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 

Christmas in Brown and Cream

Whew, the weeks are just rushing by!  It's time (already!) for a new challenge at Here Come The Boys, and this time the theme is "Christmas in Brown and Cream".  

I've done something a little different (for me) this time, I've coloured a dark background.  I used Copic Ink and a brush, adding some gold Perfect Pearls powder to the mix... it looks SO effective in real life, but is too subtle to see in the picture, sigh.  The too-cute image is Star of Bethlehem by Crissy Armstrong, and you can get it (and many more!) from Whimsy Stamps...the Whimsy Inspirations Challenge is Shabby Chic/vintage - this is about as shabby chic as I go, I hope it's enough :-)
The fab sketch is from Sketch and Stash, you know I like a nice sketch :-)
I coloured the image with Copics as well, adding some extra shadows and highlights with Prismacolor pencils, great for the really fine nooks and crannies, lol.  I know I've taken a bit of poetic licence with the green hills, they should be sand dunes but they just looked unfinished. 
I embossed "the" star by  with a Versamark pen and Gold Sparkle EP, the wooden embellies got the Gold Embossing treatment too; Craft Your Passion has an Embossing theme so I'm entering there.  Crafts-Too Challenge You has a Christmas theme with the Twist being what Christmas means to you; I remember the Nativity plays my kids were in when they were little... and sitting with all the damp-eyed Mums watching their offspring perform, each knowing theirs was the "Star" of the show, even if they were just one of the shepherds :-)  Now I (finally) have grandchildren, I can hardly wait to be on those uncomfortable chairs again :-)  Stamping Sensations has All Creatures Great and Small, Moving Along With The Times has Christmas Cuties (tick tick here methinks!), Deep Ocean Challenge has Christmas is round the corner, Addicted to Stamps has Christmas is Coming, Crafty Little Fairies has Christmas in October and Simon Says Challenge has Christmas or Holiday so I'm entering all those.  Holly Jolly Christmas Challenge has Inspired by a Carol, I have O Little Town of Bethlehem (one of my favourite carols, especially when sung by littlies!) 

I used papers from Kaisercraft, the cream paper has gold dots, the gold and brown card for matting is from my stash, as is the gold cord.   Delightful Challenges want us to Add a Frame or Mat, I've added double - I'm definitely in, lol.  I used the same basic layout for the inside of the card, and another of the wood embellies.  The sentiment is computer generated.

Bearly Mine Challenges, Stampin' for the Weekend, Creative Craft Challenges,Through the Craftroom Door and Colour Me Copic all have Anything Goes challenges so I'm entering them.

Well that's it for today's card, pop over to the blog and check out the rest of the team's Brown and Cream Christmas makes = I hope you get a chance to enter the challenge too; it's not as scary as it sounds, there's a lot of brown and cream Christmas-suitable papers out there, and plenty of images that look great in these colours too.  I even enjoyed colouring this up once I started :-) Until next time, Happy Crafting, Donna

Colours of Halloween at Di's Digis

The new challenge starting today at Di's Digis Challenge Blog has a "Colours of Halloween" theme.... so we want to see Purple, Orange, Green and Black. Here's my card:

I've used Mechanic Ted available at Di's Digi Stamps, coloured with Copics and a coat of High Gloss to the headlights.  Paper Crafting Journey wants us to Use Halloween Colours too, so I'm entering there, 4 Crafty Chicks has Crazy About Wheels and The Male Room has Transport and/or Travel so I'm entering there too.

I've used the sketch from Sunday Sketch and Stamp, it lent itself to the "cut away" front that I find myself using regularly - the lazy man's way of decorating the front of the card while decorating the inside, lol.
I used digi papers on this card, fabulous freebies from Shery K Designs, they print up a treat :-)
The card itself is from DCWV and the black matting is from my stash.  
The Card Candi on the front is from my stash too, as are the pebbles on the "inside" of the card (from Scrappers Must Haves the aptly named "Boo" collection) and the spanner charm that I have placed over a spanner that is in that position on the image.  Craft Your Passion have "Heavy Metal" for their challenge so I'm entering there, The Paper Shelter have Charm Us, so in there too and Totally Papercrafts have 1 image 2 papers 3 embellies (Candi, Pebbles and Charm) so I'm in there too.
The sentiment is something else I've had in my stash for ages... it came with Happy Birthday inside, I changed it to Thank You and altered the colour (in Word) and have had it sitting in my printed folder (I use as much of the space on a page as I reasonably can when I print images, having small sentiments available is handy!)  Clear It Out have Thanks as their theme with a Left over sentiment, so I'm entering there.
I cut and embossed (not that it shows in the pic!) the image panel with a new set of Crafts Too dies I bought from Scrap Dragon... I like the way they cut so I may add some more to my collection. The sentiment is cut with a Fiskars lever punch that I've had for-eva! Paper Creator Crafts has Dies or punches as their challenge, so I'm in!

