Dark Arts by Kirsty

Christmas Fairy

2011-11-01T13:50:00.000+11:00

Two days in a row, this must be some kind of record! This card is for Cute Card Thursday. They have a great sketch challenge and I'd started colouring a digital image I had on hand. It's called Poppy Fairy but I can't for the life of me remember where I got it from. The colours give it a bit of a Christmas feel to it so I used some of my My Minds Eye Christmas papers.

Supplies:
Stamps - Digital Poppy Fairy
Copics: G21 YG63, YG67, R35, R37, RV29, E19, E000, E11, E31, E50, E25
Papers: My Minds Eye Lost & Found Christmas
Accessories: SU Ribbon coloured with G21, antique brads

It's Cup Day here in Melbourne and it's nearly time for the big race, so if you're in this part of the world, hope you're making the most of your day off. If you're not, hope you're enjoying your day anyway!

thanks for stopping by
Kirsty

Has it really been that long?

2011-10-31T12:17:00.000+11:00

Geez, time flies doesn't it. I knew it had been a while but I didn't realise it had been that long. Life has been busy busy in the Thomas household and there hasn't been much time for cards. Don't get me wrong, there has been plenty of time for buying new stamps, I just haven't done much with them LOL. We've also bought a new house and are in the process of selling our own, so I swing between excitement and panic!

It's Cup weekend here in Melbourne so this weekend I made some time for cards and I thought I'd share them. The first is a digital image from Make it Crafty which I used for this weeks Mojo Monday, the second is my new Gorjuss Girls stamps.

Supplies:

Stamps: Make it Crafty Chantelle at the Races, PTI mini messages

Copics: V91, 95, 99, Y38,35, C7, 5, 3, E50, 31, 0000, 11, B05

Kaiser papers, SU Elegant Eggplant card stock, stick on bling, SU silver chord.

Flying Above it All

Love my Gorjuss girls and I just got three new ones so I just had to play. I've used my new fav blonde hair combo of E31, E50, and E25. The other colours are C1,3,5,7, R85,83,81 and E00,000, R20 for her skin.

If all this rain keeps up there might be a few more cards to show off this week!

enjoy the rest of your day

Kirsty

Happy Easter!

2011-04-26T21:59:00.000+10:00

Happy Easter everyone, I hope you had a great weekend with your family! We had a great 5 days at home doing not much at all really! It was so nice to not have to worry about being here, there and everywhere at a certain time. The kids have had fun playing, we did a little bit of clearing up outside and enjoyed a bit of shopping:-)

While I had loads of free time this weekend I only made one card. I found myself enjoying my other hobby/day job - web work. My dear friend (and super talented stamper) Bron let me fiddle with her blog and give it a bit of a makeover. I've been bugging her for ages to let me play...not that there was anything wrong with her old blog, she's just a thoughtful, kind person that's always there when you need her, so I wanted to make it one of a kind... just for her :-)

I managed to finish it off yesterday so I decided to do a challenge. Given that Bron is now on the DT for Magnolia Down Under, it was an easy choice. Here's what I came up with...

A little out of my comfort zone with all those greens, but I think I really like it!

Supplies
Papers: Kaisercraft Chapter One DSP, SU Basic Black cardstock
Stamps: Papermania Born to Shop sentiment, Magnolia
Copics: Skin - E11,000,00, R20 Hair - E25,49, 53, 59, Jeans - B97, 95, 91
Shoes & Handbag C9, 7, 5, 3, 1 Top - G02, G00, G000, Shopping Bags E55, E43, 41 40
Pendant - YR28, spica
Embellishment - flock flower ribbon, SU Tag punch, black satin ribbon, flowers handmade with SU boho flower punch, glimmer mist and DSP, SU bling brads, kaisercraft black rhinestones.

Unfortunately it's back to school for the kids and work for me tomorrow, so time to curl up with my book for a little while. Hope you have a great week

thanks for stopping by,
Kirst

Another Sketch Saturday

2011-04-03T13:40:00.000+10:00

Yesterday I was way late with my sketch saturday challenge and only just scrapped in before it closed. This week I'm super early and already finished! I LOVED this sketch and had an image that I'd already coloured on hand, so it was nice and quick. The other reason is that I'm here on my lonesome ;-( ....or should that be a :-) ?? The kids are spending some time with their Aunt and Dan is working. The housework is done so it's just me, season two of One Tree Hill and some sketch challenges LOL.

Here's what I came up with for this weeks Sketch Saturday. It's a little on the shabby chic side, but a little bit of lace every now and then never hurt anyone ;-P

I stuck pretty much to the sketch for this one and just used basic layering with my papers. I coloured my image with copics and airbrushed the background (I'm slowly getting the hang of it). I made the lace flowers by running the thread through the lace to make small rosettes. Here are the list of supplies I used:

Papers: SU Blushing Bride, Kaisercraft Chanteuse Collection DSP
Stamps: LaLa Land Marci Ballerina, PTI Mini
Copics: R81, 83, 85, 20 Y21, 11, E97, E99, 000, 00, 11, YG 67, 63, BG10
Accessories: Lace, Pearls, PTI vintage buttons

If you're in Melbourne and like a bit of comedy go and check out Danny Bhoy at the Arts Centre. We were lucky to have a kid free night and headed off to the comedy festival for a bit of a laugh. Once again Danny's live show was awesome, one of the best observational comics going around at the moment.

Thanks for stopping by
hugs
Kirsty xo

Sketch Saturday Princess

2011-04-02T16:40:00.000+11:00

Hi everyone
Hope you're all enjoying your weekend. Today I decided to play along with the Sketch Saturday challenge. I coloured my new Sugar Nellie Manga Princess and paired her up with some Kaisercraft paper and here's what I came up with...

The card is fairly straight forward, I simply coloured the image and sponged the soft sky background. Here's a list of all the supplies:

Copics: V99,95,91 E00,000,11, 40, 41 Y21, E99, E97
Paper: Kaisercraft Lilac Ave Collection, SU Soft Sky
Ink: SU soft Sky, memento black, SU Perfect Plum
Accessories: Prima flowers, SU bling brad, Kaiser stick on bling, SU Modern Label Punch
Stamps: Sugar Nellie 'Manga Princess', Lizzie Anne Designs 'Once Upon A Time'

Heading off now to see Danny Bhoy, my favourite stand up comedian at the moment. I grew up listening to Billy Connolly (and living with my dad who is as close you can get to the real thing) so for me Danny is definitely the next in line to the throne of observational comics. Should be a good night :-)

thanks for stopping by
Kirsty x

With a Cherry on Top!

2011-03-28T00:24:00.000+11:00

This is just a really quick post as I should have been asleep ages ago! As usual the second wind kicked in and I decided to out together a card for this weeks Mojo Monday...no doubt I'll regret it when the alarm goes off in a few hours!

I'll pop back later and add all the details for this one but the stamp and cherry die are from CC Designs.

Hope you all have a great Monday

hugs

Kirsty

Happy Birthday Dylan

2011-03-27T12:22:00.000+11:00

My baby was 6 this week :-( I can't believe 6 years has passed already. My little dude is growing up to be a smart, generous and kind little boy and I am so proud of him. When we asked what he wanted for his birthday, he said a real skateboard. It's now Daddy's job to dust off his old Powell-Peralta and show him how its done. My heart will be in my stomach every time they take to the concrete and to be honest I'm not sure who I'm more worried about (Tony Hawke still makes it look easy at 40, how hard can it be LOL!). Thank goodness for elbow pads, knee pads and helmets that's all I'll say!

I couldn't resist using my Hanglar Stanglar image for this card, it was perfect for it. Here's what I came up with:

Supplies:

Stamps: Hanglar Stanglar, Greeting farm sentiment (from My Guy Ian) and Kaiser birthday sentiment

Copics: YR18, 16, 12, 21, E35, 50, 41, 25,57, 000, 00,11 B97, 95, 91 C5,1, YG 67, 63, R20

Paper: Fancy Papers About a boy (orange and brown circles), Birch Haberdashery (Green), SU Cake Crumb and White

Accessories: Circle dies, SU Twines and brown button

Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa

It's a fairly simple card layout, but I think for boys that's best. I've coloured the image with Copics and used some buttons and twine for embellishments. I also cut a felt shape with my small circle die (I cut it from a large SU pumpkin pie felt flower) to match the circle theme in the paper.

My good friend Dee has just become a SU demonstrator (you can visit her blog here www. deelishdesigns.com.au) and I've since been reminded how cool their stuff is. I'd forgotten how nice it was to make simple, clean cards that don't take 4 hours to colour LOL! As a result my purse is a little lighter and my stamp cupboard a little heavier, so I'm off now to make some cards with my new stuff. I'll post the goodies later on this afternoon.

have a great weekend
Kirsty x

Congratulations

2011-03-20T23:43:00.000+11:00

We've got a wedding this week so I decided to use this weeks sketch challenge from Splitcoast and my new SU set Elements of Style. While I love my copics I have to say I'm really enjoying getting back to clean and simple designs without all the colouring. It's a little more productive too, I've managed to make three cards this weekend LOL!

