Spring Festival Fun

As my lord husband and I are still away exploring foreign lands, I have had to inscribe this journal entry and send it back via raven to the Guild Hall. Hopefully it makes it safety so that my fellow crafty travellers may read it. We have continued to explore the Peeled Paint Port, basking in the coastal sun. I do not miss the mounds of snow that I know are still covering the Guild Hall. We were invited today to celebrate the Spring Festival of Eggs in the village of Rabbotus. The furry inhabitants had a rousing egg hunt, dancing and singing, and games for the children. There was an egg painting competition which, given my crafty skills, I couldn’t help but enter.

This Easter card was created for the Just Some Lines reminder about our Bunnies & Chicks challenge that is happening right now. You can use the freebie provided, or your own Just Some Lines bunnies and chicks and enter to win some digis from the Just Some Lines shop.

I started this card by colouring the “Easter Bunny with a Basket” image using Distress Markers and my ever present Hydra brush. I cut the shape for the sentiment using the Art Philosophy cartridge, then stamped it with the coordinating stamp from Close to My Heart in green and added a sentiment from another Close to My Heart set. I also cut the pink corner pieces using the Art Philosophy cartridge and embossed them with my Cuttlebug. You obviously can’t tell in the picture, but the egg background paper is textured; the solid coloured eggs are made of fuzzy velvety material, earning me +193 fuzzatious exp points. To finish the front off, I added some fabric flowers I picked up at the Everything-For-One-Brass-Coin stand at the Market Square.

On the envelope I stamped some flowers using the same colour scheme as the card front to make everything all matchy-match.

This lil creation will hop on into the following challenges:

Chocolate Coffee & Cards Challenge #35: Bring On Spring!

Divas By Design - Use Metal (used metal brads)

Cute Card Thursday Challenge #262: Brass in Pocket (used metal brads)

4 Crafty Chicks Challenge #135: Easter

The Corrosive Challenge #171: Spring Fling

Simply Create Too Challenge #34: Animals

Brown Sugar Challenge #35: Flowers

Naturally I blew the bunnies away with my entry in the egg painting contest and ended up winning a hefty prize. We thanked the villagers of Rabbotus for their hospitality and promised to visit again soon. It was now time to start our journey back home to the Guild Hall. I miss my direwolf, Lycan, and can’t wait to snuffle his fuzzy face :)

~ Guild Master Crystal ~

Humabbits Hovel

My lord husband and I travelled many leagues and have been exploring the coastal Peeled Paint Port. We have been delighting in the local marine food and foreign customs. Today as we were exploring an abandoned castle we came across a strange people. They were some form of human-rabbit hybrid and were living in the tunnels and caverns below the crumbling ruins. They didn’t speak the common tongue, but were able to use hand gestures to invite us to their hovel beneath the ground. It was a lot more colourful than I would have guessed.

This card was created for the Bunnies & Chicks challenge happening at Just Some Lines. Come and play - there's a freebie provided - and you can win some digis from the Just Some Lines store!

I started this crazy colourful Easter card by making the background. I used watercolour paper and sprayed it generously with water then gave it some shots of Dylusions spray ink. After that was done, I coloured the “Emo Little Boy Easter Egg Peeker” using Prismacolors. I added a generous amount of Glossy Accents to the egg and couldn’t resist adding some googley eyes. :) This earned me +291 anthropomorphization exp points. I stamped the doodley arrow using the Dylusions “Doodle Parts” set. The sentiment I created using a couple Lawn Fawn sets and the My Pink Stamper “Font-abulous” set. Some pink ribbon finished off the front of this card.

On the inside I simply stamped the bunny from the Lawn Fawn “My Silly Valentine” set and left it at that.

This is where I would normally list the challenges I would be entering, but, alas, as I am away, across the great Pearlescent Sea, that is not a possibility. Instead we'll get back to adventuring... 

The caverns had been decorated with bright paints and the massive boulders and rocks had been coloured to look like Spring Festival eggs. How odd. The strange humabbits, as my lord husband and I started calling them, gave us some carrots in a basket before sending us on our way. The last thing I expected on our trip to the Peeled Paint Port was to come across a new humanoid species!

~ Guild Master Crystal ~

A Warlock Called "The Kid"

It took two months of searching, tracking and meticulous research, but we finally managed to track down the dark magic wielding painter that had been trapping poor souls in his graffiti. It turns out he is a warlock who calls himself The Kid because of his youthful appearance. Warlocks age differently than humans, and after some careful research we were able to pin this one around the 200 year old mark - still young for a warlock. Guild Apprentice Lindsay was able to ascertain his location in the vagrant town of Whitehall. We then used Guild Mercenary Kimmy’s seedy underground contacts to find the warlock’s exact hideout within Whitehall. The Guardian of Glitter brewed us all some strength and defence tonics while we donned our armour and sharpened our blades.

