Celebrating Get Creative's 2nd Blogversary

Get Creative Challenges is turning 2 and we are celebrating this occasion with the 52nd challenge that has the theme of Happy Birthday. We have two sponsors for this challenge - AliciaBel and Dr Digi.

My card used a digistamp called Alice & The Cake from AliciaBel. I did, though, change it a little by adding two candles on the slice of cake.

                                  

The gorgeous pink and foiled spot background is a vellum panel from The Craft Stall, bought from my local discount shop. (Look at my previous card to also see another of the panels from the packet.) The digistamp was coloured using Copic Markers and fussy cut, then mounted on an oval of white cardstock. The sentiment is a layered die cut using pink cardstock and Tim Holtz Alterations/Sizzix Celebrate cutting die set. You may be aware already that I love this set and his other, Friendship cutting die set. I use them so much.

Anyway. To complete the look I painted some pink Wink of Stella over the die cut and some clear Wink of Stella over the girl's bow. The faux stitching was also written using the pink WOS.

I'm doing more "simple" cards these days. Maybe it's a sign my style is changing or maybe it's because they're faster to do. What do you think??? Let me know what you think about my change in direction.

I'm off now. Pop on over to Get Creative Challenges, enjoy the party celebrations over there, and maybe you can enter a birthday card or two. (You can never have too many on hand.)

Bye for now.

Love,

Janelle

Using a Digital Stamp to Make a Background

Hi to all.

I'm back again with the third challenge from Angie's Digital Stamps. This month's challenge is "Anything Goes". I used one of Angie's digistamps of a cute little cupcake and thought it would be fun to create a background paper with it instead of making it the focus of the card (like I usually do).

I don't know about you, but whenever I'm manipulating images like this, I always go to a Windows Word page and find that I can manoeuver the images however I like. Probably it's because I started doing this back in 1980 something when we first got computers in the staffrooms in QLD schools. I used to make up my own class handouts and was forever trying to make them look interesting and professional-looking. 

This technique is for those of you who do not own/have access to editing programs such as Photo Shop.

HOW TO CREATE A BACKGROUND WITH A DIGISTAMP AND WINDOWS WORD PROGRAM.

1. Start by opening your image in a photo editing program like Photo Manager; and crop it to remove any excess white space. Make sure it's saved as a jpeg file.



2. Open the Word program, create a new page document and insert a rectangle the size of your intended background panel. You can position the images where you want them to be. Insert the cropped image. Reduce the size of the image to suit the size of the intended panel. It's important to now edit the image by changing the "Wrap Text" to "Tight". Also edit the order by bringing this image forward.

3.  The image is now ready to copy and paste. 

4.  Move the images and rotate to suit your design. The little green-ended handle is used to achieved this manipulation. Make sure some of the images fade off the edge of the panel to make it more natural looking.

5. Once you've placed all of the images where you want them, save the page and then print. Leave the rectangle in place as this will show you where to cut out.

I hope you can easily understand these instructions. If there's anything you need help with, please leave a comment and I'll get back to you.

To finish my card I painted around the edges of the card blank with some gold Wink of Stella ink, coloured the image using Copic Markers and secured a foiled and printed vellum panel; before completing by adding some pink enamel dots.

Anyway, head on over to Angie's Digital Stamps; see the amzing designs on display and enter your own design for a chance to win.

Bye for now.

Love,
Janelle

Looking Forward to ...

Check out the next issue of Australian Simply Cards. It will be their 100th edition and some of my cards are featured as "Fabulous ideas for milestone birthdays".

I used a variety of techniques to make a collection of 6 cards covering birthdays from 16 to 80. That's my box card just under the word 'Simply". Unfortunately I can't show you any photos of them - you'll just have to buy a copy and see for yourself.  (cheeky smile inserted here)

Bye for now.

Love,

Janelle

A Quick Share

Today I'm sharing a card I made for one of my design teams; but I got confused (not that difficult at the moment) and I didn't get it posted in time. OOOPS! I'm grateful I was forgiven. Am trying not to have it happen again.

