New digistamp at Digistamps4Joy - "Bicycle"

I drew this stamp "Bicycle" for the shop, thinking what on earth am I going to make with this. Yet it was actually quite fun, and I can now see quite a few possibilities. At least 'real' bicycles now come in such a range of colours that this image could easily be adjusted for boy, girl, or vintage cards.

The bicycle was coloured in with alcohol pens and 'platinum' Stickles glitter glue added to the bicycle frame (yes, I used it again!).  The sentiment was created on the PC, and various die cuts and punches were used. Those funny little pink shapes in the corners are actually the bits that normally get thrown out when I diecut a specific shape (not used here), but I glittered them up and stuck 3 down in each corner. What do you think - does it work?
New items used - new digistamp
Old items used - gem flowers, paper from stash.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:
Allsorts - for a lady
Kraftin Kimmie stamps - springy pastel colours
Catch the bug - anything goes
Totally gorjuss - anything goes with pink
Picture and scrap - pastel colours
Lady Annes - anything goes sentiment

 

New digistamp at Digistamps4Joy - "Racing hare Harry"

This digistamp "Racing hare Harry" is one of the new ones I drew and is in my shop Digistamps4Joy.

 

Ever had those times when your mojo is just DOWN? Goodness, I just could not decide what to do with Harry after colouring him in, so instead went for an embossed background of gears on white paper, rubbed with some silver chalk. Notice - no embellishments either except a title, so hopefully the focus is on the title and Harry.

Harry was coloured in the alcohol pens and a 'platinum' Stickles glitter glue added to the bicycle frame. This particular stickles is my MOSTEST (is there such a word?) favourite glitter glue as it produces a fantastic metallic sparkle. The sentiment is one of those acrylic-coated sentiments that you buy on sticker sheets. Had this for absolutely aaaaaages, so I'm glad I could use it now.
New items used - new digistamp
Old items used - sentiment, paper from stash.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:
Emergency crafters - mad as a March hare
Sweet stampin - embossing
My time to craft - embossing

Catch the bug - anything goes

 

A new DS4J digistamp used for embossing

This digistamp "He is risen" is another new one I drew and is in my shop Digistamps4Joy.I decided to do something quite different this time. I printed out the black/white image onto plain white paper, put this on the light table with a piece of gold vellum on top of it, then traced over all the lines with a white gel pen!

Why, you ask? Well the reason is I wanted to see if I could create a pergamano image from the digistamp, and normally in the pergamano craft, you first trace all lines with white ink, then go and do the embossing and rubbing on the back of the image. Pergamano is a craft that requires a LOT of patience and good eyesight, and this card took me quite a while to rub out and prick! But it actually worked!! So, I have now used a digistamp as a pattern for Pergamano - howz that!!

 

Here's a close-up of the 'fish' shape and words.

The edge of the shape around the image was created by laying a wavy-edged oval shaped die on top, then tracing around with the white gel pen, and pricking and pricking and pricking around the edge until the outside piece of vellum could be torn off. The curvy line near the edge is embossed from the back by hand. The rest of the card is made up of a piece of white paper that I bought ages ago, with all the stitching and gold glitter on it. I punched 2 butterflies from the same gold vellum paper, added small gems, cut and folded the triangular shapes at the left, glued some glitter card inside, and finished off with a large gem.

 

New items used - new digistamp
Old items used - white embroidered paper from stash, gold vellum from stash, gems.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:
Avenue 613 - anything goes
Challenges 4 everybody - anything goes
Creative inspirations paint - anything goes
Glitter 'n sparkle - bling it on
Sweet pea stampers - use a digistamp
Lady Annes - anything goes + sentiment

 

New digistamps at Digistamps4Joy (24 Feb.2013)

This digistamp "The empty Cross" is one of the new ones I drew and is in my shop Digistamps4Joy. As a Christian and an animal lover, I combined the two into one image.

 

I thought I would give this new fold a try after seeing it in the latest local scrapbooking magazine. Unfortunately not all the measurements were provided, so I ended up having to resort to some basic mathematics and my trusty ruler (with one flop cut). It's actually a very pretty fold once completed, you just have to be careful about the top papers that you cut them smaller than the base of the card, otherwise the card will not fold up! I think I would also have preferred to make the 'spine' a little wider so that the card stands better. mmm, will have to look into those measurements again!

I diecut around the image, chalked the edges, and coloured the image with H2O pens. The bling on this card is the gold peel offs (including a ribbon peel off) and the diecut swirls out of glitter card (very difficult to get through the diecutter). I then added some pastel pink and maroon roses, and curled the stems. The embellishments were quick to add, it was all the cutting and resizing of the papers that took ages!

