These are the new releases in my Digistamps4Joy Store on Sunday 13th May 2012. Click on the name to take you directly to the store item.

Water Lily

I've Got Attitude

 Bell & Doves

Here are 3 cards made by DT members to show off the new images.

Thank You Challenge at Digistamps4Joy

Welcome to the first Digistamps4Joy Challenge on the NEW Digistamps4Joy blog ... An Attitude of Gratitude.  We'd like you to create a papercraft project (it does not have to be a card) that expresses an attitude of gratitude - show us some heartfelt sentiments too!  Your creation can be for any occasion whatsoever, as long as it's a thank you! We do have a couple of rules and they are simple enough and are displayed in the sidebar on the NEW Digistamps4Joy blog. The Design Team have been hard at work and having fun while creating beautiful projects for your inspiration for this challenge.  Most have used NEW IMAGES added to the store in the past fortnight. Pop by their blogs and leave them some love - they'd appreciate that! Aren't the new images in the SHOP just gorgeous? Look through the categories in the shop and see the other new images we have there for you too.

Now for the little SECRET that my Digistamps4Joy Design Team members have been keeping hidden from their Team Leader for the last 2 weeks!! We secretly agreed to dedicate this challenge #41  to our Team Leader JEN LEEFLANG, to say ...

THANKS JEN

for all your loyalty, dedication, enthusiasm, and energy in your position as DT Leader!! We would like to express our gratitude for all the images you have drawn. Do you realise you have hit the 100 image milestone in the new store? Jen loves drawing, and this is reflected in the super images that she draws!! Here is my thank you card to Jen, with her latest image "Lilies for You".

I would personally like to thank you Jen, for all your guidance and encouragement when I took over the reigns of DS4J. There were times I wondered if I had bitten off more than I could chew, but you goaded me on, and your efforts have paid off!  I am truly grateful!!!!

Are you now ready to create something fabulous?

Remember to link your post, not your blog, to the linky tool on the DS4J blog.

We can't wait to see what you have for us!

Digistamps4Joy Blog Hop (25/4 - 9/5/2012)

The Blog Hop is OVER. Thank you so much for letting us interact with you and meeting so many wonderful friends! The winners of each blog in the hop will be announced on the 9th May 08h00, on our "Winners" page on the new Digistamps4Joy Blog, so head on over there. I will personally contact the winner on this blog.

Welcome to the Digistamps4Joy (DS4J) "NEW BEGINNINGS" Blog Hop, to lead you from our old blog to our new blog! Each and every blog in the hop is offering a randomly drawn prize from one of our super sponsors (see the full list on the final blog). So come on in, meet our Design Team, and have some fun!

 You have arrived at Margy’s blog, in PRETORIA, South Africa!

 Our Blog Hop starts at the old DS4J blog, takes your through the DT blogs (see below), and ends up at our NEW BLOG. Here is the hop order:

Digistamps4joy (old blog)

Jen

Carol

Charlene

Desire

Elenor

Jan

Margy (that’s me, so you are here now)

Starla (YOUR NEXT STOP)

Ursula

Digistamps4Joy - NEW BLOG (your last stop)

To celebrate our New Beginning, here is the DS4J digistamp I am showcasing. It is a brand new image in our STORE called "Cupcakes Galore". 

Cupcakes are my favourite yummy food, and I also love BLING! This image lends itself to lots and lots of bling!! I kept the embellishment to the minimum as I felt there was a LOT of bling on the card already. The image was coloured with Copics and Spectrum Noir pens.

And now for the yummy part .............

 Here is the prize that I am offering - 

$10 Gift Certificate, sponsored by

Fred, She Said Designs

  You will find oodles of gorgeous images in her store to choose from !

What do you need to do to enter the draw?

 1. Become a Follower of ALL the blogs in the HOP, except for the first one as that will be closing.

2. Leave a comment on ALL the blogs.

3. Become a MEMBER of the Digistamps For Joy Group on CDAC.

Thanks for visiting my blog. Your next stop is the talented STARLA. 

