Dilly Bean Challenge - Three Lovely Ladies

They definately have some interesting challenges over at Dilly Beans blog.  This week they were wanting us to use 3 images.  I've had these lovely ladies coloured and sitting on my desk for some time...time to finally use them.

I used tiny bling to make earrings ... the bling is actually little stickers made for fingernails - perfect size here.

That little flower started white so I used the same pink Copic markers that I had used to colour the images to make it match.

Labels 8 is a great size, I seem to be using it a lot these days!!

Okay, no new products here .... must break open packages and play more...

Donelda

Embossing - Two Ways

So I was finally able to pull out some of my new toys that I received for my birthday and for Christmas.  I combined them with some old toys for a fun card.

New items used on this card: Half and Half die, and  Background Basics: Gingham (both Papertrey Ink)

Old favourites used: Martha Stewart butterfly punch, Labels 8 Nestabilities, Around and About Sentiments (Papertrey Ink)

Now, one part of the card you might not be able to see from the full card is the dry embossed butterflies on the half & half die cut.  Here is a close up:

I hand embossed them using a light board!  A bit of work but worth the effort as the effect is so subtle!!

And I was really focused on threes ... can you find them....

Thanks for dropping by.  I have LOTS of new toys to play with so you will be seeing new stuff from me as the weeks continue and I find time to actually play!

Donelda

Merry Christmas 2011

Merry Christmas to all my friends in blogland!!  May you have a wonderful holiday season!

I will not be posting for a few days while I enjoy the season with my family and friends. 

Donelda

Christmas cards - Post 7

Today is finally Christmas Eve!  This is actually my favourite day of the year!  I love this day even more than Christmas.... because it's the anticipation that I love so much!! I love to watch my wonderful son getting excited, delivering gifts to his friends, having trouble falling asleep ... all of it is so special!  Tomorrow all the gifts get opened and then, all of a sudden, it's a whole year until we get to experience the anticipation of this day again. 

This card was made almost entirely from items sent to me from my most recent Secret Sister, Imke.  She was so sweet and die cut some of these wonderful PTI trees for me from felt.  She also sent me this increadible Martha Stewart punch!  And the paper was in a package from her as well!  It all came together to create such a lovely card.  Thanks again Imke!!

Here is a close up of the cardinal.  I sponged around the edges with some Fired Brick distress ink to give it added definition and allow the wing to stand out.

I hope you all have a very peaceful Christmas Eve spent with friends and family.  Thank you to everyone who has visited me here on my blog over this last year.  I appreciate your kind words about my work and your inspiration!  I will be taking a bit of a break over the next few days but will be back to share new creations soon!

Merry Christmas,

Donelda

Christmas cards - Post 6

I adore this little snowman with his sweet birdie friends.  I received the image from a friend.

He is coloured with pencil crayons.  What a great layout ... placing the 3 blocks of colours behind an image is a wonderful way to add colour but keep the focus on the main image.

It is Christmas eve eve ... LOL!  We have really slowed down and are now really just enjoying our time together as a family! 

Just 2 more sleeps......

Donelda

Christmas cards - Post 5

So I had one of the best Secret Sisters in a recent swap I'm in over at SCS.  Imke, who hails from Germany, was so kind and generous.  She sent some of the best images, including this lovely skater!

I enjoyed colouring her in using Copic markers.  See the blue snowflakes on the side ... they are fabric and from my local Dollar Store.  They started out white but I coloured them in with the same blue Copic I had sued for the iamge.

Christmas is almost here!!

Donelda

Crafty Creations Blog Hop and 2 Week Challenge - Thank You

Welcome to the Crafty Creations Blog Hop and 2 week challenge.  You should be arriving here from Lindsay's Blog.  If this is your first stop you can start by going to Claire's Blog who is starting us off.  The two week challenge is:

A Card or Gift of Gratitude/Thanks

Here is what I ended up creating. I used an image from one of our sponsers - Digi Doodles.  Isn't this a great flowery image! So much fun to colour!!

The flowers were coloured in with Copic markers.  Then, I colours some bits of a second image, cut the bits out and adhered over top of the original image with dimensional tape.  You can see the details better in these photos:

The sentiment is from Damask Designs (Papertrey Ink). 

