African Queen

Our new artist at Digistamps4Joy is Tanya O'Connor and she drew this gorgeous digi called "Strong Lady 1". When I first saw it I saw an African lady so have attempted to colour a darker skin - not easy! If you purchase this digistamp, both Tanya and I will donate part of the proceeds to the Cancer Association of South Africa, so indirectly you are also donating to CANSA. Cancer affects anyone, no matter your skin colour, and I thought by colouring this digi in with an African skin, it would pay tribute to all our African sisters who also have been battling this disease.

I coloured her in with a combination of Copic pens and Spectrum Noire pens, added the requisite bling (of course!), and mounted it on 2 papers that I found in my stash that I thought have a slight African feel to them.

New items used - digistamp
Old items used - BP, brown cardstock, white pastel pencil for highlights.

A Gift For You

Make It Crafty has a challenge running for  a CAS Skaker card. My first thought was .... a shaker card simple/plain? Making a shaker card requires quite a bit of work. BUT, after looking at the fabulous samples of the DT I realised OK, not too difficult. My problem of course is that I really battle to make CAS cards! It always feels to me as if something is missing.

This is MY version of the CAS Shaker card - I love making shaker cards btw. Perhaps not as CAS as it could be, but the best I could do without adding too much. I used the MIC image "Little girl decorating" image and coloured her in with Copics and SN pens. The tree was cut from green cardstock and 3 separate shaker areas were made. Bit tricky getting the tiny shaker bits into the small area, and I probably have quite a few on the floor now, but eventually I managed. Only one BP used - I tried using the white background but the card looked really empty to me. A little glitter glue and sequins added as baubles, a peel-off sentiment, vase and ribbon, and the card is finished.

New items used - vase
Old items used - BP, green cardstock, white gel pen, chalk, alcohol pens, glitter glue, sequins, peel offs.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:
Make It Crafty - CAS shaker challenge

Happy Birthday Abby

Let's Scrap Sketches challenge 7-1-15 is to use this sketch...

My daughter and I are still catching up on her 2012 album, but at last making progress! Thanks are due to Let's Scrap for all their inspirational sketches!

Sketch 7-1-15 fits in nicely with a layout of photos of my grand daughter's 9th birthday party.  I picked up the bright pink top she was wearing and carried the pink over into the layout, so it is very bright! The lemon green hopefully breaks the pink a little. All the daisy flowers are from a punch that creates a border, and these are the bits that fall out. The lemon green squares are from a die. Here theme was "Hello Kitty" but was basically only picked up in the cake decoration by her mom. Instead of making a Hello Kitty layout, I decided to go with the flower theme to match those on the cake.

I entering this layout into the current Let's Scrap Sketches challenge 7-1-15.

Let God be your guiding light

I drew this digi for Digistamps4Joy and called it "Coral Corner".  

I love my aquariums (I have 3!). I would love to be able to own a marine tank as the fish are just so beautiful and the anemone and corals absolutely amazing, but it is so expensive and a lot more difficult to maintain. Instead I always admire the marine tanks in my local pet shop. But, I "can" draw a coral scene and create my own marine card!

This is a centre-stepper card shape. I used left over Graphics 45 (By the Sea) papers as the backing, and die cut some leaves and swirls as well. The digistamp is coloured with my Inktense pencils and OMS, and highlights added with white gel pen. I used strips of paper and different blue TH chalks to create the sunrays coming through the water.

New items used - digistamp
Old items used - BP, white cardstock, white gel pen, chalks.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:
Kraftin Kimmie - Anything Goes
Outlawz challenges - Anything Goes + twist use die cuts
Art by Miran challenge36 - anything goes
TTCRD - anything goes

Kriewel Revue 2012

UPDATE: My layout was chosen as Top 3 Pick at Let's Scrap for this challenge!

Let's Scrap Sketches challenge 6-1-15 is to use this sketch...

Thank you Michelle van Wyk for this fabulous sketch! It fits in perfectly for the layout I have been wanting to do of the 2012 concert photos of my grandchildren's school. Their school won 1st place in the 2012 inter-school competition, so the school arranged for professional photos to be taken of the individual children participating. Their costumes were absolutely fabulous.

I switched the 3 photo placings on the right-hand side page to some decorative swirls instead, and in place of the large stars as embellishments, I added swirls to match the make-up swirls on the kids' faces. And of course LOTS and LOTS of BLING on my layout! The grey swirls were cut out of grey-glitter cardstick, and the string is actually a string of very shiny sequins. Such a pity that the photographs do not do justice to the real-deal.

I am entering this layout into the current Let's Scrap Sketches challenge 1-1-15.

Lowell's 2nd Birthday layout

UPDATE: This layout made Top 3 Pick at Let's Scrap for their challenge!


Let's Scrap Sketches challenge 5-15-15 is to use this sketch...

What a gorgeous sketch, and as I have been meaning to scrapbook Lowell's 2nd birthday in January, this sketch is perfect. My daughter Natasha backed the cake for Lowell as he loves cats.

