So glad we're friends

Every now and then you get the opportunity to make a card for someone really special. The card I made today is for my very closest friend, the sister I never had, Amanda.

I bought this Wild Rose Studio "Girl With Dog" stamp about 6 months ago, knowing I would be using it for Amanda's card, for it reminds me of her so much. I resisted using it for other creations, wanting its debut to be for her birthday.

I used my Stampin' Up Sentiment "So Glad We're Friends" for it says everything I think of Amanda and more. I coloured in this gorgeous girl using copics, sponged the edges with Momento "Summer Sky" and used my Spellbinders "Reverse Wonky Rectangles" die. I then hunted high and low for some paper to compliment her. Just when I was about to give up and go home, I found this beautiful paper from Sassafras called "Lots O' Luck". I was actually carrying some blue cardstock to go with a card I will be making tomorrow when I realised the blue was a very nice addition. I love it when I come across a combination by chance like that!

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

Totally Gorjuss - For Someone Special
Little Miss Muffet challenges - Anything Goes
Paper Creations Ink - Something Old (image stamp) Something new (DP)
Ladybug Crafts Ink TLT Challenge - Bingo (flowers, ribbon, die cut)
Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge - Anything Goes
Make It Monday - Anything Goes

Until next time,
Tracey
x

Pretty Ballerina

Oh it's so refreshing to make a card that's not Christmas related. I don't know about you, but I left my Christmas card making way too late, so it was a frantic race to the finish.

I had coloured a beautiful La La Land image for the last Sparkles Forum challenge of the year, but unfortunately didn't get a chance to finish it due to family dramas. I couldn't leave this little ballerina merely coloured, so this morning I spent some time turning her into a card.

A couple of weekends ago, my best friend's husband Josh and I got very carried away remembering the Hans Christian Anderson song "Thumbelina" as sung by Danny Kaye. Now I know this isn't a 'thumbelina' but a real ballerina, but I simply couldn't stop singing that song while making her.

This card was pulled together using leftover scraps from three different DPs, a teeny bit of lace that is part of the stash I got from my grandmother, and some pearl and jewel stick-ons for bling. The butterfly is a lovely feathery, jewelled glittery creation that I bought once upon a time and never used.

To walk down memory lane with Josh and I - here's a link to the Thumbelina song from the movie here.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

The Crafty Pad - Anything but Christmas
Flutterby Wednesdays - Butterfly, Fairy or Angel
The Paper Shelter - The Look of Lace
Pixie Dust Studio Pixie Challenge - 3 different papers
Make It Monday - Anything Goes
That Craft Place - Sweet Treats in Pastels
The Poodles Parlour - Inspired by a song

and added of course to the La-La Land Customer Gallery for December.

Until next time,
Tracey
x

Blog Candy Winner

Hello All,

I hope you survived the festivities. It was a very quiet one at this end. My husband's grandfather passed away just 2 weeks ago, and everyone is still feeling very subdued. My job has been pretty crappy and causing lots of new stresses and I've been working extra long hours.

For the first time, I didn't even put the tree up and without my tree I really didn't feel like it was Christmas. Lesson learned. Next time the tree goes up, regardless of whatever dramas are going on in life at the time. I feel sad that Christmas seems to have been 'missed' this year.

Anyway, I am happy to announce that I have the winner of my first ever blog candy! The winner of the $10 Mystery Digi pack from Make It Crafty is....

Carla S!!!

Congrats Carla - email me at fox_tracey@yahoo.com.au and I will get your prize sent to you soonest.

Tracey
x

It's a Holiday Havoc Blog Hop!

It's an exciting day today and an unusual post from me - for it's my very first blog hop!

For my first ever hopping experience, what better hop to join than Craft Your Passion Challenges "Holiday Havoc 2011" Blog Hop!

If you have hopped over from Sue's blog "Confessions of a Paper Hoarder", then you are in the right place. If you just happened to stop by and would like to join the hop from the beginning, please go to Craft Your Passion Challenges and follow along for a chance to win some AMAZING blog candy along the way and PRIZES at the end.

Trust me, these are fab prizes so if you did just stop by, quick - go get started!