Now it is your turn!  That's right, just create your own card or gift of thanks/gratitude and enter it at Crafty Creations for your chance to win one of many sponsored prizes!  Remember you have 2 whole weeks to work on something - lots of time to put those great stamping related Christmas presents to good use!!

Now you are off to Kathleen's blog to see what she has created for the blog hop.  Remember, if you get lost you can always head back to Crafty Creations.

Thanks for dropping by and happy hopping!!
Donelda

Christmas cards - Post 4

If my life was not so stressful, I might have re-created this card to send out to everyone.  I really like the flow of the swirls and the adhered holly leaves and berries. 

There is just something about a sentiment on a piece of vellum that makes it more soft than when stamped on cardstock.  I really like the idea of using vellum as it doesn't covere up all the delicious stamped image!!

Okay, just a few more days until Christmas.  DS and I are done school for the year tomorrow! Just 1 more wake-up!!   I really need a break!!

Hope you are enjoying this holiday season and it is not all stress for you. 

Donelda

Christmas cards - Post 3

Here is another Christmas card I made out of a piece from a store bought card that I received last year. See that beautiful strip of green with all the lovely shimmery gold in it .. it was a border around an image that I cut and kept. 

The gold circle is also recycled, I think it was the inside of a very expensive feeling envelope!  It looks like the sentiment is hard to see in these photos but in real life it is not. 

Christmas is getting closer and closer!! 

Donelda

Christmas cards - Post 2

So most of you will know that I tend to be a traditional Chrismas card maker ... I just naturally lean to using bright reds and greens and lots of holly and snowflakes!!  This Father Christmas was sitting in my Christmas scrap pile just waiting to be used.  I loved the soft blue polkadot of his robe so I decided to try my hand at a non-traditional coloured Christmas card. 

And I think I like it!  LOL!!

Hope you are getting ready for Christmas and that it isn't too stressful for you!

Donelda

Christmas cards - Post 1

It feels like I've been making Christmas cards forever!  LOL  I am going to post some over the course of this week leading up to Christmas. 

I love recycling parts of store bought cards.  Some times I just can't part with them!  Here is one example of recycling the main image from the front of the card.

This sticker I got years and years ago from one of my blogging friends, Jessica!  I bet she won't even remember sending it it's been so long!  I was so excited to find the ribbon that, in real life, matches the green on the elf perfectly!!

I hope you have a great weekend!!

Donelda

Our Creative Corner - Rustic Ruffled Anniversary

I saw this inspiration photo collage from Our Creative Corner and I couldn't resist all those ruffles.  The different layers of cream ruffles with the soft blue flowers inspired me most.

Here is the card I created:

I made the hand-rolled flower. Love the 3 pearls in the middle. The leaves are cut from some material.  I also made the long ruffle at the bottom from some material I bought at a garage sale.  The other lace are some of my favourites!

The colours also fit the CCC colours - an amazing combo:

My co-worker was looking for a few Anniversary cards so I added the appropraite sentiment in Chocolate Chip.

Thanks for dropping by.

Donelda

Moxie Fab World - Fashion Challenge - Thinking of You Brooch

I wanted to play along with this challenge from Moxie Fab World ... but can you believe that I do not own any houndstooth paper or stamps!!  I looked thinking surely I have something ... but no I have nothing!  So I had to improvise.

I focused on the green (although a much yellow-er green than the color in the inspiration photo) and the brooch....

I added a pattern similar to houndstooth on my green designer paper using Versamark ink.  I kept the rest of the card clean and simple to focus on the embellishment and sentiment.  I stamped the bird image (Memory Box) and then cut out the paper to be just smaller than the frame.  Once the image was adhered, I filled the frame with Glossy Accents to mimic a brooch.

I adore that cream coloured lace below the sentiment strip ... found it at the Dollar Store for "a dollar!".

Okay, so that was a stretch for me .. but fun just the same!!

Thanks for dropping by.

Donelda

One Layer Wednesday (OLW) #73 and CASual Friday #31 - Peaceful Mist

I love it when a see a card making challenge and an idea instantly pops into my head!  and it is even better when I see a second challenge and know that the idea will totally fit for both challenges!! 

