Hippo Birthday Chris

The card I have today is another from my drafts... it was made for my son Chris's birthday - in November, and no, it's NOT the oldest I have in there; I really will have to get some more posted, lol.

The image I've used is a digi from (the sadly now defunct) Pollycraft, some of Paula's images are available at Little Miss Muffet Stamps, but not this one, aaw.  In case you were wondering Chris turned 29, but I used another of these images (bought in a mega bundle) for one of Chris's friend's birthdays (no, I haven't blogged it yet, lol) and he loved it, so I thought this would be a nice light hearted theme (he's feeling his age, poor love!)Stamping Sensations has an Animal Antics challenge, so I'm in.
I coloured with Copics and added some extra shading with Prismacolor pencils, gloss to the eyes and toenails and some stickles highlights too.
I've used a lot of layers on this card, I usually do (though it's hard to see in my pics) and it's Chris's favourite "technique" for want of a better word so I made sure there were plenty here, Bunny Zoes Crafts has a Layers challenge, I'm in, and Creatalicious Challenges has Happy Birthday so I'm in there too.
The papers are digital, from Shery K's Party Time pack, with the green polka dotty paper and green cardstock from my stash.  The glittery balloon is from a set of acrylic stickers I've had for yonks, I cut it out and moulded it a little to give it dimension then mounted it on foam dots.  The baker's twine is also from my stash; I cut a little slit in the image panel either side of Hippo's "hand" and threaded the twine under it so it looks more like he's holding it.  
The Card Candi is also from my stash, the sentiment is one I made on the computer, here's a copy if you want to download it - or it will be on my Freebies page if you want it later- don't forget you get the best results if you open the image first, then right click and "Save As"
I finished the inside of the card using the same sketch and elements as on the front, this sentiment was yet another fab freebie from the ever-generous Paulette at Create With TLC :-) 

As Chris's gift was a certificate from his favourite clothing shop, Politix, I made this card with a shallow gusset and glued the envelope with the certificate in to the inside cover, I used another of the acrylic stickers to hold it shut.  Tuesday Throwdown has "For a Special Man", Chris is very special, a true gentle-man, so I'm entering there and also in the Digi Sketch Challenge, Papertake Weekly challenge, Bearly Mine Challenge and Aud Sentiments challenge all of which have "for a guy" theme.  I'm also entering Through the Craftroom Door, Paper Crafting Journey, Stampin' for the Weekend and Colour Me Copic's Anything Goes Challenges.
Well that's it for today's card.  I'm pleased to say Chris liked it, he got the tongue in cheek reference to partying... he doesn't drink, but he does like to party - and he's determined never to be too old to do that; wish him luck with that one, lol.
 I'll be back soon with another project from my drafts... though I have just made a Card in a Box, which will make an appearance soon - I'm planning on using it for a DT card on Saturday, but if it's not suitable or I can't wait that long (I'm pretty chuffed with it, lol) I'll be sharing it sooner.  Either way, until then Happy Crafting, Donna 

Back from Margs

Well I had a lovely break in Margaret River, had a bit of wine and a wind down and managed to colour up exactly ONE image while there, lol - the best laid plans and all that!  This card is for the new challenge starting today at Di's Digis Challenge, the theme is Ribbon and Bows

I used one of my favourite folds for this card, cutting away half of the front so the "inside" paper becomes part of the front decoration.

It lends itself to particularly well to symmetrical sketches, which is why i used this one from Digi Sketch Challenge.  

The image is one of Di's newer ones, called Candle on Top, I think it's super sweet :-)  I coloured with Copics, adding some Stickles to the hats and cupcake case and some gloss to the candles and the strawberries.  Paper Crafting Journey and Cute Card Thursday both have "Pink" challenges, so I'm entering them, while Stamping Sensations has Animal Antics so in there too.

