CraftBelle

Miss Piglet

2012-01-16T04:51:00.000-08:00

Meet Miss Piglet. This was my second attempt at making a cochet toy back in 2011. It was made for my neice. She used to be besotted with everything Peppa Pig (now superseeded by My Little Pony) - so I thought a piglet it will be.

This is currecntly the only photo I can find of the end result. She is worked in a lovely DK Cotton on 3.00 mm hook. And yes I made the pattern up. Although I did get some inspration for the red top from a tutorial.

My next job is to write it out and hopefully post the pattern. Oink Oink!

Sean the Sheep

2012-01-15T12:47:00.000-08:00

Sean the Sheep

Ever since I created my first Crochet project "Mr Red" back in 2010 I promised to make my father-in-law a soft toy. He is an avid collector of soft toys so after a little think I opted for a sheep. It was also an opportunity to mastered another technique - loop stitch - I like to set myself a challenge.
The pattern has been adapted from Craft Passion 'Little Timmy'. Thank you.
Luckily Bob has a soft spot for slight mishapen toys so my wonkey legged sheep (ran out of yarn) will feel right at home. He now sits pride of place on the mantel piece. Aaawwww! Or should I say Baaaa!
Check out the link for ear muffs at the bottom of the Craft Passion page - So cute!

Crochet | Bunny

2012-01-14T10:40:00.000-08:00

Meet Jay my new crochet bunny - another present for my nephew. His Mum and Dad have bought absolutely everything for him so a hand made gift was in order...and its in their favourite colour black so extra brownie points for me.

JJ is worked with two strands of Sirdar DK black crepe. I wanted to use cotton but there was none in my local shop so opted for crepe remembering my Grandma's tip that it doesn't split like other yarns. To minimise holes and unsightly white filling against the black I doubled the yarn thickness and used 3mm hook.

As per usual I like to freestyle. So made the pattern up as I went along. I've added extra details such as the 'J' on the bum, an 'X' for the tummy and cross stitch for the ears.
If you would like to make one too...

Little Jay ~ Long Limbed Bunny
By Craftbelle copyright 2012
This free pattern is for personal use only.

Finished size: approx 12 inches

Materials & Tools:
1. Yarn - DK two strands. But you could probably use 1 strand of the thicker worsted yarn which they sell in the states.
2. Crochet hook: 3 mm
4. Tapestry Needle (to join body parts and hide yarn ends)
5. Poly-fill for stuffing

Abbreviations UK codes:
ch = chain
dc = double crochet
dc2tog = double crochet decrease
st = stitch
MM= move marker
FO= fasten off

All pieces are made in spirals. So do not join at end of row.

Body
Make magic ring or sloppy slip knot see tutorial from fresh stitches. This will be pulled tight to reduce the hole.
Round 1: 6dc in magic ring. MM. (6)
Round 2: *2dc in each st*, repeat * around. MM. (12)
Round 3: *2dc in first st, 1dc*, repeat * around. MM. (18)
Round 4: *2dc in first st, 1dc in next 2 stitches*, repeat * around. MM. (24)
Round 5: *2dc in first st, 1dc in next 3 stitches*, repeat * around. MM. (30)
Round 6: *2dc in first st, 1dc in next 4 stitches*, repeat * around. MM. (36)
Round 7: *2dc in first st, 1dc in next 5 stitches*, repeat * around. MM. (40)
Round 8 – 10: 1 dc in each stitches around. MM (40)
Round 11: *2dctog, 1 dc in next 5 stitches*, repeat * around. MM (36)
Round 12: 1 dc in each st around. MM (36)
Round 13: *2dctog, 1 dc in next 4 stitches*, repeat * around. MM (30)
Round 14: 1 dc in each st around. MM (30)
Round 15: *2dctog, 1 dc in next 3 stitches*, repeat * around. MM (24)
Round 16: 1 dc in each st around. MM (24)
Round 17: *2dctog, 1 dc in next 2 stitch*, repeat * around. MM (18)
Round 18: 1 dc in each st around. MM (18)
Stuff firmly
Round 19: *2dctog, 1 dc in next stitch*, repeat * around. MM (12)
Round 20: *2dctog*, repeat * around. MM (6)
Round 21: 1 dc in each stitches around. MM (6)
Finish stuffing.
Run yarn tail through the last round of stitches with tapestry needle, pull to close the opening. FO.

