Starting the year over...

Hi! Its been months & months since I last posted - all for sad, heart-breaking family reasons I'm afraid. I'm not going to go into details - this is not that kind of blog, but I'm doing this quick post simply to say that I'm starting 2011 over from today, the very first day of April... I know its All Fool's Day, but I figured that its as good a day as any to take a deep breath and begin blogging again!!! :)

I've been crafting throughout the time I've been absent here, and there's lots to share, which I think I'll do in a little side bar slide show, but let me quickly show you something NEW, and that I'm beginning to post around the digi-community today:

The card above & this cute alternative party treat presentation idea were made with a kit by Ju Kneipp & Dunia Designs, called A Boy's Diary - and the easy-peasy hybrid template is by WendyBird Designs. She's a CU hybrid template designer I've just found, and I've already bought several of her designs to play with!

The digital stamp is from DigiStamp Boutique, and is coloured with my preferred medium of chalks. A few layered flags & ta-da!

Miss Evie Witchy...

Doesn't she make a cute witch? This cute character is called Miss Evie Witchy - she's one of a set that I've started collecting from Squiggle Stamps. If you like digital stamps, this store is a gold mine - their entire rubber stamp range is available digitally, which is wonderful news for people like me who are totally challenged by doing neat, unsmudged ink stamping...

Like a regular stamp, you simply start with a black outline of the digital character - I coloured mine using two methods: cutting & pasting of digital papers for the clothed, hat & boots using Photoshop, and then once she was printed I used my chalks to colour the rest. I finished Miss Evie off with a little glitter glue on her petticoat & star accessories! After all, what girl doesn't like a little sparkle?

The papers I used throughout the card (plus the Boo tag, clouds & moon) are from Fee Jardine's Spooky Ooky - one of my all time favourite Halloween kits!

Next, I wanted to show off this cute set of printables I put together for SuzyQ Scarps recently - I adore this time of year as there is so much orange about. The set is in her store at Scrap Orchard, as is the Lil' Spooks kit I used to decorate the set:

How about something a little more Autumnal? I wanted to share this adorable Fall Fairy card with you. It was made with a kit called Basic Fall by Ju Kneipp. When I opened the kit, the first thing I saw was a simple flower with drooping petals - I saw it and thought it would make the perfect skirt for a flower fairy! I know, strange, but true. I already had the pretty fairy stamp by Claire Keay (a wonderful illustrator) in my ever-growing digi-stamp collection, and you can see the resulting card below:


My little fall fairy was coloured in exactly the same was as my witch at the top of this post :)

Finally, I know I've mentioned the wonderful KevinandAmanda.com as a great source for free fonts (and recipes and other interesting bits 'n bobs!), but the very talented Miss Tiina also generously offers lovely free fonts for people to use too, right here. If you do pop over for a look, you should also take a moment to browse her store at Sugar Hill Co., as I guarantee you will find it v-e-r-y tempting :)

I think its time for a cup of tea! Bye for now...

My fabulous new siggy & links to FREEBIES!!

This is one of two cards I recently made using the designs of Dani Mogstad. I simply wanted to make feel-good cards to make someone smile. I think it worked :)

You can find the full card details here, but the little girl image is one I found at Clipart and Scrap - she is one of a set, and is 'dressed' by layering papers from Dani's kit and using Photoshop to make them fit, plus a little chalk to finish her face and hair once she had been printed and cut out.

On a side note, Dani recently gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and is taking time to enjoy her with the rest of her family. Lovely, happy news :)

Yesterday, I made my first post on SuzyQ Scraps blog. I'd love to know what you thought of it! I was showcasing one kit, Pumpkin Patch, which from the name alone has a distinctive Autumnal/ Fall flavour. I was trying to demonstrate that it can be used for so much more than the obvious theme. I think it worked - but I would be interested in your opinions! The post included this pretty, purple presentation idea:

If you like it, you are very welcome to download the freebie file, for both the pillow box and tag, directly from Suzy's blog, here!

