If Friends Were Flowers

I have the third of my Sketch Saturday Guest Spot cards today, I thought I'd make a "friendship" sort of card... it's good to have a card in your stash that will fit a number of occasions!

Following along with my recent theme of "inherent laziness" I've made a card that has the 'inside' showing from the 'outside'... this time I've added a front, I just made it acetate so you can see through it!  The image and sentiment are on the front the rest is... NOT, lol.  As You Like It wants to know if we like CAS or Fussy... I like this "level" of CAS, so the image is the focus, but I like nice papers too.
Once again I think the sketch really lends itself to this sort of arrangement...  it wouldn't have worked using the half-front sstem I used last week as the card would have fallen over :-))  The acetate was from some packaging and is really sturdy... no falling over for this puppy!
The papers are from Merci's Tangerine pad - or at least the one sheet of paper I used is, lol.  The cardstock used in the double matting is from my stash.
A Random Fan is sponsoring this week's challenge, the cute girlie I've used is "Summer Scent", I flipped her to fit the sketch better, she's "fussy cut" then mounted on foam dots.  The sky is from a digital paper kit from Passion Fruits called Day/Night Skies and the landscape is from Make It Crafty I coloured with Copics, added some extra shading with Prismacolor pencils and glitter to the flowers... those on the image(s) and on the paper.  Cute Card Thursday and Sweet  Stampin' have Floral challenges so I'm entering there, 

I made the sentiment on the computer... here it is as .png file if you want it :-)  Whimsy Inspirations Challenge wants to see a sentiment, I'm in.  The flower is a punch I've had in my stash for yonks, as is the metal rimmed rhinestone brad.  Tuesday Throwdown wants to see metal so I'm entering there.
I added a jotting panel the same shape to the inside of the card, making it a little smaller so you can't see it from the outside.  I added a flower to the inside too to cover up the "legs" of the brad!  That's it.  Through the Craftroom Door, Art by Miran, Craft Your Passion and Simply Create Too all have Anything Goes Challenges so I'm entering them.
Hope you get a chance to check out the fab work the Design Team have come up with, hope you get a chance to enter the challenge too... it's a great little sketch and there's a great prize on offer from A Random Fan too!
I'll be back in a few days with SOMETHING from my drafts folder... I HAVE to start working on it, the twins' birthday is coming up and I haven't shared the card from their last birthday yet... eeek!  Until then, Happy Crafting, Donna

Lots of Embellishments IS a challenge

Well here I am with my card for the latest Di's Digis Challenge.  The theme this time around is "Add Lots of Embellishments" ... now for some people not a "challenge" at all, but for me... pretty much IS :-)  

I like my image to "shine", and as Di's images are So cute (This one is Love Bears) they really do deserve centre stage,  I've tried to still have that happen while filling the "lots of embellishments" brief... you decide If I pulled it off  :-) The card is for my Darling Hubby for our Anniversary next Wednesday (37 years, eek, lol) I went for a brown and apricot/coral feel as they were our wedding colours.  Top Tip Tuesday want to see our Favourite Colours... I love all colour, but I have an extra soft spot for these ones. 

I've coloured as usual with Copics, adding some Prismacolor pencil shadows and LASHINGS of glossy accents to the hearts.  Outlawz Friday Colouring Challenge, Cuttlebug Mania and Crafty Creations have "Hearts" challenges and Papertake Weekly has Hearts and Flowers so I'm entering there, while Card Mania Challenges wants to see some Red so entering there too.

The papers are from Kaisercraft's Peachy Keen pad, the horizontal strip is the same brown card used for matting (for which I used silver foil as well) with some self adhesive fibreglass mesh I've had in my stash for SO long... I bought a roll from the hardware; it's also known as dry-walling tape. I'll be entering Hazel's Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge  and as I have used a lot of layers I'm entering Addicted to  Stamps challenge. 