This weeks One Layer Wednesday #73 is to make a card that says peace to us - I instantly thought of a blue sky with puffy white clouds.  Then, the CASual Friday Challenge #31 was to use mists ... well that would totally work!!

Here is my card ...

A nice blue sky with fluffy white clouds floating by ... now that is peaceful!!  As you can see, I really need a bit more practice with the mists.  These are ones from Tattered Angels.  It is mostly blue and I did a bit of pink in the top left corner ... like it is dawn or dusk. 

And I thought this sentiment was a bit appropriate!! 

Off to see all the other projects!

The BEST Birthday card ever!!

Yup, today is my birthday!  And I just had to share this card - which will be my very favourite birthday card!!  My intelligent, creative, thoughtful, and wonderful son created this for me!  Can you believe how stinkin' cute this is!!

Check out that cute little inch worm.  I adore him.  And all the details.  I love how he added the blue blocks behind the clouds and the tuft of grass at the base of the flower.  And he popped everything up on foam dimensionals. 

He did such a great job!!  I love him so much!!

Thanks for dropping in for a visit in my corner of the www.  Have a great day.  I'm sure I will!

Donelda

Crafty Creations Challenge #148 - Embossing and Glitter

This week Crafty Creations Challenges #148 is to use Embossing (heat or dry) and Glitter on a card.  Even though this isn't my week to share a DT sample, I decided to play along anyway!!  I mean, how much fun is embossing and glitter!

I decided to go with dry embossing and ended up with this clean and simple thank you card:

and here is a close up of the yummy blue stickles for the glitter!

The star was stamped onto a transparency and left to dry.  Then I cut it out and popped it up onto the blue glittery circle with foam dimensional.  Covered the tell tale foam with a tiny button. 

I think this might even be a masculine card ... well maybe not with the glitter...

Thanks for dropping by.

Donelda

Clean and Simple Christmas

A few years ago my wonderful son bought me these Christmas stamps (from Stampin' Up!).  I really wanted to pull them out and use them.  Because the image is so busy itself, I decided to keep the overall card pretty Clean and Simple (CAS).

Images were coloured in with my Stampin' Up markers.  The top sentiment comes with the SU! set but hte bottom sentiment is from Papertrey Ink.

Linking this post up for the Tuesday Trigger over at Moxie Fab World.

Thanks for dropping in for a visit!

Donelda

Colour Q Challenge #114 - Best Wishes

I wanted to play along again this week with the Colour Q challenge #114 but almost missed out!  Sunday was the deadline!!   And then, I worked and worked on a card to realize that the challenge was to create anything BUT a card!  Oh well! 

Here was the card I ended up with:

You wouldn't beleive how many times I reworked this card and basic idea!  *Sigh*  These colours are just not easy for me I guess.

Donelda

Tuesday Morning Sketch #123 - Just a Note...

So I made sure I got my card linked up in time this week for the Tuesday Morning Sketch #123.  I took a little bit of liberties on my interpretation as I did not make the 3 panels exactly the same size.  The sketch is just a starting point to whet our creative appetite ... right!!?? 

I really enjoyed playing with these papers from Lilybee designs (This and That Collection Kit).  The dogwood flower is from Hero Arts (Antique Flower Engraving set) and the sentiment is also Hero Arts (Everyday Sayings).  And see that lovely die ... sent to me from none other than the amazing Secret Sister Imke! 

Dilly Beans 1st Challenge/Giveaway - Holiday Snow Family

Have you seen that there is a new Challenge Blog in town?!  It is Dilly Bean Designers & Friday Challenges.

I have already entered their Stripes Challenge ... you can check my card HERE.  To start off their new blog, they offered a great free digi of this sweet snow family and asked us to use it in a new creation! 

Here is what I did with it.  If you look at the original image, there is a location between the groups of snowmen where I cut them apart and added a holiday greeting between.

Here is a close up of the glitter I added to the hats and the glossy accents on the buttons and heart.

This is such a cute image.  I know I'll be using it more!!

Off to see what other creations were made with it.

