Craftee Owls

Christmas in Feb?

2012-02-28T16:24:00.001+10:00

Hi everyone, today I decided to make a Christmas card - for no special reason, just wanted to do something different so here it is.

I bought this digi last year but didn't get around to using it, a shame really 'cause it's funny and we all need some humour in our lives hey?

It's called 'Snow Elf' from Make it Crafty (they have such quirky images), and to colour it I trotted out my Copics for a change - haven't used them for ages - since I bought my Prismas.

The papers are Cosy Xmas stack which was a freebie with a magazine, the snowflakes were punched from a shimmery paper, the ric rack is from my stash and I made the flowers myself. To finish off I applied glitter around the edges of the nesties Labels One diecut, to the flowers' centres and the snowflakes.

Four challenges entered with this.............

Creative Card Crew #5 Humour
Winter Wonderland - Glitter and bling
Crimbo Crackers #9 Make me laugh
Party Time Tuesdays #57 Anything goes

Thanks for stopping by today.

Feathers in my hair

2012-02-26T15:26:00.000+10:00

Happy Sunday everyone.

I have an easel card to share with you today, again, commissioned by my lovely neighbour who wants to send this to her friend in Spain.

I absolutely adore this image from Kraftin' Kimmie 'called 'Suzette' which I coloured with Prismacolor pencils. I added a tiny amount of glitter to her garters and the hairclip - didn't want to overdo it though because the papers - MME - are rather 'busy'.

The flowers are 15mm two-tone roses from Wild Orchid, the leaves were punched and the feathers are from my stash. The sentiment is also from Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps.

My neighbour wanted a photo of herself and her friend on the inside of the card so I cropped it then matted it to three nesties scalloped circles. The ribbon/bow finished the card.

This fits a number of challenges which are:
Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenge #73 Anything goes
Crop Stop Challenges #59 Is it blooming outside?
Allsorts - Week 143 It's your choice
The Crazy Challenge #107 Use a die or punch
Let's Ink it Up #20 Ribbons and/or lace

Thanks for visiting today.

The happy couple

2012-02-25T17:43:00.000+10:00

Good afternoon blogger friends and followers, although it's not so good here weather-wise, we're having mega rain - again - since yesterday - cannot possibly go outside so that means our poor little doggies will have to forego another walk.

I'd like to share another card I've been commissioned to do by the same neighbour, this time it's a wedding card.

Quite a lot of elements went together for this card. The image is from Stamping Bella and I think it's just so quirky, look at their big grins lol. It's stamped onto a Nesties 'Heart Circle' diecut.

The groom's suit was coloured with chalk, I used Smooch 'Moonlight' paint for his shirt and the bride's long train because it has a lovely sheen to it when dry and her short veil is glittered slightly. Her flowers have a coat of Smooch 'Illuminate' applied over the colouring which was done with Prismacolor pencils and for her dress I used a very pale lemon shimmer chalk although it's not very visible.

Background paper is from a candy win, mounted onto that is a panel embossed with 'Divine Swirls' which is matted onto some shimmer paper with MS heart border punch. The beautiful sparkly ribbon was purchased at a local habby shop. I must apologise for the picture quality or lack of it, the light level was pretty low and the cream roses look like they're pale yellow - urghhhh.

Flowers are from Wild Orchid, the charm and pearls are from my stash and I made the pins myself.

Because this card will be given in person I made a presentation box for it to go in.

Thank goodness for peel offs lol, always jazzes up a raw edge/s!

And a quick peek inside - where there is yet another heart! Oh well it is a wedding card after all.

I would like to enter this in Stampin' for the Weekend #4 Bingo (Ribbons, pearls, pink).
Allsorts Challenge Blog - Week 143 It's your choice
Crop Stop #59 Is it blooming outside?
Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenge #73 Anything goes

If you're still with me, thankyou for taking the time to view this little lot, and any comments would be much appreciated.

A poorly dragon

2012-02-21T13:44:00.001+10:00

This looks like one sicky poo dragon but still cute all the same though.

This is the first time I've used this digi from the 'Healing the Dragon' set available from The Paper Shelter. There are pre coloured images if you want to get a card done quickly but I prefer to colour my own, this was coloured with Prismacolor pencils and I added a small dob of Glossy Accents to the medicine dripping off the spoon.

I added a Sizzix flourish die and a ribbon to finish along with a computer generated sentiment.
Hopefully this would cheer up anyone a bit poorly?

The papers are from a paper stack that was a freebie in a magazine.

Challenges entered with this:
Inky Impressions - Use punches or dies
DYSU Challenge Blog #59 Layers
Party Time Tuesdays #55 Get well wishes
Lollipop Crafts #68 Anything goes
The Crazy Challenge #107 Use die or punch

Thankyou very much for taking time to visit my blog, all comments are appreciated.

Buying overseas

2012-02-18T14:33:00.002+10:00

Good afternoon peeps, I have a question that maybe some of you can help with please.

A neighbour has asked if I know of any scrapbooking shops in Vancouver - which I don't. Does anyone ---out there know of any that I can pass on to her please? Any response would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

Wisteria

2012-02-16T20:07:00.001+10:00

Hi people, it's been a few days since I was here but I've surfaced now with a card I've made for a neighbour who has commissioned me to make quite a few cards for her. This one is for her Mum's 82nd birthday at the end of this month.

My neighbour trolled through all my stamps and images and selected this wisteria stamp that I bought on ebay a couple of years ago and never inked up. Her Mum's favourite colours are pink and green so had to incorporate those on the card/papers.

The papers are MME. The corners were die-cut with Spellbinders Parisian Accents and the lace and pearls are from my stash.

The image was coloured with Prismacolor pencils, blended with OMS.

Challenges entered are
DYSU #59 Layers
Inky Impressions - Use punches or dies
Creatalicious Challenges #31 Lace
Let's Ink It Up #20 Ribbons and/or lace

Thanks for stopping by, now on to my next mission lol.

LOTV Candy

2012-02-12T06:05:00.000+10:00

Hey everyone there's some awesome candy to win over at LOTV why not pop on over to check it out.

Spider

2012-02-09T17:33:00.000+10:00

Well, a couple of you said that you prefer spiders to snakes and I have to admit this one is pretty spectacular, I think it's a Golden Orb (please correct me if I'm wrong). We used to live in the hinterland on acreage which was just about all bush, no lawns just landscaped paths that wound through the trees and by golly did we get lots of wildlife - some of which I miss like the King Parrots that eventually became so tame that they used to fly down to my hand to eat sunflower seeds........'yeah right' I hear you say, 'she's telling porkies'! Well if there are any doubters speak up and I will post a pic of yours truly with said parrot/s on my hand lol.

This kind of arachnid I didn't mind so much which is why I left her to continue with her web building outside one of the guest bedrooms - it's the big hairy eightlegs I hate.

Snakes in luuurve

2012-02-09T13:54:00.001+10:00

Well it's not everyone who likes snakes but I prefer them to spiders lol.

I made a Valentine's card today which will go into the 'spares' box to be utilised as an anniversary card sometime or other.

Now this card is seriously red and pink isn't it? It features my new digi image from Digi Doodle Shop called 'Charming'.....I just love the expressions on the faces. I coloured them with chalks and the only glittery stuff I used is on the flowers and heart.

This is the sketch over at Totally Gorjuss for their challenge 117

The papers are from a blog candy I won recently and the flowers are a combination of handmade ones and cherry blossoms.

The hearts were die-cut and the heart border was punched with MS 'Lace Heart' punch which seems to be quite a popular tool right now.

Lots of challenges out there at the mo for love/Valentine so here's some of 'em.
Party Time Tuesdays #54 Valentines
Fab 'n' Funky Challenges #107 Love is in the air
Crafts and Me #68 Use new image
Simon Says Stamp Challenge - Love is in the air
Tuesday Throwdown #84 Be my valentine
Lollipop Crafts #66 Make a Valentine's Day card
Sweet Stampin' - The one I love
The Emerald Faerie Garden #17 Be my valentine
Creatalicious Challenge - Love
Allsorts Challenge Blog Week 140 Free and easy
Dutch Dare #151 Red, pink and white

Thanks for viewing today folkies.

It's a White-out!

2012-02-06T15:00:00.000+10:00

Hi all, I do hope everyone on the other side of the pond is keeping as warm and toasty as they possibly can? I read in our paper this morning about the big freeze in Europe and the chaos this has caused...difficult to get my head around how bloomin' hot it is here in Oz and how cold it is there.

My card I have to share today hasn't much colour...................

I really do love making white on white cards as they're so different and the image I've used is 'Winter Fairy Talva' who is the 'sister' of 'Halla' both by Mo's Digital Pencil.....everyone seems to use Halla so I thought I'd be different and bring out Talva 'cause I think she was getting a tad jealous lol.

I coloured her with Prismacolor pencils and (also for a change) I haven't used any glitter, just applied some illuminate by Smooch to the wings but might just as well have not bothered because it can't be seen ha ha.

Little peek at the inside.

Anyway, on to the finer details of the card.
Cheery Lynn Designs Dutch Scallop Square Frame
Nesties Contemporary Hearts Border die
Nesties 'Foliage' die
Nesties Shapeabilities Floral Accent die
Nesties " Flower Creations die

This fits a number of challenges which are:
Party Time Tuesdays #53 Anything goes
Bizzy Bec's Store Challenge February - All white + hearts
CES Challenge #71 Give me wings
Allsorts Challenge - Week 140 Free and easy
Card Crafter's Circle #18 Wow! White on white
Creative Card Crew #3 Fantasy Creatures

Thanks for viewing folks.

2012-02-04T09:41:00.001+10:00

Happy Saturday morning everyone. I'm so glad to say that the rain has stopped, the sun is out and the water level is back to normal - and the golfers are once again out in force.

Just a very quick post because I have to go do the grocery shopping - yuk! hate it but we gotta eat.

I had a rest from cardmaking and created a couple more gift card holders.

This time the images are House Mouse which I love. These gift card holders are so so easy to make and a lot of fun decorating and embellishing etc.

Entering just two challenges with these.
Lollipop Crafts #65 Anything goes
Prairie Fairy Fridays #71 Anything but a card

Ok that's it folks, grocery shopping here I come.

All you need is Love

2012-01-30T15:33:00.000+10:00

Good afternoon people, I hope this post finds you all fit and well and busy crafting?

I felt like making a really romantic card which is a bit of a departure for me 'cause I'm pretty much a cynic where most things are concerned - maybe I'm mellowing in my old age! Anyways Valentine's Day is approaching and while I don't have anyone to send a valentine to (hubby's not romantic either) lol I thought this would also double as an anniversary card for someone.