The Hop will end at 6 am (Central African Time) on Thursday 10th May, and the winners of each blog will be announced on Friday 11th May on each blog. A full list of winners will be posted on the new Digistamps4Joy blog on Sunday 13th May.                    

FREEBIE digistamp at Digistamps4Joy

There is a super freebie going up for grabs for 2 days (4-6 May) at the Digistamps4Joy blog. Run over there and grab the freebie quickly, and while there, visit the other blogs. This is the card I made up with the image.

Patties Creations Challenge #43

Patties' Creations theme for challenge #43 is MOTHeR'S DAY, and there is just enough time to get your card made up for mum for Mother's day. I made a star-folded card, and used the Three Daisies image of Pattie's Creations on the inside. As there are 3 daisies, I specifically looked for 3 Christian characteristics to match the number.  This was quite a tricky fold, and I had to concentrate that I pasted the paper bits on the correct side! The outside says ... God blessed me with a Mother who is ...

The inside of the card looks like this... with the words, caring and loving, patient, and spiritually nurturing.

DO pop into Patties SHOP, as she has put some amazing new images in there. When you've made your card, head on over to her BLOG and enter it under Mr Linky to put yourself in the winning line! The challenge closes on the 18th May.

In Memorium

Caleb, my furry friend, I will miss you.
Love, Mom

Photo inspiration challenge

Yes, that's the theme for Patties' Creations current challenge! Use the photo provided here, and make up a card based on the photo. What a yummy setting for the cupcakes. I decided to use the two main colours and the stripes on the cupcake holders as the basis for my card.

 I made a birthday celebration card using the "Cheerleader Pattiboop" image from Patties Creations SHOP. I used orange and dark blue cardstock, and some striped orange paper which I cut with my Nestabilities die. The cheerleader was coloured in with Spectrum Noir pens, and then glitter added to her jacket and the pleats in her skirt. The blue and white feathers on the pompom shakers were an after thought, but it adds a little texture to the card. Note ... when using striped paper make SURE the lines run parallel to the edge of your card - not like mine urgh!

 DO pop into her store for an image, as she has put some amazing new images in there. When you've made your card, head on over to her BLOG and enter it under Mr Linky to put yourself in the winning line! The challenge closes on the 4th May.

Rainbow challenge

My daughter and I are making up 'year' books for her family, but we are soooo far behind!  I have just made this page for the 2010 album (told you we were behind!), and just for fun I am entering it into a challenge on the  new South African scrapbooking blog called Scrap Africa. We had these photos of the kids splashing in the mud (the above-ground pool was not set up yet) in my very dry garden, but because they were such 'bland' photos I was not too sure what to do with them. Then the rainbow challenge was put out at ScrapAfrica, and after adding the rainbow (made from paper strips) with the expected pot-o-gold at the end of it, the whole page came alive. You all know this is not my normal standard of scrapbooking as this page is so simple, but yet it is still effective, and it looks great in her album! The kids loved it! (Apologies for the skew angled photo!)

Patties Creations Challenge #41

Patties' Creations theme for the latest challenge is EASTER, and I decided to make a Christian card with one of her wonderful images called 'Wine Bottle Still Life". You WILL of course need a digistamp to enter the challenge, and what better than one of Pattie's Creations, so DO pop into her SHOP, as she has put some amazing new images in there. When you've made your card, head on over to her BLOG and enter it under Mr Linky to put yourself in the winning line! The challenge closes on the 19th April.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I made a gatefold card out of black cardstock. The reddich background was made by spritzing red and copper onto white paper, then letting it dry. The inside card was spritzed with gold on black, and I let it 'run' a little. I coloured the images with my new Spectrum Noir pens. Gold rub-ons were added as borders and to the corners.The sentiment is obviously from God's Word (Matthew 26:29), and I thought it was quite suited to Patties' gorgeous image.