I've got quite a few layers here, it's a bit hard to see in the pictures, but as I do have at least three I'm entering the Divas by Design 3+ Layers challenge.
Creative Craft Challenges, 2 Sisters Challenge, Stampin' for the Weekend, Oozak, and Through the Craftroom Door all have Anything Goes challenges so I'm entering them too.
Well that's about it for today's card... sorry it's been posted a bit late in the day (it's 1am here - I scheduled it but clicked the wrong time so only discovered it hadn't gone live when I checked after coming home from an evening out, ah well you get that sometimes lol)  Check out the rest of the teams creations at Di's Digis Challenge Blog, I hope you get a chance to enter the challenge too - as you can see it doesn't even have to be a Halloween card, just the colours.  We're sponsored this time around by 
Markerpop... with a fabulous $10 store voucher - you can buy Di's images there in rubber form; CandiBean Stamps.  Don't forget, as always, if you use one of Di's images on your entry (and there's plenty of gorgeous images to choose from) you go in an extra draw to win 2 digi images of your choice from her store, what are you waiting for?!

I have quite a few cards made now just waiting to be blogged - as soon as I get time I'll be back with one of them.  Life is still a bit busy, but in a good way - my son Matt started back at work full time this week, he did two days last week but his foot swelled up like a balloon, it's not as bad this week.  I do the paperwork for his business so my time in the office is ramped back up - my other clients have been very understanding, but the time has come to get back to work.  

I've got to say I've never been so glad to be snowed under with paperwork, it means Matt's life is back to normal (or close to it, he still has some adjustments to make, he finds it difficult to do some of the climbing that earthworks involve as he has no forefoot to use as leverage, but he will adapt I'm sure)  I'm back to helping his wife with the babies a couple of times a week, and even though it was soooo intense when he was off work for so long I miss seeing them every day. Until next time, Happy Crafting, Donna

Sketch Time at Here Come The Boys

Time for a new challenge at Here Come The Boys... and it's a Sketch, I love a good Sketch - here's my card

I've used Weekend Walter from Dr Digi (who is our sponsor this time around), I had the image and sentiment ("Just want to say thanks... for being such a great role model for our Sons") printed and ready to make a Father's Day card for my hubby... then ran out of time (sound familiar, lol) Totally Papercrafts have Add Humour (hubby has a great sense of humour, and loved this!) so i'm entering there and Gem of a Challenge has for the Boys so I'm entering there too.
Here's the sketch I followed (well this being a Sketch challenge, I would wouldn't I, lol) I coloured the image with Copics.  The papers are from Kaisercraft's Le Chateau collection (which I think is discontinued) and the black matting is from my stash... as is the jute mesh and the Metallique Bronze Card Candi
My husband, just like Walter, LOVES tea... so the little charm is very fitting :-) Craft Your Passion wants us to Add a Little Charm, so I'm entering there.
I followed the sketch for the inside of the card too, nothing new in that, lol, but used Kaiser cardstock as the background as I didn't have enough of the patterned paper I'd used on the front - the mesh is a bit less mesh-like too because i caught one of the threads on the top piece and had to "match" the bottom... and on it went!

Creative Craft Challenges, Papertake Weekly, Moving Along With The Times, Catch The Bug, Oozak andThrough the Craftroom Door all have Anything Goes challenges running, so I'm entering there.

That's it for today, pop over to the Here Come The Boys blog and check out the rest of the team's inspiration; it's amazing how the same sketch can look so different :-) I hope you get a chance to show us your interpretation of the sketch too, don't forget to make your project suitable for a man or boy!  We've got a great prize of 2 digis from Dr Digi - bonus!
I'll be back in a few days, health permitting (I have a chest infection at the moment, legacy of not taking the head cold I had last week seriously - a mistake oft made by asthmatics!).  Until then, Happy Crafting, Donna

Show us Your Colouring Skills at Di's Digis

The new challenge starting today over at Di's Digis is right up my street... we want you to show off those colouring skills.  Colouring is the favourite part of card making for me, sometimes I like to mix it up with some fab papers, but most of the time I just love colouring those images :-)
For today's card I decided to colour up TWO images and make a "different" sort of card...

I've used Candy Star Ted and the Background Xmas Fireplace for this card; I wanted to create a sort of scene, with Ted having fun outside in the snow knowing that inside that window there's a nice warm fire burning :-) It's really hard to photograph, but I'm sure you'll get the idea!  Crafty Calendar wants to see bears, so I'm entering there.

I cut the window panes out (just with my paper trimmer) and added acetate - it's amazing they just look like holes then you add acetate, completely clear acetate and voila they look like windows! (well they do IRL, of course it's hard to see in the pic) I coloured the images with Copics, adding some Prismacolor pencil shadows and embossing the fur trim with Pastel Opal glitter (there's some on the snow too, I know you can't see it!), Gold Stickles on the star and the centres of the flowers on the fireplace and Royal Coat Gloss on the fire. The Crafts-Too Challenge You Theme is Texture, Twist: add something shiny/glittery - plenty of glitter here, I'm in. I did some basic colouring of the back of the bear because you can see it through the windows.  Charisma Cardz want us to Decorate the inside of our card, I have in spades!
The patterned papers are digis from Bearly Mine, the Christmas Frolics set. I cropped the stripy paper for the carpet and I even scaled one of the papers down (in Word) and cropped out the picture for above the fireplace, mounting it on a gold oval cut using Nestabilities Scalloped Ovals - I love digis :-)  Totally Gorjuss wants to see Traditional Christmas Colours, and Pile It On wants to see Warm or Cool colours - I've used Warm - so I'm in.
The snowflakes are from Marianne Design, embossed with the Pastel Opal glitter again, the brad on the ones on the front is from my stash and is the only true embellishment on the whole card!! I put some on the inside of the front to cover up the "legs" of the brad.
The panel with the fireplace image opens the opposite way (a bit like a Joy Fold card I suppose) revealing the jotting panel below... more of the same paper collection and more of those snowflakes and another brad from my stash :-)  Hiding in my Craft Room has a Lots of Layers challenge so I'm entering there.