For my wedding card I simply stamped the branch from elements of style on some vanilla cardstock, sponged the edges and sprayed some glimmer mist. Next I added some satin ribbon, a satin flower and a sentiment. Job done, 15 minutes!

It looks a little flat in the photo, you can't really see the glimmer but it looks much more effective up close.

thanks for stopping by

Kirsty

Welcome baby Griffin

2011-03-20T00:52:00.000+11:00

It's been a crazy week here (aren't they always!) so I decided it was time to chill out with a chick flick and make some cards.

We got some exciting news yesterday, my oldest friend (and cousin in law) gave birth to a healthy baby boy, Griffin! We'd been expecting the news of course, but given we've all got a family wedding to attend next week (mum included), we were hopeful it would be sooner rather than later!

Both mum and baby are doing great and we're so excited to have another little one in the family. Here's the card I made to welcome the new bubby...

Supplies

Stamps: SU Bundle of Joy and PTI anniversary sentiments

Papers: SU cardstock (vanilla, cocoa & bashful blue), old SU DSP

Copics: E77, 74, 71, 70 & R81

Accessories: Cream satin ribbon, SU buttons and twine

The next card I made with a new SU set Elements of Style. I was going to get a more masculine set until it occurred to me that there are no male birthdays until September, so I flicked through the catalogue again and this little set caught my eye. Thought it would be great for Mothers Day, so here it is!

I've seen some really nice cards made with it, so I think I'll get a lot of use out of it.

Supplies

Stamps: SU Element of Style

Paper: SU Pretty in Pink, Mellow Moss, White & Kraft (or whatever they call it now!)

Ink: Pink Pirouette, Mellow Moss, Pretty in Pink marker, close to cocoa, versamark

Accessories: Top Note die, mellow moss taffeta ribbon

Thanks for stopping by, enjoy the rest your weekend

hugs Kirsty

ICS Challenge

2011-03-14T19:54:00.000+11:00

Since I had some time this weekend I decided to play along with Inspirational Card Sketches. The sketch was a little different and I really liked the layout. I had an image that I'd half finished colouring and thought it would look good with this sketch, so I finished it off and put it all together. It's a fairly simple card, with just a few embellishments but I kind of like things nice and simple.

Supplies
Copics: Hair E49,29,25,53, 35 Clothes E41,40 V000,12,15,17, B97,95,91, G67 Skin, E000, E00, R20
Stamps: Wiff of Joy, sentiment from PTI
Paper: Cardstock and DSP from SU
Accessories: Prima flowers, SU ribbon (Rich Razzleberry), stick on bling, SU Jewellery tag punch.

Hope you all had a great weekend
hugs
Kirsty

Dark Arts by Kira

2011-03-14T19:03:00.000+11:00

Hi everyone
It's a long weekend in Melbourne, so instead of being at work I'm enjoying some time with the family. Today I've got some cards that my little munchkin made and she's asked me to share them here on Dark Arts. One is coloured with Copics, the other is a penguin card she put together using the cricut. I think they're just too cute...but then maybe I'm a little biased ;-)

I think she's got the cardmaking bug, so no doubt she'll have more to share soon!

thanks for stopping by
hugs Kirsty

Mojo Monday Challenge

2011-03-10T08:30:00.000+11:00

Just a quick post before I head out to work. I managed to finish a couple of cards this week that I wanted to share. The first is for this weeks Mojo Monday. I decided to be a little bold and use some stronger colours for this one. I've had these Kaiser papers in my stash for ages and never used them, so for something a little different I went with this...

Supplies

Papers - Cardstock from SU, DSP Loire Valley Collection from Kaisercrafts

Stamps - Fifth Ave Floral from SU, Anniversary Set from PTI

Copics - C9,7,5,3,1 R29,27

Accessories - Modern tag punch SU, Kaisercrafts bling, Fiskars scallop border punch, SU embossing folder (which you can order from my friend Dee over at Deelish Designs)

For the next card I decided to use my new Hanglar Stanglar images. I was so excited when these little babies arrived in the mail. They are SOOO hard to get a hold of. While I wasn't able to buy the stamps I did manage to get my hands on 100+ stamped images, so that should keep me going for a while! Here is my first creation with them.

I decided to keep this one nice and simple. Unfortunately I cut the shape out and then decided I didn't really like it as an oval! After that the mojo kinda left the building ;-)

Supplies

Papers - DSP Grant Archival, cardstock from SU

Copics - E 35, 33,31, 29, 25, 70, 71, 74, 77, 79, 41, B97, 95 91, G20, 21, C7, 5, 3, 1 E0000, 000, R20

Stamps - Hanglar Stanglar, Sentiment from PTI anniversary set

Accessories - Modern tag punch, Martha Stewart Lace punch.

I'll be back later tonight with some gorgeous cards that my little munchkin made. She's asked me to share them on Dark Arts. They are so cute and I'm pretty sure she's got this colouring thing down better than me!

hope you all have a great day

hugs Kirsty

Back to Basics

2011-02-22T00:26:00.000+11:00

I've decided it's time to get back to basics...no copics allowed! For the last 12 months every card I've made has been coloured and it just takes forever to put it all together. So tonight I opened my drawer, pulled out the ink pads and headed straight for my SU stamps and this is what I came up with for this weeks Mojo Monday.

The sentiment is from 'Great Friend' and the butterfly from 'Butterfly Prints', both sets are from SU. Cardstock is SU and DSP is from Kaisercraft.

Thanks for stopping by,

Kirsty

Soooo out of my comfort zone

2011-02-19T13:56:00.000+11:00

In more ways than one this week! Lucky me went back to work this week after 6 weeks long service leave, what a shock to the system that has been! Throw in a bit of upheaval at work and it's been quite a roller coaster.

Since going back to work I've had zippo energy. I'm a night owl, up till all hours, but this week I've been in bed at 9.30pm which is unheard of for me (haven't even watched my trash TV....gasp!). As a result this poor little Tilda has been sitting coloured on my desk since the challenge was announced last Sunday and I've only now just finished putting it together.

When I first picked my stamp I decided to go out of my comfort zone and colour something bright. Now colour and I just don't get along. I love black, grey and all shades in between. If you're lucky you might catch me in a bit of pink or purple but defiantly nothing too bright. So for this card I decided to go all out and picked ORANGE (shock horror!)

So what does one do with a little Tilda in a little orange dress when you're totally colour challenged? It's only taken me about 4 hours and 10 different papers to figure it out hehe, but we got there in the end and this is what I came up with...

Hope your all enjoying your weekend, till next time
Kirsty

Sketch Saturday and Scooter Boy

2011-02-07T15:19:00.000+11:00

I've got a couple of cards to share today. Isn't it typical that when the kids are back at school and I'm due to go back to work I finally get motivated to make something :-)

I've had a great six weeks with the kids and tomorrow my little dude begins his big primary school adventure! I can't believe how fast the time has flown and I think tomorrow you may see another post as I try and distract myself from the fact that for the first time in 8 1/2 years there will be no little person calling out 'mum, can I have..." or "mum, can we...."

While I may be a little sad I'm also really excited for him. He's sooo ready for school and is going to have a blast, so I'll try and remember that as I say goodbye tomorrow morning!

Anyway, enough of my ramblings the first card is for this weeks Sketch Saturday Challenge. I tried a new technique with my copics for this and inked up my Magnolia Puppy. The papers are Basic Grey Hopscotch and Grace Taylor Flower Patch.

Copic Colours

Puppy - E35, E33, E31, R20

Bow - BG78, BG75, BG72

Rose - R05, R02, R01

The second card is one I finished the other night using the Scooter Boy image from Sugar Nellie. I'm not sure of the brand of the graffiti papers, but you can get them at Picture2Page in Lilydale.

Since this one is for a boy I kept it nice and simple, just adding some silver brads. The sentiment is from The Greeting Farm.

Copic Colours
Jeans & Scooter - C9,7,5,3,1
Green on Scooter - BG11, BG10
Top - V17,15,12, 000
Hair - E35, YR23, Y23

Hope it's nice and sunny in your part of the world and you're enjoying your day. Thanks for stopping by
Kirsty

Magnolia Down Under Challenge

2011-01-14T09:53:00.000+11:00

I'd like to say I've been really busy and use that as the excuse for not posting anything lately but I can't...I've just been lazy (when it comes to cards anyway)! I'm on holidays with Dan and the kids and I'm really enjoying doing not much at all! We had a great week away with friends after christmas but since then we've just been floating around doing whatever we feel like. It's kinda nice....I could get very used to this:-)

It's wet and rainy here in Melbourne so I sat down and finished my card. I started it days ago but just couldn't finish it...didn't like the colours, didn't like the papers yada yada but I did love the sketch (from Magnolia Down Under) so after a few changes here it is:

Supplies
Stamps: Tilda and fence from Magnolia, sentiment from Papertrey Ink
Papers: Kaiser (Tea at Elsie's)
Copics: Y21, E97, E99 (hair), E40, YR00, YR02 (clothes), C7, C5, C3 (shoes), E29, E29, E53, E35 (fence), E00, E000, R20 (skin), G85, G94, YR21 YR23 (flowers)
Accessories: EK success swirl border punch, flowers, locket charm and tag from Picture2Page.