The papers are from Merci, matted onto some white sparkly card from my stash, even though the sparkle doesn't show in the photos, sigh.  Crafty Creations has "It's All About S", I have Stripes, Sparkles and Sweet - the image, of course  and Strawberries :-) The vertical edge of the front was cut with a Martha Stewart Doily punch, the edge inked with pink and purple.  The sentiment is from Hobby Palais cut with Nestabilities Standard Circles.

The sparkly ribbon is self adhesive, it came in a pack from Portacraft.  To make the bows I folded a piece over and put talc on the inside of the loops so they didn't stick together then wrapped a small piece around the join.  I used Memory Box's Corner Bow Die on the corner of the image panel and a cut down version on the inside.  Delightful Challenges and That Craft Place have Ribbon challenges running too, so I'm entering them, and Through the Craftroom Door, Papertake Weekly, Stampin' for the Weekend and Colour Me Copic, The pearl floral embellies are from my stash, as are the pink rhinestones I backed the centres of them with.

Well that's about it for today's card, I'll be back in a few days with another card from my drafts. Pop over to the challenge blog and check out my teamies inspiration it's FAB, hope you get a chance to enter the challenge this time around, such an easy theme and a fab prize from Love Bug Creations... and don't forget if you use one of Di's cute images you go into an extra prize draw, bonus!

I have to go to the Doc's on Monday as I have developed a reasonably large lump under the largest of my incision sites from my gallbladder op, I think it's a seroma but as I have to get results from all of those tests I had done last month I may as well go now and make sure!  Other than that I'm recovering pretty well, some adjustments are still being made with my diet, my digestion is more sensitive than it was but I'm hoping it'll settle down soon.

Until next time, Happy Crafting, Donna 

Time to "Wine" Down

Well, I had my gallbladder removed  (or Cholecystectomy, if you want the posh term, lol) and am now recuperating at my favourite place; Margaret River.  It went well enough, for some reason it took a lot to come out of the anaesthetic , my hubby thoughtfully (?!!) took a pic of me at my worst... no I'm NOT going to share!  I had a bit of pain, mainly from the gas they blow you up with, and the bruising from that is pretty spectacular (two of my friends didn't have anything like this, so I don't know why I did)  As I can't drive for another week, we thought we'd come Down South for a week of R&R, involving Wine and (less than usual as my digestion is doing some adjusting) Cheese... of course!  Here's a pic taken on my ipad - as I left the recharger for my camera at home, duh.  Cheeky rosé mine, beer hubby's :-) he moved to wine and port - very relaxing

I have finally got a bit of time to blog, so I'm going to post a few cards and o some visiting, ah, lovely.  The card I have today is actually one of the more recent ones I have in my drafts, I made it for my Dad's 85th birthday (gosh that sounds old!) in May.

The fab image is from the Stamp Fairy, I have loads of Stamp Fairy images, just love 'em, this is one of the Lenny Cupcakes set and perfect for a "Dad" card - birthday or Father's Day.  Charisma Cardz, Allsorts Challenges, Bearly Mine Challenges, Sweet  Stampin', OSAAT , Delightful Challenges, Colour Me Copic and The Paper Shelter all have "guy" or Father's Day challenges, so I'm entering them.  I coloured with Prismacolor pencils, giving the textured look I was after. The papers are Kaisercraft, the Save the Date pad - which I think they're discontinuing which is a shame, great papers!

I added the gloss to the noses, flame and candle  and glitter to the icing with embossing powder (I made my own glittery embossing powder simply by adding fine glitter to clear detail embossing powder, it's so much better than just adding loose glitter and dries quicker than Stickles)  Aud Sentiments has a Bingo Challenge, I've used the Die Cut/Embossing/Two Word Sentiment line - the sentiment is stamped on one of the die cuts that came in the pad.  The "Dad" sticker is on a big brad, from Doodlebug I think.  The inside of the card is finished to match the front, more of the same paper, another big brad, more stickers!

