Coffee with Cream please!

Hello Everyone,

It's time for another challenge at Chocolate, Coffee and Cards Challenges - and the theme this fortnight is:

COFFEE WITH CREAM

That's right, we want to see your creations that feature the dominant colours of brown and cream.

Our sponsors for the challenge this week are Delicious Doodles & Di's Digi Downloads.

Delicious Doodles are offering a prize of four digi images, and Di's Digi Downloads are offering a $10 voucher for their store. What fabulous prizes I hear you say? I agree!

I was able to select an image from Delicious Doodles for my DT creation, and I chose Westie in a Gift Box.

Isn't he the cutest???? I coloured the gift box with copics, as well as the inside of his ears and left the rest of him uncoloured. The sentiment is a little wooden stamp that I picked up at a Papercraft Fair in a bargain bin. All embellishments were from my stash.

I haven't done a brown and cream card before, but it's gone straight to the top of the list of favourite colour combinations.
I hope you'll join us for our Coffee With Cream challenge. The new DT have made some wonderful creations - visit the Challenge blog to check them out.

Thanks for visiting!

Also entered into the following challenge:
Whimsy Stamps Challenge - Buttons & Bows
Craft Room Challenges - Furry Four Legged Family
Shopping Our Stash - Double the Ribbon
Tuesday Throwdown - Critters
Truly Madly Crafty Challenges- Monochrome
Totally Papercrafts - It's Raining Cats & Dogs

Tracey
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For Shereen

Hello All,

I'm here today with a very special card for a very special person, along with a bit of a story about me and how this wonderful woman is changing my life. I know that my blog is all about cards, and less about me, but I thought this was a tale worth sharing. It's a long story, so if you just want to see the card, please feel free to scroll down to the bottom.

About 6 months ago I met Shereen Oliver. Shereen is a Zumba instructor who I solely credit with getting me off the couch and helping me to rediscover a level of fitness I haven't had in years. This gorgeous lady has made me realise I can be strong, I can be fit and I can enjoy exercise - particularly when it's all wrapped up and disguised as dancing. Once I was a very keen Ceroc dancer, even instructing for a while. My final dance experience was the Closing Ceremony of the Sydney Olympics. Here's a photo of me waiting to go out and dance for (what seemed like) a gazillion people. Note, that is a wig. I am not afflicted with "Annie" red curly hair naturally, nor did I do my own makeup. :)

Just before this photo was taken my dance partner got himself a girlfriend. Said girlfriend was the jealous type and didn't appreciate her boyfriend dancing so close to another girl. The fact I had a steady boyfriend made no difference. Within a week Joe dropped me like a hot potato. Tired of the cliques and without a dance partner, an injured shoulder was the perfect excuse to stop, and stop I did. I never went back to class, turned in my instructor card and I never did Ceroc again.

For over 11 years I floated along doing nothing more than the occasional bike ride or walking the dogs. My fitness ebbed away and I got lethargic, put on weight and succumbed to the misery of my shoulder that never healed and hurt constantly. I hurt my foot and had surgery, and then with an upper body injury and then a lower body injury it became too hard to think of anything that wouldn't hurt it. I tried squash, I tried netball, nothing doing.

Then I saw an ad for Zumba with Shereen in the local paper. I had heard about Zumba, had heard how it was a craze that was sweeping the world and how you got fit and had fun. I went to a class and have never looked back. Shereen is a wonderful teacher and is so incredibly motivating and inspiring. I have never seen anyone engender such love and loyalty from her clients.

This is Shereen.


Is it any wonder I rock up to Zumba twice a week with Shereen? If there's any chance I can look even a fifth of how good she looks any time in the future I will be thrilled to bits.

It's not all smooth sailing. My foot hurts, my shoulder hurts and now I have added a troubled knee to the list. But this time - I don't care. The foot is something I treat carefully with orthotics and I am used to it. The physio on my shoulder is helping and I have a cortisone injection scheduled for next week. The knee is treatable with physio and stretches and will be better with time.  What I realise now is how little that matters in the overall scheme of things. What's important is that the rest of me is feeling amazing. I am energised, thinner than I have been since I was in my early twenties (I'm now 38) and I'm even motivated to do exercise outside of Zumba.

