Clean and Simple at Studio 12

Hi there crafters,

It's my turn to post over at Studio 12 for Polkadoodles today, so I thought I would show you a really quick 'Clean and Simple' card using two stamps from the fabulous Studio 12 range.  I do tend to spend forever on my cards, but occasionally we all need to make a 'quickie' at the last minute - so here's what I made ...

I used the leaf stamp from the 'Shabby Owl Blossom' set and stamped the image three times in black ink, inverting the middle image.  I added a little colour to the leaves with my Promarkers and drew a doodled border to frame them.  I stamped out the sentiment from the 'Leave a Little Sparkle' set and added a few adhesive gems.  I mounted the whole thing on green pearlised cardstock before adding to my card base.

Quick and simple! What do you think?

Hugz, Jan xx

Steampunk Style

Good morning,

Well, today is the first day of my half term break from school and it's going to be a tough one! I have taken my little fur baby to the vets this morning to have his teeth cleaned and some taken out. For those of you who know me, my little doggies are my world and I will be a nervous wreck until we bring him back home later today and I know he will need lots of cuddles.

Anyway, on with business and it is time for our next challenge over at Make My Monday and this week Suzi has chosen the theme of 'STEAMPUNK'. I have never found this an easy one, but here's what I came up with for your inspiration ...

It all started out as a piece of milk cardstock which I have stencilled on, stamped on and added my Steampunk design.  I used Gathered Twigs distress ink for all of this project - first dusting over the stencil with my ink dusters, then I added some stamped cogs around the edges for more definition.  I stamped the wings and crown, cut them out, inked them and added them to the design before securing the brass clockface in position.  I produced the lettering on my pc, cut them out, inked them and added them to the bottom of the project - adding a little stamped top hat for fun.  I also sprinkled on some frantage powder to add a little texture.

Hope you like it - I shall look forward to seeing your interpretations of our theme this week.

Hugz, Jan xx

Tilda Tin Girl

Hello again,

Well, I hope you all remembered to turn back your clocks and enjoyed the extra hour this morning!

As it's Sunday again already it's time for my post over at Sherri Baldy Art and I am continuing with the third instalment of my 'Besties of Oz' project. Last week I showed you 'Lil Scarecrow' and today I have used image 640 - 'Tilda Tin Girl', which you can buy from Sherri's on-line store HERE.

I used my Promarkers again to colour the image and all papers and embellies are from my stash. I have tried to include some metal items on this one to keep in with the theme, including an ornate metal corner and a strip of metal tape (which I passed through my script embossing folder and then coloured with alcohol inks).

I hope you will join me again next week for the next chapter.

Hugz, Jan xx

Happy Birthday Sherri

Happy Saturday,

I have a special post today to wish someone a very 'Happy Birthday' over in the States - hope you have a fantastic day, hun.

Here's my card that I made to send my best wishes ...

RECIPE

Image - Sherri Baldy 'My Little Dimples' (image 934)

Colouring Medium - Promarkers

Papers - LOTV Always and Forever

Sentiments - LOTV, stash

Dies - Spellbinders Decorative Labels Eight

Flowers - Dreamees

Embellishments

Pink organza polkadot ribbon, silver heart charm, 

green adhesive gems

Hugz, Jan xx

S is for Scary!

Happy Friday,

Hope you've all had a great week - not only is it Friday (my day off) but it's half term next week. Yay! So lots of crafting planned.

It's time for the next letter over at the Alphabet Challenge and this time Sheena has chosen the theme 'SCARY' for the letter 'S'.  Now as the end of October looms, Halloween springs to mind - but since I have had a week of Halloween projects, I decided to do something a little different for this one and kept it 'Clean and Simple'. Here's what I made for my DT inspiration ...

I always take ages designing and making my projects, but decided to do something 'Clean and Simple' for this one to show that it doesn't always have to be something fussy to make the point. This one only took me about twenty minutes to make and I think it fits the theme nicely.  

I used a 'scary' ghostie image from the internet and added the lettering 'BOO' using my Clarity Stamp 'Letterbox' kit. I also added a little shading under the lettering with some Black Soot distress ink and a little bit of shading with my Promarkers around the edge of the image.  A hand drawn border to finish and then I mounted it on black card. Simples!

