Oldies But Goodies at Karen's Doodles

Thursday again, Crafty Bloglanders - and another week closer to Christmas!  At some point I should really give some thought to buying presents but the weather is so cold and the ground so slippery that I can't contemplate venturing out on a shopping trip at the moment!  I shall be making plenty of money wallets, just in case!

And Thursday means another 'Oldies But Goodies' showcase over at the Karen's Doodles Challenge Blog, where my Teamies and I bring out some of our favourite but older Karen's Doodles images to inspire you.

The snow is still with us, although it is gradually thawing a little.  However, the nights are so cold that the melting snow is simply turning to ice and it's like a skating rink outside.  Bet this little one wouldn't mind though:

Image:  Karen's Doodles, 'Skating Fun'

Papers: October Afternoon, 'Good Cheer' and 'Very Merry' collection

What a great image this is for a cold winter's day!  I love the movement - and with the little dog running out of the frame, I get the feeling she's moving quickly!  The DPs were chosen because they were some of the last scraps I had of these favourite papers and I wanted to use them up together.  I might just have to buy some more, even though Christmas is almost upon us and they won't be needed for another 12 months. 

I coloured her up with my Copics and added a little extra shading and background with my Prismas.  I appear to have made the dog cross-eyed though! Poor thing!

So, pop over to Karen's Doodles Challenge Blog and see what my talented Teamies have created for you this week - don't forget to leave them some love.  And while you're over there, why not check out this week's challenge, which is really simple this week: Christmas!  Show us your Christmas creations and you could be in with a chance of winning up to three Karen's Doodles images of your choice.

Happy crafting.
xx

Oldies But Goodies at Karen's Doodles

Oooh, is it Thursday already?  That means another day closer to the weekend and another Oldies But Goodies showcase on the Karen's Doodles Challenge Blog. Why not hop over there and see what my OBG teamies have created - there's sure to be some wonderful inspiration - and you can take a look at our latest challenge, which is 'Use more than one Karen's Doodles image'. 

My OBG today is a simple masculine card (I hope!):

Image: Karen's Doodles, 'Bigsby The King'

Paper: Graphic 45, 'Halloween in Wonderland' collection

I love colouring Herbert but was a bit daunted by Bigsby and all his fur.  Still, nothing ventured, nothing gained and I'm pretty pleased with how this turned out.  I coloured Bigsby and Herbert with my Copics, using my Prismas to add a little shading detail and, of course, the 'glow' in the background.

I've kept the papers and embellishments to a minimum, although I couldn't resist those big orange buttons - they go so well with this paper! 

So, another day at work then Daughter arrives on Friday for the weekend, to help me sort out and pack away some of the house.  We've got woodworm in the kitchen floor, which is now happily collapsing beneath us, and the specialists are coming next week to treat the whole house!  This means that all the books, CDs, DVDs, etc., and my precious crafting stash, that are stored on and in various bookshelves and units have to be packed away so that all the furniture can be moved.  OMG! What a task.  Thank goodness for Darling Daughter (note the Darling has crept in!) as I couldn't manage this on my own.  It'll be a great opportunity to get rid of some stuff, though (so that I can make room for more stash, of course).

Happy crafting
xx

Oldies But Goodies at Karen's Doodles

Well, it's Thursday already, which means it's time for another Oldies But Goodies showcase over at the Karen's Doodles Challenge Blog.  And without further ado, here's what I have for you today:

Image: Karen's Doodles, 'Little Helping Hands'

Papers: October Afternoon, Seaside collection

This has to be one of my favourite Karen's Doodles images - it is soooo cute.  Unfortunately, I've been experiencing some difficulty with my Copics and paper combo so the skin tones on this one are a little off.  Hopefully my new paper (Neenah Super Smooth) should help elimnate the streaking and, of course, filling my pens some would help!! 

It's somehow apt that I should have chosen this image this week - and can I just say a big 'thank you' to all of you who have left comments and sent e-mails wishing my MIL well - you are so kind and your support is very much appreciated.

Back to the card - I coloured the image with my Copics and applied a little Prismacolor to the background.  I've only recently received this October Afternoon paper collection but it's had plenty of use because I love the colour combos and patterns.  This combo is fresh and bright - just right for a little 'get well' cheer.

Now don't forget to check out the Challenge blog to see what my other OBG teamies have been up to.  Of course, you can also check out this week's challenge, which is all about gift boxes - rather a good idea at this time of year!  Why not join us in the fun and show us your favourite box - just remember to use a Karen's Doodles image on your project too.

Happy crafting.
xx

Oldies But Goodies at Karen's Doodles

Morning All. It's Thursday (again) and that means another Oldies But Goodies moment over at the Karen's Doodles Challenge Blog. Take a look - you're bound to find some inspiration! And while you're there, why not check out this week's challenge, which is 'Give Thanks'. We want to see your 'Thank You' projects - you have until Sunday evening to get them to us - using your favourite Karen's Doodles images.

