Not Just Any Scroll

I printed out the scroll along with some other Eureka images.  It just didn't seem right to leave a scroll without any handwritten message of sympathy or love or some kind of message.

The border dies, I've had for years and never used them but once and when I did, I didn't care for them.  I DO NOW though!  I care a lot.  I had a scrap of card stock which may or may not be Tim Holtz and used it for the central panel..  I have an off-brand that has a similar flavor as Tim's card stock.

I am happy with this.  I like the design thanks to Paula and the neutral colors.  I saw the Get Well Soon stamp and just had to use it.

Close-up of Scroll

I hope you enjoyed this sample and be sure to join our Die Cut Divas challenge this month.  Remember it's a sketch.  To check out the sketch and enter the challenge, just click here!

"The Lion Sleeps Tonight"

A song I really enjoy... but what's that got to do with Die Cut Divas you might ask!   Well both Arlene and Dawn used this image from QKR Stampede

 

 

Dawn's card 

Arlene's card 

These two show how it's fun to interpret the sketch in different ways.   And using the same image.  And you can see Paula's Lion card here on the challenge page

So try out Paula's sketch and join us this month

Dawn and The Divas

Eureka!

Eureka!

Did I say Eureka?  That's what I'm talking about Eureka Stamps, that is.  I think everyone will be making a STAMPEDE - I FOUND IT!  I FOUND IT!  EUREKA!   We have two sponsors for the Die Cut Divas August challenge, Eureka Stamps and QKR Stampede.

Eureka Stamps is the sister company of QKR Stampede and offers wonderful hand drawn calligraphy, verses, large alphabet letters and backgrounds  There are fine art animals, whimsical Valentine characters and lots of cute Christmas and birthday stamps for cat and dog lovers too.

QKR Stampede offers unmounted rubber stamps, digital stamps, full sheets and supplies. Visit QKR Stampede for those unique, somewhat quirky styles with lots of humor and character.

I followed Paula's fantastic sketch for the month of August.  You have to love it and enter our August challenge.                                                    

Paula's sketch

I love the digital parchment stamp as there is so much you can do with it.  The image is blank the parchment devoid of writing or any inscription.  It feels like a fresh slate on which to hand-write your thoughts with an old-fashioned fountain pen.  Eureka Stamps offers both rubber and digital stamps. The Scroll Frame below comes in both.  I think this would work well in a vintage style card too.  Don't you?

On with the show!

Paula is having technical difficulties and I'm sure had the best post set up for you on her computer ready to go, when KAPUT... virus gave it a nasty cold.  Got my fingers crossed!

As you know QKR Stampede and Eureka stamps are sponsoring our blog this month and I've had such fun with the images.  Looking for rubber stamps or digital?  They've got both.  Here's a little more about QKR Stampede.

Bio:
QKR Stampede:

Do you have a sense of humor? Are you looking for a cute stamp? Then, we are the company for you! QKR Stampede is the somewhat cute somewhat quirky rubber and digital stamp company. We showcase the artwork of Ken Herrod, who had a unique, somewhat quirky style with lots of humor and character. You are sure to get a chuckle out of our stamps! We have been offering our unique stamps and supplies to the craft industry for over 15 years. At QKR Stampede our images are available as un-mounted, natural red rubber stamps OR as digital stamps! If QKR Stampede Stamps aren't exactly what you are looking for, don’t miss out on the sister companies: Eureka Stamps, Biblical Impressions Rubber Stamps, or the newest addition; Alluring Impressions.

QKR Stampede offers unmounted rubber stamps, digital stamps, full sheets and supplies. Visit QKR Stampede for those unique, somewhat quirky styles with lots of humor and character.

Paula created a fantastic sketch and I've had fun playing for the past week, so I do have an inspiration card for you today.  (I'm still sending out get well thoughts to her computer).

The SKETCH

Kind of a fun twist on the sketch

Please join us in our challenge this month.  

Drum roll please..... the Winner is....