The image is a digi from Mo's Digital Pencil 'Ragged Romeo' and I just had to have it the moment I spied it. I loved colouring it with my Prismas and I put a little Glossy Accents on the girl's headband with some glitter added to her frilly lace under her pinny.

Card deets:
MS border punch 'Lace Heart' was used for the white background
Papers, ribbon, lace, heart gems and heart charm are from my stash
Cream roses were puchased from a habbadashery store and the other cherry blossom flowers I bought via ebay (can't remember the seller though).
Nesties Lacey Circles die

I am entering this into the following challenges.
Tuesday Throwdown #82 So charming (use a charm)
Craft us Crazy #19 Valentine/Love
Creatalicious Challenges #30 Love >Use punched border, ribbon, flowers & bling
Paper Play Challenges - Week 4 Lovely lace
Charisma Cardz #3 Pretty in pink - Hope this is valid as there is some green here????
Cardmad Fairy #25 Ribbons and bows
Saturday Challenge #170 Ribbons
Allsorts Challenge - One or more hearts
The Crafty Pad Designs #155 Valentine/Anniversary/Love
Paper Sundaes #105 Valentines

Well that's it, I'm all loved out!
See you all next time....cheers

Baking cookies

2012-01-28T14:46:00.003+10:00

Well folks the weather is still miserable here, rain is still coming down and the lake has been pumped a few times to reduce the level of the water then torrential rain fills it up again and with more to come it's going to be a slow process to get everything back to normal...........could be next week (at least) before golfers will be allowed back onto the fairways. Right now they would have to fit water wings to the golf buggies lol.

Hubby and me aren't golfers luckily but I imagine it's a big inconvenience to some; but nothing you can do about the weather. Also our daughter and her husband arrived yesterday for a 4 night visit so it's a shame there's no sunshine for them - today they've taken themselves off to look at display houses as they're looking for ideas for when they build back in Melbourne.

Anyway today I thought I'd make a card just for the heck of it - no occasion involved - so it will go into my 'spares' box for whenever a situation calls.

This is another Kraftin' Kimmie stamp 'Agnes' and she's mixing up the ingredients ready for another batch of cookies.

I coloured her with my Prismacolor pencils again and added a little amount of Liquid Pearls to her 'batter' for dimension. The stripey paper was in some candy I won recently and the others were from my stash as were the gems and flower. The foliage is a diecut from Sizzix.

Challenges entered with this:
Sentimental Sundays #86 Die cuts
Moving Along with the Times #133 Blooming marvellous
Cute Card Thursday #201 You're a gem
Digi Doodle Shop #92 Anything goes
Bizzy Bec's January Challenge - Anything goes
My Mum's Craft Shop #41 Flowers
Simon Says Stamp Challenge - Anything goes

So, until next time, cheerio.

Birthday Blues

2012-01-25T20:32:00.002+10:00

Good evening everyone,
This is a bit of a change for me, posting on the ol' blog at this time of night, but I felt a bit crook today with a badly aching back - think I've twisted a muscle or have a pinched nerve but anyway didn't feel much like sitting at the computer, instead I sat erect on my bed with an electric heat pad wrapped around my aches, one of the dogs lay with me and comforted me while I read a book.

So here I am now with a card I started a couple of days ago and only just finished after dinner tonight.

This delightful image is 'Goldilocks' from Kraftin' Kimmie and would you just look at her hair, it took me ages to colour , I think next time I use this stamp I will colour with chalks - much quicker than pencils.

The DP is MME 'Everyday Flair', the flowers and pearls are from my stash, and I made the pin myself......I think maybe the pin is rather too large but what the heck, it's on there now lol.

This fits into a few challenges so here we go.

Simon Says Stamp Challenge - Anything goes
My Mum's Craft Shop #41 Flowers
The Paper Shelter - Pearls and swirls
Allsorts Challenge - Week 138 Needles and pins
Card Crafter's Circle #6 Bear with me
Crafts and Me #67 Use pins
Bizzy Becs January Challenge - Anything goes
Fab 'n' Funky #105 It's all in the eyes

Ok so that's it for tonight, I'm off to pick up the book again. Thanks for visiting my blog.
Oh, and it's stopped raining, at least for now, and the flood water level has dropped a bit.

Rain rain go away!

2012-01-25T09:40:00.003+10:00

Welcome to sunny Queensland - yeah right!

For the last day or two or three we've had non-stop rain and this is what happens when it does.

Our back garden is tiered down to a lake - 4 tiers in all and right now we have nearly three underwater.

These piccies were taken from our deck, the small shrubs/bushes actually mark the far edge of the lake and beyond those is the 1st fairway. I just had a look out the window and now those shrubs are submerged too.

This is our Frangipani which is planted on the 2nd tier and the floating 'thing' is the wooden chair that was in our next-door neighbour's garden very close to the edge of the lake - didn't stand a chance lol.

The forecast is for still more rain so we'd best get our scuba gear ready I think?

Another doggy tidy up

2012-01-23T13:53:00.003+10:00

Our little guys - Soda on the left, Minty to the right - always scrub up so well I can't resist posting an update piccy of them after they've returned from the groomer....they went this morning.

Hanging on a flower

2012-01-22T09:05:00.006+10:00

Well hello everyone, I'm finally back with something to post.....................it's about a week since I was here last. I've been busy tidying up my craftroom but apart from that I just couldn't get motivated to do any actual crafting!

This is a card I made yesterday for an ex work colleague who's having her birthday next month.

The cute little image is 'Isla' from The Emerald Faerie Garden coloured with Copics with a little glitter on her wings.

Card recipe:
Papers from my stash
Flowers and foliage are hand made using various dies and punches
Sizzix flourish die
Nesties border die
Butterflies punched

Entering just two challenges with this.
Moving Along with the Times #132 Things with wings
Totally Papercrafts - Make your own flowers

So that's it for now folks, more next time.

Gift Card Holder

2012-01-15T18:01:00.001+10:00

Good afternoon everyone, well after having all those blogger issues I'm finally posting a creation!

I think the problems are something to do with blogger and IE 8 because now that I'm using Mozilla Firefox to access my blog I am having no trouble at all thankfully.

So,

This was my project today, a cute little gift card holder from a tutorial I found some time ago.

The image is 'Flowers' from the Fancy Sunbonnets set from Bugaboo Stamps which I cut out and mounted on dimensionals. I tried a couple of different things with this project, after colouring with my Prisma pencils
I had a go at blending with OMS and a paper stump........I'm quite happy with how it finished but this was only my first try at that technique so probably need lots more practice? After that I put a tiny amount of Glossy Accents on the flowers' petals to 'pop' them a bit.

The other thing I managed was to finally conquer the challenge of tying a ribbon bow around a card, my god it took me ages to work out just where my fingers had to go lol.

Our two daughters are having their birthdays next month and we usually give them money so they can buy whatever it is they want so I thought why not pop a little note inside a gift card holder to tell them the cash has been deposited etc.

Not many details to offer except that the cardstock is Bazzill, the papers are MME and the ribbon is grosgrain. The flower is from my stash.

Challenges entered are:
Pollycraft Monday Challenge #122 Anything but a card
Crafty Creations #152 Something new (new blending technique)
Anything Goes Challenge Blog #58 Anything goes
Bizzy Becs January Challenge - Anything goes

Thanks for stopping here today.

Blogger blogger blogger issues

2012-01-14T13:41:00.001+10:00

Hi again people,

I've still been having Blogger issues like not being able to access some blogspot blogs and not being able to access comments etc etc and I'd tried lots of things including clearing my cache of cookies browsing history etc etc as suggested by another blogger but still to no avail. Then just a short while ago I switched over to Firefox and fired up again and things are back to normal it seems - fingers (and legs) crossed lol.

I think there are probably others experiencing issues too and it's possibly Google based? Any thoughts on that from - anyone?

Lotsa bubbles

2012-01-12T09:03:00.002+10:00

Yay...........blogger piccie upload worked this morning so, good morning bloggy people, I'm back with another birthday card I've made for yet another neighbour. It's our next door neighbour actually and her birthday isn't until Feb 1st but look, see how organised I am now that the christmas card flurry is finished with.

This time I've gone with the sketch challenge over at Totally Gorjuss #113

This is 'Brigette' from Kraftin' Kimmie and is this lady relaxed or what!
I coloured with Prismacolor pencils (again) I love this medium - more than my Copics these days....
then cut around the image and mounted onto a panel embossed with CB 'Tiny Bubbles' just to keep the bubble thing going lol. I also glittered the bubbles in the bath with two different colours of Kindyglitz.

The papers are MME 'A Beautiful Life' which are double sided.
The sentiment and little embellie is part of the Brigette stamp unit and the edge of the horizontal panel was punched with MS 'Modern Garland'.

I would like to enter this in these challenges:
Crafty Creations #152 Something new (my MS punch)
Anything Goes Challenge Blog
Scrapbook Boutique - Use colours Purple, green & white
CES Challenges
Fussy and Fancy #53 Happy birthday
Sweet Stampin' - Spots and Dots
Bizzy Becs January Challenge - Anything goes

Thanks for viewing today folks.

Blogger problems

2012-01-11T17:42:00.001+10:00

Hi bloggy people, well I was going to post a pic of the latest birthday card I made but Mister Blogger won't let me upload anything right now.....hope it gets fixed soon. Anyone else having this prob?

Cake glorious cake!

2012-01-07T14:22:00.001+10:00

Hello everyone and welcome to Saturday on the Gold Coast - where it's overcast, dreary and rain is imminent - yuk! Nice to be indoors again.

One of our neighbours is celebrating her birthday at the end of the month and this is the card I have made for her.

I'm using 'Cake glorious cake' from LOTV which is new, one of my christmas prezzies to myself lol.
I think this little fairy is adorable and it was so easy to colour with my Prismacolor pencils.

Here's a closeup of the icing........I used Liquid Pearls (also new stash) on this and swirled it a bit to give definition, almost looks good enough to lick!

Next is a closeup of her glittery wings - I used Kindyglitz for these.

Oh and this of course is the inside.
Other details:
The papers are from a blog candy win but unfortunately I don't know the brand.
The doily was made with Nesties Lace Doily Motifs and was very difficult to pry off the die - probably won't use that again much.
The flowers were from a big spendup I made on ebay some time ago.

