Kids or Babies at The Squirrel and The Fox

Brace yourself Blogger friends for this is a busy blogging weekend for me, as all three of my challenge blogs have challenges go live within days of each other. I'm not sure this little blog has ever had so much action!

Our challenge theme at The Squirrel and The Fox this fortnight is an easy one:

KIDS OR BABIES

Now I don't have any children of my own (just one of the furry variety), but even I seem to make cards for kids quite often. So far they've all been birthday cards or cards to welcome new babies to the world, so I thought I'd make something a little different - a bright and cheery kiddie Get Well Card.

Our challenge is sponsored by Bugaboo, and I used their cute little Deacon Rain digi for this card. I had bought the cute rainy DP a while ago and was very happy to have a chance to use it. The sentiment is a CC Design rubber stamp. Deacon was coloured with copics and the ribbon is from my stash.

I used some 3D crystal lacquer for the rain and puddle, but sadly it just doesn't show in the photo.

I hope you'll join us for our Kids or Babies challenge - make sure you pop over to the challenge blog and check out the inspiring work from the DT. Lisabee has had to step down from the blog due to other exciting commitments, so I also want to take this opportunity to thank her for all her hard work over the past 21 challenges.

Thanks for looking and for your kind comments as always!

Tracey
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Steampunk and Metal at CCCC

Hello Everyone,

I'm excited to tell you about the new challenge at Chocolate, Coffee and Cards Challenges:

STEAMPUNK PLUS METAL

What a fabulous challenge theme I am sure you will agree. I love steampunk, but have never tried it myself, so this card needed a little bit of thinking time. I actually bought a chipboard clock for it, but when I put it together the clock just didn't work. So here's what I came up with:

The image is Steampunk Josephine from Sassy Studios. My little butterflies are my metal additions. The background paper is "Steampunk Debutante Collection" from Graphic 45. Background mesh ribbon and lace are from my stash. I coloured Josephine with all my earth tone copics to create this rather sepia monochrome look.

Our challenge this fortnight is sponsored by Sassy Studio and Robin's Nest - check out the Chocolate, Coffee and Cards Challenges blog for all the details and to check out the fabulous steampunk creations from the team.

Also entered into the following challenges:
Stamp n Doodle - Monochrome
Whimsy Stamps Challenges - Monochrome

See you again soon!

Tracey
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Guest Designer at Fussy and Fancy

Ooh, it's an exciting post for I am happy to be the Guest Designer at one of my all time favourite challenge blogs - Fussy and Fancy!

My task as Guest Designer was to create a card for their current challenge -

FANCY FOLDS

As my wonderful friends in blogland know, I'm still quite a novice when it comes to creating cards and tend to stick to my favourite square or rectangle cards. In fact I've only veered from that path once, to create an easel card. I spent a fair amount of time googling all different types of cards with folds and almost created a flowerpot card, but in the end I couldn't resist having a coloured digi as the star, so once again I created an easel card. Ambitious aren't I?

I loved this little digi from Tiddy Inks and thought it was just perfect for a card for my pregnant friend Renee. I computer generated the sentiment "So excited to hear you are egg-specting" to match the darling image, which was of course coloured with copics. I am very proud of her hair I must say!

The papers are from Cosmo Cricket and I have set it all on Bazzil cardstock. The lace and metal paperclip are from my stash.

I hope you will pop over to Fussy and Fancy and enter your own fancy folds card. The Design Team have created some seriously clever folds, I intend to attempt each and every type along my card making journey.

I am also entering this card into the following challenges:
Sassy Studio Designs - Metal
Paper Makeup Stamps - Easel Card
Poodles Parlour - Cute or Cuddly
The Ribbon Girl Blog - Girlie

Until next time,
Tracey
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Christmas in July

Well Blogging Friends, I am hoping it's a case of 'better late than never' for my card, for the current challenge at The Squirrel and The Fox started a whole week ago and I'm only now just posting my card. I have been a little overwhelmed with a whole lot of stuff going on in my world at the moment, and I just wasn't able to get my card completed in time.

So, assuming you all forgive me, I can now tell you about our challenge. As you know, Christmas falls in the middle of Summer here in Australia, and most people have given away the ideas of suffering through traditional hot roast dinners for Christmas. I remember when I was little, everyone slaved all day to make a roast lamb with all the trimmings (we never did turkey at our house - I think from the beginning we were always a bit too Aussie for turkey). By the time we got to the table, everyone was just too hot to eat it. We now have a typical Aussie seafood and chicken dinner these days and everyone stays much cooler.

