Oops... I Forgot!

I forgot to add another card for Paper Playtime Digi Monday Challenge!

My daughter made a card which I sent to our DT coordinator, just in case she had a spot and... she has chosen her as Special Guest Designer!

This is her card:

When I saw this digi in Di's Digi Shop I knew she would have loved it: she loves horses and she rides with no fear.

She colored the digi and chose papers among those I was using for my DT card. My only advice was to suggest how to use the papers I had cut for her and arrange the flowers. Since I was a little behind her with my card, she didn't let me use the same papers so I had to go with a lighter color scheme... I let her look for something in my embellishments drawer (which she loves!), and she chose three rhinestones and some flowers. I also gave her the sentiment and the punched circle.

I love these summer days spent together in our craft room chatting and making things!

Vacation, Vacation...

Good morning!

It's the last Monday in August and this means... it's Paper Playtime Digi Monday again!

This month the theme is: VACATION!

August is THE MONTH for vacation here in Italy. Even if there's more people around in towns these days than in the past, most of us still go on holiday in August. The 15th being a National Holiday, offices and factories closed, the two central weeks of August are absolutely the most quiet in town!

Back to our challenge, here's my card:

I used these lovely Beach Huts digi from Delicious Doodles which I simply colored with pencils. I love this turquoise and white look, it's calming and refreshing!

Don't forget to have a look at the other amazing creations from our DT!

No, Not Lazy... Just Busy!

I can't believe it's the middle of August... this summer is really flying!

This time, I cannot say I'm lazy... well, yes, I'm a lazy blogger these days but I have so many things to do!

I spent some days trying to re-organize my craftroom (without too much success, but I've discovered some hidden treasures!), making little gifts for Christmas and reading inspiring blogs.

I also spent a few days with my daughter, my sister and my little niece (and I had the chance to find a shop with satin ribbons in wonderful hues!).

But...

I only made a couple of cards...

Here's my first:

I made this card for the Paper Playtime Anything Goes Challenge # 53.

The sponsor is Whimsie Doodles and I used this adorable little girl starting a new school year.

Schools will start one week later than usual this year: September 19! They say it's for tourism reasons but we feel it's really late! When I was a little girl, I used to start school on October 1! Maybe only for a couple of years but I remember when we started going to school around the middle of September and, of course, I didn't like it!

I made this card with my daughter in mind and I wanted to use bold colors: this paper from Die Cut With a View was perfect for my little girl and my black card.

Well, that's all for today. Don't forget to visit the Paper Playtime Challenge Blog and see all the wonderful DT creations!

Lazy Summer Days...

It's been a while since I came back from the seaside and I still dream of my lazy mornings under the sun on my deck chair...

I love to wake up early, have a huge breakfast with cofee, bread and jam (which I don't normally eat) and time to do that...

Then, we head to the beach: it's not yet crowded, not yet too hot, sun is still of a warm yellow and I lay down and enjoy the hot rays on my back.

When I was asked to choose an image for my monthly card for Paper Playtime Digi Monday Challenge with Summer as theme I immediately had to have THIS ONE: it means summer, seaside, vacation, laziness, sun, hot weather...

Here's my card:

This perfect summer digi is from Delicious Doodles and is called Deckchair (you can find it here).

I used a simple yellow card (yellow is the color of summer!) and I dotted it with white paint. Then added a patterned paper I found in a magazine and some ribbons. The digi is colored with watercolor pencils and I also added a touch of glitter and two pearls.

Don't forget to have a look at our monthly digi challenge DT cards!

I'm Back!!!

I've just come back from a short vacation on the beach and I've realized I have to start with Fall and Winter cards!

It was terrible: I sat down and switched the computer on (I don't bring it with me on holiday and... I don't miss it at all!!!), had a look at my favorite shops and blogs and... voilà, Christmas in July...

Although I love Christmas, I don't feel the need to celebrate Christmas in July, I don't like to start buying Christmas gifts so early and I don't like to think about snow and winter with 40°C.

But...

I have an Etsy shop and I have to start thinking in advance and that's why I have a Halloween card to show you:

I was looking at all the new releases I missed while on vacation and immediately fell in love with this little wizard from Stampfairy: I've never read Harry Potter and I've never seen one of the movies but this little wizard and his adorable owl had to be mine!

I missed challenges a bit so I decided to have a look at my favorite one: Sweet Sketch Wednesday. And it was a GREAT idea, Stampfairy isthe sponsor this week, so I immediately started making my Halloween card!

This is the sketch:

Unfortunately, I haven't had time to look through my list of challenges to see if I could enter another one with this card, so I will enter only Sweet Sketch Wednesday # 110 but I'm so happy I've made a new card after such a long time.

I actually made two... I'll show you the other one in a few days!

MESSAGE for SWEET SKETCH WEDNESDAY DT: I don't manage to leave comments! I don't know what's happening, I'm sorry!

It's Paper Playtime Digi Monday Again!

I know I may sound a bit boring but time really flies...

