Card Design: Pattie's Creations Challenge #165…Animals

Hello there folks! I'm popping in today to announce the next challenge over at Pattie's Creations Design Challenge. This time around for Challenge #165, the theme is Animals. Whether furry, fuzzy or feathery, create a card with a creature from the animal kingdom for your chance to win this month. I'm taking the opportunity to get in another Christmas card since I have so very few this year.


General Project Info:

• This card has been created 100% digitally and then layered in a Mock Up (courtesy of Frisk Shop). I will print it out and assemble it a later date. 

FRONT

Digital Image Details:

• Dove With Branch is available for sale in Pattie's Etsy shop. You can find it by clicking on the image name. This image has been coloured digitally.

Digital Embellishments:

• Background in behind the dove and the sentiment was created with a sky background purchased in a time limited bundle from Mix Pix Box via DealJumbo.
• I have used shapes designed by Marisa Lerin, Pixel Scrapper in behind the image and sentiment.

Digital Sentiment Details: 

• The sentiments used on the front is from the Christmas Cardinal set designed by Deedee's Digis. Website no longer active.

INSIDE

Digital Sentiment Details: 

• The sentiment used on the inside is from the Elegant Ornaments set available in the Imagine That Digistamp store.

Digital Embellishments:

• The dove icons used on the inside were picked up as a part of a freebie over at Pixel Buddha. The original designer is ecomm.design.

OVERALL
Digital Paper Products:

• The paper used as a background on the front and inside are from my A Grungy Christmas Mini Kit. 

 

Digital Embellishment Details:

• I have used basic shapes in Photoshop Elements to create matting in behind the sentiment (inside).
• I have applied shadow layer styles to give certain elements some depth. These styles were designed by Sheila Reid, Pixel Scrapper.

Challenges I am hoping to enter...

• http://www.wordartwednesday.blogspot.ca/ (5E)-- Anything Goes
• http://craftingfromtheheartchallengeblog.blogspot.ca/ -- Anything Goes
• http://craftycreationschallenges.blogspot.ca/ -- Anything Goes
• yourscrapbookplace.blogspot.com -- Always Anything Goes
• https://ttcrd.blogspot.ca/ -- Always Anything Goes

You have until January 2nd to enter our challenge which should give you lots of time to get a creation done. Remember the theme is Animals. I really hope that you will be able to join us. You can enter three times per challenge and of course MUST follow all the challenge requirements that are posted (please click HERE to become familiar with all the rules).

Pop over to the challenge blog and check out what my fabulous teammates have offered up for inspiration. Oh and don't forget…Pattie offers up a new freebie the first Friday of the month and it will remain up for approximately two weeks; so, be sure to pop over and check it out as well!

Don't Forget…

Before I send you on your way, I wanted to remind you that Pattie is retiring over 30 images from the store. So, if you haven't already, be sure to check them out before they are gone forever. Click on the badge below to head over to that section in the Pattie's Creations store! Each retiring image is available for only $1 USD!!! So it is a great time to stock up.

Well guys, that is it for this one. Have a wonderful December and I'll see you again soon. If everything goes according to plan, I'll be back later this month with the annual 12 Days of Christmas event. So, if you want a chance to earn 12 different digital papers, be sure to join me again on Dec. 25th!

Until next time,

I'm Sponsoring...The Crafter's Café Challenge Blog

Apologies to my readers and also to Crafter's Café.  This post should really have been published on Friday but I just couldn't pull off getting that 11 post of the day completed.  Then I got caught up in catching up on some other stuff yesterday and only managed to get the freebie ready. 

However, I'm finally completely ready and it is time to announce my latest sponsorship over at The Crafter's Café Challenge Blog.  This is my second sponsorship of this particular challenge blog this year although unfortunately I didn't get to post about the first time as it happened right smack dab in the middle of April when I was rather sick.  At least I'm getting to post about this sponsorship as it is always wonderful to be able to support Alex and the gang! 

The current challenge started on Friday, July 1st and will run until July 14th.  The theme for this fortnight is Things with Wings. You could use butterflies, bees or other flying insects; birds; angels; fairies; or even an airplane! Where will your imagination take you?! 

The prize for the challenge winner is a custom prize bundle.

I hope that you'll consider playing along in their challenge.  To help provide some incentive, I created this special Birds on a Wire patterned paper as a freebie.

This paper is 3600 x 3600 pixels (i.e. 12 inches), in jpg format and published at 300 dpi.  Credits include: Marisa Lerin, Pixel Scrapper; and Heather Green, HG Designs. To grab it, click the download button to be taken to a download location.  In the zip folder you will find a copy of the paper, its preview sheet, the credit information and my terms of use which are standard to all my folders.

You can find out all the details you need to enter the challenge over at The Crafter's Café Challenge Blog.  To head to the main challenge blog, click HERE.  I hope to see some of you there! 

