Di Hickman: July 2009

Card Sketch July #5

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Last sketch of July today!

I have totally been on a digi card kick lately, sometimes you just go through phases y'know? Apparently this is a digi card phase for me right now. Have to say that during the scraproom cleaning doing digital and just printing them off is so rewarding! No muss no fuss, and should I need more cards I can just print print print :)

"Just wanted to say Hi!" card by Di Hickman
Supplies: Glitz Cardmaker CD

"Hello" card by Chrys Rose
Supplies: Cosmo Cricket paper; Studio Calico paper; fabric; Boxer Scrapbook buttons; Scenic Route chipboard

"Get Happy" card by Jan Tatomir
Supplies: Cardstock: Bazzill; Paper: Scenic Route; Flower: American Crafts; Chip Pieces: K&Co; Buttons: stash; Other: machine stitching

"Smile" card by Linda Flinders

"Enjoy" card by Jackie Price
Supplies: October Afternoon – Cherry Hill

"on your engagement" card by Louise Connell
Supplies: Cardstock ~ Bazzill; Papers, flower ~ Doodlebug; Stamp ~ Stamps Away; Chipboard heart – from stash

"Livestrong" card by Pearl Liu
Supplies: Graphic 45 Communique pps, GCD studio pp, Gold distressed stickles, 7 Gypsies gaffer tape, Carolee's Creation mini alphas.

"Let it snow" card by Celeste Brodnik
Supplies: Pattern Paper: Pebbles Inc.; Chipboard: Making Memories; Crackle Paint: Ranger Indsustries; Krylon Silver Pen

Di

more cards!

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Yep more digi cards. I am LOVING the Glitz cardmaking CD, seriously, much love! These cards are based on a card sketch from earlier this month. Just whipped up in photoshop and voila! You can't really tell from the pic, but I double printed the white flower sentiment panel and then attached it to the cards with pop-dots. Just gives it a more 3D look in person :)

Right now I am sorting through all my cards stash. Sorting out cards for my friends community project, cards for heroes, then getting ready for sorting out cards for family birthdays, anniversaries etc. Good to get ahead on these things!

Di

Feel better soon!

Monday, July 27, 2009

Another card made using my card templates. I'm really enjoying using these for printing off cards. I think this is from May, I really need to get these packaged up and into my digital store! I said yesterday that the great thing about digital cards is you can just change the text and print the card off over and over again, and that is so true! I originally started this card with "Get well soon" but the text just looked a bit blocky in the circle, so I switched it out to Feel Better soon and it changed the overall look of the card completely!

Another card made using the Glitz designs CD. I swear I don't mean to be on a digi card kick but it sure is easier to make these when you are clearing out your craftroom!!!

Di

Thinking of you!

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Yesterday I was working in my craftroom and doing 15 minutes stints of purging/organizing along with 15 mins of crafting. Decided that digital was the way to go so I wasn't creating more mess, lol! Anyway I decided to revisit some older digital cards I'd done with my templates and just change up the text. This to me is one of the GREAT things about digital cards. That and you can print them over and over!

I think this one features a kit from Kelly MacDonald, but it was a while ago so don't quote me on that. Another one just printed as a flattened jpg and mounted on a cardbase, then put in the pile for my friends children hospital project :) Hoping to get some more done for her by the deadline and maybe sort through some of my old cards and see if any of those would be ok for kids. Mostly though this gives me a chance to make some fun kids cards for her so I am looking forward to that!

Di

Project for July - extended

Saturday, July 25, 2009

When I decided to take on the project of tackling the craftroom for July I really didn't think it would be that big of a project. However, it really is. Compounding this is the fact that midway through the month I decided to clear out my wardrobe and store all the items that need altering (side effect of losing 25lbs!) in here. I say it's time to get ruthless! Already this month we've given away a few items which has kick started my donating 101 things for my 101 in 1001 project. So far this month we've given away:

dining table
box of Scrapbook goodies
satin gift bags
birdhouses
bag of packing peanuts/pillows
big bag of craft magazines
paperback books

I still have a big box of scrapbook goodies to give away which I hope to put on freecycle this weekend. And another pile of stuff to giveaway started.