Right, let's assume you've done that and you're back. That means you know all about the blog hop, how the Craft Your Passion DT members are all playing in the hop with a crowd of us (myself included) - all hopping along together (why do I keep picturing the Easter Bunny here? Must change mental image to hopping reindeer or similar).

Each designer is featuring a project showcasing a digital image from one of the amazing Blog Hop Sponsors. Some of the designers are giving away blog candy too - make sure you read the posts on how to win. As well as the individual blog candy from the designers, there are some fabulous prizes to be won at Craft Your Passion Challenges. All you have to do are these few simple steps:


1. Hop all the way through the Hop, leaving a comment for each designer as you go.

2. Sit back and marvel at the amazing fun you've had along the way (those talented and experienced hoppers can possibly do steps 1 & 2 simultaneously)

3. Create a holiday project using at least 1 digital stamp and enter it at Craft Your Passion Challenges using the linky tool by Midnight CST December 23 to be eligible for the prizes. Winners will be announced on the CYP Monday, December 26th Challenge post.

Got all that?  Okay, so here's the card I created using a gorgeous digi supplied from Crafty Sentiments.

Because this image was so very sweet, I didn't want to overshadow him with lots of tricky embellishments or lots of papers. Instead, he was very simply coloured with copics, glittered up with Kindy Glitz glitter glue, and glammed up with some ice blue jewel stick ons from Kaisercraft added to the snow globe base. The DPs were Hobby Fun Co. Ltd, and I added some red ribbon from my stash. I wish I knew where I got that little digi sentiment - it was a freebie I collected once upon a time and lost the details for. To celebrate the occasion I even bought a new Spellbinders die - Lacy Squares.

Now I couldn't participate in my very first blog hop and not offer any candy of my own could I?

So ta-da - blog candy!  I am offering one lucky winner something very special from one of my all time favourite digi stores - Make it Crafty.

 $10

That's right, if you win my blog candy you win a Secret Santa digi stamp pack to the value of $10. Oh the excitement, the intrigue, the mystery - you won't know what stamps you will recieve - but I know they will be wonderful!!

To be eligible to win, all you have to do is leave a comment here (which you are doing anyway to be eligible for the Craft Your Passion prizes), and become a follower. I will enlist the help of random.org to pick one winner - easy! The winner will be drawn and posted here on 26th December.

Right, next stop is Paper and Scrap Creations by Julia - have fun!

Tracey
x

Oh Christmas Tree

No, your eyes do not deceive you lovely followers - I really am posting two cards in one day. All week I have been singing the Christmas Carol "Oh Christmas Tree" and seeing I'm not putting my tree up this year this is the next best thing.

It's been a very stressful weekend, for my husband's grandfather is critically ill and expected to pass away within days. Yesterday we spent the day by his bedside. He said his goodbyes to us all, telling me to look after his Grandson. It was one of the most heart wrenching things I have ever had to experience.

Today I wanted to do nothing more taxing than to colour in, glue things to other things and to play with paper. My husband is doing similar mind-numbing activities, he is esconced in front of his X-box.

I created this card after seeing a design using a freebie image from Bird's Cards many months ago. You can find the digi & the button idea here. I then forgot all about it until Shaz did a similar creation.

This card will be for my grandmother, as it uses both buttons and lace that were salvaged from her house before it was sold recently.

The DP is a lovely soft green but hasn't shown up as well as I would have liked in the photo. I used my Cuttlebug snowflake embossing folder for the white card. I have added silver and white ribbon, as well as the white lace for embellishments. The 'ornaments' are both buttons and pearl stick ons. The sentiment was a freebie but I have lost the details of where I got it.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

Little Miss Muffet Challenge - Buttons & Ribbons
The Paper Variety - Inspired by a Chrsitmas song.


Until next time,
Tracey

It's Christmas Time at The Squirrel and The Fox

It's time for another challenge at The Squirrel and The Fox. Of course we couldn't miss the opportunity to join the festivities of this time of year, so our challenge theme is

CHRISTMAS

This challenge is an extra special one, for it will run for 3 weeks instead of the normal two. There's plenty of time to get your entries in to be in the running for our fabulous prize from Make it Crafty, who are once again sponsoring our challenge.

