New DIGISTAMPS4JOY releases (29 July 2012)

Digistamps4Joy has released some gorgeous new images into the shop today! To see a summary of the new images pop into the BLOG and see the cards that the DT have made to show off these images!! I made a card with one of the new images called PANSIES.

I bought myslef a new set of quality colouring watercolour pencils last week, and so tried them out on this image. The background paper just 'happened to have' pansies on it too, and I made a smaller version of the pansies image and split it up top right and bottom left.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:
Dream Valley Challenges - summer
Great impressions - your best colouring

Don't forget to comment on this post!!

Just a friendly reminder that you could win $3 worth of Shelly's images if you leave a comment on my GDT post! That's all - VERY simple! Leave a comment!

New Ning group

There is a new Ning group for those of you who love to make crafts with paper! It is called Lady Annes Paper Crafts. As I said, brand new, so I thought I would join and give it a trial run by entering the first challenge. This challenge is to make a card with ONE layer (so no adding paper layers) and ONE embellishment. A little tricky at first, especially as I am so used to putting layer upon layer and adding a few embellishments. But, nothing is impossibe and here's my card!

I used the Dandelion image from Digistamps4Joy, changed the black lines to sepia on the computer, then copied the image 4 times, and printed these onto white cardstock. The next thing I did was to use 3 different colours of spritzes and I sprayed these around the image, and a quick squirt over the image. I then stamped the words I Love You (an old rubber stamp I had in my stash) and embossed this with gold. Still only 1 layer!! Then I added my embellishment - a chipboard fairy that I glittered up with gold glitter. This is still ONE embellishment, so no rules broken here! Finally I chalked the edge and stippled around the sentiment. So a simple card, yet quite a bit of work, and it required concentration to NOT add layers or more embellishments.

Patties Creations Challenge #49 - Animals and Insects

The theme for the new challenge at Patties Creations Challenge is ANIMALS & INSECTS, and Pattie has many gorgeous images in her store that could be used for this theme. I was a Girl Guide Leader for 15 years and my name was "Ladybird" so what better image to use as a reminder than the LADYBUG image in her store!

 I coloured the image with my Spectrum Noire pens and added a few highlights with a white gel pen. The papers are from a packet of matching black and white papers. The sentiment is handwritten with the white gel pen, and I captured the red in the beetles with a bit of red cardstock peeping out behind the sentiment. Could not resist adding the little ladybird embellishment!

The challenge starts today, and ends in 2 weeks time, so hurry on over to the Patties Creations Challeng BLOG and enter your card under Mr Linky! Remember, you MUST use a digistamp, and if you use one of Pattie's stamps, you put yourself in line to win the special prize!

Digistamps4Joy Challenge #47: SPOT AND STRIPES

YES, it's time for a new challenge at Digistamps4Joy - Challenge # 47 - "SPOTS & STRIPES. This is a super duper easy challenge to enter so get your cards made with those pola dots and stripes. Here is my card - a twisted easel card. I used the WATERLILY image that I drew for the STORE. For some reason I drew a water droplet on the big leaf on the right, but I think it was more a challenge to myself to see if I could create a Trechikoff droplet! I can still remember as a young girl being absolutely fascinated by his ability to make a drop of water look so real in his "The Lost Orchid" painting. Mine is NOTHING like it of course, but I had fun colouring this one in! I coloured the image in with ONLY my water colour pencils. Do pop into the DS4J BLOG and see what the other DT members have created for this challenge, and then enter YOUR creation in the InLinkz to put yourself in line for winning a prize!

NEW RELEASES - Digistamps4Joy (22nd July 2012)

Digistamps4Joy has released 20 new images today into the shop! To see a summary of the new images pop into the BLOG and see the cards that the DT have made to show off these images!! I made 2 cards with two of the new images called School Bus and School Bag. 
The first card is made with the bus image, whicy is a very wonky version of a bus, but I actually like it as it has that 'fun kid' look to it! The card is also very simple with 3 layers of paper to show the road, flowers, and sky! The bus was coloured with my Spectrum Noire pens.

The second card is made with the School Bag image, and I went for bright pink and blue colours - so true to the type of kids school bags at the moment! Coloured with Spectrum Noir pens and a few additional elements added like that amazing 'ruler' ribbon I found the other day.

 Hope you like it! I do.

I am entering the school bag card into the following challenge:
Color me Creative Classroom - anything goes with a girly twist

Comment on this post and you 'may' win the prize!!

Oooh wow, I was invited to be Guest Designer at this weeks' Shellys Images challenge - SHOW US WHAT YOU GOT (which is to make an "anything goes card"), starting today (Thursday) and running for 2 weeks. I was given this featured image to play with, and "play" I did!!! Make sure you read to the end of this post as there is a surprise for all my visitors who comment on this post!

The whole time while I was making the card I was thinking ... "thank you God for sending your Son". Super image Shelly - thank you!!! I decided to go with an easel card and turned the front into a stable scene. The papers are from a free pad of My Mind's Eye papers that came with a copy of a Cardmaking & Papercraft magazine. I punched a star border with a Letach punch, coloured the image in with Spectrum Noir pens, and added glitter, card candi, and white gel pen lines. The 'thatching' was made by snipping some white and yellow gold paper, then ruffled a little. So here's my card!

Now what's the surprise I promised? Shelly is giving away a $3 voucher to her store to one lucky commenter on THIS post!!! 