So in a nutshell this will be an August project too! Cos it's only a week away and I seriously doubt I will get things sorted in here in a week, especially considering with the clothes in here it now looks worse than it did earlier in the month! lol! I am going to tackle it Flylady style though this weekend. 15 minutes increments and with trash/keep/donate piles. I just need to sort out some boxes for the donated stuff and then get it OUTTA HERE! Maybe then I can move around in here again.

Going in for a sort out session, doing 4x15 minutes sessions then off for a swim! Hope everyone is enjoying the weekend and has fun things planned!

Di

Recipe: Tofu Masala (Vegan)

Thursday, July 23, 2009

I'm not a great cook, I freely admit that, but the last couple of years I've really tried to make an effort and force myself to learn. This was sparked by our Indian friends teaching me how to make our favorite curries, I learned the basics and have been on my own since (they moved to Irvine darn them!). Our favorite Indian dishes include: Aloo matar, aloo gobi, dahl, channa masala, shahi paneer, malai kofta and many more. We REALLY love indian food!!! When our friend Srikanths brother was visiting he made us butter paneer masala, which I quickly adapted using tofu instead of paneer, then went further adapting and changing and morphing it into something of my own. I make a mean curry which we called "Di paneer" and then that lead to me veganizing that into "Tofu Masala", which is what I'll share today :)

Tofu Masala serves 4-5

Ingredients:

Spray oil or 1 tablespoon oil
1 onion
1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon Indian chili powder (or to taste)
2 teaspoons Turmeric
1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala
6oz Tin of Tomato Sauce
1/2 cup Cashew nuts (soak for 1 hour in soymilk below)
1 cup Soy Milk (or other non dairy milk)
8oz Mushrooms
Tofu (block)
Peas (tinned or frozen)

Instructions Heat pan and spray with oil, in a food processor blend the onion and ginger garlic paste into smooth paste and add to pan, add Cumin powder and cook for approx 5-8 mins. When onions are cooked and chili powder, turmeric and garam masala mixing thoroughly. Add tomatoes, mix well and allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes. Meanwhile take the cashews soaked in milk and blend into a smooth "shake" in a food processor. Chop tofu and mushrooms into chunks and add to pan, add peas to pan then blend in cashew 'shake' mixture. Mix well, add additional milk/water if necessary. Cook for 5-10 minutes.

I serve ours with basmati/pilau rice and with naan or roti. If you find that it's too spicy (not possible for us lol) then add more some fat, this really increase sthe calories: add a knob or two of vegan margarine and cook for a further couple of minutes. This is why raita is served at Indian restaurants, the yogurt helps subdue the spices, that's also why creamy curries are milder so we always ask for ours spicy :)

Nutrition info:
Obviously this will change depending on the tofu you buy (I get the high protein tofu at trader joes) and the milk used, but a rough guide for the Tofu Masala: 270 Calories; 14g Fat; 20g carbs; 4g Fiber; 20g Protein

Enjoy!

Di

Card Sketch July #4

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

This weeks sketch is one I think I will come back to again and again. Simple design with some optional layering on the focal embellishment, room for sentiment/quote and the texture of stitching. I love the color blocked sketches though so that could be why also! As always the digital template is available in my digital store at Di Hickman Designs, check it out and snag it quick before it's gone! Available for limited time only!!!

I knew as soon as I did the template for this sketch that I wanted to go digital-hybrid with this weeks card. I fired up photoshop and made a flattened jpg of the card printed two out and just called it done! Super easy and I think they look great :) Love digital for making quick and easy cards!

