Congrats!!

Welcome!

I've made this card to take part in the C.R.A.F.T. Challenge  Blogaversary Blog Hop and Challenge!
The brief : Birthday.

I started with a purple card, added 2 strips of pink & 1 strip of dark turquoise embossed paper. A die-cut sentiment and a butterfly sticker on acetate completes my bright card. Quick, easy and perfect for the occasion!

Do visit again!

Rene
 

Remembering our childhood...

Welcome!

 

What a fun challenge we have this week at Crafting by Designs : Remembering our Childhood!

Our generous sponsor is Ignacio from Nicecrane Designs.

The wonderful images that we had to work with made it child's play to create fabulous cards! I've used the Princess of Hearts from the Alice in Wonderland DSL Save Pack I. 

 

The cute vintage image was coloured with my pencils & fussy cut. I also embossed it to give it more shape & definition. Then, before I added it to my card, I added some Gelly Roll and Stickles glitter.

 

While the glitter was drying, I made my card. The base card is a lavender mottled & lightly textured card. I cut panels from green mottled cardstock as well as white shiny textured paper. A little purple ink was sponged onto the green panels, really just the edges. The green panels were added to the white and then to the card.

This layout was inspired by Sketch #257 from Sketch Saturday.
Finally, I added a narrow green organza ribbon with bow.

 

At last, the card was ready for the image which I added with foam tape. The idea was to create a dreamy feel to the card and I hope you see it too!

 

Without further ado, here is my card:

 

 

Here it is a bit closer:

 

And here is the sketch:

I hope it is a good interpretation. And I hope that I have inspired you to join the challenge!

 

Rene

 

Darling Daisies

Welcome!

It is the 2nd week of the April Showers bring May flowers challenge at The Cheerful Stamp Pad!

My Darling Daisies has deep wine centres fading into white or pale yellow. The pale green of the leaves are echoed in the green card. Rhinestones add some bling to the card. We hope to see some more flowers and showers this week!

My card:

And a Close-up:

I hope you will visit again!

Rene

Sassy Brickroad TicTacToe

Welcome!

Sassy Studio Designs had a Blog Hop last weekend as well as a TicTacToe Challenge.

 

I chose the top row. I used a texture plate and pencil to create my brick wall on yellow paper. A woven ribbon finishes the row. But what will a card be without a Sassy image? I used Skater Sassy and coloured her in earthy colours - she wears a yellow top to add to the theme. I used a craft card and added some brown pencil texture.

 

Well, here is my card:

 

I hope you will visit again!

Rene
 

Bling for a Queen!

Welcome!

It's Challenge #26 at the Duo Challenge!

The template this time around is a fabulous royal cake, complete with crowns. I decided on red, white & gold and loads of glitter.

Here is my card:

I hope you like it & will visit again!

Rene

I'm linking my creation to the following:

The Sisterhood of Crafters - Free for All 

Flower, art & showers...

Welcome!

2 weeks have passed and it is time for a new challenge at The Cheerful Stamp Pad!
The theme is : April Showers bring May Flowers!
Our generous sponsor for the fortnight is: Floppy Latte

April is my favourite month, since it is also my birthday month. Here in Cape Town, we also need the showers for the winter crops. It is the time to sow sweet peas, petunias and pansies for a happy & bright winter garden.

I am using the Artsy Flower. I coloured it in oranges & yellows, green for the leaves, the new bright colours for the Northern spring. The flower was 3-D for extra dimension & I sponged the edges. The red of the card is the promise of all the bright colours that will pop up in your garden, and of course at the challenge!

 

And a bit closer:

 

 

Do join us with your flowers and/or showers card!

 

 

Rene

Let's Party!

Welcome!

Week 2 of the Gothic Cuties challenge at The Cheerful Stamp Pad!

Our sponsor : Dilly Beans.

I've used the creepy cute Cordillia (#378). She looks like she can be a real party animal if she puts her mind to it. I used pencils to colour her, layering colours. The rest of the card was created with textured card & board. The sentiment was handwritten and a metal heart brad gives a final touch.

Without further ado, here is my Cordillia, ready for another late night party in the dungeons:

 

 

And here she is a bit closer:

DO come and join us! Cordillia will be delighted if many of you cute Gothic creatures come and join her in the dungeons.

Sketch #255 from Sketch Saturday inspired and organized the layout of my card and I'm linking it to the challenge.