New items used - new digistamp, background Christian paper, and roses
Old items used - dark maroon paper from stash, peel offs.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:
All Sorts Challenge - animals
Catch the bug - color challenge
Paper Creators - all things flowery
Sparkle and glitter with Rick - all things I love
Stempel sonne - bingo (I used flowers, lace & sentiment)
Sweet pea stampers - use a digistamp
Chalk 'n stock - anything goes, just use chalk
Lady Annes - anything goes + sentiment

 

New digistamps at Digistamps4Joy

I used one of my new images in the Digistamps4Joy store called "Dropping in". 

 

I embossed the dark blue background to create a texture, diecut 2 different sizes of ovals, chalked these up, then raised some with foam tabs to create the clouds. I added the image - coloured with SN pens - a skrink plastic bird I made ages ago, a piece of washi tape, and some card candi. Note: NO BLING - a first for me LOL!

New items used - washi tape, new digistamp
Old items used - dark blue and light blue papers from stash,card candi, skrink plastic embellishment

I am entering this card into the following challenges:
Colour Me creative - colour + texture
Hiding in my craft room - scraps
Brown Sugar Challenge - anything goes
Lady Annes - anything goes + sentiment
Creative Corners - for the boys
CCEE Stampers - weather
Hanna & friends - anything goes

 

New digistamps at Distamps4Joy - Snow Angel Alfie

Phew, but this has been a hectic week! In fact, it feels as if I am still trying to catch up from the 1st January this year!!! This was one of those 'quick' cards as I really did not have time to spend a lot of time on it. I used one of my new images in the Digistamps4Joy store called "Snow Angel Alfie", and as I'm mad about teddies (collect them, make them, receive them as gifts!), I thought it was time I actually drew one!

I used some new green and brown alcohol pens I recently purchased from Blueberry Bear here in South Africa, embossed some white paper then diecut it, added a small white paper doilie and some glitter, and a string of pearls.

New items used - alcohol pens (green and brown)
Old items used - paper stash, pearls, doily

I am entering this card into the following challenge:
Avadares - St Patricks or green

New digistamp at Digistamps4Joy - Newly weds

Another one of those 'quick' cards I'm afriad - still trying to catch up. I used one of my new images in the Digistamps4Joy store called "Newly weds". I always like to do things a little 'differently' so why not a pink wedding card and birdies on it? Hopefully it will bring a smile to the new couple who receives it!

I coloured the digistamp with alcohol pens, added texture to the blue wooden boards by adding white gel and dark blue lines, added a diecut out of silver paper, some tiny - GORGEOUS - new pearls I purchased from Blueberry Bear, and a sentiment.

New items used - tiny pearls, digistamp
Old items used - paper stash

I am entering this card into the following challenges:
CMC - colour + texture
Crafty calendar - love and marriage
Di's Digi Designs - valentines and/or love
My time to craft -love is in the air
One stop craft - anything goes
2 sisters - white, red, or pink

FREE digistamps at Digistamps4Joy (February)

There are TWO super FREEBIES going up for grabs for 3 days (1-3 February) at the

Digistamps4Joy SHOP. 

Run over there and grab the freebies quickly. You will have to have an account at the shop, but this is free and easy, and no obligations for further purchases. Then click on the Freebie category on the left hand side, add to cart, check out, choose a payment method (you will not have to pay!!!), and confirm the order.

The first free image is a flat box that JenLee our main artist at DS4J put together. The second freebie is actually a set of 5 sentiments, 5 tags, and a bee - all ready for Valentine's Day - designed by yours truly! Here is my project using both the freebies. I made a pink box, then used my Pergamano tools on the top  vellum sheet, added a stand-up heart with a sentiment, a bow, a punched border with my brand mew MS punch, some flowers, and gems.

Now all I have to do is fill it with some yummy chocolates, and then find someone to give it to!

AND NOW FOR SOME FABULOUS NEWS .......

Digistamps4Joy is running a mini competition on their Facebook page...... use the freebies, enter your card/project in the draw before 14th February, and you could win FIVE digistamps!

I'm entering this card into the following challenges:
Crafty ribbons challenge38 - anything goes with ribbon
Little Miss Muffet challenge53 - hearts and flowers
Milk Coffee challenge - valentines
Moving along with the times - punch it out
Crafty Creations challenges - anything but a card
Rubys Rainbow - valentines
Stamp with Sarah Kay - liebe/love
CSAYL - anything goes

Angels are friends in High places

Shelly of Shelly's Images gave away this absolutely gorgeous image in the CDAC Progressive Freebie Challenge! The requirement is that you MUST make a card with it and enter it into the CDAC PF challenge, before March 31st. That's easy isn't it?" So here is my card made with her image.

