over a piece of black card and stuck the same Opal foil to it to make the matting behind the image. It didn't end up with a really smooth finish, but the texture actually adds something.
The purple background paper is Kaiser... I think, but don't hold me to it as it's ancient and the label is long gone
That's it for today (well it's tonight here, and well and truly bed time for me, lol)  I have another four of this style of card left in my drafts, they'll pop up soon I'm sure 
I would like to enter (at least one of) these cards in the following challenges: all three cards fit most of their themes but Double D Challenge has Run, Run Rudolph (Use a deer image) and As You Like It has Favourite Christmas Animal… and why, so obviously the first card is for those challenges, (oh, and the "why" deer are my favourite Christmas animal is that there are so many great deer images and dies available, ranging from cute to sophisticated, and deer seem slightly less incongruous to Aussie Christmas cards than penguins or polar bears... though "favourite" is probably pushing it - one of my favourites would be more accurate as I love the cuteness of penguins and bears too) Crazy 4 Challenges has Tree-mendous… use a tree... and  Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge Use Patterned Paper - so the second card fits these challenges.  For the rest... pick a card, any card :-))

Hiding in- my Craft Room has Christmas Colours 

Sasayaki Glitter has Happy Holidays

Die Cut Divas has Winter Holidays

Card Mania Challenges , Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge, Moving Along With The Times, Crimbo Crackers, Jingle Belles, Sweet Stampin' Christmas, Winter Wonderland All have Anything (Christmas) Goes

Aud Sentiments has Anything Goes plus a Sentiment
Creatalicious Challenges, Cute Card Thursday, Catch The Bug, Little Miss Muffet, Animal Friends, Through the Craftroom Door, Corrosive Challenge, Digi Choosday, Crafting With Attitude, Crafty  Creations, Creative Fingers, Li'l Patch of Crafty Friends, Polkadoodles, A Perfect Time to Craft, 4 Crafty Chicks and Tuesday Throwdown All have Anything Goes 

Thanks for visiting my little blog, I'll be back soon (I REALLY will!!) Until then, Happy Crafting, Donna 

Ruby Red

I thought I'd post a "current" card today instead of one from my Draft Folder... it was our - hubby and my - 40th or "Ruby" Anniversary on 18th February, I wasn't going to "do" a post on it but as I have made a card I thought... why not? especially as I enjoyed Debby's post about HER Ruby anniversary - and I enjoyed the "blast from the past" that the photos in her post brought so I've added some of ours in the hope you'll get a chuckle out of them... at how insanely YOUNG we look if nothing else, lol.  Here's the card

The image is from Lili of the Valley, it is a digistamp and I can't tell you how stoked I am that they are doing their fabulous images as digis... I've been drooling over them for years waiting and hoping that they'd come out as digis; I have to say I've gone a little bit mad in the Paypal department since they have, lol.  This one is called  "Hearts and Flowers" - you can see how I HAD to have it can't you??  I coloured, as usual, with Copic markers adding some shadow and highlights with Prismacolor pencils. 

I used paper from DCWV's "Glitter Basics" stack, it's fabulous... this actually is a snippet - it wasn't a snippet until I butchered it over and over trying to cut the wavy edge, (Lawn Fawn Stitched Borders die, I think) with the "stitches" on the right side - you know how it goes when you over think something.  I added a burgundy red heart brad that I wrote "40" on in gold gel pen, that with some fine gold twine finished the front of the card.  Incidentally "Ruby Red"... isn't, I mean turns out Rubies AREN'T that red; hubby bought me a gorgeous natural (as opposed to "created") ruby and diamond bracelet for the occassion, and the rubies are quite pink, not "Ruby Red" at all!  Who knew?, well not ME, lol
On the inside of the card I added a sentiment that I made up using Word... the blue-eyes part is a bit of an "in joke" and no, I'm NOT sharing, lol, and that was that
I'm going to enter the card in the following challenges: 