I'd like to enter this in the following challenges.
The Paper Shelter #45 Anything goes
Inky Impressions #IIC40 Anything goes
Bizzy Becs January Challenge - Anything goes
Papertake Weekly - Anything goes
Prairie Fairy #69 Things with sparkly wings
Fussy and Fancy #53 Happy birthday
Sentimental Sundays #83Anything goes
Card Crafter's Circle #4 Make it colourful
Ladybug Crafts Ink TLT #51 Use new stash (stamp and liquid pearls)
Magical Monday Challenge - Anything goes
Sweet Stampin' - Spots & Dots
Saturday Challenge #167 Let them eat cake

Whew what a long post this one was, thanks for staying with it!

Candy question

2012-01-05T18:04:00.001+10:00

Hi everyone, I just noticed that I'm up to 29 followers now, wow I never thought I would ever get one let alone 29. Thankyou to you all, it's always nice to know that someone likes your stuff lol.

Anyway I have a question. Can someone walk me through what's involved in setting up a candy, I'm thinking that maybe if and when I attain 50 followers it would be nice to post some as a 'thankyou' gesture but I have no idea how to go about it.....like the linky thing etc etc would really appreciate some help please. Ta

A Sympathy card

2012-01-05T14:04:00.000+10:00

Hello hello hello everyone, what a very slack little blogger I've been with no posts (or crafty things) done since the end of December.......................so Happy New Year to you all, a bit late I know but!

I sort of got caught up in family things and the time just flew by.

Well my new year started with a happy event - being my Mum's 92nd birthday on January 1st but sadly on that same day a dear neighbour passed away after battling melanoma cancer for around 4 to 5 months. This is the sympathy card I made for his wife.

So glad I don't have to do many of these sort of cards.

This is quite simple in design and I think that's just as well seeing as it's a bit of a sombre occasion.
The embossing was done using CB 'Divine Swirls' folder, the flower image I found on the net and I used dimensionals to lift it slightly and the ribbon was from my stash. The sweet little butterfly was created by punching two then just adhering the bodies together so the wings sit up. The aqua half pearls were from my stash also and the sentiment was stamped in silver.

This fits a number of challenges which are:
Card Crafter's Circle #3 Anything goes
Tuesday Throwdown #79 Shiny new year - use something shiny (pearls & ribbon)
Papertake Weekly - Anything goes
Bizzy Bec's January Challenge - Anything goes
Inky Impressions - IIC40 Anything goes
The Paper Shelter #45 Anything goes

Well that's me 'kicked off' for the start of 2012
Hooroo for now.

Mum's Birthday

2011-12-31T09:58:00.000+10:00

Good morning folks, hope all is well with you all? And hope the weather is better where you are, it's dreary and raining here, very miserable outside but not in my craftroom.....note to myself....to create more lovely colourful things to adorn this space.

This will probably be my last post for this year, can't believe how fast this year has flown by! Tomorrow, New Year's Day is my Mum's birthday and she'll be 92 years old, wow what an age hey?

Anyway this is the card I made for her.

She really loves red so I think she'll be happy with this.

The image is a LOTV 'Bouquet' coloured with Prismacolor pencils. The swirly DP is MME and the lighter paper was actually the inside of an envelope - there are some really great paper designs in some of them lol. I made the flowers using an EK Success daisy punch and added some black glitter to match the bouquet flowers. The lace is from my stash.

This is a closeup to show the sparkly wings and the decorative pin I made just to add a little bit of detail......thanks to Mandy (A Sprinkling of Glitter) for her great inspirational tutorial on how to make these pins.

The challenges entered with this are:
Prairie Fairy Fridays #69 Things with sparkly wings
Winter Wonderland - Red and white
Dutch Dare Card Challenges #145 My favourite things (mine are easel cards, red and glitter)
Card Crafter's Circle #3 Anything goes
Flutterby Wednesday #183 Open

Ok well that's it, I'm off to make a cuppa, thanks for viewing.

Owl bag

2011-12-25T14:02:00.001+10:00

Woo hoo - or should I say 'Whoo hoot'. Look what daughter No. 1 gave me for Christmas, isn't it just gorgeous? It's actually a rather roomy bag that has a zipper opening both in the front and the back and the eyes are on a flap that is a velcro opening - I really do adore this - well I do love everything owl lol.

At the moment I have it hanging from the back of one of my chairs in my craftroom but if I don't actually use it then I will find a more permanent home for him.

MERRY CHRISTMAS from Aussie

2011-12-25T08:27:00.000+10:00

Just want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas from the Gold Coast, Australia

This is santa in the Outback and in the heat. Fancy finding a kangaroo in his sack of toys!

Cheers
EELS

Compliments of the Season

2011-12-23T13:39:00.001+10:00

Hi peoples, just wanted to say to my loyal followers and anyone else who happens upon my blog........
MERRY CHRISTMAS to you all and thanks for all your lovely comments along the way.

May the coming year be happy and healthy for everyone (and a little bit of wealthy wouldn't go astray either) lol.

Cheers all.

A tidy up for Christmas

2011-12-22T07:29:00.001+10:00

My beautiful boys went to the groomer on Monday to make them look lovely while waiting for Santa.

Christmas is a very quiet time for us as there's just hubby and me (and the dogs) and we don't really 'do' gifts as such because we usually buy what we want during the year. Maybe one day if/when we have grandchildren that will change.........having said that I have to say that the dogs have a stocking each and there are more things in those than anything for us lol.

Iris

2011-12-15T11:57:00.001+10:00

No christmas stuff today.....................well not yet at least!

This is a card I made for a neighbour to give his partner, her favourite flower is the Iris and as luck would have it I have a fabby stamp by Flourishes that fitted the bill perfectly.

Coloured with Prismacolor pencils and stamped onto a nesties Scalloped Square. The backing is 'Entangle' embossing folder by Couture Creations - this is a very adaptable folder which I use quite a lot. Ribbon and a punched edge finished it off.

Three challenges with this.
Allsorts Challenge - Week 133 It takes two (use only two colours)
Crafty Sentiments - Green and purple
Crafty Catz #112 Anything goes
Penny Black and More - December challenge - Happy Birthday

For Ottie

2011-12-14T18:07:00.001+10:00

Back in August this year one of our neighbours had to have their old Schnauzer put down, always such a sad time but nice to receive a card to know someone is thinking about you.

So this is the card I made for them.

The image is from Flourishes Stamps and the flowers are of course Violets (my fave flower).
I coloured with Prismacolor pencils and die-cut with a nesties Labels Four.

I purposely kept it a simple card so that the beautiful flowers were the focus.

I'm entering this into Crafty Sentiments challenge - Green and Purple

Table Decorations

2011-12-14T15:56:00.001+10:00

Good afternoon all, well summer is still missing, very cloudy again today with some rain and storms around. We're hoping it improves as our eldest daughter is visiting next Monday 19th for three nights and she has demanded that we sort the weather out before she arrives lol.

So, as she's going to be having a meal or two with us I thought it would be nice to make some special christmas place cards and napkin rings - just to christmasfy it up a bit!

These were so so easy to create by folding a small doily in half and glueing to cardstock then trimming around the edge leaving a border, then it was just a matter of decorating the fronts. In my stash I found some alpha beads that luckily had all the letters I needed for our names.....gosh you can be lucky sometimes hey? The flowers were made with a paper punch and the foliage was die-cut using a Cheery Lyn die 'Fanciful Flourish'.

The napkin rings were just a strip of DP with the edges punched, ends glued then a couple of napkins inserted - easy peasy but very effective I think?

I'm going to enter these into some challenges.

Pollycraft Monday Challenge #120 Christmas fun
One Stop Craft Challenge - Week 161 Traditional xmas colours
CES Challenges #65 A traditional christmas
Crafty Ribbons #8 Traditional colours for christmas
Cute Card Thursday #194 Anything goes
Moving Along with the Times #127 Last minute christmas
Crafty Catz #112 Anything goes

That's it for today folks, thanks for stopping by.

Bragging about win!

2011-12-14T09:25:00.002+10:00

Whoo hoopy do, just discovered I won challenge 35 at 'My Mum's Craft Shop' and am now $15 richer to spend on goodies....Thankyou 'My Mum's Craft Shop.

EELS

Red ribbon giveaway

2011-12-12T07:32:00.001+10:00

Want a chance to win this selection of yummy red ribbons? Go check it out here. Winner drawn December 18th

Eels

Snowmen caroling

2011-12-11T17:21:00.001+10:00

Good afternoon folkies.....second post for the day.

Now I know I said I'd completed all the chrissy cards I needed but here's another anyway - well this way I'll sure be ahead for next year hey? There are some fabulous challenges around right now so seems silly not to participate.

So here's my latest offering.

I'm not sure where this digital image came from but I love it, the snowy guys look so happy singing and ringing that bell.

The DP is Smirk and the white panel was embossed with CB 'Tiny Bubbles' then I overlaid that with a sparkly organza ribbon, the bottom edge was punched with Fiskars 'Lace' border punch. That's it really apart from some glitter on the snowflakes and around the snowmen.

This card fits quite a lot of challenges which are:
My Mum's Craft Shop #35 Traditional christmas
Crafty Creations #147 Card with a sentiment
Digital Tuesday #140 Lights/Candles
Crimbo Crackers #4 Embossing
Paper Play Challenges Week 49 Snowman
Crafty Ribbons #8 Traditional colours for christmas
CES Challenges #65 A traditional christmas
CYDA #35 Snowmen
One Stop Craft Challenge Week 161 Traditional christmas colours
Papertake Weekly Challenge - Anything goes
Crafty Catz Weekly Challenge #112 Anything goes
Moving Along with the Times #127 Last minute christmas
Cute Card Thursday #194 Anything goes

Whew that's the most I've ever entered.

Cheers for now.

Little gift bags

2011-12-11T10:15:00.001+10:00

Just wanted to share with you these cute little gift bags I made for some of the residents at the retirement village where my Mum lives. I make something for them every year at christmas and they get so much pleasure from such a small thing....lifts my spirits no end. This year I've filled them with little candy canes and a choc santa.........amazing how they all LOVE chocolate!

Anyway I figured there are a few challenges they would fit into so.....why not?

Moving Along with the Times #127 Last minute christmas
Crafty Catz #112 Anything goes
Papertake Weekly - Anything goes
Scrap Creations - Make it a present

Thanks for visiting today.

Gift Basket

2011-12-10T08:53:00.001+10:00

Good morning blogger friends and followers, well I use the term 'good' morning loosely because it's miserable, dreary, wet, gloomy etc etc - you get my drift? Don't know what's happened to summer which officially started December 1st.