Head
Round 1: 6dc in magic ring. MM. (6)
Round 2: *2dc in each st*, repeat * around. MM. (12)
Round 3: 1dc in each stitch around. MM (12)
Round 4: *2dc in first st, 1dc*, repeat * around. MM. (18)
Round 5: 1dc in each stitch around. MM (18)
Round 6: *2dc in first st, 1dc in next 2 stitches*, repeat * around. MM. (24)
Round 7-11: 1dc in each stitch around. MM (24)
Round 12: *2dctog, 2 dc in next stitch*, repeat * around. MM (18)
Begin stuffing firmly
Round 13: *2dctog, 1 dc in next stitch*, repeat * around. MM (12)
Round 14: *2dctog*, repeat * around. MM (6) Complete stuffing
Round 15: 1 dc in each stitches around. MM (6)
Sew the hole shut tight. Leave long tail to attach head to body.

Ear Make 2
Round 1: 6dc in magic ring. MM. (6)
Round 2: *2dc in each st*, repeat * around. MM. (12)
Round 3: *2dc in first st, 1dc*, repeat * around. MM. (18)
Fasten off. Add cross stitch to ears if desired.
Flatten, fold and stitch close ready to attach to head.

Leg Make 2
Round 1: 6dc in magic ring. MM. (6)
Round 2: *2dc in each st*, repeat * around. MM. (12)
Round 3: *2dc in first st, 1dc*, repeat * around. MM. (18)
Round 4 to 5: 1dc in each stitch around. MM (18)
Round 6: 2dctog *1dc in next 14 stitches* 2dctog MM (16)
Round 7: 1dc in each stitch around. MM (16)
Round 8: 2dctog *1dc in next 12 stitches* 2dctog. MM (14)
Round 9 to 24: 1dc in each stitch around. MM (14)
Round 25: 2dctog *1dc in next 10 stitches* 2dctog. MM (12)
Round 26: 1dc in each stitch around. MM (12)
Round 27: *2dctog* , repeat * around. MM (6)
Round 28: 1dc in each stitch around. MM (6)
Round 29: *2dctog* , repeat * around. MM (3)
Close. Leave tail for attaching to body.

Tail
Round 1: 5dc in magic ring. MM. (5)
Round 2: *2dc in each st*, repeat * around. MM. (10)
Round 3: *2dc in first st, 1dc*, repeat * around. MM. (15)
Round 4 to 5: 1dc in each stitch around. MM (15)
Round 6: *2dctog, 1 dc in next stitch*, repeat * around. MM (10)
Round 7: *2dctog*, repeat * around. MM (5)
Close. Leave long tail for attaching to body.

Assembly
Sew head to body.
Attach ears and use embroidery thread to sew on features.
Sew on legs arm. Add tummy cross and toes as desired. Voila!

Amigurami Tips

2012-01-09T13:10:00.001-08:00

#1 Handy guide on making toys from Craft Passion... yarn type, tension and more.
#2 Another great guide from Fresh Stitches featuring a slip knot and alternative magic ring for ensuring your rounds have no holes. Yeah!
Also, top tip from Fresh Stiches... Use a piece of fabric or felt to prevent wadding from escaping whilst finishing your crocheting. Stella. I wish I'd known that when making my bunny. White wadding on black yarn...hard work.

