For the Boys

Good morning,

I hope everyone had a great weekend and all the mums out there were spoiled rotten. My gorgeous girlies bought me a beautiful canvas for my lounge which has a piccie of my beloved fur babies on - they know me well! Lol.

On a crafty note, it's time for our next challenge over at Make My Monday and this week Fliss has chosen the theme of

'FOR THE BOYS'

Here's what I made for my DT inspiration using my favourite stamp company ...

I chose to keep this one 'clean and simple' to show off the stamp - it's called 'Super Striker' by LOTV and is coloured with my Promarkers. I printed the sentiment on my pc and mounted the whole piece on red cardstock to compliment his little football shirt. 

Sadly, this will be my last post for Make My Monday as I have decided to step down from their design team to focus on my other crafty commitments. I would just like to say a big 'Thank You' to Jacqueline for having me and wish her and the girls good luck for the future.

Hugz, Jan xx

For Mums

Hello again,

I'm back with my second post today as we begin a new challenge over at Make My Monday. This week Suzi has chosen the theme of

'FOR MUMS'

So we would love to see your beautiful projects just in time for Mother's day. Here's what I made for my DT inspiration ...

I have seen loads of these little box cards recently and made my first one with a crafty friend last weekend. But here's my first effort on my own - it's made from scratch using a piece of A4 kraft card which I measured, scored, cut and folded to make the box. I covered it with pretty papers from my LOTV 'Always and Forever' paper pad - all of which have been inked around the edges with Walnut Stain distress ink. Then I stamped, cut, inked and shaped lots of little flowers, hearts and butterflies to fill the inside with. I also added the lettering 'Mum' using my Clarity letterbox stamp set. A stamped greeting finishes it off on the front panel. 

Hugz, Jan xx

Beautiful Butterflies

Good morning,

I just wanted to say 'welcome' to my new followers and thank you to you all for your lovely comments that you leave on my blog - they are always very much appreciated.

It's time for our next challenge over at Make My Monday and this week it was my turn to choose the theme. Well, it has to be another of my favourites, so this week we would love to see your projects showcasing

'BEAUTIFUL BUTTERFLIES'

I always think that butterflies and flowers are so easy to pop onto your cards, so as long as you use a butterfly somewhere on your project, you're onto a winner. Will it be a main feature, a shaped card, an embellishment, a die - the choice is yours. Here's what I made for my DT inspiration ...

Now, I made something similar to this about a year ago for another challenge blog and I absolutely love this image. It's a digital image by Mitzi Sato-Wiuff and I thought it was perfect for this challenge (and a little different to the usual butterflies that I use). It is printed directly onto a piece of design paper and I created the quote on my pc - so pretty much a digitally created card, but a good result I think. I printed an extra butterfly, which is coloured with my Promarkers to match and then layered on top of the original.

Hope you can come and join us this week with your butterfly creations.

Hugz, Jan xx

Spring is here!

Happy Monday to you all,

What a great weekend - I hope you were all able to enjoy the sunshine we had yesterday, I sincerely hope that Spring is on its way!

It's time for our next challenge over at Make My Monday and it couldn't be more appropriate at the moment - Rosie has chosen the theme of

'SPRING'

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

It measures 6"x6" and I decided to keep it simple to show off the stamp. I used an old Magenta wooden block stamp which I have had for ages - but it always stamps up well. I used layers of green and yellow textured cardstock to highlight the images, which are stamped and coloured with my Promarkers. The wording was printed from my pc and I added three little eyelets as a decorative touch.

Why not come and join us with your 'Spring' makes this week - we would love to see you.

Hugz, Jan xx

Babies

Hello again,

Well, it's back to school for me today - where did that week go! Having said that, I got loads done in the house and lots of crafting, so all is good. Great to see some sunshine too, let's hope it's here to stay.

On a crafty note, it's time for our next challenge over at Make My Monday and this week Jacqueline has set the theme of

'BABIES'

We would love to see your 'baby' projects - will it be a birth card, a scrapbook page, a baby gift - the choice is yours. Here's what I decided on for my DT inspiration ...

I made a little baby name plaque for a nursery door using lots of scraps from my stash (yep, the NY resolution is still going strong - although you wouldn't believe it if you saw my stash, it doesn't look any different!!)

I started with a piece of strong cardboard (recycled dog food box!) measuring 18cm x 9cm and covered it with some pink design paper left over from a previous project. The little teddy is stamped and coloured with my Promarkers and mounted on a pink scalloped circle. The lettering is stamped with my trusty Clarity letterbox stamp set and cut out (and I printed the date onto a piece of scrap paper which is torn and inked). Extra embellies include a piece of pink gingham ribbon, a little pink button and some punched flowers with pink gem centres.

