Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Layer upon layer upon layer...

Layers, anyone?

That's right, this week's Elements Challenge is all about LAYERS - lots of them!!  Show us at least five layers on your project - more is even better! 


Sweet and simple from Karen (that's me) this week:



Over the top sweet, and anything but simple from Nicole:



How you can NOT be inspired by this layered layout? It was created by Nicole's clever two-and-a-half year old daughter Karianne:



Guest Dollie Karen Wray has been busy layering up paints and rubons and beautifully fussy-cut elements on a journal cover:


Remember, you can submit ANY kind of handcrafted project (digi is okay too!) as long as it has been newly created for the challenge. Link it up by midnight EST on Monday 6th December, for your chance to win a fabulous shopping spree at Scrap-a-Doodle-Doo

Monday, November 29, 2010

a SERIOUSLY gorgeous color combo for you!

Good Monday morning, friends and fellow crafters! Thanks for dropping by the Dollhouse again - it's always great to see who's paying us a visit! If ever you see a project you like, do leave a nice comment, and feel free to make suggestions as we LOVE to hear from you!

Last week's colors brought about some PHENOMENAL projects, although participation was a bit low... Hopefully today's neutral palette will spark some creativity, and we can't wait to see what you can do with it!

Here's what's on the easel this week...

BROWN and GOLD (the shimmery/sparkly kind, please!),
with your choice of one NEUTRAL (black, white, ivory, kraft, grey)


Our talented Dollies whipped up some lovely projects, so I'd like to share 'em with you...

Metal_Minish made this adorable and TOTALLY inspiring Father's Day/Birthday card - his father's Chinese zodiac sign is the rabbit, so the image is quite appropriate (don't you LOVE the charm?!)


Nicole made this beautiful canvas for her husband - she loaded up the gold shimmer, and her daughter's artwork was made into a little accent. Aren't those feathers STUNNING?! (drop by her blog for close-ups!)




I, your gracious hostess, Leah the Orange, opted for an EXTREMELY clean and simple card, having realized that I have very few of them for next week's craft fair... So I made this:
and liked the concept so much (and had lots of fun playing with the
Making Memories gold foiled ephemera!) that I made this:

So now it's your turn! The TRIFECTA for last week has ended, but now starts a whole new round! Get in on this Color Challenge by next SUNDAY, December 5th at midnight EST, when we'll wrap up all of this week's challenges. Please submit only NEW creations (no back linking), be sure to include a link to the Dollhouse in your blog post, and HAPPY CRAFTING!

ANNNNNND, if you think you might like to JOIN the Dollies and be a part of our Design Team, now's your chance! The DOLLIE-CALL is open, and we can't wait to hear from you! CLICK HERE for details, and submit your application by December 10th.



Thursday, November 25, 2010

Thanksgiving Sketch

Happy Turkey Day all! I hope everyone is enjoying their day with their fams. I have enjoyed making my fam write down what they are thankful for this year, I got a couple groans but so far they have all complied HA! Here is a sketch for ya, and inspiration is always something to be thankful for!


our fabby guest Dollie Karen W


Kristy


Metal


Nicole


So there you have it! Inspiration in LO form AND card form! Let's see what you can do with it! You have until December 1st at midnight EST to rawk the sketch or thru Sunday at midnight est to combine this with the rest of the week's challenges to make your own Trifecta! Good luck!


Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Clean and simple!

Welcome to another Design Dollies Elements Challenge!

This week we'd love to see your CLEAN AND SIMPLE style, with some BRADS and BEADS too (we want to SEE the brads and beads, by the way - make it obvious where you've used them!)

I know you'll LOVE what the Dollies have come up with to inspire you ~ here we go...

Dana created this amazing layout:



Penny rose to the challenge with this super cute layout (and check out the stitched beads!)




Nicole chose to do an extra project this week and showed a great deal of restraint!  (Can you see the gorgeous beaded border?)



Who's next?

You've got till midnight EST, Monday 29th November to submit your entry and go into the draw to win a shopping voucher from our fabulous sponsor Steph at Scrap-A-Doodle-Doo!