"Make a wish" hybrid card by Di Hickman
Supplies: Glitz cardmaking CD; Georgia Pacific Cardstock;

"Happy Father's Day" card by Jackie Price
Supplies: Misc Scraps, My Little Shoebox Alpha’s

"Sweet" card by Pearl Liu
Supplies: Prima Fleur Daqnseur - Basque ; BG Lemonade pps & cardstock sticker , Webster's Pages trim, Glimmer Mist - English Ivy

"Good times, good friends" card by Chrys Rose
Supplies: Autumn Leaves paper and chipboard, Boxer Scrapbook rick rack, Melissa Frances rub on, Ranger paint, Tim Holtz grungeboard

"I heart U" card by Annette Taylor
Supplies: Patterned Paper - My Mind's Eye, Stamp - Studio G, Rub Ons - Art Warehouse, Letter Stickers - Doodlebug

"New Baby" card by Liz Davidson
Supplies: gingham paper and Buttons print from a cd rom from crafters companion. a stray blossom and button. Zig marker for the doodles and letter stamps from studio G

"Forever Friends" card by Jan Tatomir
Supplies: Cardstock: Bazzill; Paper: My Mind's Eye; Chip Sticker: K&Company; Letters: Basic Grey; Butterflies: Chatterbox; Other: machine stitching, paper piercer

"Birthday Treat" card by Linda Flinders

"Happy Birthday" card by Jo Willis
Supplies: American Crafts cardstock, DCWV paper, KI Memories paper, BG chipboard, Maya Rd chipboard, ribbon, Stickles, K&Co sentiment sticker, white Signo pen and pens.

"Happy Birthday" card by Louise Connell
Supplies: Papers, chipboard ~ Basic Grey Ambrosia; Stamp ~ Cuddly Buddly

Di

Make a wish

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Just making my card for next weeks sketch and I went hybrid again and whilst I was printing off papers I decided to use up the paper and print some extra's so I whipped up a couple of cards using July #2 sketch.

Supplies: Glitz card CD; DCWV paper; Misc ribbon & Buttons;

I am LOVING the digital collections by Glitz. I have two of their CDs, one scrapbooking and another for cards and I totally LOVE both. Especially the cards, cos they are just so quick and easy to make! I whipped these up in photoshop with my templates in about 5 minutes, 1 minute to print off, then fold and done.

The card on the left I just printed the pink panel and mounted onto cardstock. Super quick and easy, and totally a great idea if you have some paper with no matching cardstock/supplies. Just pick the colors and print out a panel with the sentiment and stamp! Made to match embellishments!

I'm busy going through supplies here at Hickman HQ. Already given some items away on Freecycle but I've got another box of Scrapbook paper to go and another piling up. The cards I am working on lately are for a friend. Her sons community project is collecting/making handmade cards for the local childrens hospital so you know I am all over that and helping them out!

Off to go swim in the pool :)

Di

Ack what a weekend!!!

Monday, July 20, 2009

Did ya miss me? Yeah I didn't mean to disappear on ya unfortunately the temperatures here soared over the weekend and we were over 100 degrees Friday, Saturday and Sunday.... Oh and did I mention our air conditioning broke? Ha! Gotta laugh eh? Anyway this meant that doing stuff inside just was NOT on the agenda, I did get some stuff done early Saturday but pretty much from lunch onwards this was my destination:

Definitely cools you down in the heat for sure!!! Never been so glad to have the darn pool I tell ya! Of course this meant that the concrete was HOT HOT HOT and the dogs were out "patrolling". Last year whilst walking the dogs I noticed that a neighbor up the street was giving away this paddling pool/sandpit for free. Knowing that our doggy pool was broken (plastic doesn't last long in the sun here) we took it home and finally got around to using it this weekend! Placed it under the shade of the patio cover and filled it up.

Now first I should mention that River is NOT a water dog, she hates baths, hates the hose pipe, hates US swimming, and will not walk in the rain or in sprinklers so she pretty much disappeared inside and never came out again, lol. Sky however is another story, though she doesn't like the pool she loves to paddle and after I got her OUT the paddling pool long enough to fill it up turned around to turn the hose off and she was already standing in the paddling pool!

Sky isn't daft she knows how to cool down. It only has about 4" of water in it but it kept her happy all afternoon and gave us something to laugh at to see her "diving" in it.

She steps in then buries her head right in the water, biting it and generally having a ball! Crazy dog! Too funny to see air bubbles coming up from her nose too!

Of course it also turned into an oversize water bowl and I think she drank a lot of the water too! At least she was cool and hydrated!