 Taking into account those who had two entries for using Bugaboo images..... the winner is........  Karen L K with this beauty

Congratulations Karen.  I've send you a Flickrmail.

and a huge thanks to all our entrants.  Some fabulous works of art for July's challenge.

and the Die Cut Divas

August Challenge for 2013

Hi Lovelies,

It's Paula here to host this month's challenge.  I've opted for a sketch since I love using them so much.  How about you?  I find they are a great starting point for making a card, project or LO.  I'm constantly surprised at all the different ways they can be used.  Often I'm left just so inspired on other people's take of these sketches.

This month we are being sponsored by two sister companies Eureka! Stamps &  QKR Stampede.

Bio:
Finally, The Stamps You've been Looking for! Eureka stamps offers a large variety of  images and sentiments in many different categories for all of your stamping needs.  Our Paper Sculpting stamps add an extra dimension to your creations. Or, Mix and match our Balloons and Balloon Holders to celebrate every occasion. Our Stamps are available as unmounted, deep etched, natural red rubber stamps OR as digital stamps. If Eureka Stamps aren't exactly what you are looking for, Don't miss out on the sister companies: QKR Stampede,  Biblical Impressions Rubber Stamps, or the newest addition; Alluring Impressions.

Believe it or not, this is my very first sketch that I ever made & am so glad to be sharing it with you all.  Now for the fun stuff let's see what my fellow Beautiful Diva's did with this sketch to inspire you all.

Dawn T.

Dawn has used Cool Cat with Shades from Eureka.  Don't you think Dawn's card is simply wonderful.

  Arlene M.

Arlene used Art Palette by QKR for this gorgeous card.  I just love the paint splatters don't you?  

Paula L.

I used this cute Lion Digi from QKR Stampede.  Remember if Digis aren't your thing they carry a great range of Rubber Stamps as well.  Don't forget to checkout their blog & Facebook page.

Don't forget to stop by tomorrow to see who has won last month's challenge & receives seven free Digi images from Bugaboo.  I can't wait to find out!

Final Call..... Summer Flowers

Hi all.... yes it's the last day of the month so it's time for a final call for entries in this month's challenge.  I am happy to say we've had a good month with lots of fabulous entries.  I have to say, I'm so pleased I don't have to choose a winner.... leaving that to Mr Random Org.... 'cause there's just so many beautiful card.  Do go and have a look at the entries HERE and maybe you've got one last card to enter. 

Here's one final inspiration card from me.

This card uses dies for the flowers.  A very CAS card.

Thanks to you all for taking the time to visit and enter our challenge this month... Pop back tomorrow for a brand new challenge ~ set by the delightful Paula... I can guarantee you'll enjoy it!  And Friday I'll be back with the winner of this month's challenge.  See you then

and the Die Cut Divas

Time for flowers.  A couple posts ago on my blog, I colored some of the Bugaboo digitals I had printed, waiting for me to make a card.  This image was fun to color, but I can't say it was fun to embellish.  Do you have those days when you get ink on your fingers and wish you never touched anything again?   Yes, you can cover up those nasty ink stains, but only up to a point.  I know better than to handle pearls colored with a Copic marker when they're NOT DRY.  Do I listen to that advice?  NO!  All the pearls on the flowers were meant to stare at you and the first black pearl, top right is meant to add interest.  However the two large black pearls cover small but noticeable SMUDGES.  Yes, somehow smudges occurred.  The additional little pearl, bottom left, is holding its own for now... no more smudging and no more touching.

Remember to enter our Die Cut Divas' challenge this month.  Flowers is the name and flowers is the game!
Remember to catch the 50% sale on all digital stamps for the month of July at Bugaboo Digital Stamps.

Teacup time at Bugaboo

 A close-up for you!

As you can see, I've got the card making bug and Dawn has allowed me to bug out and bloom!

Have a great Day today and the rest of the week, year, decade....

Arlene and the DCD team

Only a post and a card...

It's only a post and a card.

I happen to like this cute card - it's a cutesy, smiley, fun card and I have a confession to make.  I didn't like this image when I saw it on the Friday Freebies at Bugaboo, but I thought, it's a flower, I'll be able to use a flower, won't I?.  Once I started coloring it, I fell in love with it.   Do you ever have those moments?   Of course when it goes the opposite (you love something and then can't stand it), that's a real BUMMER!