I paper-pieced the Jack-in-the-box from a template in Marina du Plessis's first book (Creative Scrapbook Piecing), as the large embellishment on the left page, and used the balloon template for the right hand page.

Here is a close up of the Jack-in-the-Box

A special guest was Great Grandma Kleintjie Janse van Rensburg, seen here with Ethan and Lowell.

 

I am entering this layout into the current Let's Scrap Sketches challenge 5-15-15.

21st Birthday Pop-up Box card

Why is it that we often put off doing things, and then one day actually sit down and do it, then wonder why it took so long to try it?

This is exactly what I did with a pop-up box card. I have NO idea why it took me so long to give this a try, but I have at last made this fabulous shaped card! My colleague wanted a card made for a 21st birthday of a female family member, and gave me a 'price' and colour scheme (red, black, white) to work around. My first thought - believe it or not - was to make this card! Yes, it took me ages to put in all the fiddly little bits, but I am really chuffed with the end result, and she absolutely adores it. I am sure the final recipient will too.

I started with a red cardstock box base, then added some gorgeous black polkadot paper to the sides and flaps. The key is one of my own digistamps in the Digistamps4Joy store that I coloured and blinged up (21st Key).

 

The balloons were cut with my KNK using MTC software, and the SVG file is from the "A Day at the Carnival" set from SVG Cuts. I added a little shading with my inks. All the silver and red hearts were punched, and then glitter added.The two dragonflies are from a set of a clear stamp and a die that came with a recent crafting magazine. Red and black polkadot ribbons were added here and there to fill up gaps, as well as curled strips of hologram silver paper.

 

While scratching through some embellishments, I found a packet of gold sequin "Happy Birthday" sentiments, and then added some sequin numbers around them on the two side flaps.

Note: All the pop-up embellishments were glued onto see-through plastic packaging, which I cut into narrow strips. Yes, I'm a bit of hoarder so keep all the packaging of dies and embossing folders! See, they were useful!
I had fun making this card, and will definitely make more now LOL.

I am entering this creation into the following challenges:
Decorate to celebrate (anything goes)
Inspiration Destination (anything goes)
Panny's Paper Crafty Challenge (anything goes)
Clear it out challenge (girls/diecuts/punches)
Art Impressions (movement)
Through The Craft Room Door (anything goes)
Tuesday throwdown
Artistic Inspirations (anything goes + diecuts)
Craft Your passion (anything goes)
Love to Scrap (anything goes)

New digi - new card - Pensive Bride

I drew this digi for Digistamps4Joy and called it "Pensive Bride".  

For every woman getting married, we have all had this moment on our special day. The moment when reality hits home, the pressure is great, or perhaps a small doubt may surface. But we all get through it and enjoy the rest of our special day.  

I backed the coloured image (with SN and COPICS) an embossed piece of crd the same colour as the net shading, to keep to a wedding colour theme. I only added 2 additional elements - the corner cut die, and a paper bow (also diecut). Of course there is a tiny bit of bling on her earring. I feel that the simplicity of the card highlights the bride.

New items used - digistamp
Old items used - embossed card, white and silver cardstock, silver glitter.
TTCRD - anything goes

Eugenia - my new 'old friend'

UPDATE .... Yippee, I made Top 3 Pick at Lets Scrap Sketches with this layout!

Let's Scrap Sketches challenge 4-15-15 is to use this sketch...

I could not resist scrapbooking the latest addition to my family (well, at the moment just little old me) - Eugenia - my new little "old" girl. I fell in love with her when I saw her in January 2015, standing on the pavement outside the owner's home. He said he still needed to do quite a few repairs on 'him' before he sold 'him'. My ears pricked up, I asked the price, and on the way home I made up my mind I wanted to buy 'him' before he sold it to someone else.

Yes, him', because the owner had named the VW Beetle "Eugene" - typical of a male of course. BUT, typical of me as I am a woman, I wanted a female version of the car, so renamed HER "Eugenia". The owner was thrilled that I kept the original name, but with a slight twist to it, and of course a gender change!

Born in 1969, Eugenia had a makeover in 2015, restored to her original colour of Battleship Grey, and most of the body parts are still original, even the radio which works beautifully. The engine is new and while it says 1500 on the back, I now actually sport a 1600hp engine! Power under her hood!

I adopted Eugenia in March 2015, and she is now rightfully all mine. Love her to bits. But of course, with a creative streak running in me I just had to decorate her a little. Her name and all the butterflies, were cut with my Cricut and MTC out of "Jac" (an adhesive vinyl/plastic sheeting I purchased as a local signwriter), and with my sister's advice ringing in my ears of how to get it onto the car, I managed to create a unique design, exclusive to Granny Margy!

The scrapbook page was decorated with the same name and butterflies that are on her body, but cut out of white cardstock and glittered up a little. Believe me, if I could have put bling on Eugenia I would have done it LOL, but the scapbook page will do nicely thanks.