I'm hoping to do this sort of thing again with more kits in the future - I'm signed up for the January hybrid post on Suzy's blog and have a 'lets get organised' theme (appropriate for the New Year!) rattling about in my head, but want to do it with a not-so-obvious choice of kit.

Well, that's my current plan.

Maybe.

....truthfully, I am totally subject to my whims & fancies, and regularly start cards and projects with one idea and finish with something completely different! I'd love to think of it as my 'artistic nature', but its probably a lot more accurate to say I am easily distracted by pretty, shiny new things :) I'm 6 at heart.

On to other news now: In my blog post for the Sweet Shoppe this month, I also had a little giveaway - this time card templates for you to play with! They are definitely meant as starting point templates - aimed at those of you who insist that they can't make cards! Honestly - if you can make layouts, I promise you can make cards too! Have a look at my post here, grab the templates and see for yourself :) These are a couple of examples I made using the templates:

You can find full credits for both cards in my gallery at Sweet Shoppe Designs, and yes the cute owl is sat on a hand stitched 'branch' - I really must learn how to use my sewing machine! ...though I actually prefer the rough 'n ready look of handstitching here.

Now, take a look at this:

I am very proud of this little tree, my family {apple} tree, as I called it in my galleries. It was made for the current issue of The Fix from Digiscrap Addicts to showcase a sweet kit by Pixel Perfect Designs. I used a template by Heather Roselli for the tree itself, and then added the apple frames as you see. It was a little fiddly to make, simply because of the reduced scale - and if I do it again I would print the photo frames onto photo quality paper as I think it would have a better finish.

I'm rather hoping Heather makes a similar Christmas Tree template - but if she doesn't I may try to adapt this one :)

Finally - just look at my FABULOUS new signature!!! I am so in love with it, and just had to show it off here! I 'bought' my siggy candy (as its known) from Fizzy Pop Designs over at 9th & Bloom - I definitely recommend a peek!

...and actually, thanks to Lizzy of Fizzy Pop fame, I've started looking at this site for colour ideas recently. Its just a nice site to browse around for pattern & coordination ideas if you've 5 minutes and cup of coffee!

Wishing you sunshine and fewer September showers :)

A cute zebra and a bucket

Hi! How were your Summer Holidays? Mine were not exactly relaxing, but I have to say its nice to get back into the old school routine again.

Incidentally, I'm hoping that my Mum will brave the internet and start popping by to read this blog (Hi Mum!!!) - firstly 'cos its good practice on browsing the internet (!), and secondly I'm hoping that knowing she will be looking, I will start posting regularly! Honestly, who wants to be told off by their Mum?

She's just beginning to get the hang of using a mouse, and needs ideas of things to go and look at - after all, it is rather a large digital world - so I may start posting interesting things to peek at, like that lovely esty shop I previously found.

I hope you like the first card above - I couldn't resist treating myself to a kit or two from Kasia Designs, who's just relocated her store. Her style was always clean and uncluttered, but she's refined her work even more and I just love it. I used The Bucket List to make my card.

Isn't this little chap a cutie? I've just added this card to my galleries - so its nice to show it off here too! The original digital image is what is referred to as a digital stamp. It started out as a black outline in SuzyQ's signature oopsie doodle style, to which I added colour by layering digital papers and cutting them to size with Photoshop. I like doing this - its time consuming, but oddly very satisfying!

I have had a really wonderful response to these babygrows which I decorated using Ju Kneipp's I {heart} Animals kit - the photo is even going to be featured in the Hybrid Standouts feature in Digishop Talk's October magazine. How wonderful is that!?!?!

In case you were wondering: the crocodile is (naturally) saying snap, snap, snap, whilst the fish is blowing love heart-shaped bubbles - so I added 'love bubbles' below, Finally the monkey is singing 'oh oobie doo' from the song from the Jungle Book movie.

