Fall into Autumn

Hello Everyone!

I've been mega busy this week finishing up some crafty projects and trying to use up a glut of apples from our apple tree, so far I've made Apple Crumble cupcakes and I am planning an Apple Pie and an Apple Crumble to freeze, but if anyone has any other suggestions I wouldn't mind hearing them!

This week we have the theme of "FALL DAYS" at Delightful Challenges, we want you to look ahead to the next season and share your autumnal creations with us!

Here is my take on it:

I'm especially happy about the layered flower, it really gives the card a lot of dimension IRL.

Sponsor this week is Joanna Sheen, the winner will win a 10 pound store voucher. I love Joanna's online store and have ordered there several times. Great products, great service and best of all: no p&p worldwide!  I can't be any more positive about her store if I tried :) You might find something to your liking as well!

Materials: 
* DD Pumpkin Lara and Fall sentiments set, coloured with Promarkers and Spectrum Noirs
* Studio Light & DCWV Photo Stack 2 DPs
* Pumice Stone Distress Ink
* My Mind's Eye Bloom & Grow Flower Decoupage pad, distressed with Vintage Photo Distress Ink, embossed, shaped and layered
* Gems, pearl, peel off and scraps from my stash

Right, back to the kitchen I go, wish me luck! :)

Challenges
* Sweet 'n Sassy (Fall Inspiration)
* Natalie & Amy (Anything Goes)
* Whoopsi Daisy (Use 2 Patterned Papers)
* Come and Get It (3D Flowers)
* Craft Your Passion (Emboss It, I've embossed the flower)
* Eureka Stamps (Anything Goes)
* Crazy Challenge (Anything Goes)
* By the Cute and Girly (Fruity; Apparently pumpkins are technically a fruit! Who knew!)
* Srapalicious USA (Anything Goes)
* I love Promarkers (Anything Goes, you have to use Promarkers though)

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Let's Get Spooky!

Happy Monday everyone!

Well, we just had a lovely couple of days out, just lovely weather and great scenery! We rented a couple of bikes and explored the whole island, even dipped our toes in the North Sea. And on top of that, my post for Thursday published as scheduled, what more could a girl want eh? ;) Just one more week until it's back full force at work, can't say I'm looking forward to that right now but I guess I will be getting in the swing of things soon enough :)

Today I am sharing with you my first creation for the Platypus Creek Digitals DT, the challenge is "LET'S GET SPOOKY" this time around. I've decided to make a Halloween tag:

Materials:
* K&Co Roam Tag Pad, distress with TH Distress tool and inked with green and gold ink
* Platypus Creek Digital Halloween Cat & Cast a Spell digis, coloured with Spectrum Noirs & Promarkers
* Scalloped circle punch
* Purple and green ribbon, star-shaped and flower gems and green glitter from stash

I hope you can join us, you don't have to use a PCD image, but we'd love to see what you can do with them! The winner of the challenge will receive a free digi file of their choice. There's not only digis by the way, PCD also stocks digi papers and cutting files. If you'd like to see more, check our the shop website!

Challenges:
* Sweet Stampin' (Out of the Frame)
* Allsorts (It's a Gift)
* One Stitch at a Time (Use a Digi)
* Robyn's Fetish (Anything but a Card)
* Paper Crafting Journey (Anything Goes)
* Hiding in My Craftroom (Share a Challenge: Out of the Frame)
* QKR Stampede Challenge (Anything Goes)
* Pile It On (Something beginning with P: purple, Platypus Creek digi)
* Challenges for Everybody (Anything Goes)
* Great Impressions (Animals)

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Diaper Baby Card

Hello Everyone!

I hope this post schedules itself properly, as we are having a mini break on one of the Dutch islands. Lovely just to get away :) Anyway, this week @ Delightful Challenges, we are looking for projects fitting the theme of "FANCY AND FRILLY".

I've interpreted the theme by incorporating a fancy fold technique I came across on Vicky's blog, which I have been following for a long time and is well worth checking out! Here's her tutorial on the Whiff of Joy blog if you're interested :) Really an easy fold to do and it looks so different. I've used an old tag as a template to cut out my double sided tag from the same double-sided paper as I made the diaper fold from, I really like this alternative fold and colour scheme for a baby card! Something different :)

Materials:
* Digital Delights Little Dumpling & Baby Sentiment Set, coloured with Promarkers and Spectrum Noirs
* Echo Park For the Record DP
* Gold ink around the edge of the tag and for the sentiments
* Peel offs and ribbons from my stash

Our sponsor is The Cutting Cafe this week, who have made 3 sets available from their store for the winner!

http://thecuttingcafe.typepad.com/

Let me know what you think, I am very curious to hear your opinion! It's not a traditional baby card, but have already someone in mind for who is having a baby girl late this year, hope she will like it!