I've bought a few new stamps lately, so if this weather keeps up no doubt you'll see a few more cards soon. It seems we're getting the tail end of the weather that has been so devastating in Queensland. My thoughts are with all those affected, I can't begin to imagine what they are going through.

Thanks for stopping by,
Kirst

Cheeky Christmas

2010-11-14T23:39:00.000+11:00

Just a quick post before I head off to catch some zzz's before what I fear will be a nightmare day at work. One of those days when you have to deliver some news on a project that you know the powers that be are NOT going to want to hear! That's my Monday morning for you :( So to try and take my mind off it I dusted off my Anya's and this is what I came up with..

Supplies:

Papers: Rouge CS from American Crafts, Imaginisce DSP

Stamps: Merry Christmas sentiment from PTI, Cheeky Rockabilly from TGF, Santa Hat from Forever Friends Xmas Clear Set

Copics: Clothes - R39,37,35 C7, 5, 3 Hair - E29, 25, 31 Skin - E00, E000, E11, R20

Accessories - EK Swirl border punch, kaiser bling, SU silver cord.

Thanks for stopping by,

One down....too many to go!

2010-11-13T23:06:00.000+11:00

Hi everyone,

Hope you're all enjoying your weekend. It's wet and miserable here on Mt D so Kira and I have been busy making cards. It's been fun and Kira had a great time rumaging through my stash of goodies but it's become clear to me that I need to simply things just a little.

See we started earlier this afternoon and Kira managed to make two christmas cards and two birthday cards (all coloured with copics too btw) before dinner. I, on the other hand managed to finish this...

10 minutes ago (at 10.45pm)! So by my calculations I should be ready to send out my christmas cards in December 2012!

If you don't receive one this year...it's nothing personal, I just haven't finished it yet. Or if I'm going to be honest, I've probably made it, written it but forgotten to post it....it's probably sitting here on my desk. In which case, I'm really just super organised for next year :-)

have a great Sunday
Kirst

Supplies
Paper: Garden Green & White (SU), American Crafts Rouge, Rasberry DSP
Stamps: Christmas Edwin (Magnolia), Park Bench (CC Designs)
Copics: Clothes - R39, 37, 35, C9, 7, 5, 3, 1 Skin - E000, E00 Hair - E59, 25 Bench - E59, 25, 99, 33
Clear spica
Accessories: White puff paint, cream satin ribbon coloured with R39 & 37, Bling coloured with YG67, Martha Stewart punch.

Loving Lil Haunts Lilith

2010-10-16T00:02:00.000+11:00

I just love my Lil Lolita Lilith stamp. She's dark and mysterious and bears a slight resemblance to the teenage me LOL! So you can imagine my excitement when out comes the new Lil Haunts Lilith just in time for Halloween!

As soon as I bought her I had to print her out and colour her so here's what I put together for this months challenge over at Tickled Pink.

The lights a little bright so the colours seem a little washed out in the photo but ho hum. To create the Michelle Zindorf style background I used my brayer with different shades of blue ink and masked the moon with a large circle and sponged black for the ground. I don't have any halloween sentiments so had to make do with what I had which was part of my CC's Spring kit from last year.

Lilith is coloured with C1 to C9 Copics with a splash of BV04 in her hair. For her skin, in keeping with the goth theme, I went for a E000 & E0000.

Hope you have a great weekend....I'm waiting for it start snowing here. Only in Melbourne can we expect snow after some beautiful spring days!

til next time

Kirst

Forever Friends Christmas

2010-10-08T12:10:00.000+11:00

Hey folks

YEAH it's Friday which means I'm not at work and not thinking about building websites or rewriting content (blogging doesn't count!). So I decided to have some fun with my new Forever Friends stamps and get a head start on Christmas cards. Who knows maybe I'll even send them out this year LOL!

This was super quick to colour and would have been quick to put together if I'd been able to decide on the papers!

Supplies
Stamps: Forever Friends Christmas Stamps available at Picture2Page
Copics: E40, E50, E51, E53, R85, R83, R81, YG11, W1
Paper: Kaiser Christmas Carnival

Dee and I are off to a Girls Night In scrapping workshop tonight to raise money for breast cancer, so hopefully I'll have some goodies to share a little later on. For now it's off to make some cupcakes to take with me!

Have a great day
Kirsty

Lovely Tilda

2010-10-05T15:19:00.000+11:00

Just a quick post this afternoon with a card that's been a long time in the making! I started this about a week ago...I think it may even have a been a mojo sketch and just haven't had the chance to finish it.

Tilda is coloured with copics and papers are from Picture2Page (sorry can't remember the brand name). Ribbon and cardstock are SU.

Hopefully I get a chance to play with all my new stamps soon...if only there were more hours in the day:)

Magnolia Down Under

2010-09-19T14:24:00.000+10:00

It's been a nice quiet weekend here in the Thomas household. The kids are spending the weekend with my parents at the beach. Now it may not be the weather for swimming yet but I hear they're having a ball making sandcastles on the beach anyway:) Daniel and I went to see Tomorrow When the War Began last night and we both enjoyed it. Not quite as good as the book (they never are really are they??), but on the whole it was a good film. Great to see some of our awesome special effects teams working on some Australian films!

Because of all the spare time I also got the chance to have a go at the Magnolia Down Under challenge. I was a bit slow to finish it so I missed out on entering it in the challenge but it was a great sketch so fun none the less:)

I used some adorable papers that I picked up at Picture2Page this week. It's the Jack n Jill collection from Prima. They were too cute, so I had to have them all!

Supplies
Papers: Jack n Jill by Prima, SU Certainly Celery
Stamps: Magnolia Tilda with Kitten, PTI sentiment
Copics: Clothes B91, G20, R83, 0 Cat E13, E35 0 Hair YR31 Y21 E25 Skin E00, E11, R20 Bench E35, E25, E50
Accessories: SU Certainly celery grosgrain, flowers from Picture2Page, butterfly from Theo's crafts

Thanks for stopping by,
hugs Kirsty

Rock n Roll Lilith

2010-09-15T21:48:00.000+10:00

Hey there
Rushing to post my latest Lil Lolita challenge entry and what do you know but I made a little bit of a boo boo...see if you can spot it;) This is a little different for me, but with a music theme how could I resist??
Anyone who knows me knows how much i LOVE music. Not a day goes by where I don't listen to or play music. It can make you happy when you're feeling sad, make you laugh or cry and at times frustrate you silly (especially when your learning something new and it's just not coming together the way it should!!!) But they say practice makes perfect, even if it does take forever LOL!

So here's my take on the challenge...

I've used 1950's Lilith and coloured her with copics and stamped music notes on the background paper and added some ribbon and a guitar charm.

Hope you all had a great day, we're on our way to the weekend so it can only get better from here!
Have a great night
Kirsty

Tickled Pink Get Sparkly!

2010-09-12T23:10:00.000+10:00

Hey there everyone
It's been a great weekend here in the Thomas household...lots of fun with friends and plenty of time to make cards:)

I decided to have a go at the Tickled Pink sketch challenge and lets just say I got a bit glitter happy! If you haven't seen the sketch, you can check it out here. It seemed to take ages to put this together and I'm not really sure how I feel about it....maybe it will grow on me.

I started by cutting up my DSP into small squares and faux stitching them to some white card stock. I distressed the edges then just went for it! Glitter, flowers, hearts, the whole nine yards:) I think what I'm not sure about is the butterfly in the DSP, it's a little distracting but it was the only blue DSP I had, so what's a girl to do??

I also made use of my Cricut today for the first time in ages. I connected it to my computer and I'm loving it! So much easier than trying to guess the right size/shape from the cartridge.

I'm really not looking forward to going back to work tomorrow. I'm on the countdown to Christmas and my long service leave. Six whole weeks of no school drop offs and no work, I can't wait! Until then however it's all about websites and rewriting content (and a little bit of card making in between)
have a good week
hugs Kirsty

Mojo Monday

2010-09-11T11:16:00.001+10:00

Hi Everyone
Hope you're all enjoying the weekend. It's still a bit cold and grey here in Melbourne but it's not raining so at least we can get out in the fresh air:)

I loved this week's Mojo sketch and decided to make it bright and bold with lots of patterned paper. Must of taken this photo on a funny angle...oh well!

Paper: La Di Da from Kaiser, SU Certainly Celery

Stamps: CC Designs Spring Kit

Copics: Clothes V17, 15, 12, B97, 95, 91, E40, 41, YG03. Hair - YR 23, 21, 20, Skin - E000, E00 R20

Time to scoot off and do a bit of shopping...groceries, not the fun type:(

Hopefully be back soon with this months Tickled Pink Challenge.
hugs
Kirsty

Another Tilda

2010-09-06T00:11:00.000+10:00

One more post before the weekends out. This is a variation on this weeks Mojo Monday. I kept this really simple. Every time I tried to add more bling or even a sentiment it just looked unbalanced and a bit busy. So plain and simple it is!