Rene

Oh Baby Reminder.

Welcome!

Just a reminder about the Anything Goes with a Twist : Oh Baby challenge over at Crafting By Designs!

I've made another card using the fabulous Mother's Love generously supplied by our sponsor Delicious Doodles.

 

This time around I created a background with DP on a white card. The pink gingham looks like baby, doesn't it? The tag was created with pink & white card that I cut. The image was trimmed and added after it was rubbed with pink soft chalk. The trim and cute heart button was added with hot glue.

My inspiration is this sketch from Retro Sketches. (A bit late for the challenge but I really like the sketch).

Well, here is my girly card:

And here is a close-up:

Do come and join us in the challenge, you might just be the lucky winner of 4 images of your choice from our sponsor!

Rene

Oh Baby!

Welcome!

Time for a new challenge at Crafting By Designs!
It is another Anything Goes with a Twist...and the twist: Babies, anything baby: New baby, stork tea, baby items, anything as long as it has a baby theme.

Our generous sponsor this week is Delicious Doodles.

They have a wonderful collection of digital images, and if you share your project you stand a chance to get 4 of their images, your choice.

Sharon is the host and she made 2 supercute baby cards. Doris & I decided to play with and each made a card.

I'm sharing mine here:

I used the lovely Mother's Love image. It is so beautiful you can print it on your card, maybe add a bow or flower and you are done!

Over the weekend, I came across Technique Time Tuesday. This technique, Faux Tiles, is a previous challenge. When I saw it, I immediately knew this is what I want to do. All the tiles are edged with black, except the 'baby' tile that I edged in gold. This creates a type of spotlight. I layered pink paper on a white card and then added my tiles. A bow and rose finishes it off. I hope my card do justice to this absolutely gorgeous image.

Make sure that you visit the challenge as well as our sponsor. And don't forget to link your project!

Do visit again!!

Rene
 

Cheerful goes Dilly!

Welcome!

A new week, a new challenge at The Cheerful Stamp Pad!
Our fabulous sponsor this week is Dilly Beans.
Our theme : Gothic Cuties.

My choice fell on the cute Ragdoll Ruby to create with. I have this fascination with the movie Coraline as well as the Lalaloopsy Dolls. Button eyes are the common factor, sometimes creepy, sometimes cute!

I must confess, neither Gothic nor Cute is my natural style, but the images from Dilly Beans makes it easy to create in either style. I went a bit more cute than Gothic!

Do visit The Cheerful Stamp Pad to take part in the challenge and stand a chance to win. A visit to our sponsor is definitely recommended!

You are welcome to visit again! I hope that I inspired or at least entertained you!

Rene

CBD Spring Flowers Blog Hop

Welcome!

It is time for one of my favourite activities, a Blog Hop!

Yes, at Crafting By Designs, the Design Team is having a Blog Hop to celebrate the arrival of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere. With spring goes Flowers and that is what we are showing you today.

You should have arrived here from the fabulous and inspiring blog of Julia.

Our generous sponsor, QKR Stampede let us play with some of their fabulous images. My choice is the lovely Accent Vine. I just loved it when I first saw it!

I printed out 2 images side by side and coloured it in 'vintage' colours. The panel was cut out & the corners rounded. Encore Metalic inkpad in Honeydew edge the panel. An organza ribbon adds some more detail. The card is the same green as the vine and a maroon panel anchors the panel. I tried to create a vintage feeling with my colours & colouring to compliment the gorgeous image.

My card:

 

A close-up of the panel:

A little bonus to say thank you to our generous sponsor QKR Stampede (remember to visit their website!), a little tag I made using the Apple Blossom Label. The image was coloured with pencils, fussy cut and layered onto black board which was also fussy cut. I added glitter and wrote the sentiment with a calligraphy pen.

Thank you for joining the Hop...please tell us if you enjoyed it! Oh, and do go back to the Crafting By Designs blog if you get lost. But that is not the only reason. Once you have finished the hop and you are all inspired, go and create a fabulous Spring Flower card and link it to the blog to stand a chance of winning 5, yes five fabulous images from our Blog Hop sponsor, QKR Stampede. If you have visited their website, I know you wouldn't pass up this chance to win!

Your next stop is Sharon where you'll see more fabulous Spring Flower creations.

Do visit again!

Rene

Working 9 to 5

Welcome!

