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 :)

Audrey - http://pinkinkoriginals.blogspot.com.au/

Barb - http://kinsalecreations.blogspot.com.au/

Kara Lynne - http://karalynnecards.blogspot.com.au/

Lalo - http://naniwale.blogspot.com.au/

Tracy - http://tracyercole.blogspot.com.au/

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.

 

For your chance to WIN some FAB stamps, why don't you BE Inspired 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!

Why don't you join in the fun at Trendy Twine this month!

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. 

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.

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

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