I followed the sketch from Tuesday Morning Sketches  I used the same sketch as the basis for the inside of the card, the sentiments - both the one on the front and that on the inside are from Bizzy Becs' 3 Scallop Valentine's Label Stubs.

Now for those all important embellishments!  I used Cheery Lynn's Leafy Flourish die, cut it up and put that "around" the corner of the image panel, which has a strip of brown rhinestones on the edge.  I added mulberry paper flowers (from Mulberry Crafts, I think) with centres I made myself by melting pony beads in the oven... I've got a gazillion of these things in different colours, so easy to do!  I made the little pins using beads from my stash and the heart charm in the corner is from a chain I found in a second hand store for $1!  I added one of the brown rhinestones to the centre.  Fab'n'funky Challenges has "Charm Us" as their theme so I'm entering there and The Paper Shelter has Recycle so I'm entering there too.   Crafts 4 Eternity wants to see "Twos"... I have two flowers, with their centres, as well as two pins and I have two sentiment stubs so I'm in! 

It being "That" time of the year, there are a lot of Love themed challenges running, I'm entering those at Tuesday Throwdown, Paper Creator Crafts, The Crazy Challenge and OSAAT - which actually has Anything Goes With Love.  Craft Your Passion, Little Miss Muffet, Crafty Calendar, Art by Miran, That Craft Place and Through the Craftroom Door all have Anything Goes challenges so I'm entering there too.

Well that's it for my "Lots of Embellishments" card, don't forget to check out the rest of the team's work on Di's Challenge Blog; if you get a chance why not enter the challenge... if you're an embellies girl you'll find it easy, and if you're not... you'll find it a challenge :-))  There's a great prize on offer from Crafting Desert Diva and as always if you use one of Di's images you go in to an extra draw... what are you waiting for??!!

I'll be back soon - hopefully with a card from my ever increasing Drafts folder.  Until then, Happy Crafting, Donna

Sketchin' Again with Sketch Saturday

Phew, that week went fast.  I have two posts today... this first one is my card as Guest DT at Sketch Saturday.  I took the opportunity to make a card for my eldest son's birthday... he's 34 on Tuesday, phew that 34 years went fast, lol

The image I've used is one of the fabulous Birdbrains (this is Birthday Candle Birdbrain)  available at From The Heart Digital Stamps... as a digi of course, I'm a digi kind of girl :-)  As You Like It has CAS or Fussy... I like more "Simple" though not fully CAS - I like using patterned paper but still want the image to be the focus, I usually add very little in the way of embellishments, like this time, so I'm entering there as "CAS", oooh, I have to go and have a lay down after all that thinking about style :-)
This week's sketch really lent itself to one of my favourite "folds".  I don't know what it's called, if in fact it's got a name; basically the front of the card is only half width, leaving the inside of the card showing... perfect for the inherently lazy like me :-)) you get to show off the inside of the card while appearing to have decorated the whole 'outside' of the card.  Woohoo, bargain.  Addicted to  Stamps has a Lots of Layers challenge - I hope there's enough layers here... there ARE a lot, even though it's a CAS style card.

The border along the edge of the front, is cut with a Memory Box Oceana Border Die.. it adds some interest to the edge.  I used the same border (actually it's the "negative" of the die cut on the vertical edge) across the middle of the inside.
I coloured the image with Copics, adding some Ranger Glossy Accents to the flame and the "sweat". 
The papers are Kaisercraft - all three papers have gloss accents on them, not that it shows in the pics, grr.  The card's covered inside and out - so I'll be entering Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge 
I've added some letter beads to make Matt's name, actually the only embellie on the card! and that was it.  I'll be entering the Anything Goes challenge at Craft Your Passion, Crafty Calendar, That Craft Place, Catch The Bug, Art by Miran and Through the Craftroom Door
So that's what I did with the Sketch Saturday Sketch, why don't you pop on over and check out what the team did... it's amazing to see how different one sketch can look!  Hope you get a chance to show us YOUR take on it too -
I'll be back later with my card for the latest Di's Digis challenge.  See you then, Donna