Sky was totally wet through and muddy by the end of the afternoon and had a good towelling off before dinner. Thankfully the paddling pool also came with a lid so I can just 'close' it up at night to stop any late night spills.

Right now I am sitting here waiting for the air con repair guy to make an appearance. Not tooooo bad today, only in the high 90's and there is a slight breeze, but dang I just wanna get out in that pool right now!!!

She's on the list!!!!

Friday, July 17, 2009

Didn't get chance to post this yesterday so thought I'd share today:

It's official my Mum is on the kidney transplant list!!!!

Shouting it from the roof tops!!! YEAH! Now begins the wait I guess, which is weird cos you're hoping for a donor but knowing what that entails is pretty gruesome really.

Anyway just wanted to say HURRAH, that she's finally on the list.

Keep that phone on Mum!!!

Di

Card Sketch July #3

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Finally able to get the images posted! Been trying to upload these for THREE days! Sheesh! I tried this morning to finish uploading the images but it wasn't happening so I went grocery shopping, chilled out at the pool then tried again. Dunno what the problem was but everything is working now! Stupid technology!

I decided to use some of the MAMBI paper stacks that seem to be piling up around my scraproom. So hard to cut into pretty paper but we have to right? No more hoarding! I keep having to remind myself of that. Got the base of the card done, then went hybrid for the brown panel and the stamped design. Love using the Glitz CDs for cards, they make it SUPER easy!

"Happy Birthday" hybrid card by Di Hickman
Supplies: Cardstock: Georgia Pacific; paper: MAMBI; Font, ribbon, stamped panel: Glitz CD; Bling: MAMBI; Ink: Tim Holtz;

"Hang 10" card by Jan Tatomir
Supplies: Trabsparency: Hambly; Cardstock: Bazzill; Punch Outs: My Minds Eye; Ric-Rak: Making Memories; Decorative Scissors: Fiskars

"Congratulations" card by Jo Willis
Supplies: Papermill card, Dovecraft and Rob & Bob papers, All Night Media stamp, Nestabilities die-cuts, Doodlebug ribbon, Lakeland sentiment stamp, black gel pen, chalk ink, rhinestones.

"Mermaid Birthday" card by Louise Connell
Supplies: Cardstock ~ Bazzill; Papers, ribbon, sentiment stamp ~ Doodlebug; Stamp ~ Greeting Farm;

"Hello" card by Pearl Liu
Supplies: Graphic45 Communique pps ,Making Memories Black velvet scalloped ribbon , Gold distressed stickles.

"The Good Stuff" card by Chrys Rose
Supplies: Bazzill Cardstock, Collage Press paper, American Crafts stickers, Daisy D's rub on, DCWV chipboard, Kaiser Craft pearls

"There's always tomorrow" card by Lizzy Davidson
Supplies: flower paper from papermill three butterfly buttons from gcs international, ribbon offray, greeting by k and co

"Happy Fathers Day" card by Jackie Price
Supplies: Misc Scraps, cricut - coffee mug, My Little Shoebox alpha’s

"Get Well Soon" card by Linda Flinders

Di

imeem!

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Was gonna post a new creation today, but I interrupt the blogness to bring this to your attention:

www.imeem.com

Seriously good site! I used pandora before and though good I get annoyed that I can't skip more than a couple of tracks. Well with imeem you can listen to whole albums by your searched artists! I've been poppin away to some rockin tunes this morning whilst doing chores and cleaning my scraproom. Right now I'm listening to Pink :) Seriously if you're online as much as me it's a godsend!!! Go, try it!

New creative stuff soon! I just got a box of goodness over the weekend from my DTs so I got lots of new stuff to play with :)

Just Cards Vol 14

Monday, July 13, 2009

I got my copy of Just Cards in the mail recently (Vol 14) and thought I'd share my cards in this issue. The following are scans from the magazine. Look out for this mag on newstands now!

Monogram card on top right of left page. I sent this one in a LONG time ago, but they save them I guess and wait for the right issue to publish them!

Brief foray into stamping. I sent this in for their stamping mag, but they put it in this mag instead. I don't really mind I just like seeing my work in print :)

A card I made for Boxer using one of my sketches. Nice and simple yet elegant. Loved the orange color scheme, and Boxer has coordinating buttons for almost all their papers so element picking is a breeze!