AND ... there's MORE ...
Besides a $6 Shelly's Images Gift Voucher to one lucky challenge participant, you can ALSO win a $3 Shelly's Images Gift Voucher by leaving a comment at

JEN'S BLOG

Here's a quick summary of the rules for entering the challenge on Shelly's Blog:

• DIRECT Link to your blog posting
• Shelly's Image NOT required
• Follow the theme
• FIVE entry limit
• No backlinking
• Entries for this challenge must be submitted
  by 12:00 noon CST on August 1

Now leave a comment HERE, leave a comment on Jen's blog, and enter a card for the challenge!

 

Digistamps4Joy Challenge #46

The DS4J Challenge # 46 is LIVE and is running FOR ONLY ONE WEEK, which means you only have 1 week to wait to see if you are the winner with your entry!!! The theme is "WHAT IS YOUR WEATHER", and we want you to make a card showing the type of weather you are currently experiencing in your country, and believe me there is some weird weather going around at the moment!!
Digistamps4Joy has some super 'weather' images in the STORE in case you need one! Here are a few examples of what we have for this challenge ...

Hope to see your entries there for this ONE WEEK challenge!

DS4J new releases 15th July 2012

Digistamps4Joy - releases new images every Sunday morning, and this Sunday I have put 15 new images into the shop! To see a summary of the new images pop into the BLOG at 8am, and just take a look at the cards that the DT have made to show off these images!! I made a card with two of the new images called Ballet Shoes, PLUS the rose leaves from the Leaves set. I decided to draw and use these leaves because I got fed up with the tiny, almost invisible leaves that come with the bought flowers! This is a center easel card and I went with pink, pink, and pink, and coloured the image (with 5 different pinks) with my Spectrum Noire pens.  I added some satin ribbon, pearl strings, lace, and bought flowers. Oh, and I embossed the backgound paper with the quilted pattern.

 Hope you like it! I do.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:
DigiDesignsChallenge - pile on the flowers
ATCs and Cards with attitude - anything goes
Daring Cardmakers - lace and pearls
Guylou's Inimitability - song and dance
Fat pages and cards with attitude -  anything goes

Patties Creations Challenge #48 - SUMMER

As it's summer time in the northern hemisphere, Pattie decided to celebrate it with a SUMMER theme for the challenge at Patties Creations Challenge.  Pattie has many gorgeous images in her store that could be used for the SUMMER theme, BUT when I saw this new image in her store called Dragonflies Fly, it reminded me of my university days when I used to go out with friends to wade in dams to catch the larvae of dragonflies for research purposes!
I coloured the image with my Spectrum Noire pens and added a few highlights with a white gel pen, and added bling to the wings. The words were created on my 'puter. This is a basic easel card, but the image makes the whole card come alive! Come summer please, to the southern hemisphere! I'm very happy with the way the card turned out.

The challenge starts today, and ends in 2 weeks time, so hurry on over to the Patties Creations Challeng BLOG and enter your card under Mr Linky! Remember, you MUST use a digistamp, and if you use one of Pattie's stamps, you put yourself in line to win the special prize!

DS4J Challenge # 45

I totally forgot this morning to put up my post for the second viewing of the Digistamps4Joy Challenge # 45 - "Black & White, and one other colour"!! Naughty girl hey!!? Ah well, I'll put it down to 'something' perhaps the cold weather LOL. So here is my card for this challenge .... I used the brand new ZEBRA image that I drew for the STORE. What is absolutely amazing and fascinating is that every DT member was given the "same" image, yet every card made is totally different and unique!! I coloured the black bands in on the PC (with PShop) and the eyes with my Spectrum Noire pens. It's super to see how this image focuses entirely on the eye of the Zebra and it sort of draws you into the image. Do pop into the DS4J BLOG and see what the other DT members have done with this same image, and then enter YOUR creation in the InLinkz to put yourself in line for winning a prize next week!

Ethan's 1st Swim!

I managed to squeeze in some time today to do 1 scrapbook page for my eldest daughter's 2010 album, and another page for my youngest daughter's album. The photo was taken in February 2012 when my youngest grandson Ethan, had his first ever swim in my portapool. I would LOVE to know what he was thinking as this was the look I was given when I took this photo of him!

I am entering this layout into the Scrap Africa 'sketch' challenge. This is the sketch that must be used and I turned it around 90 degrees. I used my SLICE machine to cut all the swirls. A pity the photo does not show up the copper coloured paper to its best, because the 'real deal' is a stunning shiny copper colour.

DS4J new releases 8 July 2012

My shop - Digistamps4Joy - releases new images every Sunday morning, and this Sunday is no exception! If you pop into the BLOG you will see the post at 8am, showing all the new images in the store, and the cards that the DT have made to show off these images. I made a card with the new Swirly border/frame image, and added "Sally Sunshine" to the inside of the frame. Because DS4J provides both JPG and PNG (transparent) versions of each image, it was easy to add her inside the frame with the software programme (I used Photoscape). This is an easel card and I went with orange and yellow colours in the Spectrum Noire range, and added some bling as well. The sentiment is also from DS4J. I entered the card into the current Outlawz Monday Greetings challenge.

DIGISTAMPS4JOY FREEBIE

Digistamps4Joy has released a FREEBIE today, and this will be available for only TWO days (6+7 July) so head on over to the Digistamps4Joy BLOG and download it!! Here is a card I made with this freebie (my own image!).