Merry Christmas

Well no card to show tonight but I did want to get in a quick Merry Christmas to you all ... Will endeavour get some cards uploaded over the next couple of days.

But, for now I hope everyone has had, is having or is about to have a Merry Christmas.  Hope Santa had room in his sleigh for you all after visiting Maryland lol.

We spent a lovely day with family and we all got spoilt rotten which was just fine with me lol ... new copics and some stamps, perfume, Pandora beads (amongst lots of other goodies) and I finished off my Kitchenaid family with the blender (red coz red goes faster lol) ... Just gotta come up with a name for him and he will sit proudly next to Martha (the mixer) and Stewart (the food processor) on my kitchen bench ...

Those that we have loved and lost over the years were sadly missed but never far from our thoughts and conversation.

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and much love and happiness for 2012.

Until next time ... Ciao

Julie

Let's Go La La ....

Hey there folks ....

Wow where has this last year gone?  I remember my Mum & Dad always telling me to stop wishing my life away when I was kid ... You know what I mean ... "I can't wait til Christmas, I'm 18, I'm 21" etc etc .... Now I find myself saying I remember those days of being 18, 21 etc etc lol.  I'm always blown away by how fast time goes the older you get and find myself saying "How did it get here so quick?"

24 days til Christmas Day is upon us and 25 until it's over with until next year ...  I don't know which I'm looking more forward to lol.

I finally got around to doing some more colouring and card making and this is for the La La Land Crafts Black and White Challenge ... It's the first black and white image I've coloured with copics and I must say I struggled to not put some pink or red in with it :D  Overall I'm pretty happy with how it looks and I'll try and find some more challenges to put her in.

I now really need to get my stuff together and get some Christmas cards made and sent out.  I only send a handful of coloured cards and the rest are just clean and simple with no colouring at all .... I'm giving myself two weeks and that's it!!  Otherwise I might have to resort to bought (OMG!) cards lol.

Well, I hope everyone's Christmas spirit is with them and the build up to the big day is not too stressful for you all ....

Until next time .... Ciao

Julie

Challenges:

La La Land Crafts - Black and White Challenge

(photo uploaded to Customer Gallery for monthly draw)

Used:

Paper:  SU! CS, Bella! PP

Stamps:  La La Land Dress Up Marci Digi stamp, Bizzy Bec (freebie) circle sentiment

Other:  WOC flowers, lge black flower from stash, stick pin made by me, MS border punch and butterfly punch, SU! circle scallop, ribbon from stash

Coloured:  With copics (Hair: C7/C5/C3, Dress: T3/T1/T0, Skin: T3/T0, Shoes: W7/W5/W2)

Happy Birthday to my friend Michelle

As promised ....  Here is a card that I made for my friend Michelle who's birthday was a couple of weeks ago.  It has been many months since we last saw each other and we finally caught up yesterday which was really lovely.  We've been friends since we were 15yrs old and "check-out chicks" at  Woollies ... so many of my teenage memories involve Michelle and her family!  Our daughters were born in the same year just a couple of months apart and it's so lovely to see them grow together and it's lovely to see them friends in their own right not just because Michelle and I are friends.

Anyway, this is the card that I made for Michelle using a "Gorjuss Girl" stamp.  I coloured her with my copics and used my new Martha Stewart butterfly punch which I keep seeing on so many beautiful cards and have always wanted so I bit the bullet and finally bought it!!  The card was already  made and I just couldn't resist popping a butterfly on there just so that I could use it lol.

Copics Used

I've just bought some background/element digis from Make it Crafty and I'm now going to go and lay in photo shop and try my hand at my first "create a scene" card ... I got a girl on a swing, a fence and a cobblestone path I think, so I hope they all come together OK.

Just one other quick thing I' like to mention is that a couple of girls whose blogs I follow have been selected to be on Bizzy Bec's design team .... So congrats to Cheryl and Kelly ... Click on their names to go to their blogs or click on them in my followers ...

Anyway, I hope this finds you all well and fighting fit and until next time

Ciao

Julie

Challenges I'd like to enter this card into:

The Crafty Pad - Challenge #145 Friendship
(Entry #39*)
Craft Your Passion - Challenge #82 Bingo
Punch/Sentiment/Bling ... Flowers/Free/Bling ... Distress/Ribbon/Bling
(Entry #121*)
Lollipop Crafts - Challenge #55 Anything Goes
(Entry #121*)
My Partner in Crafting Crime - #34 Colour Challenge
White, mint, green, bright pink,light pink
(Entry #25*)
Pollycraft - Challenge #117 Anything Goes
(Entry #256*)
Charizma cards - Challenge #94 Cutesy
(Entry #95)
For Fun Challenges - Special Birthday Card
(The card is for one of my oldest much loved friend Michelle)
(Entry #8*)

Used:

Paper:  PP from stash, CS from SU!

