January - Garnet Birthstone

August 31st 2011

By her who in this month was born

No gem save garnet shall be worn

They will ensure her constancy

True friendship and fidelity.

I found this little poem at this site and it's perfect for the new "Birthstone" challenge at The Shabby Tea Room this week. And obviously as you can see my birthstone is the "Garnet" so I've made this card with garnet as the main colour.

To make the card I "layered" several images from Dezinaworld including a Shabby Chic background with a gorgeous lady in red plus a cute little hat! I've mounted this "collage" onto a piece of reddish textured paper and have sponged the edges with "worn white" folk art paint to soften it.

I also printed another hat and cut out the butterfly and glued it onto the first image to give a 3D effect as well as added some tulle to make the ribbon on hat. I made the little tulle flower and stitched it onto the corner of the card and added a few pearl beads as the centre.

I love the "rich" colours of this card and am also putting it into June's Gallery at Dezinaworld.

Too Cute to Spook!

August 29th 2011
I've made this cute little card for several challenges.

One is the new challenge at the Forever Night Blog which has a theme this week of "Too Cute To Spook" hence I've used a cute little "witch" boy from a collage sheet from Lisa's Altered Art. And the patterned papers are from a BasicGrey 6 x 6 Pad Titled "Pyrus".

I've used the latest sketch to layout my card from The Sweetest Thing Challenge Blog and I chose the "Pyrus" BasicGrey Pad beacuse the colours were like the new Cupcake Inspiration Challenge.

Because we don't really celebrate Hallowe'en in Australia I added a "Magical Birthday" stamp sentiment.

Have a "Steamy" Xmas!

August 28th 2011
This is my "Steamy" Xmas card for the new Octopode Factory Challenge "Steampunk"!

I have a fantastic Collage sheet which I purchased from Lily - "Santa's Grotto" which had this really cute steampunk looking Xmas Girl on it - perfect for this new challenge!

I've used some Steampunk Flower images to make a "Xmas Tree" and also a little Steampunk Butterfly for the top of the tree - these images are from June at Dezinaworld. The background is some sheet music for the Xmas Carol "O Christmas Tree" and I've coloured over it with pastels. I have cut little letters out to make the Xmas Greeting and added some bits of pink mesh behind the tree and "punky" girl!

A great "alternative" & "fun" Xmas Card!

Bathing Beauty

August 28th 2011
The new "inspirational" picture at the Soartful Blog this week is of a "Bathing Beauty".

I had made this all fabric tag/bookmark using a Gecko Galz image for the Oh La La Group at the Bella Creations Community and thought it was just perfect for the new Soartful Challenge.

I bought the great "sparkly" aqua fabric especially for this bookmark as I thought it had an aquatic feel and was a great colour. The beach babe image is on calico and has been adhered to the tag which was sewn together on my sewing machine. I also added some blue braid to the top and bottom and made the little "Beach Babe" wording myself. I added some blue coloured fibres to the top and some sea coloured embellisments as well as a seahorse charm.

The Starfish

August 27th 2011

Can you believe it's Pink Saturday again! This week I've made a Clean & Simple card using a new design from Chris at CS Designs "The Starfish".

It is also being entered at the new Less is More Challenge Blog which this week has a "Recipe" which is to use "3" of the previous challenges to make your card - I've chosen: Week 19 "In a Frame" (the image is framed), Week 22 "Shades of Blue" (blue shaded background) & Week 29 "Things that Move" (starfish moves across the ocean floor!). And Week 17 "Pick a Square" as Mandi pointed out my Shades of Blue has pink as well!!!!!

As you can see I've coloured the starfish "pink" so I could use it for today's post! I printed some extra designs and coloured the starfish and then added them to the corner of the design which was printed directly onto the card.

Hope you all have a gret Pink Saturday and enjoy visiting a few new blogs!

Full Fathom Five

August 25th 2011

Full Fathom Five Thy Father Lies

(Ariel's Song from The Tempest)



Full fathom five thy Father lies, 

Of his bones are Corrall made: 

Those are pearles that were his eies, 

Nothing of him that doth fade, 

But doth suffer a Sea-change 

Into something rich & strange 

Sea-Nymphs hourly ring his knell. 

Harke now I heare them, ding-dong, bell. 

This card has been made using one of the new digis Chris has realeased at CS Designs - Sea Nymph Montage plus I have used her Spirelli Templates - aren't they great? So much fun to play around with.

The great wavy patterned paper gave just the effect I was looking for - I wanted the Spirelli and Sea Nymph to look like they were being "rolled" around on the ocean by the waves!

And have you seen our new challenge blog - Art with no Boundaries? We would love you to share you Oceanic/Aquatic creations with us! All the details are at the blog and remember you can use any medium you like and any images! This new blog is a great way to get arty and share some inspiration with everyone!

