Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Ruby's Rainbow - Metal

Hello again,

It's time for another challenge at Ruby's Rainbow, and because I am still on holidays, I have all fingers and toes crossed that this post goes live as scheduled.

This fortnight's challenge is:

Metal

I love using charms on cards, so it's not hard to imagine what I did for something metal on my card. Here is the card I created for my DT work


The little metal charm says "Made with Love". This card was absolutely made with love, for it's for a dear friend of mine who lives in Canada. Deanna and I met over the internet about 10 years ago, and in 2007 I travelled to Canada to meet her - quite a scary prospect to travel so far to stay with a stranger for 3 weeks, what would have happened if we'd hated each other on sight?? Fortuntately we hit it off and spend our time together solidifying our friendship. In 2009 she returned the favour, travelling to Australia to stay with my husband and me. I am forever wishing she lived closer so I could see her often, emails are just not the same!

This charm was bought online from a store here in Australia called Scrap Matrix. To say they are fuelling my addiction to online shopping may be an understatement. :)

I hope you'll join us at Ruby's Rainbow this fortnight - I can't wait to see everyone's creativity when it comes to adding some metal.

Also entered into the following challenges:
Die Cut Dreams - So Charming
Cards 4 Eternity - One Metal Embellishment
Crafty Catz  - Happy Birthday

Tracey
x

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Remembrance Day

I am still on holidays - so hopefully Blogger is behaving and this post is going live as expected.

November 11th marks Remembrance Day, a day for all the countries of the Commonwealth to remember those members of the armed forces that have died in the line of duty since World War I.

This fortnight Sparkles Forum Challenges have Remembrance Day as their challenge theme. Here is the card I created as my DT work:

Recipe
Copics used:
Poppies: R22, R27, R29, YG03
Paper: Floral Chic - Fancy Pants Desigs
I have used poppies for the image - the flower that has become the symbol for Remembrance Day. This came about because of a poem written during the war called "In Flanders Fields". Poppies grew across the worst of the battlefields in Flanders and the bright red colour was an appropriate symbol for the blood that was shed there.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
      Between the crosses, row on row,
   That mark our place; and in the sky
   The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
   Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
         In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
   The torch; be yours to hold it high.
   If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
         In Flanders fields.


If your creation this fortnight fits the "Remembrance Day" theme, we'd love to see you at Sparkles Forum. Once again Stitchy Bear is offering a fabulous prize to the lucky winner. Visit the challenge blog to find out all the details.

Also entered into the following challenge:
Stamps R Us Challenges - Nature's Gifts
Tracey
x

Sunday, October 16, 2011

One for the girls AND a diving holiday!

An exciting post today!! I apologise in advance for any excessive use of exclamation marks.

It's time for our third challenge at The Squirrel and The Fox and it's time for my holidays to finally start! That's right, if Blogger is my friend and has posted this on time, at this very minute I am on a plane and on my way to Cairns-  the doorway to The Great Barrier Reef.

My husband AJ and I, and two of our very best friends, Amanda and Josh, have planned a two week holiday in Cairns and Port Douglas, starting with a 3 day liveaboard trip on a boat out on the reef. I have my brand new underwater camera and hope to spend a LOT of time getting photos like this one - taken at the Great Barrier Reef in 2009.


This is Wally. He is a Maori Wrasse. Isn't he divine? Oh and I'm the one that's not the fish. :)

My holidays have been a long time coming and it's been a whole 12 months since I've been diving - to say I am looking forward to this trip is a BIG understatement.

So for my DT work for this fortnight's challenge I thought I would celebrate my imminent holidays - here's my DT work for our "ONE FOR THE GIRLS" challenge:



I bought this little digi stamp online - after lots of searching for a diving related image. She's Lily in Snorkel Gear from Pink Cat Studios. I hope to look just like her for most of my holiday - with beach hair, fins on my feet (for you aren't allowed to call them flippers when you are a diver, it's like an unwritten rule) and a nice big grin!

I think I used almost every copic pen I owned creating this card. It's the first time I have coloured a background image as well as the main image.

To create the sky background I sponged it with Sky Blue Versa Colour, and the sand was created with Antique Linen Distress Ink. Everything else was coloured with copics. I cut out the cute little digi stamped girl and gave her some depth by sticking her on with dimensionals.

Anyway, I hope you all will join us with our "ONE FOR THE GIRLS" at The Squirrel & The Fox.

You behave yourself while I'm gone.


Also entered into the following challenge:
The Paper Variety - Ocean/Sea/Nautical
I Brake For Challenges - Wee Girl & Power
Little Miss Muffet Challenges - Girly Girl
Tracey
x

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Cute & Cuddly

Is it Friday yet? After a whirlwind work trip to New Zealand I feel like I have easily done a week's worth of work. So tired, damn time difference. Still, only 2 days until holidays!

