Wiggy's World

Crafty Creations Challenge #155 - Home Sweet Home

2012-02-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

This week's Crafty Creations Challenge #155 is Home Sweet Home. I used this great image from our sponsor A Creative Need Digital Image Shop ... own own Deena! Check out this awesome window image I picked to use:

I wanted the card to convey a cozy window in a home so I picked designer paper that looked like wall paper (K&Co.) .... and the sentiment (from Scattered Showers, Papertrey Ink) is a perfect match!

Let's see what the rest of the Group 2 Design Team created this week:

I hope you play along so you have a chance to win a prize. Make sure you link your Home Sweet Home creation at Crafty Creations Challenge.

Thanks for dropping by.

Donelda

Partridge Parade

2012-01-31T04:00:00.001-07:00

My neice had a Stampin' Up! party! I was lucky enough to get invited. I decided to buy this cute little partridge set because I didn't own anything with partridges!

Love all the little babies along the bottom. This is a fun layout too!

Thanks for visiting!

Donelda

CASual Friday #37 and Play Date Cafe #116 - Bamboo Sympathy

2012-01-30T04:04:00.000-07:00

I got some time to play in my craft room! Had fun with 2 challenges ... CAS-ual Fridays #3737 (a sketch) and The Play Date Cafe#116 (plum, pear, and mouldy cheese)

Here is the card I ended up with. I wanted to use one of my new sticky-back canvas pieces by Ranger and also a new-to-me set Peaceful Garden by Papertrey Ink. Oh yeah, and I also pulled out my new white silk 1/4" ribbon and added some of the plum colour (using a Copic), also from Papertrey Ink.

Here is a close up of the sentiment and bamboo on the canvas ... great texture!! and although you can't really see it in the photo very well, I did some embossed diagonal lines on the blue cardstock.

Thanks for dropping by for a visit. Hope you have a great week!

Donelda

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge #190 - Blue Black and White

2012-01-29T16:53:00.000-07:00

Hi again! Having lots of fun creating today! This time I decided to play along with the Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge #190 - use the colours blue, black and white. I haven't played along with these challenges yet but the design team had such great inspirtion!

I used one of my new sets from Penny Black called 'mimi in paris' and coloured her all in using Copic markers. I used some of my new 1/4" silk ribbon again (Papertrey Ink) colouring half of it with the same colour of copic ink. Love the look!

Hope you enjoy!

Donelda

Tuesday Morning Sketch #130 and Lily Pad Card Challenge - Best Wishes Bride and Groom

2012-01-29T16:02:00.000-07:00

My blogging buddy, Jessica, created the sketch for this week's Tuesday Morning Sketch so I wanted to play along. As well, Lily Pad has a card challenge going on right now ... to use your favourite patterned paper and make a card with it .. no more hoarding!

Well, I have had this paper from Stampin' Up! for years ... one of my favourite in the pack that I loved and therefore wouldn't cut into it .. until today!!

This lovely doily die was sent to me from one of my former Secret Sisters - Linda (thanks yet again!). The colours ended up being pretty washed out ... bu the leaves are stamped with Mellow Moss and the Best Wishes sentiment (Papertrey Ink - Giga Guide Lines) is embossed in gold to match the ribbon feature which has the rest of the sentiment (from Wedding Day, Papertrey Ink) embossed in white.

What a great day of card making! Hope you've enjoyed your Sunday as well.

See you tomorrow with another challenge card.

Donelda

Pink Wishing you Well

2012-01-26T04:00:00.001-07:00

Pink and Brown - great colour combo!!

I made this card specifically to use that cute rose stamp at the bottom! It is a gift from a blogland friend of mine Susanne!! She sent it in a challenge package and I just had to make good use of it!

This set from Papertrey Ink, Everyday Classics (2nd anniversary set) has not seen nearly enough ink! I need to fix that! This particular sentiment bugs me ... the W in the little tiny word "well" is hard to see and I think it kind of looks like a letter H....... eeeks!!

Well, I'm done here ..... see you all tomorrow!!

Donelda

2012-01-25T20:27:00.000-07:00

Another One Layer Wednesday challenge. This time Susan wanted us to make a one-layer card that uses white, gray, with a pop of one bright color of your choice.

I used a white card base embossed with this lovely embossing, added a strip of grey along the bottom. It is covered with Glossy Accents (continuing my obsession this month with this product) and the added colour is the blue half pearls (in the photo are looking rather close to the grey colour).

My sentiment is hidden inside. It just didn't seem to want to go on the outside!

Off to see what others did with this colour combination.

Thanks for dropping by,

Donelda

Barbles Inspiration Challenge #2 - Dreams Take Flight

2012-01-25T19:49:00.001-07:00

I really wanted to play along with Barb and her Barbles Inspiration Chellenge #2. Check out the picture board she supplied for us to use as inspiration! It was so hard to focus! In the end, I decided to go wtih the picture of the bird on the wire.

And here is my final creations.

I decided to pull out my alcohol inks to create this swirly cloudy background. So much fun. The silver mixative is what really made the swirls. The image is Bird Branch from Memory Box ... a sad stamp because he has not been inked up for a long time!! Happy now!

You should join in Barb's fun. Link up on her blog HERE

Valentine project Recap

2012-01-25T19:03:00.001-07:00

This week at Crafty Creations Challenges #154 the challenge is to make anything but a card. I had plans to do that but work has been keeping me away from my computer. So, I offer up an old project I did many years ago as inspiration. I made this box back in 2008. White the idea of making a heart shaped box sounds intimidating, it is rather easy... you just need good liquid adhesive!

And there is a tutorial on SCS right now!!

Hope this inspires you! Head over to Crafty Creations Challenges and link up your project!

Donelda

Journey Card Set

2012-01-24T04:00:00.001-07:00

Imke was one of my former Secret Sisters ... and sent me this awesome stamp from Paperbag Studios. I was inspired by Godelieve's cards set seen HERE and made my own.

Done in Blue Bayou ....

... Wild Wasabi....

... and Purely Pomegranate!

The stamping at the bottom was done with various stamps from Background Basics: Stars ... one of my least used Papertrey Ink stamps (certainly one I could have lived without ... but it was one of the first background stamps after Polka Dot Basics .. how was I to know there would be much better in the future?!).

Hope you are having a great week so far!

Donelda

Lawnscaping Challenge - Past Due!