Week 2 of the challenge at The Cheerful Stamp Pad where we have to showcase an occupation.

The Business Woman is doing her bit in the office this week. She is wearing her silver-gray office suit but added some fun colour with her accessories. I put her on an aqua panel that matches her shoes and a silver layer gives some more contrast. The background collage was created with pictures of all kinds of electronic devices from the office, cut from an advertising booklet. It creates an office feel, I think. What a quick & fun way to create a card that suits the recipient. 

I hope that you are inspired to join this fun challenge.

Rene

Challenged to work!

Welcome!

Another new challenge at The Cheerful Stamp Pad!
Kenny K is our generous sponsor. The theme is 'Work is Good'.
My chef is a top cupcake creator whose work is so much fun! I gave her uniform pink buttons, and added cute cupcake DP as background to showcase her specialty

Here is my card:

I hope that you will join us!

Rene

A Beautiful Lady

Welcome!

Another creation made for the Crafting by Designs Anything Goes with a Twist : Vintage Easter and/or Spring challenge. Just a reminder, our generous sponsor is Nicecrane.

I was super excited when I saw these Ladies on Old Postcards so generously supplied by Nicecrane. A year or 2 ago, I saw lovely ATC's on Flickr, made by Riet van Piet. She added beads and embroidery to her photographs and I have always wanted to do something like that. My creation is not nearly what she created, and I need a lot of practice, but I like what I did. I printed the ladies on photo paper in "more or less" ATC size, and embellished the 'photo' with beads and embroidery thread.

Here is my first one:

I will add some more as time goes by...

Do join us in the challenge!

Rene

Good Friday Vintage ATC

Welcome!

Rather late than never!

At Crafting by Designs we have an Anything Goes with a Twist : Vintage Easter and/or Spring challenge. My creation is a little bit late...

Our generous sponsor is Nicecrane. Since the first day I laid my eyes on his creations, I have been a fan! Working with the gorgeous products is only a pleasure! Can I confess, I so enjoyed looking at the pretty pictures, I couldn't get going...ok, that is half the story, work got in the way of my craft time, but I had them printed out for at least a week...LOL.

My choice fell on the Fantasy Birds. It is always great to start an ATC with a lovely background, but it can be difficult too. I decided to add something Easter (the black stamped cross) and some music that can be Easter or spring. The music is in gold and didn't photograph too well. The stamp is 'Music Collage' from Stampabilities.

Well, very simple, my Good Friday ATC:

Here is a close-up where I tried to capture the music notes:

I hope that you will come & join the challenge!

Rene

Vintage Easter

Welcome!

It is time for another creation with the monthly template from the Duo Challenge Blog!

The template is for a fabulous easel card, in the shape of eggs! I played around with a few ideas and then decided to make a Vintage card, using the fabulous Fascinating Birds from Nicecrane as focus. The base of the card is brown and the contrast is teal, but it came out a bit blue. I added some ribbon, gold wax and flowers to finish my card.

Here is my easel card:

I'm also adding my card to Crafting by Designs.

Do join us!

Rene

Let the show begin!

Welcome!

It's week 2 of the challenge at The Cheerful Stamp Pad and we're still dancing with the fabulous images from our sponsor, A Day for Daisies!

My card this week portrays that moment when the curtains open and the music starts to play and the first steps are taken on the floor. I used dramatic colours to portray the mood and added some hand lettering.

Here is my card:

PS. I had some challenges taking the photos...I love using dark backgrounds but they are difficult to capture!

Do join the challenge!

Rene

Let's Dance

Welcome!!

The new challenge at The Cheerful Stamp Pad this week is "Let's Dance" and our fabulous sponsor is A Day for Daisies.

 

I printed a whole row of the sweet Magical Bloom Dancer. The strip was rubbed with pink chalk.  A layer of pearl paper, as well as a layer of pink inked paper was added. My current favourite, pink rhinestones adds a final touch of glamour. It reminds me of little girls rehearsing for a ballet concert. So let's dance and get those lovely creations entered in the challenge.

Rene

Magic Tag?

Welcome!

It's week 2 of the Land of Enchantment challenge at The Cheerful Stamp Pad.

My tag displays the cute fairy hanging onto her pollen! I used neon wax crayons to create a background on the manila tag.  Pencils was used to colour the fairy which I then fussy cut. Some silver flakes add some 'pollen' and some glitter finishes my tag. Thanks A & T Digital Designs for the cute fairy!