Getting Guest-y at Sketch Saturday

ETA: Aargh!! FINALLY got this to post... Google problems!! So, a day late, sigh - sorry!  
As you may or may not know I LOVE a good sketch...so when I was asked if I'd like to be Guest Designer for the month of February for the Sketch Saturday challenge I JUMPED at it!!  Of course, I LOVE the sketch, lol

The challenge sponsor is A Day For Daisies, so I got to use one of their fabarooney images...Ive used 'Skirt of Flowers', isn't she gorgeous?!  You can get her here.  I used my trusty Copics to colour... and even though you can't see it... well hardly, if AT ALL... in the pic, I added glimmery flowers with a Sakura Gelly Roll pen and went over all the 'vines' with a green glaze pen... it looks good IRL!

Now here is that all important sketch... told you it was a goodie :-))  I changed the shape of the image panel to a rectangle... mainly because I LOVED the image and she just needed to be rectangular (to show off that skirt of flowers!)  The rest of the sketch has been followed pretty much to a T.
I covered ordinary white card with some 'dull' gold wrapping paper that came around a gift from my son Chris; he always uses fabulous quality wrapping paper so it stood up really well.  As You Like It wants to know if we like Matt or Shiny - I like using Matt papers and adding the shiny as "features".
I cut the mat for the image panel with the largest Nestabilities Fleur de Lis die and the same paper.  The background paper is digital, from The Scrap Girls... this set's retired but there's still a gazillion to choose from  :-))  I really love this sort of colour palette... I had a pad by Prima (Fairy Flora) that got used A LOT for my faves, sadly it's discontinued... at least having this paper as digital means I can print it off any time I want - even though the file's no longer available to purchase... another reason I LOVE digital :-)  Top Tip Tuesday wants to see our favourite colour combo, I'm in! and of course I'll be entering Hazel's Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge to use patterned paper 

The terracotta cardstock is from my stash, I cut the border of the vertical panel with MFT Crotchet Border die added a purple mulberry paper lattice (cut with a Memory Box Tessatina Border die and added some paper twine (from Ribbon Girl I think) for interest.  I cut another of the Tessatina borders in half lengthwise (bit fiddly, it's pretty fine!) to add a strip to each of the banners at the bottom of the card.  
The butterfly was cut with the same gold-ish card, Using a Martha Stewart Monarch Butterfly punch.  I added some Perfect Pearls to give some depth then added purple rhinestones for the body.  The same rhinestones make an appearance on the Fleur De Lis mat

I used the same basic layout for the inside of the card, adding one of Paulette's fabulous freebie sentiments to the centre of the jotting panel.  I think this card will be going to my friend Jenny, she IS beautiful... through and through, and I don't think she gets told often enough :-) Outlawz Friday Colouring Challenge wants to see a card for a friend, so I'm entering there.
I used a punched flower (could be a Carl punch... could NOT, lol) instead of the butterfly on the corner of the inside panel, I coloured a sticky back half pearl with Copics to tie in the colours for the centre. Gem of a Challenge and Addicted to  Stamps have Lots of Layers challenges so I'm entering there and  Art by Miran, Crafty Calendar, Papertake Weekly, Craft Your Passion, Through the Craftroom Door and Clear It Out all have Anything Goes challenges running so I'm entering there too!
That's it for today, I hope you like my card... I really like it and I don't really know why! I usually like "crisp" looking cards, but this one just appeals - and I found the image a dream to colour, which is always a bonus :-)
Pop over to the Sketch Saturday blog and check out the team's take on this awesome sketch... hope you get to enter the challenge, don't forget the fab Day For Daisies prize on offer - and a sketch is always a good jump off point if Mrs Mojo is MIA as mine has been a bit recently :-)
It's HOT here ... it IS summer, lol, not that conducive to crafting I suppose.  We are experiencing huge bushfires in the South of the state at the moment -  some are the result of lightning strike... we get electrical storms at this time of year... but some are deliberately lit; it makes you wonder about some people!  My thoughts are with all those affected.  The smoke has travelled over 700 kms North... passing through Perth a couple of days ago making hubby and me - and all our fellow asthmatics wheeze for days!
Gotta go, computer issues to solve; I've had to uninstall Google Chrome, clean up a few things and reinstall it... now I have to check "the damage", on top of that we got iPhone 6s yesterday and I've had to repair all our Bluetooth devices... one I just CAN'T get to work... computers, gotta love 'em!  Until next time, Happy Crafting, Donna

