Trick or Treat? that is the question

 This is "Witchy Emma" by CC Designs, yes AGAIN with the CC Designs - anybody would think I LOVE these images! The background image is one of theirs as well it is the Swiss Pixies Halloween Scene. 
Emma is entering a competition at All That Scraps, using this sketch.  I have stuck pretty much to it except I have used two embellishments at the bottom right being the eyeballs of Emma's little friend,  Two Peas in a Bucket also have a challenge on, "make a Halloween card", so this card is "going" there too.
The card itself is purple, from DCWV Jewel stack. The great Halloween paper is called "Oogie Boogie", isn't that cute?  I don't know the manufacturer, I was so busy cutting it up I didn't take note.  The green strip is DCWV self adhesive    card from their Brights mat stack and the orange paper is from Kaisercrafts Hippy Girl collection.  

 I coloured the background for the image with sponge daubers using Antique Blue and Aubergine pigment inks.  The moon I coloured with an orange marker then highlighted with yellow marker then yellow pigment ink; Emma's skin,the fence and leaves with Copics, the rest with markers.  I "fussy cut" (just heard that term and HAD to use it) Emma and popped her up on foam dots.
D'vine Swirls Cuttlebug embossing folder gave a bit of texture to the circle behind the main image.  I like the way the shape of the circle and the moon "reflect" each other; in fact when I saw the sketch I knew I just had to use this image which I haven't used until now!
The sentiment, which I just realised doesn't have a question mark, is made up from  "Tiny Letters" stickers on a few strips of leftovers from the card itself; what I have discovered - after much cursing - is that it is best to NOT try and line up these little letters, just let them go a bit "au naturel".
Emma's little friend's (or is that fiend's? haha) eyeballs have been in one of my crafting cupboards for YEARS, lucky I could find them.  Thanks for looking, hope you like "Witchy Emma", I sure do and will be making more Halloween cards and  also birthday etc cards with the "Witching you a......" type sentiment. Until then, remember I'll be "witching" you - oh, does the wit never end........

I'll mark your place

This cute idea is from All That Scraps Wednesday challenge "make a corner bookmark" http://atsblog.typepad.com/wednesdayschallenge/. There is a link to a tutorial there (from Splitcoast Stampers) and some great design team ideas. I've done mine in autumn colours to fit in with the Allsorts Challenge theme "autumn colours"  (http://allsortschallenge.blogspot.com/) .  

I used a pumpkin coloured cardstock, the edge of the mat is punched with an EK Success Scroll & Hearts border punch.  The beautiful paper is from Basic Grey's Indian Summer 6" paper pack and the gold ribbon is from my stash - well it was in my friend s stash until she gave me it, along with a whole load more the other day, thanks Jenny!

The image is yet another CC Designs stamp (from All That Scraps), this is Larkspur, one of the "Twisted Sisters" in the Sweet November range. I saw these images first at Tickled Pink Stamps and was lucky that they have been re-released as digistamps - my preferred medium. I coloured her with Copics (skin and hair) and pigment inks from Kaisercraft for the rest.
Don't you think these little bookmarks are a great idea? - and if you use simple embellishments they are pretty quick to do.  I'm going to make a bunch of them as "stocking fillers", my dad reads a lot so I can probably make him more than one!
Go and have a look at some of the ideas and get bookmarkmaking!!  

Thanks for looking, Donna

Sunflower Emma Says Thanks

Todays offering is a card I did for my mum to give to her neighbour by way of thanks for some of the little things she does for her and my dad; in this instance she had brought over a beautiful 2 course meal for them - and she is a GREAT cook!  I hope this lovely neighbour liked her thank you card .

I used Dusty Pink cardstock, the patterned paper is from a new 6" pack I bought (yes, another one; like I don't already have enough!) from Prima, "Fairy Flora".  It is absolutely gorgeous, with soft colours and brights that aren't too bright.  There are some nice prints and also subtle backgrounds, the colour range is off white to chocolate brown with everything in between, I can see me using it a lot - I may have to go and get some more!  

