Wedding Wishes

G'day!  Well, as usual, it's a lot longer between drinks than I thought!  Today I have a card I made for my nephew and his wife for their wedding... in March 2016! Long post, lots of pics... you know the drill :-))

I've used an actual STAMP for this card... it's such a beauty and not available as a digi so I just HAD to, lol.  It is Stamping Bella's Brett and Brenda Get Married.  I stamped (woops, nearly said "printed" as I'm so used to using digis) on linen card, it works extra well for images that have fabric on them, I think, Brett's suit looks very swish for example :-)  I had to stamp it four or five times before I got a "good" one...NOW I remember why I love my digis - actually NOW I know why I asked Santa for a stamping platform... what a difference, I'm stamping more (and buying more stamps, lol) than ever now I have one - and not wasting anywhere near as much

I coloured, as usual, with Copics, adding shadows and highlights with Prismacolor pencils.  I embossed the glitter on Brenda's dress with Ranger's Bridal Tinsel EP.

The black and silver DP is textured... the silver is embossed - it really is gorgeous paper, bought from my most favourite "special paper" shop Starfish Lane.  I cut the top panel with (I think, from memory) with a Spellbinders Curved Borders die, matted it on silver card cut with the same die.

The "Congratulations" came in the stamp set, I made the little tags with the bride and groom's names on adding them with black and silver ribbon saved from a gift, I like to personalize cards where I can - particularly for weddings and babies... the bride and groom really liked it, so all good

I finished the inside using the same paper for the front, we gave the couple money as their gift so I switched the decorative panel that was at the top on the front to the bottom so I could use it as a pocket for the money.  More of the personal touch here;  a tag with the wedding date on it.  I didn't have enough of the black and silver paper to cover the whole inside so I cut a frame... I actually did that on the front too, using the "cut out bit" turned 90 degrees to make the shaped panel -meaning I got a LOT of coverage out of the last bit of this super paper from my collection; I'm such a lucky girl... my son bought me a "Starfish Lane" voucher for Christmas, so I'll be topping up my (already embarrassingly large) stash of "special paper" soon, I really hope they've got more of this one

That's it for my nephew's wedding card, I'd like to enter it into these challenges:

As You Like It Favourite Way to Add a Sentiment

Cardz 4 Galz Stamping (No Digis)

My Time to Craft Monochrome

Crazy 4 Challenges #420 Add a Heart

Crafty Cardmakers Love and Romance

Allsorts Challenge I Spy... Something Beginning with B  - B is for Bride

Hanna and Friends Favourite Stamp

Pixies Snippets Playground Use Snippets - Oh yeah, the black and silver is ALL scraps :-)

Cute As A Button, Little Miss Muffet, Through the Craftroom Door, Digi Choosday, Crafty  Creations, 4 Crafty Chicks, Crafting With Friends Challenge 61, Creative Fingers,Li'l Patch of Crafty Friends,  Polkadoodles, A Perfect Time to Craft, Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge, Create and Inspire, Creatalicious Challenges, Simply Papercrafts. Crafting With Attitude and Corrosive Challenge All have Anything Goes challenges

Okey Dokey... with any luck I'll be back much sooner next time: it was our Anniversary last weekend, "Ruby"... 40 YEARS!!  Let me tell ya, it's gone FAST

It was also my son's birthday last weekend... he was 37 on Saturday; it was all arranged to go to a new, very flash Mini Golf (that he was involved in landscaping) place on Saturday afternoon... long story short, we got a call at 10.30 Friday night from his wife telling us he was on his way to Joondalup Hospital in an ambulance having just had a bad reaction to an antibiotic, the first in a course of pills he's had before (when he lost his toes) without reaction... the paramedics took 20 minutes to stabilise him before they could go to the hospital.  He had a "biphasic response" (secondary reaction) sometime later, spent until the next evening in hospital - forget golf!  He came to ours instead - he still looked like a red MM even then.  He has had anaphylaxis before (guinea pigs, lol) but this time they said it was anaphylactic shock, which is different (worse?) - poor Matt

We are going to a very nice hotel (Crown Towers Perth) for a couple of days as a belated celebration of our anniversary, I'm taking Mrs McLappy so you never know, I may get some bloggin' done :-))  Until next time, Happy Crafting, Donna

Wishing You a Wizard Birthday

Starting today over at Here Come The Boys is this fortnights challenge "Myth and Magic". 
It's my Uncle's birthday, so it looks like he gets a card with a Magic theme, lol.  
The sentiment (which I made on the computer) says "I'm Marvo the Magician, when you open this card you'll be 21 again.....Mmmm, I never said I was a GREAT Magician"

Fab'n'Funky Challenges has "Magnificent Men" as it's challenge theme this time, and while Marvo, by his own admission is not Magnificent, he gets entered there.   ABC Challenge this week is "W for Wish", so I'm entering there, Crafty Creations has "Over the Rainbow" as it's challenge theme, methinks a Wizard fits the bill perfectly!