Donelda

PaperCrafts Magazine CASE - My choice

Hopefully you are joining me today after seeing our CASE card yesterday.  My blogging buddy Lindsey and I are having fun again casing cards from the Dec./Nov. issue of PaperCrafts magazing.  Yesterday was Lindsey's choice.  Today it is my turn and I picked this great card by Beth Opel on page 48.  I loved the ribbon treatment!!

I chose to focus on the layout and other than adjusting the size, kept pretty close to this original.  Obviously I decided to go with a different colour combo.

The ribbon and cardstock are both Ocean Tides ... one of my favourite colours from Papertrey Ink. See that pretty punched border ... it is from one of my previous Secret Sisters! 

Now I have to go see how Lindsey interpreted this card.  Did she choose to go with the colors, layout, or did it inspire her in a whole different way???  Off to see.....

If you want to see what we did last few times, check out these posts HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE. So much fun!!

Donelda

PaperCrafts Magazine CASE - Lindsey's choice

My blogging buddy, Lindsey, and I are at it again!  This time we each picked cards in the Nov./Dec. issue of Paper Crafts magazine.  Today is Lindsey's pick and tomorrow will be mine.

Lindsey picked this stunner by Kelly Eubanks seen on page 67 of the magazine.

I focused on the color combo (vanilla, black, and red - so classy) and the music sheet designer paper..... and here is my card:

You might not be able to see it very well in the main photo but I've added a strip of black glitter along the bottom.  It looks pretty snazzy in real life.  Here is a close up ...

Now I can hardly wait to see what Lindsey did with her interpretation of this card.  Don't forget to drop back in tomorrow to see the card I picked out of the magazine and then what we both did with it!!

Donelda

Crafty Creations Challenge #147 - Warmed by Friends

Welcome to  Crafty Creations Challenge #147.  This week the challenge is to make a Christmas project and include a sentiment.  This week's sponser is Lily of the Valley so join in the fun to win some great stamps.

I enjoyed coloring this wonderful Lily of the Valley digital stamp using Copic markers (click on the image to see a larger image for details).  The sentiment is one from Made of Snow (Papertrey Ink).

I hand cut some holly leaves from Distressed Dots designer paper (Papertrey Ink) and punched the berries.  The Terricotta Tile twill is also from Papertrey Ink.  And I added lots of shimmery white glitter to the girls' dress and hat.  (Thanks again Imke for all the goodies!).

Be sure to admire some the rest of the Crafty Creations Design Team's Christmas projects:

Peggy

Jaime
Jenni

Donna

Lindsey

Kathleen

Then link up your creations HERE to join in the fun and you might win a prize from our sponsor, Lily of the Valley.

 

Donelda

Jay Gee's Nook #14 -

Hey everyone!  Today I want to share with you my creation for Jay Gee's Nook #14 challenge.  Look at all the amazing inspiration in this ... I could create a hundred cards based on this one inspiration collage!!  But I finally decided to focus in on that package about mid photo .. the one with the pine cones and branches .. see it.....

And here is the card that I ended up with (sorry the color is not good, I continue to struggle with lighting issues in my craft room/whole house!!):

I used an old classic Fantastic Foliage from Stampin' Up! ... long since retired but I will never part with it!! 

I curved the pine cones and added some dimensional adhesive underneath to pop them out.  You can tell a bit better here in this photo. 

Okay, I know there are going to be lots of great creations based on this challenge ... off to check them out.

Drop back in tomorrow for my first Design Team card for the Crafty Creative Challenge blog. 

Donelda

Tuesday Morning Sketch #122 - Colour Splashed Lighthouse

I missed last week's Tuesday Morning Sketch so I decided I had to play along this week.  Cutting it kinda close - too close!! Turns out entries need to be uploaded by Sunday!!  LOL!!  Oh well ... here is the sketch...

... and here is my card:

I decided to 'interpret' the swirls as splashes of colour.  They were created with Distress Inks.  Then I took the same colours and a paint brush and watercoloured in soem parts of the lighthouse.  Love the loose look that I ended up with.

Had to attach a little shell in place of the bow ... a masculine card cannot have a bow but it can have a shell!!

Thanks for dropping by for a visit!

Donelda