Designed to Color has Anything Goes (provided you use a coloured image of course)as do Digi Makeover, Crafts 4 Eternity, Through the Craftroom Door, Simon Says Challenge, Bearly Mine Challenges and Marianne Design Divas (using a product from Marianne Design, like my snowflakes!) so I'm entering all of those.

That's about it for my "little bit different" card, I had a ball making this - and worked out some of the pitfalls... like making the middle layer a little narrower than the front to give it room to close; of course I didn't work it out before I cut it, hmmm, I know for next time :-)

I hope you get a chance to check out my teamies offerings, fabulous as always.  and I hope you get a chance to "Show off your colouring skills" and join in the challenge. Great prize as always, this time it's the Cutting Café with the choice of 3 items from their shop :-) and if you use a Di's Digi image you go in an extra draw too.

Nathan and Emily... 6 months old today!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, we are watching the footie grand final today, and making the most of tomorrow with our son Matt and his family as he is starting back at work on Tuesday... hurray!!  It has been a long (17 weeks to the day), and at times difficult journey, and while we know it's not as if nothing has happened it feels so much closer to "normal" now.  My hubby can take it a bit easier, and in a few weeks Matt will be back up to speed and we can maybe take that week off we've been trying for since MAY!  We're heading into summer, which is our "silly season" so a break before that would be great.

I've still got a few cards I haven't "blogged", I'll be back in a few days with one of them, until then, Happy Crafting, Donna.

Here Come The (Baby) Boys

Well as the title suggests, the new challenge starting today over at  Here Come The Boys is Babies... Baby BOYS that is!  Here's my card

It's funny, some cards just seem to be more fun to make than others, this was one of the "fun" ones!  
I used the gorgeous Wee One from Wee Stamps, I've flipped it because I just prefer my image to be "looking" to the right (I dunno why!) and with digis it's so easy to make it happen :-) The Pink Elephant want us to use a digi image or digital papers, so I'm entering there.
I've coloured using Copics, adding some texture and highlights to the baby's hair with Prismacolor pencils.

I used coarse textured blue card for my matting, it was super thick and quite hard to cut with my lovely new border punch (one of eight my Mum and Dad got me when they were in Malaysia recently, thanks Mum xx) Bunny Zoes Crafts want us to use Something Blue, plenty of blue here, I'm in :-) The theme this time around at Clear It Out is: Men/boys and the Stash element is: Punches or die cuts - I've used both so I'm in there too.  I used one of the  punched out scrolls on the edge of the image panel, adding a baby bottle die cut I got in a set from Make It Crafty, painted white and embossed with Pastel White glitter.  The image is mounted on a mat cut using Nestabilities Lacey Squares which I also embossed with Pastel White Glitter (using Hot Set Powder and very fine glitter), it looks so nice and glittery IRL! The  Crafts-Too Challenge You challenge is Theme: Texture, Twist: Shiny/Glittery so I'm in.
The sentiments are from Bizzy Becs Digi Ticket Stubs, Little Boy. Totally Papercrafts has "Happy Birthday Baby"  (Birthday or New Baby) so I'm entering there, Crafts 4 Eternity has Cute Kids - this wee one definitely fits the bill so I'm in there too, Cutie Pie Challenge has A Cute one for the Boys so I'm there and 

My Mums Craft Shop has Boys Only, as does Eclectic Ellapu so in there as well.

The papers are from a pad I got in Spotlight, Totally Gorjuss has a "Dotty" challenge so I'm entering there.  The ribbon is from my stash as is the Card Candi and the little pearls on the scroll border; Addicted to Stamps has a 1 2 3 challenge... I've used 1image, 2 sentiment tickets and 3 embellishments (Card Candi, ribbon and pearls) so I'm entering there.

I finished the inside, as usual, to match the outside.  Through the Craftroom Door, Divas by Design and Colour Me Copic all have Anything Goes challenges, so I'm entering there.

I hope you get a chance to pop over to the Here Come The Boys blog and check out the rest of the Team's inspiration.  Hope you get a chance to enter the challenge too, a baby BOY card is always a handy thing to have on hand :-) 

Well that's it for today, I actually have a few cards that I've finished, taken pictures of and sent so I should be able to show you those soon - I just have to find the time to "blog" them, lol.

Either way I'll be back soon.  Until then, Happy Crafting, Donna