Stamps: Tilda with Tulips
Papers: Kaiser DSP, SU Soft Sky
Copics: Scarf, shoes & flowers - R85, R83, R81, Dress - BG13, BG11, BG10, Skin - E000, E00, R20 Hair - E55, E57, YR20, Socks E40, E000 Flower stems YG11, G21
Accessories: SU Soft Sky ribbon, Prima flowers

Thanks for stopping by,
hugs Kirsty

Girlie Girl Lilith

2010-09-05T13:25:00.000+10:00

Yeah I finally got to use my Lil Lolita stamps! I love Lilith, she's one of my favourites but I always colour her in very goth colours. This weeks challenge at Lil Lolita Boutique was the perfect way to brighten her up! The challenge this week was to make a 'girlie girl' card, here's my take on the challenge...

I've kept it fairly simple, but very pink! I made some flowers with my retro punches and sprayed them with glimmer mist. I even made a teeny tiny one to add to Lilith's headband. I've used very pale pink, greens and cream on her dress and stamped little pink flowers over her dress to create a floral print.

Paper: Prima Strawberry Kisses DSP, textured pink cardstock.
Stamps: Tickled Pink Lilith, sentiment from PTI
Copics: R83, 81, 89, 85, G00, 000, 63, 67, E 77, 74, 71, 70, 000, 00, 40, 41, BG01, C5, 3
Ink: SU Pink Pirouette & Mellow Moss
Accessories: SU pearls and hat pin, Kaiser pearls

Hope you're all enjoying your weekend,
thanks for stopping by
Kirsty

Fathers Day

2010-09-04T10:08:00.001+10:00

So its Fathers Day in Oz this Sunday and I always struggle with male cards but my friend Dee found this stamp and with a couple of hand drawn additions I thought it would be perfect for my Dad.

Anyone who knows my dad knows how much he LOVES his TV (or should I say TV's). We often joke that there are more TV's in the house than people and with each new addition they get bigger and bigger LOL. While the stamp was great it was missing the essential TV so I drew one with my Memento marker and added it to the card with foam dots.

I kept the layout for this card really simple as the image was quite large. Both the stamped image and the TV are coloured with Copics.

Stamp: Jim Relaxing from Digital Stamp Boutique, PTI Pond Life
Copics: Chair, cabinet and footstool - E77,74,71,70, Cap - E33,35, Pillow - E40, 41 Jeans - B95, 91, Shoes & TV B000, C7, 5, 3, 1, W3 Shirt - YG63, G21 Skin: E000, E00
Paper: Creamy Caramel & Kraft from SU, DSP from Kaiser
Accessories: white ribbon coloured with E33

Thanks for stopping by,
Hugs Kirsty

Mad about Tilda

2010-09-03T22:36:00.000+10:00

It's all about Magnolia for me at the moment. I seem to have gone a bit Tilda crazy. All my new stamps lately have been Tilda and there's still some more on the way ;) So after buying them all I thought I'd better do something with them.

Now I have to confess I'm a bit clueless when it comes to this card! I blame it on the general anesthetic I had earlier this week, truly left me like a space cadet!

So this card may have started off as a sketch challenge but to be honest I'm not 100% sure and if it was I have no idea which one. I also have no recollection of the name of the stamp, the copic colours I used or the name/brand of the papers...see what I mean, totally clueless:)

Hope you enjoy your Saturday, will be back tomorrow with my Fathers Day cards and hopefully some useful information to go with them!!

hugs Kirsty

2010-09-03T22:08:00.001+10:00

Wow has it really been that long? Seems I'm more addicted to colouring these days than actually finishing anything. It makes me giggle every time I think that my favourite past time is exactly the same as my 8 year old daughters...I can guarantee you'll find the two of us sitting at a desk colouring whenever we have a spare moment:)

I've bought lots of great new stamps recently but unfortunately I just haven't had time to put many cards together. I'm hoping that's going to change this weekend. I thought I'd start by posting a baby card I made for gorgeous Tombo, the latest addition to our extended family. I think it was a mojo challenge a few weeks back but I never got around to posting.

Stamps: Forever Friends (sentiment printed from computer)
Copics: E53, 51, 50, R20, B000
Papers: just from my stash, not sure on the brand but purchased from Picture2Page.
Accessories: SU corner, scallop circle and circle punches, Cuttlebug embossing folder.

be back soon with more
hugs Kirsty

Skater Sage

2010-07-07T00:59:00.000+10:00

Hey Everyone, hope you're all toasty warm on this chilly night.

Just a quick post cos it's 12.45am here in Melbourne and unfortunately I'm supposed to be getting up for work in the morning:(

Dylan has a party tomorrow so I decided to colour Skater Sage from Wild Flower Patch (nothing like leaving it until the last moment, I know but what's a girl to do!!) I had every intention of playing along with Mojo Monday, but the mojo for that sketch just didn't come, so here's what I ended up with...

I can't for the life of me remember where the papers came from but the copics I've use are:

Clothes - B91, 95, 97, G17,16, 14, R29, 27

Skateboard - C7, 5, 3, 1

Hair - E29, 25, 53

Skin - E000, E00

I suppose I toddle off and try and get some sleep now

thanks for stopping by

hugs Kirsty

Geez, I'm going all flowery!

2010-07-05T00:10:00.001+10:00

I've never really been much of a flowery person! I like them, don't get me wrong but when it comes to cards I'm a plain and simple kinda girl. But lately flowers seem to be making their way onto all my cards and you know what, they're not that bad! Maybe it's just a phase...like the button thing a while back tee hee, we'll see:)

Anyway this card is for The Sugar Bowl sketch challenge. This gorjuss girl is my favourite little illustrated character. I just love her. The artist Suzanne Woolcott is from my home city, Glasgow and I just adore her work. If you haven't seen it you can check it out here. Her illustrations and prints are so sweet, yet filled with so much emotion and a little darkness. LOVE them! But enough of my ramblings here is the card...

Supplies: Papers in this card are Basic Grey and Kaiser and the copics used are E70 through to 79 for her hair, E000, E00 & R20 for the skin and V99, V95 & V91 for her clothes. I coloured the flowers and the ribbon with my copics to match.

Hope you all have a great week, thanks for taking the time to stop by

hugs

Kirsty

ATS Colour Challenge

2010-06-30T08:38:00.001+10:00

Just a quick post this morning before I head out the door to work. This card is for the ATS Wednesday Challenge and this week the task was to make a card with celery, pink and carribbean. Sounded like fun in the sun to me, so I had to use my new Honey Bikini stamp. Nothing could be further from fun in the sun here in Melboure at the moment. It's freezing cold and raining and I'm getting ready to rug up and brave the cold..oh well at least it's a little reminder that spring and summer are one day closer!!

Hope you all have a great ( and hopefully warm) day!

Thanks for stopping by,

hugs Kirsty

No DSP...what the??

2010-06-27T18:27:00.000+10:00

Hi everyone, hope you're all having a wonderful weekend. It's cold and wet here again...no suprise really given were in the mountains and it's the middle of winter:) I used to hate winter, stopped me from getting out and about and doing things. The idea of staying at home, inside all day used to drive me crazy. Now I look forward to it! The rest of the week is so busy it's nice to just chill out and enjoy some time at home.

So today I decided to try the No DSP challenge at Lil Lolita Botique and if ever there was a card that was destined to fail it was this one!! So many mistakes in the making of this card, its not funny. Accidently used the wrong copic on her hair (she started out a blonde), wrong distress ink on the first scroll I made, cut the pink too small etc etc. I was ready to give up but persavered and got there in the end, just took a little longer than I expected!!

For my card I used Ivy and created my own background paper using Papertrey's Guide Lines stamps. It may have taken a while, but I'm pleased it turned out ok in the end.

Supplies:

Stamps - 'Ivy' from Lil Lolita Range at Tickled Pink, Guide Lines Two and Giga Guide Lines from Papertrey Ink.

Inks - SU Pink Pirouette.

Copics - Hair E35, 25,29, Clothes C9,7,5,3, R85,83,81, Skin E000,00 Eyes E40, B24, R20. Accessories - Kaiser bling, SU pearls, assorted flowers and ribbon.

Swirl cut with Cricut Storybook cartridge.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend,

thanks for stopping by

Kirsty

Happy Birthday Kira!

2010-06-22T13:36:00.000+10:00

Today is my baby girl's 8th birthday. Where has the time gone?? It seems like only yesterday she made her unexpected entrance into the world. True to form my spirited little miss continues to do everything her way in her own time! She is the sweetest little girl a mum could ask for, but spirited doesn't even begin to describe her. She is confident enough to speak up and if she thinks it's best, is happy to do her own thing instead of following, yet she is so caring and considerate of others. She fills my heart with joy each day (and frustration at times too he he) and reminds me what's most precious. So happy birthday chicken, mummy loves you bigger than the whole wide world.

