Chugga Chugga Choo Choo

Today's card uses a train die that I have had for ages but haven't actually used until now!  I just cut the carriages by hand and added some extra wheels cut from the die.  I used some cork for the cargo!!  Hand drew the tracks.  As the stamp was acrylic I bent it into a curved shape to match the tracks - love how that turned out!  Added some floss to join the carriages up and popped the train up on dimensionals.  I traced around a chipboard number 3 onto the cork and then cut it out - it was surprisingly easy to cut out.

I used this weeks sketch at Get Sketchy, the colours are from the Color Cue at Stamp Away with Me and I'm also submitting this one to the Corrosive Challenge (For the Guys) and to Creative Craft Challenges (Transport).

Here is a side view.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by my blog today.  Have a great day.

Just Us Girls Template Week

So today is my last post as the Featured Designer over at Just Us Girls.  I have had a blast coming up with all the cards and projects using their guidelines!   Thanks for asking me to join in the fun!

Todays challenge is to use a template! The lovely people over at Clear & Simple Stamps  are sponsoring todays challenge.  The winner will recieve a $25 gift certificate to use in their store and there are lots of yummy things over there!  Be sure to check it out!  They graciously provided the DT with a stamp set to use for the challenge and we were asked to use one of the free templates they have on their blog, they are listed in the sidebar. 

I chose the Trick or Treat basket, but instead of making it into a pumpkin I decided to make a cauldron! I switched the cardstock handle for wire, used black cardstock and lined it with some firey fabric!  I put the cardstock through the Big Shot with the swirly Cuttlebug folder.  I made a spider out of two buttons, some wire and a permanent black marker (!) and hung him from the handle with some thin wire.  Added some ribbons and feathers for effect!

I decided to make the little mini pop up card to go along with it.  The cauldron and the sentiment are embossed with black powder.  I used wire to hold the ribbon together at the top.  Here is a picture of just the card.  Included in the stamp set are some cute little stars which I used to make a subtle background using versamark ink.  The little spider is attached to a different sentiment stamp with the same set I just cut him out and popped him on top of a button.

And here is a close up of the groovy little spider!

And just one last picture of the set.

Now it's your turn! Head on over to the JUGS blog and check out all the lovely inspiration form the Design Team and get crafting!  Well have a fabulous day!

Rainbows & Rain

Hello - hope you are having a wonderful day!

For today's card I used the Mojo Monday sketch.  I've used digital images that I have drawn myself!! Very exciting!  I just love that Dolly Parton Quote, you can take it literally or metaphorically, LOVE IT!!  It's hardly surprising that this is what I have drawn.  I mean if you are a regular here at the blog, you probably know by now I have a thing for rainbows! I just love all that colour together, very uplifting. And as a Brit (albeit living in Australia!) I guess it's only natural that I am obsessed with the weather!  Added to that it is very unusual to see one of my cards without any stitching, real or fake!  So without further ado here is the card.

I've popped up parts of the images and added dimensional magic (crystal effects?).  You might be able to see it in these images.

Let me know if you like the images or if there is already something like them for sale somewhere else.  If you like them and I haven't inadvertantly plagiarised someone elses work then I'll list the file in my etsy shop!

Just clowning around!

I used the sketch from CPS to make today's card.  Mine turned out a little different to their's but isn't that the point of inspiration!   I turned it on it's side.

The papers are all Kaisercraft, the little owl is from Pink Cat Studio, it was actually a stack of three but I just used the bottom one and drew his hat on a bit bigger.  I actually wished I'd left the stack full when I found the sentiment to go with it! Doh!

Here's a close up!

Have a fabulous day.  Thanks for stopping by!

Just Us Girls Colour Challenge

Today's post is for the Colour Challenge over at Just Us Girls.  I loved the sound of the colours, Hot Pink, Lime Green and Teal, so bright and fresh! I've teamed them with white and added a little bit of cork into the mix.  I was soo excited when the cork sheets turned up.  I've been seeing lots of cork used in papercraft projects lately and I was itching to give it a try.  I'll come back to that later! 

I was inpsired by the sketch at CPS, but infact when finished the only bit that was actually like the sketch was the '21' box and the lines of stitching! Oh Well.  I used one of my new stamp sets from Stampin Up: Fifth Avenue Floral.  Love the way this turned out and that it is not very 'me', so that is always good to step outside your comfort zone.

Here is an alternate view.

And a close up.  The pink flower is popped up on dimensionals.

Now, back to that Cork.  I bought two thicknesses: 0.8mm and 1.5mm.  I used the 0.8mm on the card.  It was cut easily with nestibilities in the Big Shot and also, to my amazement, was easily cut with a Fiskars and Stampin Up scallop edge punch (I used the SU one on the card).   The 1.5mm would not go through the punches, but it does go through the Big Shot fairly easily.  I even used it with my delicate Butterfly die and it worked, with a little bit of gentle coaxing out.  I'll use that on another card another day.

Be sure to check out all the other creations by the Design Team.  And then get busy creating and uploading.  Thanks for stopping by today, have a great day!

Just Us Girls Technique Challenge

It's techniques week over at Just Us Girls this week.  And this week they have decided to go with a THEME of the 'Wild Wild West'.  Now as I live in WESTERN Australia, Pam said I could do "my" wild west if I wanted!  I had the perfect occasion to make a card for - One of my girlfriends is returning from the UK to live out here again, so I wanted to make her a Welcome Back card.