Crochet | Cactus

2012-01-08T12:37:00.001-08:00

More crochet....
Found this blog by elf luvs dwarfs featuring some super cute crochet cactus. The pattern is worked in rows using the back loops to form the ridges. Genius!
{photo credit}Pattern Credit elf luvs dwarfThere are a few cute cactus patterns out there. I found Nadia's "How to Crochet a Cactus" on Flickr and became inspired to make a few cacti. I even went so far as to make a pattern for these four cacti! They are really quick and easy to make and stand about 6-8 inches tall. Share your pictures with me if you make one!Materials:Worsted weighted yarn in Green, Clay, Brown, Cream, and PinkCrochet Hook G (4.00mm)Stitch markerYarn NeedlePolyester FiberfillFinished size approx. 6-8 inches tallAbbreviations:ch = Chainhdc = Half Double CrochetFLO = Front Loops Onlysc = Single Crochetsl = Slip StitchBLO = Back Loops Onlydec = Single Crochet 2 Stitches TogetherCactus #1 Body:With Green ch 26, turn1) Sc in 2nd chain from hook in BLO. Sc in BLO across, ch1, turn [25]2-27) Sc across in BLO, ch1, turn [25]28) Bring row 1 up matching row 27 to form a tube. Sc across in BLO of row 27 and in empty loops of chains from row 1. [25]Finish off. Sew a long piece of yarn through the loops of the top opening of the cactus and pull to gather closed.Join Brown with sc on any row on open end of cactus. Sc across the bottom of the cactus. Finish off and leave a long tail for sewing. Stuff.Cactus #1 Arm:With Green ch 12, turn1) Sc in 2nd chain from hook in BLO. Sc in BLO across, ch1, turn [11]2-17) Sc across in BLO, ch1, turn [11]18) Bring row 1 up matching row 17 to form a tube. Sc across in BLO of row 17 and in empty loops of chains from row 1. [11]Finish off and leave a long tail. Sew the tail through loops along the top opening and pull to gather closed. Stuff and sew Arm to side of Main cactus wherever you want or use the picture for reference.Cactus #2 Body:With Green ch 16, turn1) sc in 2nd chain from hook in BLO, hdc in BLO in next 13 stitches, sc in BLO in last stitch, ch1, turn [15]2-30) sc in BLO in first stitch, hdc in BLO in next 13 stitches, sc in BLO in last stitch, ch1, turn [15]31) Bring row 1 up matching row 30 to form a tube. Sc, 13 hdc, and sc across in BLO of row 30 and in empty loops of chains from row 1. [15]Finish off. Sew a long piece of yarn through the loops of the top opening of the cactus and pull to gather closed.Join Brown with sc on any row on open end of cactus. Sc across the bottom of the cactus. Finish off and leave a long tail for sewing. Stuff. Cactus #3 Body: With Green ch 21, turn1) hdc in 2nd chain from hook in BLO. Hdc in next 12 stitches in BLO, sc in next 7 stitches in BLO, ch1, turn [20]2) sc in next 7 stitches in BLO, hdc in next 13 stitches in BLO, ch1, turn [20]3) hdc in next 13 stitches BLO, sc in next 7 stitches BLO, ch1, turn [20]4-27) Repeat rows 2 and 3 [20]28) Bring row 1 up matching row 27 to form a tube. 13 hdc then 7 sc across in BLO of row 27 and in empty loops of chains from row 1. [20]Finish off. Sew a long piece of yarn through the loops of the top opening of the cactus (the hdc side) and pull to gather closed.Join Brown with sc on any row on open end of cactus. Sc across the bottom of the cactus. Finish off and leave a long tail for sewing. Stuff.Cactus #4 Body: (make 2)With Green ch 21, turn1) sc in 2nd chain from hook in BLO, sc in BLO across, ch1, turn [20]2-17) sc in BLO across [20]18) Bring row 1 up matching row 17 to form a tube. Sc across in BLO of row 17 and in empty loops of chains from row 1. [20]Finish off and leave a long tail. Sew the tail through loops along the top opening and pull to gather closed. Hold both Bodies together with the bottoms facing you. Sew the two pieces together on the bottom where they touch.Join Brown with sc on any row on open end of either cactus. Sc across the bottom of the joined cacti. Finish off and leave a long tail for sewing. Stuff.Cactus Pot:Use this pot for all Cactus styles with the variation of dirt indicated as below. Pot is worked in rounds, do not join or turn at the end of rounds. Use a stitch marker to keep track of rounds.With Clay make a ring1) 8 sc in ring [8]2) *2sc in same stitch* around [16]3) *sc, 2sc in same stitch* around [24]4) *sc 2, 2sc in same stitch* around [32]5) *sc 3, 2sc in same stitch* around [40]6) sc around in BLO [40]7-14) sc around [40]15) sc around in FLO [40]16) sc around [40]Finish off. Leave a long tail. Turn down the last 2 rows of the pot to make the outside rim. Use the long tail to sew the rim down to the pot.Join Brown with sc to any free loop of Round 15.For all Cacti, sc around the free loops of Round 15 [40].For Cacti 1 & 4 continue to make a second round of dirt by *sc 2, dec* around. [30]Finish off and stuff. Using the long tail of the dirt round from the Cactus Body, sew the dirt round of the Body to the last dirt round of the Pot. Finish off and weave in all ends.Flowers:These flowers can be adjusted to make the number and length of petals you desire.Make 1 for Cacti 2 & 3; make 2 for Cacti 1 & 4.With Cream make a ring; 8 sc in ring, finish off. [8]With Pink join with sl in any sc. *Ch 6, sl in same stitch, sl in next stitch* around, finish off. [8 petals]Sew flower to the top of the Cactus Body or arm.

Book Binding

2011-12-07T04:06:00.001-08:00

I've always wanted to have a go at book binding but never managed to get round to it. Here is a simple tutorial from Diane Gilleland Crafty Pod with an additonal link for the book binding stitch technique.

{Photo Credit}

Toy Box...Cut and Sew

2011-11-15T10:44:00.001-08:00

Hi, here are some snipets from my cloth baby book: Toy Box.

Its a cut a sew pattern on spoonflower's competition. A perfect idea for for my new nephew. It has images of layered toys to look like you've cut and appliquéd them yourself. Also, I've created a linen texture on the fabric to give it a hint of realism and clipped the toys in felt. Check out Niki's Photoshop Tutorial.It's also entered at spoonflower's cloth book competition.

Sew...a needle running thread!

