Time Flies!

Well hello again,

Back to the grindstone as the new school term begins - now how many days was it until the next break? Lol.

I'm here today with news of our next challenge over at Cardz 4 Guyz and this week it's my turn to choose the theme - so here goes. For the next seven days my chosen theme will be

'TIME'

This is a favourite of mine for male-themed cards and I think it's an easy one to do for guys. Here's what I made for my DT inspiration ...

It's 6x6" in size and there I go again with the mirri card - gold this time to go with the neutral colour scheme. I used one of my new embossing folders to dry emboss a piece of brown Co-ordinations cardstock, then sanded it back gently to highlight. The focal piece is made up using lots of different little stamps which I masked - the main pocket watch is embossed with gold detail powder. I've had this stamp set for ever and can't remember which company it's from - but it's always a good one to turn to for this theme (the sentiment is from the same set).

Hope you can join us this week.

Hugz, Jan xx

Fantasy Stampers Challenge 9 - Distress It!

Good morning everyone,

I'm back today with news of our next challenge over at Fantasy Stampers, but first I just wanted to clarify a point that a good friend raised. I chose the name for the blog because I liked it, NOT because I wanted projects to be of a 'fantasy' nature - the entries have been low on the last couple of challenges and we wondered if the name was deterring people from entering. I would love to hear your thoughts on this ...

Okay, now that's sorted - a new challenge starts today and the theme for the next two weeks is ...

Why not come and join us with your 'distressed' projects, but remember we are a stamping challenge so your entry must include some stamping.  Here's my DT inspiration for this one ...

I loved playing with this one - I started with an 8x8" cream scalloped card and added papers from my stash. All the edges have been thoroughly distressed with my scissors (very satisfying) and then inked with Walnut Stain distress ink. I even got my trusty little sewing machine out and stitched around the edges for some added detail. 

The image is from LOTV and is called 'It's my Party' and is coloured with my Promarkers - I added a little crystal glitter on her skirt and tiara too. The sentiment was created on my pc and then distressed and inked as well.

Extra embellishments include some die-cut butterfly border pieces, a piece of gorgeous polkadot ribbon, a lacey die-cut border, a few handmade flowers with little pearl centres, lots of adhesive pearls and a few little punched butterflies.

Why not pop over to the main blog and check out some more fab projects from my teamies.

Hugz, Jan xx

Wheely Fun

Good morning,

Well I've woken to floods of rain this morning and my new gazebo over the decking is struggling to stay in one piece! You just gotta love the good old British weather!

It's time for our next challenge over at Cardz 4 Guyz and this week Caz has chosen the theme of

'WHEELS'

So how many different ideas are there to play with there? I must admit I chose an obvious one - here's my DT inspiration ...

I used an LOTV stamp called 'Toot Toot' and coloured it with my Promarkers. The backing papers are from my stash and the three blue panels were dry embossed before being mounted on navy card. It looked a little blank down the left hand side, so I added some buttons threaded onto twine to jazz it up a bit.

There's some more great inspiration over at the main blog - why not pop over and have a look.

Hugz, Jan xx

A Little bit of Glamour

Well good morning everyone

I hope you all had a fab Easter weekend and got a chance to unwind with family and friends.

I'm back today with some great news about the 'My Besties UK Challenge blog'. I have lots to tell you - the blog has had a spring makeover and we have a new DT co-ordinator and brand new design team showcasing their projects for you today. We also have a snazzy new blog badge which we would love you to display on your blogs for us - please feel free to take a copy ...

Now, today sees the beginning of our new challenge entitled 

'HOLLYWOOD GLAMOUR'

I can't wait to see everyone's interpretation of our theme - here's my DT inspiration for you using Sherri's gorgeous 'First Prom' image which you can buy from her Etsy store HERE.

It's not very often I use mirri card, but on this occasion I thought the black and gold was a perfect choice for our Hollywood theme. The image is coloured with my Promarkers (the cool greys for her gown) and the lettering was printed on my pc and mounted onto individual squares of gold. A piece of black ribbon and some gold glitter to finish off.

We also have a special offer on one of Sherri's digis - so why not pop over to the challenge post for more details HERE.

We are also looking for some more DT members, so if you love Sherri's artwork as much as I do, why not get in touch (more details on the challenge blog).

I am looking forward to visiting your blogs this week and checking out your 'Bestie' creations.

Hugz, Jan xx

The Sky's the Limit

Good morning,

It's time for our next challenge over at Cardz 4 Guyz and this week Kim has chosen the theme of

'THE SKY'S THE LIMIT'

Here's my DT inspiration for the challenge ...

I was struggling a little with this one, but decided to make a birthday card for a little boy using this rocket image. Design papers are from my stash and the number '7' was hand cut from a scrap of co-ordinating card using a chipboard number as a template.

