Time for a Blog Hop!

Happy Monday,

Well, it's a special day today - the 29th of February only comes around every four years and to celebrate this fifth Monday in February we are having a Blog Hop over at My Besties UK.

All the design team are showcasing their favourite 'Besties' projects over at the main blog HERE - and I can tell you, this wasn't an easy task because I love all Sherri's beautiful artwork!

Here's just one of my favourites, which is also shown on the main blog ...

This one was made back in September 2013 

using the 'Wee Winged Ones' image.

I couldn't just pick one to show you, so here's a couple more of my favourites ...

This one is from February 2013 

and uses another favourite image 'Belinda Behive'

And my third choice is from March 2013

and uses yet another favourite image 'Cherry Blossom'

I could go on forever, but I hope you enjoyed taking a peek at just a few of my favourite Besties designs and if you would like to play along with us in our Blog Hop, you could win 3 digi images of your own choice from Sherri's stunning collection.

All you have to do is follow the blog list below and stop by and leave a comment on each of the design team's blogs. The winners will be announced on the My Besties UK Challenge blog on Monday 7th March.

Blog List

http://silverpaws1957.blogspot.co.uk

http://craftingjanie.blogspot.com/

http://sue-hickey.blogspot.co.uk/

http://ab5474-8kidsandstillfindtimetocraft.blogspot.co.uk

http://tanglemousecards.blogspot.co.uk

http://www.clairmatthews.com/

http://thiscraftymummy.blogspot.co.uk

http://christineingram55.blogspot.co.uk

http://jaybescraftybitz.blogspot.co.uk/ (me!)

Thanks for dropping by today, I hope you have time to play along with us and good luck.

Hugz, Jan xx

Steampunk Snowman

Good morning,

I'm back today in my role as Guest Designer at My Besties UK and have some alternative Christmas artwork to show you for our posting today. As we have five Mondays in November, the design team showcase some of Sherri's gorgeous images and one lucky commenter will have the chance of winning either my chosen image (or my teamie's chosen image) as a prize.

Here's what I came up with using Image 781, which you can buy in Sherri's online store HERE.

This definitely has to be the most 'alternative' Christmas cards I have ever made, but I just love him to bits! I coloured the snowman with a combination of pencils and Promarkers and added a little glitter - well, you can't have Christmas without sparkle, can you - even if he is Steampunk!

The design paper and all embellishments are from my stash - the two chipboard cogs have been embossed with fine detail gold embossing powder to create a metal effect finish.

So why not pop over to the blog and see what Sue made for her project, and don't forget to leave a comment on the main challenge blog for your chance to win a free image!

Hugz, Jan xx

April Showers

Good morning,

I hope everyone had a good weekend - I came down with the dreaded 'man flu' last week which was very unpleasant, but seem to be over the worst now, just coughing for England!

Over at My Besties UK we have our monthly 'Same but Different' post today, where all the design team are challenged to use the same image, but obviously we all have a different interpretation. Here's what I decided on for my inspiration this time ...

I covered a kraft gift bag with some pretty paper from my LOTV 'Beach Bliss' paper pad and then topped it with Sherri's pretty image 235, which you can buy in her on-line store HERE.  She is coloured with my Promarkers and I printed the flower umbrella twice so I could decoupage it.

All other embellishments, including the die-cut flowers are from my own stash.

Why not pop along and check out how my teamies used the image in their projects.

Hugz, Jan xx

I Love My Besties

Good morning,

Just a quick visit this morning amongst the Easter celebrations - I hope everyone had a great weekend with lots of chocolate eggs!

Over at My Besties UK we have a brand new challenge starting today and as always your entries can be 'Anything Goes', but Carol likes to set a theme as well. So for the month of April our new theme will be

'LOVE'

So, here's what I made for my DT inspiration ...

I used backing paper from my stash and a couple of die-cut hearts to create the background. The pretty little Bestie is image 157 and can be purchased from Sherri's on-line store HERE. I coloured her with my Promarkers and added a little glitter to the bottom of her skirt. The lettering is stamped with my Clarity Letterbox stamps. A few pearls accents to finish off.

I hope you can come and play along with us.