But in the true spirit of crafting I cannot let the weather bother me, snugly tucked up here in my craftroom I glance outside every now and then and thank................. (whoever) that I don't have to venture out in it.

I made this cute gift basket for the lady who comes each week to clean for us as a little 'thankyou' - she does an awesome job of cleaning our floors and steadfastly ignores our little Soda who is always full on and looking to play - or nip her ankles - little devil he is!

It's quite a simple basket really but big enough to pile some goodies in. The stamped image is 'Henry Mouse eating large cookie' from Whiff of Joy coloured with Prismacolour pencils then cut out and mounted with dimensionals and as she loves butterflies I included one on the tag even though it's not relative to Christmas lol.

This a side view to show off the beautiful pearl brads that anchor the handle.

All that remains to do now is fill it with yummies!

I'm entering this into the following challenges:
Flutterby Wednesday #183 Open
Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge #164 All creatures great and small
Crafty Catz Weekly Challenge #112 Anything goes
Stampin' for the weekend #22 Christmas
Moving along with the times #127 Last minute christmas
Cute Card Thursday #194 Anything goes
Scrap Creations - Make it a present

Thanks for viewing.

Gingerbread House

2011-12-08T10:52:00.001+10:00

Well all my Xmas cards are made and posted/delivered, am I organised or what!
So being that there's no more pressure to get cards made I thought I would concentrate on making other things and this Gingerbread House is one of them.

I saw this on another blog, you got the elements 'free' if you spent a certain amount on an order but I realised I could make it by modifying the Mini Milk Carton template that I have. This template is awesome, you can make many different things from it as well as the milk cartons...for instance I made a little bird house by cutting a hole in the front and placing a nesties scalloped circle underneath with a bird on it.

Closer up view.

This was a lot of fun to make, just a tad fiddly in some parts but well worth the effort. I thought this would look nice as a hanging ornament on a tree (won't be on ours 'cause we don't put a tree up) lol so I'm going to give it to our neighbours next door tonight as they've invited us for dinner.

The original description said that the roof could be peeled off to reveal any little goodies inside the box and I did give that a try using velcro strips but I wasn't happy with how the roof sat so dispensed with that and just permanently fixed it to the house itself.

Okay, so details:
Mini Milk Cartons template
Brown cardstock
The roof: White card diecut with Labels Eight and embossed with CB 'Snow Dots' folder
The door: Cut to size and embossed with Sizzix 'Woodgrain' folder - used a mini brad for the handle
then used some dimensionals to make it stand away from the doorframe
The window: Just a square cut to size with dimensionals used again.
The snow: This was cut from the paper that is sometimes in boxes of chocs.
The wreath: Stamped image, coloured then cut out.
The little candy canes were toppers from some source or other, cut out and glued into place.
Glitter and sentiment completed it all.

This was quite a long post so if you're still here thanks for taking the time to look at this.

I'd like to enter this project into................
Catch the Bug - December Anything goes challenge
Crafts and me #64 Snow/Snowflakes
Papertake weekly - Anything goes

Time for a change

2011-12-01T20:45:00.001+10:00

And as you can see, I've changed a few things. Gone for a more clean and simple look, got rid of all the clutter crap! I'm still not happy with the header though, cannot seem to centre the pic - if anyone can advise I'd be grateful.

It's getting late now and I've fiddled enough for tonight so I'm off to bed to read for a short time before hitting the pillow. It gets light around 4a.m at this time of year and we have to walk the dogs before the sun comes up as it's too hot then...so out the door at 5ish and it makes for a long day - yawn yawn. Maybe I'll play around with the blog design a bit more tomorrow.

Decorative pins

2011-12-01T17:32:00.001+10:00

Good afternoon one and all.

Well I finally got around to having a go at making some decorative pins. Mandy has a fabulous tutorial on her blog A Sprinkling of Glitter, very clear, precise and informative.

So here's mine.

Whaddya think? Not sure about the colour of the dark grey pearls but good enough for a first time practice.....and they didn't cost me anything, I got them from an Op Shop in return for donating some cards and the pin on the far end has crystal beads of which I have a s#*t load of rofl so looks like I've found a way to finally use 'em. For those I used head pins that already had an intricate top but the other one has a bead cap at the top which I like better. I did discover that ebay is certainly the best place to buy this stuff - much cheaper than the stores.

The fiddliest bit for me was placing the Glossy Accents glue between the pearls and spacers but I guess the more you do the faster (and better) at it you get? Can't wait to use these on a card.

Thanks for taking time to check these out.

Green Santa

2011-11-30T16:10:00.001+10:00

Ok now I know what you're going to say, 'Santa is supposed to wear a RED suit' but well, heck, I felt like doing something different lol and there's more than enough red on the card to satisfy the purists!

It's the first time I've used this gorgeous digi from Make it Crafty and it really makes me want to laugh right along with santa when I look at it. I used the sketch over at Papertake Weekly.

Card deets:
Papers are Smirk and from my stash
EK Success 'Garden flower chain' punch for the green strip
Snowflakes and sentiment - freebies from a magazine

The image itself I coloured with Pebbles chalks, I'm really loving this medium, it takes such a short time to colour with these. Santa's hat, cuff and jacket trim have Kindyglitz applied for a bit of sparkle and I used Kindyglitz Gem Clear on his beard for added dimension.

Challenges entered (if Mr Blogger will let me)??????????

Addicted to stamps #18 Christmas
Scrap Creations - Christmas
Crimbo Crackers #3 Santa
Pollycraft Monday Challenge #120 Christmas fun
Digital Tuesday #139 Go green

Thanks for visiting today.

Blogger problems

2011-11-30T15:00:00.001+10:00

Hi all, I just want to quickly ask if anyone else is having problems with Blogger at the mo?
Recently I've been having Reading List probs where some of my latest followed sites intermittently disappear from the list then reappear after refreshing the page (sometimes numerous times)! Also, a blog that I un-followed sometimes is still on the list.

Today I've been getting 'Error 305' msg when trying to sign in etc and again, refreshing the page sometimes fixes it. What the hell is going on?

So, anyone else in the same boat? I hope this isn't just my problem???

Any feedback would be appreciated.....ta

Elaine

Vintage christmas

2011-11-29T13:33:00.001+10:00

Hi all, hope everyone is feeling great? I know that in some parts of the world winter is already starting to appear but right here in Queensland Australia it is hot - with a capital H !!! We are of course heading for summer here and I think it's going to be a scorcher this year. I'm not a fan of the sun or beach (originating from the UK like I do) lol so prefer to stay in the shade if outdoors or my craftroom with the airconditioning on.

I'm also not a big fan of vintage either so this card is a first for me but the freebie paper stack that came with a magazine recently is just so so pretty I had to use some of it. For once I didn't have to colour anything either, just cut out the elements and put it together. The only 'physical' embellies I incorporated are the flowers and punched leaves.

I'm entering this into these challenges:
Crimbo Crackers #3 Santa
Scrap Creations - Christmas
Pollycraft Monday Challenge #120 Christmas fun
Papertake Weekly Christmas crackers

Thanks for taking time to visit my blog......

Going crackers!

2011-11-24T14:40:00.001+10:00

Good afternoon on this very dreary wet day...........it's supposed to be sunny and bright on the Gold Coast but not today so best stay in my craftroom and do what I like to do best. Pity our two little pooches though 'cause they will NOT be going walkies, we all hate to walk in the wet and they are so close to the ground their undercarriages get all muddy etc and makes more work cleaning them up once we get home. Will make up for it tomorrow........hopefully.

So, as it was so miserable outside I decided to make a Christmas cracker , well more than one actually as I've made one for each of our neighbours' dogs....total 11. I'm going to put a bone shaped biscuit inside with some small treats - that should get 'em woofing lol. Lucy by the way is a Golden Retriever.

The template was a freebie download from Cuddly Buddly Crafts.

I'm entering this into these challenges....probably won't win anything but hey it's just a bit of fun.

Papertake Weekly Challenge - Christmas crackers
OSAAT #89 Anything goes
Pollycraft #120 Christmas fun
Wags 'n Whiskers #67 Christmas themed

Trimming the tree

2011-11-24T10:13:00.001+10:00

Hi there folks, I'd like to share another Chrismas card I've made.

The image is a Penny Black 'A Christmas to remember'.

The paper which I bought last year is from my local scrapbooking shop, the text paper was from a magazine. The two cute little trees are made of thin wood and I found them in my stash.

The card overall is predominantly green which fits a few challenges.

Penny Black - Week 178 Green + Trees
Pollycraft #120 Xmas fun
The Emerald Faerie Garden #13 Christmas Green
Paper Sundaes #96 Beautiful bows
OSAAT #89 Anything goes
Wags 'n Whiskers #67 Christmas themed
Papertake Weekly - Christmas Crackers

Thanks for tuning in today.

Black and white

2011-11-19T18:20:00.001+10:00

Good late afternoon people, have to make this a very quick post because hubby has just called me for dinner, or rather we will eat dinner once I've set the table......he cooks I set table ha ha.

I made another christmas card today, nearly there with my quota I need.

I've never made a black and white xmas card before but I'm so happy with this. I've always thought that black and white is really elegant and would love to have added a splash of red but the challenge over at OSAAT is just for the B & W.

The image is a digi from Pollycraft and what little colouring there is was done with Prismacolor pencils just using the grey tones. The papers were from my stash which I've had for yonks and the other panel was embossed with CB 'Tiny Bubbles' which sort of resembles snow I guess??? A die-cut snowflake from Marianne Creatables finished it off.
The image was stamped onto a nesties Scalloped inverted circle and matted onto a larger one.

Oh yes and I used FlowerSoft 'Polar White' on the snowman, snow and hat trim.

This card fits the following challenges:
Wags 'n Whiskers #67 Christmas themed
OSAAT - Black and white
Paper Sundaes #95 Digital image
The Paper Shelter #40 Snowflakes

Well, dinner was lovely, chicken salad (weather is hot) so now I'm back blogging.

Till next time folks.

Spotlight on the pud!

2011-11-16T12:15:00.001+10:00

Hello fellow crafters and bloggers, I'm amazed that I am actually typing this post 'cause Mr Blogger was being naughty - and, in actual fact I was wondering if anyone else is having a problem with their reading list....... I am using the new interface that shows the blogs followed down the left side.

The last three blogs I signed on to follow only show up in the list intermittently - weird and very annoying - so if anyone is/has experienced this phenomenon and is/has fixed it could you let me know how to as well please? Thanks in advance.

Ok so on to today's card.