If you're not sure how it all works - check it out HERE.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Mornin', friends! Hope you've all had a wonderful weekend and are getting geared up for lots of festive holiday stuff - whatever it is you and your loved ones may celebrate. It's Thanksgiving week here in the U.S. and people are frantic in the grocery stores, but I think the big excitement happens this Friday when the BLACK FRIDAY SALES are in full swing! Good luck to those of you braving the physical stores - online shopping may be the way to go though, if you're not a fan of crowds and getting up at 3 a.m. ;)

Leah here, bringing you another Color Challenge! You rocked it last week, and a few of you even SQUEAKED in your projects within the last few hours - WOOT! I absolutely love the pink and green combo, and clearly I am not alone! This week, something a little more dramatic...

I want to see:
BLACK, GREY, WHITE and a POP of ORANGE!
Not too much orange, folks! Some subtle accents, but
the majority of your project must be black and grey and white.


Like THESE:

KarenB, our Honorary Dollie Admin Wonderwoman, created this AMAZING
stitched masterpiece (and check out those rolled flowers!):

I, Leah, went CAS with a thank you card for a sweet friend
(who happened to give me a pad of paper from whence the orange flowers were cut!)


And Cardmaking Queen Chiqui brought us ANOTHER fabulous card - we're thrilled
to have turned her to The Dark Side, as she's obviously got the knack!


Think you can rock this combo like you did with last week's colors? We at the Dollhouse have NO DOUBT whatsoever that we're gonna see some serious mastery of the papercrafting kind!

Play along by next SUNDAY, November 28th, at midnight EST for your chance to win, uh, a bunch of awesome stuff. Seriously - I've been a mad shopper, and I have loads of things piling up here!

***Your projects must be NEW for this challenge - absolutely NO backlinking, and if your link is posted 5 minutes before or after this post goes live, I think it's safe to say you didn't actually MAKE the project for this challenge, which totally upsets us! Please consider the fact that we buy the prizes for our challenges from our very own pockets, so we'd like to know that you're truly inspired by the challenges we set. Occasionally we do have sponsors, but for the most part we do this and give stuff away because we love to do it. How ya like DEM apples? :)

OH, and be sure to link back to this here Design Dollies blog in order to help us spread the word and bring more people here to visit. The more, the merrier!

Happy crafting! ANNNNND, if you're thinking you might like to BE on the next team of Design Dollies, check out our Dollie-Call HERE! You could be playing in the Dollhouse with us!



Thursday, November 18, 2010

Belated WINNERS post!

Folks, I do apologize for the crazy late posting, but I started my new job training in October and for the past couple of weeks I've been on the early shift - I leave my house at 6:10 a.m. to be at work by 7:30, and I generally get home sometime after 6 p.m. so it's been tough to get myself into some kind of routine... This is all temporary for the training and sometime a couple of months from now, I'll be working 2 miles from my home, so I should have NO excuse for keeping on top of things!

Let's get to our October winners...

First, for the Color Challenges, a big congrats to PEGGY, who rocked a TRIFECTA with this gorgeous page:


and also, a big WOOT WOOT for this lovely creation by SHERRIE, who is our Elements Challenge prize winner!


CONGRATS, lucky winners! Please email me (Leah) at spazzicassi@yahoo.ca (note it's not a dot com!), and I'll be sending out some yummy Little Yellow Bicycle goodness and a little shopping happiness to our fabby Elements Challenge sponsor, Scrap-A-Doodle-Doo!

Now, some sad news... I won't go into detail, but I will say that one of these winners was actually by SECOND drawing, because the first name chosen didn't have our blog linked (or even mentioned, actually) on their post, so unfortunately they were disqualified from winning. Dear bloggy friends, please be sure to complete all required steps so that your gorgeous projects aren't made in vain! (Not that they ever truly are, because, well, we're CRAFTERS and we love what we do!)

Welp, that's it for me! Thanks for your patience, sweet friends! You may want to try to get in on ANY of the challenges over the next couple of weeks, because I'll have another little surprise at the end of the month (did you happen to notice how many FOLLOWERS we have here?!), and for those interested in becoming the next Design Dollies, CLICK HERE FOR THE DOLLIE-CALL and deets on how to apply to be on our team! :)

Sketch Challenge time!

This weeks sketch can be taken in tons of different ways and I know you'll have fun making it yours!