2011-11-11T04:03:00.000-08:00

Hello,
It's been a very long time since I have updated my blog ;-(.
Unfortunately, I don't have the time or the web connection (long story) to upload on a regular basis.
But today I thought I'd make a special effort to record a project I have made for my new nephew Jaxon. I wanted a piece that would be handmade (not got a sewing machine) and would be personal to him (which was a little tricky as he's just been born)...and voila a name banner. I got the idea from a blog site 'Made by Rae'. Check it out. Hope you enjoy. Craftbelle

Tooth Fairy

2009-12-30T23:22:00.000-08:00

Hi guys, Happy New Year!
Here is my entry for the Spoonflower 'Mythical Creatures' fabric competition. My 'Tooth Fairy' is a fiery redhead with deep pockets for all those gold coins. Click here to see her in repeat.

There are lots of great designs that you can vote for here. If you are new to Spoonflower it's a print on demand fabric company - and now you can even sell your fabric through them. Cool huh! They also run weekly comps. The next one is 'birds' - anyone can enter so check it out.

As per usual I like to give away freebies - so check out 'My Download Page' to grab my Tooth Fairy clipart.

Circles

2009-12-24T03:24:00.000-08:00

Hi, Pam has got another super challenge @ 365 'Circles'. This one is for my hubby - Merry Christmas sweet.
I made the background paper with a halftone patterned brush. I like the way the circles become gradually smaller and there are definitely more than 10! I added a bit of text and Santa. Voila. Enjoy.

EDIT: My Santa is now available at Squigglefly 2010.

Santa

2009-12-22T05:13:00.000-08:00

EDIT: My Santa is now available at Squigglefly 2010.

Here is a quick place/name card idea for a 'Santa Claus' set I designed. It's too little late for release but decided to show it anyway. And now you can grab the Santa clipart from 'my downloads' page for free (or see the side bar).

Have a wonderful Christmas everyone!

Gingerbread Man

2009-12-20T21:31:00.000-08:00

A quick CPS card and probably my last for the end of the year. I've flipped sketch 147 used my new digital stamp Gingerbread man. Here I've swapped my watercolour pencils for Photoshop and coloured the line version of the Gingerbread man (the set also includes silhouette version and two borders - see below). The dotty background is a digital paper by Lynne Grieveson at Digital Designers and I've type a text overlay for the bottom paper. Enjoy!

Have a wonderful Christmas everyone and a glorious new year!

Gingerbread Man

Edit: I'm also entering this card for Get Sketchy 'Your favourite colour' challenge - and my favourite colour is Green! Dont forget to check out my free download page. I've just added a clipart Santa - see sidebar!

Celestial

2009-12-04T18:26:00.000-08:00

Introducing Celestial my new stamp set for Squigglefly (Dec 5th). The range includes a Star, Tree, Bell, Bauble and Heart in both lined and solid versions (JPG & PNG). Perfect for colouring or to use as a brush.

I've used the solid bauble image to make a brush in Photoshop. Then I stamped the bauble in three different sizes and colours. I printed them onto 'Misty' paper (from Lindcraft), cut out and popped them up with foam stickies. Add a bit of black Artline pen. Volia! A quick and simple card.

Quick Photoshop tip: If you find it hard to choose colours (like me) stamp your image onto a transparent layer first. Then add a 'fill' layer above the stamp and select 'create clipping mask'. You can quickly change the colour of the 'fill' layer to see which colour fits you existing scheme. This method works great with digital paper too. Hope this helps!

'Tis The Season

2009-12-04T02:43:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking of trying the colour challenge at Embellish for a couple of days now - and when I saw Lucy's second challenge 'Wings & String" I had the perfect idea. The colour scheme for Embellish is'Orange, Brown & Green' - which works wonderfully with my Turkey.

I coloured him in Photoshop - printed, cut and popped him onto the sentiment 'Tis The Season'. Due to a slip of the finger with my printer he came out a lot smaller than I expected - so I made a mini card instead.

The Turkey image is from my 'Birds OF A Feather' stamps set at Squigglefly. The twine is DMC cotton thread #581. Papers by Kikki K & Misty.

Panda Magic

2009-12-04T00:33:00.000-08:00

Hi, Just wanted to share my latest accomplishment of 'Member Spotlight' over at Magnolia Grace. Check out my new blinky! Brooke kindly hosts the 'Rory Email Club' where she previews her new digital images. As a member you get to sample her great designs and clipart for free. So if you want to join in - check out her site Magnolia Grace.

p.s. Brooke loves seeing what crafters do with her images. So send in your creations and you may be the next Member Spotlight with a blinky to boot!

---

Okay, here is my tag for 365 & Digital Tuesday. Pam is running two challenges that caught my eye so I decided to combine them (hope that's not cheating). Challenge # 277 'Just a fraction' is to use just a portion of your image & challenge # 278 'You can’t miss it' is to only colour part of you image with glitter. When I saw these two challenges I immediately thought of Brooke's panda - which has a bow just waiting to be zinged with glitter.