I made them by using iron-on transfer paper from my local supermarket. Its a really special way to personalise clothes for children, or even a tote bag for yourself....:

This was made for the Digiscrap Addicts magazine in July, using a really beautiful kit by Veronica Spriggs.

I have literally just finished photographing this last card, which I made especially for the husband of a friend, who (you've guessed it!) is turning 40 today and is apparently not too happy about it.... although he is enjoying the opportunity to indulge in a bit of a mid-life crisis ;)

It's made using Over the Edge by Lauren Grier & Eva Kipler, and completed by layering the funny little doodle man and a funereal black ribbon! The font is called A Truer Blue , another freely available one from the very generous Kevin&Amanda.com - and is just perfect for this card.

'til next time....

Sara

x

PS Full details for my cards etc can be found by clicking the links below:

Bucket Full of Love

One of a Kind

I {heart} Animals babygrows

Butterfly tote bag

Look what I found...

How wonderful is this - breakfast in bed, without the calories!! I've just found this delightful Etsy store and had to share it. Its called:

...and is an adorable store of perfect felt food design patterns. I love the donuts, this bakery set....

...and these cakes are irresistibly pretty:

If I had a little girl, I would be indulging! You can find the Bakery store here!

Sx

My poor neglected blog

Wow - doesn't time fly!

How about a couple of photos to show you that I haven't been completely idle?

The first card, above, was made with Lil' Bundle from SuzyQ - I wanted to make a card suitable for either a baby boy or girl, and fortunately this kit gave me full flexibility, which is a nice change as so many are specifically for one sex or the other. I have to say that little bear makes me sigh.

I also want to show you a couple of cards I've made with Ju Kneipp's designs recently too. Both are made with her Under the Sun kit:

I love the colour she packs into her designs, and I loved being able to use the lyrics to 'You are my Sunshine' in a card :)

Have you ever visited Andrea's blog? If you haven't, you are definitely missing out, its brimming over with inspiration! Well, this incredibly talented and very sweet lady & her mother have a new store of their very own - but theirs sells real ribbons and trimmings, rather than those of the digital variety! Since my beloved Poppicrafts disappeared, I've been looking for a new supplier, and I think I've found it with Andrea & her mum. Their store is called The Ribbon Girl and its more than worth a peek!

I've one last little something to share with you today:

...a cute little something to fill with jellybeans for my boy - when he decides to play nice this summer holiday! Made with another of SuzyQ's kits: Under Construction.

If you would like to see the full credits for any of the things I've shown in this blog post, please just click on the photos.

I'll be back again soon with more - really, really!

Sx

Just a suggestion...and a card

I mentioned in my last post, that I have just started working for the very talented Ju Kneipp. She lives in Brazil, and is a designer at Cat Scrap and DigiScrapper Brazil.

Every Wednesday is Dollar Day at DigiScrapper Brazil - and I have to say WOW at the number of fab kits they regularly include. If you want to sample Ju (or any of the other designers!) work, this is the perfect day to snag a bargain. Today, for example she's got 4 kits up for $1 (which is under 80p!!), including one of my faves:
...seriously, who can resist these cute frogs? Needless to say, I've been spending.... :) I would have a couple of cards made with her designs to show you today too, but my DH has put our camera somewhere 'safe'. Humph.

Its the school half-term holidays over here in the UK, and I've just had a lovely day with Alex: going to the cinema to see Tooth Fairy, and then for noodles afterwards. He's growing so fast, that its lovely to have him all to myself. I doubt I'll be so sentimental towards the end of the Summer holidays (!), but half-term holidays are just wonderful. It does mean alot less crafting time, but I do have one card to share today that fortunately I had already photographed!:

Its a digital card, which I made using Eva Kipler's Barefoot in the Park, carefully merged with a sweet digital stamp from the Pure Innocence range by Heather Ellis. I used a paper from the kit to 'make' the little girls dress, and then added additional colour to her and the butterfly with just a light dust of chalks. The photo above is linked for more details should you want them :)

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Sx