Another old card they used for this issue. The scan went a bit wonky with the colors on this one. It's actually more pastels than a hot orange!

Gonna go hit the pool this afternoon, soak up some sun, and then get busy making some cards :)

Di

My fitness/health continued

Sunday, July 12, 2009

So I posted on Friday with some info on what I've done to lose weight/fat and I said that I'd be back to chat about wobbly bits and the six pack so here is the low down on that :)

Many of the comments/emails referred to "toning up" wobby thighs/butts and bingo wings. Here's the thing: there is no such thing as "toning". You can do one of two things: either lose fat or gain muscle, or both! So decide which you want to do and work towards it.

The truth is you CANNOT spot reduce, so you can do all the ab crunches and squats you want but the fat will go from where the hell it wants to (usually murphys law dictates that it'll go from the place you want it lose it from last). That's not to say crunches and squats etc are useless though, cos any exercise is good as you're burning calories and fat. The real trick to weight loss is to lose fat and retain lean body mass, so keeping up with the exercises is good for that, especially lifting weights! You want to be lean not skinny fat! Muscle is good! It means we can do more, eat more and makes us healthier!

So the six pack. Yep I am working on it! When I was instructing before I had the 4 upper rectus abdominal muscles defined and I am on the way to getting that again. The way to attain that is through hard work and dedication, exercise and basically losing body fat % which means eating clean. Eating clean is eating very little processed foods, making sure you get your daily water intake and then doing core exercises. I know I have the muscle for the 6 pack, I can feel it under the layer of fat, so I need to reduce the body fat so I can SEE it! I do exerices to work the Rectus abdominus & obliques but by far the best exercises IMO are the planks. If you haven't heard of them do a google search for abdominal planks, they are really good for core conditioning. Oh and nope I don't use an "ab-doer" or the rolling cage things, useless IMO nothing you can't acheive without the equipment so save yourself the money! The exercise part I have down, no problem, the water is fine, it's the eating clean I have trouble with. But I'm getting there! I'll keep you all updated with my 6-pack progress :)

I also wanted to say, if I could give you ONE peice of advice, that would be throw out the scales! Take measurements instead! If you can't stop weighing yourself then just weigh in monthly. Trust me it's so much more gratifying to SEE shrinking butts/thighs than to lose 1lb on the scale! I'll update at some point with my inch loss so you can see the real result of losing weight/fat.

Have a great Sunday!

one small step!

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Update on my July Project which if you remember is getting back on the Flylady system and organizing my scraproom!

I am slowly but surely getting somewhere with all these scrap supplies! This morning I went through my paper stash and finally purged my Imagination Project and some One heart... one mind product. It's in a box sitting on my porch ready for a freecycler to collect! I've been hanging onto these for 18 months, I've used some, set aside some for my family (Mum your box is filling up) and I just cannot hang on to them anymore! The kicker came today when I found 3 stacks of paper from MAMBI, Basic Grey and Daisy Bucket and other pads of paper from more manufacturers. Then the mailman delivered a DT box of goodies and I knew I was done. Gotta get rid of the old to store the new. Plus mags won't publish projects with product from manufacturers that are no long selling their products, so I made a huge step and boxed it up and shoved it on freecycle! Better to bless someone else with the supplies than them sit in my room for another couple of years unused!

Earlier in the week we gave away a dining table on Freecyle, and I posted a few other bits and bobs today. The kitchen/dining table is one of our major hot spots and my plan for this weekend is to get it finally cleared off (been working on it all week) and then keep it clear for a week. It's a total clutter magnet though so we'll see how that goes!

I know a few of you were joining in with the scraproom organizing so how are you doing? I'm gonna go get busy for another session and see what I can purge this time!