This card was created for the Creative Card Crew’s Masculine challenge. You can win a $15 voucher from our sponsor, Scrapping Center, who sell a multitude of crafty items, like the Prismacolor Pencils I used to colour my image from The Octopode Factory. After he was done, I set him in a safe place and began work on the background. I chose some brick wall patterned paper, then used the Dylusions “Letter Jumble” stencil and a couple shots of spray ink to make it look like a graffiti ridden wall. This earned me +492 hooliganism exp points, which I’m sure I’ll put to good use. I cut the garbage can out using the Give a Hoot cartridge and crumpled up some bits of dictionary paper I had leftover in my recycle bin from this card. The sentiment I stamped from the Dylusions “Say It How It Is” set. 

On the inside I stamped the sentiment using the Dylusions “Say What You Mean” set and the My Pink Stamper “Family and Friends” set. I embossed the sides with my Cuttlebug, then added a leftover scrap of the brick wall paper.

I stamped the envelope using the Dylusions “Further Around the Edge” set, because nothing is worse than a plain, sad white envelope.

This card will also be getting up to some shenanigans in the following challenges:  
Cute Card Thursday Challenge #260: Anything Goes
Love to Create Challenge #57: Anything Goes
One Crazy Stamper March “Anything Goes” Challenge
Challenges 4 Everybody Challenge #16: Anything Goes
Spark Your Creativity Now! Challenge #7: Anything Goes
The Octopode Friday Challenge “Going Green” (if his shirt isn’t enough green, feel free to delete my entry)

All five of us set out to Whitehall, the tonics running through our veins. We found The Kid in an alley outside his hideout with his fingers sparking, indicating he had just performed some magic. Guild Apprentice Lindsay, Mercenary Kimmy and I took position up in the rooftops whilst the Lady Commander of Copics and Guardian of Glitter blocked the alley entrance. The Lady Commander sounded her battlehorn and from the rooftops we loosed a shower of arrows down on the warlock. One managed to strike him, infusing his blood with a special sedative the Guardian of Glitter had developed. The Kid collapsed to the ground, the potion working quickly. With no time to waste, we loaded him into wagon that was attached to Ruffles and rode back to the Guild Hall. There, we would be able to restrain him properly and force him to release all the people he had trapped in his fence graffiti earlier this year.

~ Guild Master Crystal ~

Scruffy's Plight

Today we were visited by an elf named Scruffy who had fled from King Ruston’s court. He came to the Crafters Guild seeking asylum, as the King’s men were now hunting the little guy down for escaping. I asked Scruffy why he had fled the court and he explained he was tired of being laughed at for the royal courtiers' amusement. He wanted to do something with more meaning. When he heard about a clan of elves living in the north who constructed toys for the Winter Festival, he thought he could join them and do something constructive...literally.

I started this card by stamping “Scruffy” by Make it Crafty and colouring him with Prismacolors. I added some glossy accents to the bells on his hat (which you can see a lot better if you click the picture and make it big) and set that aside to dry. I dug aaaaaaaaall the way to the bottom of my paper stash to find that super glittery paper that I bought on sale three years ago, and used it for the background. I stamped the banner using the Lawn Fawn “Bannerific” set and then stamped the sentiment inside using the My Pink Stamper “Christmas Wishes” set. I cut the ornament out using the Winter Frolic cartridge and embossed it with some snowflakes using my Cuttlebug.

On the inside I stamped the sentiment using a cheap Recollections brand set. The baubles I stamped using the Dylusions “Christmas Borders” set and coloured them in using Distress Markers. 

I stamped some more baubles on the envelope to match the outside of the card, earning me +382 coordination exp points.

This glittery Christmas card will sparkle in the following challenges:

Penny’s Challenge #118: Ribbon and Die Cuts

Cute Card Thursday Challenge #260: Anything Goes

Christmas Stampin’ All Year Long Challenge #7: Sparkle & Shine

CHNC Challenge #116: Merry and Bright (I used lots of bright colours for this card!)

Speedy Fox and Friends Challenge #151: Green

Pile It On Challenge #11: Circles and/or Squares

Love to Create Challenge #57: Anything Goes

My Craft Spot Monday Challenge #91: Embossing or Glossy Accents (I did both:))

Milk Coffee Go Green Challenge

Challenges 4 Everybody #16: Anything Goes

The Octopode Factory Friday Challenge: Going Green

Spark Your Creativity Now! Challenge #7: Anything Goes

CHNC Challenge Extra for March

Christmas Cards All Year ‘Round March Challenge: Sparkle & Bling

Love To Scrap Challenge #2: Emboss It!