Challenges
* Moving Along with the Times (Anything but Square)
* Card Makin' Mamas (Try Something New - Diaper Fold)
* Polka Doodles (Tags)
* Craft Your Days Away (Anything Goes)
* Creatalicious Challenge (Fantasy or Baby) FINAL CHALLENGE!
* Robyn's Fetish (Use a Digi)
* Always Crafting (Kids)
* House of Gilli (Add a Sentiment)
* Paper Pretties (Primary Colours)
* Songbird Challenges (Over the Rainbow)

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Jingle Punch

Hello everyone!

The theme this week is "PUNCHES & DIES", a perfect opportunity for me to get my new punches out. A few weeks back, my local craft store had a summer sale and I had a blast rummaging through all the discounted items and coming up with some real gems, like a couple of Martha Stewart border punches and some lovely stamp sets. I don't know about you, but I love a crafty bargain, crafting stuff can be SO expensive, especially the stuff that is to my taste ;) So I don't mind a lovely discount, thank you very much. How Dutch of me ;)

Anyway, our sponsor this week is

http://www.cutnpastememories.com/

This week, I decided to make a Christmas card, had it all worked out in my head but of course something went a little awry in the execution, I tried to fix it, that made it even worse, so I salvaged what I could and thought I'd make a little Christmas scene instead. I used my MS punches to create the landscape of a hill and snow underfoot and am pretty pleased with the end result.

Materials:
* Create & Craft base card
* Hunkydory the Cat's Meow DP, used Stickles on the stars and distressed the edges
* Digital Delights Jingles and Tree and Christmas sentiments set, coloured with Promarkers en Spectrum Noirs (I am especially happy about the boots, seems my colouring is improving somewhat)
* MS Doily Lace & Snow Men Border punches, used to make the snow and a background hill (used up some of those little scraps I had lying around, which was very gratifying)
* Tumbled Glass and Victorian Velvet Distress Inks
* Sew Easy Brown Floss
* Gems from my stash

Challenges
* Sparkles Christmas (Punch It)
* Hiding in My Craft Room (Super Scraps Saturday)
* Stamping with the Dragon (Christmas in August)
* Craft a Scene (Anything in the Great Outdoors)
* Dream Valley (Die-cuts and Punches)
* Pan Pastel (Create a Scene)
* Kreative Stempel Freunde (Create a Scene)
* Critter Sketch Challenge (Use a Digi)
* House of Gilli (Add a Sentiment)
* My Time to Craft (Christmas in August)

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Anniversary trip to Dublin LO

Hello Everyone!

A while ago I did promise you some pictures from our anniversary trip to Dublin, but hadn't really found the time yet to scrap them. But this week's challenge @ Delightful Challenges really had my creative juices flowing and I decided this would be a perfect opportunity to show you. The theme this week is "FABRIC, FIBER & TRIM". Our sponsor this time is Scrapy Land, giving you a chance to win a 20 dollar gift card to spend in their store!

http://www.scrapyland.com/

My mum gave me the lace a while back, she was throwing away a top but had cut off the lace detail, asking whether it could be of any use to me in a crafty project. Of course I said yes, but really didn't know yet what to make with it, as it's so heavy. This project was perfect for it, as it doesn't require me sending it in the post and spending a fortune on stamps. I sewed a green ribbon along the edge to make it pop a little, but as I am not a sewer and did it by hand, forgive me if is isn't very uniform stitching. But then again, I think it adds to the charm ;) I've used Cuddle Bunny and the Pot of Gold frame here, the latter one was perfect to include some journaling. I think I might be able to get into the habit of this scrapping malarkey, it was really good fun.

I am sure you can see I am pretty much a beginner at scrapping, as I really don't know yet when to stop, I keep adding more things until the whole page is covered LOL! But I had lot's of fun making it and remembering things we did while there.

Material:
* Me & My Big Ideas Fashion District Scrapbook paper
* Digital Delights Pot of Gold frame and Cuddle Bunny, both coloured with Promarkers and Spectrum Noirs
* Green ink for inking edges
* Cosmic Shimmer Red Fire Twinkles on the bunny's heart
* My Mind's Eye Bloom & Grow Decoupage pad Flower
* Lace, ribbon, brad, gems and button from my stash

Challenges
* Hobby Vision (Anything Goes)
* Krea Teja (Anything Goes)
* Tip Top Tuesday (Focus on the Ribbon)
* A Blog names Hero (Freestyle)
* One Stop Craft (City Breaks)
* Forever Friends (Something New - Scrapbooking with digis)
* Craft Your Passion (Anything Goes)
* Joanna Sheen (Try Something New - Scrapbooking with digis)
* Crafts & Me (Use a Digi)
* Creative Inspirations (Anything Goes)

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My sympathies

Hello all,

Today I have a very sad card to show you, one of my dad's friends lost his wife this weekend after several years of illness. Of course we were going to send a card, but I didn't have any more sympathy cards in my stash. So this is what I came up with yesterday morning:

I don't really like to 'jazz up' such cards, as I don't really feel it's that appropriate, so kept it pretty plain. Hope the family likes it.

