Christmas Dreams

Good morning all!

I'm well and truly in Christmas card making mode now, it seems all the cards I make are Christmas-themed! I just need so many still! My card for today is no exception, I'm hoping to inspire you to join our challenge @ Fab 'n Funky this week, which is themed "Die-cuts/Punches". I went the punch route and used my gift box border and snow flake punches to create this card. I also used a rounded corner punch for the inside of the card. The base for this card was a lovely piece of glittery paper that I recently delved out of my stash, I forgot I even had it. I'm glad I found it though, as it's just so gorgeous and perfect for those holiday cards! Even though the dreamy image I used might not be obviously Christmas-themed, I think the total card is definitely festive.

Materials:
* Glitter paper & dark blue CS from stash
* Studio Light Decoupage image
* MS border punch 'Presents'
* Joy Crafts Flower punch (which I use for making snow flakes)
* Rounded corner punch
* Sentiment on the front from stash (perhaps from a Fairy Doodles die-cut sheet?)
* Eline's Winterhuis stamp set (sentiment inside)
* SEI Christmas Mint Vanilla Icing Accents
* Peel offs & gems from stash

Sponsoring us this week are Joanna Sheen & Stampart, have a look on the challenge blog to get the exact deets!

Challenges:
* Whimsy Stamps (All Things Sparkly)
* Southern Girls Challenge (Animal Crackers)
* Willow Sketchie Challenge (Sketch and/or Christmas in October) I used the theme only
* ABC Christmas Challenge (Vibrant Colours)
* Jingle Belles (Creature Feature)
* Crafty Ann's Challenge (Christmas in October)
* Winter Wonderland (Three Different Punches)
* Hot Shot Craft (Bling It On)
* Crafty Hazelnut (No Patterned Papers)
* 52 Christmas Card Throwdown (Die-cuts)

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Stitches Taking Flight

Good morning all!

Wow, just made the challenge deadline for today's post, work has been so busy will all kinds of last minute deadlines and then the printer decided it was calling it quits! But I just made it for this week's Delightful Challenge, which is "Faux or Real Stitching". I used both on my project, which is a LO from this summer when we went to visit the Aviodrome museum, which has  great exhibitions on planes and space flight. There's also lots of planes to see, a great day out. Hubbie even managed to get a picture taken with Andre Kuipers, our man in space! Ok, it's a cutout, but a fun photo nonetheless :) I decided to go with a circle theme, it didn't really turn out the way I envisioned it but I think it's still a pretty fun LO.

Materials:
* DCWV The Photo Stack 2 LO base
* Digital Delights Flying Bumble Bee Larry digi, coloured with Spectrum Noirs & Promarkers
* Sakura dark purple glitter gel pen for the faux stitching
* Assorted scraps to mat and layer the pictures
* Sew Easy Floss Brown to create the cross stitch
* Measuring tape washi tape from local department store (Hema)
* Silver ink
* Gems, flower, peel offs & brad from stash

Our sponsor this week is

offering 3 sets from their store as the prize for our winner! So let us see some of your 'stitchy' projects!

Challenges:
* Crazy Amigo (Clouds) On LO base and free-cut around the digi image
* Paper Makeup Stamps (Weather) Using Clouds
* Eureka (Things with Wings) Planes
* Ladybug Crafts (I Need a P) Planes
* Crafty Bloggers Network (Anything Goes)
* Fashionista Challenge (Anything Goes)
* Catered Crop (Circle Round)
* Challenges 4 Everybody (Anything Goes)
* One Stop Craft (Anything Goes)
* One Stitch at a Time (Use a Digi)

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Airy Puppy

Good Morning everyone!

I'm back with another challenge announcement @ Fab 'n Funky, this weeks it's "Animals" we want to see! Not too hard a theme, is it? So take your dog, cat, bear and other assorted animal images out and come have a play with us.

This week, the challenge is sponsored by Crimson Cloud and DigiDarla Designs and all the DT girls received some DigiDarla images to work with. I've chosen Puppies Up 2, such a cute little image and I had some cloudy DP that went perfectly with it. I was planning to make a gate fold card (yes again, I know), but I scored the wrong line and ended up with one flap wider then the other. So it's more of a fold-over this time. I kind of liked that though, so I'm still using it. Also, it did strike me that I could possibly use this a next time for making a handbag shaped card or a gift card holder. Sometimes mistakes are the start of a whole new set of crafty ideas :)

Materials:
* Create & Craft CS
* DigiDarla's Puppies Up 2 digi, coloured with Promarkers & Spectrum Noirs
* My Mind's Eye Fine and Dandy True Blue DPs
* Gold & Black Ink
* Kars Sentiment Stamp Set "Gefeliciflapsteerd"
* Eline Vintage Sentiment Stamp Set
* Pearls from stash

I hope you can join us this week, see you @ Fab 'n Funky!