Cupcake Inspirations has these cupcakes and the theme "Pets"... these meeces look tame enough to me to qualify :-)

Cuttlebug Mania Ribbon and Bows - hope the bow in the twine is enough

Pixies Snippets Playground Snippets - yeah, like I DON'T have enough snippets already, I made some specially, lol

Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge Use Patterned Paper

As You Like It Single or Multiple Layers and Why - I really like multiple Layers, I think they give a  "hand made" look, but I also like the image to shine so am tending to more CAS... so I suppose "CAS with a layer or two" best describes it ;-)

Addicted to  Stamps Have a Heart - hearts on the image, heart brad

The Crazy Challenge Use Red

Cardz 4 Galz Furry Friends

Hanna and Friends Favourite Stamp - new "fave", and it's LOTV, eek!

Aud Sentiments Anything Goes Plus a Sentiment - the sentiment is on the inside
Cute Card Thursday,Catch The Bug, Little Miss Muffet, Through the Craftroom Door, Digi Choosday, Crafty  Creations,  4 Crafty Chicks,  Creative Fingers, Crafting With Friends Challenge 62, Li'l Patch of Crafty Friends, Polkadoodles, A Perfect Time to Craft, Create and Inspire, Creatalicious Challenges, Simply Papercrafts, Crafting With Attitude and Corrosive Challenge

Now for "those" wedding pics

That Flower Girl is now 50!!!!!

With my lovely Mum and Dad.  Well... the carpet WAS the height of fashion in 1978, lol

... and now a kinda "Before" and "After" ;-))

.... well it IS forty years on, give us a break :-))  Oh, and that man to the right behind hubby is our son Matt, ye gods and little fishes where HAS that time gone?!


Until next time, Happy Crafting, Donna xx

Koala Christmas

Well, another month has gone since I last posted, who knows where the time goes?  
This is a card I made for my Aunty in Wales; we live in Australia and the sun is blazing at Christmas time, so I usually try NOT to use "traditional" Christmas images on cards I'm sending to the UK... coals to Newcastle and all that :-) 

The truth is I've been suffering from depression for a while - it's a longstanding struggle and Mum's death and Dad's demise has knocked me.  I'm finding it hard to get enjoyment out of Blogging, anything really, even crafting - luckily this little chap "found" me and I really enjoyed making this card... leaving plenty of offerings in my Drafts Folder, some actually worth Blogging, lol.  
He is a digi stamp called, unsurprisingly, "Digistamp Koala from Lili of the Valley but he came sans hat; I added a digi hat - I DO love digis, so versatile... do you want to know HOW glad I am LOTV started doing digis?? Well, VERY :-)) He is one of their "bears" - even though koalas are NOT bears, and of course while I was there I HAD to buy the entire gorgeous Alpha Bears and NumBears collections, it seemed rude not to :-) 
I coloured with Copics and Prismacolor pencils, adding Stickles to the fur trim and Glossy Accents to his nose.  Koalas don't actually have glossy noses, so a bit of poetic license, lol, and they are not native to my state of Western Australia so MORE poetic license... still I did say "From Australia" not "From Western Australia" :-)
The latest "thing" in my life is foil embossing.  I bought a laser printer and already had a laminator so I've been "foiling" like a mad thing.  I generated the sentiment in Word then foiled it in gold.... I have discovered that foil is as hard as sparkle to capture in a pic! Doesn't show at all in this one, sigh. Looks good IRL... yeah, I know they all say that! 

