Tag Along with Me over At Altered Pages

Hi Everyone!  Today I invite you to tag along with me as I share my latest creations over at Altered Pages.

Having recently attended the Australia/NZ AFA Meet in Sydney I was inspired by one of my crafty friends and her Altered Tag Workshop to create some tags.  Six to be exact, with 3 different themes -Summer, Fairies and Halloween.

To see them all you will have to pop over to the Altered Pages blog, where I also share the details of the Collage Sheets and Papers I have used.

Progressive Challenge Play!

Hi Everyone!  I did manage to find a few minutes this afternoon to do some crafting so I am back with my second post today with a card I have created for no other reason than to play.  Over the weekend I signed up to play along with the current progressive challenge happening over at The Crafters Digital Art Centre (CDAC).

The image I am using is the first provided freebie digi for their progressive challenge and is from Tiffany Doodles.

I have paper pieced the surf boards and colored the sand with my Tria Markers. I have then cut this out and layered over two strips of teal colored cardstock which I have cut with my decorative scissors to look like waves.  I have highlighted the crest of the waves with my white gel pen.  A couple of shell brads from the Eyelet Outlet and my sentiment from Unity Stamp Co finish this off.   My card base is a ribbed cardstock purchased from Time to Create my Local Scrapbooking Store. My card is representing how I am feeling today as being the first days of Spring and September it means that my birthday is just around the corner and as always we are planning to go away for a few days.  The Beach is our favorite Destination for a short escape!  So whether it be The Beach, my Birthday or simply Summer I am counting the days! 

In creating this card I am also playing along with the following challenges:

Oldie but a Goodie Challenge - Paper Piecing (both the papers I have used for the surf boards and the seashell brads are older than two years old).
Crafty Creations Challenges - #185 A Summer Scene
The Perfect Sentiment - #PSC47 Anything Goes with a Sentiment
Dream Valley Challenges - #40 Something Old/Something New (Old papers and brads, new digi only received today)
Pan Pastels UK Challenges - #34 All About Stripes (Striped Paper on Surf Board and Ribbed Cardstock is striped)

Platypus Creek New Summer Digis & Cutting File Release Day 1

Good Morning Everyone and hello and welcome to my new followers. Although its mid winter here in Australia, I have been thinking of Summer not only because I hate the cold, but because I have been playing with the new Digital Images from Platypus Creek for their Summer Release.

Today sees the release of the Beach Icon's Digis and Cutting Files.

Digi:  Beach Icons from Platypus Creek, Sentiment:  Unity KOTM Stamps

Papers:  Echo Park , Other:  SU Ribbon, Clear Rhinestones.

For my card I have simply colored in the images with my Tria Markers, punched them out with my square punch, matted on a larger yellow square cut with my spellbinders nesting square die, mounted with a pop dot and added them to my card.  The sentiment is from one of my Unity KOTM Stamp Sets. And yes  I am definitely counting the days till summer if not spring is here!

Be sure to head over the Platypus Creek Blog to see more of the wonderful projects from the DT today and join us all again tomorrow for Day 2 of the Summer Release where you will find Summer Oliver and Ella having fun at the Beach.

Digi Haven Challenge #3 - Summer

This week's challenge over at Digi Haven is a great one for me as its all about summer and bring on Summer I say, as we are mid winter here and its freezing and wet.

To play along with any of the Digi Haven Challenges you have to use a free digital image which can be a forever freebie or just one you found that is currently available for free for the duration of their challenge.

Image by ScrapHappy Paper Crafter

 

When I found the fun image I am using today I just knew it was the one for me.  When it comes to covering up, Slip Slop Slapping and all that at the beach I know what a site for sore eyes I must be with my snow white skin, broad brim hat and over-generously curved body...lol so I could totally relate to this picture, plus the umbrella reminded me of one my parents had when we were growing up.

I found the image here at the ScrapHappy Paper Crafter Blog.  I used my Tria Markers to color the image and teamed it up with some bright and summery papers from Echo Park and flowers from my stash.

My sentiment was left over pieces I had cut out with my Cuttlebug Typewriter Alphabet for another project. Layered over my background papers gives it a great striped appearance.

I so wish we had at least the warmth of summer here today if not the sunshine.