2012-01-23T04:00:00.002-07:00

I don't know about you but I think that Lawn Fawn stamps are adorable! However, I don't own any. I try to stick to 2 or 3 primary companies ... but it is tough. There are lots of others who also love Lawn Fawn stamps, and some of those gals run a challenge blog called Lawnscaping Challenge. Earlier this month, they celebrated their birthday and for the occassion, Melania Deasy created the cutest digital image set to share!

So I took advantage of the cute images and created this!

... and I think I am currently "hooked" on using glossy accents ... as I've done here on the balloon!

Enjoy your day!

Donelda

One Layer Wednesday (OLW) 75 - Masculine Birthday

2012-01-22T16:35:00.000-07:00

This week's One Layer Wednesday challenge #75 from Susan R. is to create a masculine birthday card. Easy peasy ... when I need a masculine stamp, I just reach for my Bitty Grunge set from Stampers Anonymous (good old t!m holtz).

And this particular birthday sentiment is always my 'guy' go-to ... it is from Birthday Basics (Papertrey). It's perfect - bold, strong, and not a feminine serif in sight!!

Embossed in gold makes it stand out on top of the Chocolate Chip ink.

Off to get some more CAS masculine ideas from all the other CAS addicts...

Thanks for dropping by!

Donelda

Glimmer Mist - Here for You

2012-01-20T04:09:00.000-07:00

I am loving all the creations being made using misting sprays. I pulled out this great blue from Tattered Angels. Sprayed some big splotches onto some BasicGrey paper (Basics White) which is a must have! Stamped the mug from Warm Happiness (Papertrey Ink) and cut it out. A bit of layering made a great focal image.

Thanks for dropping by today.

Donelda

Crafty Creations Challenge #153 - Valentine

2012-01-18T00:01:00.007-07:00

This week's challenge at Crafty Creations Challenge is to create a Valentine Themed card or project. We are being sponsored by Whiff of Joy this week so play along ... you might win a prize!!

Here is my card...

The papers come from one of my past Secret Sisters (thanks Linda). I saw a lovely die in this shape, so in true Donelda fashion, I created my own out of cardstock. The images and sentiment are from Papertrey Ink.

Now off to see what everyone else created from the Design Team playing along this week:

Kathleen
Julemarie
Deena

Thanks for visiting. Enjoy making a Valentine themed project. Don't forget to link it up at Crafty Creations Challenges for a chance to win!

Donelda

Lucy's Photo Inspiration - Lavender Sympathy

2012-01-17T04:00:00.004-07:00

When I saw this inspiration photo from Lucy Abrams blog I knew I needed to use my new Gracious Vases stamp set (Papertrey Ink).

I also decided to get the shape of the inspiration piece from a Half & Half die (Papertrey Ink).

Off to see what everyone else created ... and maybe try my hand at a few of her other inspiration photos. (note - sorry for the horrid photo ... can't wait for spring so that there is more light! )

Thanks for dropping by,

Donelda

One Layer Wednesday (OLW) - Red and Pink Only

2012-01-15T13:21:00.000-07:00

So Susan's latest One Layer Challenge #74 (a nice even number) is to create a card with red and pink ONLY. That means no black for the sentiment or outlines. I've got to admit I thought and thought and thought about what I was going to do. Then I decided to do this:

I cut out a heart as a mask, stamped the word LOVE (Paper Trey from Papertrey Ink) in red in the bottome right edge of the heart. Then I continued to add the same word repeatedly using pink ink. While the difference is not so obvious in this poor quality picture, it stands out better in real life! Sigh!! To make sure the heart shape stood out, I did a little bit of sponging with the pink around the edges of the heart.

Off to post and see what everyone else did with pink and red only.

Thanks for dropping by,

Donelda

Skulls and Birthdays

2012-01-13T04:00:00.000-07:00

Pulled out my Picket Fence Crackle Paint (Ranger) to paint this Grundgeboard Skull (Idea-ology). It also uses Bitty Grundge stamp set (Stampers Anonymous, T!m Holtz)

I added some dots using a piece of bubble wrap and gesso (I have done this before on THIS card too!) and the sentiment is one from Unity.

Someone grungy will enjoy this card.

Thanks for dropping by for a visit.

Donelda

Wishes and Banners

2012-01-12T04:00:00.000-07:00

I created these banners based on the ones you can buy at Papertrey Ink ... of course I don't own them and have to make them by hand!! Used 2 different black markers with different sized tips for the double lines around the banners.

I have used a card by Anya as inspiration but can't for the life of me find the link!! Sheesh. Sorry Anya but thanks for hte inspiration!! If anyone has the link, please share!!

Thanks for visiting.

Donelda

Shaped Card - Valentine Gumball Machine

2012-01-10T19:01:00.001-07:00

The challenge over at Our Creative Corner for this week is Shaped Cards. I adore shaped cards but rarely think to make them ... so I thought I'd give it a go.

I found this awesome digital image in my digital file and went to town!

I used lots and lots of Glossy Accents for the clear part of the machine where all the heart gumballs are ...

and also on the one pink heart at the door of the machine ...

That was a ton of FUN!! I must remember to make shaped cards more often!!

It is also challenge day over at Crafty Creations Blog. The challenge this week is to Use Something New. This is the first time I've used this image so it is new!! Drop by and see what some of the Design Team members created for this week's inspiraiton and play along for a great prize!!

Thanks for dropping by!

Donelda

Birthday Wishes

2012-01-10T04:00:00.002-07:00

I'm not one to use stickers all that much but for some reason, I had bought a bunch at a local stamping store. So, I decided it was high time to pull them out and use them.

This is all grey, white, and silver - awesome color combo! The leaves are silver (a little hard to tell in this photo - maybe click on it to get it larger?). The background is a the Hero Arts decorative woodgrain background stamp but I colored over it with a silver marker and it turned out looking awesome.

Hope you are having a great day!
Donelda

Nautical Wishes

2012-01-09T04:00:00.000-07:00

So I know I created this card based on a color challenge ... but that was months and months ago. Sheesh, some things never change!

I think the little bits of twill look like flags from a big ship! And you might not be able to see them very well in this photo but there are large compases stamped with versamark on the brown background. A subtle effect. So much fun to make!!

Enjoy your day!

Donelda

Congratulations on being Pregnant!

2012-01-06T04:00:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite image to use for Congrats on your Pregnancy cards! I wanted to create a general card for someone special who is going to have a baby! I wanted the card to be gender neutral so I threw in pink, blue, green, and yellow!!