The frame is cut with a Paper Roses Stitched Frames die, they cut beautifully, btw, using American Craft card - I must say this cuts SO much cleaner than the Kaisercraft card I usually use.  I kept the whole thing pretty flat for posting Air Mail. The background paper is from Wild Rose Studio, it's lovely, but it is paper, not card, so a sharp blade is a must for a clean finish.  The piece on the front actually had a square cut out of the middle that I used on another card, as did the outer mat. - love getting double duty out of supplies - AND it kept the weight down for mailing :-) I used another sheet from the Annabelle's Christmas pack for the inside.
That's it.  I am doing "Christmas" stuff today.... hubby has had to go to work, yup, on a Sunday (he is definitely too old for this cr@p, lol) so I am making hay as it were
I am entering my card in the following challenges... one thing for sure there's an embarrassment of riches at this time of year when you make a Christmas card, lol
Hiding in- my Craft Room Use a Digital Image

Simon Says Challenge Stitch It

Cute Card Thursday Festive Colours

Allsorts Challenges Cold and Frosty Colours

Pile It On Non Traditional Colours

Little Red Wagon Christmas Critters - Christmas is in summer in Australia, hope my festive koala fits the bill, please ignore my entry if not

4 Crafty Chicks Christmas/Winter Critters; again, hope my Santa Koala fits the "Christmas" part of the challenge, Christmas being a summer event here.  If not sorry for the inconvenience

Animal Friends Anything Goes using an animal image

Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge Patterned Paper

My Time to Craft, Cuttlebug Mania, Winter Wonderland, Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge, Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Extra Challenge, Paper Creator Crafts, The Crazy Challenge, 12 Months of Christmas, Addicted to  Stamps all have "Christmas" or seasonal challenges, while

Tuesday Throwdown Is either Christmas or Anything Goes… they didn't say

Pixies Snippets Playground Use snippets - the blue card.. And the paper on the front

Cupcake Inspirations These gorgeous cupcakes with a "Holiday" theme 

Cute As A Button, Little Miss Muffet, Through the Craftroom Door, Crafty  Creations, Crafting With Friends  Challenge #57, Creative Fingers, Li'l Patch of Crafty Friends, Polkadoodles, Create and Inspire, Creatalicious Challenges, Simply Papercrafts, Corrosive Challenge, Crafting With Attitude, Card Mania Challenges are all Anything Goes challenges

I will be back before Christmas, this is my goal, and I'll probably Blog multiple cards as I HAVE "mass produced" to a certain extent and I'm embarrassed to dedicate a whole post to each foiled card.  I can slip in some of the less than stellar offerings from my Drafts while I'm at it, teehee.
Until next time, Happy Crafting, Donna

If You're Hot, You're Hot

New challenge starting today (yup, another fortnight flew by!) the theme this time around is "Hot, Bright Colours".  No challenge for me at all this one, I LOVE colour and I'm not afraid to use it, lol.  Here's my card

The oh-so-cute image is called "Slumber Sunflower Time" and it's available here.  I printed it up pretty big (another thing I love about digis) so I could make a big card, actually I made a big card so I could print the image bigger than average... so much easier to get some detail into it that way!  
As You Like It want to see our Favourite or "Trademark" style and say how or why we consider it so; I love digis, use them ALL the time, love colour and this minimally embellished but not really CAS look is as close as I get to "a" style; I love colouring and like the image to be the star of the show.
I coloured with Copics, with just a tad of Prismacolor pencil shading and a big dollop of gloss on the ladybird.   
I used the sketch from Catch the Bug's Stella Says Sketch challenge.I found some My Minds Eye papers in  local craft store super cheap... I bought this sheet then decided I loved it, went back next day... yep, you guesed it all gone!  I did buy ten sheets of other patterns, but this is my fave.  The card base is kraft and the red cardstock is from my stash... as is the ribbon.
  The fence is a MFT die, the sentiment is computer generated.  I added some stitched borders to the image panel with Paper Smooches Dots and Dashes dies, the flower brads on the corners are from my stash, as are the orange rhinestones.
As usual I decorated the inside of the card to match the outside.  The brads looked out of scale so I used mini buttons instead... and that was it :-)  
I'd like to enter my card in the following challenges;

Polkadoodles  Summertime

Fab'n'Funky Challenges  Add A Sentiment

4 Crafty Chicks Flowers

Pile It On Use Your Favourite Colour(s)

OSAAT Elements of Nature

Animal Friends  Animals with Punches and or Dies

Creatalicious Challenges Anything Goes + Opt: Add a Flower
Simon Says Stamp Create a Scene (hope my fence is enough!)