The area we live in is called The Pilbara and I have chosen typical Pilbara colours for this challenge: Terracotta; Brown; Olive Green; and Sky Blue.  I thought I'd tell you a little about where I live so you see where I'm coming from too.  It's very hot here, with Summers reaching as high as 47 degrees Celcius (117 degrees Fahrenheit) the heat stays with us for about 6 months when it is pretty much always in the 40's.  Winters are beautiful, with lows of 26 degrees Celcius (79 degrees Fahrenheit).  It's very dry here and the earth is red due to the iron ore in the soil.  Skies are pretty much always clear and we rarely see rain so the greens are not vibrant.

I took some pictures when my husband was out mountain biking a few weeks ago.

So now onto the card.  Geckos are something of a symbol here so I went with a gecko on the card.  I stepped outside of my comfort zone and made a free standing pop up card.  I found the tutorial on Splitcoast here.

Here is a close up.  I made the gecko pop up on dimensionals. I typed the sentiment on my PC and just printed it out.  I used the Captain Howdy font for the word 'Outback' that can be downloaded for free here.  The star stamp is Unity, not sure the brand of the Gecko.  Ribbon is Fancy Pants.  To make the tab I used the scallop punch from SU, folded it in half and just used part of a circle punch to snip off the edges.

And here it is when folded flat.

So now you've seen mine, check out the rest of the inspiration and then get busy making a Wild Wild West card for the JUGs challenge.  Can't wait to see them all.

Have a great day.  Remember there is still time to enter my 'Little Lady' challenge and snag yourselves a freebie Digi Image, just scroll back through the entries to find it.

More Robot Fun...

Well I promised you more robots and here he is!!  I made this little fella for my nephew, last year.  I made the pattern up myself and regretted making those spanner [translation: wrench] arms so skinny!!!!

I went on to make him a matching rocket softie and a rocket t-shirt that I've already blogged about.

I loved that fabric and hardly have any left now, if anyone knows what it is or where I can get some from, I would love to know.

Remember there is still time to enter my Little Lady Digi Freebie Challenge, posted on the 29th just scroll back through the posts.

Have a great day!

Robot Fun...

This is an old one, but I don't think I have posted it here before though.   Love these build your own robot stamp sets from Stampendous, you get to mix and match all the pieces to make unique robots.  My friend Anick bought me this set because I kept borrowing [read: 'pinching'] hers!!

Had to do it in bright funky colours to match this old Basic Grey paper.  I printed the sentiment and speech bubble from my computer, added the little dots, cut and mounted it up on dimensionals.  As the little boy in question was turning 7 I also printed a 7 out and then stamped the body section over the top so the 7 was snugly in the screen on the front.  The robots are on dimensionals too.

If you like robots, then check back on Thursday for more Robot fun!!

Remember there is still time to enter my Little Lady Challenge using the Freebie Digi Stamp.  Check out the post from the 29th July for details!

Exciting News!! Just Us Girls Featured Designer!

This has been so hard to keep a secret! I was approached a few weeks ago by Pam and asked if I would like to be a Featured Designer for the Just Us Girls (JUGs) Challenge Blog for the month of August.  To say I was excited and flattered was an understatement!!  I happily and eagerly said yes, of course!, and then the panic set in!!  The regular designers must feel this all the time: the Pressure to create something worthy of all the lovely viewers!!   I was so honoured to be chosen.  So thank you lovely ladies at JUGs!  I hope you like what you see!

This weeks challenge is a sketch.  I LOVE working with sketches, they can be wonderful starting points.  I flipped the sketch and used some beautiful bright colours that were taken from the ribbon (Fancy Pants).  Believe it or not this is a Wedding card! Hhmmm....  Anyhow I used stamps from Unity (one of the Kit of the Month kits).  The sentiment says "May your cup overflow with joy, Love & Laughter".

I stamped the image once in black and then coloured it in, cut it out mounted it on teal cardstock and then popped it up on dimensionals.  Then for the image under the sentiment I used my Stampin Up markers to ink the stamp so it matched the main image - I've seen my friend Martine do that frequently but I rarely do it.  I have to say I think this stamp lends itself well to this technique.  I embossed the sentiment in black to make it stand out more from the image stamp.  I created a little window for the sentiment using an oval nestibility.  Added some dry embossing, ribbon, stitching and scallops for good measure, then all done!

Here are some close up pictures.

Now it's your turn! Hop on over to the Just Us Girls Blog for all the details.  Have a fabulous day.

Oh and a couple of reminders: Still got a few stamp sets for sale check out the link on the sidebar; and also I posted a freebie digi image along with a little challenge last week, the challenge is open until 16th August so plenty of time to enter.  Just scroll back through the post to find the post. 

Rainbow Canvas

Good Morning to you all! Whilst i am away from the little old blog I thought I'd share with you something I made last year.  I was inspired to do an altered canvas.  My daughter's favourite dress at the time was this wonderful tie-dyed rainbow one, that we picked up in a market in Broome whilst on holiday there. Sadly it is now too small for her and is sitting in my sewing box in the hope that I can make it into something else for her!

Anyhow we went out into the garden one sunny day and I took millions of photos of her whilst she goofed around!  And then made this!

Each of those pretty darling ribbons is handsewn onto the canvas frame! [Yes it is true I do have a ribbon addiction!]  The sun was scraps of yellow fabric sewn together.  I handcut the photos and mounted them up on dimensionals.  The sentiment was printed on the computer, the boxes around the words were hand drawn, oh and the rain was hand stitched on to.  Have to say it took forever to make, but I absolutely love it!

Here are some close ups.

Just in case you missed it....I posted a free digi image a couple of days ago and a Challenge to use it and post the resulting card on this blog.  Would love to see some entries when I get back to blogging!