Di

My fitness/health routine

Friday, July 10, 2009

I've had a few comments (here and facebook) and emails asking about how I lost my weight, how I am keeping it off, what I am doing to get my six pack and how I can help other, can I reveal my secrets? .... etc, etc. Well here's the rub people, it's no secret :)

The science part - is that pretty much that if calories out is less than calories in then that equals weight loss. It's no secret, we all know this! We just want it to be easier, but unfortunately it isn't. Despite the email spam telling us that the fatburning tablets and acacia berry drink will help, fact is that if the diet food/fads etc worked why are there so many on the market? Why is the market for diet pills/shakes/foods increasing if they work? And if there are more of them and they all worked why is the obesity rate getting higher and higher? Because fad diets aren't a long term plan.! We KNOW we should choose fruit and yogurt over cheesecake or chocolate lava cake (damn souplantation!) but we're human, we get tempted, the solution is portion control and getting back to eating healthy again afterwards! Dont' fall into the diet trap! Lose weight healthy, get a new lifestyle for your new you!

The most important things to remember are:

Get checked out by a doctor, especially if you have health issues! Make sure it's safe for you to embark on a lifestyle change!
Train smart. Start slow and build it up! Going in like a bull in a china shop will mean injury, soreness and you quitting before you get started!
If you aren't sure what you are doing get a trainer (goes with the above point really) BUT make sure they are qualified! Too many people calling themselves fitness and personal trainers when they don't know their glutes from their gastrocnemius.

Anyway here is what I've been doing the last 6 months:

My 'eating plan' basically consists of 5 meal times a day. Breakfast, post workout, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner. Ok and sometimes a "liquid refreshment" in the evening if I feel like it, lol.
Don't starve yourself! I eat around 1500 - 2000 calories a day, depending on how much exercise I do. Yes if I exercise more, I eat more! Also I have 3 cheat meals a week, where I don't track the calories. Those are usually my high exercise intensity days. If I go over these 3 meals I don't panic I just get back to my plan the next meal/day.
I use www.livestrong.com to track my calories in vs calories out (exercise) and check my macros (protein, carbs, fats) but basically the site does it all for you if you input the data! I hate math and this site does it for me so YAY :) I'm not a frantic tracker, somedays I track somedays I don't. Pretty much after a few weeks you'll know when you went crazy ;)
Check your portion sizes! Seriously! America has a huge portion size problem, it's so easy to get suckered in to eating the whole thing, then find out it was four portions worth of food, eeeks! I used my measuring cup set to see what a portion size of pasta/rice etc was and I was WAY off!
Aim to lose weight slowly! Slower it comes off, the longer it'll stay off! Aim for 1% of your body weight each week. So if you weigh 150 lbs then aim for 1lb - 1.5lbs loss a week.
Try to be more active in your daily life. I walk the dogs three times a day, just a mile at a time but it gets me out and about three times during the day, rather than doing a three mile walk once. I also started swimming in the pool last month. It's only a small pool and I am in there about 10-15 minutes before it bores the pants of me, but I just find swimming boring lol. But it all counts!
Exercise! Getting up and moving is all well and good, but you do need proper exercise sessions. 45 mins -1 hour, 3-4 times a week. I personally exercise 6 days a week, with Saturday off as my rest day (I still walk the dogs, swim etc though). I alternate cardio/weights days and do ab work every workout day.
Yep I lift weights! I lift heavy too. No women won't get bulky like a bodybuilder! Unless you workout with weights for 3 hours a day, take steroids, or have some excess testosterone floating around in your body women will NOT bulk up! What will happen is you'll get stronger, you'll burn FAT (yay!) and you'll see some definition due to the fat loss. THIS IS A GOOD THING! Also weights are good for bone density so you'l reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Include all major muscle groups, aim for 8-12 reps & 2-3 sets. The last 2 reps of each set should be tough, not impossible, and not enough that your form suffers. If it's too easy through rep 12 and you feel you can keep going: Increase the weights!
Cardio, whether you walk, cycle, run, do aerobics, swim, jog, walk the dogs, chase a ball round a pitch etc whatever your passion just do it! Warm up, 10-15 mins, 30 mins cardio, cool down, stretch. Remember too that if it gets easy it means you need to step it up a notch! If you walked 4 miles in an hour, think about increasing the duration or the intensity, either walk longer or kick it up and add some running in there!