And a close up of the background paper (BasicGrey) ... stamped with a Hero Arts cling stamp and embossed with clear embossing powder. Great effect!

Hope you are having a great day!

Donelda

Celebrate with Letter Press

2012-01-05T04:00:00.000-07:00

So I have seen many other crafters creating beautiful faux letterpress backgrounds using their cuttlebug folders. I decided I should give it a try. I was less than impressed with my results. I think I'll need to try it a bit more.

I also admire those who can create beautiful clusters of flowers on their cards. I don't do it very often despite having 2 large jars full of beautiful flowers ... I just don't get how to get them attached! Anyway, I gave it a good "go" on this card. Any advice is welcome!!

Thanks for visiting.

Donelda

Crafty Creations Challenge #149 - Heat Embossing

2012-01-04T00:01:00.003-07:00

Hello eveyone! It is time again for another Crafty Creations Challenge. This week we are trying to warm up ... so we are to use HEAT EMBOSSING!

I took my inspirationn from this tag. See the words clear embossed all over it. Very Cool. Maile Belles does this often - like HERE.

So, I started out by printing this lovely digital butterfly by Patty onto white cardstock. Then, I added the flowers (Life, Papertrey Ink) in Raspberry Fizz (Papertrey Ink). I then stamped the leaf border image (from Modern Basics, Papertrey Ink) along the bottom of the panel using Versamark ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder. Just to ensure I used enough heat embossing, I also used white embossing for the sentiment!

Here is the close-up of the clear embossing over the flowers. A very cool effect.

Now you will want to go see what the rest of the Crafty Creations Design Team 2 did with heat embossing:

Have a great day ... and hopfully all this heat embossing keeps you warm!!

Donelda

Our Creative Corner - Bright and Happy New Year Lollipop

2012-01-03T11:42:00.000-07:00

Check out this awesome bright and happy colour combo that Our Creative Corner has posted as a challenge! Love it!!

I had saved this awesome lollipop from my sons Halloween stash because I knew it would come in handy some day ....

Colours are a bit off due to it being so cloudy and grey here today! So frustrating.

This card also qaulifies for the Sparkles Forum Challenge - Anything but a Christmas card as well as the Pile It On challenge #1 of 2012 - Anything Goes so I've entered it there as well.

Enjoy your day.

Donelda

CASEing Lucy's butterflies

2012-01-03T04:00:00.001-07:00

I created this card after seeing the one HERE that Lucy Abrams made. Hers is stunning ... and sadly I don't own such a big butterfly die or punch .. so I had to improvise!

But I like the results anyway! It just not quite as dramatic as hers.

(ETA - got the large butterfly die from PTI for Christmas .. will need to recreate this using it soon)

Thanks for dropping in for a visit!

Donelda

Colour Q Challenge #117, Dilly Beans, and Lucy Abrams

2012-01-02T15:11:00.000-07:00

I finally had a little time to sit down and do a little craft making. I love the black and white + a colour challenges so the CQC #117 appealed to me. And, check it out, Dilly Beans is running a red and black challenge ... which will work for my card as well! Lucy Abrams is running with her sketch challenges this week (like she did last year) so I wanted to play along with one of those too.

I decided the strips could be home-made washi tape. Pulled out some new Papertrey Ink products (Background Basics: Gingham, butterfly die, and Pure Poppy red ink) and got busy. Here is my card:

I've been browsing on Christine Middlecamp's blog again ... hence the many layers on the big red butterfly ... reminds me of this one I saw on her blog...

That was fun. Think I'll drop over to these sites to see what other crafters created ....

Donelda

Image Swap - Patti's Gals

2012-01-02T04:00:00.000-07:00

This is my January card for an image swap I belong to over at SCS. This month Patti sent us this great image to play with and challenged us to come up with an appropriate sentiment to go with it!

I decided to add my "sentiment" into a word bubble .. it says, "Life is too short to order the small slice".

Here is a side view to see the dimension of the gals!! Doesn't that chocolate cake look delish!!

Thanks for visiting,

Donelda

CAS-ual Fridays #33 - Kraft, Twine, and Nautical

2012-01-01T11:40:00.000-07:00

What a great challenge going on at CAS-ual Fridays - Create a clearn and simple project using kraft and twine. I decided to combine it with another more difficult challenge posed by a new friend of mine ... use a lighthouse image or something nautical on a christmas card.

I adore making little embellishments like this one to cover bow knots. The simple sentiment was all that was needed. I didn't have any green vellum, so I used ink and sponge to make plain vellum the colour I needed.

Off to see what other creations were made using kraft and twine at CAS-ual Fridays.

Thanks for dropping by.

Donelda

Top 10 of 2011

2012-01-01T04:00:00.053-07:00

Well it is a NEW YEAR ... and what is New Year's without a countdown? Like many of my fellow bloggers, I have decided to share a top 10 of my favourite cards posted from 2011. Now, some of these you might argue with ... but they are the 10 that I like best. If you want to share one that you liked that didn't make it on my top 10 feel free to share!!

Here goes ...

#10 - Birthday Owl

#9 - Foxy Warm Fuzzies

#8 - Rustic and Ruffled

#7 - Strawberries

#6 - Misted Feathers

#5 - Paris Anniversary

#4 - Pink Stripes

#3 - Inspired by ...

#2 - Hat Pin Challenge

And finally ... the card I liked the best from the year is .....
#1 - Wishing you the Best

There you have it! It is always hard to pick ... I could more easily pick my favourite 10 on someone else's blog! LOL!

Here is to a wonderful 2012 .. I hope it brings health, wealth, and lots of crafty inspiration!!

Donelda

Dilly Bean Challenge - Three Lovely Ladies

2011-12-29T11:34:00.000-07:00

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

2011-12-29T04:00:00.000-07:00

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

2011-12-25T04:00:00.007-07:00

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

2011-12-24T04:00:00.001-07:00

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

2011-12-23T04:00:00.000-07:00

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

2011-12-22T04:00:00.001-07:00

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

2011-12-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

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

2011-12-20T04:00:00.001-07:00

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

2011-12-19T04:00:00.000-07:00

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

2011-12-18T04:00:00.000-07:00

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

2011-12-17T06:59:00.001-07:00

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

2011-12-15T22:05:00.002-07:00

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

2011-12-15T03:30:00.000-07:00

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

2011-12-14T20:26:00.000-07:00

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!!