Hugz, Jan xx

Girls Day Out

Good morning,

I hope everyone had a great weekend and all those mums out there were spoiled rotten - I know I was.

I'm back today with another 'Same but Different' project for My Besties UK. This one isn't a challenge, but simply for your inspiration - all the design team have used the same image, but in lots of different ways. Here's what I created for my DT inspiration ...

I love making tags and have quite a little collection going now. For this one I used kraft card and passed it through my 'hessian' embossing folder for some texture. It's mounted on a layer of dusky pink cardstock and I added some co-ordinating ribbon too.

The image is called 'Carley's Day Out' and can be purchased at Sherri's on-line store HERE. I coloured her with my Promarkers and added her to the tag, together with some die-cut flowers and a little 'Thank You' sentiment.

Hugz, Jan xx

A touch of Silver

Happy Monday,

Well, I seem to be just about over whatever that was I had last week - someone mentioned 'viral flu - I think I slept more than I was awake! So back to school today, I will probably be tired again when I get home.

Over at My Besties UK we are starting a new challenge today for the month of February and although we run an 'Anything Goes' theme, Carol likes to challenge the DT with an extra choice - so this time we are using 'SILVER'.

Here's what I made for my DT inspiration using Sherri's cute little image 163 which can be found in her on-line store HERE ...

This one measures 6 x 6" and I kept it quite simple because I wanted my 'silver' mirri card to be the main background (it has been passed through an embossing folder for added texture).

I tried something new with my colouring after watching Melanie Heaton on C & C last week - I only used a 6B graphite pencil to do the majority of the colouring and just added a few skin tones and pink touches with a Promarker. I was really pleased with the result and it was so easy!

I added a stamped greeting and a die-cut flower as extra embellishments - hope you like it.

Why not come and join us with your own designs this time.

Hugz, Jan xx

Same but Different

Happy Monday,

Well, I hope everyone managed to escape the snow - we only had the tiniest of flurries which didn't settle, thank goodness.

I'm back today with a little something different for 'My Besties UK' - we have had a bit of a shake up and changed the way our challenges will work. There will only be one challenge per month now, which will launch on the first Monday of the month (so I will be back with more news about that on the 2nd February), but we are also posting a 'Same but Different' post on the third Monday of each month.

So, here's how it works - all the design team are working with the 'same' image, but by the nature of different styles, we have all done something 'different' with it. And what's more, you could be in with a chance of winning the image just by leaving the design team a comment on the main blog HERE, so why not pop over and take a peek.

Here's what I decided to do with this gorgeous image which Sherri drew to celebrate the birth of her grand-daughter at the end of last year - the image is 'Blakely Ann' and can be purchased from Sherri's on-line store HERE.

I made an 8x8" birth announcement plaque, using a name chosen at random. Papers are from my stash and the image is coloured with my Promarkers and coloured pencils. The flowers are from 'Honeydoo' and are stamped onto scraps of the backing paper, cut out and layered up. Hope you like her.

Hugz, Jan xx

Wish upon a Star

Happy Monday to you all,

Well, I have actually started my Christmas shopping over the weekend - early for me! Still got a way to go yet though and certainly don't have anything wrapped up yet!

On a crafty note, we have a brand new challenge over at My Besties UK and although we run an 'Anything Goes' theme, our leader Carol likes to challenge the design team. So, this time we have the optional theme of

'STARS'

Here's what I made for my DT inspiration using Sherri's gorgeous image 213, which you can buy from her on-line store HERE ...

The image is coloured with my Promarkers and is matted on gold miri card. Design papers are from my stash, together with lots of embellies, including a paper doily, some die-cut gold stars and a couple of gold brads. The sentiment was made on my pc.

Hope you can come and join us for our new challenge.

Hugz, Jan xx

Curls at My Besties UK

Good morning,

I hope everyone had a good weekend. I'm back today with news of our next challenge over at My Besties UK where we run an 'Anything Goes' theme, but also have a chosen theme for people to try, if they wish.  This time the design team have made projects to the theme of 'CURLS'. Now, Sherri's gorgeous artwork just lends itself to this theme, so the hard part was choosing which image to use. Here's what I decided on for my DT project ...