Here is the inside of the card. 

Digistamps4Joy Challenge #40: PARTY / CELEBRATION

HEEEHAAA!!!! This new Digistamps4Joy challenge is perfect for my love of BLING! The theme is:
PARTY / CELEBRATION with LOTS & LOTS OF BLING!!!
The challenge starts on 4th April (midnight CAT time), and ends on the 18th April so you have 2 weeks to enter. So here is my card for the challenge, and what better image to use than the Belly Dancer, as I can add lots of bling to her clothes!

 




















I cut triangles out of glittered black, yellow, and green paper and patched these to create the backgound. The border around the edge is a piece of gem braid that I found, the belly dancer is coloured with Copics, and glitter glue stuck everywhere!
Come and join us for this 'party/celebration' time at Digistamps4Joy, visit the other DT blogs, and I'd love to see if you can add more bling than I did!

Patties Creations Challenge - Anything Goes

Ah, I love this sort of a challenge where I can do what I want, but with any of Patties' wonderful digistamp images!! You WILL of course need a digistamp to enter the challenge, and what better than one of Pattie's Creations, so DO pop into her SHOP, as she has put some amazing new images in there. When you've made your card, head on over to her BLOG and enter it under Mr Linky to put yourself in the winning line!

And here is some EXTRA super good news ......

Dude Time Doodles is sponsoring $10.00 voucher to their store to one of our winners!!

I used two of Patties' Creations images ("Marilyn" -who else hey!!, and "Pumps-flower") and one of Dude Time Doodles images ("Corset 1"), and created this rather sexy looking side stepper card, which a husband could give to his wife. Lucky wife!! Copics, glitter glues, half-pearls, and a wavy trimmer, were used to create this card.

My "Rose"

So I saw this tutorial in the latest CraftWise magazine (March/April 2012) on how to make a large foam rose picture, and thought I'd give it a try. I bought a stretched canvas block, used 5 colours of acrylic paint (yellow, fluorescent green, emerald green, blue, and white), and 4 A4 sheets of thin coloured foam. I painted the canvas base bright lemon yellow, added dabs of fluorescent green and blue, then gently rubbed white in patches. The foam flower pieces were glued together, and onto the canvas, with my glue gun. Once all was dry and set, I added the glitter. I probably overdid the glitter thingey, but hey, I love bling, so who cares! The first picture shows the finished product against the curtains, duvet, and cushions (hence the weird colour scheme). The second picture shows a side-view of the rose and actually how high it stands up on the canvas.

DS4J Challenge for Water Day

International World Water Day is held annually on 22 March, to focus attention on the importance of freshwater, and to advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.  Digistamps4Joy's Blog challenge for the next 2 weeks is to create a papercraft project focusing on WATER, using predominantly BLUE on your creation. What FUN!!! There are some amazing digistamps in the DS4J store that you can use to create this challenge. I used the "Merry the Mermaid" image and actually made TWO projects, neither of which was a card!

(1) I had the opportunity to take a walk one morning, along a beach on the SE coast of South Africa in Port Alfred, and collected a small bag full of these stunning little 'green urchin' shells. I put them into an empty bottle with some dried seaweed I also collected, pasted a holographic piece of blue paper inside at the back, then coloured in the mermaid image, and propped it in amongst the shells!

(2) I have been meaning to make one of these tissue box covers, but just kept forgetting, until this challenge came along! I used the same Merry the Mermaid image from Digistamps4Joy, used some plastic ribbon I found in a little shop at the coast, then covered the tissue box with blue papers, and put the image on the front of the box. I see this box every day now, and still love it!

So head on over to the DS4J Challenge Blog and enter your paper project! We can't wait to see what you do with this theme.

UPDATE ON THIS CHALLENGE!!!

To all the members on CDAC's DS4J Group, DS4J DT members, and any NEW members after this posting ...
Every member of our CDAC DS4J group that enters their card on the Digistamps4Joy blog under Mr Linky for challenge #39 AND fulfills all the requirements below, WILL receive a new DS4J image for Easter (not in the store yet).