An all-white card is what I was aiming at, but somehow the pastel pink and blue colours crept it, yet I quite like it. In had an A4 piece of white, shiny, heavily embossed paper in my stash which I covered the card with. Then I put my new X-Cut doily die through the Cuttlebug with another piece of shiny white paper. And here's a tip .... if your die has these absolutely MINUTE, TINY holes in it, put a piece of waxed paper between the top of the die and your paper that is to be cut. No more trying to pry or pierce your paper out of the die (and then it tears) - it just slips off! Because I wanted the holes in the diecut paper to be a little more obvious, I actually mounted the diecut piece onto a light, pastel blue, cardstock.  The image was coloured with  a combination of Copic and SN pens, and a pastel blue glitter added to the wings. Now the next bit was the 'fun' part! See that swirl? It looks like a piece of aluminium metal! Aha - look at the tutorial on 'faux metal' in the latest (Jan/Feb.2013) issue of Through The Craft Room Door magazine, as there is a tutorial there by Jo Ham on how to make 'faux metal embellishments' - super easy!

New items used - X-Cut doily die
Old items used - papers, flowers, card candi, angel charm

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

CMC - your favorite colour combos
TTCRD - anything goes
Fairytale challenge blog - my newest stamp (mein neuester stempel)
Crafty calendar challenge - what's new
CDAC - Progressive challenge
Outlawz challenges - paper-ala-mode - anything-goes
Lady Annes friday sentiment - anything goes

7 Kids Challenge - use something new old

New Digistamps at DIGISTAMPS4JOY (27 Jan 2013)

Sometimes I get these hair-brained schemes, and then erroneously think that this will be easy, and I'll get it done in no time at all! hhmmph! This card was one of those experiences.  Look at the card first, then read how I did it. This is one of my new images in the Digistamps4Joy store called "Voortrekker Vrou".

I decided that instead of colouring in the digistamp, I would just print it on top of a piece of card I was going to paint/stamp. Well... this "piece of card" took me nearly 45 minutes to make because I kept fiddling and adding more colours. I took a plain piece of white card, then spritzed it with 4 different browns/gold/orange colours. Not satisfied, I got out some brown/red/orange chalks and rubbed these over the page as well. Only THEN, did I actually put it through the printer and print the digistamp onto it. Still not satisfied, I then took my SN pens (dark grey and light brown) and created shadows on and outside the image. The image was then torn out to create a vintage edge. btw ... do you know that a super easy way to tear paper, is to take a fine paintbrush and paint a line with water where you want to tear? I then raised the whole image onto fold-down tags at the back. The lace is one of those self-stick laces - except this one was NOT self-sticking any more! Nothing daunted, out comes the double-sided tape. Problem is that the lace has holes in it, and the sticky part of the tape is ummm sticky and showing in the gaps! Just pour some fine glitter onto the lace and press down, then shake off the excess glitter.
New items used - digistamp, flowers punched with a new punch, lace
Old items used - button brads, papers, spritzes

I am entering this card into the following challenges:
Drunken stampers - all that glitters
CMC - your favorite colour combos
Fairytale challenge blog - my newest stamp (mein neuester stempel)
Crafty calendar challenge - what's new
CDAC - anything goes
Outlawz challenges - paper-ala-mode - anything-goes
Lady Annes friday sentiment - anythng goes
TTCRD - anything goes
7 Kids Challenge - use something new old

New releases at Digistamps4Joy - 20 January 2013

This is one of my new images in the Digistamps4Joy store called "Flamingo pair". I went with an olive green and cherise/pink colour scheme, coloured the image with SN pens, made a folded flower from double sided paper with a MS punch, and added a few pearls. Fairly simple, but I love the end result of this card.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:
Allsorts - flower power
CMC - your favorite colour combos
Krafty hands - new beginnings
Stamp your life - new beginnings
Chocolate coffee cards -for the birds
Crafts 4 eternity - punch it
Fairytale challenge blog - my newest stamp (mein neuester stempel)
Crafty calendar challenge - what's new
CDAC - anything goes

Art With No Boundaries

I just 'happened' to find this blog - Art With No Boundaries, with artwork by Chris Stern (CS Designs) - this morning while surfing, and must have spent nearly an hour looking at everything there! I'm hoping this will inspire me to 'get-out-of-my-box' a little!! I know I've always had something inside me that says "different" but never seem to be able to express it, and always end up staying inside the box. I suppose it's almost like being born - it's very comfortable, safe, and warm in the womb, yet as some stage you have to come out. But it's the coming-out experience that is the hardest - painful, tight, cold, bright lights, noisy, perhaps even a little fear. I think I often feel like that, andthen just slip back into the womb - my comfort zone. Yet I know that on the other side, there will be freedom. I'll get there, and when I do, I know this feeling of being boxed in, will be gone!!!