Hope you can join us this week.

Hugz, Jan xx

All Grown Up

Good morning,

I hope you all had a great weekend - I am just about to begin my half term break, so sat here feeling very smug this morning! Lots of crafting planned, together with a little 'spring cleaning'. Ooops, did I say that out loud! Lol.

On a crafty note, it's time for another challenge over at Make My Monday and this week Jacqueline has challenged us with the theme of

'A GROWN UP CARD'

The rules of the challenge are 'NOT' to use any cute images - well, you can imagine my dismay! Me, make a card without a cutie image! Well, here's what I came up with for my DT inspiration ...

This one is A5 in size, a little bigger than my usual style - but I had a layout in mind and needed the extra space. All the gorgeous papers are from the 'Lost and Found' paper pad by 'My Mind's Eye' and are layered onto Soft Suede cardstock. I embellished the papers with a little frantage powder and my favourite 'Walnut Stain' distress ink.  The main feature is the sentiment which was stamped in coffee ink and layered onto a 'Labels Four' nestie shape which I inked with 'Victorian Velvet' distress ink. Added embellishments include a doily, some pretty stamped flowers which I cut from scraps of the paper left over, a piece of pink organza ribbon and lots of added pearls, brads and little punched butterflies. See, I can be 'All grown Up!'

We would love to see you over at the challenge this week - why not pop along and check out the work of my teamies.

Hugz, Jan xx

Card Recipe

Happy Monday,

Well, I've had a rubbish weekend which started on Thursday night when I got the dreaded cold that's been flying around. My youngest has been really bad with it, so combined with all the 'poorly' kids at school, I suppose it was inevitable! Not feeling sorry for myself, much! Lol.

On a crafty note, it's time for our next challenge at Make My Monday and this week our leader, Jacqueline, has chosen a 'CRAFTY CARD RECIPE' to follow. Now, I'm really glad I checked this one because all I had written on my calendar was the word 'recipe' - so, I think you can guess where this was going! Off I went to find a yummy food recipe that I could adapt around a card! Good job I checked first then!

Our recipe this week is as follows - you must use:

5 Gems, 4 Colours, 3 Images, 2 Layers and 1 Word

So away with the cookery books and out with my inks and here's what I made for my DT inspiration ...

I started with a piece of plain white cardstock (16cm x 10cm). First job was to apply the ink - I started with 'Scattered Straw' at the top, then 'Victorian Velvet' for the hills and 'Mowed Lawn' for the grass in the foreground (plus my black makes 4 colours). Next I stamped the vine leaves around the edge, the long grasses in the bottom right corner and the little flock of birdies across the moon (3 images). I stamped my one word 'Inspire' using black archival ink, then added 5 little 'aurora borealis' adhesive gems underneath the word. Finally I mounted the whole piece on a black mount, making my 2 layers.

I can't wait to see everyone's interpretation of this week's theme - see you soon.
Hugz, Jan xx

Love is in the Air

Happy Monday,

I do hope everyone is safe out there after the dreadful weather over the weekend - roll on Spring (only 7 weeks until the clocks change!)

It's time for our next challenge over at Make My Monday and this week our Rosie has chosen the theme of 

'LOVE IS IN THE AIR'

There are so many interpretations of this one, but with Valentine's Day creeping up fast it's a perfect opportunity to join us. Here's what I made for my DT inspiration ...

Having said that, I decided to go for something completely different! I decorated a chipboard heart with a piece of design paper left over from another project. First I randomly stamped it with a script stamp using Dusty Concord distress ink. Next I ran it through an embossing folder, then gently highlighted the embossed areas with gilding wax. Once stuck in place I inked around the edge of the heart with the same distress ink.

All the flowers are handmade using a Dreamees stamp - this is very quickly becoming a favourite. I stamped out the flowers using the same distress ink, then stamped the script stamp over them and inked the edges too. Next a little shaping before assembling them and adding a little lilac pearl to the centres. I added a couple of die-cut leaves for extra foliage.

I couldn't resist adding little 'Fizzy Moon' with his string of hearts and the sentiment was printed on my pc before being torn and inked and added to my project. A few little punched hearts to finish off.

I've not quite decided what to do with this yet, but my daughter has her eyes on it as her room is all decorated in purples! Lol.

Hope you can join us this week.

Hugz, Jan xx

Anything but a Card at MMM

Morning lovelies,

Well another week down and another one nearer to half term - I swear I live my life from one school holiday to another (with lots of crafting in between)!!