Challenges:
* QKR Stampede (Animal Madness)
* Addicted to Stamps (Animal Friends)
* ABC Challenge (Zoo: Animal or Animal Print)
* One Stitch at a Time (Use a Digi)
* Pan Pastel (Animals)
* The Crafty Pad (Use an Animal)
* Cards Galore (Anything Goes)
* One Stop Craft Challenge (Anything Goes)
* Fussy & Fancy Friday (Anything Goes)
* Stamptacular Sunday (No Rules)

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Purple & Orange @ Halloween

Hi everyone,

Another week means another challenge at PCD, this time we are challenging you to use "Purple & Orange for a Halloween project". I made a little gift card, using half of the PCD bat frame, left over from when I made a little boo boo when trying to print several images out and ended up with only half of them on the paper.

Materials:
* Create & Craft CS
* Platypus Creek Digitals Bat Frame, coloured with Promarkers
* K&Co HW Mat Pad, edges distressed
* Sakura glitter gel pen to highlight the bats
* Eline Vintage Sentiment stamp

Challenges:
* Crafty Calendar (All Things Spooky)
* Crazy 4 Challenges (Orange/Black/Purple)
* Just Some Lines (Halloween)
* Sweet Stampin' (Halloween)
* ATC's with Attitude (Halloween/Anything Goes)
* Card Crafter's Circle (Halloween)
* Card Makin' Mamas (Time to get Spooky)
* Crafty Catz (Halloween)
* Our Craft Lounge (Scary & Spooky)
* Simply Create Too (Pumpkins)

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Christmas Caroling Polly

Happy Monday everyone!

Man, what a crazy weekend it's been! I've been working and crafting my little heart out the entire weekend, I might actually need another couple of days to recuperate! But it was pretty productive, so I can show you a Christmas card today that I made using DD Caroling Polly. Hope you like it!

Materials:
* Kraft CS
* Digital Delights Caroling Polly, coloured with Promarkers & Spectrum Noirs
* Basic Grey Jovial DPs
* Silver ink
* Pipoos Mini Notelet Pad Snow Men
* Pearls & Sentiment Peel offs from stash

Challenges: 
* Pixie Dust (Creative Costumes)
* ABC Christmas Challenge (Up to You)
* I love Promarkers (Anything Goes)
* Sparkles Christmas Challenge (Traditional)
* Totally Papercraft (Christmas 9 Weeks and Counting)
* Jingle Belles (Holiday Creature Feature)
* Christmas Stampin' All Year Long (Traditional Colours)
* Ooh La La (Christmas Sentiments)
* Totally Stampalicious (Christmas)
* Poodles Parlour (Anything Goes)

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Coral's Treats

Hi everyone!

Another week has flown by and we have another challenge for you @ Delightful Challenges! This time, we are looking for "Halloween Treats", which I interpreted as a card-tea light gift set:

Materials card:
* Create & Craft CS
* Digital Delights Coral the Witch & Fall Sentiment set
* Studio Light & Art Talent DP
* MS Doily Lace Border punch
* Ribbon from my stash

Materials tea light:
* Art Talent DP
* Vintage Page Accents
* Memories Direct black flower
* Gem from stash

Our challenge this week is sponsored by Whiff of Joy, now who doesn't want to win a prize from WoJ?

Hope to see you there!

Challenges:
* Dream Valley (Halloween)
* No Matter Which Challenges (Halloween or Halloween Colours)
* Scrappy Frogs (Fall or Halloween)
* Craft Your Passion (Witches)
* Eureka Stamps (Halloween and/or Spooky)
* Hooked on Craft (Halloween)
* Lexi's Creations (Halloween)
* Cutie Pie (Halloween)
* There She Goes (Fall/Halloween)
* Victorine Stamps (Halloween)

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Your Choice of Orange and Black

Good morning all!

Today I have a sweet card to share with you, made for a colleague who is currently on bed rest and can use a little pick-me-up right about now. Here's sweet fairy Lily, isn't she a cutie?

Materials:
* Scalloped base card
* Pink Cat Studio digi "Fairy Lily on a Swing", coloured with Promarkers & Spectrum Noirs
* First Edition Hideaway & Art Talent DP
* Black Ink
* Clear Stardust Glitter Glue
* Eline Vintage Sentiment Stamp Set
* Hunkydory The Cat's Meow Sentiment (inside the card)
* Gems from stash

I made this card with the new challenge @ Fab 'n Funky in mind, this week the theme's "Orange, Black & Another Colour of Your Choice". We are being sponsored by Pink Cat Studio, who is offering 5 digi images for the winner.