2011-12-14T04:15:00.001-07:00

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

2011-12-14T04:00:00.003-07:00

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

2011-12-13T05:27:00.003-07:00

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

2011-12-12T04:00:00.000-07:00

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...

2011-12-11T12:37:00.000-07:00

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

2011-12-11T09:48:00.000-07:00

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

2011-12-09T04:00:00.002-07:00

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

2011-12-08T04:00:00.001-07:00

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

2011-12-07T00:01:00.001-07:00

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:

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 -

2011-12-06T04:00:00.001-07:00

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

2011-12-05T04:00:00.001-07:00

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

CASual Fridays #30 and Dilly Bean Stripes

2011-12-04T16:19:00.002-07:00

(Edited - So excited to have been picked as a VIP for this challenge on the CAS-ual Fridays blog!)

So I am really on a role of getting some challenges done these days! And, I've even been able to do a bit of combining. I tend to prefer to create a seperate card for each challenge but sometimes they just need to go together.

Like this one at CAS-ual Fridays ... I used the diagonal of Stripes, Kraft, and Pink. This meant it would easily fit the first weekly challenge at a new challenge blog called Dilly Beans which was STRIPES!

Here is my card:

I'm totally digging those big wide faux ribbon dies (like the 6th and 9th ones HERE at Papertrey Ink) and decided to create my own template like the home-made Half & Half ones I showed on my last post.

The flower is from Two Birds set by Hero Arts and coloured with Copics (pinks) and watercolor pencil crayons (green).

I love the tic tac toe idea for challenges as the end results are so varied. Off to check them out!!

Donelda

Crafty Creations Challenge #146 - Woodgrain and Reds

2011-12-03T17:18:00.000-07:00

Today I have a card that fits 2 challenges. I mean, look at these two inspiration photos ... how could I not use them at the same time??!! Same colours and lots of rustic wood!!

The photo on the left is the inspiration photo from Crafty Creations Challenges #146 - such charm.

The photo on the right is the inspiration photo from Moxie Fab World - Tuesday Trigger - red and rustic.

I started out with a piece of Sahara Sand cardstock and using my Distress inks, created a woodgrain background.

I decided to use this sweet bird charm sent to me by one of my former Secret Sisters!

The reds and browns werecreated by using Distress inks direct to paper. And I do love that burst punch by Martha Stewart!!

If you want to play along with either challenge:

Go to Crafty Creations Challenges #146

Moxie Fab World Tuesday Trigger

Thanks for dropping in for a visit. Hope you are having a wonderful weekend.

Donelda

Colour Q Challenge #113 and Make It Monday #43 - Ribbon Pleating

2011-12-03T12:43:00.000-07:00

The Colour Q Challenge colours this week are amazing! I really like Sahara Sand and I'm always trying to find great colours to go with them ... this is it!!

I decided to combine the colours with this week's Make It Monday challenge #43 from Papertrey Ink - Ribbon Pleating. I don't think I've ever tried ribbon pleating so I decided to "take it easy" and just do a few pleats like on Dawn's 2nd card in the video.

Supplies used include Background Basics: Retro and Birthday Basics (both Papertrey Ink), Spring Rain grosgrain ribbon (Papertrey Ink), Sahara Sand, Night of Navy, Whisper White, and other blue cardstock (Stampin' Up!).

And see, I've used another one of my "home-made" half & half die cuts. I have had a lot of people ask how I do this. Nothing magical I assure you. I simply took some light cardboard, traced some edges of other dies I had with nice curvy edges, made straight edges and cut them out. Now, if I want a "half & half die" that I don't own (yet - getting them for my birthday) I just trace the outline onto cardstock or patterned paper and cut it out by hand! More effort but cheaper!! Here is a photo of the 3 I made ...

This colour combo is going to inspire lots of increadible projects. I'm off to check it out!!

Donelda

Watercolored Distress Inks

2011-12-02T05:00:00.000-07:00

Wow, look at the colors on this background. I created it by adding a bunch of different distress inks to a background stamp (Anna Griffin) and then spritzing it with water! Awesome effect!

Didn't need to do much to the card becuase I didn't want to cover up all that awesome colour!

Thanks for dropping by.

Donelda

Fall Thinking of You

2011-12-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd better squeeze this fall card in before it gets too wintery ...

Some days I just can't get enough of those yummy Distress Inks (Ranger). And look, I have used another one of my home-made Half and Half dies (like Papertrey Ink but just cardboard and traced by hand!).

These warm fall colors are my favourite to create with!!

Hope you are having a wonderful day. Thanks for dropping by.

Donelda

One Layer Wednesday (OLW) - Variations On a Sentiment

2011-11-30T20:43:00.000-07:00

Leave it to Susan R. to create a real tricky One Layer Wednesday challenge #72. She wants us to use a sentiment and nothing else on a non-standard sized card! Wow, now that is a challenge!! At first I pulled out the largest sentiments I have ... but then I got creative and created these:

They are mini scraplings ... 1" x 3" little mini cards. I keep lots of these small little cards around the office to leave on the desks of my co-workers on their birthdays. The ones I have at work right now are all girly cards so I was stuck last week when one of our tech guys had a birthday! These will make great additions to the stash and will be perfect for the guys!!

Thanks Susan for a real challenge, like usual!!

Donelda

Take 3 Challenge - Pointsettia Flower - Take 3

2011-11-30T04:00:00.004-07:00

Before I get to my Take 3 card, I am excited to announce that I made it onto the Crafty Creations Challege blog Design Team! So excited to be on another team. Can't wait to get going with them. Drop over to the blog and check out this week's inspiration photo, it's awesome!!

Finally, the last day of this Take 3 Challenge ... and here is my Take 3 on using this lovely flower stamp from Papertrey Ink's Beautiful Blooms set. Notice it is not a Christmas card!

These flowers were inked up with distress inks and cut out. Check out the centers ... they are lovely brads that I have received from one of my secret sisters (thanks so much)!!

This card is actually created based on the card created by Julia Stainton shown on page 48 of the Nov./Dec. issue of Paper Crafts magazine. It was so lovely I was totally inspired by it! Julia's card is a Christmas card with stars on it, but I wanted to change that into a birthday card so used flowers.

Thanks so much for dropping by for my Take 3 Challenge this week.