It's time for a new challenge over at Make My Monday and this week Fliss has chosen the theme of

'ANYTHING BUT A CARD'

I think this has to be another favourite of mine and it gets us thinking 'outside the box'. Here's what I decided on for my DT inspiration ...

This is a different version of a project I made last year and consists of one piece of card (27cm x 20cm), which is scored and folded to make a gift bag - it's really simple to make (I will add this to my 'To Do' list of tutorials that I am planning for the future).

Once the card is folded, simply decorate. I chose a piece of neutral design paper and edged it with Walnut Stain distress ink. The next layer is a Fleur de Lys nestie cut from book paper and also edged with the same ink. The top layer is a 'Wellington Bear' image from the 'Sunny Days Collection', mounted on a piece of pink card. I made the little flowers from scraps of the book paper and added a few little punched butterflies. A bit of polkadot ribbon for the handles and a little 'To and From' label on the back and job done.

Hope you can join us this week.

Hugz, Jan xx

Eastern Promise

Good morning,

I hope you all had a great weekend - I can't believe how fast Monday seems to come around!

It's time for our next challenge over at Make My Monday and this week Suzi has chosen the theme of

'EASTERN PROMISE'

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

I love this little image by Sherri Baldy - so off I went to choose some backing papers from my stash, before colouring her with my Promarkers.  I stamped the oriental symbols and embossed them with gold powder to give a more opulent look and added a little oriental coin to some twine to embellish. Hope you like her.

Why not pop over to the main blog and check out how my teamies interpreted the theme? I shall look forward to visiting your blogs over the next week to see your own interpretations too.

Hugz, Jan xx

A little bit of Kraft!

Happy Monday,

I hope you all had a great weekend with lots of opportunities to craft.

It's time for our next challenge at Make My Monday and this week it's my turn to choose the theme, so we would love to see your projects using

'KRAFT CARD'

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

I decided to make the Kraft card a feature, rather then layer with it like I usually do and used a rich red cardstock to compliment it. The heart is printed from my pc, together with the sentiment (which I have used previously in my art journaling). The border down the left hand side is made using a litttle heart punch and my Cropadile to make the little holes - the red cardstock is peeking through from underneath.

Why not pop along to the main blog HERE and see what my teamies made with their Kraft card.

Hugz, Jan xx

Watch the Birdie

Happy Monday,

Righty, here we go again at the beginning of another week - I wonder what this one will bring? I have some more news for you tomorrow, so keep watching.

So, onto today - we have a brand new challenge for you over at Make My Monday and this week our Rosie has chosen the theme of

'BIRDS'.

Now I'm not a big fan of our feathered friends, so I had to put my thinking hat on. Here's what I came up with for my DT inspiration ...

Well, aren't they cute! I found the image with the help of my friend 'Google' and pasted it into a word document. The original was just one flamingo, but I copied, flipped, and made this cute looking pair, which are coloured with my Promarkers. The lettering has been stamped using the Clarity Letterbox set and I added a little Black Soot distress ink underneath the letters to give a shadow. The panel is mounted on a piece of textured pink cardstock and then added to my 6x6" cardbase.

Hope you can join us with your own 'Birdie' creations this week.

Hugz, Jan xx

2014 at Make My Monday

Happy Monday everyone,

Well, after my much enjoyed Christmas break it's back to school today, ready for the Spring term. I must admit, although I love being at home I do miss the routine of work (and the children, of course!)

On a crafty note, it's time for our first challenge of the New Year over at Make My Monday. This week Laura is starting us off with a great theme with lots of possibilities. So, we would love to see your projects using 'EMBOSSING' - Laura hasn't specified which, so dry embossing or heat embossing will meet the theme. I decided on dry embossing for this one - here's what I made for my DT inspiration ...

I kept it fairly simple as I wanted to show the embossing. I cut a piece of cardstock to the same size as my embossing folder, then passed it through my Calibur. I added colour using different shades of pearlescent chalk, which has a lovely sparkle to it (although it doesn't show very well on my photo!) A little stamped 'Thank You' sentiment, a piece of ribbon and a black mount to finish - simples!

Why not pop over to the main blog and check out what my teamies did - hope you can join us.

Hugz, Jan xx

Clean and Simple for Christmas

Hello again,

I'm back with my second post of the day with a brand new challenge over at Make My Monday. This week Suzi has chosen a great theme to finish off our year. We would love to see your 'CLEAN AND SIMPLE' Christmas projects this week - nice and easy just before the big celebrations begin.  Here's my DT inspiration ...

This one was really easy and only took about 15 minutes to make. I stamped the 'Three Wise Men' and the little star in black archival ink and quickly added clear embossing powder before heating. I used 'Scattered Straw' distress ink around the star and to create a few hills, before adding the text. Hope you like it.