The challenge over at Crafty Sentiments is to use the Spotlighting technique and I've done this a few times just for a bit of a change. The stamp is 'Herb with Xmas Pudding' from Whiff of Joy stamps. I coloured the pudding with copics and for the 'custard' I used Liquid Pearls 'Lemon yellow' which is sort of custard colour albeit rather lumpy custard if you look closely lol.

The papers are from my stash and were freebies with magazines. I recently re-discovered all my die-cut toppers from various sources (I had them stored in jars on a shelf and had forgotten about them) so I tipped them all out and sorted through them properly and found lots of snowmen and pudding toppers that I could have used but figured the papers were a bit busy and anything else added would have been too much............so left it be.

I would like to enter this into these other challenges:
Totally Gorjuss #106 Christmas Traditions
Wags 'n Whiskers #67 Christmas themed
Anything Goes Challenge Blog #54 A real sweetie

Hooroo for now

Christmas embellie candy

2011-11-15T08:44:00.001+10:00

You should check out The Ribbon Girl blog where there is a wonderful opportunity to win this fabby candy.

The prize consists of:

15 assorted Snowflake Charms

5 Christmas Tree Charms

5 Christmas Stocking Charms

5 Reindeer Charms

5 Silver Heart Charms

10 Jingle Bells

3 Candy Canes

3 Felt Reindeers

3 Felt Holly Leaves

Good luck all!

Helping Santa

2011-11-13T20:01:00.001+10:00

If Santa ever needed a helper this little Tila would fit the bill well I think?

I actually coloured two of these images, one I put on a gift bag and this one I decided would go on yet another christmas card - I'm losing track of how many cards I've made, must rummage through the box tomorrow and allocate.

I coloured this little cutie with Pebbles chalks and used Liquid Pearls on her hat trim. The snowflakes were punched as were the small flowers and the pearls and lace are from my stash. The swirly thingy was made with a Sizzix die and to finish off I distressed the edges.

The papers are HOTP and Kaisercraft 'Tis the Season'.

Challenges entered:
Creatalicious Challenges #27 Distress your edges
Addicted to Stamps #17 Pearls and lace
Totally Gorjuss #106 Xmas traditions
Wags 'n Whiskers #67 Xmas themed
Cupcake Craft Challenges #167 Textalicious

Candy canes

2011-11-12T15:01:00.001+10:00

Christmas wouldn't be christmas without candy canes right? So they were the theme for my latest card.

Yummy candy canes!

And these two little guys (House Mouse) seem to be enjoying one immensely.

Card deets:
Papers & sentiment from HOTP
Nesties lacey circle
Poinsettia - Marianne Creatable die
Ribbon from my stash

The little candy canes were cut from some DP and Glossy Accents applied to make them shiny and the hat trims have Kindy Glitz 'Gem Clear' on for some dimension.

I am entering this into these challenges:
Wags 'n Whiskers #67 Christmas themed
Totally Gorjuss #106 Christmas traditions
Cuddly Buddly #20 Double trouble (2 characters)
Winter Wonderland - A christmas mouse

Thanks for visiting today.

Swans swimming

2011-11-11T15:35:00.001+10:00

The challenge over at The Crazy Challenge #92 Something with wings is what I am entering this card in.

Well yeah ok I know everybody thinks of angels, fairies birds but I figured I'd go for something a bit different.......won't see too many swans I'm betting? Well swans have wings - right?

This gorgeous little guy is from the Penny Black 'Twelve days of Xmas' clear stamps set and I coloured him with Prismacolor pencils. The sentiment is part of the set and I heat embossed that.

The circular frame is a Marianne Creatable die 'Circles' and the snowflakes were punched. Papers are from my stash.

Hope you like him?

Rhodes

2011-11-10T21:37:00.001+10:00

Just recently my daughter and her hubby had to say goodbye to their beautiful 14 year old dog 'Chewy'.

They now have a new puppy. Presenting................drum roll please......................

This is Rhodes or Rhodie for short. Because he's a Rhodesian Ridgeback you see? Name is rather apt and it was me who suggested it. He's 9 weeks old and is gonna be BIG!!!!

And it's always nice when they're asleep after tearing around like mad things.

Iris

2011-11-10T13:09:00.000+10:00

Ok, a bit of a rest from the Chrissy cards but will be returning soon lol.

A neighbour asked me if I would make a birthday card for his partner and this is what I came up with.

Apparently her fave flower is the Iris (I cannot imagine my hubby knowing what mine is!) lol.

This stamp is from Flourishes Calendar Set 2 and it was a joy to colour - Prismacolor pencils.
It was stamped onto nesties Big Scalloped Square and matted onto complimenting DP then mounted onto the background which was embossed with 'Entangle' embossing folder from Couture Creations.
The ribbon was from my stash and the lacy edge was punched with Fiskars border punch.

Well she loved it so much she's commissioned twelve birthday cards from me.......gosh I hope I can deliver! Should be alright as long as I'm not given too tight a time frame....don't like too much pressure, takes the enjoyment out of it.

So, I'm entering this into
Crafts and Me Challenges #60 Birthdays

Riding the sled

2011-11-10T12:14:00.002+10:00

Hello everyone in blogland, hope all is well with you all.

This time of year in Australia it's heading for summer and today feels like it's already here. I went out this morning and boy is it hot....right now I have my ceiling fan on to get a bit of air circulation going in my craftroom.

So it's weird making christmas cards showing snow/snowflakes etc but I love those images, reminds me of my childhood where I grew up in London and had to trudge to school through all the snow and ice.

So here's my offering today.

I really enjoyed putting this card together as there are a few different elements in it. The stamp is a Penny Black from the 'Christmas Critters' set, stamped onto a nesties inverted scalloped circle and coloured (what little there is of it) lol with Prismacolor pencils. I used Flower Soft 'Polar White' for the hat trims and the snow. For the sled runners I used Liquid Pearls 'Silver Pearl' for a metallic effect - not sure it shows up well in the photo though, sorry.

The silver background paper was embossed with CB 'Snow Dots', the large snowflake was made from Marianne Design Creatable 'Snowflake 3' die set and the two small snowflakes were punched and all have some glitter on them. The ribbon is from my stash as are the pearls.

This fits into a few challenges.
Penny Black - Week 176 Xmas - Snowflakes/Snow & Silver
Inky Impressions #32 Glitter it up
Fab n' Funky #98 All white on the night.

Holly leaf

2011-11-09T11:02:00.002+10:00

Wow am I firing on all cylinders today or what? Two cards posted within a few minutes of each other, but I must say I'm starting to get a hold on the cardmaking thingy now at last.

This was another very quick card I put together using some elements from the Kaisercraft ''Tis the Season' paper pack. The decorative edge was made using Fiskars 'lace' border punch.

This card is entered into.............
Cupcake Craft Challenges #167 Textalicious
Paper Sundaes #94 Rectangle
Crimbo Crackers #1 Anything goes

Reindeer

2011-11-09T10:26:00.000+10:00

My card today is a fairly plain and simple one (makes a change for me). The reindeer stamp, paper and sentiment was in a kit as a freebie with a magazine. The only additions I added were the ribbon bow and some glitter around the red rectangle.

I'm entering this into.............
Scrap Creations - Sentiment as main focus
Paper Sundaes #94 Rectangle
Crimbo Crackers #1 Anything goes

A bit of decopage

2011-11-07T17:49:00.000+10:00

Haven't done decopage for quite a while which is strange really 'cause I really love to do that.

This was made from a kit that came with a magazine so it was very quick to put together. The background paper is from my stash and I added just a little bit of glitter to santa's suit to glam it up a tad.

I'm entering this into these challenges:
The Emerald Faerie Garden #12 Xmas red
Crimbo Crackers #1 Anything goes
Paper Sundaes #94 Rectangle

Gift bag

2011-11-07T15:59:00.000+10:00

Good afternoon folks, this is a cute little gift bag I made from the tutorial over at Whiff of Joy, you can find it here - just need to scroll down a bit.

The bag can be made with just one sheet of 12x12 paper.
For the lacy edge along the top and the handles I used my MS edge punch 'Doily Lace', the snowflakes were punched and tiny pearl beads glued in their centres.

The stamp is 'Santa's Helper' coloured with Pebbles chalks.
On her hat trim I used Liquid Pearls 'White Opal'.

This closeup shows the Liquid Pearls in more detail.

I'm entering this into the Maggie Lovers #2 Xmas - anything but a card
Just Magnolia - Week 131 Special monthly challenge - anything goes
Crimbo Crackers #1 Anything goes

Going crackers!

2011-11-06T15:45:00.004+10:00

My second card for today is one that I completed last week, another humorous one.

This time the image is a digi stamp from Make It Crafty 'Crackered Elf', I chuckle every time I look at this image. The Prismacolor pencils came out again for this one.

The papers were from my stash as were the three gold stars - amazing how you can have stuff hanging around for absolute ages then suddenly find a use for them. The sentiment was actually cut off a card we received last year, goes to show how true it is that we crafty people throw nothing away lol.

This card is entered into the following challenges:
The Paper Shelter #38 Xmas fun
OSCC - Week 156 3rd Blogoversary special challenge - 3 is a magic number
Crimbo Crackers #1 Anything goes

That's it today folks, thanks for checking all this out.

Roast the turkey

2011-11-06T11:49:00.000+10:00

Good morning this Sunday everyone.
Over the past couple of days I've been busying myself with catching up with Xmas card making, time is running out and I hate that last minute scurrying around trying to ensure all cards are made ready for the post. Here's one I completed just this morning.

Another easel card with a Kraftin' Kimmie stamp 'Merry'. I've been giving the Prismacolor pencils and copics a bit of a rest and getting some practice in with Pebbles chalks - still not anywhere near as good as Loz (My Free Time Filler) yet though lol.

The papers are HOTP and the Poinsettias were made with my Marianne Creatable die. The three little oven mitts propping the card open are the accessory stamp that comes with 'Merry'.
I went for a slightly distressed look too on this card - well, I just bought a distresser tool so gotta use it a bit hey?

Challenges entered with this are:
The Paper Shelter #38 Xmas fun
Moving along with the times #123 Food and drink
Crimbo Crackers #1 Anything goes
OSCC - Week 156 3rd Blogaversary challenge - 3 is a magic number

Thanks for visiting everyone.
Elaine

Sweet as Candy!

2011-11-06T10:10:00.002+10:00

Mandy has candy..hey that rhymes lol.
Check out her follower candy in my sidebar and maybe head on over to her fabby blog and enter too?
Good luck all.