I hope you like this card and really, if you don't, don't tell me.  Just let me go my merry way, totally oblivious and happy.  From me to you on blogland, you're the best and I'll give this card to a friend who needs some serious cheering up.  Have a very happy week!

Remember that you only have a couple more days to enter our challenge here!

Arlene at "a bit of this and that"

and the DCD team

Inspiration from our guest designer Joy

Hi there....
I've been a bit slack with the blog.... but here I am back to share some beautiful cards from the talented Joy Taylor

 

 Aren't these just the prettiest cards.  

Thanks to Joy for allowing us to share her beautiful works.  Please go and share the love with her at her new blog  Simple by Design

And don't forget only a few more day to get your "Summer Flowers" project into our challenge here.  Thanks to all who have already entered... a total of 43 entries so far, and all just delightful.

More of my favourite die inspiration

Hi all

I've got another card to share using the Tim Holtz Tattered Florals die.

I used some mulberry paper in two tones of purple to cut the flowers and layered them together.  I added some silver sequins and gems to the flower centres.  My background is a Spellbinders die and the purple flourishes are a Cherry Lynn die.

And the following card was one I made a while back using the same die.  This one was made with watercolour paper and scrunched up.

Quite different flowers using the same die.

And there is still lots of time to join our monthly challenge (here)

Stretching your dies.... or should that be shrinking your dies?

Did you know that you can adapt your dies to change their size?

No... neither did I till I took a look at a recent blog post from Sheila (here)

I asked her if I could share some of the post here and being the generous  person she is... she said okay!

So here is a great tip for getting the most of your dies.

" I also am still experimenting with stretching my dies.  I love a square card and have many square images like the one I used today but not many square dies.....at least the square dies I do have are never big enough for most of my images.  BUT! I do have lots of fancy rectangular dies.....and it took me the longest time and seeing many examples online before I put it together that other people were retrofitting their rectangular dies to fit a square card.  Duh!  So, it is a little more futsy than just cutting a die and placing it on the card but in the long run I like the results and more importantly I like that I can use my dies for more than one look!  So far I have only used rectangles but think that I can also use other shaped dies for this purpose.  My "mind's eye" doesn't see the possibilities right away so it takes me a bit to configure the dies....almost like working with a puzzle.


Today's card uses a large rectangular die from Spellbinders.  I cut it down quite a bit to get the square size that I wanted.  Then, I matched up the edging design and glued them down.  It is really hard to see the "seam" on this die but even so I decided to cover the seam with the ribbon."

Here is the card Sheila created

and this is a card showing the full die that Sheila "retrofitted"

 

So thanks Sheila for sharing this great tip.  I am certainly going to try out this technique.

Friday Freebies at Bugaboo

Did you know our sponsor this month, Bugaboo Digital Stamps, has a Friday Freebie... every Friday a new digi stamp is available...just for one week.

A great way to build up your digi images and I can tell you, once you try out a digi from Bugaboo you'll just want to buy more.

This past Friday, the freebie is a very cute little image

Super cute and you can get all the other numbers here  ( added bonus is that for July all images are half price)

so here is the card I made with the image

 

I coloured the image with Copics and cut out with a Spellbinders die.  I added some multicoloured glitter to the number.  The sentiment is a Montarga stamp (a New Zealand stamp company) And because our challenge is about flowers this month, I added a nice bright flower. 

Dawn invited me to try the Friday Freebie image and I wasn't even thinking of flowers when I added these blossoms.  I had them on my desk from taking apart a name tag that had all manner of decorations.  I just thought they fit with the butterflies.  I'm so glad Dawn gave you link to the other numbers.  Have fun!

Arlene at A Bit of This and That

So be sure to visit Bugaboo on Friday's to see what Jody has up for Free.

Dawn and the Die Cut Divas

Welcome to this months Guest....... Joy Taylor

I was so very pleased that Joy agreed to join us this month as our guest designer.... I adore her work which often includes some sort of die cuts or embossing.