So, let me introduce you to Eugenia ....

Believe it or not, a day before I started this page layout, my grandson (3 years old) spotted a set of stickers with Granny's Beetle on it - the exact same colour, just a newer model!

So now that you have been properly introduced to Eugenia, if you are ever in my neighbourhood and want to take a drive into the past, pop in, and I'll take you for a drive.

I am entering this layout into the current Let's Scrap Sketches challenge 4-15-15.

Our 3 Angels scrapbook page

Let's Scrap Sketches challenge 3-1-15 is to use this sketch...

I have used the left page of this double sketch to catch up on some scrapbooking.

Catch up? YES. My daughter and I are sooo far behind on her annual family scrapbook albums and are only now finishing off 2011! So this layout was used to make one more page for her album showing all three of their little angels (my grandkids). The main embellishment is a little hand-cut angel, with flat pearls and punched butterflies flowing from it. The wording was cut with my Slice machine using the shadow option of the Avian card.

Off to go and get some more 2011 pages completed!

Winner of Digistamps4Joy Blog Hop

The Digistamps4|Joy Blog Hop is now over, and here is the winner of the digistamp on this blog ...

Commenter #13 - YANARA

This is the digistamp you have won. Please email me at info[at]digistamps4joy[dot]co[dot]za with your name and the name of this blog, so I can send the image to you.

Bunny Magic

The list of ALL the winners is available on the main Digistamps4Joy Blog.

NOW

 I have a small candy available to one commenter on this post - a packet of 100 various sized white flowers which can be spritzed or chalked up in any colour. These are perfect for your cards or scrapbook pages. The '100' is in celebration of the 100 challenges at Digistamps4Joy. I will post internationally so feel free to comment if you are outside South Africa!

Thanks for playing with us!

Carnival Time

Let's Scrap has moved to a blog and their new address is http://letsscrapsketches.blogspot.com

They still put out a weekly sketch challenge, and I decided to play along this week. I haven't created a scrapbook page for a while now, so today I was on leave and thought 'hey, why not?" Here is the sketch they posted, and below is my take on the sketch. The photos were taken in August at a local school fair, of my grandsons having fun on the rides.

The popcorn, man-on-stilts, and the title were all cut with my Scan 'n Cut machine. I added puff-paint to the popcorn instead of the cut-out from the design as I thought it made it look 'more real'.

Margy

Digistamps4Joy 100th Challenge and Blog Hop

 

Digistamps4Joy is celebrating it's 100th Blog Challenge "CELEBRATION" with a Blog Hop running from 3-16 September 2014, a free digistamp, digistamps as prizes on all the blogs, and random prizes after the 17th!
The first challenge on the brand new DS4J blog was on the 23rd February 2012, and as a big THANK YOU to all of you, we are holding a BLOG HOP where you can win many prizes, including more of our fabulous digistamps! We have some new releases which we are showcasing as well as giving away previously released digis to some lucky followers.  

BLOG HOP

The Blog Hop is running from 3 Sept. 8am South African time to 1600 (4pm) on Tues.16 September. The full list of winners will be announced on Thursday 17th September on the main Digistamps4Joy blog and my winner on my blog here. 

You have arrived at Margy's blog in PRETORIA, South Africa! I am the owner of Digistamps4Joy and am absolutely delighted to share in this celebration! I have been privileged to work with so many wonderful ladies on my team, and I look forward to the next 100 challenges.
This is the prize on my blog - the cute "Bunny Magic" digistamp, and here is the card I made with it.

 

The main DS4J blog is giving away 100 REWARD POINTS to one lucky winner, which can be spent in the Digistamps4Joystore! Now isn’t that a fabulous prize?

  

RULES FOR ENTERING THE RANDOM DRAW ON MY BLOG

Be/become a follower of THIS blog

Leave a comment under THIS post

The next blog in the Hop is PAT , or you can start at the beginning at the Digistamps4Joy blog, and work your way though to the last blog. The full hop order is listed on the main Digistamps4Joy blog.

FREE DIGISTAMP
I am giving this digistamp "My Ballgown" as a freebie to all Kit and Clowder Facebook members from 3-8 September. Rules are posted on the K&C page.

CHALLENGE # 100 - CELEBRATIONS
Don't forget, you can still enter the DS4J Challenge #100 "Celebrations" running for the whole month of September.

AD HOC PRIZE
There will be ad hoc prizes given away on all the DT blogs after the main HOP is over , and also on this blog. These will only be available after the 18th Sept to 30th September.

Come back here on the 18th for another surprise!

It was fabulous meeting you all, and your next blog is PAT

Some fabulous candy up for grabs

Annie (one of my DS4J DT members) has put up some fabulous candy for grabs on her blog The Journey is the Start during August! This is to celebrate her birthday on the 31st of the month - so Happy Birthday in advance Annie!

Pop into her blog to see the candy she is offering, and I would personally like to win THIS one donated by Alyce of Kit and Clowder ....