This card was made to a sketch for the Tickled Pink monthly challenge which runs to the 8th of the month (http://tickledpinkstampmonthlychallenges.blogspot.com/) so I'll enter it there, I got top 5 last month and now I'm hooked!  

Flutterby Wednesday has a weekly challenge, this week the theme is "pink" so I used some of the pink colours from my pad as well as the pink cardstock, the butterfly ribbon and brad fulfill the main criteria for the challenge, which is that your project have a butterfly angel or fairy on it, pop over and have a look -  http://flutterbywednesdays.blogspot.com  

The image is from CC Designs, she is "Sunflower Emma" from the Take a Seat set, which is apparently only available (from http://www.allthatscraps.com/) until 20th September.  It is a great little set, digi for me of course! I coloured her with my usual eclectic mix of media, though this time I did her hair and the wall in Copics as well, as I have added a couple of browns to my collection (E35 and E37).  The lightest colour in her hair is a yellow Bic Sharpie and the lightest colour in the wall is E51, which I use for skin.

I used pigment inks for most of the rest of the colouring, I "pounced" the brush on her top to give it a bit of texture (I wanted it to look knitted).                                                                                                                                                  The mat for the image is layered on foam dots, I cut the wall out and put it on one layer of foam dots, then cut Emma out and put her on one layer at the wall and a double layer at the top (so she was the same distance from the background at her head and her feet), it is quite "3D" which never shows up well in photos!  The mat for the sentiment is treated much the same; stuck directly onto the image on one side and on one layer of foam dots on the card side                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

The sentiment is stamped in StazOn ink, I think it is from Hero Arts "Everyday Sayings", but I can't remember and I don't have the packaging anymore.                                                                                               Thanks for looking and feel free to leave a comment, Donna 

Time to think of some friends

This last week or so has been a bit hard, our lovely neighbour and friend Keith lost his battle with lung cancer and has left us feeling sad at his passing but so very glad for having known him.  He died without too much fuss, as was his way, at home with his family close - the sort of end to have if you can manage it!  We'll miss him and his sharp sense of humour, but still have Doris, his wife to chat about the footy with.  I made this card for her, I think it is nice and cheery.

I used cream pearl card and inked the edge with orange pigment ink, the mat for the sentiment was cut with Classic Scalloped Oval Nestabilities in a light orange coloured cardstock - the same cardstock used for the mat behind the image.  The oval sentiment block was cut and embossed with Classic Oval Nestabilities in the cream card.  

The image was from a journalling block that I cut down.  I punched the top edge with a border punch and glued some orange satin ribbon behind it, this helped tie the colours together and also gave a sheen behind the punching, hard to see in this photo. The butterfly brad on the sentiment was yellow, I used some pigment ink to get some of the orange colour on to it, which worked well - the colour "took" no problem and even the glitter showed through.  The sentiment itself was a peel off sticker  A couple of gold brads finished the card off.  

In the same week, another friend (who had a major stroke -at age 59) lost his mother.  He lost his father last year on the 8th September, which is his birthday, so he is feeling a bit lost I think.  I made him this sympathy card and sent it to him as I can't get up there just yet - it is quite a distance from us - so he knows that we are at least thinking of him.