Stamps:  Gorjuss Girl, sentiment circle digi stamp

Other:  Sizzix/SU! lge scallop circle, SU! scallop punch, CM circle system, Wild Orchid flowers, gems from stash, Martha Stewart butterfly punch

Just a quick hello and catchup

Hi  there folks .... Wow it seems like forever since I last posted anything but I'm always in the "best of intentions" frame of mind lol.  I sit down wanting to colour and create and then I search (ie blog hop) for inspiration and it's so late that I literally just fall into bed or I feel depressed at how many talented and amazing people there out there and I lose whatever mojo I had lol.

So, I thought I'd at least share with you some bits n pieces that I've managed to accomplish ....

The Outlawz - I entered their "1000 member party" and won the "Greetings" challenge (5 digis from Whimsy Stamps) and the "Sketch" challenge (1yr subscription to Ready, Steady, Create On-Line magazine) which was very exciting and then I found I out I was voted best entry in the "Twisted Thursday" challenge and my entry into the "Copic/Promarker" Challenge was picked as a featured card/artist. Phew was I a happy girl or what?!?

ICOPIC  Facebook Page - I posted some photos onto their page including my copic/promarker card mentioned above and I was chosen for their "Saturday Spotlight" ... That was a nice surprise and I feel very honoured!

Shop and Crop Scrapbooking Facebook Page - I entered my "Vintage/Vacation" card into their "World Cardmaking Day" card competition and won! My prize was a $100 gift voucher ... Can't wait to spend it lol ...

Sugar Creek Hollow - I won their challenge #4 Vintage Children with my Magnolia Suitcase.

Anyway ... That's it for now ... I hope to be back soon ('ish) with a creation or two.

Ciao
Julie

Tilda Goes Shopping

Good evening folks ....

I've been a busy little card maker over the weekend and this is the first of 3 or 4 cards that I will post over the next day or so.

Isabella headed back to school today and Gray heads back to work tomorrow ....

Not to be a mean mummy/wife but ... yaaaay :D It will be so nice to have my days back and my own routine back.  Am I the only one who while their hubby is on holidays doesn't seem to get much done?!? I don't know if it's just being out of sorts, more work created having an extra body or two (in school hols) around, or the fact that when he is on holidays from work he thinks that it's a holiday from life in general?!?

Oh well .... Thank goodness for craft lol.

I coloured this gorgeous "Tilda Goes Shopping" stamp with my copics a while back when I first got my copics and she pretty much just sat around waiting for me to make a card for her ....

So ... here she is all ready to go ... Isn't it funny how when you really set your mind to something you actually manage to get it done?  I'm happy with how she turned out and I hope you like her as much as I liked finally getting her onto a card.

 

I cannot for the life of me get a photo uploaded that shows the stickles glitter that I put on the flowers, pearl swirl and Tilda's necklace so please believe me when I say that it is there and looks so goood .... I will continue to endeavour uploading the photos but for now blogger is being painful and not letting me do it!!

Happy "back to school" for us Aussie Mums and until next time

Ciao

Julie

Challenges I'm going to enter this card into:

Bearly Mine - Challenge #20 - 3 x design/pattern papers
(Entry #98) *

Scrap Creations Going Grey with Scrap Creations - Fall

(I haven't used a fall image but I think these colours meet a Fall theme :D)
(Entry #46) *
Craft Your Passion - Challenge #79 A card for all occasions
(Entry #4) *
Crafty Cardmakers - Challenge #53 Anything Goes 
 (Entry #322) *
Crafts and Me - Challenge #55 Use a Digi
(Entry #249) *
Cooking It Up With Katie - Challenge #78 Fabulous, Fun and any other "F" word 
(My "F" words are Fall colours, Flowers & {pearl} flourish :D)
(Entry #50) *
All That Scraps Challenge - Anything Goes

(Entry #32) *

Used:

Paper:  Bo Bunny Gabrielle Collection PP, SU! CS

Stamps:  Magnolia "Tilda Goes Shopping" from Bon Voyage Collection, Sentiment was a free download from

Marit at Scrap-a-licious 

Other:  Flowers & leaves from Wild Orchid Crafts, "Prima Say It In Pearls" swirl.  Coloured with copics.