Anyway, this card was to use black and one other colour (which was....guess...yes it was PINK!) I used a digi image I got from the internet by Carolyn Boettner. (Click on the link to go directly to the page.)

It was interesting colouring the background black and then colouring the rest in shades of pink and grey. I think the pink really stands out. I also didn't know I had so many Copic Marker pinks (and I've only got a small number of those available.) With Copic markers I definitely do not have "full set"-itis. hahahaha!

That's it for now. Bye!

Love,
Janelle

Challenge #50 "Back and Orange"

Welcome back for Challenge #50 for Get Creative Challenges. The theme this time is "Black and Orange" with the extra option of Halloween. The sponsor for this challenge is SLS Lines and the prize is 3 digital images of the winner's choice.

I used a fun image from SLS Lines of the three pumpkins and coloured them in using my Copic markers. I masked the card for the moon and then coloured the bats with black Wink of Stella pen, followed by a coat of Glossy Accents. The background is actually much darker IRL than it appears here. It was so difficult to colour the moon, halo and sky - just getting that correct blending of colour. I also really like how I coloured the middle pumpkin. I didn't quite get it right with the other two. I think my oranges were too much the same in colour value. What do you think?

I finished off the card with an orange card blank, black mat and so gorgeous washi tape in shades of black, orange, purple and gold. The foam letters I used were so old that the adhesive on the back of them had started to flake off, but work perfectly for this design.

Anyway, pop on over to Get Creative and check out the lovely reader cards. Maybe even add one of your own.

Bye for now.

Love,

Janelle

Angie's Digital Stamps Challenge #2

I made my first Halloween card for Challenge #2 of Angie's Digital Stamps blog. 

Being in Australia, there's not a real call for exchanging of cards on this occasion as we've only just started with the Trick or Treating; and decorating of the house. (Though this year I will be decorating the entry porch for the neighbourhood kids when they come visiting on the night.)

Using a cute image from Angie called "Daisy May with a Candle", I coloured her with my Copic markers and then placed her on a printed spider's web page design (that I found on the internet) that was coloured with Distress Crayons in Seedless Preserves, Peeled Paint and Chipped Sapphire, with a little black thrown in (which in hindsight wasn't a great idea, as it made the colours too muddy and dark). To rectify this, I sprayed the colours with water and then tried to lift off some of the colour. I layered the cobweb paper on top of some frayed muslin and some pewter blue shimmer cardstock.

A circle blended over with some Ripe Persimmon and Fossilized Amber Distress Ink, sprayed with water, blotted with paper towel; and then when dry, brushed over with some clear Wink of Stella; became the halo of candle light behind the fussy cut image. To finish I heat embossed the sentiment in silver on black cardstock; and made some little bats that I coated in Wink of Stella as well.

My idea for this card was to have a little girl trying to fend off the "nasties" of the night with a candle.

Anyway, please head over to Angie's blog and share in the fun with a Halloween twist.

Bye for now.

Love,
Janelle

Get Creative Challenge #48

I'm back again with a new challenge for Get Creative Challenges blog. The challenge this time was to use embossing, either heat or dry. I went the full hog and used both. hahahaha!

  











This challenge was sponsored by Star Stampz and the Winner's Prize is 3 images of the winner's choice. 

For my card I used an embossing folder on some white cardstock, that was then inked over with some distress ink. To finish off, I went berserk with some water sprinkled very liberally over it and then mopped up. I love the way the swirls are really pronounced across the top, but gradually fade to match the background around the girl. I thought this embossing folder sort of looked like wind swirling in the sky.

The image was from Sarah at Star Stampz and is called "Autumn Fall Girl Reading". She was coloured with Copic markers and fussy cut around. The sentiment was heat embossed with white EP. To complete the card, I applied Spectrum Noir Glitter Brush over her hat, pumpkins and cat. The matt is some bronze glimmer cardstock - mmmmmm - yummy!

Anyway, head over to Get Creative and see the lovely designs posted and perhaps join in the fun.

Bye for now.

Love,

Janelle