Wonderful friend

For the Hexagon challenge at Crazy for CAS, Fusion card challenge and LOTV Anything Goes Challenge. 

Circle Silhouette

Still posting from my iPhone. I will add the links as I can. Apologies for quality of photo - the setting on upload must be low and I haven't figured how to change it. 

Using the sketch from Less is More and the colours from  Colour Q challenge ... black, white and a spot of colour. 

Wings

For OLW challenge of wings. 

Thought I would try some water coloring today ... Started with Inktense pencils but then used watercolor paint as I wasn't getting the effect I wanted. I'll post them in the order I made them. 

I like the first and last ones best. And you?

Happy Muse

A quick entry for this week's Muse challenge. 

Apologies that there is no link to the Muse Challenge - no quick way using my iPhone. (All tips and suggestions welcome)

Computer down

My "fixed" computer lasted less than 24 hours before dying again. Now in for serious repairs ... motherboard and 2 of the 4 gig of memory faulty. And 2 weeks before replacement parts arrive. The downside of living on a tiny island. 

I will try and do some postings from my phone again but still a bit of a learning curve. 

Maybe it's the sign that I should be sorting and tidying my craft room!

Another Arrow

I made another card for the arrow challenge over at CAS-ology, still going with my design theme of using a small amount of patterned paper.

A little something

So happy to have my computer back! The hard disk crashed, but they were able to restore everything. Lucky, lucky me. I did have backups until the end of July so it wouldn't have been too bad. But I am backing up as I type!

And I have just enough time to sneak in with a card for Cheryl's OLW It's all about the sentiment challenge.

Guest Designer

I was so delighted to be invited by CAS-ology to be their guest designer for this week. 

The theme for this week is Arrows, and I played with my Silhouette again. I used some patterned paper from Doodlebug, keeping the pattern small and only using a small amount to keep it CAS. Sentiment is from Papertrey.

Why don't you pop over and join in the fun? 

Love life

I think my computer has just crashed!!! So trying to do with post off my phone - a first for me.

For the Muse Challenge

Yellow

It's a Beautiful World is having a Yellow challenge this week. Sunsets are not always yellow, but always beautiful. I'm sure I would love sunrises just as much - if I was just up earlier enough to see them!

I feel as though God has painted a new beautiful picture just for me each day - and this one shines a golden yellow.

Happy Circles

CAS(E) this Sketch is by N@ Ali this week.

I flipped it on the side, diecut a large HAPPY and used half of the WPlus9 sentiment. I stamped, punched and used enamel dot circles.

Sunshine after Rain

Less is More is having a colour challenge this week : Rust and green. There was a inspiration picture, but it was removed.

Update: Please note we have removed the photo after finding out that it was a famous picture from national geographic from 1985.  We found the photo on pinterest where there was no reference to this. We are very sorry if any one has been offended.  You can find the story here.

I am also entering it for the Silhouette Challenge at CAS-ology.

Treasure Today

Another twinchie for Show us Your Twinchies Autumn and Autumn colours challenge.

Distress Inks background with diecuts and a spritz of gold pearl to give a shimmer.

Blue butterflies

Another card for the Papercraft Star Challenge

While sorting through my mess, I found these punched blue butterflies. I stamped some with a script text and the other in type text. Each one got their own "cupcake" decoration of a pearl or gem.

Muse Angles

This week's Muse is Laurie Willison

I was taken with ...
... the angled look,
... the colours,
... the enamel dots.

Using up some of my washi stash, my new happy diecut and Papertrey birthday stamp!

For a special teacher

... and the CAS-ual Fridays Back to School Challenge.

I used a Silhouette sentiment which I filled with graded colour and printed. Lots of arrows (some stamped, some diecuts) to symbolize eternity ... and a sparkling star for the teacher who shines.

Autumn Twinchie

Show us your Twinchie Blog is having an Autumn and Autumn colours challenge.