It's Digi Monday again at Paper Playtime! It seems like yesterday when I posted my first DT card for this lovely challenge and here I am again!

This month it was really funny to make this card. The theme was red, white and blue but for those DT members living outside the US it was allowed to use the colors of our Country.

As you probably know the Italian flag is green, white and red... colors which I find not particularly good for a card but since we could choose our own digi, I found a perfect image for those colors.

Here's my card:

My sponsor is Delicious Doodles and I chose this lovely owl couple and thought about an anniversary card, influenced by the fact that in March Italy celebrated her 150th birthday.

I colored the owls with my watercolors and added distressed papers in soft green, cream and red which I found in a magazine. Then I used satin ribbons in the exact colors of our flag.

Don't forget to check the other creations from the DT here and have a happy Digi Monday!

It's Summer... For My Blog Too!

School is over, sun is shining, holidays are being planned and I find less time to blog.

I have a couple of Custom orders to finish and all my inspiration goes there.

I've just started my "Spring Cleaning"... a bit late this year, I'm usually done in June but we had to wait for the painter... we needed a fresh coat of paint on our walls and we are both too lazy to do it ourselves.

The fact that my daughter was at home the day I cleaned and decluttered her bedroom was a great thing: she worked the whole day sorting books, toys, clutter, dedusting, washing, finding a new place for things...

She was so proud in the evening and she keeps saying that she loves her room!

As prize for her good job and for a fantastic school year, yesterday we had a trip to an amusement park: just the two of us. We had a great time and I'm thinking about going to Venice with her soon (well, Venice is just an hour or so away from my town, so it's not a long trip!).

For all these reasons, I am finding it difficult to blog. If posts are not as frequent as before for the next couple of months it's just that I'm taking a little time for my daughter, for the family, for the home and hopefully for some travelling.

I'll have my posts for the Paper Playtime digi Monday challenge (don't miss the June Challenge on Monday 27) and maybe I'll be able to make some new cards when Spring Cleaning is over and I'll manage to sit down and spend some time crafting with my daughter. She looks forward to it: in summer, we usually take in a table we keep on our small balcony, open it in the living room and craft while watching inspiring TV craft programs or romantic movies.

 I'll be back soon with more frequent posts, refreshed and hopefully inspired.

My 100th Post!

I can't believe I've reached my 100th post!!!

But here I am!

Again, one week later than my last post....

I'm definitely a bit... lazy? No, not lazy, busy. Yes, busy...

I only have one Custom order to prepare and I'm working on it but it's still in my head, I don't manage to put my ideas into something "real" and this makes me angry.

School is finishing in four days and this means that swimming, ballet and English lessons are also coming to an end.

Things are coming from school and need to be sorted, cleaned, washed and put away until September.

Last week it was hot enough to wear summer clothes which needed to be tried and sorted as well.

We had a first Communion to attend and the end-of-the-year ballet with related dresses to be prepared (and now to be washed and put away).

I still have some wool sweaters around (this week is less summer and more autumn...) which need to be washed...by hand...

And I actually have little time to sit down and enjoy some crafting. I don't even list weekly challenges that I'd like to enter because I know I don't have time to prepare cards.

But yesterday, while washing some sweaters, I had time to prepare at least one card:

I've used this Strawberry kid - digi which we were given as participants in last week challenge at Hambo Hoedown: it's part of a lovely new realease of fruit kids. Have a look at them in the shop here.

The Challenge was to use this digi and buttons... I love buttons and it's always hard to use them and let them go...

I notice from the picture that the boy isn't glued to the glittered cardstock behind him. I finished my super glue and I used an ordinary one but, despite several attempts, it doesn't work. I'd better go out and buy a new glue!

 Of course, I'll enter this card in Hambo Hoedown Challenge # 18.

Four days to the end of the school means the last four days of silence. Then, for the next 3 months silence will be something to long for...

Why Always at the Last Second?

When I was given this image as participant in last week Challenge at Hambo Hoedown I was really Over The Moon for I immediately had an idea on how to use it!

But...

Challenge closes in a few hours and I'm still here, writing my post.

Well, here's my card:

I love this moon and I decided to paint it lilac and light purple with my watercolor pencils. If you like this image, you can find it here.

Maybe the color of the shuttle is not a perfect match, but I bought them fron the UK last year (I don't have a cutting machine) and this green was the best match among the three available.

Of course, this card will be entered in Hambo Hoedown Challenge # 17 "I'm Over the Moon".

Thank You Hambo for these lovely digis!

It's Paper Playtime Digi Monday!

I'm so excited!

This is my first post as designer at Paper Playtime Digi Monday Challenge!!

The theme is Wedding/Love and this is the card I created:

This lovely ladybug is from Delicious Doodles: I colored her with a red watercolor pencil, glittered the frame of the heart and embellished it with a pink pearl.

The card was made with printed papers, a white doily and a paper heart embellished with baker's twine and two rhinestones. I also added a heart charm.

You won't miss to have a look at the other wonderful creations from the DT: it's a great team of designers and we have had the chance to work with lovely images!