One for the Boys

It's Wednesday evening here and feels like it should be Friday. Why is it that the weeks just fly by so fast - UNTIL you are counting down to holiday. Only three weeks to go until I'm back at the Great Barrier Reef scuba diving with the fishies.

Anyways, it's Ruby's Rainbow Challenge Time! The challenge this fortnight is:

ONE FOR THE BOYS

Now making boys cards is always a bit more of a challenge for me, I mean what can you do if you can't add pearls and lace?? However La La Land have the cutest little boy stamps, and with stamps like those you don't actually need many other embellishments. For my DT work for Ruby's Rainbow, I have used Fireman Luca.

My exciting achievement is the creation of a background paper using Tim Holtz distress ink. I hadn't tried it before and really wasn't at all confident, but I love how it turned out. Now a whole host of distress ink pads are on my wish list!

I hope you'll join us with your own "for the boys" creation at Ruby's Rainbow.

Also entered into the following challenges:
Fussy and Fancy - try a new technique
Southern Girls Challenge - anything goes

Until next time,
Tracey
x

Sparkles!

It's time for another challenge at Sparkles Forum, and the theme couldn't be more appropriate:

Something that Sparkles!

Now I've added the odd sparkly ribbon or rhinestone to a card in the past, but I felt this challenge called for a little more creativity from me. So off I went to the local crafty store - I found one 10 mins from work! - and discovered Kindyglitz glitter glue. Oh so cool - and so easy, even I can't stuff it up.

I was looking forward to using my very first Christmas stamp - Wild Rose Studio's Milton and his sledge. Little Milton will feature heavily in my Christmas cards this year, I just love how cute he is!

Here's my sparkly creation:

As you can see I have glue glittered all over this little guy's santa suit, and also stuck a bit onto the sentiment. I then added some sparkly crystals to add some extra bling, and a silver ribbon with sparkly snowflakes. To continue the snowflake theme, I added the cutest little snowflake charm.

I wish the photo would show just how sparkly this card is. I am quite chuffed with it! I did take about eight photos to try and show off the sparkles - hopefully you can see them.

The Sparkles Forum Challenge this month is proudly sponsored by Stitchy Bear:

I hope you'll join us with your own sparkly creation.

Also entered into the following challenge:
Jingle Belles - Suzy Snowflake


Tracey
x

A birthday dragon

Well it's one week into our first Challenge at The Squirrel and The Fox, and I am absolutely stunned to see how well it's going. To date we have over 150 entries, plus a bunch of wonderful comments and 48 followers. It is all very exciting, and I am spending FAR too much time visiting the blog when I should be doing other things. Case in point, it's Saturday morning and I should be doing housework.

I just wanted to share my other creation I made for the first challenge. This card was made for a good friend of mine, who celebrated her birthday a week or so ago. Renee and I worked together for years, and I count myself very lucky that our 'work' friendship has translated into a 'real' friendship and we continue to stay in touch now that I am working elsewhere. I chose this little dragon from Wild Rose Studios as the stamp for RB's card, as I thought he was super cute, and who doesn't like cake for their birthday??

Recipe

Copics used:

Dragon:YG00,YG03,E11, RV13,RV10

Cake: RV10, E25

Stamp: Wild Rose Studio - Party Fergus

Sentiment - Stampin' Up

 Anyway, if you haven't yet entered your creation into The Squirrel & The Fox, please make sure you visit us soon!

Entered into the following challenges:
Ribbon Girls - Colour challenge - greens & browns



Tracey
x

We're LIVE - and Anything Goes

Drumroll.....

At  last, the long anticipated Challenge Blog The Squirrel and The Fox is live! Okay, so it's probably only been long anticipated by Linda and I, the creators, but still, this is big news! Linda and I have been very excitedly putting this blog together, and we hope that soon there will be a whole bunch of you joining in for our fortnightly challenges.

To kick things off there is a really easy theme for the first challenge:

Anything Goes

Here is one of my creations for this challenge:

Recipe

Copics used:

Toby's fur: E35, E31

Flowers: R20, VG00, G00

Paper: Kaisercraft Homemade Collection

Stamp: Wild Rose Studio, Toby With Roses

Sentiment: Wild Rose Studio

This card was requested by a wonderful friend of mine, Renee, who needed a card for a friend of hers who is now expecting a baby. I was very happy to have another chance to use "Toby With Roses", one of my favourite Wild Rose Studio stamps.