REQUIREMENTS
1. You MUST be a member of CDAC DS4J group.
2. You MUST enter a card/project for Challenge #39 on the DS4J blog, under Mr Linky.
3. You MUST leave a comment on the CDAC DS4J group, and provide a link to your card on YOUR blog. Also provide your email address.
4. Post your card on CDAC and tag it DS4J,40
Remember, this extra little gift is over-and-above any prizes you may win on the blog, and is ONLY for CDAC-Digistamps4Joy group members, so you are SPECIAL!!!

TAGS ... Patties Creations Challenge #39

Pattie's Creations challenge for the next 2 weeks is TAGS. For some 'silly' reason I cannot conjure up, I have never got into making tags, yet they are so super easy, and still look stunning. You WILL need a digistamp to enter the challenge, and what better than one of Pattie's Creations, so DO pop into her SHOP, as she has put some amazing new images in there, including this fantastic Mermaid Pattiboop image I have used. When you've made your tag, head on over to her BLOG and enter it under Mr Linky to put yourself in the winning line!

I used Copics to colour her in, then raised her with foam tabs on a piece of heavily embossed blue paper I had in my stash. I found this unusual silver plastic seashell 'braid' and cut off individual shells to stick onto the tag. The lace curtain was a last minute flash-in-the-pan idea as I wasn't happy with the large expanse of blue paper behind her, so used a wide lace ribbon to create two curtains.

Looking forward to seeing what you make for this challenge.

 

Hello Scrappers & welcome to Lets Scrap Blog Hop

This HOP is now CLOSED. 

The lucky winner from my blog is .... DESIRE FOURIE. Aaaand, Kristi of www.kristidailey.com DONATED the prize! How cool is that!

For a full list of the 50x winners go to THIS PAGE

 

I am so excited to be one of the 50 Lets Scrap (http://letsscrap.ning.com) hosts! I have been an active member for over a year now, and what a fun and inspiring network of scrappers this is!

If you came here from Debby de Wilde (drdewilde.blogspot.com)  then you are in the RIGHT place (I am #7 on the hop), and you have arrived in PRETORIA, South Africa!

 If not, Mindi Brown http://scrapchat-n-coffeetalk.blogspot.com/ has the hop order to help you find your way.

Soooo, how is this hop working? Well, EACH of the 50 hosts will be giving away a randomly drawn prize, but on each blog you also have  TWO chances to win that prize!

Here is the RAK (prize) that I am offering - DONATED by Kristi Dailey Store

A $10 GIFT CERTIFICATE from KRISTIDAILEY's whimsical graphics store, to shop at your heart's content, and your choice of downloadable items!! Do yourself a favour and pop into her store at http://kristidailey.com and look at the most amazing clipart and digistamps  that can be used on your cards or scrapbooking pages.

RULES FOR THE HOP AND ENTRIES FOR THE RANDOM DRAW

1. *Be or become a member of Let’s Scrap, which you can do by clicking here http://letsscrap.ning.com/ . It is free, easy and fast.
2. *Be or become a follower of my blog
3. *Leave me a comment about the hop
AND if you want a 2nd entry in the draw .....
4. *, MAKE A CARD from the sketch I have posted here, and upload it to the gallery at Let’s Scrap with the following TAG (very important!) .... 11-16-11,  LEAP7 (PS there is 1 space after the comma, and LEAP must be in capitals).
5. *Leave a comment with a link to your card on Let’s Scrap.

The LETS SCRAP sketch I am showcasing for the hop, and my card I made using this sketch. 

 

The hop ends at 11:59 pm Central Standard time February 29th, which you can track with the clock on the main page of Let’s Scrap.

Thanks for visiting my blog.