Oh and I have some exciting news to share with all of you a bit later this evening. I hope you'll be able to join me again then.

Until that time,

 

Card Design: Christmas Birds with Nicecrane Designs

Hello on this last hour of the last day of the month!  It is time to share my latest Nicecrane Designs creation with you all.  This one uses one of the sweet images from the Vintage Birds Greeting Cards collection. There are some lovely images in this set.  

Today I'm showcasing one of the images suitable for making a Christmas card.  I've been so busy behind the scenes that I am a bit behind in making my Christmas cards.  Maybe it is the reduced activity on my blog that has also caused the loss of two of my followers in the past two weeks or I suppose it could be because I don't really get to visit anyone anymore. :(

Anyway...here are my card and the details...

Christmas Cards to date for 2015:  22

 
General Info:

• I opted to go non-traditional for this Christmas card basing the palette on colour choices from the image.

FRONT

Digital Image Details: 

• Vintage Birds Greeting Cards:  This great set features several bird images, some suitable for Christmas cards.  For this card I used the image you see in the top right hand corner of the preview below.  Click on the name or the watermark below to take you to its location in the store.

Embellishments: 

• The ribbon is Celebrate It brand and was purchased at Michael's.

INSIDE

Digital Sentiment Details: 

• This awesome sentiment was created by Paulette from Create with TLC. I coloured it digitally using different colours from the image.  You can purchase it in the "Tis the Season 2" Vintage Image Transfer and Word Art Set.  I've linked the watermark below to go to its location in the store.  For great freebies and inspiration be sure to click HERE to go to Paulette's blog and for more awesome sets for purchase, click HERE to go to the home page of the store.

OVERALL
Paper Products: 

• Card, image and sentiment bases:  Michael's Recollection's Cardstock, white.
• The designer paper is from Recollection's The Sweetest Thing Paper Pad.
  
• Matting:  From my stash but originally from one of the  Recollection cardstock collections that I own.

 
Challenges I am hoping to enter... 

• http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.ca/ -- Always Anything Goes
• http://kraftinkimmiestamps.blogspot.ca/ -- Wonderful Wednesdays:  Anything Goes
• http://www.craftyourpassionchallenges.blogspot.ca/ (3E) -- Always Anything Goes
• http://inspirationdestinationchallengeblog.blogspot.ca/ -- Always Anything Goes
• http://scrappers-delights-challenge-blog.blogspot.co.uk/(UL) -- Always Anything Goes 
• http://ttcrd.blogspot.ca/ -- Always Anything Goes (1st Entry)
• more to come...

Before I go...
If you are a bird lover, be sure to also check out this great set of digital stamp images called Christmas Birds featuring the pretty birds you see below (click on image below to head to its location). 

Don't forget, to stay current on ALL the latest releases and to check out the fabulous inspiration from my fellow DT members, be sure to head over to the Nicecrane Designs blog.

I am so happy that you had a chance to pop by and check out my latest creation.  Once again, it is now time to work on some behind the scenes stuff for the challenges I run.  Hopefully, I'll see you all again very soon. 

Until next time,

Card Design: Nicecrane Designs Birthday Card

Today I want to share with you all, the card I made for momma's birthday back at the beginning of March.  My momma loves vintage so I knew the perfect images would be found at Nicecrane Designs and I wasn't disappointed.  

Here are my card and details.  I hope I haven't forgotten anything...
 
FRONT

Digital Image Details: 

• Birds:  These two gorgeous birds were fussy cut from an image available in the Birds and Blossoms II collage sheet.  You can click on the watermark below to head to its location in the store.  Aren't they all just so pretty?!  If this doesn't help get your mind into the idea that spring will be here soon, nothing will!

Additional Notes:

• I knew that I wanted to use birds somehow for my momma's card and when I paid a visit to Lisa Minkler, from You Make Me Ink, I knew just what to do.  You see Lisa had made a gorgeous creation (all Lisa's work is gorgeous for that matter) and she had fussy cut a number of birds out from this collection to use on her project.  I hadn't even thought about fussy cutting them until that point.  So next, I flipped through my Papercrafts Best of Card Creations book where I found a card that had a heart on it made from a music sheet and thankfully had enough mojo lurking around in my head to come up with the rest.

Digital Paper:

• The music sheet paper that I used for the heart is a freebie designed by Lindsay Stamps and Stuff and picked up over at My Grafico quite a long time ago.  I created a heart shape and then created a mask with the music paper to come up with what you see above.  I fussy cut it out and then inked up the edges.

Digital Sentiment Details:

• The sentiment is the freebie I offered up on my momma's birthday.  You can find it HERE if you are interested.  I figured out the size I wanted the card to be and then lined things up so that when I printed the sentiment, the paper would serve as my card base.  Then I just trimmed down the paper and folded.
  

