Keep Calm and Game On

Today we were paid a visit from the odd plumber the Lady Commander of Copics and I met a couple years ago on our vacation to the Mushroom Kingdom. Predictably, the useless princess got herself captured again by the giant lizard and the plumber thought that he had taken her to our neck of the woods. I assured him that I had spotted no such lizard roaming our lands, and invited him in to join us playing some video games, hoping it would relax him.

I started this card by stamping the Magnolia “Game On Edwin” image and colouring him with Prismacolor pencils. I decided he needed an extra life, so I stamped a little mushroom from the Lawn Fawn “Gnome Sweet Gnome” set and coloured it green, gluing it in Edwin’s hand. I then cut the card base using the Wrap It Up cartridge and the sentiment using the Robotz cartridge. 

The red buttons on the base were blobbed with Glossy Accents and the d-pad was popped up with pop dots, earning me +88 dimensional XP points.

On the inside I stamped the top sentiment using the Lawn Fawn “Harold’s ABCs” set and the bottom one with a Close to My Heart set.

I then made this little gift card holder using the Wrap It Up cartridge. Before I folded and glued it, I stamped the cardstock using the numbers from the Tim Holtz “Reflections” set.

This card will play in the following challenges:

Brown Sugar Challenge #96: Birthday

The Corrosive Challenge #200: Anything Goes

Crafting For All Seasons Challenge #78: Boys Will Be Boys

Craftitude Challenge #66: Anything Goes/Pop It Up

Die Cuttin’ Divas Challenge #167: For the Boys

Divas By Design: Anything Goes

Jo’s Scrap Shack FFC #52: Birthday

Love to Scrap Challenge #30: Anything Goes

One Stitch at a Time Challenge #214: Anything Goes

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes

Simply Create Too Challenge #62: For a Male

The weird plumber was oddly good at Mario Kart and Mario Party, easily beating my sister and I. After playing a few rounds he seemed more relaxed and set out once again to find the missing princess. I'm certain that when he thinks he has finally located her, it will be revealed that she is actually in another castle. Just a hunch...

~ Guild Master Crystal ~

Academic Achievements Acknowledged

Greetings traveller. With May now upon us, many of the students of the various universities and institutions across the realm are graduating. Today I received a raven from one such lass, imploring the Crafters Guild's to help with a special crafty quest. She needed a dozen invites for a graduation feast she was planning for her fellow students at the Builder's University in the western hills. Quest accepted.

This card set was made for a special order from one of my workmates at the horse and carriage repair shop. She was graduating from University this year and was throwing a party for her class. I started by cutting all the grad hats using the Wrap It Up cartridge and adding some glitter to their tassels. Next I cut all the “2014” numbers using the Car Decals cartridge.

This one was embossed using my Cuttlebug and a polka dot folder. The sentiment was stamped using the CAS-Ual Friday “Exclamations” set.

This one’s sentiment was stamped using a Close to My Heart set.

This one was also stamped using the same Close to My Heart set.

This last one was embossed using the swiss dots folder and the sentiment was stamped using the Lawn Fawn “Sophie’s Sentiments” set.

The inside I printed out the words on my computer (don’t mind that black smudge, I was “erasing” the location info in iPhoto and it made a black smudge where some of the words were) and then stamped some stars using the Lawn Fawn “Critters Ever After” set.

The envelopes were all stamped with stars from the Lawn Fawn set to make ‘em all matchy-match and also earned me +888 starry XP points.

This card will graduate into the following challenges:

ABC Challenges: K is for Keep It Simple

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge #131: Three Thirds (used 3 stars)

The Corrosive Challenge #198: Headgear

Jo’s Scrap Shack FFC#48: Anything Goes

My Craft Spot Monday Challenge #135: Black & White Plus One Colour

One Stitch At a Time Challenge #210: Anything Goes

Pile It On Challenge #17: Rubber Stamping

Sentimental Sundays Challenge #204: Clean and Simple

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Say Anything Goes

Top Tip Tuesday Challenge: Numbers

I was able to complete the crafty quest and, along with a stack of gold coins, I also earned myself some bonus XP points for swiftness, which will surely come in handy. I carefully packed the invites and sent them by owl to the lass.

~ Guild Master Crystal ~

A Very Guildy Wedding

After numerous combat rolls, sneak checks, magic spell attacks and defence rolls, it was time to put the dice aside and celebrate the joining of Guild Apprentice Lindsay and her partner, High Scholar Brendan. Don’t think us guildys naively attended the celebration without some weapons and potions. You can never be too prepared, especially in these parts.

I made this wedding card for our friends who are also our board game playing buddies. We have burned the candles down and spent many a long night playing various games with them, so it only seemed appropriate to incorporate that into their wedding card. The dice were suuuuuper annoying to make. I cut out the “wooden block” image using the Wrap It Up cartridge and had to modify it so you couldn’t see the letter on the block. I don’t have a Gypsy, so this meant hand cutting some panels to cover up the “a” on the face. I then just cut some black circles for the pips on the dice. The top hat and bow I cut using the Create-a-Critter 2 cartridge. The bouquet came from the Freshly Picked cartridge. I made a veil using a scrap of orange ribbon that I removed from an old knick-knack I no longer had any use for and some tuel? (Is that what that white stuff is called? I don’t even know - lol. A friend just gave me a bundle of the stuff). Some googely eyes (different sized of course) finished off these dice people.

I embossed the background paper using my Cuttlebug and a folder that I think is actually dominos. I thought with the dice bride and groom though, they looked close enough to being dice. I stamped the banner using the Lawn Fawn “Bannerific” set and cut it out. The sentiment inside the banner was from the Lawn Fawn “Sophie’s Sentiments” set. Some brads finished off the front of this card.