Your next stop will be the talented Keely Yowler at 

http://www.keelyy.blogspot.com/

You Light up my Life

Pattie's Creations challenge for the next 2 weeks is VINTAGE, and how super as I love vintage!! The effects of distressed and curled edges, antique lace, and pearls, all conjure up a past era. Obviously you are going to need a digistamp to enter the challenge, and what better than one of Pattie's Creations, so DO pop into her SHOP, as she has put some amazing new images in there, including this fantastic chandelier image I have used for my DT card. When you've made your card, head on over to her BLOG and enter it under Mr Linky to put yourself in the winning line!

I used antique-looking papers, wet the edges then curled them, and I chalked some fine beige lace that I had in my stash with a rusty brown ink. The image was coloured with Copics, and silver and clear glitter glue added.

Looking forward to seeing what you have made for the challenge #38.

Valentine or Love

Pattie's Creations challenge for the next 2 weeks is VALENTINE or LOVE. And this is just in time for Valentine's Day so get cracking and make those cards, and ensure that the special person in your life is spoilt rotten!! Obviously you are going to need a digistamp to enter the challenge, and what better than one of Pattie's Creations, so DO pop into her SHOP, as she has put some amazing new images in there, including the Pattieboop bathtime I have used for my DT card. When you've made your card, head on over to her BLOG and enter it under Mr Linky to stand a chance of winning a prize!

I made something different this time. I thought ... what would I like for Valentine's Day? And I realised that I would actually prefer something that came from the heart, rather than the local shopping mall! So, my "card" is actually a pocket with 2 tags, with each tag offering a pampering treat such as a bubblebath, or a day to be treated like a queen. I used Pattie's Pattieboob Bathtime image, coloured it with Copics, added clear glitter and dimension to the bubbles, then shape cut and chalked the edges.

Hope you like it, and I can't wait to see what you create with Patties images!

Welcome Little One

Pattie's Creations challenge for the next 2 weeks is EMBOSSING. Such an easy challenge, and you do not need any fancy machines to emboss your paper either, as it can be done with an old ballpoint pen! I am guilty however of having used my Cuttlebug and an embossing folder. Obviously, for Pattie's challenge #36 you will need to use a digistamp, so DO pop into her SHOP, as she has put some amazing new images in there, including the cute little giraffe I have used here. When you've made your card, head on over to her BLOG and enter it under Mr Linky to stand a chance of winning a prize!

 I embossed the background paper with the Couture Collections embossing folder called 'Tied Together', then glittered up all the circular spots with some silver glitter. Giraffe was coloured with Copics and the feet were covered with white 'FlowerSoft'. I still had some of those little ducky brads, so used one to fasten a piece of ribbon to the side.

Fancy Folds at Patties Creations

Pattie's Creations current challenge #35 is FANCY FOLDS, which means you can make a card with any theme, as long as it has a 'fancy fold'. This can be an easel card, a side stepper, or anything similar, and of course you will need to put on a digistamp! Pattie has some amazing images in her SHOP, so do pop in there and take a look around. When you've made your card, head on over to her BLOG and enter it under Mr Linky, and you may just be lucky enough to win a prize!

Ok, now for my card ... as usual I tried to be very ambitious and thought I'd make a card with a fold I have never tried before. Oh boy, what was I thinking? I decided a 'shadow box card' was a challenge, so set about making it up. I used 3 of Pattie's dog images (aren't they just cute?), coloured them in with my Copics, then put them one side.

 

Following instructions I had printed out, I made the front of the card/box with a sheet of acetate, white, gold and blue card. That was the easy part! The hardest part of this card was trying to get the 2 'floating' dogs on the poles/ropes to stay put! I could have done with an extra pair of hands. THEN .... I must have spent over an hour and about 50 photographs, trying to photograph this card so that the depth of the card showed, but not too many shadows were produced. I tried all sort of diffused torch lights held in one hand, and the camera at an angle in the other hand, then the card would fall down and I'd have to start again. Urgh. Anyway, these 2 were the best of the bunch!

 

Head on over to Pattie's Creations and see what the other DT members have put together!