Friday, September 28, 2012

BE Inspired The Alley Way...




Can you tell I was SERIOUSLY inspired by the chocolate and strawberry dessert in this fortnights BE Inspired Challenge at The Alley Way Stamps!!!  This gorgeous slice of strawberry cheescake with chocolate biscuit base was created using AdoraBOWL and Hey Cupcake sets, using papers from Crate Paper Pretty Party and American Crafts Dear Lizzy Neapolitan, and Posy Trendy Twine.


I used this FAB sketch from Retro Sketches, and joined in the fun at The Ribbon Carousel Button & Twine, and Catered Crop Knot Now Challenges too!

Thursday, September 27, 2012

The Alley Way Stamps October Blog Hop...


One person will win ALL 3 NEW SETS!! YEP!! So if you want that person to be you... 
all you have to do is comment on the hop! 
Here are the ways you can win. You can pick and choose which ones you want to do...
but the more you comment, the more chances you have to win.. 

2-Comment on the DT girls blogs (below)
3-Post about it on facebook or your blog
4-Like us on Facebook
(leave a seperate comment on  The Alley Way Stamps Blog for each that you do)

 You have until September 30th by 9:30 PM TAWS time to leave comments.

Here are the DT Blogs to visit

Alison
Annette
Arielle
Audrey
Danielle
Jessica
Kim
Lyndal
Tracy


Today's card features the gorgeous lady bug from the new 
The Alley Way Stamps Kid N Caboodle set.
Inspired by the colours from the Embellish Magazine Stripe & Polka Dot Challenge.


Playing along at Simon Says Anything Goes Challenge too!

This made me smile!

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

A Colour Q Paper Play The Alley Way...



This weeks Colour Q colours are just too perfect for a Fall card, and this gorgeous Paper Players sketch was perfect for my falling leaves!  This card was created by applying Rich Razzleberry, Pumpkin Pie and Tangerine Tango (in lieu of Dusty Durango!) to my clear stamping block, spritzing it with Gold Glimmermist and stamping the block onto watercolour paper.  I then stamped these gorgeous new The Alley Way Stamps It's Fall About You maple leaves in Chocolate Chip (in lieu of Soft Suede) and fussy cut them out of the watercolour paper.  The sentiment was created using Alphabet Soup, Chatterbox and Jibber Jabber.


Monday, September 24, 2012

TAWS Sneak Peek Day One - Pairfection!!!


Tuesday Trigger - Envy Becomes You
As soon as I saw the inspiration from Tuesday Trigger over at Moxie Fab World I knew I wanted to break out this gorgeous The Alley Way Stamps It's Fall About You pear stamp - but I had to wait til today's Sneak Peek to show you!!!

Just as these gorgeous chartreuse shoes are pairfection (the art of perfection in pairs!), so too is this new stamp set from TAWS, heat embossed using Zing Orchid, and coloured with Copics YG03 Yellow Green.  Matched with this lovely net ribbon from Create on Ormond, and completed with this sliver of Scenic Route paper I had been saving for a pairfect occasion.

Don't forget, today is the first day of the October Sneak Peeks over at The Alley Way Stamps!!!  Each Sneak Peek day you will have the chance to win one new stamp set. All the comments posted on the TAWS blog today will go into a random drawing and someone will win a new October set. But wait - there's more!!!  Join in the blog hop on Thursday you have a chance to win ALL 3 new sets!

Playing along with Simon Says Stamp - Emboss It Challenge 
and this weeks CASE Study - Challenge #109 too.

This made me smile :)

Thursday, September 20, 2012

A Play Date The Alley Way...



Two of my favourites together!  The Alley Way Stamps are sponsoring this weeks Play Date Cafe Challenge - and with such a FAB colour inspiration, how could I resist!  

Throw in a sketch from Retro Sketches - and it's a match made in heaven!!!  I used  The Alley Way Stamps Awesome Blossom to create my three off-set stamped panels, together with this sentiment from Talk to Me. The die-cut butterfly is from Spellbinders, and this gorgeous wood-grained paper from My Mind's Eye.
Perfect for the Inchies Challenge at City Crafter too!
 

Why don't you come and Play ... You know you want to LOL!

This made me smile...

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Happy Whoo-lloween!



Inspired by the colours in this weeks Dynamic Duos - and with a name like that how could I resist including The Alley Way Stamps Ghoul-Friend bat in my Halloween Theme LOL!  A perfect theme for black & white plus one at CAS-ual Fridays too!

The closest I had to Lucky Limeade was my Shabby Shutters Distress Ink, which I layered to create a die-cut full moon.  I stamped  The Alley Way Stamps Ghoul-Friend and Cover Ups spider webs and spider, and the Crazy Critters owl in Versamark Embossing Ink and clear embossed them on black cardstock - I love the contrast between the glossy clear and the matt black.  The owls branch is part of the Memory Box Tall Birch die-cut, and these gorgeous letters are from Lily Bee Design Double Dutch Collection.



Sunday, September 16, 2012

Liebster Revisited :)


In the past week or so I have had the honour of being nominated twice - by the lovely Caroline and Jenny - for the Liebster award.  I was nominated a while ago by Ardyth, but I thought it would be nice to share the love again and pay it forward!






ABOUT THE AWARD
This award was designed to be a blog award in the pay it forward fashion. Once you've been nominated, you award it to blogs that you like that have fewer than 200 followers, to encourage new visitors to visit these new blogs.

RULES FOR ACCEPTANCE
Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to their blog. Post the award onto your blog. Give the award to five bloggers who you appreciate that have fewer than 200 followers. Leave a comment on their blog letting them know that you have given them this awesome award!