Now Shereen is taking on a new challenge, entering a body sculpting competition in October. This requires a new level of dedication to her fitness and given the intensity of her job, it's a serious commitment. In addition to this, Shereen is taking new steps to expand her business at the same time - she's obviously not one to do things by halves! I wanted to make Shereen a card of encouragement, to tell her how awesome she is and how much more awesome she will be at the end of this journey, and to remind her of the support she has from so many people.
I used Kenny K's Download Diva image for this card. The minute I saw it I was reminded of Shereen, and there's always a need to expand my Kenny K collection!

My card was created using Sassafras papers and cardstock from my stash. The sentiment is from Stampin' Up, the ribbon border punch is from My Favorite Things Die-Namics and the swirl is a Magnolia Doo-hickey die. I added eyelets to complete the look and hold the papers and cardstock together.

I am pretty happy with how it turned out. I think my little Kenny K image looks like just she could be a fitness instructor and with her ipod in her ears and her sassy expression, she could easily pass for Shereen.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Crafty Ann's Challenges - It's a Girl Thing
Fussy and Fancy - Swirls & Flourishes
Paper Crafting Journey - Colour It Up
The Ribbon Girl - Use Ribbon or Lace
Make it Monday - Anything Goes
And that's probably a long enough post!
Thanks for visiting, see you again soon.

Tracey
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It's Winter or Summer at The Squirrel and The Fox

I wish it was Summer here. I am not a fan of Winter. In fact the only good thing about Winter is that it gives me a chance to wear knee-high boots, opaque tights, and a fabulous coat I picked up in Melbourne. With a dress of course. Otherwise I really would be cold - and somewhat of a spectacle.

To celebrate the fact it's Winter, and I use the word celebrate very loosely (must just continue to remind myself of the boots) we thought it could be a very fitting theme for us at The Squirrel and The Fox this fortnight. But given half the world will be celebrating the beginning of Summer, we decided to combine both seasons and our theme is now

WINTER OR SUMMER

I spent the weekend in Canberra visiting my dear friend Linda (aka The Squirrel). The weather was cold and raining, perfect for settling in with cups of hot coffee and lots of time to chat and craft. I also got to play with Linda's crafty supplies, which only added a whole lot more things to my list of 'must haves'.

Given my love of warm weather, is it any wonder I chose to theme my DT card for Summer?

I think I shot this photo on a weird angle trying to get the light right - it looks very crooked!

The image is a darling one from Pollycraft. Pollycraft are having a closing down sale, and for only  £9.50 you can get 100+ digi images. It is a spectacular sale - click on this link to get to the store. The image was coloured with copics.

Who can resist the idea of an ice-cream on a hot Summer Day? When I was little and we would caravan for our Summer holidays down the NSW South Coast, every day we would pester Mum & Dad for the money for an ice-cream. We could ride our bikes to the local store - one of the last local stores I remember - and I would buy a chocolate paddlepop. Even to this day, with all the 'grown up' ice creams on offer, I still love a chocolate paddlepop.

I can't tell you which papers I have used, other than they were in Linda's stash. :)

Our challenge is being sponsored by Robyn's Fetish Digital Stamps and More. They are offering our lucky winner five free digis.

Also entered into the following challenges:

Wags 'n Whiskers - Summer Fun
Paper Pretties - Summer
Fashionista Challenge - Simply Summer
The Crazy Challenge - Childhood Memories
The Ribbon Girl Blog - Use Ribbon or Lace

Thanks for visiting, see you again soon!

Tracey
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Chocolate, Coffee & Cards Challenge

Hello Blogging friends,

I have exciting news to share today, for I am now a member of the Chocolate, Coffee & Cards Challenges Design Team!

I even get a fancy new blog badge.

I know I was cutting back on my DT commitments due to my real job getting in the way (don't you hate it when that happens?), but when an opportunity came up for one of my favourite challenge blogs, I just had to apply, and wouldn't you know it, they let me join them.

So here I am to tell you about the current challenge - and what a delicious start to my DT term it is! Chocolate, Coffee & Cards Challenges have posted this yummy looking photo as inspiration:

How it inspires you is up to your imagination. Is it the gorgeous colours of pink, orange, yellow & green? Is it the spots, the stars, and diamonds? So many possibilities.. yet I sat motionless for DAYS trying to figure out what to do. Finally, I got my gorgeous little digi from Digi Doodle Shop, Emily Hug a Heart, coloured her in to match this spectacular cake, and came up with this:

I popped her up with dimensionals, as well as the sparkly, blinged-up banner. The banner was created with My Favourite Things Die-Namics Banner and Mini Alpha set. I stamped the name Caitlin on it with the teeny tiny letters, in honour of one of my all time favourite little people who I am visiting this weekend.