Ab work is a whole other thing and this post is already way long, I'll cover that another day, maybe tomorrow? I also want to touch on a few other things I noticed in some emails about solutions for wobbly thighs, expanding butts etc but I need to go eat, lol!

If you have any questions email me or leave a comment, I'll try and post something or email you back :) Oh and alternatively if you live near me hire me as your personal trainer, email me! lol!

My Very Own Sackboy/Girl

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Back in early February I mentioned I'd started knitting again, and that my project of choice was a Sackboy from the game "Little Big Planet"... Well I realized I never updated the blog with a pic of the finished project so I thought I'd share that today :) Now remember I haven't knitted since, oh... um... since I was about 14!!!! That's far too many years ago! So it was pretty much a beginner taking on WAY more than she could handle, first time attempting a pattern and I think it turned out OK all things considered:

There are a few things I'd do differently next time though. I'd choose a darker brown yarn for the body so that the decorative stitching could be lighter like it's meant to be. Oh and I'd also flatten the top of the head by placing some card inside or something. No matter how I push and alter the stuffing it still poofs up at the top. Sackboys have flat heads so it looks a bit off to me, however overall as my first project in *cough*13*cough* years I think I did ok?

Let me know what you think!

Di

Card Sketch July #2

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Happy Humpday! That's what some people call Wednesday as it's the middle of the work week and slowly closer to the WEEKEND! Feeling so ready for the weekend again, lol! Anyway Wednesday means it's card sketch day!!! Yippee!

This sketch came in so handy for me, as it's my Dad's birthday this month, and being in England I needed to get it mailed off to him early cos the post is notoriously bad. His Fathers day card was late despite my mailing early, and my Father in law got his fine, yet my Dads was 2 days late, which considering they were mailed the same day and live two streets away is CRAZY! Anyway I whipped up a fun card using some primary colors. Don't usually do this bright for Dad cards, but I needed a pick me up and was looking for bright, fun and funky!

"Happy Birthday" card by Di Hickman
Supplies: Paper & Cardstock: DCWV; Metal word: HOTP; Rub-on: ohom; Eyelets: Boxer; Button: Misc;

"You're one of a kind" card by Jackie Price
Supplies: Misc Scraps

"Because I love you" card by Celeste Brodnik
Supplies: Cardstock: Bazzill Basics; Pattern Paper, Journaling Card: Fancy Pants; Rubon: Karen Foster; Buttons: Basic Grey

"Life" card by Jan Tatomir
Supplies: Cardstock" Stampin' Up; Paper: Basic Grey; Flowers: Prima; Ribbon: American Crafts; Stamp: Catseye Press; Ink: Ranger; Buttons: Stash

"Merci Beaucoup" card by Pearl Liu
Supplies: BG Cardstock, Prima fabric blossom, K&Co Que Sera Sera Dimensional Sticker , Lily Bee French Couture pps , Jillibean Soup Kraft pp, Crafty Little Secrets Sentiment Sticker

"To Lift your heart" card by Raechelle Bellus
Supplies: cs: Bazzill; pp: Daisy Bucket, Fancy Pants Designs and My Minds Eye; ribbon; pearls: Kaiser Craft; button; rub on: Melissa Frances; DMC Floss

"Father's Card" card by Jo Willis
Supplies: generic cardstock, flocked wallpaper sample, KI Memories quote and patterned paper, gingham ribbon, pin and Papermania adhesive stars.

"Happy Birthday" card by Lizzy Davidson
Supplies: Plaid paper by paper adventures, chocolate drops and birthday greeting by craftworkcards.co.uk a bit of ink around the edges.

"You're the best" card by Linda Flinders

"Love" card by Annette Taylor
Supplies: Patterned Paper - My Mind's Eye, Stamp - Studio G, Trim - John Lewis stores, Love Brad - Scrapping Angels kit c2007, Pearls - Paper Mania

"Flowers" card by Louise Connell
Supplies: Papers, ribbon, die cuts, chipboard ~ Crate Paper Kaitlin; Label shape – Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels One

As always check in and leave me a comment if you make a card with the sketch, I love to come check them out!

Di

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