So without further ado I introduce you to Joy Taylor

 Tell us a little about yourself

I live in a small country town in Southern New South Wales, Australia with my partner Darryl and our baby the furry kind, Roly..we live in a cottage with a brick path and a lavender hedge, we both work and love to spend time at home, although I love to travel, I don't get to do that much, but when the opportunity arises I certainly enjoy my time.  I love to garden and cook, however, these days with all the fun crafting that I do, I don't indulge in those areas as much these days..as a child I loved to finger paint and craft so it was a given that I was destined to keep that side of my personality going through my life.  I have been fortunate that Darryl let me obtain one of the bedrooms in our house as my craft room and with the talent that he posses I have been one lucky gal to have all custom furniture built by him to suit my needs.

• How long have you been a card maker/scrapper & when did you start?

I have been crafting as long as I can remember, but turned card maker about 20 years ago, visiting a craft show with my BFF and took a class, I was hooked and from there I never looked back.

• Do you follow sketches or dive right in?

I am not generally one that will follow a sketch unless it is one that I have to follow for a challenge or guest designing, I am more one that just dives in at the deep end and come up with something by having all the supplies around me.

• How many projects do you make a week?

This does vary for me, but generally I will create anything from 5-10 a week, especially when I have deadlines, but there are times when I create less, depending on what pops up in everyday life :)

• What is your favourite tool (what can't you create without) & why?

My stamps would have to be my favourite tool, I love the endless possibilities, techniques and the way you can create your own style with stamps.

• What at the moment is your most favourite thing to do on your project?

I love gold at the moment and followed by enamel dots, I just love the elegance gold brings to a card and have to stop myself from adding it to just about everything I create, the enamel dots I feel have taken over my obsession with bling, I love the matt feel to these and the fun touch it adds to a card.

• How would you describe your style?

My style would definitely be clean and simple, I love to create using a lot of white space, I feel using this style I can complete cards relatively quick, but in saying that I do like to try different styles, but always gravitate back to the clean and simple.

• What about your style would you change (or not) & why?

I don't think I would change my style, I am pretty much happy with where my creativity takes me and usually pretty happy with the results.

• Have you been published or on a Design team - when & where?

I have been published, CARDS magazine really is my first publication that surprising to a lot of people just this past June, still have not received my copy as yet, but certainly going to frame that milestone :) as for design teams, Past - Purple Onion Designs, Tiffany Doodles, Jane's Doodles, Jay Gee's Nook, Basic Grey, Simon Says Stamp Challenge Team.  My current teams - Studio Calico, Simon Says Artist Group and I do work on and off for Hero Arts.  I am also a Colouring Friend for Tiddlyinks.

• Describe (pictures are even better) your crafting area

My area, as I said before is a room that I occupy in our house, Darryl has built everything custom made for what my needs are, I tend to try and keep it clean, but there are times when seriously it just looks like a tornado has ripped through, currently, it looks like the end result to a childs party that has happened LOL.

(Who wouldn't just love this space to create in!)

• Do you have a blog? If not where can we see more of your fabulous creations?

My blog is called Simple by Design, I have just recently changed the name and is currently in the process of being moved from blogger to Wordpress..so it is under construction some what.

And look at this great card Joy created using this image from our sponsor, Bugaboo.

Thank you so much Joy.  It's been a pleasure getting to know you a bit better.

Dawn and the Die Cut Divas

Do you use Sketches?

Sketches are an awesome way to get your Mojo going if you're stuck for an idea and there are some fabulous sketch challenge sites out there. 

Our own Paula is involved in a sketch challenge called Try Stampin' on Tuesdays and this week she took the sketch and used a Bugaboo image

Here's the sketch this week

 

and here's Paula's amazing inspirational card.

Hasn't she coloured this image beautifully.  And the oval die looks fabulous.  

Thanks Paula for such a great inspirational card.  So come join us and maybe even join Paula and her crew at Try Stampin' on Tuesdays, with your flower cards.

Dawn and the Die Cut Divas