So on to today's card:

Image: Karen's Doodles, 'Princess Kitty'

Papers: October Afternoon and SEI (I think!)

Embellishments: Bits and bobs from my recent (well, last month at least) win over at Sketchy Colors

Isn't this an adorable (and so true) image?  She is definitely the cat that got the cream!  I coloured her up with my Copics and then went back in with my Prismas to add a little shading and some 'fur'.  She's certainly a very regal cat.

Now, I have to say that although I love these embellishments, they are not really working on this card.  In fact, this is the second time I've made this card and, to be honest, I really should have changed my mind before I started it again!  (If you remember, the first one met with disaster when a cup of tea decided to spill all over it! - not my fault, of course!)  But, I faithfully reproduced what I'd made before and, well, look, it's not my best card design, okay?!  However, you can't deny that the image is gorgeous and I'm actually very pleased with my colouring.  Maybe I need to reuse this image in a different way - look out for version two!

So, another day at work but one less to go until the weekend.  I get a crafting day on Saturday as my OH is going fishing all day and I have new stash arriving tomorrow, ready for my Christmas cards. Yaaaaay!

Happy crafting
xx

Oldies But Goodies at Karen's Doodles

It's time (already?) for some more 'Oldies But Goodies' inspiration over at Karen's Doodles and this week I've chosen one of my absolute favourites for another project:

Image: Karen's Doodles, 'Tango'

Papers: October Afternoon

I adore this image - always have done since the first time I used it (and believe me, it gets used a lot!).  This one is coloured in exactly the same palette as I've used before but with some bright, fresh papers it has a totally different look and feel.

This image is a joy to colour and it works in almost any palette.  I'm going to try a sepia version next - hopefully it'll have the feel of an old 1930s movie - how great would that be?!

I'm going to enter this one for this week's Daring Cardmakers Challenge, where the theme is 'Dance'.




Check out the rest of the OBG Team's creations on the Challenge Blog - they're sure to inspire.

And don't forget that we're still running our usual Monday challenge - this week the theme is 'distressed'.  We always look forward to seeing what you create.


Happy crafting.
xx

'Oldies But Goodies' at Karen's Doodles

It's Thursday and that means it's time for another 'Oldies But Goodies' showcase over at Karen's Doodles. 
This week, I've gone all Christmassy - here's my card:

Image: Karen's Doodles, 'Santa House'

Papers: Pink Petticoat digi paper (spots); Cosmo Cricket

Isn't this an adorable image?  Santa is very lucky to live in such a sweet little cottage. 

I wanted to keep the palette quite light for this one as I didn't want the image to become 'overworked'.  A few pale highlights on the snow helped give a frosty feel, and some 3D glitter gel for the roof and trees completed the look.

I love turqoise/teal/pale blue and red so this combination of DPs works really well for me.  Apparently, it's quite 'in' at the moment, too, if you follow the trends!

Check out the rest of the OBG Team's creations on the Challenge Blog - they're sure to inspire.


And don't forget that we will still be running our weekly challenges on Mondays and this week's challenge is a recipe: 3 embellishments, 2 papers, 1 image.   Why not join in - we'd love to see your creations.


Happy crafting.
xx

Oldies But Goodies At Karen's Doodles

Happy Thursday everyone and I'm here to bring you some news today.  Karen's Doodles will be showcasing some of the 'Oldies But Goodies' on Thursdays from now on.  And my regular KD's post will now be on a Thursday instead of a Monday, as I'm lucky enough to be on the OBG DT! 

You know how it is - we crafters always like to play with new things and often forget the wonderful old things we have.  And it's just the same with digital images - we're always on the look out for the newest but we forget about our old favourites.  Well, the OBG DT hope to inspire you to dust off and use some of your older Karen's Doodles images. 

So, here's my first OBG card:

Image: Karen's Doodles, 'Sailor Boy'
Papers: Digital papers from Scotty Girl - 'Sail Away'
Ticket: generated on PC

What a darling little image this is and a dream to colour.  The colours of the papers inspired the colour scheme, with a pop of red to lift the whole thing.  I love that little bit of bunting, if I do say so myself!

I put together these little tickets a while ago and I just change the colour and message whenever I like.  They're easy to do (I just used MS Publisher, 'cos I'm used to it) and you can choose whatever message you wish.  Plus, if you print them out on to kraft, they look really nice and antiquey! (Not that I ever do anything nice and antinquey! But hey!)

I coloured this little chap up with my Copics, added some 'glow' with my Prismas and he looks ready to play now!

Check out the rest of the OBG Team's creations on the Challenge Blog. 

And don't forget that we will still be running our weekly challenges on Mondays and this week the theme is Halloween or Fall, so why not join in - we'd love to see your creations.

Happy crafting.
xx