Here's the Dolls interpretations...

Dana

Kristy

Metal

You have until Wednesday Nov 24 at midnight EST to get in on this sketch. If you'd like to rawk the Trifecta you have thru Sunday November 21 to try your hand. I hope you enjoy your stay at the Dollhouse this week!

This month you are playing for this prize...

Don't forget about our DT Call going on NOW!

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Tuesday silliness

Hi to everyone and welcome to Tuesday.  I hope everyone is up for a little bit of silliness, because this week our theme is BEING SILLY.  Lighten up and share your silly faces, silly situations, silly songs, silly quotes...and to keep you on your toes, include some BUTTONS on your creation too.

Here's a bit of fun from the Dollies to get you in the mood:

From Chiqui:



The next two are both from Nicole:



Karen (that's me) asked her daughter to join in the fun.  This is what 9 year old Jasmine created:



So, are you up for a bit of silliness??  Link up your creations by Monday, 22nd November, midnight EST, for your chance to win a shopping voucher from our amazing sponsor Scrap-A-Doodle-Doo.

Monday, November 15, 2010

new COLORS - quickie post!

Hi crafty friends! Leah here, with a super quick post to share the new Color Challenge, so you can get started! GORGEOUS blue projects for last week's challenge, people! I knew it turned out to be a fabulous combo and you all rocked it!

Okay, so let's kick the week off with something I think you'll all enjoy....

GRASS GREEN, BABY PINK and WHITE
(I'll post the swatch later, but have to run to work!)

Here's some Dollie yumminess for you - hope it inspires!

Our amazing guest Dollie, Karen W, put together this fabby digi ensemble:

I, Leah, made another holiday card - are these elves not the cutest?!

And Penny brought the girlie to the table with this lovely page:

Think you can handle this one? We know you can!

Link up your NEWLY CREATED PROJECTS below by next Sunday, November 21st at midnight EST for your chance to win the November Color Challenge prize pack... It's grown since I last looked at the pile, so you'll want to get in on this! Be sure to link back to the Dollhouse in your blog post, and HAVE FUN!



Sunday, November 14, 2010

So you wanna be a DESIGN DOLLIE? Here's the next DOLLIE CALL!

HELLOOOOOO!

It's that time again, folks! We are still loving our June-December Dollies immensely, and they bring so much to our little area of the internet, that we feel incredibly fortunate to have made such WONDERFUL crafty friends who have shown us tons of dedication and love. We hope they are as PROUD to be Design Dollies as we are proud that they WANTED to be a part of this team. THANK YOU, darlings! We don't know if any of you are thinking of applying for the next term, but it's time for another Dollie-Call, so here we go... Please read the requirements carefully!




We are seeking 3+ creative, fun, out-of-the-box-thinkin', hip, interesting, passionate, open-minded, outgoing crafty people to join us with our weekly challenges.

You must be able to commit to doing one assigned challenge per week (though the option is always there to do more) for a six month term (January - June 2011). We need folks who can spark creativity and are on top of things like deadlines, comments and COMMUNICATION!

You must keep an active personal blog where you'll post each of your projects, promote our challenges, and participate in any special events (blog hops, blog candy, etc.).

Upon fulfillment of this term, each Dollie will receive a special thank you gift from the founding Dollies.

So you think you can hang out in the Dollhouse with us? To apply, send photos of 3 of your FAVORITE projects, highlighting your style, a quick "about me", and why you think you have what it takes to be a great Dollie to our email, designdollies@gmail.com ... All entries must be submitted by Dec 10th. Our new team will go live on Jan 3 when we return from the holidays.

OH, and if you have previously applied, or have enjoyed your time in the Dollhouse so much that you would like to come back or stay longer, we welcome your application! Submit 3 new projects for review for the next term and we'll consider every application very carefully!


If you have any questions before you apply, drop us a line at designdollies@gmail.com we'll do our best to respond quickly. We all look forward to hearing from you!


much Dollie-love,
Kristy, Adina, Karen and Leah

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Thursday Sketch Challenge

This day has been crazy! Most of the things on my To-Do list did not get To-Done. PHEW! But I've got a sketch challenge that I know you're going to like!


Here are the Dollies takes...