Donelda

Take 3 Challenge - Pointsettia Flower - Take 2

2011-11-29T04:00:00.001-07:00

My Take 2 card for this week's Take 3 Challenge is also a Christmas card.

And another clean and simple card. I used one of my home-made die cuts (based on Papertrey Ink's), added some thin black ribbon and a black button. The designer paper is so beautiful - from My Minds Eye.

Okay, that is 2 Christmas cards made using this lovely little flower image. Will tomorrow's card be a Christmas card as well?? Guess you'll have to come back tomorrow and see.

Donelda

Take 3 Challenge - Pointsettia Flower - Take 1

2011-11-28T04:00:00.003-07:00

Hello! It is always nice to see you! Today is the first day of my Take 3 Challenge. Here is my Take 1 card.

I don't own many Christmas stamps so I have to be creative at this time of year. See this lovely pointsettia, it is actually the large flower from the Beautiful Blooms set (Papertrey Ink).

Stamped it with Ruby Red ink and then added some gold micro beads to the center.

A true Clean and Simple card!! Susan R. would be proud!!

Drop back in tomorrow to see what I did with this flower on tomorrow's Take 2 card.

Donelda

Colour Q Challenge #112 - Quilt

2011-11-23T19:51:00.002-07:00

This week's Colour Q challenge #112 is made up of such delicious colours! Yum!!

I decided I wanted to make a home-made quilt look. Took 1" squares, cut them down by hand so that they were not really straight, and did some faux stitching around each square. Then, I poked holes and used thread to create real stitches to attach them to the card front.

Close up of the real stitching.

Took this photo at night in my light box. It still makes a ton of difference shooting in the day time vs. night! I need to remember to take my photos before the light goes away!

Thanks for visiting!

Donelda

Take 3 Challenge - Large Butterfly BEauty - Take 3

2011-11-23T04:00:00.001-07:00

Hello and welcome back to the last day and my Take 3 card for this week's Take 3 Challenge. Today my butterfly was stamped onto some yummy purple designer paper. The gold glitter was part of the paper and ended up adding so much to this image. Then, I added some distress ink sponging to intensify the colour!

Kept the rest of the card clean and simple so the butterfly would be sure to take center stage!

That was a fun Take 3 challenge. Thanks for enjoying it with me :-)

Donelda

Take 3 Challenge - Large Butterfly Beauty - Take 2

2011-11-22T04:00:00.002-07:00

Welcome back to the second day of my Take 3 Challenge. I introduce to you my Take 2 card:

This time, I decided to try a monochromatic card ... in purple of all colours. If you drop by at all you will know that I rarely use purple! What an impact, that bright white butterfly on all that purple!!

Well, one more card to go for this week's Take 3 challenge. Like always, I've saved my favourite for last.

See you all tomorrow!

Donelda

Take 3 Challenge - Large Butterfly Beauty - Take 1

2011-11-21T04:00:00.004-07:00

Welcome to a new week of Take 3. This week's image is a beautiful swirly butterfly from Studio g. It was given to me by a friend and came out of a larget "stamping kit". It is rather large ... so I decided to start out by just using bits of it on this tag. Coloured the leaves with my Stampin' Up! pastel chalks.

I never use my crimper enough .. thought it would add some great texture.

I had planned to enter it into the CAS-ual Fridays challenge to use tags ... but I ended up scheduling this post for the wrong week and totally missed that challenge! How did I do that?? Sheesh!! Oh well.

Drop back in tomorrow to see what I did for Take 2 using this same image.

Donelda

Crafty Creations Challenge #144 - Recycle

2011-11-20T11:43:00.000-07:00

This week's challenge at Crafty Creations Challenge #144 is to recycle. Well, if you have ever been around my blog you will know that I do that all the time!! Today I recycled a music sheet that I got from an old old old organ music book. Another recycled item is a small amount of black velvet trim that came off of an old pair of slippers.

I don't make many wedding cards (not many folks in my world getting married these days) but thought the wedding bells would look great with the music background.

Off to post and see what everyone else recycled...

Thanks for dropping by,

Donelda

Play Date Cafe #108 - Rich and Warm Colours

2011-11-20T11:35:00.000-07:00

The Play Date Cafe colours for challenge #108 were so delicions that I wanted to play along. However, they were so much fun, I couldn't stop. I ended up making 2 different cards and then using my scraps to create a third card!

This fist card was clean and simple. I'm really digging the graphic look these days

I knew the 3 colours would make a great background for a silouette stamp so I used this old Stampin' Up! image on a sponged background. I kep the rest of the card cas ... and couldn't bring myeself to stamp a sentiment on the front so it went inside.

And then, I just couldn't bring myself to throw out the beautiful scraps. I saw them all sitting there on my craft table and figured I could add them together for a mosaic look .....

... and here is a close-up.

You might recognize the sketch from CPS ... but too late to add it to the challenge.

That was fun!!

Thanks for dropping by.

Donelda

Inspiration from Paper Crafts Magazine - Day 2 - Christmas

2011-11-18T04:00:00.003-07:00

Welcome back!

Today it is Lindsey's turn to pick a card for inspriation from the Sept/Oct issue of Paper Crafts magazine. Her choice was the very versatile card by Ellie Augustin on page 46 called Brew Some Fun Card. Wow, what a great layout to work with!!

I was so inspired I made 2 cards - one that followed the sketch very closely and another that followed it very loosly. For both, I focused on the general layout.

I adore this Anna Griffin designer paper. And this little sprig of holly is probaby my most used Christmas stamp (if you can believe that or not!!)

This card is a much looser take on the layout. The designer paper and die cuts are from the Holly Jolly paper pack from My Minds Eye (out last year).

Okay, now off to Lindsey's blog to see what her card turned out looking like. Do you think she also made a christmas card???? Let's go see....

Thanks for dropping by!

Donelda

Inspiration from Paper Crafts Magazine - Day 1 - Stripes

2011-11-17T04:00:00.007-07:00

Lindsey and I are at it again! We both picked cards from the Sept/Oct issue of Paper Crafts Magazine and used them for inspiration. This week, my pick was the awesome card by Cristina Kowalczyk on page 58 called Ahoy Birthday Card. Her name might be hard to spell ... but man, can this girl make a card!

For this card I focused on: the stripes and the general layout.

I really like the double ended banner running vertical to the stripes. I didn't want to use string or ribbon so it seemed like a good alternative.