If you want to have a traditional Christmas dinner, the best time to do it is the middle of Winter. This is why a whole bunch of Aussies celebrate an additional Christmas - in July.

So of course that's our theme for this fortnight:

CHRISTMAS IN JULY

We are being sponsored by Digi Doodle Images this fortnight and they supplied the team with some fabulous digi images to use. As I was supremely disorganised, I went instead with this adorable little Pollycraft image.

I hope you can pop over to The Squirrel and The Fox to see what the wonderfully organised team created for you. You can also welcome our two newest members of the DT, Mags B and Vanessa.

Until next time, happy crafting everyone.

Tracey
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Anything Goes at CCCC

Hello Everyone!

Oh I am such a terrible blogger for here I was thinking this post had been scheduled when all along it was sitting here in drafts. Now I am behind in telling you about the newest challenge at Chocolate, Coffee and Cards Challenges. Our theme this fornight is a super easy one - for it's

ANYTHING GOES

So no excuses, I expect to see you entering your next creation, pronto. See how bossy I can be?

Our challenge is sponsored this time by Crafty Sentiments, who are offering our winner 4 free digis. I was lucky enough to play with this little cutie from their collection - Just Relax (Amy).

I tried something I hadn't tried before for this card - I stamped the sentiment directly onto the DP (a risky thing if you knew how many times I completely botch up stamping things). I then entered far higher risk territoy and got the sewing machine out. I am proud of the stitching on this one, it's mostly straight and mostly how I intended, bar some issues turning corners. Let's just say that I didn't intend to add a little flower.. it's covering up the bit that didn't go so well!

Oh well, I am determined to add beautiful sewing to my cards, so I have to learn and there are bound to be mistakes along the way. I guess it goes with the territory.
Please pop over to CCCC and see what my fabulous teammates have created, and enter your own project.

Thanks for visiting and for your wonderful comments as always.

Tracey
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Sparkly Christmas Cheer

Good morning,

I am writing this post with a big grin on my face, for the sun is out and the sky is blue! Yesterday was a miserable Saturday, with rain and grey clouds all day. Today I have big plans to get out and go walking with my dog down by the river - so I am so thankful that the weather has obliged.

It's time for a new challenge at The Squirrel and The Fox and this time we want you to

MAKE IT SPARKLE

Yup, we want to see all your glittery and sparkly creations - so go ahead, bling it up.

We are being sponsored by Bugaboo for our challenge this fortnight and for my creation I was lucky enough to play with their image - JJ Christmas.

I love this image and think she's just perfect for many of my girlfriends who take their festive celebrations very seriously. I think she'll feature heavily in my cards this year.

It was hard to capture the sparkles with my camera, but I have coloured the glass with Kindy Glitz glitter glue. The paper also has lots of sparkle through it. I made this card as a gatefold card - first time I have made a card like this actually - and I decorated the inside to match.

I hope you'll join us and be in for the chance to win the fabulous prize from Bugaboo. They have very generously offered 7 free digis to our lucky winner.

Thanks for visiting - now I'm off to enjoy this sunshine.

Tracey
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It's Summer at Sparkles!

Hmmph, well that just reminds me that it's not Summer here. Damn opposite-side-of-the-world business! Although I must admit that watching the footage of the Jubilee I think you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between Australia and the UK weather wise recently. :)

So yes, back to the task at hand. I need to tell you of the newest challenge at Sparkles Monthly Challenges -

SUMMER FUN

Yup, it's time to show us all your warm and summery creations.

For my card this month I purchased a brand new Meljen's Design image - Beach Kitten.

Aww, look at her in her sweet bikini. Maybe I have spent too many years with dogs and beaches - I keep thinking of the combination of sand and wet fur and, well, there's nothing pleasant in that combination! But this beach babe looks perfectly well behaved - sitting pretty with her shades on.

Our challenge this month is sponsored by the wonderful Lili of the Valley, who are offering a £10 prize to our lucky winner.

I hope you'll join us!

Also entered into the following challenges:
Creative Mondays - Summer
Craft Room Challenges - Furry Four Legged Family
Tuesday Throwdown - Critters
Polka Doodles - Summer Scene
Totally Papercrafts - It's Raining Cats and Dogs

Tracey
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