I really hope that you will come & share your enchanting creation!

Getting ready for Christmas!

Welcome!

Time for a new challenge at Crafting by Designs!

I am a procrastinator, so before I realize it, the Christmas season is here and I'm not ready. That is why I'm hosting this challenge, to try and be ready when Christmas 2013 dawns on me.

The challenge involves Non Traditional Christmas Colours. NO REDS OR GREENS, and very little gold. So many colours have crept into Christmas that it is a bit difficult to say what is traditional, what not. 

Think a little out of the box...this is all about the colours you use. Your creation can be traditional, but bring us some different colours. It can be funky, toned down, bright...

When I started making cards, I bought loads of rubber stamps, some really lovely ones. Today I'm using one of these, Silent Night, Holy Night by Hero Arts. I've played around with some dye-ink pads and then decided on the indigo. The trimmed image was edged with Cosmic Copper Brilliance, then matted on recycled cardboard and finally added to a navy card. Three rhinestones add a bit of sparkle. Voila, my first Christmas card for 2013, all in non traditional colours:

And a close-up:

We hope that we will see many fabulous creations getting ready for Christmas. You can show us cards, tags, bags, as long as you keep to the theme: Non Traditional Christmas Colours. Remember, you are getting ready for Christmas!  

This challenge will run from March 6 to March 12.  Can't wait to see what you create!

Rene

Enchanted...

Welcome!

A new week, a new challenge at The Cheerful Stamp Pad.

Our theme this week is 'A Land of Enchantment'. I'm using Apple Blossom Stamp, generously supplied by our sponsor A & T Digital Designs.

The way the sun falls on flowers, the time of day, can change the way you see the colours and creates a dreamy world  where faeries play. I printed on papers that I've painted with inks. 3 flowers were cut out from a second print and added. 3 rhinestones and some glitter pen adds some sparkle to my card.

Here is my card:

Hope you will join the challenge!

Rene

Autumn Basket

Welcome!

It's Duo-Challenge time! #24 is a pretty heart basket. It is nearing autumn here in Cape Town and I decided to make an autumn basket. Autumn (fall) is my favourite season!

The lovely template was printed on light kraft card, cut out, folded & constructed. Using some coloured inkpads, I added ink directly to the little basket, hearts and handle. The hearts were shaped with the scissors before I added it to the basket. Some punched leaves and a sewing thread bow finish my basket:

Hope you like it!

Rene

Have a Heart!

Welcome!

It's week 2 of the 'You have my Heart' Challenge at The Cheerful Stamp Pad!
Yes, there is a still a week to enter to stand in line to win some wonderful digistamps from our sponsor Just Some Lines.

I am using the freebie offered on their blog : Hearts in a Vase. I have made a One Layer Card, printing directly on the card stock in colour. I printed another vase out & used the hearts, that were coloured with pencil, fussy cut & layered. Some pencil rubbing & glitter add a final touch.

The simplicity of the Just Some Lines images makes it ideal for this kind of card, but it is also versatile to use in more intricate designs and multilayer cards. Do visit their shop, you will find a design you love!

The sentiment will be added later, because I might use it for a wedding or an anniversary...both coming up! And I might still add some ribbon...

Well, here it is:

Hope it inspires you to join the challenge!

Do visit again.

Rene

I'm entering my card in the LOVE challenge on the Just some Lines Blog

New week, new challenge!

Welcome!

It's a new week and time for a new challenge at The Cheerful Stamp Pad!
Our theme this week is : 'You have my heart' and our sponsors are Just Some Lines.
I have always liked the simplicity of their digital stamps! Do visit their store, they even have a few freebies up for grabs!

For the challenge I used Emo Amber and the Heart Balloon.  I added some fine-liner hearts to the red base card. The colouring was done with my pencils and is really accents of colour. I hope that it conveys the theme and inspires many of you to come and join us!

My card:

Remember, your card must have a heart or express something heart related. It can be a Valentine's Card, but it is not necessary.

Do visit again!


Rene

Congratulations!

Welcome!

At last my creation with the fabulous template from the Duo Challenge Blog is finished!

The template for January 2013 is a perpetual calendar that can be used in so many ways.