If you have a minute, pop on over to the main blog and check out what my teamies did for their CAS Christmas!

Hugz, Jan xx

A Frosty Scene

Hi everyone,

Sorry for the lack of blogging this week - it's such a busy time at school that I have been shattered when I get home. We are knee deep in rehearsals for our Christmas production which is on Wednesday and we also had our Christmas market last week. Still have lots to do for the children to make this a special time of year for them.

Right onto crafty things - we have new challenge for you over at Make My Monday and this week Rosie has chosen a very seasonal theme:

' A FROSTY SCENE'

So we would love to see your projects getting all frosted up this week - here's my DT inspiration for you ...

I loved making this one - I used a masking technique to create a space inside the large bauble to stamp my 'frosty scene' using lots of little stamps.  I added some pale blue Promarker and lots of glitter to create a frosty look. Hope you like it.

Have a great week,

Hugz, Jan xx

Christmas Flowers & Foliage

Good morning,

It's time for our next challenge over at Make My Monday and this week Jacqueline has chosen a great theme for us in our lead up to Christmas. We would love to see your projects showcasing

'CHRISTMAS FLOWERS & FOLIAGE'

Here's my DT inspiration ...

My background paper and sentiment is from Kaisercraft - I love the old Victorian look of these papers. I made a border by stamping a little holly stamp and colouring it with Promarkers. Then I added some extra leaves and poinsettias to decorate my sentiment focal point.

Why not check out the main blog and see what my teamies have made too.

Hugz, Jan xx

Midweek Motivation at MMM

Hello again,

I'm back today to show you a little bit more inspiration for our current challenge over at Make My Monday. I hope you are all enjoying our theme this week - if you have entered already, then good luck - but if you haven't there is still plenty of time to join us.

So, here's a different take on my Contemporary Christmas theme ...

I have kept this one nice and simple - it only took about 15 minutes to make. Exactly what we need when we have a huge pile of christmas cards to make.

I hope you can come along and join us and don't forget to pop back to the main blog on Sunday for our next set of winners.

Hugz, Jan xx

Contemporary Christmas

Happy Monday everyone,

Hope you all had a great weekend - mine has been a case of 'out with the old' and 'in with the new'! My poor old pc has finally given up the ghost and has been laid to rest in the pooter graveyard. I now have a snazzy new laptop all up and running which my gorgeous hubby had bought be for Christmas - and yes, he let me have it early. I feel suitably spoiled!

So, as it's Monday it's time for our next challenge over at Make My Monday and this week was my turn to choose a theme. As Christmas is approaching fast, we are staying on a 'christmassy' theme and this week we would love to see your projects showcasing

'A CONTEMPORARY CHRISTMAS'

So, out with the traditional red, gold and green and in with something different. Here's what I made for my DT inspiration ...

I decided to go for lilac and silver for my contemporary colours and I used a stamped image by LOTV called 'Teddy and Penguin', which I coloured with my Promarkers.  I also added a Christmas sentiment, together with some ribbon and a few die-cut snowflakes.

Please pop over to the main blog if you have a minute and check out the work of my teamies. I shall look forward to visiting your blogs throughout the week to see what you do with the new theme.

Hugz, Jan xx

The Big Guy Santa

Hi there,

I'm back again with my second post today with the next challenge over at Make My Monday.  This week Fliss has chosen the theme of

'THE BIG GUY' 

Now this one posed me quite a problem - would you believe that amongst all my stash of stamps, I didn't have one of Santa - how rude! So, I have had to use a printed image which I made into a topper to create my simple christmas card. Here's what I ended up with ...

I simply added some christmas paper and a piece of christmas ribbon, together with three red dew drops to finish off. A nice quick and simple card.

Hugz, Jan xx

Christmas at MMM

Good morning,

Well, that's another weekend over and another week closer to Christmas and I haven't even started my shopping yet.

As it's Monday, it's time for our next challenge over at Make My Monday and this week Laura has chosen the theme of

'ANYTHING BUT A CARD - CHRISTMAS THEMED'

So, we would love to see your Christmas themed projects this week - but remember it has to be something other than a card. Here's what I made for my DT inspiration ...

I love making Tags so this was an obvious choice for me. I used some 'freebie' stash that came with the 'Simply Cards & Papercrafts' magazine that I bought this week - I must say it's a great freebie if you haven't seen it yet!  The papers and 'Merry Christmas' sentiment are Kaisercraft and you even get a packet of the little tags too. So all I did was did my own tag template out and get sticking, plus a few embellishments of course!

I shall look forward to seeing your entries this week over at the challenge blog.

Good luck, Jan xx