I particularly enjoyed the article on "Oil pastel backgrounds" in the February issue of Art With No Boundaries Online Magazine Vol 2, especially as oil pastels as my favourite medium of artwork. Pop into the AWNB blog and read the latest ezine.

New release at Digistamps4Joy - "Art deco beauty"

This is my third card to show off a new release at Digistamps4Joy. I used another one of the FIVE new butterflies that I drew. This one is called "Art deco beauty". I love swirly/curly things, and just sat and doodled this butterfly and my love of the swirls came out!

I started colouring in the tail with my blue Spectrum Noir pens, and somehow ended up with this rainbow-coloured butterfly! Once fussy-cut, I popped it onto the butterfly background paper with some foam tabs, added glitter and a few gems, and highlighted some areas with the white gel pen. The small butterfly is punched and glitter glue added.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:
Allsorts - dies and punches
Card Makin Mamas - anything goes
Brown Sugar challenge - butterflies
Drunken stampers - all that glitters
Digihaven - sparkles and bling
Spectrum Noir - winter blues

New releases at Digistamps4Joy - "See-through Lady"

This is my second card to show off a new release at Digistamps4Joy. I used another one of the FIVE new butterflies that I drew. This one is called "See-through Lady". I saw one of these amazing creatures fluttering past my nose when I visited the Butterfly Farm in Pietermaritzburg in November 2012, and just fell in love with her!

I initially contemplated cutting out the see-through parts of the wings, but decided against it as some of the veins are just too thin to cut around, so added lots of crystal Stickles glitter glue instead. It produced the see-through effect I wanted, so I'm happy. The butterfly was coloured with SN pens, and I added white gel pen hand-drawn flowers and dots. The background butterfly paper was diecut with an arch shape and then pasted on top of the dark brown cardstock. The scalloped edge around the card was hand drawn (rather wobbly though!!).

I am entering this card into the following challenges:
Allsorts - dies and punches
Card Makin Mamas - anything goes

Drunken stampers - all that glitters
Digihaven - sparkles and bling

New releases at Digistamps4Joy - "Spotty Queens"

Sometimes I amaze myself at how much I can get done in one evening! I not only had to get all the new images into the Digistamps4Joy store, prepare the DS4J blog, but also managed to make 3 cards. It doesn't always go like this though LOL!

This then is my first card to show off a new release at Digistamps4Joy. I used one of FIVE (yes 5!!) new butterflies that I drew. This one is called "Spotty Queen", and while it is not the real name of this butterfly, I am of course allowed to use a little artistic licence!

 I made a different card, but basically only because I was looking for a certain shade of cardstock, and found a piece where I had already punched out a window - and voila, here is my 'peek-a-boo' card! The image is on the inside of the card, and just peeps through the window when the card is closed.

The background image is also a DS4J image called Bluebell log.  I printed out 2 x butterflies and flipped one horizontally, then placed them on top of the log at different angles.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:
Allsorts - dies and punches
Card Makin Mamas - anything goes
Brown Sugar - butterflies
Drunken stampers - all that glitters
Dis Digi Designs - new techniques

New releases at Digistamps4Joy - New Year streamers

My third post to show off some of the new releases at Digistamps4Joy on the LAST Sunday of 2012. This is my own drawing that was released today and it is called "New Year streamers".  So to all my friends out there, this is MY way of wishing you all a Happy New Year, and may 2013 bring you peace, happines, and may that shop eventually dock in your harbour in 2013!