PAY IT FORWARD
Here are the five blogs that I'm nominating.  These ladies are both inspirational and delightful!  I chose  my fellow DT members who have less than 200 followers, and two super encouraging ladies I have had the pleasure of getting to know too.  Anyhow, go and check them out, they are definitely worth the  visit.  Better still, follow them then you won't miss out :)


Friday, September 14, 2012

BE Inspired...

This is my second post for today, please scroll down for my Trendy Twine Guest DT post :)



Can you tell it's creeping closer to Halloween!  Love this months BE Inspired Challenge at The Alley Way Stamps.  This gorgeous pumpkin image and stitches stamp are from Ghould-Friend, with the sentiment created using Alphabet Soup.  Papers are a mix from My Minds Eye.  This perfect fall Orange Truffle Twine is from Trendy Twine, and the stitched heart was from my stash.  LOVE this weeks Retro Sketch too - perfect for my pumpkin patch!  Dotty enough to join in the City Crafter Polka Dot Palooza too.
 

RULES:
1) You MUST use an image from The Alley Way Stamps (you can find freebies here!).
2) You must mention this challenge and link to it in your blog post.
3) - The challenge linky closes on 27 September 2012 at Noon, TAWS time!!!

This made me smile...

Trendy Twine Guest Designer...


So honoured to be asked to be a Guest Designer today over at Trendy Twine :)  September is "Snips & Snails & Puppy Dogs Tails, That's What Little Boys are Made of" Challenge Month featuring this gorgeous blue and chocolate twine, Chocolate Sprinkles.

To try and encourage my sons' reading efforts, I thought it was a perfect time to create a boys bookmark, featuring a Trendy Twine tassel. This bookmark was created using The Alley Way Stamps Priceless Joy and Alphabet Soup, together with Autumn Leaves and Doodle Bug papers.

Making a tassel is easy and fun!!!  Just take a piece of cardstock twice as wide as you want your tassel, and fold it in half.  Wrap your tassel around one end of the cardstock around 50 times, starting and ending at the open end of the fold.  Take another length of twine, twice as long as you want your attaching string to be, slide it under your wrapped twine and tie in a knot at the folded end of the cardstock.  Take the scissors and cut the wrapped twine in half at the open end of the folded cardstock (see photo).


Take another piece of twine, about three times the length of your tassel, and fold in half then secure with a knot about 2cm from the top of your tassel.  Wrap the ends of your knot in opposite directions 3-4 times around your tassel then secure with a knot.  Trim the end strings of your knot at the same length as your completed tassel.  Tie a knot in the end of your attaching string and attach to your bookmark - easy!


Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Runway Inspired Alley Way...


 
  
Love this weeks Runway Inspired Challenge! I was inspired by the graphic blocks of bold colour, stamped with this cool stitching line from The Alley Way Stamps Ghoul-Friend, loved the spotlight contrast between light and dark, circles and straight lines, added the orange border to reflect the bold repetition in the background of the photo - and couldn't resist using The Alley Way Stamps Mad Gab and Jibber Jabber to create "So Snazzy" just because it seemed too perfect not to!  Stamped with Stampin' Up Pacific Point ink and coloured with Whispers Strokes. 

Monday, September 10, 2012

A CASual Catered Colour Throwdown...




Would you believe me if I told you in real life these colours are much more muted!

In the mood for pink with this weeks fab Color Throwdown and Catered Crop Think Pink Challenges.  The first version I made of this card felt a bit flat, so I added some CAS-ual Friday Embossing for extra dimension.  Die cut my flowers in dark green - to create the shadow layer, and white - which I then watercoloured using Melon Mambo.  Couldn't resist adding some glittery sparkle to this gorgeous The Alley Way Stamps Awesome Blossom butterfly, topped off with Kaisercraft pearls.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Less is More Awesome...


Pink & Brown
I couldn't resist that title now could I!!!  For this weeks Less is More Pink & Brown Challenge - I had to go with fuschia, 'cause I'm just not a pale pink kinda girl, and what goes better with fuschia than dark, dark chocolate - at least 70%!  And 'cause it's pink it perfectly suits this weeks Catered Crop In the Pink too!

I LOVE the versatility of The Alley Way Stamps Awesome Blossom set - here I've used the small petals to create an almost lotus-like flower, adding a small button and twine stalks.  As I have repeated my flowers - in an odd way as you do - it is perfect for the Card Design Handbook Week Repetition Challenge in the Moxie Fab World. The "What's Up" sentiment was created from the Ghoul-friend set, just adding a question mark from Alphabet Soup.

I love this fibre ribbon I purchased at Create on Ormond when I caught up with a friend recently :)  I wrapped the ribbon around some white cardstock and pop-dotted it so the twine stems would tuck neatly behind, and I could stretch the twine to secure the sentiment chipboard in place.  The chipboard is covered in MME paper - love that it looks like an old wooden sign.

Join in the fun @ Repetition Challenge over at Moxie Fab World, til September 24th

Sunday, September 2, 2012

A Relaxed Color Throwdown...






Whenever I see the word "Relax" my first thoughts are always "Frankie Goes to Hollywood" and the image that springs to mind is an old t-shirt I used to own (way back last century LOL) emblazoned with "Relax" in hot pink flouro letters - I thought I'd tone it down a bit for my card!

Inspired by the Casology Cue Card Relax, and these gorgeous gelato colours from Colour Throwdown, my card was originally designed as portrait, but I quite like it as landscape too :)  The die-cut alphabet is My Favourite Things and the butterfly is Spellbinders.  Papers are a mix of We R Memory Keepers and Fancy Pants, with American Crafts Amy Tangerine paisley motif.

Hope you had a RELAXing weekend - and a FAB Aussie Father's Day too!

Father's Day Brunch