The base of the card is corrugated pearl card, I love this sort of texture on men's cards. though I hardly ever use it!!  
I used this sketch from Sketch and Stash, it "suits" me as I really like symmetry.  The three stars on the lower right are glittery brads, the blue ones were white and I coloured them with my Copics.  It's a really easy way of getting a match, and you don't lose the glitter finish either. 
I inked around the edge of the image and sentiment panels to tie them in.

I've used another great digital image from Just Inklined, this is "Wizz Doodles" - isn't he cute?  He's coloured with Copics...as is the paper on the right hand panel; I just couldn't find anything to go with the stripy paper from Kaisercrafts Rewind collection (which I really liked) so I coloured up some black and white paper from a pad I've had for ages.  It means I could match the papers and the colours on the image perfectly.  
I used some Ice Stickles to add some magic! and some Gloss to his eyes.
Cards for Men has "blue and black" as its challenge theme and   Make It Colourful has Blue, so my blue and black card is "in" there.

 I mounted all the panels on blue foil card, it brightens the card up without fighting with the image and papers. They are all, including the one on the inside, popped up on foam dots -as usual, lol.  
Some of the stripy paper and a couple of strips of the blue foil complete the inside.


Creative Inspirations challenge this time is to make a card for a man, as is Crazy 4 Challenges and The Secret Crafter.  Papertake Weekly and Craft Your Passion have Anything Goes....the easiest of challenges!  So I'm entering there.
Well that's about it for my card today, I will be back in a day or so with a card for my sister-in-law....all I have to do is make it :-)  Getting the time to myself, especially with my darling husband still unable to work is a bit of a trick.  We're trying all sorts of things, but I do think that ultimately it will be Time that is the healer....he has to work onTuesday, so I'll let you know how he goes!
Thanks for looking at my efforts today, hope you like Wizz Doodles aka Marvo and that your day is full of magic.  Until next time, Happy Crafting, Dee

Bye Bye 2010

First of all: HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!  I hope it is a happy and safe one, bringing all that you wish for.  I thought I'd make this post the last one about Christmas 2010.  These are some more of the simple cards I made.

This card uses Candy Cane Cherrie, available at Tickled Pink Stamps.  I used her on another couple of cards this year, here is one of them.  I coloured Cherrie to match the mat behind the image which was from Kaisercrafts 6x6 pad "Carnival Christmas".  I cut and embossed the mat using my Spellbinders Nestabilities Scalloped Oval, I use this a lot!  The image was cut and embossed using my Classic Oval Nestie, which I also use a lot!!  
Bizzy Becs has a competition for her Australian customers to win a Spellbinders Grand Calibur machine, all you have to do is make a card using a Spellbinders die - which is absolutely no hardship, I love mine and I got THREE new ones for Christmas which I can't wait to crack out- and you can enter as many times as you like "earning" a token (entry) each time, or buy a Spellbinders Die (which are on special what's more) earning three tokens per order.  Pop over to her site and check it out.
I didn't "fussy cut" the image as I normally like to do: I was running out of time!  I just foam dotted the matted  image instead.  The strip on the left of the card is ribbon,  I inked the edge of the card to soften the effect.  This really was a simple card to do, as was this next one.
For this card I used a tag from Graphic 45's "Christmas Past" collection.  I embossed some gold board with Cuttlebug's Divine Swirls embossing folder, then mounted the tag on it then cut it out leaving a narrow border.  I used tartan ribbon from my stash in the punched hole which I had meant to put an eyelet around then remembered I don't have an eyelet setter, lol.  
The papers are from Kaisercraft's 'Tis the Season and Dear Santa 6x6 collection, the band in the middle is ribbon from my stash.
I used papers from the same pads for the card pictured below,last year. All I added to this card, which came with the scalloped edge, was some gold stickers.
 I've got to say these pads have been an absolute bargain, I reckon I've still got years of cards left in them (especially if I maintain the same efficiency as I did in 2010 and resort to "shop" cards  because I run out of time), lol.  

The other two cards below, using a different type of window card than I used here, are even MORE simple, if that is possible!!
The "Joy" card has a panel of green embossed with Cuttlebug's Snowflakes embossing folder, how different it looks in green!  The Joy is a pre-made 3D sticker I got in a pack from a $2 shop, some of them weren't bad! The only other decoration on the card is some flat backed pearls from my stash.  
The inking around the edge is a bit heavy - you know how it goes, I was in such a hurry to get these last few cards finished, I got a thumbprint on the card then had to spend five extra minutes trying to build the ink up to cover the thumbprint: The old adage "haste makes waste" at work here, methinks! 
The last card has some offcuts in the small cut outs and filling in the edges of the window. The sentiment is a sticker and the border is a multicolour braid/cord/ribbon that I bought for something else, but found fitted this card perfectly - and again SO easily ;-)
Anyway, that's my offering for today.  We've nearly finished our decorating but my darling hubby is home for another week so my crafting time is somewhat curtailed as we rush about "having" a holiday - something of a contradiction in terms, sometimes isn't it!  Until next time, Happy Crafting (do some for me!!) Dee

Christmas Wishes

Can you believe I found the time to blog not once, but TWICE in one day - okay, it is nearly tomorrow, but still twice in the one day!
Christmas Wishes is the name of this gorgeous digi stamp I got from Di's Digi Downloads.  There are so many images to choose from, and they're all super cute.