So now for Kira's card...

She just loves horses so I couldn't resist this Mo Manning Digital Stamp. I've used this weeks Mojo Monday sketch for the layout and some October Afternoon Thrift Shop DSP.

Copics:

Horse - E50,51,53,35 40

Fence - E29, 25, 35 50

Clothes - R85,83,81, B97,95,91 C7,5,3

Hair - Y31, E33

Grass: G11, G63, BG93

We're off now to begin the after school celebrations; first quick stop is the classroom with some cupcakes, then on to Ace Space indoor play centre for some fun on the giant slides (I only wonder who will enjoy them more, Daniel or the kids!!)

Thanks for stopping by,

hugs Kirsty

Add Some Bling

2010-06-20T21:49:00.000+10:00

Hope you're all enjoying what's left of your weekend. I've got a few birthday cards to make this week so I thought I get started on a couple of cards for the gorgeous twin girls that go to kinder with Dylan. It's their party on Friday and the add some bling challenge seemed like the perfect challenge for these cards. I've combined the Club Anya challenge with the sketch challenge over at Friday Sketchers and I have to say I'm pleased with how they turned out.

I decided to use the same layout and stamped image for each card but alter the papers slightly. Here's what I came up with...

For the first card I've added little diamonds to the flowers on the background, a glitter border around one of the layers and sparkles to her fairy wings. It's not so easy to see but there's also glitter on the DSP.

Papers: Imaginisce DSP, PTI cardstock
Stamps: TGF Flutter Anya, PTI sentiment
Copics: Hair - E50, 51, 53, 35 Wings - R20, RV29, BG10,11, Dress - RV29,25,23 Y32,35 Skin - E000,00 R20
Accessories: SU So Saffron ribbon, Kaiser bling, SU Dazzling Diamonds glitter.

For this card, I added glitter embossing powder to her wings and also used it to make a border around the final layer of DSP. There's a glitter pattern and little diamonds on the DSP also.

Papers: Imaginisce DSP, SU cardstock

Stamps: TGF Flutter Anya, PTI sentiment

Copics: Hair - E50, 51, 53, 35 Wings - R20, R81, BG10,11, Dress - RV85,83,81,Y32 Skin - E000,00 R20

Accessories: SU So Saffron ribbon, Kaiser bling, AED pink glitter embossing powder.

Well I suppose I should sign off for the night and start getting organised for work and school tomorrow ;(

Thanks for stopping by, till next time

hugs Kirsty

Pink Elephant meets KiKi La Rue!

2010-06-20T21:04:00.002+10:00

Oh how the weekend flies when you're enjoying yourself! It has been cold and wet here in Melbourne but we've had a great weekend. Dylan played soccer yesterday and not only did they win both games, he scored his first goal!! He was so excited and it was just too cute to watch a bunch of five year old running around after the ball. They have such a great time, and of course all the world cup action at the moment just fills them with excitement!

After soccer the kids headed off with Grandma and Grandpa for a sleepover, so we caught up with some dear friends that we haven't seen for a while. This morning we headed off to a winery for lunch as part of the 'Shortest Lunch' festival. We're really lucky to live in the middle of the fantastic Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges and we're spoilt for choice when it comes to great food and wine.

The kids are home now and I've made up for my lost cuddles, so all in all it's been a great weekend.

This afternoon I finished off some cards that I'd started yesterday. The first is a sketch challenge for The Pink Elephant. I found some funky retro style papers by October Afternoon the other day and I thought they would go perfectly with my new little Kiki La Rue stamp. So here's what I came up with...

Papers: October Afternoon DSP, SU Kiwi Kiss Cardstock

Stamps: Coffee Kiki La Rue, TGF Sentiment

Copics: Hair - E70,71,74,77 & 79, Clothes - BG 10,11, Mug: YG 63, 11 Flowers - R27, 29

Off to make a quick cuppa then I'll be back with another couple of cards I made for the cutest set of twins that go to kinder with Dylan. He's heading off to their party later on in the week and for once, I'll have the cards ready before we're about to rush out the door:)

till next time

hugs Kirsty

Tickled Pink Monthly Challenge

2010-06-15T19:28:00.000+10:00

Another challenge I got to take part in over the long weekend was the Tickled Pink monthly challenge. I really enjoyed this one, was nice to try something a little different.

I've only just discovered Tickled Pink and I just love their Lil Lolita range of stamps, but since I used Lilith just the other day and its been a little cold and wet lately I decided to use my Rainy Day Emma. The challenge was to make a card using the sketch provided and a matching bookmark. Not sure if I ruined it with the sparkly rain, but you just don't know until you try right??

Here's what I came up with;

Supplies

Cardstock & paper: Marrakech DSP by Basic Grey, Groovy Guava DSP by SU, Ocean Tides by PTI, Chocolate Chip by SU

Stamps: Rainy Day Emma by CC Designs

Copics: Hair & Boots - E 70, 71,74,77,79, Jacket & Umbrella YR 02, 00, Jeans - B97, 95 91, Skin - E000, E00, R20

If you haven't checked out the challenges at Tickled Pink, you can visit them here.

thanks for stopping by

Kirsty

Club Anya Saturday Challenge

2010-06-15T14:30:00.000+10:00

Did quite get around to posting my cards last night. By the time I finished procrastinating over embellishments and realised the batteries were flat in my camera, it was just too late!

The first challenge I took part in this weekend was the Club Anya Saturday challenge. I used to colour an image first and then work out my papers, layout etc...would take me ages to finish a card. Well not any more! Bron passed on some words of wisdom from a friend of hers; layout and papers first then find an image to suit. Who knew you could save so much time!! My card was finished in half the time.

I decided to use my brand new Anya set for this card. I love it, so cute!

Copics: Hair: YR 23, 21 20 Headband: BV 08, 06, 02 Skin: E000, 00, R20, Bath C3,C1, YR 23, 21

Papers: PTI Lemon Tart, Kaiser Made with Love DSP

Stamps: TGF Me Time Anya

Accessories: Kindyglitz, ribbon, brads

Lil Lolita Challenge

2010-06-11T08:42:00.000+10:00

It's been such a cold and wet few days here in Melbourne and I was so happy to come home from work today, jump into some comfy clothes and get settled in for the long weekend! My plan is to stay home with Daniel and the kids and just have some fun, and for me that definitely includes making some cards!

I caught up with the lovely Bron the other night and while we didn't make too many cards (well any if I'm being honest!!) I did get to colour my new favourite stamp - Lilith from Tickled Pink's Lil Lolita line. So tonight when I came home I jumped onto the Lil Lolita Boutique and completed their first challenge with the image I'd already coloured.

The challenge is 'anything goes', which to be honest frightens me silly! Way too many options for me!! I decided to keep it simple because I wanted Lilith to be the main focus. I have a giggle every time I look at her as it reminds me of me as a teenager; black clothes, black and purple hair - just love it!

Anyway here she is..

Love these new stamps, can't wait to get me hands on some!

Thanks for stopping by, with a bit of luck there'll be lots to share over the next few days.

hugs

Wow, has it been that long?!

2010-06-05T07:59:00.000+10:00

Wow it's been a while since I posted hasn't it?? Unfortunately day to day life got in the way and there just hasn't been time to stamp and post here on the blog. But, I recently cleared out my stamp cupboard and traded all my unused stamps for some gorgeous new ones from the Greeting Farm and CC Designs so how could I resist!

I've also enrolled in a copic class over at Suzanne J Dean's Color Me Creative. I've only just started but I LOVE it, I highly recommend checking it out if your interested. Dylan had two birthday parties to go this week so it was a great opportunity to try out my new stamps.

Talking about great opportunities, my dear friend Bron has just been selected to be on the Design Team for Lil Lolita Boutique. If you haven't checked out her awesome cards you can do so here. I just love Lil Lolita...have got to get me some. I love anything with a little twist of gothic, so she's right up my alley!!

Anyway enough of my ramblings, here are my latest creations (finally!!!). The first one is a new SU set that reminded me so much of My Little Pony's that I just had to have it for Kira. The others are Greeting Farm and I think Kiki La Rue. Each image has been coloured with copics. Can't for the life of me remember the colours, I really should write them down!

Hopefully I can take part in some challenges over the weekend and add something new a little quicker than recent times!

take care

Kirst

Mojo Monday...on a Sunday!

2010-02-15T08:28:00.000+11:00

Hi again, hope you all had a great weekend. We had a nice lazy day at home today which was much needed.

It's amazing how productive I can be when I'm not working all the time, I had time to make some more cards! In keeping with my 'keep it simple, no copics' weekend, here is my Mojo Monday for the week.

The colours in the photo are not the best - . The lighting in my craft room is terrible and the batteries in my camera died so I couldn't take another pic, but you get the general idea LOL. The papers are from Kaiser and card is SU. The stamp is Polka Dot Punches from SU and the sentiment is from PTI.

The second card is just a quick 5 minute card that I put together with some scraps that were lying on my desk. The stamp set is from PTI and the card is SU, patterned paper is Kaiser. Colours are kraft, white and groovy guava. Not sure I love this card, but for a quick 5 minute card, it's ok.