I can't wait to see everyone's interpretation of the theme this time - so come and join us with your 'scary' projects.

Hugz, Jan xx

Midweek Motivation at MMM

Hi there,

I'm back again with the next in my series of Halloween projects this week - this time for a little midweek motivation over at Make My Monday.  There is still plenty of time to play along with your spooky creations and here's a little more inspiration from me ...

This time I made a Tag to go with my Halloween collection using paper and sentiment from Polkadoodles Halloween download bundle and a cute digi image from QKR Stampede which I coloured with a combination of Promarkers and Graph 'It markers. I added a few other oddments from my stash and couldn't resist drawing a little spider hanging from the 'Trick or Treat' sign!

I hope you are having fun with our challenge this week.

Hugz, Jan xx

Halloween

Hi there,

I'm back with my second post today and I can see already that it's going to be a week of all things Halloween.  It's time for our next challenge over at Make My Monday and yes, you guessed, we would love to see your spooky projects this week with a theme of

'HALLOWEEN'

Here's what I made for my DT inspiration ...

The card is 6x6" in size including the die-cut edge.  The main focal point started out as a piece of white card which I inked using my ink dusters with Spiced Marmalade and Rusty Hinge distress inks.  I then stamped out the images which are from Lavinia Stamps using a black archival ink pad.  I added a few little hills with a touch of Black Soot distress ink and mounted the whole piece on a black die-cut Lacey Square.  I stamped the sentiment on a piece of scrap inked card to match.

I am looking forward to seeing all your spooky projects this week, so good luck with your entries.

Hugz, Jan xx

Too Cute to Spook Blog Hop

Good morning everyone,

It's the beginning of a new week and it's another special Monday over at the 'My Besties UK Challenge Blog' - not only do we have a brand new challenge, we are HOPPING again too. The theme this week is very seasonal ...

'TOO CUTE TO SPOOK'

So you can enter the challenge as normal with a crafty project that showcases the theme and have the chance to win a some of Sherri's 'My Besties' digi images from our selection.  Here's what I made for my DT inspiration using 'Trixie and her Kitty' which you can buy in Sherri's Etsy store HERE ...

I used an 6 x 6" card blank and layered it with papers from my stash.  I added my Halloween Bestie which I coloured with a combination of Promarkers and Graph 'It markers.  Embellishments include a stamped sentiment, orange polkadot ribbon, a die-cut fence, some foam pumpkins and a couple of foam bats.

************

You can also come and HOP with us for the chance of winning extra candy by visiting all the participating blogs, following and leaving us a comment. Here's the order of the hop:

Gill - http://creationsbygillm.blogspot.co.uk/

Kerrie - http://cardsbykerrie.blogspot.co.uk/

Caroline -http://carolinesspicecrafty-bits.blogspot.co.uk/ 

Donna - http://kraftyscot.blogspot.co.uk/

Jan - http://jaybescraftybitz.blogspot.co.uk/

Susan - http://rosebudsnribbons.blogspot.co.uk/

Home - http://mybestiesuk.blogspot.co.uk/

So, if you've arrived at my blog from DONNA then you are on the right track.

Now hop on over to SUSAN who will show you some more fab inspiration on the theme.

I shall look forward to reading your comments and don't forget to check back on the main blog in a few days where we will be announcing one lucky winner.

Hope you have fun,
Good Luck,
Jan xx

Lil Scarecrow

Happy Sunday to you,

First of all, can I just say hello and welcome to my new followers - the numbers are slowly increasing and I appreciate each and every one. Thank you for all your kind comments, I do hope my blog provides some inspiration for you.

It's time for my Sunday post over at Sherri Baldy Art and I am continuing with my 'Besties of Oz' project. So today I have the next instalment - last week I showed you little 'Dottie and her Dog' and today I have used image 642 - 'Lil Scarecrow', which you can buy from Sherri's on-line store HERE.

Isn't she fab! Sherri's artwork is always such a pleasure to colour and of course, I used my trusty Promarkers. All papers and embellies are from my stash (which I am trying to use, but it never seems to go down!)

I hope you will join me again next week for the next chapter.