I have created this card for my DT work, using one of Make It Crafty's fabulous images. I think this Aussie Santa captures the very spirit of Christmas in Australia.

Isn't he awesome?? This is exactly what Santa would look like on the Aussie leg of his journey I am sure - it's too hot for any red fur-trimmed suit here!

I have coloured him with copics, and in typical Aussie summer style have even given him a sunburnt nose. The sentiment was a freebie digi (still can't remember who from), and the papers were Simple Stories. The bits of ribbons were cut offs from previous card making endeavours and all the white edges were sponged with Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Antique Linen. I also distressed the edges with my new Tim Holtz distress tool - now my favourite little toy.

I hope you like my creation and will join us with all your festive creations at The Squirrel and The Fox. My teammates have all done a fabulous job with their creations, make sure you check them out.

Also entered into the following challenges:

Catch the Bug - Santa Baby
Card Makin' Mamas - Christmas
Crafty Ribbons Challenge - Traditional Colours for Christmas
Inky Impressions - Ribbon
Sassy Cheryl's Challenge Blog - It's Santa!

Until next time,
Tracey

Ruby's Rainbow - Monochrome

Hello All,

Can you believe it's December already?? How quickly this year has gone. It's time for another challenge at Ruby's Rainbow. This fortnight our challenge is

MONOCHROME

For my DT card I created a very blue card for one of my colleagues:

It was nice to make a birthday card after all the Christmas cards I have been making the past few weeks. This digi was from the Digi Garden and he's called "Sammy". He's so cute, I can see me using him a lot in future!

I wanted to buy a new blue ink pad to edge my image and sentiment so I merrily took myself to the crafty shop to buy Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Tumbled Glass. Of course they didn't have it, so I went to the next crafty shop, and they didn't have it either. In the end I deliberated long and hard about which blue Momento ink to get, knowing I had one at home already, chose Summer Sky, came home and found it was the one I already had. D'oh! This is so typical of me. I have been known to spend hours looking for a lipstick or nail polish after getting tired of the same shade, to purchase one triumphantly and then realise it's the same one. Does anyone else do that or is it just me?

I hope you'll join us at Ruby's Rainbow this fortnight. I can't wait to see the monochrome creations!


Also entered into the following challenges:
A Gem of a Challenge - Monochrome, not Christmas, with sentiment




Until next time,
Tracey
x

Sparkles Forum - One You Love at Christmas

It's a lovely theme for this fortnight's challenge at Sparkles Forum-

FOR THE ONE YOU LOVE AT CHRISTMAS

My husband and I don't normally exchange cards, so for this challenge I tried to make a card he'd really appreciate. I didn't want to overdose on sentimentality, so I searched high and low for an image he'd like. Needless to say I found Kenny K, with his gorgeous girl digis and after a big debate between digi Mrs Claus and Mistletoe - chose Mistletoe for my DT card.

Isn't she fabulous?

I paired this image with a stack of presents digi and a fantastic "Naughy or Nice" sentiment digi, both freebies I found online and lost the details for. If you happen to recognise them please let me know so I can give credit to the artists. I will be ticking "naughty" or "nice" before giving my hubby the card, I am just monitoring his behaviour. :)

I am thrilled to bits with this card. I have tried to keep it as masculine as possible, so have used simple embellishments of metal snowflake charms, silver stars and ribbons. Colouring her was a dream, I happily spent hours on her hair and her dress, and love how she turned out. I hadn't done black hair before and was a bit daunted, but think it doesn't look too bad.

My teammates have all come up with gorgeous cards for their 'other halves'. I hope you'll visit the Sparkles Forum challenge blog and check them out, and of course join us for the challenge. Crafty Emma is generously offering our winner this fabulous Dove Craft Paperpack prize:

I hope to see you there!

Also entered into the following challenges:

Cupcake Craftroom - Christmas Tradition (Mistletoe)
Southern Girls Challenge - Ribbon (three types, silver mesh style, red ribbon and blue feather ribbon)
Here Come The Boys - Masculine
kenny k kraftygirlz challenges - Texture (my blue feather ribbon and silver mesh ribbon, plus the embossed card)
Tuesday Throwdown - Masculine Holiday Card
Fab n Funky Challenges - Anything Goes

Until next time,
Tracey
x