On the inside I printed off this sentiment (that came from the depths of my brain) using my computer then stamped the corners using the Inkadinkado “Decorative Corners” set. 

I used the same stamp on the corners of the envelope to make it all matchy-match.

I kept the colour scheme to pink and orange since those were their wedding colours. I know this picture is blurry, but I wanted to show you the colours in her actual bouquet.

And here is the head table done up in all its pink and orange glory.

The Crafters Guild even got a special shout out when the bride and groom were doing their “thank you speech” for helping make the decorations for their car! (He literally said "thank you to the Crafters Guild for their help with decorating the car - heehee).

Here we all are at the wedding! From left the right, Guardian of Glitter, Lady Commander of Copics and me, Guild Master Crystal :)

This dicey wedding card will roll into the following challenges:

The Cheerful Stamp Pad Challenge #67: Your Choice

Tammy’s Scrapin Corner Challenge #77: Anything Goes

Top Tip Tuesday Challenge #108: Initials (CT - “Cricut & Cuttlebug” & “Tophat”)

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes

Brown Sugar Challenge #57: Wedding

Little Scrap Pieces Fun Friday Linky Party

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Dotty

Penny’s Paper Crafty Challenge #142: used ribbon, brads and gem

Cuttlebug Mania: Die Cuts

Delicious Doodles Challenge #51: Anything Floral

Love to Scrap! Challenge #12: Bingo (if the banner and sentiment are not enough stamping, please feel free to delete my entry)

Fairy Tale Challenge #75: Recipe - something round (brads and googley eyes), something old (that scrap of orange ribbon used to be tied around the neck of an oooooooold nick-nack I’ve had since I was a kid), one gemstone (on the bow tie)

Surprisingly, the wedding went down without a demon invasion or dark wizard attack. I think it must be a first. We wished the newlyweds well on their new quest together and headed back to the Guild Hall to prepare for our next crafty quest.

~ Guild Master Crystal ~

Spoils of the Guild Raid

Yesterday was the Crafters Guild Raid. The entire Guild was present, including Guild Apprentice Lindsay, and we all came away from the raid with numerous spoils. Guild Apprentice Lindsay managed to find an enchanted Book of Memories which she will be able to use to hold spells she learns during her apprenticeship. She also found a Stamp of Remembering which adds +23 points to her mana total. The Lady Commander of Copics surprisingly didn't come away with any new Copic weapons. Instead she felled a great dragon and stole an ancient tome full of pictures depicting life from thousands of years ago. Part of her spoils for killing the dragon also included a Bamboo Shield with a +68 defense bonus and a Stamp of Ancient Etching. The Guardian of Glitter made away with some Stamps of Holiday Cheer giving her +593 Christmas cheer exp points. She also destroyed a grumpkin for some Sticks of Rainbow Colour that have +50 mana. But enough of our triumphs. Let us proceed to today's craft.

I used the Dylusions stencil "Luscious Leaves" to ink the rectangle pattern using the spring Distress Inks. This earned me +109 rainbow exp points. I also used Distress Inks to colour the edge of the card pinky-purple. The candles were cut from the Wrap It Up cartridge. The black swirly-dos were stamped using Inkadinkado's "Classic Flourish Filidee" stamp. The sentiment was from My Pink Stamper's Birthday Crazy set.

The inside piece was embossed and inked using the spring Distress Inks. I stamped the sentiment from Birthday Crazy on vellum. The corners were stamped with a stamp from Inkadinkado's "Decorative Corners" set.

Made a matching envelope using the Luscious Leaves stencil and spring Distress Ink colours.

This colourful birthday card will be entered into the following challenges:
Emergency Crafters Challenge: Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Simply Create Too Challenge #22: Anything Goes
Try it on Tuesday: Anything Goes September Challenge
Shopping Our Stash Challenge #68: 3, 2, 1 (3 pearls, 2 candles, 1 ribbon)

The guildys had a great time at the raid and look forward to next year when we can score some more crafty spoils to add to the armoury.

~ Guild Master Crystal ~

Damsel in Distress...Ink?

Today I undertook a quest to help the needy. It was a true crafter's quest. Last night we were awoken by a loud banging on the Guild Hall's enormous wooden door. I lit a torch, donned a robe and crept downstairs to see who would be foolish enough to call on us at such an hour. When I opened the door, a young lass, drenched from the pouring rain, stood  before me. She begged me for the assistance of the Crafters Guild. Having travelled a fortnight to reach us, I found it hard to refuse. Also, I was so close to leveling up, I could use the experience from a new crafting quest.

The young woman was in desperate need of an anniversary card for her beloved, as they were celebrating the first year of their union.  

The card base was cut using Just Because Cards. The champagne glass I cut from Stretch Your Imagination. The phrase "one year" was cut using Wrap It Up. It actually cuts out the phrase "one year older" and a candle, but I cut off the "older" part and saved it and the candle in my "bits box" for another project, earning +15 exp in "hoarding". The random shape the "one year" was glued on was already in my "bits box", left over from another crafting quest, and I honestly can't remember which cartridge it came from. The inside phrase was stamped using my Lawn Fawn set "Sophie's Sentiments".

I then cut out an envelope from Just Because Cards to make it a "fancy" envelope and inked all the white edges using Tim Holtz Distressed Ink "Old Paper" (probably my most used colour).

 

This project, which earned me a +76 combo bonus for using three different cartridges, will be entered into the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge #121 - Wedding Bliss. 

It feels good to make something that helps out someone in a crafting crisis. It also doesn't hurt that the young woman left a sack of gold in exchange for the Crafters Guild's assistance...hey....these bills don't pay themselves.

~Guild Master Crystal ~