Primary Colours!

August 24th 2011

The new challenge this week is "Primary Colours" and this is my last project as a Visiting Artist! I want to thank everyone at Gingersnap Creations for allowing me the honour of creating for them this month - I've loved it!!

As you can see this week I've made a door hanger using the colours - RED - BLUE - YELLOW. The images are from Paper Imagery Designs and I thought the little "blue" baby and yellow flowers were a perfect match for the wooden hanger I painted red! Of course I couldn't resist adding my own little sentiment!

Thanks & Thanks

August 23rd 2011

Well this is the last challenge for my 6 month term as a Design Team member for Michelle Perkett Studio and it is very fitting that our last challenge is "Thank You"!

We wold love to see what you can come up with for this challenge! Remember to use a MPS image and check out our challenge blog for some more inspiration from the rest of the Design Team!

More "Aquatic" Inspiration

August 21st 2011

Have you seen our new challenge blog? Art With No Boundaries is a new fortnightly challenge blog where we can all share some inspiration with each other! This fortnight's theme is "The Ocean / Aquatic / Nautical" and we would love to see what you can create! Our challenge is open to all forms of crafting as long as you have made it yourself!

This is my new card using one of the new "Loreley" designs from Chris at CS Designs. As you can see I have paper pieced this image using papers from my Basic Grey 6 x 6 Pad "Out of Print" and added some fabric flowers and frill which I made myself.

Please come and join us and leave a link to your creation so we can visit and be sure to visit the other "entries" as well - we would love to see what you can come up with!

I've also entered this at the new Basic Grey Anything Goes Challenge! Ands also at the Desert Islands Crafts Challenge Blog as my creation uses the following from their current itinerary: Paper Piecing & Ruffles & Fabric & Stitching (my fabric flowers are stitched and also the fabric ruffle).

A Sunbeam to warm you....

August 20th 2011

A sunbeam to warm you

A moonbeam to charm you

A sheltering angel

so nothing can harm you

Irish Blessing

This is my new very "pink" fabric tag using this fantastic image from Michelle Perkett Studio "Princess Lotus" - I just couldn't resist this design when I saw it! I thought the "blessing" was a great quote to use for Pink Saturday too!!!

The little lily flowers are from a set of flower images from June at Dezinaworld - I love these gorgeous pink lillies. I've added little yellow beads to their centres.

Happy Pink Saturday!

Bird Chirping Weather

August 19th 2011
The new theme at the Octopode Challenge Blog this week is - "Birds of a Feather" and Lily has some amazing bird designs!

I have used the set of unmounted rubber stamps I won in Lily's giveaway recently "3 Whimsical Long-Leg Birds" - aren't they cute and funky??

I've coloured them with copics and have used the August Sketch from the CLP Challenge Blog and papers from my 6 x 6 Basic Grey "Out of Print" patterned paper pad.

The quote I found at the Quote Garden site and I thought it matched these long legged birds perfectly!

The path to a friends house......

August 19th 2011

This is my new fabric wall hanging made with one of the new "homely" sentiments from CS Designs. And the flower and bee images are also from CS Designs. I just love the little bees!!!

It's made with co-ordinating fabrics and the bees from calico. Instead of "paper pieceing" I've "fabric pieced" LOL!!! I really love working with fabric and getting my sewing machine out and hand sewing too.

This is hanging in my home now although it would make a lovely gift for someone moving into a new home!

Tribute to Teens

August 17th 2011
What a great theme for the new Gingersnap Creations Challenge this week.

This is my third project as a Visiting Artist and I think is my favourite!! Although at first I was at a bit of a loss what to make for "teenagers". But I just love this bottle cap jewelry and as you can see I made a pair of earrings, a nacklace and a key ring all using my favourite Solitaire designs from CS Designs!

Here are some close up pictures of each of the pieces I made:

A Politician Should Have "Three" HATS

August 17th 2011

"HATS" is the new theme at The Three Muses Blog this week! and I decided to make a "set" of ATC's - I haven't made ATC's for ages so this was a great opportunity to create on a smaller scale!

The quote is by "Carl Sandberg" - A politician should have three hats, one for throwing in the ring, one for talking through and one for pulling rabbits out of if elected!!!!!

I couldn't resist using these little boys and hats from Lisa's Altered Art as I thought the hats they were wearing suited. I printed the text onto the backing paper - definitions of politician and also quotes to tie in. I printed each part of the quote onto sheer paper and tore around the text and adhered to the ATC with a coloured brad.

A bit of humour for the week I think!!!

Vintage Rose

August 16th 2011

This week's challenge is one of my favourite themes - Vintage. I've used Michelle's "Rose" image and have made this easel fold card in the vintage style. I've used earthy tonings, vintage lace, old text for the serendipity squares, little butterfly punchies and creams and brown cardstock.