Nicole


Kristy


Karen


You have until Wednesday Nov 17 at midnight EST to get in on this sketch. If you'd like to rawk the Trifecta you have thru Sunday November 14 to try your hand. I hope you enjoy your stay at the Dollhouse this week!




Tuesday, November 9, 2010

It's getting COLD

Adina-Dollie is taking a short break and this is Karen with you today, helping out behind the scenes for a little while and hosting the Elements Challenge.  All the hard work has already been done for the November challenges; I'm just the game show hostess gracefully waving her hands around to point you in the right direction ;)

This week it's GETTING COLD - well, apparently it is in the Northern Hemisphere!  Down Under, it's warming up.   No matter where in the world you are, show us things that represent COLD - cold water, a dip in the pool, ice, snowflakes, winter photos or what have you, and as an added twist, be sure to include SOMETHING GLITTERY on your creation.


Here's a little Dollies inspiration to get you started:

Dana created this gorgeous layout.  Check out the cute deer, and those amazing glittery snowflakes:



Penny has created an adorable layout too - how cool is that title? And the pompom trim detail?


Our amazing Guest Dollie Karen Wray scrapped about her son's first ski experience at Perisher. (See, it does snow in Australia too!)


And for something a bit different KarenB (that's me) added another page to the seemingly never-ending cocktail mini album:



You can create whatever you like - layout, card, home decor item... as long as it fits the theme.

This month the Elements Challenge is sponsored again by Scrap-A-Doodle-Doo. Steph is generously offering a $15 voucher to spend in her store - and she carries an amazing range of products! Pop over and take a look!

What do you need to do to go into the random draw?
* Ensure you follow the criteria ;)
* Post your new creation on your blog or favourite online gallery, with a link back to Design Dollies
* Add your link below by midnight EST, MONDAY 15th November (OR if you're doing the trifecta, link by midnight EST on SUNDAY 14th November)

Have fun, and STAY COOL ;)

Monday, November 8, 2010

Chilly new Dollies colors for you! and visit our Swedish Dollie in his new home!

Good morning, crafty friends! You know what it means when we make it to another Monday, right? :)

COLORS!

We had a handful of submissions for last week's toughie, but seriously, did those colors not look WONDERFUL together? Well I'm making it considerably easier on you this week...

Let's see you play with:

ROYAL BLUE, PALE BLUE, BLACK AND WHITE


HOT, right? And should be a piece of cake, RIGHT?! For those of you with winter approaching, this is a great opportunity to get working on seasonal/holiday pages or cards! Check out what the Dollies have done with this one, and BE INSPIRED (be, be inspired!)...

Leah (that's me!), with a rather untraditional
(at least for me) misty/shimmery holiday card:


Chiqui rocked a CARD, too - we love it when our Dollies
explore their other crafty sides! Isn't this PRETTY?!


and Metal_Minish (who has a brand new bloggy home - CLICK HERE!)
rocked his hot grungy style with this awesome page:

Can ya dig it, my peeps? :) I think you can handle this one, and link up some AMAZING projects, and I'm rather excited to see what you'll do!

Play along for some yummy stuff (still yet to be photographed, I do apologize!) - your projects must be created NEW for this challenge, you must link back to the Dollhouse in your blog post, and you have until next SUNDAY, November 14th at midnight EST to get in on this one!

Happy craftin', and we'll see you tomorrow with a brand new Elements Challenge! (In the meantime, you have until tonight at midnight EST to play with the CURRENT Elements Challenge - "little wee ones"!)





Thursday, November 4, 2010

Sketch Challenge time!

Did you all read the news this week? If you haven't then scoll on down to our Elements and Color Challenge to get caught up on all the gossip :) Today's challenge is brought to you by the word: Sketch. That's right S-K-E-T-C-H, Sketch. lol And here it is!


The Dollies are bringing it STRONG today!

Karen Wray our amazing GDT for November!


Penny


Kristy


So your mission if you choose to accept it (all about the TV/Movie lingo today!) is to take on this sketch and give it all your crafty skills! Not enough of a challenge? You could go Trifecta on it but its not required :) You have until Wednesday November 10 at midnight EST to get in on the sketch or thru Sunday for a Trifecta. Let's see the love!

ps... be back later today with prizes and winners!