I used a sketch from Papertake Weekly... they have a regular "Sketchie Free For All" challenge where you can use any of their sketches, so I often go there to find a sketch for a card I'm not going to blog straight away, mmm,  actually I often go there to find a sketch full stop! This is Sketch # 46, one of many to choose from :-)  I've got a few more cards in my draft that have used other Papertake sketches, I might just have to get them blogged while the free for all is on, lol.  The Simon Says Challenge has an Anything Goes theme, so I'm entering there too.

That's it for today's card, I'll be back in a day or so with another - girly one next time I think.  I'm off now to a winery for lunch, it's really cool today - about 15C - so the fire will be on... lovely!!  Might swing past the Candy Cow (homemade fudge, yum yum) on the way home, or maybe the Margaret River Providore for some dhukka and relish - ah, choices choices, lol. We had rain this morning and the kookaburras are telling me we're in for some more later, we'll be snug in our cabin by then :-)  Until next time, Happy Crafting, Donna 

Make it Masculine at Di's Digis

Well here we are again... it's time for a new challenge at Di's Digis Challenge Blog, this time around we want to see you "Make it Masculine"

I used "Slouch Couch Ted with Dog" on today's card, you can get it (or without "Dog" if you want, lol) here  I coloured with Copics - the chair and lamp were paper pieced with paper from Bearly Mine's Just Plaid set, it barely shows in the pic but does genuinely look good IRL  Papertake Weekly has Oh So Cute as their challenge theme, definitely in there, while Paper Crafting Journey and Colour Me Copic both have Masculine themes so in there too.
I used the sketch from Digi Sketch Challenge, I can't get the pic to link up at the moment so here's "one I saved earlier"  I used Kraft for the card base, but the buff mats are Kaisercard, as are the blue, the ribbon is from my stash.  The ribbon mat was punched with Fiskars Apron Lace punch, which I seem to use a lot for male cards.The DP is from Kaisercraft's Madame Boutique pad. Fab'n'funky Challenges have a recipe; three Designer Papers (the paper piecing, plus two) Ribbon and Pearls / Rhinestones... I made my own Pearls/Faux Enamel Dots by melting plastic beads in the oven.  The ones I used on this card were pearl beads but I made several trays using translucent and plain coloured beads.  I got the idea here, and it was soooo easy!  I've now bought another big pack of smaller beads so I'll be making some more - what I'm going to do with hundreds of little plastic "Smarties" I dunno, probably add them to a Blog Candy, which seems somehow appropriate, lol.  
Here's a pic of the "process", it did create a bit of odour but nowhere near as much as I was expecting.
OSAAT have a Keep It Simple challenge, hopefully this is simple enough :-)  Addicted to  Stamps has Inspired by a Song, I'm thinking Muddy Waters' Take a Walk With Me... that puppy sure looks like he wants Ted to do just that!
I finished the inside of the card to the same sketch, using more paper from the Madame Boutique pad - and some more of my "enamel dots", of course.
Divas by Design, Little Miss Muffet and Through the Craftroom Door all have Anything Goes challenges running, so I'll be entering them.
Well that's about it for today's card, pop over to Di's Digis Challenge Blog and check out the rest of the team's work - awesome as always :-) Hope you get a chance to enter the challenge too, it's good to have a few "male" cards on hand, and with a great prize from Crafty Ribbons on offer (don't forget if you use one of Di's fab digis you go into an extra draw) why wouldn't you?
I am having my gallbladder removed on Monday, I've done so many Doctor/Hospital/Pathology visits in the last few weeks I'm actually glad to be moving towards some resolutions!  The kidney stone can no longer be found, so hopefully that's passed (though I've only had an Ultrasound, not a CT scan which is more thorough, so that may not be the case).  Once I recover from this operation I should be heading towards the Total Hip Replacement, THAT I'm anticipating with a bigger mix of dread and joy - it's a bigger operation and rehabilitation than Monday's but it will hopefully bring a bigger result in turn.  I will be a bit more captive than usual for a week or so, so it should translate to a bit more 'blogging' time... we'll see ;-)
Until next time, Happy Crafting, Donna 

Butterflies and Birthdays

Well I finally managed to pull one of the cards out of my drafts... it's the card I made for my sister's birthday... in December! Don't worry, I've got older ones than that to come too, eeek

I made an easel card, just because I like them, and used purple because Fiona loves it - and the fabulous Delicious Doodles image because Fiona loves fairies and butterflies too.  Allsorts Challenges has Fancy Folds, I'm in, and The Paper Shelter has Girly Girl so I'm in there too!  