It's time for another challenge at Ruby's Rainbow and this time the theme was chosen by me:

CUTE & CUDDLY

I love cards with all sorts of cute and cuddly images - puppies, bears, even blue toy giraffes with sparkly spots.


This was my DT card, a card created for a friend of ours that just had a baby boy - hence all the blue. The image was a free little digi - but I have lost the details of where it came from. If you know, let me know, so I can give the author the credit they deserve. A very simple card, coloured with only two copics - B00 and B02, and the white spots with just a touch of Kindy Glitz to add some sparkle. The card was finished off with some blue stick on 'jewels' for a little 'bling'.

I hope to see you at Ruby's Rainbow this fortnight - we need lots of entries so the lovely Shaz will let me choose the theme another time. :)

Also entered into the following challenge:
Ribbon Carousel Challenges- Sparkles and Bling
Tracey
x

Sunday, October 9, 2011

It's Halloween at Sparkles Forum!

It's time for another challenge at Sparkles Forum and this fortnight the challenge is

Halloween!

Now as an Aussie, Halloween isn't something I celebrated growing up. But I did spend much of my teenage years engrossed in American novels like Sweet Valley High, and was so very envious of all the trick or treating and costume parties that American kids grew up with. It sounded like so much fun.

For my DT work, I created this card:

Recipe
Copics used:
Witch 's hat: YR02, YR04, YR07
Witch's Hair: C3, C5, C7; Dress: Spica 01
Pumpkin: YR15, YR16
DP: Bella Blvd. Itsy Bitsy Spider
Frog: G00, G02
Digi Stamp: Pink Cat Studio
Ribbon, brads and flowers from my stash of goodies

How adorable is this little witch from Pink Cat Studio? She is my very first digi stamp!

The challenge this fortnight is sponsored by Crafty Emma - check out the fantastic prize on offer.



I hope you'll pop over to Sparkles Forum to see what the rest of the DT have created and to enter your own Halloween themed creation.

Also entered into the following challenges:
Fussy and Fancy Challenges - Fall or Halloween
Crafty Ribbon Challenges - "BOO-tiful Halloween Projects--Pretty Spooky"

Tracey
x

Saturday, October 8, 2011

A new blog!

Hello All,

Originally when I started this blog, A Crafty Fox, it was for me to showcase whichever crafty endeavour had taken my fancy at that point in time - for I have a horrible habit of starting one hobby and then quickly abandoning it to start something new.

However as I have fallen in love with card making and taken to it with gusto - even starting my own challenge blog with my friend Linda and joining the DT of two others - A Crafty Fox has become a all about cards and card making. To try and incorporate my other love, photography, won't have the cross appeal for all my card making followers.

So I started a new blog today - One Little Fox Photography. Anyone who is interested can see my latest photographs, including the when, where and how. Anyone not interested can just stay here and see my cards. 

A sneak peak of what you will find in my first blog post:



To visit One Little Fox, clicky here.

Happy weekend everyone!

Tracey
x

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Make It Sporty!

Hello again. Please forgive me if I sound a little bleary-eyed, for Daylight Savings started today and I lost an hour of sleep. But if anything could get me springing out of bed this morning, it's announcing that it's time for our second challenge at The Squirrel and The Fox!

(okay, so I didn't exactly spring - but I did get up and make coffee and turn the computer on with a minimum of grumbling.)

As mentioned earlier, this Challenge blog aims to not only  inspire you, but also take you on a bit of a journey of typical Aussie life. So as the highlight on most sport fans' agendas this weekend is the Rugby League Grand Final, the theme for our challenge this fortnight is:

MAKE IT SPORTY

Now I hunted high and low for a stamp to suit this challenge - and finally settled on 'Rugby Justin' from The Stamping Boutique, and here he is in all his glory on my card.

Recipe
Copics used:
Uniform: R22, R27, R29, YG63, YG67, C3, C5
Skin: E000, E00, E11
Hair: E31, E35
Ball: E25 Grass: YG03
Digi Stamp: The Stamping Boutique "Rugby Justin"

Now I have to say that as my two favourite Copic colours at the moment are red and green, I coloured Justin in without realising that he is now actually dressed in the uniform of the South Sydney Rabbitohs, the team co-owned by actor Russell Crowe. Now I am not a bunnies fan (boo! hiss!), so this was not intentional - nor was the striking resemblance to a young Freddie Krugur of Nightmare On Elm Street fame - as my husband pointed out to me afterwards.

I really hope you are able to join us in Challenge #2 at The Squirrel & The Fox and to welcome our new DT members. We have a full team now (hoorah!) and the ladies have done a fabulous job on their first challenge task.

Also entered into the following challenges:
One Stop Craft Challenges - Just for Men
Cards for Men - Sports

Until next time,
Tracey
x

PS - Go The Warriors!!!