I made a normal 6x6" card with papers from my new LOTV paper pad 'On a High Note'. My chosen image is no. 208 and can be found in Sherri's online store HERE. I coloured her with my Promarkers, added a few little white highlights and a pretty bow in her hair. Added embellishments include a stamped LOTV sentiment, some die-cut 'curls' and a couple of die-cut flowers.

I hope you will pop over and join us for our challenge.

Hugz, Jan xx

So Christmas Begins ...

Hello again,

Well, that's my half term over - back to school today for the run up to Christmas. And on a Crafty note I have my very first Christmas post today - over at My Besties UK we have a 'Christmas' theme for the next couple of weeks, so out came my Christmas box and this is what I made for my DT inspiration using Sherri's gorgeous artwork - if you would like to use this image you can find it in Sherri's online store HERE ...

I used Christmas papers from my stash and coloured the image with my Promarkers to match.  I printed the whole thing out and included a greeting. Added embellies include some co-ordinating ribbon and a couple of die-cut snowflakes. 

Hope you can join us over at the challenge blog.

Hugz, Jan xx

Pencil Colouring

Good morning,

I hope everyone had a good weekend - I made a little trip to Doncaster yesterday to the craft fair at the Dome, and must confess I did add a few things to my stash! Naughty girl!

On a crafty note, it's time for our next challenge over at My Besties UK and this time Carol has included an optional theme of 'PENCIL COLOURING'. Now this one made me think - I don't have a decent set of colouring pencils, only watercolour ones! But I must admit I really enjoyed this one and I am reasonably pleased with the outcome. Here's what I made for my DT inspiration using Sherri's gorgeous image 'Fancy Pants 74' which you can buy from the store HERE.

Design papers are from my stash and I made the flowers and little die-cut gate from leftover scraps.

Hope you can come and join us this time.

Hugz, Jan xx

Buttons and Besties

Morning everyone,

Wow! That weekend seem to speed by, maybe it's because I popped into work on Friday.

Are you ready for another challenge over at My Besties UK? As always we are now running an 'Anything Goes' challenge, but our leader Carol likes to challenge the design team and there are extra rewards on offer if you can follow our theme. For the next two weeks we would love it if you could use 'BUTTONS' on your beautiful creations.

Here's what I made for my DT inspiration using Sherri's gorgeous 'Garden Bestie' which you can buy from her Etsy store HERE ...

Papers are from my stash and the image is coloured with my Promarkers.  Flowers are hand made from some paper scraps and I used the pretty pink buttons as flower centres.

I hope you will come play along with us this time

Hugz, Jan xx

Winged Fairies

Good morning,

I hope everyone had a great weekend, despite the awful rain on Saturday - we were struggling for it to get light all day here!

Are you ready for another challenge over at My Besties UK? Although our challenges are now always 'Anything Goes', our leader Carol still likes to offer the option of a theme and challenges the design team to use it. So for the next couple of weeks we would love to see your projects using

'WINGS'

Here's what I created for my DT inspiration using Sherri's gorgeous 'Winged Fairies' image ...

This one is an 8x8" design using backing papers from my stash layered on co-ordinated cardstock. The image is coloured with my Promarkers and I stamped and embossed all the way around the edge, and added a little glitter to their wings.  Added embellishments include some die-cut butterflies, a die-cut fence, three pretty paper roses, and some adhesive pearls.  The sentiment is stamped using a Clarity word chain.

Hope you can join us this time.

Hugz, Jan xx

Something Old/Something New

Good morning,

I hope everyone is enjoying the bank holiday weekend - I have plans for a little retail therapy tomorrow before returning to school next week.

Over at My Besties UK we have a new challenge this morning - as always you can enter an 'Anything Goes' project, but we also have a specific theme if you want to follow that. For the next two weeks Carol chose 

'SOMETHING OLD, 

SOMETHING NEW'

So, your project must use something old (something you have had for a long time) and something new (a recent purchase) and don't forget to tell us what you used. Here goes with my DT inspiration using Sherri's gorgeous little sailor mermaid image 396 ...

I decided to use an old silver starfish charm on my project - I have had a selection of these for ages and always forget about them on my cards. I suppose you could also call my trusty Promarkers 'old' too!