The girl has pink hair because Fi in a previous carnation had pink hair... not quite as pink as this, but pretty out there, lol. She was 59 in December and has toned it down a bit, still wears a lot of purple, and orange, and yes, sometimes together - she is as outrageous as I am conservative and I love her 'coz you just gotta :-)

I coloured the image with Copics, adding a few highlights and some shading with Prismacolor pencils.  Gem of a Challenge want to see our favourite colour combo; I love all colour and this strong pairing is no exception, so I'm in.  There's lashings of Stickles on the fairy's wing and the butterflies too.  The floral paper is Chiyogami, I love this stuff, there was no pink on it though so I soon fixed that with my trusty Copic marker, really it didn't take more than a few minutes; that's my tip for Top Tip Tuesday - if you can't find matching paper, MAKE matching paper :-)  I'm entering the Here Comes Summer Challenge there too.  The luscious embossed purple came from my scraps folder (as did the Chiyogami when I come to think of it) and the watermarked background paper was from... my stash too! Clear It Out want to see a female card with flowers, so I'm entering there, Seize the Birthday and Tuesday Throwdown have floral challenges and Crafty Little Fairies has In the Garden, so I'm entering there too.

I layered everything up on black card (My Mums Craft Shop wants to see Lots of Layers) then added a computer generated sentiment, a net butterfly ex Malaysia (thanks Mum and Dad), a purple swirl cut with a Memory Box Corner Bow die, a punched flower and some sparkly rhinestones from my stash.  The stamped butterfly on the jotting panel is Kaisercraft (I think)  Crafty Creations has a recipe challenge, I used "Flowers, diecut and purple" and Crazy 4 Challenges has a Bingo challenge, I've used Flowers / Sentiment / Bling. Simon Says Challenge is Die Crazy so I'm entering there too (only one die cut, but a punched flower too, lol)  Digi Sketch,  Through the Craftroom Door and Stamping Sensations have Anything Goes challenges so I'm entering them.

Well that's it for today, I'm glad to have got to at least one of my Drafts, I've been busy busy at various Dr's appointments, another one tomorrow (gallbladder surgeon)  I just want that sorted now, the Orthopedic Surgeon on Tuesday said the hip replacement is of some urgency as I have Avascular Necrosis and the hip is seriously compromised - and that he can't do the surgery until the gallbladder and kidney issues have been resolved (he wants to make sure there is no underlying infection/inflammation at the time of surgery because of the chance of it "seeding" in the new joint)  I'm having another scan for the kidney next week, hopefully the stone's gone, otherwise I'll have to go to a Urologist too, gah!!  Good news... the Rheumatologist yesterday doesn't think it's RA, it may be a form of Lupus though - more blood tests to determine that, but I felt that it was positive news so I'm not worried.

I'll be back in a few days with another card; until then, Happy Crafting, Donna

Use Those Markers

Lucky I'm on Di's Digidesigns Challenge DT or I'd never get anything posted on my poor old Blog!  There's a new challenge starting today, the theme is "Use Those Markers", lucky for me as I LOVE my markers :-)  

It's Mother's Day here in Australia tomorrow so I made a card for my Mum, Tuesday Throwdown has "Special Lady" for their challenge, so I'm in and The Paper Shelter has Love is in the Air (not just romantic love) so I'm in there too.
 I made an aperture card, I did one for my hubby's birthday but that's one of the many cards I haven't had a chance to blog yet... surely I'll get a chance to do some soon!  What I really like about these is that when you decorate the inside, you decorate the outside too - or vice versa :-)  I used this fab tutorial from Great Impressions and that means I can enter their challenge, excellent! 