As much as I've enjoyed making these cards I am having withdrawals from colouring my cute little characters and fairies, so I think tomorrow it will be back to Copics.

Oh well, at least I tried! Thanks for stopping by,

hugs Kirsty

Birthday Wishes

2010-02-15T01:32:00.000+11:00

Here's another card for my 'no copic' challenge! This time I've used my Guide Lines 2 set from PTI to create some patterned paper. It's a really simple clean card. I got the layout inspiration from a valentine card on Kristina Werner's blog. I loved layout and thought it would be perfect for my guide lines set. So here it is...

The cardstock is Kraft and Baja Breeze, both from SU. The white is the guidelines white from PTI. Inks used are SU Whisper White and Baja BReeze. Stamps are Guide Lines Two & Giga Guide Lines from PTI. Buttons are also from PTI.

Thanks for stopping by, till next time

hugs Kirsty

So far so good!

2010-02-14T10:09:00.000+11:00

Just a quick post with my first stamp only card. I set myself a challenge to create cards without copics this weekend, and so far so good! I got the sketch for this one from Papertake, and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. The butterflies look a little flat in the photo, but IRL they pop off the page. I love Papertrey's Berry Sorbet and it feels like ages since I made a nice bright card. So here it is....

We're having a nice quiet day at home tomorrow so maybe Kira and I will make some cards together.
till next time
hugs Kirsty

More fairies

2010-02-13T19:30:00.000+11:00

Just a quick post with another fairy from Sweet Pea Rubber Stamps. I've used a mix of SU cardstock and Do Crafts patterned papers. The image is coloured with copics.

As much as I love colouring with my copics I occured to me the other day that I can't remember the last time I made a card just stamping! I love clean, simple cards and I seem to have moved so far away from that recently with the discovery of copics (which is fine, cos I love them!). So my challenge for this weekend is to make some cards without copics. Lets see if I can manage it LOL! Have to scoot off now, we're spending the day with mum and dad and we're off to register my little boy for soccer, he's so excited! He tells me he's going to be a rock star and a soccer player when he grows up!

till next time

Kirsty

Something new...

2010-02-08T09:48:00.000+11:00

Hey there, it's been a long time between posts again hasn't it? My day job has been consuming all my time lately and it's really taking it's toll on my crafting! I've been working on a new large website that has taken the best part of six months to complete. As the project nears completion we're frantically working to make sure it's ready. While it will always be a work in progress, the launch date is in sight and our life will hopefully get back to normal. Yeah!

While I haven't had much time to create I have enjoyed surfing and checking out all your beautiful creations. My most exciting find so far has been beautiful fantasy art stamps by Ching Chou Kuik and you can get them over at Sweetpea Rubber Stamps. You know how it is one link leads to another and before you know it I've lost an hour and my bank balance is a little lighter LOL!

Anyway I stumbled across them on the very talented Angela's blog In My Quiet Time and I just loved them. For those who know me I love all things dark and mysterious and these stamps are right up my alley. It's also really nice to find some fairy images that aren't quite so cutesy. So enough of my ramblings, here is my first card...

Here's a close up of the stamped image, the detail in these stamps is amazing, I love them!

The next card is one I've had sitting on my desk for a while. I think it was meant for a Mojo Monday a couple of weeks ago and I never got round to uploading it! So here it is, sorry this is a stamped image from a friend, so I can't tell you where it's from.

That's all I've got completed for now. I've got lots of new stamps and hopefully soon I'll get the chance to play with them all!

Till then, thanks for stopping by

hugs Kirsty

Mojo Monday - back in the swing of things!

2010-01-13T09:34:00.000+11:00

Wow, it's back to work tomorrow for me after a nice week off. I can't believe Christmas has been and gone again already. I hope you all had a fantastic time with family and friends. I thoroughly enjoyed my time off with Daniel and the kids. We had a few days at home relaxing, a nice day trip to the beach, caught up with friends and enjoyed a beautiful day in the Yarra Valley to celebrate Grandpa's birthday.

I've been really slack with the card making. So slack that today is the first time I've made anything in ages. It was nice to have a break for a while, catch up on some reading and some Gilmore Girls...my tv addiction for the holidays, yep all seven seasons in a few short weeks. I love DVD's hee hee!

But it's back to normality tomorrow and I really wanted to spend my last day relaxing at home making a few cards. I've been experimenting with digital stamps today. Frustrating at times (SU paper does not like my inkjet printer!) but with a bit of patience lots of fun. Who doesn't like the prospect of new stamps now, not next week with the postie!! So here's my take on the Mojo Monday Sketch using my new digi stamps.

These gorgeous stamps are from All That Scraps and the sentiment is from Papertrey Ink. The card is Papertrey Ink's Ocean Tides and the patterned paper is Basic Grey. I've colored the image with Copics.

I had a second go at the challenge, when I found this little guy over at The Greeting Farm...

Not sure I love this card, but as a big Twilight fan how could I resist another little Edward stamp (tragic I know!) I decided to colour his skin a little grey this time round as the pink skin tones just weren't pale enough...think it turned out a little too grey though. Oh and of course he had to sparkle with the sunshine! The sentiment is from the movie....fitting for the theme of the card I thought! Anyway, far from perfect but fun none the less!!

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my little place.

until next time, hugs

Sugar Bowl Challenge

2009-12-09T00:59:00.000+11:00

It's a cold, wet day here in Melbourne so I got the chance to finish the Sugar Bowl sketch challenge. I love this little Gorjuss Girl, my favourite of all the little girl stamps out there!

til next time

Kirsty

Can someone tell me where November went?

2009-12-02T08:39:00.000+11:00

I can't believe it's December already...how did that happen?

I'm not ready for Christmas... I'm still in the 'I've got ages to think about christmas' mode. Of course it's not true, time is running out and as usual I will be shopping right up until Christmas Eve. On the plus side, because I've been in christmas denial I've had the chance to make lots of cards LOL!

So here's a few of them...

Firstly, this weeks Mojo Monday

I really enjoyed this sketch, and I love Lily and Milo, they're so cute! The image is coloured with copics and papers are SU and Kaiser.

I decided to use the circles cut out of the Lily card to make a quick christmas card, which led to this...

So when I was packing away my stamping stuff I stacked the two cards on top of each other which led this...

Now you can see why I'll still be shopping at the last minute...one thing leads to another and before you know it I've spent the whole afternoon making cards instead of thinking about what I need to do for Christmas!

thanks for stopping by, til next time

Back with challenge #2

2009-11-04T08:07:00.000+11:00

My good friend Bron inspired me to have a go at this one as I loved her card on her blog. I headed on over to the 'Anyone for Anya' challenge only to find that the challenge was to use the colours in your flag. My first thought was YIKES that's so out of my comfort zone as I almost never use dark blue and I NEVER use it with red...but you know what I kinda like them together! I've also used paper tole on her dress. The colouring on this is far from perfect, but you know what they say practice makes perfect, so I'll keep trying!

So what do you think?? I know it's not Anya, but it's her friend Dahlia, also from the Greeting Farm:)

Thanks for stopping by. I've had a great day today just pottering about, making some cards and I remembered how much I love it and how relaxing it is for me, so there's bound to be more creations popping up here soon.

til next time

hugs Kirsty

Yeah I stamped!

2009-11-04T07:38:00.000+11:00

Hey there, can you believe it's been so long? I finally stamped today and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Without boring you with the details its been a busy few weeks around here and I've been a little unwell so I've generally been way too tired by the time the kids have gone to bed to even think about stamping. But today was a public holiday here in Melbourne (can you believe we get a day off for a horse race???) which meant no kinder, no swimming and no school runs. So when Daniel asked if we were doing anything, my answer was a very big 'NO...I just want to make some cards!' so thats exactly what I did:)

First on my 'to do' list was the Mojo Monday challenge. This was so much fun, I love these papers, I only found them yesterday and I had to grab them. The image was also great fun to colour. So here the sketch and my take on it...

Thanks for stopping by, I'll be back shortly with another challenge...I've missed these:)

stamping hugs

Kirst

Circle Circus

2009-10-20T22:44:00.000+11:00

I've not been feeling so well for the last week or so and my mojo's kinda left the building but I did manage to make a card last night, the first one in a while, so here it is...

Everything in the card is SU. I've used Ski Slope dsp, baja cardstock, kiwi kiss ribbon, kiwi kiss and baja corduroy buttons. I used emboss resist and my brayer for the flowers, which were made with 'circle circus' and the scallop punch. The stems are from 'scribble this' and the sentiment is from the hostess set 'best yet'.

With a bit of luck I'll be feeling tip top in no time and back to doing all the challenges!

til next time

Mojo Monday 107

2009-10-14T09:10:00.000+11:00

Hi again, hope you're all rugged up and relaxing on this cold Tuesday night here in Melbourne. I'm hoping the sunshine returns soon, it makes me feel so much better and so much more motivated! Kira has an excursion to Healesville Sanctuary tomorrow and she is SO excited (she's our own little Bindi the Jungle Girl LOL). I really hope the weather holds out, it will be such a shame if the class misses out because of bad weather, she'll be so disappointed. Fingers crossed!