Make sure you visit the Michelle Perkett Challenge Blog to get some more inspiration from the rest of the Design Team and get creating on your own entry.

Remember to enter this challenge you must use a Michelle Perkett Studio image!!

I'm No Angel

August 16th 2011
Another "humourous"??? Gothic creation!

The new "inspiration" at the Soartful Blog is the blonde starlet "Mae West" - well I didn't feel like making anything "pretty" today so I've gone with my weird and quirky sense of humour and used a Gothic image from Dezinaworld (the woman, wings and background are all from June as well).

Here's the tag I came up with - still using Mae West as the "inspiration" and a quirky little saying I made up myself!!!! Note: "I'm No Angel" is the name of a film Mae West starred in (in 1933).

I'm also entering my "Gothic" card at this week's Macabre Monday Challenge at the Haunted Designs House Blog - theme of "Queen of the Damned" as she looks quite "royal" and has a gorgeous pearl studded tiara!!! LOL!!!

I hope you like it and I also hope you get a laugh out of it!!!!

Art With No Boundaries 1st Challenge

August 16th 2011

Well today is the day for the NEW Challenge Blog "Art With No Boundaries" and our theme is:

THE OCEAN / AQUATIC / NAUTICAL

We have chosen this theme to tie in with the new "Aquatic" Designs

Chris has just released at CS Designs.

But you don't have to use a CS Design to "play" just create to follow the theme!!

The challenge runs for a fortnight so you have plenty of time to join us!!

We would love to see what you can come up with!!!! All the details are on the blog but really it's easy - create to match the theme - any medium acceptable as long as you have created it yourself - link with the linky tool - visit the other links and leave comments - have fun and get some inspiration!!! Oh and don't forget to become a follower of the new blog so you can stay up to date with all the new challenges and we would love it if you add the "logo" to your sidebar and promote the new blog too!!

I've used the new "Loreley Zig Zags and Curls" Design and my nice bright Copic Markers to create this card! I've added some little dolphin beads, some bright yellow brads, some fibres. jewels and a piece of muslin to make her look like a real Ocean Siren!!! I hope you like her!!!!

I'll share some more Aquatic Inspiration soon!!!

Creepy Crawly Nefertari

August 15th 2011
The new "Freaky Friday Challenge" at the Forever Night Blog is a "Creepy & Crawly Mini Dark Art Challenge"!!!

I've made thisATC using Nefertari from the Solitaire Range at CS Designs - my favourite range of digis by Chris at the moment!

Firstly I printed the wording "creepy crawly" onto the cream batik paper then I printed Nefertari onto the paper and then I printed the little beetles crawling over!! I've highlighted parts of the image with gold, red and aqua Smooch and have attached the word "shrine" and a little piece of muslin to the bottom.

I love Egyptian style/theme designs and loved making this!!

Our NEW Challenge Blog - COMING MONDAY!!!

August 14th 2011

CS Designs are launching a brand new challenge blog on Monday: "Art With No Boundaries"!!!!
(Will go live on Monday)

We will be having a new "Themed" Challenge every fortnight to share some inspiration with you and we hope you can share some inspiration with us.

It's easy to join the fun:
1. Follow the theme for the fortnight
2. The work must be your own creation (created entirely by you)
3. Visit the other entries and leave them some encouraging comments and make friends!
4. Be sure to link back to us and mention in your blog post so we can encourage even more people to get inspired!
5. Become a follower of our blog and also if you see a "kindred" spirit consider following their blog!

Remember your submission does not have to be just paper related - any altered art or media as long as it is created entirely by you is acceptable! We would love to see a huge range of inspiration on the theme!

Note: You do not have to use CS Designs to be able to share your inspiration we would love to see whatever you create!

The rewards for entering will not be "material" BUT you will have FUN, CREATIVE INSPIRATION AND A CHANCE TO MAKE NEW FRIENDS!!!!

And each month 3 of our favourite submissions will be chosen by the DT and showcased at the top of next month's post!

Please "hop over" on Monday and become a follower and get creating for our "Debut" theme!!!

Things Sometimes Must Fade Before They Can Bloom Again

August 14th 2011

This card is for Vicki's new challenge over at her blog The Cheerful Stamp Pad - "Petals". I got the idea for using these Expressive Hearts Designs as a flower fromVicki as a while ago she posted a "flower" made using one of the hearts as the flower centre so that got me thinking and I came up with making a whole flower with them! These gorgeous heart designs are from Chris at CS Designs!!!

I used a swirly Flourish stamp from Kaiser for the "stem" of the flower and punched little hearts to look like petals falling to match the little quote I found. The card used is all textured Bazzill Cardstock.