I have decided to make a baby card to celebrate the birth of my friend's second grandson:

 

I've used some coordinating DP with a naval theme. The solids accentuate the colour way. I made the bunting with the sentiment as well as the 2 little yachts. The glitter glues goes so well with the blue and orange. The little white heart in the center of the card is some love for the little one. The date, 14 January 2013, is Liam's birth date.

Here are some close-ups:

The bunting with the sentiment:
('Baie geluk' = 'Congratulations' in Afrikaans)

The wonderful thing about these templates is that one can create fabulous cards without having the latest cutting machines, just a sharp knife and a good pair of scissors and some imagination!

Hope you like my creation and will hop over to join in the challenge too...

And do visit again!

Rene

So cute in Pink!

Welcome!

It's week 2 of the 'Tickled Pink' challenge at The Cheerful Stamp Pad! Yes, 1 week left to get those pink and fabulous creations entered.

I used the cute Digidarla's Blessing of Heaven 3 for my pink baby card.  The card has layers of solid pink and white and a paper doily and bow to create the 'window'. The coloured image was fussy cut and 3D'd on top. Some glitter pen add a little sparkle.

Here she is:

And here is a close-up:

Thanks for popping in...do visit again.
And get those pink creations in before the week is over!

Rene

Crazy Backgrounds

Welcome!

My apologies to all my regular followers...I'm trying to find a background that I like...I'm considering white.

If you have a suggestion, feel free to give it.

Or maybe I'll go with the crazy idea of changing the background to compliment the latest post.

No promises here, I'll decide as I go along.

Am I having fun? Yes, but not all the backgrounds I really like, works too well with all the stuff I have on display.

Do pop in again, I'm sure there will be a(nother) surprise waiting.

Rene

Proudly Tickled Pink

Welcome!

A new week, a New Challenge at The Cheerful Stamp Pad!

The theme this week is Tickled Pink and our generous sponsor is Digi Darla Designs.

The image I am working with is the Paisly Peacock. Paisley made me think of pink.
I coloured the image with my pencils and fussy cut the paisley parts out of 2 extra images. I layered the images and added some gems. If you wondered, I'm tickled pink with how it turned out.

I hope that you will join the challenge!

Rene

Tiny Recycling

Welcome!

I've made my first twinchie!

Here it is:

 

Over at Crafting by Designs Julia posted this lovely Mixed Media challenge. The challenge is to make some twinchies. I used an image from A Day for Daisies :  Petals in a Teacup that I won some time ago. I printed all four of the teacup images to a size of about 1". I coloured the image with my pencils and cut it out. 

My twinchie is made from a recycled box that is covered with some script paper. I cut a frame from the same box for my picture. This is not much mixing of media, but I'll definitely do this again.

Rene

White Week 2

Welcome!

It's week 2 of the 'White as Snow' challenge at The Cheerful Stamp Pad.

This week I made a super quick, super CAS card. I had a sentiment ready for use which I attached to the card. A few fine liner lines finish the card. Just that, nothing more.

Tip: When stamping or printing sentiments, cut them all out and add double sided tape. Keep them in a labeled container. That way they are ready if you quickly need to whip up a card. It also saves on time.

Hope my card inspires you to join the challenge.

Remember, we have a fabulous sponsor, Classy Cards and Such, who is giving away a $10 voucher to one lucky entry! Do visit her shop and have a look around at all the lovely goodies she sells. I love all the lace and bling!

Do visit again!

Rene

White on White

Welcome!

It's a New Year and time for a New Challenge at the Cheerful Stamp Pad.

Our theme this week is White as Snow. I really like to play with just white - it gives you the chance to play with textures and white embellishments. My card is simple with embossing, some ribbon and lace and a touch of bling from my Gelly Roll.

Here is a close-up of my embossed letters:

I'm planning to use it for an upcoming wedding. Hope you like it!
 

Our generous sponsor this week is Classy Cards 'n Such. She has a lovely variety of goodies, including lovely lace that you can use for your own white card. Do visit her fabulous shop. A $10 voucher is up for grabs!

I hope I have inspired you to make a white card and enter our challenge. You don't have to use just white like me, as long as your creation is mainly white, you can enter. Go and have a peek The Cheerful Stamp Pad for more inspiration from the Design Team.

Oh, I forgot to mention, our upcoming challenges are in the right hand column on the blog! So while you are creating, you can start thinking...

Rene

.   

Little House

Good Day!

My entry for the the Duo Challenge #22.

I kept it simple and summery with punched flowers.

Have a great day!

Rene