As promised I'm back with last weeks Mojo Monday sketch. I went back to a SU favourite for this one...Fifth Avene Floral, love it. It has to be my favourite floral set at the moment. The other supplies are Old Olive card and ribbon, Ski Slope DSP and white ribbon and pearls. Sentiment is from PTI.

Hopefully this is a more productive week and I'll get to play with all my new stamps. Who knows I might even finish a Mojo Monday challenge in the right week...a girl can hope can't she;-)

til next time, hugs

K

It's been a while...

2009-10-14T05:10:00.000+11:00

The blog title says it all really! It's been a while since I've had the time to sit and just make some cards... there's always been something else to do or I've just been too tired to even think about being creative LOL! But the last couple of days have been better and I've actually got a few projects completed...so I'll skip right to it:-)

I'm always struggling to come up with cards for boys (particualy late primary, high school boys) and SU in their US catty have the most amazing silhouette stamps of skateboarders and musicians and I SO want them but they're not available here yet, anyway the lovely Rosemary at Picture2Page very kindly lent me her Inkadinkadoo set which comes mighty close to the SU ones. Here's what I came up with...

The papers are from Kaisercraft and I just love them. I love the colours and the grunge backgrounds. The layouts are pretty simple, just something I came up with while messing around at my desk but I think for boys less is definitely more. So what do you think...would a teenage boy be happy with these?

Got to scoot off to Dylan's kinder committee meeting now, will be back later tonight with some more cards, including last week Mojo Monday (oh well better late than never!)

til next time

hugs xo

Capture the Moment Challenge - India

2009-10-06T11:15:00.000+11:00

I couldn't wait to have a go at this challenge. There is so much inspiration in the beautiful fabrics and saris from India. The colours and beautiful detail in the beading is just divine. I was lucky enough to go to Singapore last year and one of my favourite places was Little India. I will never forget the bright beautiful colours, the smell of the amazing food and the wonderful people as we wandered around the markets. Here's what I came up with for the challenge. I wanted to keep it simple, but hopefully I've managed to capture a little bit of India!

Hopefully I'll get a chance to complete the other challenges for Mexico, Australia and Japan.

til next time

2009-10-06T07:52:00.000+11:00

It's been a busy day at work and I was definitely happy to get home to spend some time with my babies. It was the first day back at school and Kira was happy to be back with all her friends. Dylan also got to spend the day with Gramps while I was at work, and I'm not sure who was more tired at the end of the day, Gramps or the four year old! They're asleep now (Gramps probably is too LOL), so it's time for some stamping and TV!

This is a card I finished the other day. It's one of the little gothic girls in my two favourite colours. The lights reflecting of the card a little but I've used plain black cardstock for the base and added some crimped purple card and purple dsp. I'm off to try Nichole Heady's world card making challenges now, the sequins and jewels have certainly got my imagination going. Nothing better than a bit of bling!

til next time

hugs

Mojo Monday

2009-10-05T10:05:00.000+11:00

Oh I almost forgot I actually finished a Mojo Monday challenge. I'm not entirely happy with it, but what the hey, I'm going with it anyway LOL!

hugs

The holidays are over...

2009-10-05T09:57:00.000+11:00

It's back to school tomorrow and it feels like this week has flown by! We've had a fantastic weekend with family and friends at Glenburn to celebrate my mother in laws 60th birthday. It was such a beautiful sunny day and it was so nice to have one of the family's big get togethers there again. It's the first one since the horrible fires earlier in the year.

After last weeks much needed rain the place is looking greener and Bronwen has been busy replanting all her garden beds, so it's starting to look a little brighter. Although I'm sure it will be years before we see it as it was before. There was around 60 - 70 people there yesterday and it was great to see the kids running around kicking the ball and everyone enjoying the day.

I've been working today :( so I promised the kids my undivided attention for Australian Idol (a weekly Kirsty and the kids ritual). Now that everyone's asleep and all ready for tomorrow I'm can sit down and finally post the cards that have been sitting on my desk for days... but better late than never!

This gorgeous stamp has the same name as my little girl, so it was a must have! I just love fairies, so much so that I even have a tattoo. It think it's because they look so sweet and innocent but really they're a little bit mischievous underneath! It's a fairly simple card, I'm still just playing with my ever growing collection of copics (favourite new toy much??)

As a side note; at the insistence of my seven year old I've just got Kate Miller Heidke's new CD, not bad at all, if you haven't already heard it it's definitely worth a listen! Kudos to the kid for liking stuff a little left of centre:-) Now on to the next card...

I love this little guy! This stamp was responsible for a 'should I, shouldn't I' that seemed to go on for ages. As you can see I caved and bought it. When I see it stamped, why oh why did I even think twice!

Now that everything's back to normal I hope to have some more time to stamp. My dear friends Bron and Dee are coming on Tuesday for a long overdue bad food and stamping night! We're always hopeful of creating at least one card but the talking always seems to get in the way LOL. Be sure to visit again soon and see if we actually come up with anything!

til next time, hugs

It's been a while...

2009-09-28T06:59:00.000+10:00

It's been crazy busy around here lately and DarkArts has definitely been neglected! The kids are on school holidays, I've been working a little extra and I'm choked with the cold, so it doesn't really make for a very productive household!

What I have been doing is colouring some of the new stamps I bought at the 'From Picture 2 Page' scrapbooking expo last week. As a self-confessed shopaholic I was very impressed with myself. I actually made it all the way around without spending a cent...until I got to the very end. There were so many beautiful stamps at the Heavenscent stand and I just couldn't decide..so whats a girl to do? Over the next day or two I intend to spend some time putting the cards together so I can share my latest 'must haves' LOL!

Here are my first two

It's my Dad's birthday today and one of the things I love about my dad is his ability to make me and everyone else around him laugh. I grew up in a house filled with laughter, good fun and great comedy and I wanted to make him a card that was fun! In the card above I used Art Impressions 'Golden Oldies' Dive In stamp with SU card stock and dsp. The image is coloured with copics.

This gorgeous stamp is from Stampavie and was too cute to pass up. The card is a case of one I saw at the HeavenScent stand at the expo. I've used my Cuttlebug embossing folder to emboss some Old Olive card from SU and combined it with some red ribbon and card from PaperTrey Ink. I also stamped the sentiment on the ribbon with my palette ink.

That's all I've got finished for now, but I don't think I can resist a Mojo Monday challenge so check back tomorrow for more!

hugs

How cool is this??

2009-09-19T05:11:00.000+10:00

Just a quick post to let you know about a blog I just stumbled onto . It has links to challenges for every single day of the week!

How cool is that! Check it out at http://catoscraftycorner.blogspot.com

xo

Kiss Challenge

2009-09-19T01:59:00.000+10:00

You'd think a 'Keep it Simple, Sweetie' challenge from Pals Paper Arts would be easy , right? Nope, it took ages! I just couldn't decide what to do. I'm so used to multiple layers, ribbon and papers that the idea of 'simple' gave me stage fright:-) Anyway once I decided it only took 5 minutes to finish. So here it is...

Supplies: SU Polka Dot Punches & On Your Birthday stamps, SU dsp, SU Pink Pirouette cardstock, SU Rose Red ink.

Thanks for stopping by, hope you all enjoy the weekend.

hugs

Friday Sketch Challenge

2009-09-16T18:14:00.000+10:00

Just a quick post before I head out the door for work. I finally got around to finishing my card for Amy Rysavy's Friday Challenge. I liked the layout so much I made two...so here are my creations and the original sketch from Amy in case you want to play along! You can visit Amy's blog here.

It's a real mix of stamps and supplies for these cards! On the button card, the flower is a Whipper Snapper stamp I've had for forever. As for the paper, I've had it for so long I can't remember who they're by...oops;-) The cardstock and circle stamp (circle circus) are from Stampin Up.

The Owl card is SU paper, card and ribbon. The stamps are from Kelly Pannaci/Sandylion. I've coloured the bird and owl with Copics.

Check back later, I've got a cute little Lily & Milo image that's almost finished. So I'll be sure to upload later today.

Til next time

Introducing Popcorn

2009-09-15T06:48:00.000+10:00

It's been a few days since my last post but some weeks are just crazy busy and this was one of them. I did manage to get a my hands on some new stamps and I finally got the chance to play with them last night. This cute little guy is Popcorn...how sweet is he?? I've been looking for a really nice bear to colour and I finally found one. I just love him! I kept the card nice and simple - kraft cardstock with some patterned paper and faux stitching.

I'm off now to get a start on Amy R's latest sketch. After telling Bron I was going to do it last night, I totally lost my mojo! Be sure to check out Bron's take on the sketch here, her Sarah Kay card is awesome.

hugs

Little Book of Sketches

2009-09-09T09:48:00.000+10:00

You know when you're just not feeling the love for the card you're working on and you spend FOREVER shuffling things around?? Well tonight I worked on a little project to help me avoid those moments..hopefully!