Other Challenges I am entering this card into are:

Cute Card Thursdays - #222 Here Comes Summer
LEJ Designs - #9 Summer's Here
Try it One Tuesdays - Anything Goes
The Corrosive Challenge Blog - #152 Summertime Girls

September - The month that was.

I finally made it back to share with you all what I got up to in September.

At the beginning of September I joined the Artistic Document Forum and started playing along with their Around the World in 80 Days Challenge.  This is an ongoing challenge (80 days to be exact) where a new destination and challenge is posted every 8 days.  So far we have visited Victorian London for a Steam Punk Challenge, Paris France to pay homage to our favorite Impressionist Painter, and Istanbul Turkey to admire the colours and patterns of their beautiful ceramic tiles.

Victorian London, Steampunk Layout.

Claude Monet, Waterlillies Inspired Layout

Turkish Tiles Inspired Layout

The Stick N Giggle Scrap Retreat at Caloundra was in September so I travelled their with Shazz from the Scrap Lounge and her friend Cheryl.  We had a blast and I don't think I have laughed so much in a long time.  For the retreat I made some Summer/Beach Themed ATC's to swap. 

2 of the 3 ATC's I made to swap at the Retreat

We also had the option of doing a class where we made a gorgeous Steam Punk Moving Layout.

Steam Punk Class Layout at the Stick N Giggle Retreat

Celebrations a plenty, it was my sisters, my own and my father's birthday's during the month.  My DH surpised me by having the day off work and taking me to a surprise lunch with my family.  I also received some beautiful cards from my scrapping/blogging friends.

In between both my own birthday and my fathers was our Butterfly Day Fundraiser.........where we held two card making sessions so the weeks prior to this day were often spent cutting up the pieces to make the card I was teaching on the day in front of the TV at night.  It was a wonderful day had by all and I was very lucky to come home the winner of quite a few raffle prizes which included some beautiful bromeliads, a set of Dark Room Door Stamps, a beautiful plate, and a quilted/patchwork pillow.  Below is one of the cards made on the day.

The butterfly card I designed to teach at our Fundraiser Day

I also found sometime to participate in two of the Scrap Lounge September Cybercrop Challenges

This was the sketch challenge.  I just love Elephants.

At the end of August I had placed an order from Bottlecap Inc in the U.S. which arrived mid September.  I am planning on selling bottlecaps to make scrapbook embellishments, keyrings, fridge magnets and jewellery as well as making these items to sell.  So I just couldn't resist taking some time out to play with these items too!  I made some monogrammed keyrings to give each of the girls who make up the Compassionate Crafters Group to celebrate our very first fundraising event.

As well as all of the above I also was busy with my Design Team Committments, the weekly Party Time Tuesdays Challenge Examples and the October ScrapLounge Projects for their Sketch and Technique Challenges.  I also joined in an Inspirational Word ATC Swap on the Artistic Document Forum so have completed 9 of these to get in the post on Monday. 

Finally to finish the month in Honor of World Card Making Day, which is October 1st.   I was asked to do a challenge on the ScrapLounge.  I made it a card sketch challenge based on the design of one of the cards I received from my blogging and card making friend Christy for my birthday.  Below is the sketch and my example that I made.

So as you can see although I wasn't posting as regularly on here I was busy.  I will be back tommorrow to share with you my October Projects for the Scrap Lounge.

Thanks for stopping by.

Summer Card Camp Week 2

Today is the first chance I have had to make some cards using this weeks colour combination.  Again these are colours I wouldn't normally reach for to use together so I am having great fun leaving my comfort zone and being inspired by the many fabulous examples from our teachers and guest designers as well as all the other participants who upload their creations to the student gallery.

When these colours were first introduced by our Camp Hostess she mentioned that these colours reminded her of things such as Watermelon and Margarita's.  This is one girl who takes after my own heart and when I heard watermelon I just knew I was going to use the watermelon stamp from the Unity June Kit of the Month which had only arrived late last week.  The sentiment is also from the same kit.

Stamps:  Unity June KOTM, Cardstock:  Stampin' Up!

Ink:  Black Archival Ink and SU Stampin' Write Markers Garden Green, Real Red and Peach Parfait,

Ink Pads Peach Parfait and So Saffron, and Reinkers Green Galore.