Now, off to see what Lindsey created with Cristina's card as inspiration. I can't wait to see, she is so creative!! And remember to drop in tomorrow to see which card Lindsey picked for inspiration and what we did with it.

Thanks for dropping by,

Donelda

CAS-ual Fridays #28 & Barb's Challenge - Damask Tag

2011-11-16T07:01:00.001-07:00

This week's CAS-ual Fridays Challenge #28 is to create a tag or a card with a tag on it. I combined it with a challenge set by a blogging buddy Barb who posted this beautiful table setting as inspiration.

Together I arrived at this tag. From the inspiration picture I focused on the black demask table runner, and the color combo of black, white, and apple green.

I really love that burst punch (Martha Stewart). And see that yummy ruffly ribbon ... it is from a past Secret Sister (thanks Linda!) and I've been trying to find a good use for it for a while now. This elegant birthday tag was the perfect home for a bit of it!

Off to see what others created....

Donelda

Mendi apples

2011-11-15T04:19:00.000-07:00

So I would love to say that I came up with this awesome idea myself .. but it would not be true. The genius behind this is Sharon Harnist! You can see her pear HERE and another example HERE and one by Ellen Hutson HERE.

These apples are the outlined ones from Teacher's Apple (Papertrey Ink). I had so much fun creating this card. Definately going to do this again!! And I really worked hard to incorporate that desired 'visual triangle' ... can you see it??

Donelda

Play Date Cafe Challenge - Tiger Butterfly

2011-11-13T20:13:00.001-07:00

This week's colors at the Play Date Cafe were too yummy to pass up!! Challenge #107 looks like this:

And here is the card that was created by me:

I am totally "into" the color Spiced Marmalade (distress ink by Ranger) these days. When I bought it I was a bit hesitant because I didn't know how often I'd use it ... turns out I don't seem to be able to put it down!!

In the end, a clean and simple card with the emphasis on this lovely "tiger butterfly" floating among the white flowers. The butterfly was hand cut, sponged with ink, then stamped with flourishes, and black wire wrapped around the body to create antenna.

Hope you enjoy!

Donelda

Crafty Creations Challenges - Color Challenge

2011-11-13T19:35:00.000-07:00

Over on Crafty Creations Challenges the latest color combo challenge were definately my colours so I decided to play along. The colors were Kraft/Brown, White/Cream, and one other colour. I chose to use Brown and Cream with Orange thrown in for the other colour.

The leaves and tag are Summer Sunrise (Papertrey Ink) cardstock that was spritzed with water, crumpled, and then ironed. I punched the little maple leaves out with a small punch I picked up from Michael's $1.50 bin - what a bargin! Before punching the leaves, I sponged on a bit of Spiced Marmalade distress ink (Ranger). The effect is awesome in real life. The tag was hand drawn and cut from the same cardstock, just no sponging on it.

Supplies: Stamps-Take a Bough, Round &Round, Fancy Flourishes (Papertrey Ink); Ink - Chocolate Chip (Stampin' Up!), Spiced Marmalade (Ranger); Paper - Summer Sunshine (Papertrey Ink), Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla (Stampin' Up!), Au Chocolate patterned paper (Stampin' Up!),Very Vanilla grosgrain ribbon (Stampin' Up!), Dark Chocolate twill (Papertrey Ink); oval die (Spellbinders)

Since the CCC are looking for a Design Team and I did the challenge I figured I'd throw my name in to be considered. Not holding my breath but it would be fun.

Thanks for dropping by.

Donelda

Moxie Fab Challenge - Award Medallion

2011-11-12T19:08:00.000-07:00

Cath always has some fun challenges going on over at Moxie Fab world. Right now she is celebrating her 3rd year of posting!! This card is created for the Award Medallions Challenge.

The black paper is glittery (but hard to see in the photo) and the black on the designer paper is nice and fuzzy creating all kinds of texture in real life!! That is why I kept the card fairly clean and simple!

Thanks for looking
Donelda

Tuesday Morning Sketch #119 - Noah

2011-11-11T19:00:00.000-07:00

Decided to play along with Tuesday Morning Sketches again! A great sketch this week by none other than Kathy Curry!!

I had fun using this image from smARTworks. It was watercoloured using my Stampin' Up! watercolour pencil crayons.

Had to try one of those little bows like Jill Foster puts on all her cards. It was a perfect addition for the sketch.

Thanks for dropping by.

Donelda

Inspiration from Paper Crafts Magazine - Day 2

2011-11-11T04:00:00.007-07:00

Welcome back to our Inspiration Challenge. My blogging buddy, Lindsey, and I decided to use the Paper Crafts magazine (Sept/Oct) as inspiration. We both picked cards and used them as inspiration to create our own cards. Yesterday we showcased the card Lindsay picked. Today is my turn. I picked this lovely card by Betsy Veldman called Doily Gratitude Card (on page 56).

I focused on the masked and sprayed background, the cluster of embellishments, and the sentiment.

Here is my card:

Nothing makes me happier than using feathers on my cards! And check out the sentiment piece - see the white rub ons (BasicGrey) to mimic the sentiment piece in Betsy's card. And that lovely flower was compliments of one of my past Secret Sisters (thanks Linda!).

Now you need to go check out Lindsey's card that she created using Betsy's card as inspiration!

Remember, if you are inspired by either of the Paper Crafts cards (or ours) leave a link in the comment section so we can go and see what you did too!

And....this has been so much fun we are doing it again next Thurs and Friday!! Can't wait!! Make sure you come back and visit!

Lest We Forget

"When our perils are past, shall our gratitude sleep?" -George Canning

Thanks for visiting!

Donelda

A Birthday Hoot

2011-11-10T20:13:00.001-07:00

I have been enjoying Vicky's blog and this week she is doing videos each day featuring Lawn Fawn stamps (I don't own any but I love them!). And, she is offering a giveaway too! On Nov. 8th she shared THIS card with such a unique layout! I dreamed up this card in the middle of the night when I couldn't sleep!

And here is a close up of the glossy accents on the eyes and all the layers. Clearly Vicky has inspired me :-)

Do you want to play too?? Drop over to Vicky's blog and give it a go....

Thanks for dropping in for a visit and for leaving words of encouragement - they are appreciated!