Our challenge this fortnight is sponsored by Digi Doodle Shop and a fabulous $10 Gift Certificate is on offer for one lucky winner.

I hope you'll join us for my first CCCC Challenge! Now, I think I need to eat cake - preferably a big pink, orange, star studded one.

Tracey
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Best Friends and a DT Call

Hello All,

After a brief delay due to Internet troubles, I am here to announce a very special challenge at The Squirrel and The Fox, as well as a DT Call.

Our special challenge theme is

BEST FRIENDS

Our challenge is once again sponsored by Bugaboo - they are offering our lucky winner 7 digi images of their choice from their online store.

Linda and I chose this theme for our second May challenge to celebrate our friendship, for the date falls between both our birthdays. Linda and I have been friends since we met in High School, two fresh faced Year 7 students, only 11 years old. It seems like a lifetime ago, I can barely remember a time we weren't friends. I feel very grateful for her friendship, so for my digi image from Bugaboo I chose "Cow'nt Your Blessings".

My image was coloured with copics, and all papers are from My Mind's Eye. I have sponged the edges of everything with Distress Ink and gave the sewing machine another whirl for some very crooked stitching to affix some of the papers to the cardstock.

Sadly one of our DT members has had to step down due to other commitments. The lovely Lisa has left us, so we are also having a DT Call for not just one, but two spots on our Design Team.

To find out how to become part of The Squirrel and The Fox family, please visit the challenge blog for details.

I am also entering this little card into the following challenge:

The Lollipop Ladies - Freckles & spots

Thanks for visiting, and for your lovely comments as always.

Tracey
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Feel better little bear!

It's the 15th of the month and that means two exciting things. Firstly it's pay day (and yay for that) and secondly, it's time for another challenge at Sparkles!

Our theme for this month is

GET WELL SOON

For my DT work I purchased a brand new stamp from Meljen's Designs - Sick Little Bear. He's the most adorable little fellow, every time I look at him with his little thermometer in his mouth and his scrunched up tissues I just 'awww'.

As the last card I made as a Get Well Card was a girly one, I thought I'd keep this one more masculine, for a sick little boy or perhaps the next victim of the dreaded 'man flu'.

I coloured the image with copics and then simply layered the card over some light purple cardstock with three rows of purple ribbon. I used my swirly cuttlebug embossing folder on some teal cardstock.

Our sponsor for our challenge this month is Di's Digis, who are offering our winner a $10 voucher for their online store.

Get Well Cards are one of my favourite types of cards. There's something extra uplifting about a card when you are feeling poorly. My teammates have made some lovely cards - visit us at Sparkles Monthly Challenges to see them in all their glory.

Also entered into the following challenges:

Craft Your Days Away - All Creatures Great & Small
Allsorts Challenge Blog - A Card for Man or Boy
Totally Papercrafts - No Pesky Girls Allowed
Pixie Dust Studio - For the boys

I hope you all have a fabulous week!

Tracey
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One For The Girls

A big sunshine-y hello from me!

Yes, despite it being the countdown to Winter and the start of some very cold (by my standards) weather, this weekend Sydney has turned on the sunshine and it's a lovely Autumn Day. I am always happiest when I can see blue sky, so my plans for the day are to get out there and enjoy it.

But not before I tell you that it's time for a new challenge at The Squirrel and The Fox. This time our theme is

ONE FOR THE GIRLS

We are excited to welcome a new sponsor for this challenge - Tickled Pink Stamps. TPS are offering our lucky winner two digi stamps from their Lil Lolita, Lil Lad or Lil Pinkette ranges. You simply must check them out - you would be hard pressed to choose!

For my DT piece I was lucky enough to use the digi image Lil Pinkette Easter August. She's the cutest little girl, so dainty and sweet.

My colours were inspired by the current challenge at Card Makin' Mamas - pink, orange, blue and greens. The papers are from My Mind's Eye and my image is coloured with copics. Here's a close up of my Lil Pinkette.

The glittery silver mesh ribbon, bling and cardstock are from my stash. I debated long and hard about adding something more - some flowers, buttons etc, but in the end I settled on leaving this card somewhat simple to show off that gorgeous paper.

I hope you'll join us for our challenge.

I am also entering this little card into the following challenges:

Card Makin' Mamas - picture inspiration
Poodles Parlour - Anything Goes
Southern Girls - Get Your Girly On
Shopping Our Stash - Mother's Day or Anything Girly

Tracey
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