Right, I'm off to a local craft show today with my shopping list, which includes the fab Gelli plate - so wish me luck and watch this space!

Hugz, Jan xx

Christmas is Coming!

Good morning,

Well, it's Friday again already - so it must be time for another challenge over at Polkadoodles and this week we are all preparing for Christmas with the theme 'CHRISTMAS IS COMING'! I can believe it's almost that time of year again.  This time the design team were challenged to make a card using more than one fold, so here's what I made for my DT inspiration ...

I used a 'Three Panel Screen Card' and covered it with papers from the fab 'A Home for Christmas CD'. Each piece is layered on gold mirri card, then a complimentary coloured card and I added the cute little border (also from the CD).  The greeting was printed from the sentiments section of the CD and mounted on a die-cut scalloped circle. The baubles are from the embellishments section of the CD - I printed each one three times, cut them and then stuck them together to create another folded 3D element to my card. A few bits of holly to decorate and some fab Polkadoodles dew drops to finish.

I hope you can join us this time in our lead up to Christmas - I shall look forward to seeing your entries.

Hugz, Jan xx

My Besties of Oz - Dottie

Well hello again,

I'm back with my second post today, which I must admit should have been posted yesterday - so apologies from me.  

I have my card for Sherri Baldy Art today using one of the fabulous images from Sherri's 'Besties of Oz' range. I have started with 'Dottie and her little Dog' which you can buy from Sherri's on-line store HERE.

I have used backing papers from my stash and added the image, which is coloured with my Promarkers. Other embellishments include some die-cut flowers, blue polkadot organza ribbon, some blue twine and silver heart charm, a cute little 'Love' tag and a stamped sentiment which I cut into a little banner shape.

I am planning to work on the other three images over the next few weeks, and finish by incorporating them all into a final project. So, I hope you will join me and follow my progress.

Have a great day,

Hugz, Jan xx

Texture

Good morning,

Well, we have had a very wet and windy weekend here, and a very busy one too.

It's time for our next challenge over at Make My Monday and this week Rosie has chosen the theme of 'TEXTURE'. The possibilities here are endless - anything that gives that little extra tactile feel to your projects. Here's what I made for my DT inspiration ...

Well, I started rummaging and came up with lots of different textures for my 6x6" card, including a piece of woodgrain textured paper, torn mulberry paper which is really feathery, corrugated card, seam binding, feathers, curled wires and frantage embossing powder. Hope you like it.

I shall look forward to seeing your projects over the coming week.

Hugz, Jan xx

R for Roses

Good morning,

Or not so good here - I woke to the sound of pounding rain on my bedroom window this morning, so it's not looking good. My eldest daughter is doing a sponsored walk with her school kids today - think she might get wet!!

As it's Friday, it's time for our next letter over at the Alphabet Challenge and this week Shaz has chosen 'ROSES' for the letter 'R'. I must admit I have gatecrashed Team B this week because I love roses and couldn't resist joining in. Here's what I made for my DT inspiration ...

I absolutely love this stamp and have had it for ages - I can't even remember who it's from! But as soon as I saw the theme, it was an easy choice for me. I tried to keep it fairly simple to showcase the stamp and think it has a bit of a vintage feel to it - I stamped in versamark ink and coloured the image with my pastel chalks, then tore around the edges before layering. All I added was a script backing paper, some twine a stamped sentiment tag with little button and a few pink pearls - pretty simple for me! Lol.

I hope you will join us this time with your versions of our theme.

Hugz, Jan xx

Halloween Tag

Hello there,

Well, I have been dying to get crafty for Halloween, but this is the first chance I've had. So, when I saw the new theme over at the 'Graph'It Marker Colour Challenge' I decided it was time I got started! Lol.

Here's what I made for my entry ...

I have used a collection of things to make my tag, starting with a basic shape cut from a piece of recycled card. This was covered with some scraps of paper from my stash in green, orange and rust and then mounted on black card.  

The main image is made of three separate images overlayed to make a little Halloween scene and are from the 'Witchie Witchie download bundle' available from Polkadoodles. I coloured the pumpkin with my Graph'It markers - I used four different shades from the skintones set (4115, 4125, 4155 and 4170) and blended them from light to dark. The green and yellow was added with my Promarkers.  