The image is Kitty Cuddles, Di had removed it from the shop but has seen the error of her ways, lol, and is going to put it back in - why wouldn't you, it's so cute, and perfect for Mother's Day, I think.  Cute Card Thursday has Paw Pals as their challenge theme, my cute Paw Pals get me in for sure.
As it says "on the tin" the challenge is to use markers, I've used Copics; because it's a special occasion I made a list of the markers I used: RV04, RV13, RV16, R000, R01, R20, R22, Y21, Y28, Y32, YR31,C0, C2, C5, C7, T4, W1, W3.  Mmm, sounds like a lot, but some were just a touch and the Toner was used to desaturate the kitten, who was way too orange.  
The papers are from Nitwits, the Stuffed Love collection.  I scaled the paper I used on the front down and used it as a background for the image; the heart paper on the inside is from the same collection as are the horizontal strips. Delightful Challenges, Bearly Mine Challenges and the Simon Says Challenge all have Flower themes, so I'm entering them all and Colour Me Copic has a Pastel Colours challenge, Divas by Design has In the Pink and  Gem of a Challenge has Favourite Colour Combo for theirs... I love all colour, seriously ALL, so I'm in. 

The aperture was cut using Nestabilities Standard Circles and the edge detail with Nestabilities Lacey Circles.  The corner dies are Cheery Lynn the pearls are from my stash and the sentiments are gold stickers I've had for yonks that I'm trying to get some use from.  I don't use a lot of embellishments on my cards, I do use die cuts a lot but really love the colouring aspect the most; Clear It Out wants to see our Style, I guess this is mine, and our Favourite Product... gotta be Copics and Dies.  My Mums Craft Shop has Lots of Layers... there were so many layers for the aperture I could hardly get it to go through my Big Shot, in the end it went through the Cuttlebug (those plates are less warped, which probably helped!)
Through the Craftroom Door, That Craft Place, Stamping Sensations and Papertake Weekly  all have Anything Goes challenges, so I'm entering them too.
That's it for today's card, pop over to the blog and check out my teamies work, fab as always.  I hope you get a chance to join in the challenge, such an easy theme :-)  Great prize on offer too from Marker Pop, and don't forget if you use one of Di's fab images (plenty of new ones in the shop, and available as Candibean Rubber Stamps for the ink lovers among you too) you go in an extra draw, WooHoo!! 
I will try to get back soon, I have had more dramas - the gallstones found in the CT when I had the kidney stone (which I have to go for another scan to see where it's at, though it's given me no more trouble) have caused two gallbladder attacks last week, they are very painful, though not I think as painful as the kidney stone, still very unpleasant as they bring other symptoms.  I've only had one attack prior, last year, and didn't realise what it was - the pain went after about an hour and a half so I thought it was just killer indigestion. I've been told the gallbladder has to come out, I'm not keen but can't do too many of those attacks, I'm in a quandry that's for sure!  I'm going to the Orthopedic Surgeon and the Rheumatologist this week seeking solutions for my hip, which has been literally a pain for a whole lot longer. It's all started getting me down a bit to be honest, quite a bit.  
Just when I was feeling particularly sorry for myself, I read of one of fellow DT's Lorraine's son's friends dying of cancer at the age of only 9; man, did that make me wake up or what?!  I hear client's saying all the time "it's a nightmare" when they're describing the mess their pool excavation has made, the crane being a few hours late or the cost exceeding their expectations and I always say that your child having cancer is a nightmare, those other things are, in the end only inconveniences; I've decided to regroup and try to heed my own advice, the pain and mobility issues I have are certainly unpleasant and unwelcome, but "a nightmare" they are NOT, I am so grateful that we as parents have never had that nightmare.  Even Matt's accident last year, while serious, could not, in retrospect be considered a nightmare as we still have him almost whole and hearty - just minus a few minor appendages :-)
Anyway, enough of my waffle.  I'll be back soon, after all it's Mother's Day tomorrow so my time will be my own (ha, as if!) Until next time, Happy Crafting, Donna xx