However, I did get a little carried away with adding more than one additional colour, so even though I'm actually really happy with the end result, it doesn't really match the challenge theme. Let's see if you can do better! I'd love for you to join us :)

Challenges:
* Paper Pretties (Orange, Black and one other colour) I've chosen purple as my additional colour
* Paper Cupcakes (Orange & Purple)
* Paper Crafting Journey (Add Some Bling) Gems and Glitter Glue on the Fairie's wings
* Whimsy Stamps (All Things Sparkly)
* Top Tip Tuesday (Things with Wings)
* Fashionista Challenge (Anything Goes)
* Cards Galore (Anything Goes)
* The Cupboard Trilogy (Things with Wings)
* Hot Shot Craft (Bling It On)
* Paper Play Challenges (Simply Cute)

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A Clever Sketch

Hello everyone!

Today I have a special project to share with you. Last week, the first PhD student I was involved in supervising received her PhD title. A big milestone in her life, obviously, but also one in mine as it's my first student to make it this far. So to make sure this occasion didn't just pass by, I made a little gift bag to hold a personalised gift. I bought her a pen with the date of her PhD defense engraved, something that she can use during her work days and serve as a reminder of this great accomplishment. I was (and am) really quite proud of her!

This project happily coincided with the new Delightful Challenge, as we are providing you with a sketch this time to inspire your project lay out. Now I'll let you in on a secret: I don't really like sketches. Me and sketches, we ain't friends. Whenever I try to do a sketch, I get carried away, start adding things where they really shouldn't go or leaving elements out that are supposed to be included. What can I say, I'm a really organised person by day but during my crafty nights that goes out of the window! Of course, working with this sketch was no exception. It went really well for a while, but it seemed that the later it got, the more I strayed! Sorry Wendy, I'm a bad girl.....;) Nevertheless, I still think you are still able to see the sketch and I can only hope you guys can do a better job than me :)

Here's the sketch:

And here's my project:

What do you think, can you still recognise the sketch in it? I can, but I need a little imagination!

Materials:
* Kraft paper bag
* Digital Delights Professor Hooty & Licence Plate sentiment set
* My Mind's Eye Fine & Dandy True Blue DPs
* Brown Ink to distress the paper edges
* Eline Vintage Sentiment Stamp Set
* Flowers, brads and ribbon from stash

And the prize this week? We are sponsored by Scrapy Land, there's a 20 dollar store voucher in it for the winner!

See you @ Delightful Challenges :)

Challenges:
* Lollipop Crafts (Something Old, Something New)
* My Mum's Craft Shop (Tickets)
* Forever Friends (Anything Goes)
* Victorine Stamps (Lots of Layers)
* Anything Goes (Animals)
* Emerald Fairies (Flowers)
* Craft Room Challenge (Alter Something) I've altered a sandwich bag
* Mema's Craft (Those Bloomin' Flowers)
* Mema's Craft (Animals Gone Wild)
* Polka Doodles (Wings and Things)

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Vintage Christmas Cherub

Good morning all!

I have been sitting on some news for the last couple of weeks and can finally divulge: I've been asked to join the Fab 'n Funky DT! I will be on the Funky team, which I think suits me best anyway ;) Today I am sharing my first card with you, the theme is "Anything Vintage". I decided to have a play with my decoupage stash and came across this lovely cherub and made a Christmas card with it. I hadn't done an easel card in ages, great fun to try a different fold once in a while :) Why don't you come and join us this week and share your vintage creations?

Materials:
* Create & Craft CS
* Studio Light Decoupage image
* Studio Light & Prima Sparkling Spring DP
* Joy 'Snow Flake' punch
* MS Snow Men border punch
* Eline's Winter Huis Christmas Stamp Set
* Black & Silver ink
* Pearls from stash

Challenges:
* Stamp & Create (Winter Wonderland)
* Ladybug (Halloween or Favourite Embellishment) I've used my face embellishment of the moment: pearls and snow flakes
* Creatieve Zebra (Anything Goes)
* Pile It On (Vintage/Shabby Chic)
* Fussy & Fancy (Easel Card)
* Little Claire's (Stand Up Straight)
* Crafty Pad (Vintage)
* Stampalot (Punch Away)
* Quirky Crafts (Magical Moments)
* Sentimental Sundays (Anything Goes)