I told Scruffy the Lady Commander of Copics and I would help smuggle him to the northern region, where the toy making elves resided, as I sympathized with his plight. King Ruston’s court was known to be a cruel one, and I wasn’t going to send the poor guy back. We donned our winter furs, packed the sleds, attached them to the direwolves, and set out over the snowy tundra to set poor Scruffy free.

~ Guild Master Crystal ~

A Springy Facade

As snow continues to fall over the realm, despite spring being a mere three days away, people have grown increasingly frustrated. This tends to happen this time of year. It is rather disheartening to watch a foot of snow fall when just two weeks ago the lanes were beginning to melt and dry up. To temper my own displeasure with the weather I decided to retreat to the crafting chambers and make something cheery that reminded me of spring.

I created this shaped card using the Birthday Bash cartridge. I embossed the brown piece with my Cuttlebug and a Tim Holtz embossing folder. The sunflowers I cut using the “Just Because” Cards cartridge. I cut out “mom” using the Rock Princess cartridge and then embossed that as well, earning me +381 texturization exp points. I added some Adage tickets and a piece of yellow ribbon tied in a bow to complete the front.

On the inside I stamped the sentiment using the My Pink Stamper “Birthday Crazy” set. I added a butterfly from the 7 Gypsies “Steampunk” set and that other random shape from a nameless cheapo clear set I have kicking around the crafting chambers.

This card will “spring” into the following challenges:
Pile It On Challenge #11: Circles and/or Squares
Creative Craft Challenges2 #5: Mother’s Day
Penny’s Challenge #118: Ribbons and Diecuts
Cute Card Thursday Challenge #260: Anything Goes
Dream Valley Challenge #52: Mother’s Day
Challenges 4 Everybody #16: Anything Goes
Spark Your Creativity Now Challenge #7: Anything Goes
My Creative Moments Wordplay Saturday Challenge - “springtime”

Although Mother’s Day is still two months away, it did lift my spirits to create a springtime card and pretend that outside there was green grass and flowers blossoming rather than the frozen, white wasteland that awaits me. Siiiiiiiiigh...

~ Guild Master Crystal ~

A Fair-ly Fae Warning

Today I was busy packing our travel trunks for our trip to the Peeled Paint Port. Alone in my sleeping chambers, I crammed various cloaks and furs into the trunk, never sure exactly what to bring on a long journey.  I was deciding between my Boots of Speed and Sandals of Sneaking when I heard some soft whistling. Curious, I put down the footwear and listened for the sound again. It was very quiet, but seemed to be coming from a plant in the corner of the room. I peered closer and saw a tiny fairy sitting on a branch, her back to me. “Although your journey may be for pleasure, beware the boar who bears the feather,” she softly sang, whistling the same unfamiliar tune again.

This card was created for the Just Some Lines reminder about our Fairies Challenge going on right now. You can use the freebie provided or your own Just Some Lines fairies and enter here!

I started by printing off the “Fairy Keisha Watching n Waiting” Just Some Lines image and watercolouring her using Distress Markers and my fabled Hydra Brush of +38 wetness. I used the Lawn Fawn “Say Cheese” set to stamp the polaroid and put my little fairy inside the picture. The sentiment is from Inkadinkado. Some clear buttons and pink crinkley ribbon finished off the front. 

On the inside I used the same paper as the front and stamped the sentiment using the Lawn Fawn “You’ve Got Mail Set”. This could be used as a sympathy card or even a birthday card, or miss you card. Although versatile, it now leaves the difficult task as to where to file it in my card storage box.

The envelope I stamped with the Inkadinkado “Flower Flourishes” set.

This fairy will flutter into the following challenges:
Incy Wincy Designs: Things That Begin With “F” (fairy)
Paper Playtime Challenge #5: Anything Goes
Crafts and Me Challenge #124: Ribbons and Lace
Divas By Design: Put On Some Pink
Cute Card Thursday Challenge #260: Anything Goes
CTV Stamps DT Challenge #26: It’s So You (pink is my favourite colour)
Spark Your Creativity Now! Challenge #7: Anything Goes

At hearing the fae’s words, my heart jumped in my chest. One of the stops we had planned while visiting the Peeled Paint Port was to see Chevron - an old mage who breeds boars as familiars for adventurers. The fairy turned her head slightly in my direction without moving her body. “Heed my words, Master of Paper Creation, or you will find yourself in a terrible situation.” And without another word, the little fae creature disappeared leaving only a tiny shower of glitter behind.