The image on the card is coloured with my SN pens. I added LOTS of small colourful gems, as well as a glittered paper as background.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:
Hiding in my craft room - freestyle
Drunken Stampers - all that glitters
Crafty Mess - show some sparkle
Little Claires Inspiratinos - new year

New releases at Digistamps4Joy - Hibiscus

My second post to show off some of the new releases at Digistamps4Joy on the LAST Sunday of 2012.
I used an image that was drawn by Jen, one of the artists at DS4J, and it is called "Hibiscus". An easy image to colour in and I decided to go with really bright pink/cerise colours, and show this off on a totally black background. The image on the gatefold card is coloured with my SN pens. I added LOTS of glitter glue on the flowers, and closed the card with a flower button and some green cord.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:
Hiding in my craft room - freestyle
Drunken Stampers - all that glitters
Crafty Mess - show some sparkle

New Releases at Digistamps4Joy - Merle

This post is to show off some of the new releases at Digistamps4Joy on the LAST Sunday of 2012.
I used an image that was drawn by Jen, one of the artists at DS4J, and it is called "Merle". A gorgeous image, and I enjoyed making up this card. The image is coloured with my SN pens, and then I added 2 new diecuts I recently purchased, and a punched border.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:
Hiding in my craft room - freestyle
Drunken Stampers - all that glitters
Crafty Mess - show some sparkle

This is the last challenge for 2012 at Digistamps4Joy - Challenge #57 - 

"There's something magical about Christmas". 

I made a twisted easel card with the DS4J image called "Christmas tree 3" from the Digistamps4Joy STORE and coloured it in with SN pens, then added lots of "bling". 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!

David Sydney Powell (1931-2012)

I bid adieu to a wonderful Father.

Rest in Peace Dad.

Margaret
(read more)

SHOPPING DIVAS

 Digistamps4Joy has released some new images today, and I used the "Button Set" that I drew for the store.

This is certainly NOT a clean and simple card as I merged 3 DS4J images, and then added the new buttons as embellishments!!

 

 I merged the following DS4J images in MSWord using the PNG file formats ... "Walkies", "Shopping Diva", and "Shop Front"  to create the scene, then printed out the final image and coloured it in with my SN pens. Three of the buttons in the "Button Set" were printed straight onto patterned paper (paper pieced), cut out,  tied with a small piece of coloured twine, then popped on the card with foam tabs. I added a little clear glitter glue to 2 of the buttons, added a tag, and 2 swirls.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:
Lady Annes - anything-goes
Mema's Crafts - anything goes
One Crazy Stamper - anything goes
The Outlawz - Copic/promarker - shopping
Dilly beans - anything goes
Joyful stamper - anything goes
Divas by design- use 2 or more patterned papers

New Digistamps4Joy releases - 18 Nov. 2012 (2)

Here is the second card I made with one of the new Digistamps4Joy releases this Sunday.

This is one of those CAS (clean and simple) cards I'm not very good at making, as I always tend to add, add, and add more embellishments!! But with this particular image (Footprints in the sand) that I drew and which comes in a set of 4 different footprints (bird, horse, cat, human), I thought it would be best just to make it look as if a bird had walked past. I copied the same image 6 times, then rotated each one slightly to create the larger track. The small track was made with the same image, reduced in size, and again slightly rotated. Each footprint was coloured with my SN pens, and the edge of the sand-coloured paper was chalked with a dark brown. This simple arrangement was pasted onto an embossed white background, and then onto a darker coloured cardstock. I think that the sentiment ("Don't ask God to guide your footsteps if you are not willing to move your feet") is so apt, and created it on the 'puter.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:
Lady Annes - anything-goes
Totally Gorjuss - plain-and-simple
Splendiferous Creations- birds-of-feather

New Digistamps4Joy releases - 18 Nov. 2012

This is my first card to showcase one of the new Digistamps4Joy releases this morning.

I used the new image which I drew called "Meerkat Mervyn". These cute little animals are plentiful in our country South Africa, and I thought a perfect sentiment could be for a friend to say I am looking out for her. I played around a little in Word with the PNG version of the image which has a transparent background. I copied Mervyn three times, moved one copy slightly behind the other, then with the third copy I re-sized and flipped Mervyn to create the smaller meerkat on the left. All 3 of these "Mervyns" were merged onto the image called "Log" also in the Digistamps4Joy store.

From my stash, I found a piece of paper - that's probably been there more than a year already - that looks like rippled sand, diecut out the middle shape, and pasted this onto a patterned brown paper. The log was coloured with my SN pens, while I used watercolour pencils to colour the 3 images. The gold flowers were actually a dull brown material, but I spritzed them with gold. Some brown and gold ribbon, a PC generated sentiment, and a few pearls complete the picture.

To see the rest of the fantastic new releases and the cards the DT made with them, head on over to the DS4J BLOG.

I am entering the card into the following challenges

Bugaboo- BINGO

Crafty Mess - Choose a country

Digidesign- fall colours
Lady Anne's - anything goes
Daring card makers - just because 
Simply create too - use your stash