Materials:
* Kraft base cad
* Silver and bronze matted card, distressed
* Studio Light 3D image
* Flower punch
* Some scraps, ribbon, brown pearls and peel off letters from my stash

Challenges:
* Perfect Sentiments (CAS Sympathy card)
* Unstampabelles (Paper Flowers)
* Crafty Sentiments (CAS)
* Deep Ocean Challenge (Anything Goes)
* Papertake Weekly (Anything Goes)
* Creative Inspirations (CAS)
* Pile it On (Add Metal - Metal-coloured card)
* Crafty Pad (Show Some Metal - Metal-coloured card)
* Ribbon Girl (Bingo - I've used ribbon, pearls and an image)
* Catch the Bug (Anything Goes)

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Birthday Monkey

Hello Everyone!

Another crafty mile stone for me, as I can now show you my first make as a Delightful Challenge DT member! Very exciting for me, I have been playing with Wendy's images for the entire month and have been feeling really inspired by them, there's just so much choice! Which is a good thing, as this is a weekly challenge, which I have never been a part of before. I'm curious to see where this DT term takes me! If you'd like to take a look at the images for yourself, you can find a link to the shop and the challenge blog in my right side bar :)

This first challenge is nice and easy, with the theme of "BIRTHDAY". Now, we all need birthday cards in our stash, right? Well, this is the perfect time to add to your collection, because you can win a lovely prize.

We are being sponsored by 

 http://www.markerpop.com/catalog/

offering a 15 dollar gift voucher for the winner!

And the best thing is, they don't only have markers, but also gorgeous paper pads, stamps, ink, washi tape and much much more! I think I might have a little look around their website myself after I've blogged this post :) 

Everyone in the DT is working with the new August release images for this challenge, I used Birthday Maycee Monkey. What a cute little monkey this is, I thought it would work really well for a kid's birthday card and that's what I did with it. I think the DP really perfectly matches my colouring and the Distress Ink and I'm really happy using up some of the brads I've had since I started crafting! 

I love the bright colours with this image, although I think next time I'd like to try using pastels, just to see what it would look like.

Hope to see you at the challenge, I'm looking forward to see your creations and giving your blog some crafty love in return! Have a great day :) 

Materials: 
* Digital Deligths Birthday Maycee Monkey + circle sentiment, coloured with Promarkers and Spectrum Noirs
* My Mind's Eye Fine and Dandy True Blue DP
* Tumbled Glass Distress Ink (appropriately a birthday present from my hubs!)
* Orange brads from stash

Challenges
* Joanna Sheen Challenge (Animal Crackers)
* Use it Tuesday (Uncut Paper --> I've never used these DP sheets, as I always thought they were so bright and busy and would not work with my style of projects. WRONG! Really wished I'd used them sooner now)
* Fashionista Challenge (Baby or Birthday)
* Forever Friends (Anything Goes, but use an animal on your project)
* Truly Madly Crafty (Animals)
* Send a Smile for Kids (Animal cards)
* Saturday Challenge (Bright and Cheerful)
* Speedy Fox and Friends Challenge (Juvenile Birthday)
* Pattie's Creations (Animal or Insect)
* Stampavie and More (Birthday)

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Candy Cane Christmas

Hello everyone!

First of all, I keep forgetting, but a special hello to my new followers, I'm really pleased you could join me and I hope you like my creations :) And a hello to my 'old' followers too of course, thanks for sticking around :)

It's August, people! Can you believe it? Not long now and it will be a year ago since we bought our first house, it feels like we've been living here forever though , soooooooo comfortable! Anyway, a new month obviously also means a new challenge at CCAYR, Tracey's chosen the theme of  "KIDS CHRISTMAS". In other words, make a Christmas themed card for a child. Tracey give us some of her own digis to work with, I've used Candy Cane Oliver. Lovely fella to colour in, love the candy cane too! I've printed out a smaller version of the digi to incorporate in the sentiment inside to tie it in with the rest of the card, which worked out pretty well I think.

I will see you all tomorrow with my first Delightful Challenges DT card, see you then!

Materials
* Platypus Creek Candy Cane Oliver Digi, coloured with Promarkers and Spectrum Noirs
* Basic Grey Jovial DP, distressed
* Joy Flower punch (I'm using it as a snow flake!)
* Round corner & Scalloped Circle punches
* Purple Holographic card, silver brads from stash
* Sentiment stamp from Daisy & Dandelion All Wrapped Up Stamp set
* Cosmic Shimmer Red Fire Twinkles (inside card)

Challenges
* Cutie Pie Challenge (Christmas in July)
* Digi Days Challenge (Christmas in July)
* ABC Christmas Challenge (Open It Up)
* Let's Craft & Create (Scrapbuster --> Used up the leftover scraps for decoration inside the card)
* Sassy Studio (Holiday card with 3 type of patterned papers --> 2 DPs and holograhic card)
* Pixie Challenge (Christmas theme)
* Sweet Stampin' (Christmas in July)
* Splendiferous Creations (Christmas in July)
* Platypus Creek Digitals (Traditional Christmas)
* Clear It Out (Christmas in July)

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