What a Week!

The last couple of times I tried to sign in Blogger there were problems... I hate technology when it does not work. For me, computers and everything related should always work and never have problems or be slow... It makes me really furious!

Anyway, my birthday party decorations are almost done! I'm preparing them little by little because I don't have enough space to glitter 45 tags all at once and let them dry so I do them in groups. Everything has some glitter (of course...) and everything needs to rest for a while before being touched or packed.

While waiting for some bigger pieces to dry, this afternoon I made a card for two of my favorite challenges: I used the image given by one of them and the sketch given by another... Perfect!

But let's start from the beginning.

This is the card:

The digi was given by Hambo as participants in last week challenge and the layout to follow was this one from Sweet Sketch Wednesday:



This card will be entered in the following Challenges:

Hambo Hoedown Challenge # 15: in addition to the image, the request was to use bright colors and paper piecing. I paper pieced the basket (is it the correct word?) and colored the digi with my watercolor pencils. The background paper from an old Sizzix stash is maybe not too bright but I used brighter and bolder colors in the other elements of the card. I loved the idea of lightness and movement the bubbles give to the card!

Sweet Sketch Wednesday Challenge # 101: they gave us the lovely sketch.

Karen Doodles Challenge: they asks for Bold and Bright colors.

I adore this little girl on flying in her baloon! A really great image, isn't it?

How Busy!

As you know I've just been chosen as a DT member in Paper Playtime Digi Challenge and I'm really honored and happy to be a part of my very first team.

I'm already planning my first card due at the end of the month but I'm surprised at how much work there should be to coordinate a DT team. Our coordinator is great in sending messages and keeping track of all the things we need to know and do!

I'm also making some samples for another DT call and I'm still working on the party decorations for my Customer. Add some Custom orders to prepare...

It's really a busy period and that's why I have so little time to enter other challenges. I still list them hoping to find some time to make a card and actually I did find a couple of hours yesterday to make my card for Hambo Hoedown Challenge # 14:

This sweet chicken seems a bit sad, that's why I decided to make a "Miss You" card.

We were given this stamp and asked to use dots and stripes: I dotted the card with white paint and made stripes on the punched circle. I wanted the two yellows to match perfectly.

I love this summer yellow!



I'm a Design Team Member at Paper Playtime!

I've some great news:

I have been chosen to be one of the new Digi Design Team Members at Paper Playtime!

My very first Team!

Have a look at the other great members of this Team here and don't forget to join in for our fun challenges at

Paper Playtime Challenge Blog

I'm really excited and I'm already planning my card! Wish me Good Luck!



Animal Antics.

A few days ago I decided to make something different out of one of my favourite stamps and opted for a small recipe notebook.

Here's what I created:

A sweet little spiral notebook with this adorable stamp from Lili of the Valley, sweet papers and lots of ribbons!

It's not the first time I color this stamp and I'm still in love with it, it's so sweet and the faces of these two little animals are so cute!

I decided to enter this creation in Lili of the Valley Challenge # 95 where the theme is "Animal Antics".

I should make one of these notebooks for my recipes, maybe I'd cook with a bit more enthusiasm...

Well... I'm Ready!

One of the reasons I entered only few challenges these past weeks is that I was working on a Custom order, my first order from the blog.

A lovely girl asked me to make some decorations for her daughter's first birthday.

I've worked very often for weddings (cards, invitations, favors, tags, place cards, tableaux de mariage, etc.) but it's the first time I approach the birthday theme.

It's been a long journey: I'm rarely completely satisfied of the result when I create something but I usually manage to change a little something and like it. This time I cut, glued, threw away, printed, cut again, glittered, assembled and disassembled my creations so many times I've lost the count!

But this morning I finally manage to be satisfied with every piece I had created and in a little while I'll send the pictures to my customer...

For this reason, this afternoon I've had a spare hour to make a card for a weekly challenge I love:

Hambo Hoedown

They gave us this adorable basket as participants in last week's challenge and the mission was to create something with mum in mind and with lace and flowers.

The doily is glued in the center only, for I wanted it to be... well, I don't know how to translate the word I have in mind (maybe "wavy"?) and I wanted to use purples instead of reds for the hearts with a touch of green (the basket is green, not yellow as it appears on the computer...).

Well, better go and send the pictures of my birthday creations... I'll keep my fingers crossed.

For the First Time...