Have a Heart

New challenge starting today over at Di's Digis Challenge Blog... we want you to include at least one heart on your creation.  Now, I do like to be thorough... so I've added "more" than one... try about a gazillion, lol.  I made a card for my Mum and Dad's Anniversary next Tuesday... their 64th!  I made an easel card because both of them LOVE easel cards, as do I, sweet :-)

The image is "Celebration Moments" available here.  I coloured with Copics, adding some extra shading with Prismacolor pencils, adding some Glossy Accents to the champagne glasses (pink champagne... of course!!) and the bubbles. Papertake Weekly has a Take Your Pick challenge, I'm picking Warm Colours and Fancy Folds 
 
The papers are all digital - a scrapbooking kit called Glitterati Cupid from Just Betsy, it was one of the very first digi kits I bought when I started card making, as the image is new I'm entering the Something Old Something New challenge at Crafty Creations and the Something New challenges at Top Tip Tuesday and Crafty Calendar  
You can see some of the "gazillion" hearts I've added in this close up of the paper used on the horizontal strip.  I punched a border for that strip using a Martha Stewart Doily Hearts punch... I've kept the little hearts that came out and I'm going to make a shaker card using them... one day, lol.  Bunny Zoes Crafts has a Hearts challenge so I'm entering there, Pile It On has Hearts and/or Flowers so in there too, while Little Miss Muffet, That Craft Place and Sweet  Stampin' have Love or Valentine's challenge so I'm entering them as well.  
I used ruby red cardstock from my stash, As You Like It want to know if we prefer Matt or Shiny card/paper... I like Matt as there's a much bigger range of colours, I like the image to "shine" and it's easy enough to add sparkle with embellies :-) I do use pearl paper... and sparkle sometimes, but usually matt.  Oh and I'll be entering Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge as the base of my card is covered in patterned paper!

I added some faux stitching using gel pens.  I followed the sketch from Moving Along With The Times, you can see the "following" better in this picture of the card closed :-))  The sentiment is a Kaisercraft stamp, the ink is Versamark, the pearl hearts are from my stash.  Aud Sentiments wants to see a Valentine's or Love sentiment, I hope an Anniversary is "Love" enough :-) 
On the "inside" of the card, I added a stopper to the centre of the horizontal strip by cutting a cardstock heart with an Mpress Heart die then gluing on a pink (it was white until I Copic-ed it!) resin heart - works a treat
The Paper Shelter and Winter Wonderland have "Lots of Layers" challenges running (and Winter Wonderland is in it's non Christmas phase) so I'm in.  Craft Your Passion, Simon Says Challenge, Paper Creator Crafts, Inky Chicks, Art by Miran, Outlawz Friday Colouring Challenge and Through the Craftroom Door all have Anything Goes challenges running so I'm entering them.
That's it for today's card, hop over to Di's Digis Challenge Blog and check out the rest of the team's work - hope you get a chance to enter the challenge too; there's a great prize on offer from Jaded Blossom Stamps, and if you use one Di's images you go into an extra draw with a prize of a couple of digis, woo hoo!!
I'll be back in a few days - hopefully!  We are going to redeem a voucher tomorrow that my hubby got for his 60th birthday... nine months ago!  It's for a joy flight in a Tiger Moth... he's torn between being excited and terrified (he doesn't even "do" rollercoasters - he used to 'watch the bags' while I took the kids on fair rides!) I'll let you know how he goes.  Mind you we have to ring first thing because they don't fly in thunderstorms and - even though we are in the middle of summer and have had only 8mm (1/3") of rain in the last two MONTHS, you guessed it, there's a thunderstorm forecast tomorrow!  Sigh.
Until next time, Happy Crafting, Donna :-)

With More Sympathy for Sid

I was going through the cards in my Drafts folder earlier and found this one... it was the Sympathy card I made for my Mum and Dad to give to my Aunty when my dear Uncle Sid died... that was in September 2013!  I figured as this was the oldest card in my drafts it should be the first one to see daylight!