Digital Tuesday also has a sparkle theme so I’ve added some silver twine to match the bow.

Penguin

2009-11-28T02:11:00.000-08:00

This week I'm going for two challenges in one. This is my first entry for the Caardvarks blog whose challenge 'Colour It' links nicely with ABC's 'I for Indigo'. So, here is my Indigo penguin (which I think looks great in blue). I've popped him up with foam stickies on some homemade snowflake paper. And finished it off with a Christmas sentiment and a bit of white floss.

If you'd like to make your own snowflake paper you can download the transparent gif 'free' from my Download Page or see sidebar.
Also, to celebrate my new illustration set 'Birds Of A Feather' at squigglefly you can pick up a pre-coloured clipart version of Penguin too.

Announcement

2009-11-27T23:53:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to let you all know that I have started illustrating for squigglefly. As you may have seen from my freebies (which I've moved recently to their own page) - I enjoy doodling and messing around with Photoshop.

I would also like to give a shout out to Brooke from Magnolia Grace who has been wonderful, encouraging me in my stamp design. I'm using my Aussie spirit of 'having-a-go' and we'll see what happens next.

I've paper pieced 'Robin' using some lovely papers from Lindcraft. I think they are called Misty, and have a lovley watercolour paper texture.

I have two sets of images 'Birds of a Feather' & 'Celestial' due to be released December 5th. So in the meantime I'll give you a sneaky peak of what's to come.

My 'Birds Of A Feather' set has three images: Penguin, Robin and a Turkey. They come in both JPG's & PNG's. So, they are perfect for colouring or transforming into brushes! They also come with some hand drawn text.

So, I'll post again when I get my links from Ashley. But in the mean time you can check out the other new stamps released over at squigglefly.

CPS # 143 | Reindeer

2009-11-24T04:00:00.000-08:00

I have been away from blog land and my craft stash for 4 whole weeks - boy did I miss it. Anyway, I'm back and its time for a CPS challenge. I'm using the super cute "Reindeer" by the wonderful Brooke over at Magnolia Grace. What a fantastic surprise it was to find a whole bunch of digital stamps in my inbox just waiting to be printed out. Thanks Brooke.
So, here goes. I've added faux 'Kwerner' stitching; ribbon with a fancy knot; and a sentiment for the circle element.

Enjoy!

Edit: I just had look over at 365 cards and the new challenge 'knots' fits my card perfectly. I must have been picking up Pam's subliminal thoughts when she made her card. Check out the blog here. Also, Pam is looking for a new DT team. Good Luck everyone!

Top Trio

2009-10-19T03:20:00.000-07:00

Whoopteedoo!
My Gretyl card made TOP TRIO over at 365 Cards. I entered it for the motion challenge and was commended for my use of stitching. My Gran will be so proud! Thank you all for your kind comments on my blog. You can see the orginal post here. Congratulations to my fellow winners Deane and Juanita. And a super thanks to Pam @ 365 cards.

Joy | Circle & Colour Challenge

2009-10-15T06:15:00.000-07:00

Hi, Here is my take on the Embellish Circle Card Colour Challenge..wow that's a bit of a tongue twister. I thought I had missed the deadline but it's been extended to Oct 18 so you have a few more days. The Stamp is a free digi by Katie Pertiet "One word" over at Designer Digitals. I used it here to make my own patterned paper & cut out. I love this stamp. A little ribbon and some stitching - really into my stitching at the mo too.
All done. Enjoy!

Moxie Fab Shout Out!

2009-10-14T19:15:00.000-07:00

OMG I'm so chuffed to get a Moxie Fab Shout Out from Cath for the Gradient is Radient challenge. See the post here. It was an excellent challenge with realy great work. Congratulations to the winners Maille, Amy, Nina, Vanessa and Anya.

Gretyl | Halloween Digi

2009-10-13T18:06:00.000-07:00

Hi all, I’m going for a quadruple whammy for this post - 4 challenges in one.
I've been doing some more doodling and came up with "Gretyl" a little witch on a broom for Halloween. She's no good sitting on my laptop so I decided to make a card and it just so happens that there are a few challenges that will work for her.

1. The first is CPS #137. 2. The next, ABC F is for Flying which fits in perfect with my witch (OCT 27). 3. Then there is 365 Card's Tuesday challenge is In Motion. 4. And seeing as my witch "Gretyl" is digital I thought I'd enter her at Digital Tuesday challenge BOO! - make a Halloween card.

So, here is my card. I rotated the sketch to be landscape. For the horizontal element, I hand added stitched some abstract clouds/wind in the same style as my "Little Owl" card - see here. I coloured, printed, and cut my digital witch "Gretyl" for the main element and popped her up with foam pads. I think she's having a great time flying around.