Donelda

Casing Paper Crafts Cards

2011-11-10T04:00:00.002-07:00

One of my blogging friends, Lindsey, mentioned that she had the same Paper Crafts Magazine (Sept/Oct) so I asked her if she wanted to have some fun. We would each pick a card from the magazine, both use it as inspiration, and post our creations on our blogs! This was a blast!!

Today we are showcasing Lindsey's choice. She picked an increadible card by Katie Gehring called Autumn Button Tree Card (seen on page 52). It is so rustic and full of yummy fall colours.

I focused on the layout, the polka dot ribbon, and the tree as the focal image. Here is my card:

Now you must go see what Lindsey did using this same card for inspiration!! And if you feel l'ike being inspired by Katie Gehring (or mine/Lindsey's cards) feel free to give us a link in the comment section so we can come take a peek!!

And make sure you drop back tomorrow to see what card I picked from the same magazine and what we create with that inspiration!!

Donelda

Take 3 Challenge - Snowflake - Take 3

2011-11-09T04:00:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome back to my final card this week from my Take 3 Challenge.

Here is my Take 3 card:

Here is a close up of that embellishment ... it is the snowflake stamp that I am using this week. To make it, I stamped the flake with white craft ink onto a transparency, then heat embossed with a mix of white and kelidascope embossing powder. It turned out great in the end. I think I will make a bunch of these to help with my Christmas card creating.

Well, I am sad to say that this week's Take 3 Challenge is done! But not to worry, there will

always be another one around the corner!!

Donelda

Line of Trees

2011-11-08T07:20:00.000-07:00

(Note - this is my 3rd post for the day becuase today was the deadline for this card. Scroll down to see more Play Date Cafe cards and scroll further to see my Take 2 for this week's Take 3 Challenge)

Over at Crafty Creations Challenges this week's challenge was to use Green, Purple, Silver and snow. What a hard challenge this was for me. I wracked my brain for days and finally ended up with this as my final card. I think it was the snow that was giving me the hardest time!

Thanks for dropping by.

Donelda

Play Date Cafe - More Pink, Yellow, and Grey

2011-11-08T04:30:00.003-07:00

( Note - this is my second post for today. To see my Take 3 card, scroll down.)

I just can't seem to stop creating with this color combo!!

Here are 2 more cards.

This card started out with that awesome K&Co. fabric brad. Love it! Love this Clean and Simple effect.

This card was created based on the top right image of the inspiration picture. When I saw that, I remembered that I had made this pink flower from ribbon a while ago and never used it. The leaves are cut from yellow patterned paper ... the color is off in this picture.

Okay, I have had a huge run on challenges these days .... whew!!!

Thanks for visiting! Hope you enjoyed all my challenges.
Donelda

Take 3 Challenge - Snowflake - Take 2

2011-11-08T04:00:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome back to my latest Take 3 Challenge.

This week it is actually a double challenge - I am using that snowflake image from an old Stampin' Up! set called All Through the Year and papers from Holly Jolly pack by My Minds Eye. Here is my Take 2 card:

The snowflakes are embossed this time. See that red polka dot border ... it is actually from the

die cut page from the My Minds Eye package ... and I've been dying to use it. Not sure

why, but I am totally in LOVE with it!!!

So there is my Take 2 card. Just one more card to go ... which you can only see if

you come back tomorrow!! Of course, you will be dying with anticipation

so you will need to come back!!

Donelda

Take 3 Challenge - Snowflake - Take 1

2011-11-07T04:00:00.002-07:00

This week's Take 3 Challenge is a double Take 3 Challenge. It centers around the snowflake from an old Stampin' Up! set called All Through the Year. It was one of those sets I just HAD to have ... but have rarely used. A Take 3 Challenge is a good way to get it out and use it! Incidently, all 3 cards in this Take 3 Challenge also use paper from the Holly Jolly paper pack from My Minds Eye (last year's paper). It is a stunning collection of papers!!

And here is Take 1. A fairly Clean and Simple card, showing off those prancing reindeer. I love when I see crafters doing this tied off the edge ribbon technique but I rarely think to do it myself.

The frame is from Borders & Corners: Squares (Papertrey Ink) and the sentiment is from Take a Bough (also Papertrey Ink).

Another variation using this snowflake stamp tomorrow which means a few more Christmas cards have been made.

See you tomorrow.
Donelda

Trigger Tuesday - Bands of Colour with Gold

2011-11-06T20:58:00.000-07:00

Check out this week's Trigger Tuesday from Moxie Fab:

How could I resist!!

I decided to go with the pink, yellow, and turquoise colours in the piece .. and then add the gold!! The sentiment is actually heat embossed with gold. That gold medallion is a gift from a friend - it is actually paper so it is light and pops up nicely on the card!!

Off to see what others took from this amazing visual!

Donelda

BasicGrey Challenge - Chevron Stripes and Young Crafters Unite - Masculine

2011-11-06T20:47:00.000-07:00

The Young Crafters Unite challenge is masculine - a style I like to try to do as often as possible because it is a challenge. As well, the challenge on right now at Basicgrey is to use Chevron Stripes.

I decided to mix these two challenges together. Here is my card:

I created the chevron from using Prehistoric paper from Archaic collection (BasicGrey) .... a very old collection that I have saved for a loooong time for just the right time which was this one.

Thanks for dropping in! Hope you enjoy.
Donelda

Tuesday Morning Sketch #118 - Red and White Orchid

2011-11-06T04:30:00.007-07:00

(Note: This is my second post for today be sure to scroll down ad see the other post - my One Layer Wednesday Challenge tags)

I decided to try the sketch over at Tuesday Morning Sketch challenge #118.

Here is the sketch:

And here is my card, of course I rotated it.

This image, and almost all of the supplies were wonderful gifts from my current Secret Sister (thanks!!).

Thanks, Donelda

One Layer Wednesday (OLW) #71 - Christmas Tags

2011-11-06T04:00:00.001-07:00

Jennifer has issued the latest One Layer Wednesday challenge #71 - Tags I started out with good One Layer intentions ... but it all went seriously wrong .. and I added a layer on them all!!

These tags were actually a case from the Nov./Dec. Paper Crafts magazine ... if you turn to page ?? ... see those 3 halloween ... they are beautiful and I knew they would make great christmas tags too. And I'd better clarify, these tags started out white .. they were embossed with clear embossing powder and then distress inks applied. Love that technique!!

Hope you are having a great Sunday.