I love to play around with sketch challenges. It stops me procrastinating over layout but gives me the flexiblity to add my own style. As a result I spend ages flicking from site to site and I never get anything done! It also stops me from enjoying my TV shows on the computer, which is something I love to do when I'm stamping (a girl can never get enough Grey's, True Blood, Gossip Girl...I could go on and on LOL!)

So today I solved the problem and created my own little sketch book.

I decorated a small notebook I picked up at Picture2Page, (my favourite local scrapbook store in Lilydale) with some DSP, created a little embellishment and added some ribbon to tie it all together. Inside I stuck a sketch on each page from Mojo Monday. So hopefully now instead of procrastinating, or spending hours surfing the net, I can pick a sketch from the book and start creating..oh and just maybe keep an eye on the TV to see how Chuck and Blair are travelling!

hugs

Amy's Friday Sketch

2009-09-08T10:24:00.000+10:00

Ok, a little out of my comfort zone... not my usual colours, not my usual style, but I think I kinda like it! That's why I love playing along with these challenges. This one comes from Amy Rysavy. Cardstock and stamps are all SU.

hugs

This stamp rocks!

2009-09-06T09:57:00.000+10:00

I had a workshop last night that was all about Versamark and the many things that can be done with it. I created the card below to show four of those techniques. The workshop was a group of mums so I decided on 'Just Jawing' to create a fun kids card.

I've used Orchid Opulence as the main card front and added a basic black layer over the top. To this I stamped SU 'Gratuitous Graffiti' in versamark and clear embossed.

Next, I wanted to show how to emboss with dye (fast drying) inks. Firstly I inked my stamp with versa and then with my dye based ink; in this case basic black. The versa extends the drying time and allows the clear embossing powder to stick. Once heat set, you're left with a crisp, embossed image in the colour of your choice. The real benefit here is the ability to emboss in a range colours without the need for slow drying inks or coloured embossing powders.

The next technique involved using chalks to colour an image. I stamped the sentiment in versa and simply dabbed chalk over the image to colour it. This is fantastic if you're new to stamping and don't have a huge selection of inks. Buy a small pack of coloured chalks and you're ready to go!

Finally I stamped the bow image on orchid opulence card with versamark and used heat and stick power to adhere Dazzling Diamonds glitter. Put it all together with a bit of bling and you've got a kids card that rocks!

hugs

Fathers Day

2009-09-05T03:54:00.000+10:00

Can you believe I have made some cards BEFORE they're actually needed?? I'm usually rushing to finish them as we head out to the occassion they're needed for but this week I seem to be organised - well with my cards at least ;).

Below are two cards I created for Father's Day. I really struggle with male cards. What colours?? Is it too girly... yada, yada,yada! So for these I stuck to the basics...blue, brown and when in doubt throw in a sailboat!

I'm happy with how they turned out, hopefully the dads will like them too!

hugs

Amy Rysavy's Friday Sketch & Twilight Fix!

2009-09-01T21:23:00.000+10:00

Hi Everyone

Just a quick post with Amy Rysavy's Friday sketch challenge. Not sure about this one...I think it's missing something?? Anyway, after much procrastination I decided to just go with it!

Supplies: Gorjuss Gothic Girl stamp & SU sentiment, SU DSP, Copic markers, cookie cutter flower die, SU whisper white cardstock.

I also thought I'd a couple of cards for my fellow Twilight fans!! I love the Twilight books so I just couldn't resist the little Edward stamp that appeared on the web a few weeks ago.

It was also my first go at a brayered sky, so it was really fun to do - although you'll have to forgive my light source 'issues' with my colouring. I coloured the images before I created the sky and then out the moon on the wrong side...OOPS! Oh well practice makes perfect right?? In case you can't read it, the sentiment is from Breaking Dawn, it says 'Look after my heart, I've left it with you'.

Here's another, just with Edward

Ok, clearly I also need to practice my photography, I seem to be a bit lop sided LOL! Copics are used in both cards to colour the images and all cardstock is SU. The damask stamp in the second card is from Gelatins.

Ok that's my Twilight fix out of the way! Check back later for the latest Mojo Monday.

hugs

Once Upon A Time...

2009-08-31T07:19:00.000+10:00

Kira has a birthday party in a week or so and I thought I pull out a set I hadn't used in a while, Lizzie Anne's Once Upon a Time. I wanted to use my copics, so this set was perfect.

I mounted the castle and the princess with foam tape and place the castle in the background to give the card some depth. I also sponged some clouds in the background using the scallop circle punch.

Supplies: Once Upon A Time stamps, SU Pink Pirouette cardstock, SU DSP, SU Cool Caribbean ink, Copic markers, Kaiser bling, satin ribbon.

Well back to work tomorrow..suppose I should get organised for the Monday morning madness! Check back tomorrow, with a bit of luck I'll get a chance to play with the new Mojo Monday sketch.

Super Stampers Christmas Swap

2009-08-31T01:16:00.000+10:00

Here is a card I finished yesterday for a christmas swap I took part in. My lovely upline Karen Woods organises these swaps and I love getting my bundle of cards back in the mail. It's so nice to see everyone's creations. Anyway here is my card..the ribbon is a little different because I ran out of baja grosgrain, so for mine I had to improvise!

Supplies: Season of Joy & So Swirly stamps, Baja Breeze & Whisper White cardstock, Whisper White, Baja Breeze and Red Riding Hood ink, Two Way Glue, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Corduroy Button, Round Tab Punch, Dimensonals, Sponge Dauber, White Satin Ribbon.

until next time,

Home again!

2009-08-31T01:02:00.000+10:00

We're back from our holiday and I'm ready to get back into my cards again! We had a fantastic week in Queensland and were fortunate to have 8 days of perfect sunshine which was such a nice change from the gail force winds and freezing temperatures of Melbourne!

If you haven't been there and are thinking about visiting Queensland you must visit Australia Zoo...it was amazing. It's so family friendly and well thought out and the kids had a ball. From the mintue you walk in the door there are keepers walking around with animals for you to touch and have your photo taken with. Our seven year old, who has watched and adored Steve Irwin since she was a tiny tot, was so excited. Here is a little photo of Kira feeding the elephants.

But unfortunately it's back to reality and I'm back to work tomorrow:( so for the next few hours at least, I'm going to ignore all the chores and boring stuff that I should be doing and just make some cards!

Visit again soon to check them out!

Watercolouring with inks and aquapainter

2009-08-14T02:37:00.000+10:00

Hi there, just a quick post before we shoot out the door for Pink. This is a card I finished for the ESAD cyberstamp. It's using SU Fifth Avenue Floral and Urban Oasis DSP again but this time I embossed the image and used ink pads and aqua painters to colour the image and used dimensionals to make it pop off the page.

Off to Bron's tomorrow night to make some cards, so check back soon for all the new creations

hugs

I Stink You're Sweet!

2009-08-13T10:15:00.000+10:00

Ok, so I mentioned that I was addicted to surfing the web. Tonight is another perfect example of my how my intention to make a few cards can fly right out the window. It all started at Makeesha's site, which led to Amy R's to view a copic video, a visit to All That Scraps, a little visit to Stampavie and then back to Amy for this sketch challenge (did I mention I'm a sucker for those too??). So at about 11.00pm I finally got around to starting something!

Now anyone who knows me, knows I'm not normally a multi colour kinda girl, but how cool are these papers?? They just arrived yesterday and although they're supposed be christmas papers I'm SOO not ready to start with that caper yet! So for the challenge, I settled on this cute little image from SU's Pun Fun. The kids just love this set, full of cute little images that are perfect for their friends birthdays.

For details of the sketch you can visit the very talented Amy R here. For my card, I've used red cardstock, SU Ski Slope DSP, SU Pun Fun, Copic markers and white brads.

On that note, I should probably think about getting some sleep. Work in the morning then taking my little girl to her first concert. She's so excited and thankfully for me, it's Pink and not The Pussy Cat Dolls or something really poppy like that (there's only so much a girl can take!)

hugs

PPA Sketch Challenge

2009-08-11T07:31:00.000+10:00

Thought I'd start my little jaunt into the world of blogging with this months sketch challenge over at PPA. You'll probably find I do this alot...I love challenges and I can waste an enormous amount of time just looking around on the web discovering new ones!! There are so many amazing, talented people out there. Anyway here is my take on the sketch...

Supplies: Baja Breeze, Whisper White, Urban Oasis DSP (all SU), Fifth Ave Floral (SU)
and Mini Mixed Messages (Papertrey) stamps, white ribbon, wave edge punch and
copic markers.

I love the flowers in this set and they're perfect for colouring with my new copics..still getting used to these, but they could be my new addiction. Sooo many awesome colours!

Welcome

2009-08-10T07:26:00.000+10:00

Welcome to Dark Arts, my little place to share my cards and creations. I'm a wife and mum and part time web administrator who loves music, paper crafts and all things black! (now the name makes sense..yeah??) Check back often as I hope to add more and more creations over time.

Kirsty