...I'm posting a card before the challenge begins!

Last week my Fall Tree card was chosen among the Top Three in Raise the Bar Challenge and I got an assignement - my very first one - for this week!

The theme is "We Shell" and the card should have a beach theme.

Here's my card:

This lovely shell is a digi stamp from Whimsie Doodles which I colored with my watercolor pencils (and glitter all around the shell...!).

Following the idea of the beach, I wanted to use these colors which remind me of the sand. I bought this card a few days ago and I thought it was perfect for this project. Papers are all from DCWV.

Once I decided the colors I had to decide how to assemble the card and I used this week's sketch from Sweet Sketch Wednesday. It was simple and clean and I could use all the papers I wanted to be part of this card.

Thus, I will enter this card in Sweet Sketch Wednesday Challenge # 99.

I'm so excited for my assignment! Fingers crossed that my card is good enough!

This Challenge starts tomorrow, have a look at all the other wonderful creations!



Another Post for my Daughter.

Last month my daughter entered a card in a Kids' Challenge and she made the Top Three.

Here we are with another card:

She chose this little Ballerina digi stamp from Bugaboo Stamps and she added a lot of bling, as the Challenge asks for.

She had already made a little picture with this digi and gave it to me as a gift: I was so delighted with the little bird on her shoes that she decided to add one here too and she asked for 3D dots "for a pop-up effect" as she says...

I even let her use my precious Stickles glitters!

She is a Ballerina and the "Congratulations" sentiment is perfect to give this card to a friend who also attends dance classes.

Well, I'm ready to enter her card into the Kona Kids' Challenge # 20!

... Again?

I can't believe it!

My last post was about Hambo Hoedown Challenge, exactly one week ago...

Time REALLY flies!

It's been a busy week, with schools closed, Easter to celebrate and little time to craft.

Yesterday I managed to prepare my weekly card for the above mentioned challenge: Hambo is so nice to give us freebies to play with that I always tries to take part in their challenges.

Here's my card:

The theme this week was to use this King digi and make an announcement: I thought about a newborn little girl, who is of course a princess for the whole family!

I used my watercolor pencils and some glitter for the digi stamp, rhinestones to embellished the crown and the sentiment (which was stamped), a paper from DCWV and a lovely pink ribbon.

The card will be entered in Hambo Hoedown Challenge # 12, wish me good luck!



"What color is an ogre?"

The friend I was waiting for is a bit late so I have time for my 2nd post!

As I do every week, I've made a card for Hambo Hoedown Challenge # 11:

They gave us this sweet ogre and asked to use it together with the sentiment and something distressed.

I asked my daughter: "What color is an ogre?" and she replied: "Green, of course".

Thus, I couldn't do something different, I had to color it green.

And green is all over the card!

I found this distressed green card in my stash and added some paper stripes, hearts and of course this little ogre colored with watercolor pencils.

With this challenge I've learnt somethng new: the word "ogre". I didn't know how to translate the Italian word, but now I know it!

Wednesday again?

Two of my favorite challenges are on Wednesday and it seems to me that I'm always here writing posts about the new cards for those challenges...

Let's start with the first one:

This card is made following this sketch:

When I saw the sketch and had a look at the Challenge sponsor of the week I immediately decided that the tree was perfect for this sketch.

I have lots of digis but no, I couldn't change my mind: I had to have that tree and make a fall card with yellows, oranges and dark greens.

But let's start from the beginning.

The digi is from Clear Dollar Stamps and the papers I used are from DCWV (orange) and an old Sizzix stack (checks).

The tree was printed on white paper and that's probably the reason why I'm not completely satisfied with the finished card, it's not exactly the card I had in mind. I distressed the border and the papers with distress ink but the digi was already colored and I was afraid to ruin it completely and did not dare to touch it.

Everything is colored with watercolor pencils and some of the leaves are glued with 3D dots.

The challenges I'm entering this card are the following ones:

Sweet Sketch Wednesday Challenge # 97 where the sketch comes from

and

Raise the Bar Challenge # 62 where the theme is "Tree-mendous"

In these last years I've understood that I'm a fall person: it's my favorite season of the year. Of course, I do love spring and summer: I love hot weather, the long days, holidays, the summer fruit and everything but my soul is in fall that is at her best. I wish I could write a better English to explain my feelings in a clearer way!

I'll surely be back later for another post!