~ Guild Master Crystal ~

Maxwell Travels the World

Welcome to the Guild Hall. It’s been a quiet month on the crafty quest front as my lord husband and I prepare for our trip across the Pearlescent Sea to visit the Peeled Paint Port. In amongst all the packing and preparations I did manage to sort through the post. I was surprised to see a postcard from Maxwell, the winner of the Moonstar Mice Winter Games. It seems he has taken his winnings from the games and has been travelling the world with little more than a travelsack and his lust for adventure. 

I created this CAS card by stamping the “Maxwell” image by Kraftin’ Kimmie (newly mounted with EZmount) and colouring him with Prismacolors. I then cut a simple banner shape and stamped the sentiment using the Lawn Fawn “Harold’s ABCs” set. A little brad and some cord finished off the front earning me +292 white space exp points. This is really an odd feeling...seeing all that blank space...

On the inside I stamped the sentiment using the My Pink Stamper “Birthday Crazy” set. Because it doesn’t actually say “birthday” anywhere on the card, I have the option of using it for something like Father’s Day as well. The grass and mushrooms I stamped using the Lawn Fawn “Gnome Sweet Gnome” set. 

I stamped some mushrooms on the envelope using the Dylusions “Doodle Parts” set. I love mushrooms. They are cute as well as delicious!

Maxwell shall be travelling over to the following challenges:
Kraftin Kimmie Stamps Challenge #169: Clean and Simple
Pause Dream Enjoy Challenge #5: For the Boys
Pile It On Challenge #10: Oh Yummy!
Incy Wincy Designs: Things That Begin With “F” (flame)
Paper Playtime Challenge #5: Anything Goes
Cute Card Thursday Challenge #260: Anything Goes
Penny Black and More Allsorts March Challenge: One for the Boys
4 Crafty Chicks Challenge #133: Clean & Simple
Spark Your Creativity Now! Challenge #7: Anything Goes

I wrote Maxwell back and once again invited him to the Guild Hall if he was in this part of the realm. I myself will not be present, but I’m certain the Lady Commander of Copics will more than welcome the company as the void my absence leaves grows exponentially the longer I am away.

~ Guild Master Crystal ~

An Itty-Bitty Celebration

Today the Lady Commander of Copics and I were invited to attend a nameday celebration at the Village of Tiny Bears. A few span ago we had defended their village from an attack by the Needle-Nosed Naggi who were intent on ripping apart the little bears stitch by stitch. As a thank you for rescuing their clan, the village has made the Lady Commander and I honoured guests at this celebration. Incy, the tiniest bear of the clan, was celebrating his 20th trip around the sun today. There were mini cakes and teensy tarts with small sodas and bitsy beers to drink. 

I started this little card by colouring the Birdie Brown image with Prismacolors. I then cut out the card base using the Art Philosophy cartridge. I wanted this to be a ‘lil card, so I cut it at 3.75”. The sentiment I stamped using the Lawn Fawn “Sophie’s Sentiments” set, adding some brads on the sides. I embossed the circle behind the bear for some visual interest and texture, earning me +80 bumpy exp points. I inked the edges of all the pieces and added a ‘lil bow to finish off the front.

On the inside I inked the edges of the panel and stamped the sentiment using the Lawn Fawn “Check This Out” set.

I cut the envelope at 4” using the Art Philosophy cartridge. The only thing I hate about cutting the envelopes from that cartridge is it makes these little scores lines and if you don’t fold it juuuuuust right they tend to rip (as you can see in the bottom right corner). I stamped the envelope using the Dylusions “Further Around the Edge” set.

This tincy-wincy card will wiggle into the following challenges:
Birdie Brown 2nd Birthday Challenge #1
Pile It On Challenge #9: Happy Birthday
Love To Create Challenge #55: Pick 2 Items to Use on Your Card (ribbon & sentiment)
Crafty Cardz Challenge #126: “Make A Wish!”
Little Scrap Pieces Fun Friday Birthday Challenge
Speedy Fox and Friends Challenge #150: Shaped Cards
Paper Playtime Challenge #5: Anything Goes
One Crazy Stamper March “Anything Goes” Challenge
Spark Your Creativity Now! Challenge #7: Anything Goes
Desert Islands Crafters Challenge #49 - used #3 (fluffy animals), #6 (ribbon and bows), #8 (a shaped card), #10 (brads or eyelets)

The itty-bitty celebration was an enjoyable event, even if the Lady Commander and I did tower over the Tiny Bears like giants. Despite her clumsy nature, the Lady Commander only managed to break one incy-wincy stool. I had expected a lot worse.

~ Guild Master Crystal ~