Seriously RED

2011-11-01T14:10:00.004+10:00

Hello there folks,My latest card creation features my all time fave colour, wonder if you can guess what that is? No? Don't believe it!

Just for a change I thought I'd make a monochromatic card and of course I had to go with RED, love this colour. My craftroom fit-out is red cabinetry (with black stone worktops) and we have touches of red throughout our house - just such a spirit lifting colour and wonderful for this time of year. Anyway enough rambling already.

This gorgeous image is 'Joy' from Kraftin' Kimmie stamps coloured with Prismacolor pencils - and not a bit of glitter in sight lol.

Lots of matting with red paper and the cute little Poinsettias were made with Marianne Design Creatables 'Poinsettia Mini'.

This card fits a number of challenges which are:
Charisma Cardz: #43 Anything goes
Kraftin' Kimmie: #102 Monochromatic
The Emerald Faerie Garden Challenge: #12 Xmas Red
OSAAT: #86 Xmas
Sweet Stampin': - Anything goes

Cheers for now
Elaine

Tilda and tree

2011-10-29T09:35:00.000+10:00

Hi all, hope everyone is enjoying the start of the weekend?

Well I've made a good start to my Christmas card making and have quite a few in the box now. Here's another one I made yesterday.

This is 'Tilda with Fir' from the Merry Little Xmas' collection that I bought last year but didn't get a chance to use.

I thought a gatefold card would make a nice change too - don't make many of those and also I tried another colouring medium. My daughter bought the Pebbles Chalks for me ages ago and I've been very naughty in not using them until now. I'm quite happy with how this turned out seeing as it's my first time using chalks but still need lots of practice I think?

I had to restrain myself from going with glitter for the coat and hat trim (I always seem to do that), instead I used another product that I just bought, Liquid Pearls........not sure if I went a tad overboard with that though?

The papers are Kaisercraft 'Tis the Season' and the little red gems are from my stash.

I'm entering this card into the following challenges.
Maggie Lovers Challenge #1 Xmas, Pink/Brown or Red/Brown - or both!
Crafting when we can - It's Xmas
Just Magnolia - Week 130 Xmas
Charisma Cardz #43 - Anything goes

So, on to another one!
Cheers for now,

Skaters

2011-10-27T22:33:00.001+10:00

Good evening people, this is a first for me blogging at this time of night, currently 10:20pm Aussie Gold Coast time. I got caught up earlier watching something on the tele which is rare for me, I usually finish dinner then come straight up to my craft room or do stuff on my computer. Anyway as I wasn't really tired enough for bed I thought I'd finish off a card I started this morning.

This was so easy to put together. The image is 'Skating Teddies' from Cuddly Buddly, coloured with Prismacolor pencils with some glitter on the hat trims.

Deets:
CB Swiss Dots embossing folder
Paper from my stash
Snowflakes punched
Sentiment from HOTP
Nesties std circle sml and classic scalloped circles sml.

I've entered this in two challenges.
Cuddly Buddly #17 Best friends
Digi Doodle Shop #80 Anything goes

Gobble gobble

2011-10-25T19:30:00.001+10:00

Well I thought that was a good title for this post considering the card below.

What a fun image this is, the poor ol' turkey trying to make his getaway before he's caught and roasted for Christmas dinner. The stamp is actually called 'Turkey Getaway' and is from High Hopes Rubber Stamps.

I've only just started decorating the insides of my cards - never thought about doing that before until there was a challenge (somewhere) and of course it makes sense..................just finishes the card nicely.

The image is coloured with Prismacolor pencils, the DP was a freebie with a magazine and the flowers and ribbon from my stash.

I'm entering this in challenge #36 Harvest over at The Paper Shelter.

That's is for today, thanks for stopping by.

Love is in the air

2011-10-21T15:23:00.001+10:00

G'day everyone,

The sketch above is the latest one from Sketch Saturday #177

And this is the card I'm entering. It's our daughter and her hubby's wedding anniversary at the end of November so I'll be sending this and hopefully make them laugh.

The image is 'Aim 'em Up Cupid' from Make it Crafty and was a delight to colour with my Prismacolor pencils.

Just to glam it up a bit I put some gold glitter on the arrow tip and stickles on his wings.

The papers are My Mind's Eye' and the gems are from my stash.

Hope you like it?
The other challenge entered is
Digi Doodle Shop #79 Green and Purple

Thanks for stopping here to check it out.
Cheers

On the move with Penny Black

2011-10-18T15:33:00.000+10:00

Challenge over at Penny Black Saturday Week 173 On the move.

Well these three little hedgies are certainly moving and you can tell they're skating on ice because it's all glittery - thanks to my KindyGlitz glitter glue!

The papers are Smirk and the snowflakes are a combination of die-cuts and punch. The image is coloured with Copic markers and stamped onto a nesties Labels Four.

Thanks for stopping by.
Cheers for now
eels

Embossed tree

2011-10-18T11:55:00.000+10:00

A different sort of card from me today, usually I go for humour / cartoony type digi or stamp images but I thought it was about time I used some of my least used stuff for a change hence the CB 'Lace Tree' embossing folder has finally seen the light of day lol.

I also went with a distressed look which is also a 'first' for me - my goodness my horizons are unlimited now! I kept the card simple and just went with the two colours..........white and gold. The backing paper is a swirly design which glitters when it catches the light (not visible in the photo unfortunately) and the beautiful satin ribbon is from my stash as are the stars embellies.

Challenges entered with this are:

Saturday Challenge #156 White + one other
Cupcake Craft Challenges #164 Buttons and bows
Paper Playtime #58 Say it with sentiments & buttons and bows
Creatalicious Challenges #27 Distress

Just checking!

2011-10-17T17:08:00.000+10:00

Well I have started my Christmas card making with a vengeance, time is flying by and it seems every year I have more to make......not that I'm complaining, I just love making cards for xmas because there are so many options to utilise whether it be traditional, humorous, glittery and there are so many gorgeous embellies/papers one can use these days - spoilt for choice actually lol.

For this card I followed the sketch from Inky Impressions for their challenge #28 an option being 'Seasons'. The image is one from Dustin Pike called 'Checking list' which I won as a prize last year.

I coloured with Copic markers, the papers are from HOTP and the buttons were in a freebie pack that came with a magazine. The little pearls and stars are from my stash.

Other challenges entered are:
Totally Gorjuss #102 Bingo - my selection is Stars, buttons, pearls
Cardmad Fairy's Digi Days challenge #18 Spots and stripes
Crafting when we can - It's Christmas - almost

Hanging in there

2011-10-16T14:31:00.000+10:00

Just recently one of our neighbours was diagnosed with a life threatening illness and has commenced treatment. I decided to make this card for him to (hopefully) bring a smile to his face and maybe also a chuckle.

The cute image is 'Hang in There' by Stitchy Bear Digital Stamps which I coloured with Prismacolor Pencils, the papers are from my stash. The diecut is Labels Three.

I've entered this into Crafts and Me #56 Orange challenge

Pink angel

2011-10-14T13:26:00.000+10:00

Good afternoon blogger people.

I've been busy making some cards for all different occasions and thought it was high time I started on my Christmas ones as the time surely flies by and I have so many to make.

This is the sketch I followed - from Addicted to Stamps for their challenge #14

The cute little angel image is from Whoopsie Daisy which I coloured with Copics and for that extra bit of glam sparkle I put stickles glitter on her wings and the flowers in her hair.

The background paper was a freebie from a magazine and fitted the theme beautifully. The green doily was made using the Cheery Lyn 'Italian Flourish' die, the ribbon was from my stash and the sentiment was computer generated.....three punched snowflakes with tiny pearls in their centres finished it off.

I'm entering this in the following challenges.
Whoopsie Daisy challenge - Lets do Christmas
One Stitch at a Time #83 Anything goes
Paper Sundaes #90 Fave colour combo

So, until next time,
Cheers.

Thankyou cherry much

2011-10-08T09:48:00.000+10:00

The card I'd like to share with you today is a sweet simple thankyou card I made for a dear friend who lives down south in Melbourne Vic.

From time to time we send each other a card or small gift to re-inforce our friendship and a few weeks ago Debby sent me a 'friendship calendar' for 2012 and this card is to thank her.

Using the spotlight technique (obviously) the image is from Flourishes stamps and coloured with Prismacolor pencils. Paper is 'My mind's eye' and the ribbon is from my stash.

I'd like to enter this in a few challenges:
Easy Craft Projects #48 Thankyou
Catch the bug - October anything goes
Papertake weekly - Anything goes

Candy

2011-10-06T12:33:00.001+10:00

Would you feast your eyes on this glorious candy giveaway from Pixi Dust Paperie. Click on the pic in my sidebar and maybe go check it out?

A memento of Chewy

2011-10-05T18:08:00.001+10:00

After the passing of my daughter's dear pet I decided to make them a keepsake in memory of Chewy. Although they have heaps of photos of him they're all pretty much on computer (I think)? so I thought this would be nice to maybe have on a table someplace in their home.

I made this following the tutorial I downloaded from Delightful Sketches called 'Heavenly Pets Accordian Book'. The image is one of their digis too. Here, it's in the base of the box I also made for it.

After I'd finished constructing the mini book it was time to select some photos and it was so difficult, trying to get a mix of the pictures that encompassed what Chewy was all about, there were so many I could have used. Because he loved the beach I had to include that as well as the ones at the end where he's unwrapping his Xmas prezzies etc. On the end page there is a beautiful poem (author unknown) in which the dog is telling his owners not to be sad about making the decision to euthanase - I'm sure it will bring more tears again but................

And, the finished project all ready to post.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog, I do hope you like this memento of Chewy.

I would like to enter this in the challenge over at Crafts and Me #55 Use a digi

Remembering Chewy - 1997 - 2011

2011-10-03T19:27:00.000+10:00

My daughter & her hubby's beautiful dog Chewy was euthanased this morning. He was a Boxer/Ridgeback and he went just about everywhere with them. Well trained and obedient with a very gentle nature, he will be sorely missed.

Unfortunately the past couple of years his health wasn't so great but was still hanging in there but today it was time!

This is one of the first photos I got of Chewy as a puppy. Such a sweet little face.

And this is one of my favourites, picture taken in 2006
R.I.P wookie.

Seriously Purple

2011-09-29T14:09:00.001+10:00

Well, yes it is purple isn't it, but it's my friend's fave colour and it's her birthday in early October so I just went with it!

The image is 'Brigette' from Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps, coloured with Prismacolor pencils with some stickles glittered onto the bubbles in the bath and this also follows their sketch for their latest challenge.