Craft Your Passion , Through the Craftroom Door,  Art by Miran, Create and Inspire, Crafting With Friends Challenge25, Simply Papercrafts and Creative Fingers  all have Anything Goes challenges

I hope you get a chance to check out the rest of the team's Hot Bright work, hope you get a chance to enter the challenge too; great prize on offer as always - from the Crafting Desert Diva, and as always if you use one of Di's cute digis, or one of the Candibean rubber stamps you get entered into a draw for an extra prize!

I'm going away on Tuesday to "our" cabin in the bush (Margaret River, wine country... rammed earth house, GOOD wine, nice cheese... aah; rubbish internet though!)  I hope to put up a post or two when I'm down there, though I'm taking my colouring and that's easier to do!  So, until next time, whenever that may be, Happy Crafting, Donna

When is a Challenge Not a Challenge?

For me using digi images is no challenge at all, so calling this week's theme over at the Card Mania blog a "challenge" felt a bit like cheating!  I thought I'd add to my Christmas card pile, this is what I came up with

I embossed some white card with my new Snowflakes Embossalicious embossing folder; it's 6x6 so no pesky lining up to do.  The Paper Shelter wants snowflakes so I'm entering there.  The digi I've used is called Santa Mouse; this little cutie is one of the StampArt Design by Kathryne designs available here at Whimsy Stamps  Cutie Pie Challenge has Festive Furry Friends as their challenge, so I'm entering there, Papertake Weekly have 2 or 4 legs, so in there too and Sparkles Monthly Challenge theme is "the Big Guy (Santa)" so I'm entering there, hopefully my mouse sized Big Guy is big enough!  Crafty Creations has a recipe: 3 Layers, 2 Papers and 1 sweet Image... I'm in
I coloured with Copics, adding some of the deeper shadows with Prismacolor pencils.  I also added pastel white shimmering EP... but of course the glitter doesn't show in the pic, grrr.

I fussy cut Santa Mouse out very carefully (okay, I bailed when I got down to the curly bit of the tail, but I got most of it!) then mounted the image on an Action Wobbler... I've just about run out of these, but I've found a few tutorials on YouTube (here's one) on how to make your own... I'll let you know how I go :-)  
Here's a few pics attempting to show how he moves around - but I've got to say it's a challenge getting the thing to wobble and then getting back far enough quickly enough to get a focused photograph with it still moving!!
I thought I'd go the whole digi hog and used digital paper too... these are all from Nitwits Merry Christmouse 2 collection. Top Tip Tuesday wants us to use 3+ papers, I'm in! I tried to trim the red panel so that the "merry Christmouse" printed on the paper could be seen, the lazy way of adding a sentiment (well the quick way, for some reason time is still hurtling by)  The glittery gold matting card is from my stash, the stuff on the front in particular is a nice "soft" gold, I'm really going to have to try and get some more of it.
I used the sketch from Sketch Saturday , I even rounded the corners where appropriate... using my newly obtained 1" EK Success Corner Rounder.  I bought a couple of new corner rounders when I bought a slot punch recently... the reason I bought the slot punch is I was going to make some more tabs to hang my ribbons on; I have loads from Ribbon Ring and they're fabulous... but no longer ship to Australia, so I'm trying to come up with alternatives, at this point I've just got some nice corner rounders out of it, lol