This is another relatively simple card, which I think is the right style for a sympathy card.  I used cream textured card for the base, the mat is textured card in a terracotta colour; both are from Die Cuts With a View's "Naturals" matstack.  The mat for the sentiment is lightly patterned, it is from DCWV "Far East" mat stack.  The sentiment is computer generated; I've finally learned how to use text boxes to get the words to sit tight against each other (I've only been using Word since version 1.1a !!!) it was printed on pale pink pearl paper (what a tongue twister, lol)   

The image "Orange Lily" is from Flourish Scrapbooking Papers .  It also has a pearl finish, actually it is more a gold iridescent coating, which makes the whole card glow - it is so much nicer in real life!  The orange border is from Kaisercrafts "Peachy Keen" collection, punched with Fiskars Apron Lace border punch.  The ribbon is double sided orange/red with some of the reverse colour showing as stitching along the edge, I can't wait to use the reverse side - it is so LUSH.  Hopefully I don't have to do any more sympathy cards for a while, I find them quite trying as you're never quite sure what to say on them and you feel a bit guilty if you really enjoy making them, if you know what I mean.  I think I'll do a baby card next, All Sorts Blogspot has a challenge "New Beginnings" that appeals right now - though I've probably run out of time (how unusual, NOT)

Horse and Carriage Egg

I've finally got around to posting photos of some fabergé eggs that I have decorated.  I don't have photos of all the ones that I decorated before I had a digital camera, only those like this one that I still have access to.  This egg was decorated for my dad's 70th birthday, my mum commissioned me to do it,  my gift was the work that I put in.  

This particular egg I got from an Ostrich farm in the North of Western Australia, it was a "non hatcher" and so still full of very smelly egg that I had to remove- trust me, an ostrich egg is a lot of omelette!!  It somehow makes the finished product seem more refined, having come so far from it's original state. 

I cut the doors and windows with a Dremel high speed cutter, one of my favourite tools, I use it for all sorts of things around the house as well as craft. You do have to be very careful when cutting egg, using a face mask and good ventilation/extraction.



The horses are plastic ones from a farm set, I painted and sealed them with the same paint I painted the carriage with.  One of the things that took the longest with this egg was attaching all the chains to the horses, I was fiddling with chain everywhere,in front of TV, after dinner, even in the car on the way to jobs in the country -we were installing swimming pools at that time, and sometimes went 300 or 400 kms into the country to do them which gives you plenty of time for crafting or reading, though this "fiddly" work was a bit of a challenge on some of the corrugated roads we travelled on!
The wheels are bought as one piece, they are available in a "vertical" format as well, I have seen an egg done like a cinderella coach using that format and it looked really good.  The seat inside the carriage is a polystyrene ball cut to shape, covered with fabric with pins pushed in to give the quilted effect.  
There is even a chandelier inside made from a Swarovski bead, the rhinestone chain around the doors and windows is also from Swarovski.  

The board the horse and carriage is mounted on is Jarrah, our lovely native hardwood.  The plaque, which you can't really see in these photos says "The Dorrington Express", as "Dorrington" is my father's name! Some of the photos are not great quality, as my youngest son (who is a professional photographer) points out, but you get the idea...and it means I have them available to post now :)

Pearl Says Hello

I told you I'd be doing some more mermaid cards!  This is Pearl Tidepool with her little friend Seymour, again the image is from CC Designs Sweet November collection available at All That Scraps. It is my round card and also myfirst easel card, I have made it so the personal message inside can't be read without opening the card, ie when it is on display you can't read what is written inside.  It does mean the card "lays" down a little, but being round meant that there wasn't a lot of room to write inside.

Pearl has been entered in a beauty competition!  More than one in fact!  I've entered this card in a few challenges; the Finally Friday challenge over at Two Peas in a Bucket (http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/challenges/ )this week was "make a friendship or hello card", also the Tickled Pink monthly challenge (http://tickledpinkstampmonthlychallenges.blogspot.com/) which was to use the sketch provided by Kellie Winnell - here it is 

The papers are from Kaisercrafts Hippy Girl 6"x6" paper pack .  I embossed the background with Cuttlebugs Tiny Bubbles embossing folder - how appropriate!!  The image is coloured with Copics and Versamark pigment inks  I glittered up her tail, as I did with Current Ebbtide and also glitter embossed the sentiment, though it hardly shows in these photos! I added pearl "bubbles to finish it off.