The lace is from my stash and I made the flowers using a small hand punch with some little pearls added to their centres. The sentiment and image was die-cut with nesties Labels Four and inked around the edges. The base paper was embossed with CB 'Tiny bubbles' embossing folder.

Challenges entered are:
Kraftin' Kimmie #97 Pam's sketch
Simon Says - Anything goes
Scrap Creations - It's a girl thing
Inky Impressions #26 Punches or dies
Crafts and Me #54 Flowers
Delightful challenges - Pearls and swirls

Candy

2011-09-29T08:58:00.000+10:00

Hey blogger peeps, just thought I'd mention the terrific candy over at Sandra's Crafty Corner celebrating 21000 hits. Check it out by clicking on the piccie in my sidebar and enter the comp.

Visit over

2011-09-24T18:25:00.000+10:00

Well, it seems like absolute ages since I posted anything here on this ol' blog of mine but I do have an excuse..................our eldest daughter - daughter No.1 I like to call her - came up here from Melbourne to visit while hubby was away swanning around in Sri Lanka watching cricket - yuk!

She was only here for 3 nights but we had tons of fun chatting, laughing, shopping, laughing, playing video games, laughing etc then it was time for her to return to the southern state where the weather is foul. Hubby has now returned to civilisation and is happy about that as he had a few major health issues while away but all good now thank goodness.

So, must seriously think about some challenges to enter and get back to some normality (whatever that is)!!!!!!!!!!

Cool, man!

2011-09-11T12:00:00.001+10:00

Isn't this a fantastic image especially on a hot summer day? It's one of the terrific House Mouse clan and I thought it went well with the columns of icecream cones. Not sure if it shows up in the photo but I completely covered the icypole with Glossy Accents so that it resembles the ice melting.

The card follows the sketch over at Paper Sundaes for challenge #85

It's my Son-in-law's birthday on the 21st of this month (same as mine) and he always enjoys a chuckle from the cards I make him and I think this will be no exception!

Other challenges entered are:
Crafting when we can #1 Do it your own way (anything goes)
One Stop Craft Challenge - Week 148 Food and drink
Fussy & Fancy Friday - 1000 Follower month long celebration

Cheers!

2011-09-09T17:44:00.000+10:00

A very quick post today as I have tons of things to do and not enough hours in the day to do them lol.

This is the current sketch over at Totally Gorjuss - for challenge 96
and a very easy one too.

This is the card I whipped up which will come in handy for some friends who will be celebrating a big event shortly.

The image is 'Champagne' from LOTV (love their stamps) and coloured with Prismacolor pencils.
For the bubbles in the glasses I just used some Kindy Glitz 'Crystalina', terrific colour as it goes with just about any base colour.

The punched horizontal thingy was done with my MS 'Bangle Chain Trim' dbl edge punch with some brown ribbon under it.
The little champagne bottle I found lurking in my stash - goes so well on this card I think?

Challenges entered with this are:
Totally Gorjuss #96 Sketch
C.E.S Challenge #52 Raise your glasses
Catch the Bug - September Anything goes

Anyway, that's it for me, thanks for checking it all out.

Hubby's Birthday

2011-09-04T13:44:00.003+10:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY my love.

Never let it be said that I haven't paid tribute to my dear hubby on this here blog. However he is overseas at present - in Sri Lanka of all places watching the cricket.

This is my latest card which I've made for the lady who comes in once a week to clean for us. Her birthday is one day before mine BUT she is one year younger.....bummer!

The image is one of the adorable LOTV bunch called 'Rosy Posy' and I just love this. I coloured her with Prismacolor pencils and there is the tiniest bit of pink glitter on her petticoat - well I'm not sure it is a petticoat but anyway..................

The patterned paper is My Mind's Eye but everything else is from my stash.
The sweeet little butterflies are vellum, again with a small bit of glitter added.
The roses were made using Sizzix 'Flowers 3-D' die and the leaves were punched with my EK Success double leaf punch.

I have entered this into the following challenges:
Fussy and Fancy Friday - 1000 Follower month long celebration
Creative Card Crew - Anything goes
Party Time Tuesdays #31 Anything goes
Paper Play Challenges Week 35 Make your own flowers
Flutterby Wednesday #169 Celebrate
Craft Your Days Away #28 Make your own flowers
Catch the Bug - September Anything goes
Moving along with the times #114 Handmade flowers

Thanks for stopping by, so until next time.............

Picnic basket

2011-08-31T12:09:00.000+10:00

Hi there to everyone on this beautiful sunny Queensland day here on the Gold Coast, well it was sunny earlier on but clouding over now, maybe more rain is on the way - sigh. And if we do get more rain it won't be ideal for a picnic.

Not that I would be able to fit much into this little number eh? except maybe small chocs or cookies?

I found a tutorial for this cute picnic basket and just had to have a go at making one. The lid is fixed to a yoke across the width of the base and the flaps at each end can be lifted to get to the goodies inside.

The paper was digital and the 'lace' trim for the sides and handle was punched with my Fiskars border 'lace' punch. Flowers from my stash and the sentiment was computer generated. Now all I have to do is figure out who I will give it to.

I would like to enter this in the following challenges.
Fussy and Fancy Friday - 1000 Followers celebration challenge - also using badge colours
Digi Doodle Shop #73 Anything goes
Totally Gorjuss #95 As you like it
Creative Card Crew - Anything goes
Party Time Tuesday #31 Anything goes

Medicine bottle

2011-08-26T13:29:00.001+10:00

My post today presents a shaker card I made for my poor son-in-law down in Melbourne who caught some sort of germ bug and became quite ill...not surprising really when you get to know what the weather can be like down there.

I got the idea from a crafting magazine and although it's a simple card it is quite different. This is only the second shaker card I have ever made, not sure why really because they are easy to put together.

The bottle 'stopper' was paper pieced from cork looking paper and does look quite realistic.......and the 'medicine' is obviously lots of seed beads which I was glad to find a use for - don't use them a terrible lot!

The label on the front was die cut from my nesties Labels Eight and the sentiment was computer generated.

Apparently my son-in-law got quite a chuckle from this card - and it's always good to have a laugh hey?

The challenges I've entered this into are:
The Crafty Pad #135 Shaker card
Lollipop Crafts Challenge #45 Make it masculine
DYSU #34 Boy or man

I have just edited this post as Sandra pointed out correctly that this card is not applicable to the Creative Craft Challenge so I'm hereby deleting that link now.

Lotsa paper!

2011-08-25T10:38:00.000+10:00

Lots of paper alright! 1000 sheets to be exact.

Click on picture in sidebar to pop on over to this terrific blog for a look see and enter and maybe also win some other goodies.

Gift bag

2011-08-24T11:33:00.001+10:00

A friend asked me to quickly conjour up a little gift bag for her to give as a thankyou gift and I was spoilt for choice as I have a number of templates for that sort of thing but none already made so I panicked a bit because it was needed asap.

But I came through with this,'Box in a Bag' - the box part is actually the bottom bit inside the bag itself - not the most intricately decorated item I've ever done but it fit the bill nicely and my friend couldn't do better so it worked out fine.
The simple flowers were made using a punch with tiny gems in the centres, for the leaves I used a nesties 'Foliage' die and the lace edge around the base of the bag was punched with MS 'Doily Lace' edge punch.

I realised that it does actually fit a few challenges - amazing lol - so here they are.

Crafty Creations #132 Colour combo - Red, orange & green
Creative Card Crew - Hand made flowers
Pollycraft Monday Challenge #107 Autumn colours
Incy Wincy Designs #107 Anything but a card
Creative Craft Challenges - Anything but a card

A Bit of a Laugh

2011-08-18T15:30:00.000+10:00

Having a laugh is sooooo sooooooo good for one don't ya think? So, with that in mind I made this card for a neighbour's birthday which falls at the end of August. We have lovely neighbours and they all seem to have a sense of humour and I'm sure this one will go down nicely - well, I hope it does!

The image is a digi from Bugaboo which I coloured with my Copics, a little red glitter on the slippers, some neutral glitter on the top of the hat and some Glossy Accents piled onto the glasses which doesn't come up in the photo unfortunately but when the card is held at an angle it really looks like there are lenses in them.

The sentiment is also from Bugaboo, the ribbon, buttons and paper are from my stash.

This card fits a few challenges which are:
Sunday Sketch & Stamp #68 Sarah's sketch
Totally Gorjuss #93 Round and round
Papertake Weekly Challenge - Bingo selection Mine is Buttons, ribbon, free (punched shape)
Crafty Creations #132 Colour Combo - Red, Orange & Green
A Spoon Full of Sugar #162 Happy Birthday
Anything Goes Challenges #47 Happy Birthday/Celebration
Whoopsie Daisy - Anything goes
OSAAT #75 Anything goes

Thanks for stopping to check it all out people.

Travel, travel, travel

2011-08-16T16:58:00.002+10:00

Travel is a wonderful thing although I must admit I've done my fair share of it and am now happy to stay put although hubby still likes to swan off now and then - for sporting trips..............and his next destination is Sri Lanka at the end of August for the cricket - yuk! Cannot abide cricket.

But anyway, this card isn't for him, I made this for our daughter and son-in-law who are heading to Hawaii also at the end of this month.

I seem to always use this 'Tilda on the Loose' stamp for bon voyage cards 'cause it seems so appropriate with her holding her little suitcase lol.

Card deets:
Coloured with Prismacolor pencils
Papers and buttons from my stash
Nesties Labels Eleven

I would like to enter this into a couple of challenges which are:
Whoopsie Daisy Challenge: Anything goes
Cupcake Craft Challenge #155 Sketch
One Stitch at a Time #75 Anything goes
Incy Wincy Designs #106 A recipe

Fruity

2011-08-12T15:27:00.000+10:00

And my last post for today - wow three all in the same day - is a card for the challenge over at
The Crafty Pad #133 Gone Fruity.

The image is 'Lily Lemmon' from Kraftin' Kimmie and I just adore this stamp.

I'm baaaaaaaaack!

2011-08-12T13:41:00.001+10:00

Well the games phase has now just about come to an end but I did enjoy having a break from the crafting for a while.

Today marks my return to cardmaking and I must admit I'm looking forward to getting back into it again.

My friend in Melbourne is having her birthday tomorrow Aug 13th and hopefully this card will reach her in time, I was dragging my feet a bit making it because of Soda's impending vet visit for surgery.

The image is 'Secret Tilda' coloured with Copics with an added bit of glitter on her cuffs. I also highlighted the bows with Glossy Accents to give them a little more depth.