I followed the sketch for the inside of the card too, mixing it up a bit so you can see more of the "Merry Christmouse" paper, I turned the jotting panel so that the rounded corners didn't match the mat, I liked it better that way.
Divas by Design had this gorgeous picture inspiration, I've taken it simply as a picture of Christmas so I'm entering there.   Delightful Challenges,  Without Words, Crafty Calendar, Bearly Mine Challenges and Stamping Sensations all have Christmas Challenges running so I'm entering them, and Holly Jolly Christmas Challenge has a Colour Choice Challenge, I've chosen Red, White and Green.
Christmas Stampin' All Year Long, Through the Craftroom Door, Paper Creator Crafts, Little Miss Muffet and That Craft Place all have Anything Goes challenges so I'm entering them too.
Well that's it for today's card, pop over to the Card Mania Blog and check out the rest of the team's fab work.  Why not enter the challenge, after all, all you have to do is use a digi - no challenge at all really is it?  Great prize on offer too.
I thought I'd add a couple of pics of my "bionic hip" The machine to burn them to disc was not working on the day I had them taken, so these pics were taken with the Xtrays propped up against my lightbox in the craftroom... at least they're backlit!
The surgeon was very happy with me on Friday, I'm allowed to drive now, but alas all the other restrictions are still in place for another six weeks.  I am cheating a bit, I slept (with a pillow between my knees, so not ALL bad) for an hour this morning and yesterday... and I'm going to do it again tomorrow; I just don't get good sleep on my back!  I'm up to all my usual duties in the house, walking without aids and running the business etc, but BOY do I get tired! 
It's my son Chris's 30th birthday next Monday, I'm making him a cake... he's having a party in the park with a carnival theme this weekend (like a kid's party, the BIG 3 little 0 sort of thing)  I've got as far as baking four of the cakes, 3 more tomorrow should be enough... then I've got to start moulding some characters - there could be a very floppy ringmaster on show on the weekend, and I'll know EXACTLY how he feels, rofl
Until next time, Happy Crafting, Donna

Non Traditional Colours for Christmas

It's time for a new challenge at Di's Digis Challenge Blog, this time we'd like to see your Christmas cards made using Non Traditional Christmas colours.  I'm a Traditional colours type of gal, I've got to say, but I really enjoyed this challenge and I'm happy with the result - which isn't always the case, lol.

I made another Kraft card so these colours just seemed to be the way to go. This is one of the new Christmas images from Di's Digi Stamps, I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it- it's called  "Izzy's Nativity", isn't it sweet?!!  I've coloured with Copics adding some shading and details with Prismacolor pencils, and this is the first card for some time without any glitter or gloss - it just didn't seem appropriate.  I did 'blotchy' shading around the image; I have tried this before and failed miserably, ending up fussy cutting the image, this time it's okay, I'm sure practice makes the master so I'll just have to persevere!  Creative Craft Challenges has a Non Traditional Colours challenge too, so I'm entering there.  The Cutie Pie Challenge theme is Cute Scenes (definitely cute, hopefully counts as a scene!) and Hobbycutz is Make a Scene, so I'm in there too.
I've used the sketch from Tuesday Morning Sketches, great sketch - very versatile... AND I'm inside the deadline for once, lol.  I used plain papers embossing the brown with Cuttlebug's Snowflakes folder and the blue with Cuttlebug's Swiss Dots folder. I sanded the embossing then inked it with blue Versamark (on the brown) and a bit of brown Versamark on the blue.  Simon Says Challenge wants us to Make Our Own background paper, so I'm in, and Winter Wonderland and Addicted to Stamps both have Embossing, so in there too.

The wooden angel came from Bunny Zoe's Crafts, I inked the edges with brown Versamark to soften it a bit.  The gold cord is from my stash and the little golden 'stars' came as a freebie with some metallic pearls I bought on ebay - they're really quite sparkly IRL and do add a certain "something" even though they look a little out of place in the pic :-)  The sentiment is from Craftworks Cards, I really will have to get some more of these as, despite having a LOT of senitments both stamps and digis I find myself reaching for these all the time.  Bearly Mine Challenges want us to use a Christmas Sentiment, so I'm in and Pile It On has P is for - I'm stretching it but "P is for Peace on Earth" - okay, I'll understand if it's disallowed :-)  Paper Crafting Journey, Creatalicious Challenges, My Mums Craft Shop, and Divas by Design all have variations of a Christmas theme so I'm entering those too.