The 'Happy Halloween' sentiment and the little bats are printed from the same download bundle and cut out and added to the tag with some dimensional glue (although this doesn't show very well in the picture).  The 'October' calendar is from the sentiments section of the 'Home for Christmas CD', also from Polkadoodles and I added a little spider web (from the download bundle) and highlighted the 31 with markers. 

I added a few extra embellishments, including a little hand drawn spider, some tiny bunting with 'boo' lettering stamped on it, a die-cut gate and a couple of little metal pumpkins which I coloured with my pens too. And lastly, a piece of black ribbon to finish off.

Right, I'm off to enter this into the challenge - wish me luck!

Hugz, Jan xx

Elegant Ladies

Hello again,

I'm back with my second post today for Make My Monday - this week Suzi has chosen the theme of

'ELEGANT LADIES'

So, we would love to see your interpretation of the theme.  Here's what I made for my DT inspiration ...

I decided to use this gorgeous stamp which I received free on a magazine a while ago - isn't she just fab! I stamped her onto my cardstock, then stamped again onto a scrap of the backing paper and cut out her fabulous dress.  I used my Promarkers for her skin and her wrap and also added a little Promarker shading to the dress layer before adding to the image.  The finishing touch was a little frantage powder to add some glitz.  The sentiment is from the same stamp set together with a few added embellishments from my stash.

If you have the time, maybe pop over to the main blog and check out the other elegant ladies from my teamies.

Hugz, Jan xx

Paper Piecing

Good morning,

I hope you all had a great weekend - mine was fairly quiet, with lots of crafting of course!

Well, it's time for our next theme at the 'My Besties UK Challenge' and this time we would love to see your projects showcasing

'PAPER PIECING' 

which simply means 'filling in your image with pieces of paper', instead of the traditional colouring.

Now, I did all mine digitally using these gorgeous papers from Raspberry Road.

Here's what I made for my DT inspiration ...

I chose the very trendy 'Positively Penelope' image 773 - which can be purchased from Sherri's on-line store HERE.  I printed her onto my cardstock, together with a simple sentiment, then printed her again a few times with the relevant papers behind the image. I coloured her face and hair with my Promarkers, then added all the little pieces after cutting them out. I love this way of 'colouring' and image and it's perfect for matching to your backing papers. Added embellishments are from my stash.

Please pop over to the main blog HERE if you have the time - my teamies are waiting with some more fab inspiration for you.

Just Because

Good morning,

Well, we have sunshine here again today after all the rain this week! Hope you are enjoying it too.

It's Sunday, so it's my turn to post over at Sherri Baldy Art and today I have used image 872, which you can purchase from Sherri's on-line store HERE for just $3.00.  Here's what I made ...

The inspiration for this one came from the gorgeous backing paper which is from Crafty Individuals. It's part of their 'Shades of Summer' pad, which I won recently in a blog challenge. It is so pretty that I didn't want to cover it up with all my usual layers, so I have tried to keep the embellishments to a minimum! I coloured the image with my Promarkers, added a stamped sentiment and some die-cut flowers.

I found this pretty little girl sitting in my file with the tab 'Freebie' underneath her, which means that our Sherri must have put her up for grabs at some time. Maybe you were lucky enough to add her to your collection - I would love to see your projects using this gorgeous little image.

Just leave me a comment with a link to your blog and I will pop along and return the visit.

Enjoy your Sunday,
Hugz, Jan xx

Autumn Time

Hi there,

Sorry I've not been around much this week - it's been a tough one!

It's time for the next challenge over at Polkadoodles and this week we would love to see your 'AUTUMN' themed projects. So, whether it be a nice autumn scene, something halloween themed or just an autumn colour scheme - it's up to you. The design team were challenged to make an autumn scene, so here's what I came up with for my DT inspiration ...

I used the 'Sundae of Seasons CD' together with 'Bonbon Belles' to make my scene and added a multitude of images, overlaying them to build the picture. I used distress inks behind the scene to fill in the sky and added a piece of backing paper, a greeting and some fussy cut leaves for added decoration.

Don't forget to check out the main blog to see some more inspiration from my talented teamies.

Hugz, Jan xx