Other:  Coloured Twine, SU Buttons and SU Scallop Border Punch

To create my image panel, I firstly stamped the watermelons in Black Archival Ink onto gloss card.  I also at this time stamped a few extras on normal white card to create a mask.  I covered my stamped watermelons with the mask and then mixed a bit of one of my SU Green Reinker's with some alcohol blending solution and sponged, dabbed across the gloss card.  Once dry I then proceeded to colour in my watermelons using Garden Green, Real Red and Peach Parfait SU Markers.  I stamped my sentiment onto white cardstock which I then sponged with a combination of Peach Parfait and So Saffron Ink and then very messily added some faux stitching to the edges of my scalloped sentiment panel. 

I thought the teaming of these colours with black really made them pop and I am now definitely inspired to play with these colours some more.  I will hopefully be back to post a couple of these cards in the next few days.

Summer Card Camp Week 1

Earlier this week I signed up to attend Summer Card Camp.  The focus of this 4 week camp is on colour and it is being taught by Jennifer McGuire & Kristina Werner with 24 other Guest Designers also dropping by to share their creations and card making tips.

I wouldn't have thought of using all these five colours together in a Million years, so to get used to the idea I started with simply combining cardstock and ink to play with this combination.

Here are some of the cards I have created.

  

Stamps:  Unity June KOTM

Ink:  Stampin' Up  Rich Razzleberry, Marina Mist, Pumpkin Pie, Melon Mambo,

Whisper White & Basic Black (Ink Pad & Markers)

Other:  Clear Embossing Powder, Grosgrain Ribbon

For this card the Number Panel was stamped in black, clear embossed and then the colours sponged over to colour in the numbers. The cupcake stamp was using the direct to rubber technique with my SU Markers and then stamped. I then coloured in the cupcake wrapper. The sentiment was simply stamped.

Stamps:  Unity June KOTM

Ink:  Stampin' Up, Cardstock:  Stampin' Up

Other:  Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder, Martha Stewart Scallop Wave Punch, Purple MT Tape

The image was done with my markers using the direct to rubber technique to allow all four colours to be stamped at once.  I then sponged the blue over the top.  At the top I have added the scalloped wave with stitching and MT Tape.  The bottom I have layered the pink with a white strip which has been embossed with the Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder. 

Stamps: Unity June KOTM, SU Sentiment from Because I Care (Hostess Set)

Ink: Stampin' Up, Cardstock: Stampin' Up

Other: Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder, Martha Stewart Scallop Wave Punch,

SU Small, Large,  and Scallop Oval and Itty Bitty Flower Punches and Rhinestone.

For my third card using the left over embossed panel from the second card I have simply sponged the colours over the design, added a scalloped wave piece and layered my sentiment.

This weekend I will be breaking out the patterned paper and trying some of the sketches and designs shown throughout the week with these colours. 

These bright summer colours just might be the answer to keeping the winter blues away......who knows.

Thanks for stopping by.

Life is a Beach - Dreaming of Warmer Weather

Yesterday was one of the coldest mornings so far this year.  Although we have a wood fireplace at home I am having to rug up to be in my craft room or office because the warmth of the fire doesn't reach there and somedays I feel like the Michelin Man, or can at least relate to him.  Anyway this week I have had fun exploring a lot of the international challenge blogs where they are celebrating warmer weather with lots of Summer Themed Challenges, knowing that I had the perfect new stamp to try for such a challenge.

My LSS Time to Create has recently got in a range of stamps from Crafty Individuals and I have fallen in love with them.  I have used one of them today and plan to be playing very soon with my others.  Luckily  I have been selling some of my old stamps because I certainly have purchased quite a lot of new stamps lately.  Ssssshhhhhhh!!! don't tell my hubby.

I am just loving this wonderful image it brings back such fond memories for me as I spent many a school holiday at the beach and during my late teens travelled up every weekend to Coolum on the Sunshine Coast where I was a Volunteer Surf Lifesaver during the Summer Months.

The Sentiment Life is a Beach is also from the same stamp set.  I coloured in the image with my SU Markers and Sponged some colour onto the background.  I choose my papers accordingly to match and represent the bright fun colours of Summer.  The papers are from the Echo Park Life is Good Collection..

I have made this card for the following challenges:

Anything Goes Challenge Blog - Here Comes Summer - Challenge 43
Stamptacular Sunday Challenge - #116 Fun in the Sun