So no matter what your creation is this fortnight, I really hope you will pop over to visit The Squirrel & The Fox Challenge Blog and enter it into our very first challenge.

Also entered into the following Challenges:
Stamptacular Sunday challenge - Just Sayin'
The Paper Players - Animals or Plants


Tracey
x

For the girls

It's time for another challenge at Ruby's Rainbow (seriously how is time flying by, and yet my holidays don't seem to be getting any closer? One of life's perpetual mysteries). This time it is one of my favourite themes -

"One For the Girls"

I'm not much of a girly girl - I am opposed to the colour pink, anything sparkly or frilly - unless it's on a card. So usually a girl's card is my excuse to get out the pink papers and pens, however this time I thought I would try a different colour combination. Here's what I came up with for my DT work:

Recipe

Copics used:

Hair: E35, E31,

Shoes, shirt outline: B02

Demin dress: B93, B97

Skin; E000, E00, E11, R20

Hearts: R22, R27, R29

Stamp: La La Land - Sweetheart Marci

Sentiment - Stampin' Up

Isn't she cute? Of course this is another La-La Land stamp - Sweetheart Marci. Don't you just love those pigtails? She reminds me so much of my friend Linda's daughter, Millie, who is just as gorgeous.

To see what the rest of the DT have created and to enter your creation - visit us at Ruby's Rainbow.

Also entered into the following challenges:
City Crafter - I "heart" you
Crafts and Me Challenges - add a heart

And the La La Land Crafts Customer Gallery

White with one

Sounds like the answer to 'How do you have your coffee?' I know, but today White With One is the challenge at Sparkles Forum. The challenge is to use white + one other colour on your creation. You can colour your image with whatever colours you like, but your card needs to be just white and one other colour. Here is my DT work for the challenge:

Recipe

Copics used:

Fox: YR02, YR04, YR07

Grass: G02
Embossing: Sizzix Flowers

Stamp: Fox from Woodland Folk "Home Sweet Home" set
DP: Sassafrass "Woo + Woo"
Ribbon, brads and flowers from my stash of goodies

I think it's fairly obvious what my one other colour is!

Sadly I made this card for a friend of mine who had to put her beloved cat to sleep last week. As an animal lover who lost a dog a couple of years ago, I know exactly how it feels to lose such a beloved family member. I wanted her to know I understood, and that my thoughts were with her. People give sympathy cards when people die, but it's not often animals are perceived as highly. I will forever treasure the card I received from my good friend Linda when my Lady passed away, hopefully Bethany feels the same about this one.

I've never actually made a card using such few colours, but I really like the look of it. I might have to do more like this one - and I do love using this little fox so any excuse will do.

This challenge is proudly sponsored by Di at Di's Digis

The winner will recieve 5 digital  images of their choice. Fabulous prize huh?

To enter, visit us at Sparkles Forum Challenges. Good Luck!

Also entered into the following Challenges:

Crafty Catz - Ribbon
Shopping Our Stash - Birds, Bugs or Beasts
Ribbon Carousel - Anything Goes

New Challenge Blog!

Very exciting news to share with you today - one of my closest friends (and fellow card making obsessive) Linda and I have created our very own challenge blog.

We thought it would be nice to have a local challenge blog, one that could inspire people to create their papercrafts and enter our challenges, but also teach them a little bit about living Down Under, about our culture and the fun of things like Christmas in a hot climate.

As Linda's blog is "Squirrel Snippets" and mine is "The Crafty Fox" - "The Squirrel & The Fox" was born.

We are very proud of our little blog and are counting down the days until our first challenge goes live on the 18th of September. To take a sneak peak, or enquire about being part of our Design Team click on the little "The Squirrel & The Fox" pic below.

I hope you'll join us for our very first challenge on the 18th of September.

Tracey

x

Father's Day

Well it's Father's Day here in Australia, and for the last couple of weeks I have been making Father's Day cards for friends, my own Dad's card being made a few weeks prior (and posted for the Ruby's Rainbow Stitching Challenge). I loved this "Dad" paper, and loved using all my 'manly' stamps for the cards.

I've been itching to use my Wild Rose Studio stamp - Gone Fishing. Lucky for me, a work colleague has a fishing Dad, so I got to create this card:

I hope he liked it!

Entered into the following challenges:
Challenge Up Your Life - Something for Men
Fab N Funky Challenges - Go mad with embossing