Embellishments:

• I added a string of beads that came from a stash that my momma gave me.
• I superimposed a brown ribbon on top of a coffee colour one.  The ribbons are Crafts brand purchased at Dollarama.

INSIDE

Digital Sentiment:

• One I created.

OVERALL
Paper Products:

• Card base & inside sentiment dropback:  Michael's Recollection's Cardstock, white.
• Designer Paper:  Front & inside--K & C Company Designer Paper--Best of...florals collection.
• The brown cardstock that I used as matting (inside) is from Dollarama.

 Challenges I am hoping to enter...

• http://scribbleandscrapcrafts.blogspot.ca/ -- Anything Goes
• http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.ca/ -- Anything Goes
• http://seizethebirthday.blogspot.ca/ -- Anything Goes Birthday
• http://tuesdaythrowdown.blogspot.ca/ -- Use Only a Portion of a Digi (the birds were fussy cut from the original image and the music paper is only part of the original image as well)
• http://open-mindedcraftingfun.blogspot.ca/ -- Animal Antics

Before I go...
If you are looking for more beautiful bird images for any of your spring cards, then be sure to go and check out this additional Birds and Blossoms collection of images as well (click on the image to head to its location in the store).

Well, that is it for this post.  I'm off to work on setting up the latest post for the Path of Positivity's newest challenge which starts tomorrow.

I hope that you are all having a lovely day wherever you may happen to be!

Until next time,

Card Design: Digi Darla's Challenges #54 -- Easter/Spring

It's Monday morning and time for this week's challenge over at the delectable Digi Darla's Challenges Blog. This week for Challenge #54 the theme is Easter/Spring.  It is time to show us all those cards that best epitomize the coming season, or Easter. 

Each week one person will be the lucky winner of FIVE Digi Darla (DD) images!  AND any entries using a DD image get entered into a SECOND drawing for 3 images. So, you could technically win 8 images! That is a lot of digital delight!

This week I got to work with:

• Digi Darla's Heart Wreath With Birds

Here is the front of the card I am showcasing for this week's challenge...

Here is the inside...

  
 Here are the card details, I hope I haven't forgotten anything...

Digital Image:

• Heart Wreath with Birds:  The image on the front of the card is Digi Darla's Heart Wreath With Birds.  It was coloured using Copic Markers.  Birds:  W1, W3, W5 (feathers); R11, R14, R17 (breast); Y15, Y17 (beak).  Flowers:  R11, R14, R17, B02 (petals); YG61, YG63, YG67 (leaves).   Branches:  E33, E39.
• I really love this image.  It is so beautiful but I'm not sure I've done it justice.  I'm ultimately not happy with the finished product.  I tried going around the edges to give it some grounding.  I tried three different colours and then I tried using coloured pencils.  I think that if I hadn't put the quote in the middle it might have worked but that is where I wanted the quote so I have to live with my choices.     

Digital Sentiment:

• Front:  Quote.
• Inside: Mine. 

Paper Products:

• Card base: Crafts Brand Cardstock, pastel pink -- available Dollarama.
• Designer Papers:  Floral paper (front & inside)--K & C Company Designer Paper--Best of...florals collection.  Peacock Blue graph paper (front & inside)--Recollection's All Girl paper pad. Solid pink (shadow front) --Michael's open stock scrapbook paper. 

Embellishments:

• Blue sequins--Dollarama.

Challenges I hope to enter include:

• Crafter's Digital Art Centre --  Anything Goes 
• Pin & Tack--Spark Your Creativity Now Challenge -- Challenge #7:  Anything Goes
• Word Art Wednesday -- Challenge #71:  Anything Goes
• 613 Avenue Create -- Anything Goes/Optional Twist
• QKR Stampede -- Challenge #30:  Dreaming of Spring
• My Paper Crafting World -- Digi Desserts Fridaze

Some more challenges may be added to this list later this week and/or month.

So, why not come and play with us over at Digi Darla's Challenges?  While you are there please check out the wonderful creations from the rest of the design team.  We always look forward to seeing your entries.

Thank you so much for stopping by.  As I've now added to my comment section, whether you are a regular, here for the first time or popping over in your official capacity as a DT member, please know how much I appreciate the words that you leave behind.  Your encouragement helps me to become a better designer.   I try my best to reply to your comments (when an email address is available) but that is getting more and more difficult as my plate fills up with new responsibilities, new roles, and new obligations.  If I don't get the opportunity to thank you personally, know that I don't take a single comment for granted. Thank you for your understanding.

Until next time,

Note: I apologize if there are any further formatting issues.  This is a scheduled post and we all know Blogger has a mind of it's own.  If it turns out that something looks wonky, i.e.--part of the sentence a different size than the rest, I'll fix it as soon as I'm able to.