Beautiful September Day

Jacqueline introduced me to the Our Beautiful World blog - and we do live in a beautiful world.

Look at my view this morning, as I was visiting a friend. What a glorious day!

Smiles & Laughter

Combining the sketch of Clean & Simple with the OLW Paintchip challenge of Ardyth took quite some engineering! Made the dots like shaded colours on a paintchip chart. I created the border using a stencil and the same 3 shades of ink as the dots.

I hesitated between adding the glossy accents or gems/pearls - went for the glossy accents - hope that doesn't count as an extra layer Ardyth?!

I'll also enter it in the Papercraft Star Challenge

You are the best

For Inkspirational Challenge

and the for the revamped Scrap' rendez vous blog challenge of the colours of their blog header plus paint splatters and 3 embellishments.

LOTV Lace & Ribbon

For the LOTV Monthly Challenge : Lace and Ribbon.

The 2 pink flowers are actually cut off from velvet flower ribbon.

Inspired by Shari

I loved Shari's design here and knew I would try to CASE it using the supplies I had on hand. So for the 10 Minute Craft Dash, it certainly helped to cut down the design time.

When I saw these colours, I immediately thought of the My Mind's Eye Paris & Co 6x6 paper pad. Two die-cuts, 2 circle punches, a little distressing, one stamp, a couple of pearls and 8:47.7 minutes later ...

Happy Splatter Birthday

For ...

... Less is More Use a Rubber Stamp Challenge,
... CAS-ual Fridays Challenge Kraft and Type, and
... Simon Says Stamp Challenge Anything Goes.

Using the diecut of the Birthday left over from my last card & I added highlights with white gel pen. Lovely Hero Arts splashes, Technique Tuesday circle today stamp.

If you'd like to know my thoughts and steps on designing and making this, keep reading. 

• I knew I was going to use the kraft birthday diecut. 
• Then I went to my stamp sets, browsing through them, looking for paint splatters - which I also "planned". 
• I spotted the circles of Technique Tuesday and thought the "Today" would go perfectly under the small space under the "D". 
• I wanted a line to draw focus to the "today" so looked for arrows, lines, diagonal stripes, etc. I love this one from Hero Arts.
• I looked for "Happy" to go above the Birthday, but when I spotted this fun row of words, I knew it would add a fun touch.
• OK - so now I had my stamps, and had to decide on colour. Starting with the kraft diecut and white card, my first colour choice to add was of course blue! - specifically turquoise which I love pairing with brown/kraft.
• I stamped a number of them on my working paper and decided on Memento's Bahama Blue, Hero Arts Neon and Tumbled Glass Distress Ink.
• To stamp on the card I started with the biggest splash first, then the small neon one, and then the other 2, balancing the size and colours.
• Stamped and punched out the "today" circle.
• Placed the birthday and lined up the arrows and sentiments and stamped with Impress Chocolate ink. Glued the birthday down, used foam mount for the "today" circle.
• Rounded the corners.
• Decided the birthday needed a little highlighting so used a white gel pen to give a shine to the top of the letters.
• Voila!

Krafty Type

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge is having a "She's Krafty and just my type" theme this week.

I diecut the birthday out of kraft cardstock and used the background piece. Stamped a lot of happy's in Hero Arts Soft Brown on the white and embossed white on the kraft. As I'm in tidying mode (ha ha! not tidying at all! just avoiding the mess by creating more) I found a lot of foam sheets, so used that to die cut the leaves for some dimension and texture.

Mixed Media Giveaway

If you're about to get into mixed media, then pop on over to Alexandre's blog Art, Scrap & More and sign up for her mega Faber-Castell giveaway ...

Blue Willow

If you don't know how much I love blue, then you must be new to my blog! When I was last in South Africa I found a pad of white and blue patterned paper at the CNA bookstore. These papers remind me of the Willow blue plates.

I thought it was an ideal to use for the Retrosketches Challenge