If you'd like Gretyl for yourself you can download her here or see the link in my sidebar. NB. This is for personal use only ;-). Please give credit to CraftBelle and link back here. Enjoy!

Supplies:
Image: "Gretyl" by CraftBelle
Font: Kristen ITC
Other: Linen Yarn by Gutermann, Foam Stickies by Paper Craft

My Template | CD Wallet

2009-10-11T01:08:00.000-07:00

Hi guys,
I thought I'd share a 3D craft for this post. My wonderful sister and her husband came over to visit us over a year ago now and we finally mangaed to complete a DVD momento of their time here in glorious Sydney. We normally send CD's and DVD's home of our adventures but this time (...and probably because its taken so long to get together) I decided to make them look a little bit more special by creating a pesronalised CD Wallet to send them in. I looked around for shop bought products but couldn't find anything suitable, so I decided to create my own.

When my sister received the DVD's she was absolutely thrilled with the packaging and its contents...aah!

So, considering I put a fair bit of effort into the DVD & template I thought I'd share it with all who might find it useful.

The template is plain, and is designed to fit onto standard A4 paper which makes it perfect for home printing. A few score lines, cuts with a craft knife, some double sided sticky tape and voila you have your very own customisable CD wallet. If you're handy with a graphics package (or even Word) then you can add a graphic, hand stamp, hand write or just print on some wacky paper.

Download CD Wallet Template by CraftBelle (PDF 1045 KB)

If you like the template and find it useful then please tell your friends, attribute and link back to me CraftBelle @ http://craftbelle.blogspot.com

Please note: This template is for personal use only. Please do not share or distibute this file in digital or hard copy. Instead tell your friends to download it from my site directly.

Enjoy!

Hello | Gradient Challenge

2009-10-09T05:46:00.000-07:00

Wow, It's been such a long time since I posted anything. I'm just in time for the Gradient challenge over at MoxieFabWorld. Cath has extended the deadline until October 12, so you've all got just a wee while longer. There's lots of great work up so do check it out.

Okay, I wanted to keep this card clean and simple and I was thinking about using geometric shapes or tiles for stepping out the colour change when I came across these Alpha blocks by Katie Pertiet over at Designer Digitals. They looked just like my doodle and were ready to go. So, I spelt out "Hello" to create a sentiment and graphic in one - yeah!

Next, I selected a colour change of yellow to a burnt orange, which I think sits nicely with Autumn as well as for spring here in OZ. I made a gradual change in the shade of paper (Jesse Edwards) of each block to make the gradient. And then cut and popped them up with foam pads. Finally I added some Frangipani inspired flowers (an altered K Petiert graphic), buttons, French knots and lifted the corners to add a little dimension.

Enjoy!

"Hello" Supplies:
Paper: DCWV Glitter Stack, Derwent Art Paper, Jesse Edwards Colour Challenge Digital Papers
Stamps: Block Alpha & Web Chellenge Kit 8-9-09 by K Pertiet @ Designer Digitals
Adhesive: 3D Adhesive Foam Stickies by Paper Craft

Moxie Fab: Household # 2

2009-09-20T23:17:00.000-07:00

Hi guys,
Thanks for the comments on my light bulb entry - very kind.
I wanted to have another go at the Moxie Fab challenge and my hubby came up with the idea of a Hoover (Vacuum Cleaner as you guys say) with the slogan "Life Without You Sucks".

I couldn’t find a suitable stamp or image so I had to crank up the laptop and design my own. I made the Hoover into a brush and then repeated the stamp whilst reducing the size. The font used for the sentiment is Cooper Std. I stretched to look like it was being sucked into the Hoover. Enjoy!
Thanks for a great challenge Cath - I wonder what’s this week!

Supplies
Image: "Hoover" My Own Digital Stamp
Font: Cooper Std

P.S. You can download my "Hoover" JPG and brush for free here. For personal use only ;-)

Moxie Fab Challenge: Household

2009-09-18T17:37:00.000-07:00

Another great challenge over at Moxie Fab. For this challenge you need to create a paper crafted project that incorporates some kind of household item as its focal point. Cath has included lots of inspiration so check out the link above.

Okay, getting hold of a "household" stamp has been pretty impossible around here. So, I decided to opt for the old pen and paper and make my own doodle instead.

The light bulb and sentiment was drawn onto watercolour - I really love the bumpy texture. Then I popped them up with foam stickies and added some faux stitching to the DCWV paper. Voila!

Supplies
Paper: DCWV Glitter Stack, Watercolour Paper
Ink: Artline 210 medium 0.6 in Black, UniBall Signo Broad in Silver

Deadline: Wednesday 21 September
Draw: Friday 23 Septmeber
Extra: Upload to World Card Making Day

Good Luck Everyone!