Donelda

Play Date Cafe Challenge #106 & CASual Fridays - Unique

2011-11-05T20:17:00.001-06:00

The Play Date Cafe has so many great colour challenges and #106 is no exception - pink, yellow, and grey! Here is my card with these colours:

No actual stamping. The focal point is from KI Memories. The little flower was white but I added a bit of yellow with a copic marker. And the grey double banner goes "over the edge" of the card, which means it qualifies for the CAS-ual Fridays challenge #27.

Wow, two challenges in one card ... I almost never take on more than one challenge at a time!

Thanks for dropping by!

Donelda

November Image Swap - Squirrely Christmas

2011-11-05T11:32:00.000-06:00

This is the latest image we recieved for our image swap on SCS. This time Tracie sent us this cute squirrel!

We always send at least 3 copies of the image (just in case) so I colored all 3 and used them for dimensional by popping them up. Here is a side view:

I coloured it in with Copics. The star on top and all of the other yellow ornaments have gold sparkle gel pen added for a bit of sparkle. Sentiment is from Papertrey Ink. This is a new layout for me!

If you want to see all the other cards from our swap, check out our gallery HERE.

Thanks for visiting.

Donelda

Country Scene

2011-11-03T19:16:00.001-06:00

On Jay Gee's Nook there is a challenge that is always pretty interesting but I rarely get a chance to actually play. So I made an effort this week to get a card made and actually uploaded in time!! Challenge #13 is to use a holiday stamp to create a non-holiday card! Sheesh, that was hard!! But here is my end result ... a fun Country Scene!!

Lots of Christmas trees (from Made of Snow - Papertrey Ink)... but on a bright sunny day, they just look like good old pine trees. Here is a side photo of some of the dimension ...

And see those polka dots on the clouds ... they are actually the 3 buttons from the snowman repeatedly stamped (from same set). Sentiment is from Round and Round (anniversary set- Papertrey Ink). All papers are BasicGrey ...yummy!!

Off to see what others did...

Thanks for dropping by for a little visit!! Come again some time :-)

Donelda

Make It Monday # 39 - Multi-Stamp Background

2011-11-02T22:25:00.001-06:00

I love making my own backgrounds using stamps so I was excited to see Nichole's Make It Monday Challenge #39. I wanted to do something different than flowers and leaves so I pulled out the set Fruitful. I also decided to go with an unexpected color combo - Scarlet Jewel, Orange Zest, Summer Sunrise and Spring Moss.

I created the senitment by combining a sentiment from Birthday Basics (it reads "Hope this day is as special as you are") and then adding the "Sweet and Juicy" using Simple Alphabet! I like how the start of the sentiment is all neat and tidy but then the second part is lopsided and fun!! LOL!!

Off to see what everyone else used for their background papers.

Thanks for dropping by.

Donelda

Take 3 Challenge - Pumpkins - Take 3

2011-11-02T04:00:00.000-06:00

And, finally, the Take 3 card for my Take 3 Challenge this week using this aweosme pumpkin stamp.

Today's card is all about paper piecing! Love it, never do it enough!

Polka dot madness!!

Well, thanks for dropping by for a visit. Hope you have enjoyed this week's Take 3 Challenge!

Donelda

Take 3 Challenge - Pumpkins - Take 2

2011-11-01T04:00:00.000-06:00

Welcome back to my Take 2 card this week using this great pumpkin stamp. Today's card is a thank your card and so very Clean and Simple!! and oh so different from yesterdays!!

The pumpkin was coloured with some Orange stickles (thanks Secret Sister!!) and the leaves are colored with Diamond stickles. The effect is amazing in real life. I tried to capture it here ...

I'd also like to say that this is my entry for Susan R's Gratitude Challenge. This card will be heading off to someone whom needs to hear that I am thankful for them!!

Okay, that's 2 takes down and just one left, which will be here on the ole blogo tomorrow! Hope you pop back in to check it out!!

Donelda

Take 3 Challenge - Pumpkins - Take 1

2011-10-31T04:00:00.001-06:00

Hello again and welcome back to another installment of one of my Take 3 Challenges. This is where I use 1 stamp (or item) on 3 different cards, showcasing each on Mon, Tue, and Wed of the week.

Today's Take 1 card is a Halloween card, of course! Happy Halloween!! Typically I'm not a real halloween card maker but this year I did create a few (3 to be exact) using this pumpkin from Craftsmart.

This panel started off white ... believe it or not! Gotta love distress inks!! And that soft ribbon is an oldie from Stampin' Up! Loved it so much back then I bought 2 spools ... still love it and have decided I'd better start using it!! LOL!!

Drop back in tomorrow to see a TOTALLY different card for my Take 2 card. Can't wait till you see it!! All you clean and simple (CAS) gals out there, you are gonna loooove it!!!

Till tomorrow,

Donelda

Play Date Cafe challenge #105 - You Did It!

2011-10-30T17:31:00.000-06:00

Here are the yummy colours of the latest Play Date Cafe challenge #105. I just couldn't resist

And came up with this. I am really getting into these wide banner shaped elements on my cards these days. You can see another one on THIS card.

Well, I seem to be on a roll with the challenges today. This is my third post today. Scroll down to see my other 2 challenge cards.

Donelda

CAS-ual Fridays #26 - sketch

2011-10-30T15:53:00.000-06:00

I am really enjoying the CAS-ual Friday challenges and today is no exception! This week there is a great sketch to inspire us.

And here is my card. I have had this idea swimming around in my head for a long time.

A close up of the polka dot background. I used clear embossing powder for a subtle effect. My goal was the dots would mimic the holes in the cheese. So funny!

I did take some liberties with the sketch ... arn't sketches just a guide .. to inspire!! I know the design team did an outstanding job with this sketch but now I think I'll go see what everyone else did with it.

Thanks for dropping by.

Donelda

One Layer Wednesday (OLW) 70 - Red and White

2011-10-30T11:12:00.001-06:00

So, Susan posted the One Layer Wednesday Challenge #70 - Red and White! It would make sense for this to be a holiday challenge but that was not required ... so I did this ...

Essentially it is a one layer card since there is no extra layer on top of the card!! The sentiment is stamped ona white piece of cardstock adhered to the inside of the card. I almost stamped it in black ... which would have been a 'no no' according to the challenge!! LOL!!

But in my effort to use up my scraps better, I took the heart and made this card which does have black and a second layer ...

There, valentine cards completed for my boys!! :-)

Hope you are having a good weekend!

Donelda