The Outlawz 1000 Member Party

Click here to go direct to The Outlawz Party Post

So my friend Vicki and I got our regular update emails from oozak which is where we both buy our copics from and they are one of many sponsors for this HUGE 'party' that The Outlawz are having to celebrate 1000 members.  There are a number of ways to win prizes, including a blog hop, scavenger hunts and word scramble just name a few.  There are also a number of challenges that that you can enter and each one has a different theme. This is their post:

Whoo-hoo! The Outlawz is celebrating!

1000 Member Party

Monday, October 3, 2011, 12:01 AM EST
until
Sunday, October 9, 2011, 11:59 PM EST

There are 5 games, a tutorial blog hop,  2 scavenger hunts and 7 challenges. All seven challenges are participating in the party from start to finish. Unlike a regular week, all of the challenges start on Monday, Oct 3  and each  has a different challenge for you to play to win prizes!   The Challenges are located in the Challenge tab in the top tool bar with a drop down menu.  Make sure you visit all 7 challenges to win more prizes!
Important: The 1000 Member Party has a tab in the top tool bar too with a drop-down menu. Make sure you access all 7 links in the menu to participate in the games, banner posting contest, and blog hop and to be eligible for more prizes! That is a total of 14 places to visit and participate to win all the wonderful gifts the sponsors have donated for the party!

Let’s give our sponsors a huge THANK YOU! Without them, we would not be here!

Sincerely,

The Outlawz Design Team

Winners will be announced on October 12, 2011, 3 PM EST

So I have entered a couple of things so far and there are a couple of things that have got me stumped but you gotta be in it to win it so I'm in it for a couple of things lol ...  There are some amazing sponsor prizes.  I'm about to go and have a look at the challenges and see if there's anything that I can enter before tomorrow so wish me luck with that :D ...  There are some amazing sponsor prizes!!

I do have to say that there are some amazing people on their DT and their blogs are definitely worth checking out ... I have found a number of tutorials that I want to have a go at so hopefully I'll have some great little projects to share over the next couple of weeks.

So ... head over to The Outlawz and have a look around ... I have had a number of emails from the girls there and they seem so welcoming and friendly and I will need to jump onto the website and say hi back .. I'm looking forward to being a regular with them ...

Anyway ... as usual have a great night, an even better last day of school holidays (for us Aussies) and until next time ...

Ciao

Julie

Wedding Card

Good afternoon all ...

I just thought I would share with you my card that a friend asked me (and paid me woot!) to make for a wedding that she and her hubby were going to ...

This is the first wedding image that I have ever coloured (with ether prisma or copic) and I have to say that I was soooo nervous about it ... There is always that much more pressure when someone asks you to make a card for them, let alone pay you for it lol.  I showed Sheree a stack of stamps that she could choose from and she went straight to this gorgeous Tiddly Inks digi image called 'You and Me' ...

I wasn't at all confident with doing the whole 'illusion of white' colouring so went straight for creams and greys and I really like the way that it turned out.  I have to say that the lamp post hasn't been served it's right justice in the photo .... it looks so much better and really 'pops' in real life ... I embossed it with a holograhic silver powder (with my hairdryer because my heat gun decided to give up 5 seconds into the process - not happy lol) and then coated it with a gloss.

Close up of colouring

I guess the important thing is that Sheree and Trevor loved the finished card and I hope the Bride and Groom did too.

I'm going to enter this into the following challenges:

Crafts For Eternity - Recipe #39 Anything Goes

(Entry #262) *

Delicious Doodles - Challenge #3 Tales of the Unexpected

(My unexpected is being completely out of my depth with making a wedding card)

(Entry #10) *

Charisma Cardz - Challenge #39 Love

(Entry #72) *

Used:

Paper:  SU! Basic Grey CS, Kaisercraft Velvet Ensemble,

Stamps:  Tiddly Inks "You and Me" digi, SU! Bliss stamp set (background between stamp and pp)

Other:  SU! satin ribbon, Bella buckle, WOC flowers, tag die, laser cut lamp post, embossing powder, gloss, Tim Holtz distress ink, rubon, jewelled brad.

Coloured with Copics.