To make up for my tardiness in getting it "blogged" I've included loads of pics... I always take this many but usually manage to restrict myself to just a few - not this time!
I actually loved this card - the papers and cardstock were all such good quality - bought, as are all my "specialty" papers, in Starfish Lane.  The textures are gorgeous, I used pearl card as the base and gold foil for the matting.  The background layer was very fine paper with an oriental style pattern on it, I embossed that with a folder I just had to have... and have used just this once I think!  It's a Sizzix folder and I had to buy it in the Hello Friend set as it's discontinued as a stand alone product.... but that's okay - more folders for me :-)  The Crazy Challenge theme this time around is Embossing... I have this type, "dry" embossing and heat embossing too so I'm definitely IN!  The folder was new (still is, haven't used it since!) and the image is new too so I'm entering the "Something New" challenge at Top Tip Tuesday  and Crafty Calendar.  Crafty Creations has a Something Old Something New challenge... the gold flatbacks are well and truly from my stash, so I'm entering there too.
The next layer up is one of the Pebble range of papers, card really... very heavy.  It takes on a different hue depending on the angle you view it, love it!  It is a bit hard to get a decent "clean" edge on it when you cut it, I always end up trimming it by hand - so it's not for quick cards, for sure.  The green layer is handmade paper, again it cuts a little "fluffy" but a sharp blade does help.  It has a nice texture and the gold sort of wash through it is really nice too.  The Paper Shelter has a "Lots of Layers" challenge, I've used the "at least three" required so I'm entering there. 

The image is from Delicious Doodles, Teri has had to close her shop but you can still get her images from Cardmaking Downloads... I'm not sure if all of them (including this one) are available, I'm scared to go and check as it'll cost me a fortune; I'm just the gal who can't say "no", lol.  I coloured the image with Prismacolor pencils, I like the effect you get on textured (this is linen) paper.  I embossed around the edge of the image panel, cut with Spellbinders Labels Four, and added some extra texture to the centre of the flowers too with Old Gold EP.  I added a couple of gold flatbacks to the flowers and the corners of the green panel and the top right edge of the background.  The sentiment was computer generated.  
I bought loads of chipboard laser cuts from Make It Crafty before Zoe decided not to stock them anymore... that's where the dragonfly came from.  I embossed it with the gold EP then decided it still looked a bit flat, so embossed it's body again with Midnight Sparkle EP... very glittery IRL, but being dark not too garish for the "theme" of the card!  Bit fiddly holding it to heat the EP though, and HOT!!

When I made this card I used one of the Papertake Weekly sketches with the thought in the back of my mind that I could enter one of their regular "Sketchie Free For All" challenges; as it happens this week they have a "Take Your Pick" challenge so I'm picking "Sketch" and using sketch number 68, albeit flipped horizontally.  I used the same sketch for the inside of the card... but then I usually do, lol  The sentiment on the inside is computer generated too.  I inked around the edge of the jotting panel in the rose colour to tie it in to the front better.
Art by Miran, Paper Creator Crafts, Inky Chicks, Craft Your Passion and Through the Craftroom Door all have Anything Goes challenges so I'll be entering them.
Well that's it for Sid's card, my next "dragged from the drafts" card will at least be from 2014!!  There have been so many "events", all with their own card, lol.  In the meantime I'll be back on Saturday with my Di's Digis DT card.... as yet another fortnight has flown by!  Until then Happy Crafting, Donna