Hugz, Jan xx

Fantasy Stampers - Challenge 8

Good morning,

I can't believe my new challenge blog 'FANTASY STAMPERS'  is 14 weeks old today! I am back with news of our next challenge and for the following two weeks the new theme will be based around a photo inspiration with the emphasis on

I chose the photo below as inspiration for your Easter projects - so how will you interpret it? Will it be the colours, the eggs, the flowers - the choice is yours. But remember, you must include some stamping.

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

I used an oval shaped base card to represent the egg shape and layered it up with lots of cardstock and design papers from my stash. I added some pretty lace around the edge to give some texture. 

The stamped image is from a freebie set on a card magazine and is called 'Somebunny to love' - isn't he cute! He's coloured with my Promarkers and matted onto a pink die-cut scalloped oval.  

I also added lots of extra embellishments, including some pink polkadot ribbon (my favourite), a little 'Happy Easter' banner, some paper flowers, die-cut leaves and a selection of adhesive pearls.

I can't wait to see how you all interpret the photo - why not pop over to the challenge blog and see what my design team made.

Hugz, Jan xx 

Easter Basket

Good morning everyone,

Well, Jan is a happy bunny today - I finished school for a two week Easter break yesterday, so no more work get-ups for a while! Having said that, I'm still usually up at silly o'clock - but it's different when you don't have to get ready for work! Lol.

Anyway, it's time for our next letter over at The Alphabet Challenge - for the next two weeks Sheena has chosen a very seasonal theme to go with the letter 'E' - bet you can't guess! Yep, it's ...

'EASTER'

Here's what I made for my DT inspiration upcycling the bottom of an earbud container ...

I wanted to do something a little different and when I saw this lonely little empty container sat on the bathroom windowsill, I knew I could put it to good use. I covered it with some pale lemon design paper from my stash, then added a die-cut border cut from some scraps of pretty pink paper. It's embellished with a feather, a pink heart and some die-cut flowers in matching papers.

I made the handle using die-cut borders and scraps of leftover paper, then added a piece of ribbon down the centre. Here's a closer look ...

It's also embellished with a matching die-cut flower and a little 'Happy Easter' tag. Then I filled it with some pink tissue paper and added lots of yummy chocolate eggs! Hope you like it.

Why not pop along and check out some fantastic projects from my teamies over at the main blog. I look forward to seeing all your gorgeous entries.

Hugz, Jan xx

What's your Number?

Good morning,

It's time for our next challenge over at Cardz 4 Guyz and this week Diane has chosen the theme of

'NUMBERS'

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

I used one of my embossing folders to create the 'numbers' aspect and inked with 'Chipped Sapphire' distress ink to highlight them. The quote is from Inkylicious and is called 'Life's About' - it's stamped in the same distress ink and then embossed with clear detail powder. A fancy mount and a piece of blue ribbon to finish off.

Why not come and join us this week with your own creations?

Hugz, Jan xx

Animal Magic

Good morning,

Well, what a miserable couple of days - I hope everyone survived the dust cloud!

It's time for our next challenge over at Polkadoodles and this week the new theme is

'ANIMAL MAGIC'

Now, with so many fab CDs to choose from by the talented Nikky Hall, it was a difficult decision - but one of my favourites won. Here's what I started with using the super 'Sugarplum Daisy CD' ...

And here's the finished result ...

I decided to get all 'busy as a bee' in readiness for some nice weather to come our way. I'm not usually a bright colours person, but I love the yellow on this one. I started with a shaped template and added papers from the CD. All the imagery and the sentiments are also from the CD. I added a few extra embellishments from my stash, including a bit of frantage powder (supposed to represent the pollen!), some polkadot ribbon, a couple of yellow brads, some die-cut flowers made from scraps of leftover paper and a little gold metal swirly bit on the sentiment ticket. Can you see the bit of honeycomb embossing at the bottom too?

I am looking forward to seeing which animals you all choose to play with, and don't forget to check out Team B's midway inspiration next Friday too.

I am entering this in the WeDoobadoo challenge - Sweet as Honey

Hugz, Jan xx

Make us Laugh!

Happy Tuesday to you all,

Well, April Fool's Day brings us a brand new challenge over at Cardz4Guys and what better theme than

'MAKE US LAUGH!'

Now, this one definitely posed me a few problems - I don't have any 'funny' stylie stash, so I had to get my thinking cap on. After much 'googling' here's what I made for my inspiration ...

Now I definitely can't claim this as my own idea - but I did use my own design and 'moustache' stamp (so I hope it's ok). All the lettering was created on my pc, then I added my stamp into the space and doodled a little border around the edge. It's all mounted on black cardstock with a few extra embellies from my stash. Well, it certainly makes me laugh - hope it gave you a 'titter' too :)

Hugz, Jan xx