Halloween: Fabric of the Week * Closed *

2009-09-18T05:44:00.001-07:00

Hello, On a bit of a whim I entered a sketch of some witches for a competition over at Spoonflower (it’s a print of demand fabric site). And, my design has been selected for round two of the competition. I am SO excited!

So, if you like my fabric please vote for me CraftBelle @ Spoonflower. No need to be a member - just click here or in the side bar to vote. The design is called "Witches by CraftBelle".

Thanks guys! Sweet!

Ps. For you budding fabric designers, this week's design theme is flowers and spoons!

CPS #133

2009-09-16T01:32:00.000-07:00

Time for CPS sketch #133. I've kept the sketch as is this week - love landscape format. I'm using another digital stamp this week - courtesy of Brooke over at Magnolia Grace. The character's name is Little Owl and in this stamp he sits on a branch. To see more of him, head over to magnoligrace.blogspot.com.
Thanks Brooke.

Okay, So I printed Little Owl out twice. The back image was coloured black to create a permanent shadow and top image was coloured with watercolour pencils and popped up with foam stickies. To frame the image, I created some abstract clouds/wind with stitching and used a sentiment and the branch to form the lower horizontal element of the sketch.
Enjoy!

Supplies
Paper: Kikki K in Gold and Pearl
Stamp: Little Owl by Magnolia Grace | magnoliagrace@blogspot.com
Ink/Colour: Artline 210 medium in Black (love these pens), Faber-Castel Watercolour Pencils
Adhesive: 3D Adhesive Foam Stickies by Paper Craft

CPS #132 Happy Birthday

2009-09-12T02:43:00.000-07:00

Time for another CPS Challenge #132. I must admit I've been a bit slow with this layout (not sure why). So, I headed over to the sponsor's site Sweet N Sassy Stamps to see what they are all about and I found this little Clown Fish.
Each Thursday Sweet N Sassy give away a digital stamp (cool huh!) and the Clown Fish was this weeks freebie. So cute!

Here is my card.

Firstly, I rotated the sketch (I'm a landscape kinda girl). I resized the Clown Fish and made some portholes for them to swim behind (all in MS Word would you believe). Then I coloured them up with watercolour pencils and silver pen for highlights. My hubby suggested some bubbly text for the sentiment (thanks sweetie). A few snips and some double sided sticky and it was all done.
Digi stamps are pretty cool - Thanks Sweet N Sassy.

Raspberry Suite #16

2009-09-02T00:27:00.000-07:00

Hi, this is my first attempt at a Raspberry Suite challenge and I'm really excited. I made a special trip to the craft store to source some gold/orange paper (lovely and shimmery). No Kraft paper again, so I had to make do with the back of jotter pad! So, here goes.

I was thinking about silhouettes from the Moxie Fab challenge as well as the rich chocolaty palette and decided to create a boudoir kind of feel with a cameo. I designed and cut the profile piece (pencil and Kraft knife), and framed it with the chocolate cardstock (looks rich and dark in real life). I created some cheeky ruffles with ribbon for the cream element and added a little sparkle for the Orange/Gold. Voila!

Supplies:
Cardstock/Paper: Kikki K, The Paper Mill, DCWV
Ribbon: Boutique
Cut Out: Drawn & Cut by me CraftBelle
Other: Foam Pads by The Paper Mill

Caardvarks Candy

2009-09-01T17:32:00.000-07:00

Candy give away from Kim Hughes over at Caardvarks. Kim Hughes reveals tips for publishing and an overview of her talents. Check out the blog Paper Hugs.
Candy: Autumn Stamps @ CHF. Draw: Not stated.

CPS #131

2009-08-31T03:10:00.000-07:00

Check out the new sketch over at CPS.
I wanted to make a male birthday card with this sketch, so it took a while to juggle the elements around so that it didnt look too fussy. I layered up some of the stripe to create the focal element and added a sentiment.
Here goes!

Sketch: Rotated anti clockwise.
Paper: DCWV Glitter Stack.

Moxie Fab Candy

2009-08-31T03:00:00.000-07:00

Leave a comment at Moxie Fab to be in for a chance to win papers from the Season collection from CRATE PAPER.
Drawn: Midnight MDT on Sunday, September 6

Clean & Graphic

2009-08-28T16:51:00.000-07:00

Here is my take on the Clean and Graphic Challenge @ Moxie Fab World (see rules below). When I think of Clean & Graphic silhouettes immediately jump to mind. So, I opted for a star shape, using the waste to create a popped up frame for the inner star. Viola!