I finished the inside of the card (don't I always!) to match the front. Holly Jolly Christmas Challenge, Through the Craftroom Door, Clear It Out, Papertake Weekly and Stamping Sensations all have Anything Goes challenges, too easy!!

Well that's it for today's card, pop over to the blog and check out the rest of us radical (well Non Traditional for this week, lol) chicks... I hope you get a chance to enter the challenge, there's a great prize on offer and if you use one of Di's images (there's plenty of sweetness over there to choose from) you go in an extra draw, woohoo!

I'll be back soon - as soon as I get time that is - you'd think it was Christmas with how busy we are at the moment, lol. Until then, Happy Crafting, Donna 

Spoo-keee!

It's that time again at Di's Digis Challenge, and the theme this fortnight is Halloween...a very popular one right now :-)

I've used Di's super cute image  "Li'l Witches Brew", coloured with Copics (with some added highlights and shading with Prismacolor pencils) and heaps of glitter... there's glitter on the brew, bubbles flask (which has gloss on it too, for good measure, lol) the stars on the witches hat and shoes.  

The orange matting is super glittery too... all in all this thing not only glows in the dark (well, not literally, but it's pretty bright!) but twinkles a LOT!

The only embellishment is (are?) the stars on the corner of the image, they're MFT Stacking Stars, I've had them ages but have never thought to stack them (duh!) looks okay :-)  
The oh-so-fun paper is from a freebie Halloween pack by Shery K Designs, love it!

I used the same layout for the inside of the card, with more of the MFT stars... the negatives of the others really.  I printed the jotting panel as part of the designer paper; I added a text box in Word and formatted it with a purple border and inner shadow, it looks quite effective IRL, and means I didn't use more ink than necessary - I love digis!
I've listed all the challenges I'm entering this time, as they are all either Halloween (I told you it was a popular  theme!) or Anything Goes.
Pop over to Di's Challenge Blog and check out the rest of the team's not-so-spooky creations, I hope you get a chance to enter the challenge too... we're being sponsored by There She Goes Stamps with a fantastic $10 voucher - and as always if you use one of Di's stamps (and why wouldn't you, so cute!) you're in an extra draw for 2 images of your choice.
That list of challenges is:

Clear It Out Theme: Halloween Stash: Something Orange (that glittery paper, I didn't think I'd ever use it, lol)

Inky Impressions Halloween or Black and Orange

Kaboodle Doodles Halloween Colours

2 Sisters Challenge Cute and Spooky (TICK, tick)

Cute Card Thursday Spooktacular

Card Makin Mamas Trick or Treat

Stampin' for the Weekend Something Spooky

Divas by Design Halloween

Pile It On Halloween

Cupcake Inspirations Halloween

My Mums Craft Shop Halloween

Crafty Calendar Halloween

Creative Belli Halloween
Totally Gorjuss Halloween

The Crazy Challenge Halloween

Simon Says Challenge Halloween

Crafts 4 Eternity Happy Halloween

Card Mania Challenges Halloween

Through the Craftroom Door Anything Goes

Crafty Little Fairies Anything Goes

Paper Crafting Journey Anything Goes

Creative Craft Challenges Anything Goes

In closing, I'd just like to tell my fellow Aussies that are affected by the bushfires (in NSW in particular) that I'm thinking of them.  A friend lost her home in the Black Saturday fires in Victoria in 2009 and I know how stressful it was when we lived in the hills here, dreading every summer but not wanting to leave the lovely environs; I couldn't take it in the end and moved closer to the coast only to have our house under threat the very first summer from a grass fire in Whiteman Park (a huge bush reserve) over our back fence!!

Until next time, Happy Crafting, Donna