The papers are from my stash as is the lace and pearls.
The sentiment is a freebie from Bizzy Becs and the flowers I made myself.

Challenges entered are:
A Spoon Full of Sugar #162 Happy Birthday
Tuesday Throwdown #61 Birthday
Anything Goes Challenge Blog
Magnolia Down Under - Sketch

Soda's leg

2011-08-12T12:55:00.001+10:00

My darling little Maltese had his leg operated on yesterday for a luxating patella in his left knee.

Apparently he was born with both knees affected so will have to get the other one done in about 6 to 8 months time. Because the groove in his knee was just about non existent meant that his leg kept 'popping out' of the joint which caused some pain so it had to be fixed.
Today Soda is now coming to terms with hobbling on three legs until this one heals which will take around 5 to 6 weeks. Meanwhile he's getting lots of TLC and lapping it up!

Every afternoon we meet up with a couple of ladies and all the dogs play together for a while. This is the card they made to encourage Soda to make a speedy recovery lol.

Games

2011-07-10T17:58:00.000+10:00

Just popped back to this blog to see what's happening around everywhere.
I'm still working through my games addiction, haven't found a remedy yet! Amazed to see still have 19 followers, are you all mad or what?

Having a break!

2011-06-19T08:22:00.000+10:00

Hi there to anyone who is still around checking out my blog. Wouldn't be surprised if all my followers have abandoned me lol because I haven't posted for quite a while.

I have different phases of interests in my life ie: blogging, cooking, and for quite a while, since last August actually when I started this blog, I've been consumed with excitement about making cards etc and entering challenges. However I'm now entering my 'video games phase' and have just set up a games room in our house by converting one of our guest bedrooms. In there I have a separate tv with the games consoles set up permanently so they're ready to go so to speak. Our eldest daughter likes to play too so when she visits she and I can shut ourselves in and retreat from the real world for a time.

I've just bought a new 'Alice' game (craft peeps probably won't know what that is?) and I'm anxious to get going playing it. Now once you get into the games thing it's really rather addictive and takes up a lot of time so something has to go on the back burner and this time around it's the blog.................so, I will probably be absent until I've worked off the addiction again lmao!

I will be back but just not sure when.

Birdhouse

2011-06-08T12:21:00.000+10:00

Hi blogger peoples, it's very dreary and cold here today and I'm so glad to be back in my craftroom after nipping out this morning to try to find some storage containers for my new hoard of mini brads I bought on ebay.........a whopping 480 of 'em in all sorts of colours.....I'll probably never need to buy another brad in my whole life lol. Couldn't find any storage things though, there seems to be a major shortage.

My project I'm posting today is this oh so cute little birdhouse.

I found a tutorial which adapts the mini milk cartons into these and I just had to have a go at it. Very easy to do, you just make the milk carton as usual and leave the top steepled and pop a roof on. I made my roof using a nesties Labels Eight die then embellished it with the flowers. I already had the little bird in my stash collection and decided to sit him on a base made with another nesties scalloped circle.
The sentiment is computer generated.

The only thing you must remember to do is push some twine up through the roof before adhering it to the 'house'........that's if you want to dangle it from somewhere. I think these would look wonderful with pretend snow on the roof for a Christmas decoration.

Hope you like it?

Challenges entered with this are:
Creative Card Crew - Wings
Cupcake Craft Challenges - Things with Tails
Papertake Weekly Challenge - Anything goes
Digital Tuesday Challenge #114 In the garden/Outdoor
Top Tip Tuesday #37 More than one fold

2011-06-05T16:57:00.001+10:00

My latest card is in a colour/s I rarely go with but my friend and neighbour is having her birthday later this month and these are her favourites and I always try to keep with that.

She's also an artist so my image reflects that also - it's 'Lola Da Vinci' from Kraftin' Kimmie which I coloured with Prismacolor pencils. The mulberry paper flowers were purchased on ebay and fitted in well with the general overall colour of orange.

The image itself was stamped onto a nesties Labels Ten and lifted with dimensionals above the ribbon which is topped with lace from my stash. The intricate corners were die cuts from the 'Parisian Accents' set from Spellbinders and the base paper from 'My Mind's Eye'.
To keep the easel card open I found the cute little paint tins and brushes image on the internet and just placed a dimensional behind each one.

The sentiment was a freebie from Cindy Close and I made the tiny flowers which are each side of it.

This closeup highlights the paint spatters on her clothes which I did with Glossy Accents and hopefully gives the impression of wet paint????

I would like to enter this into the following challenges:
A Spoon Full of Sugar #154 Flower Power
Creative Card Crew - For a Diva
DYSU #22 Orange
Cute Card Thursday #167 Embellish it - Glossy Accents on the paint spatters
Bizzy Becs June challenge - It's all about Lace

Thanks for visiting my blog folks. All comments much appreciated.

Milk cartons

2011-05-27T15:45:00.001+10:00

Good afternoon all, thought it was about time I paid some attention to this blog and contributed something.

Haven't really felt like entering any challenges lately so haven't been doing much in the craft area for a while but just recently I discovered the mini milk carton die and was hooked. These little guys are so so cute and I just had to make some. I did also discover that the die was quite expensive so I purchased some ready made die cuts first then I found that I had a template for a 'Twist top box' that was comparable to the die so that is what I will use in the future.

I then found a template on Sarah Wills' blog to make a cute little carrier for the milk cartons.

And here it is. Looking at it now I think it's a bit stark and needs more embellishment, maybe I'll tie a ribbon around the base and add some more flowers.

I think this project would be great for occasions such as Christmas, Easter, Baby showers etc. The bottom of the milk cartons can be constructed so that they open to allow for slightly larger goodies instead of trying to fit through the 'spout' and this also could be made as a four cartons project by making another one of these and adhering back to back as it were!

I'm entering this into Crafting for all Seasons #1 Anything goes

Anyway that's it from me today, maybe something more tomorrow.

Storage for treasures!

2011-05-22T12:17:00.000+10:00

Yes folks this is where my special treasures are going to live. Haven't decided exactly what treasures yet but well, I've gotta put something in this little storage chest hey? Do you like it?

The template was in a cardmaking magazine and the only difficulty was deciding what colours to use, I always seem to stumble there but finally decided on 'My Mind's Eye' papers that were a freebie 6x6 pack also from another magazine.

The lid has velcro as a closure with the large brad for decoration purposes.
The flower is from Prima (I think), the flourish was die cut from my Sizzix 'Decorative Swirls Set' and the butterfly which has a little bit of glitter on the wings is a nestie.

This is the back. The lid piece is cut separate and attached after the chest is assembled.The three little green brads are there to reinforce it- so that it stays attached to the main chest and doesn't only rely on adhesive.

I'm entering this into a few challenges which are:
The Crazy Challenge #67 Green and Pink
A Spoon Full of Sugar #152 Anything goes
Crafty Creations #119 May flowers
CES Challenges #37 Embellish it - use 3 embellishments
Totally Papercrafts #67 Don't be square
Paper Romance #51 Anything but a card

So, until next time...........................

2011-05-18T13:20:00.000+10:00

It's absolutely ages since I actually stamped an image, I mean actually physically stamped something and not just used a digi - been using so many of them lately...............not that that is a bad thing as there are so many terrific digis out there now but one does tend to forget about the other lovely stamps one has 'hidden' in the drawer ha ha.

And this is one of them, this beautiful garden arch is from the 'Around the Arbor' set of 7 from Flourishes Stamps..........they really do have gorgeous images and I should use them more!

A fairly simple card for a change. Colouring is with my Copics and the image is stamped onto a nesties Classic Scalloped Rectangle and layered onto a couple of embossed panels which were done with my brand spanking new Sizzix Big Shot using the Texture Plates.

The ribbon is organza with very thin edges of satin and the flowers were made with Marianne Design Creatables 'Floral 2' and the papers are from my stash.

Challenges entered with this are:
Crafty Creations Challenges #118 Anything goes
Really Reasonable Ribbon #24 Anything goes
OSAAT #62 Anything goes
Pear Tree Designs #49 Stamped images
Cupcake Craft Challenges #142 In the garden
The Crazy Challenge #67 Green and Pink
A Spoon Full of Sugar #152 Anything goes

Cheers and cheerio for now folks.

Mystical

2011-05-15T13:36:00.001+10:00

Hi all, just a very quick post to share with you the card I made for a friend's little girl who is into fairies, castles etc.

This image 'Fairy Tree House' from Make it Crafty was a lot of fun to colour with my Prismacolor pencils. The papers are from Papermania and my stash.

The little toadstools which help to keep the card open is a digi image from Charmed Cards & Crafts' - the 'Pixi Backgrounds' set which I won from some challenge or other quite a while ago.

There are two challenges I'm entering with this....
Paper Sundaes #68 Mythological/Magical
Stampalot Challenge - May challenge - Magical Worlds.
Crafty Creations #118 Anything goes

Easel card

2011-05-14T09:13:00.000+10:00

Hi there blogger peeps on this Thursday evening. We've been for doggy walks, I've given them their dinner and my hubby is preparing ours.............gotta love that! So here I am back in my craft domain.

Our neighbour is having a BIG birthday this month on the 20th and because it is a big milestone I took a bit of extra time to create something special for her. I always (wherever possible) like to use a theme or colour/s that are favourites with the recipient so I'm hoping she will especially love this...fingers crossed.

This is only the third easel card I have ever done and I always thought they were so difficult to do but they're not really so I will be making more of these type of cards.

The image is a digi, 'Forest Elf' from Spesch Designer Stamps and I think it is so beautiful I just had to use it for this. I coloured with Prismacolor pencils and added a small amount of glitter to the flowers.

The base papers are from Papermania, 'Honey & Hugs' 6x6 paper stack that was a freebie with a magazine and the doily is one of a few I was given by the restaurant where my Mum lives (in a retirement home)....I think they were having a clear out and I was in the right place at the right time lol.

I made the flowers out of tissue paper using the Dahlia nestability and placed a small pearl in each centre. The butterflies were made with my Carl punch....each one has three layers with the top one being punched from vellum. Not sure if I should have embellished them though? any thoughts there?
The lace and pearls are from my stash and the sentiment is a freebie from Bizzy Becs.

The challenges I have entered with this card are:
Wags 'n Whiskers #53 Use a die or punch
Stamp Something - May digi day - use a digi
OSAAT #61 Fancy folds
Lollipop Crafts #38 More than one fold
The Crazy Challenge #66 Anything goes
Digi Doodle Shop #58 Blue & Pink combo

Thanks for stopping by to check this out....more later.

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Cool, man!