The background paper is from a pad I just got by Kaisercraft (one of the 6" collections I love so much) called "Christmas Carnival".  It has a sort of "lighter" range of papers and patterns than I usually use, it does give a nice fresh look that is probably more appropriate for Christmas here in Australia in the sun and the heat!!  The red stripes are foiled, so I used a metallic cord in place of ribbon. The mat behind the image is not metallic though, the contrast in texture works well, though of course you can't tell in the photo!

I coloured the image with Copics (I'm building my collection up, making hay while the exchange rate is with me, lol) and it does make colouring so much easier than mixing media as I have had to do in the past.  The biggest bear has Royal Coat Dimensional Magic on his nose, giving it a high gloss finish; It's the first time I've used it and now I'm glossy accenting all over the place!  

The sentiment is a digital freebie from Bizrzy Becs, a great Aussie site well worth the visit.  I resized it to 1", punched it out with my 1" round punch and then coloured the rings on it with Copics.

I used the sketch from Sketch and Stash, and will be entering their challenge for this week, my "stash" component is the paper.  In addition, Creative Inspirations have "Anything Goes Christmas" as it's challenge theme this time, Stamp Something has its regular Digi Day challenge, and Cute Card Thursday has "One For the Kids" so I will be entering there.

 This was a really simple card to put together, and yet I loved it (for a start everything went "right" for a change, from the colouring to the foam dotting!)
Thanks for looking, and I'll be back with some more of my Christmas offerings - but don't expect two blogs a day: I think that was a most unusual event.  Until next time, Happy Crafting, Dee

Pinktastic

I made this card for my daughter in law's birthday - but didn't get it finished in time (I know, me bad) I gave her a modified one from my stash instead!

The quality of the photo isn't the best (again), as I still don't have my camera back (Chris!).  The paper is from my stash, it was el cheapo paper bought in a pack at Big W.  

I used the sketch from Simon Says Stamp and followed it pretty much exactly (easy really, all the work is done for you!).  I'll be entering this card in their challenge for this week.
The image is from Kenny K, she is "Movie Star" and I have used her before here. The theme for their Krafty Girlz challenge this week is "Monochromatic": this card is pretty much all pink, I don't know if it qualifies as monochromatic, but I'll enter it and see.
 I coloured her with Copic markers and pigment inks, adding stickles to her fur.
The flowers were from a big pack I bought and coloured myself, the little heart brads add a cute touch, don't you think?
I've left the card without a sentiment, but for some reason "Pinktastic" came in to my head, so I may add something like "Hope your day is Pinktastic", or I may not, lol.
Thanks for looking, 'til next time Happy Crafting and hope your day is Pinktastic! Dee

Something a little bit manly

 Today's offering is a few masculine cards; the hardest to do, I think.  The first uses papers from the Die Cuts With a View Stack, All Glittered Up, some black sticker letters and square silver brads all put on a silver cardstock background.  The turquoise card is from DCWV too, the Jewel cardstock collection.

The black and silver card is very simple to do as well, the card is silver cardstock, the patterned paper is from the same DCWV stack as the last card.  The silver sentiment is a sticker mounted on black card and then on silver filler board, I use this filler board (it comes in silver and gold) quite a lot; it is available in drawing supplies and framing supply shops, usually with the mat board. It has the advantage of being not just metallic but "mirror" finish and you really don't need much of it - by the way it embosses with the Cuttlebug really well, making great frames

This card uses patterned paper from Kaisercrafts Rewind collection (this is from the 6x6 pad, I like the scale of these pads better for cards) the sentiment is stamped and embossed with navy ink, the border on the cream card is a tiny stamp that came with another set, (you know the ones you think you'll never use!) I just repeated it around the edge twisting it a little as I went. The stripy paper and the navy paper - which is metallic- are punched with a little punch my mother got me when she was in Penang Malaysia on holiday!  


The card below uses paper from DCWV Latte Mat stack (12") the image is a digital image from DigiStamp Boutique called BBQ Jim - there's a few "Jims" and they're all good for masculine cards.  The image is coloured with watercolour pencils, mounted on black card and attached with silver brads.  The sentiment is stamped and embossed with dark blue    Kaisercraft ink (the same ink has been applied lightly around the edge of the image) then attached with foam dots to add dimension