Rules: 1.Create a clean and graphic holiday card, gift wrap, ornament, home decor item, or paper crafted gift. (I'm guessing they mean Christmas here) 2. Add you blog link here. Additonal 3. Upload to World Card Making Day.
Prize: 2 winning entries will be showcased on Moxie Fab World blog on Wednesday, September 9 and will receive the Merrymint collection from American Crafts
Deadline: Midnight MST on Monday, September 7

My Downloads

2009-08-27T17:30:00.000-07:00

Hello,
Here are the links to My 'Free' Digital Stamps, Brushes and Templates.
I decided to collect them here as my side bar is getting a bit full.
I hope you enjoy using them, and please remember they are for personal use only. Do not share, but encourage others to come and download for themselves. Comments are greatly appreciated.
Enjoy, CraftBelle

Tooth Fairy

Here is my Tooth Fairy I created for a Spoonflower fabric contest. See my original post here. I'm giving away the clipart image (without the blue outline). Enjoy.

Tooth Fairy Download JPG & PNG

Santa

Here is my take on the Old St Nick - round and jolly with a full beard. This was intended to be part of a set for squigglefly but I missed the cut off date for Christmas.
So I decided to give it away instead ;-)

See what I've done with it here and here

Santa Download PNG & JPG

Snowflake

Use these snowflakes as a key element or to make background papers (see my original post). The download includes 2 different snowflakes as transparent PNG's - one tinted baby blue the other a minty blue. Plus the orginal PNG's for all you Photoshop users to make your own brushes with.
Snowflake Download ( 236 KB).

Penguin Clipart

I'm giving away this Penguin clipart to celebrate my new set of illustrations 'Birds Of A Feather' over at Squigglefly. The Penguin is solo, with a soft blue halo. Click here to see more designs from the set.
Click here for the download (GIF 378 KB).

‘Gretyl’ Digital Stamp

I designed this image for a halloween challenge - and recieved my first competition win at 365 cards. You can orint and colour her or concert the png file inot a bruch for background images. See what I did with it at the original post here .Click here for download (JPG & PNG).

‘Hoover’ Digital Brush

I designed this brush for a Moxie Fab challenge. Use it as a graphic or a brush for making your onw digital background papers.
See what I did with it at the original post here.
Click here for download (PNG & ABR).

‘CD Cover’ Template

The CD Cover template is designed to print onto A4 paper. It is plain, leaving plenty of space and opportunity for personallising. Add a digital image, colourful stamp or just print onto whacky paper. See what I did with it at the original post here.

Click here for download (PDF 1045KB).

CPS #130 | Congratulations

2009-08-24T01:17:00.000-07:00

Hi, I thought my blog was looking a little monochrome (which is to be expected since I changed the colour way to black) - So I thought I would post this card I made for my Mum. It’s winging its way to England - I hope she likes it.

The button design is a free digital paper from Crafts On The Net. Cheers! I've mixed it up with some gorgeous shimmering chocolaty card from Kikki-K (Ozzie Store), white card and the back of a notebook (Brown/Grey looking card). It’s amazing what you can do with found objects! The flowers are cut from a DCWV glitter stack and popped up with foam pads. Plus a little pink ribbon.

Voila!

EDIT: How freaky! I've just had a look at the new CPS sketch #130 and it matches this very card I made just a few days ago. So, I'm linking up and keeping my fingers crossed for some JilliBean Soup stamps. It’s a great sketch/layout. I'll definitely be using this again.

CPS #129

2009-08-22T01:04:00.000-07:00

Hello,
Time for CPS Sketch #129. The sketch actually looks a lot like the card I created for the previous challenge CPS #128- which I had rotated. So, I thought I would rotate this one to mix is up a little bit - but in the end I opted for the landscape version. Its Father's day here in Australia soon. So, the three tabs lend themselves to the word DAD!

Here is my card.

I used DCWV papers again. I'm trying to use them up. The glitter stack looked so attractive when I first bought it but the papers are a little difficult to match up.
Let me know if anyone else has managed to create some nice cards with the papers...I never know what to do with them.

Okay. Enjoy!

CPS #128

2009-08-14T02:59:00.000-07:00

Hello,
Here is my first attempt at a CPS sketch #128.

Firstly I've rotated the sketch 90 degrees. Then I created these little quirky flowers using DCWV Glitter Stacks for the 3 individual elements. I tied the colours togehter with a free background paper from Cafts on the Net. And finished it all off with a bit of faux stitching and a faux frame heavily influenced from Kristina at Kwerner Designs. Thanks for the tip Kristina.

Okay. Enjoy!

First Post

2009-08-11T01:49:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

This is my very first blog post. Yeah!
After some very straight forward prompts from blogger I was able to set this page up in about 15 mins. Thanks Google.

I don't actually have anything to post yet - but I thought I would add some links to a few paper/crafting blogs that I have come across recently - see right. As mentioned in my brief (very) profile - I'm new to blogging and the online world of crafting. So, if you have any hints or great blogs that you want to pass on - please feel free to leave a comment below.