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Thankful for You

Good morning everyone,

I am really quite late with my PCD DT card today, as our new challenge started this morning already. I had major problems making this card, I had a great idea in my mind but that never came to fruition unfortunately. The whole card really came into being because of an accident. I was going to print off the lovely Ulysses Butterfly as a whole, but my computer managed to print it too huge to fit on the page twice in a row. At first I wanted to throw the print away and start a third time, but then I thought it might also work with part of the butterfly. And actually, after cutting away all the panels in the butterfly and backing it with glitter paper, I was really quite happy with that element. Problem was, how to proceed and make a complete card out of it. To my mind, it never really came together. You be the judge:

Oh, almost forgot, our theme this week is "Be Thankful", me being thankful that I managed to squeeze out this card after all, even if it is a little late ;)

Materials:
* Create & Crafts CS
* PCD Ulysses Butterfly
* Petaloo Glitter Sheets
* Prima Sparkling Spring DP
* Vintage Page Accents
* Eline Vintage Sentiment stamp
* Ribbons, chipboard, flowers, gems & pearls from stash

Challenges:
* Art Impressions (Pink)
* Charisma Cardz (Badda Bing; Bling/Shiny)
* In the Pink (Pink Plus One): Blue
* Paperplay (Shine On)
* Sassy Studio (Think Pink)
* Come and Get It (Choose 3 ingredients from the list): I've chosen gems, ribbon and glitter
* Dream Valley (Go Pink)
* Joanna Sheen (Down in the Garden)
* Our Craft Lounge (Think Pink)
* Stampin with the Dragon (Animals)

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Joyful Jamie's Christmas Cheer

Good morning all!

Another month, another Digital Delights release. October sees the 'birth" of some pretty cute Winter characters, perfect for those Christmas cards or Winter birthdays. I've used Joyful Jamie today, a lovely little Winter fairy, I think she's just adorable with the braids and the pink cheeks! Once I coloured her in, I discovered she really doesn't need a whole lot to shine, so I kept the card fairly simple and let her take centre stage :) If you'd like to see the whole set, come and have a look on the DD blog!

Together with the release, our challenge theme this week is "Winter Holiday", which to me can only mean one thing: Christmas! So here's my Crimbo make:

Materials:
* Scalloped base card
* Digital Delights Joyful Jamie & Christmas sentiment set, coloured with Promarkers & Spectrum Noirs
* Dovecraft T'is the Season DP
* Green (used to distress the edges of the DP, image and sentiments) & Silver ink (used to colour Jamie's hat bell and wings)
* Snowflake punch
* Gems from stash

We'd love it if you could join us, let's see your Wintry Celebration Creations! This challenge is being sponsored by Joanna Sheen, offering a 10 pound store voucher for the winner, great prize!

Challenges:
* Totally Gorjuss (Punches & Dies)
* Sparkle Christmas (Traditional) Using Traditional Christmas Colours
* Moxie Fab (Christmas Card)
* Creative Craft Challenges 2 (Fantasy) It's a Christmas Fairy!
* Crafty Bloggers Network (Anything Goes)
* Crafty Boots (Three) I've used three gems & 3 die cut snow flakes
* Created with Love (Christmas)
* Cutie Pie (Use a Digi)
* My Grafico (Anything Goes)
* Songbird (Girls Just Wanna Have Fun) My digi is of a girly fairy, who definitely seems to be enjoying herself!

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A non-traditional Christmas

Good morning all!

Well, it's official, it's autumn! Well, in my book anyway :) Another month means another CCAYR challenge, our theme for October is "Use Non-Traditional Christmas image or colour scheme". I seemed to manage to do both!

Here's my card:

Materials:
* Create & Craft CS
* Studio Light Decoupage image
* Studio Light DPs
* Victorian Velvet Distress Ink
* Eline's Winter Huis Stamp Set
* Ribbon, pearls and snow flake peel-off from stash

What do you think, Christmassy enough? I think so! Why not join us, I think it's a great challenge theme! Besides, you do have a whole month to link up :)

Challenges:
* Jingle Belles (Dashing Through the Snow)
* Guylou Inimitality (Weather)
* Crafty Ribbons (Anything but Square)
* Crafting for All Seasons (Things with Wings)
* Inky Impressions (Animals)
* Perfect Sentiment (Vintage Christmas) Vintage image
* Bearly Mine (Add a Sentiment)
* Deep Ocean (More than 2 colours) Pink, Purple & Blue
* Oldie but a Goodie (Show us Your Ribbons) All elements except the CS is more than 6 months old
* Shopping Our Stash (Fur or Feathers)

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