My something new is my lush LOTV paper pad which was purchased at a recent craft show to go with my 'collection' - I nearly have them all now! This one is called 'Beach Bliss' and has a perfect colour palette for my card - I also used some kraft card for layering.

Extra embellishments include a die-cut border - I thought this one could represent the ocean waves! I also used an LOTV stamped sentiment, a couple of hearts, a few adhesive pearls and some pretty frantage powder around the image to accent the bubbles.

I hope you can come and play along with us this time - I shall look forward to seeing your projects.

Hugz, Jan xx

Summer Spectacular

Hello again,

Well, I had a very busy weekend with a little mini-break from crafting, but I'm back today with a new challenge over at My Besties UK. Our challenges are now all 'Anything Goes', but with an optional theme - so the design team were challenged to use the theme

'SUMMER SPECTACTULAR'

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

I couldn't resist this little cutie - she is from Sherri's 'My Little Dimples' range and can be bought for just £1.81 in Sherri's Etsy store HERE. I coloured her with my Promarkers and added her to a piece of design paper showing the Eiffel Tower, as her pretty little frilly top says 'Paris' on it.

Embellishments include some die-cut flowers with pearl centres, a stamped 'adventure' ticket, some ivory lace and some adhesive pearls.

I hope you can come and play along this time with your own 'Summer' projects.
Hugz, Jan xx

A Little Bit of Sparkle

Happy Monday everyone,

I hope you all had a great weekend - I sure did. I was in Nottingham on Saturday at the Theatre Royal to see the Westend stage show 'Rock of Ages' - it was amazing, a fab way to spend my day.

Now onto all things crafty - it's time for our next challenge over at My Besties UK and we have been making a few changes again. Not only can you now enter without using a Bestie image, our challenges will now include an 'Anything Goes' option - although there is an extra prize if you add the additional theme to your design. For the next two weeks you can

'ADD A LITTLE SPARKLE'

So just to clarify - you can submit an 'Anything Goes' project OR follow the theme of 'Add a Little Sparkle' for the chance of winning an extra prize. Now I didn't need telling twice to 'sparkle' - I love a bit of bling, I do! Here's what I made for my DT project ...

I couldn't resist using some of my new LOTV papers (this one is from the 'Timeless Victorian' pad) and I edged it with a little 'Seedless Preserve' distress ink. I also used my new Spellbinders 'Scalloped Borders One' set to cut the bottom of the mats for the focal image. 

My Besties image is called 'Little Bestie Buglets' and can be purchased for just £1.82 from Sherri's Etsy store HERE. I coloured them using my Promarkers (colours below) and then added some fine glitter to certain areas. I also added fine crystal glitter around the edge of the image before layering it, together with a string of bling (this was hidden amongst a bundle of ribbon I bought recently - how fab!)

Extra embellies include some die-cut flowers with lilac pearl centres, die-cut leaves, a die-cut doily and my sentiment (which was produced on my pc).

Hope you like it - here's my colour choices ...

Skin 

Almond, Blush, Dusky Pink

Dresses

Lilac, Amethyst, Cool Aqua, Duck Egg

Baby Pink, Budding Rose

Shoes/Basket

March Hare, Morning Mist

I am entering my card in the following challenges:

My Besties UK Challenge - #12 Flowers

Have a great week,

Hugz, Jan xx

Time for Tea

Good morning,

Well, after a week of rain for my half term break, the sun finally decided to return yesterday just before I go back to school! Let's hope it's here to stay this time.

I'm back today with news of our next challenge at My Besties UK and we were delighted with the interest for our last challenge with a massive 55 entries. So, onto a new theme for the next two weeks - anyone for a cuppa? Our new theme is

'TIME FOR TEA'

So we would love to see your projects reflecting the new theme - here's my DT project for your inspiration ...

I made a 6x6" card using Sherri's fabulous 'Gypsy Rose Tea' (image 604) which you can purchase from her Etsy store HERE.  I also used some of my lush new Graphic 45 papers from the 'Botanical Tea' collection - just perfect for this challenge.

So why not pop along and join us over on the challenge blog and don't forget to pop over and check out the work of my teamies - there is also a special priced digi for you to use too.

Hugz, Jan xx

Anything Goes at My Besties UK

Happy Monday to you all,

Well, I have had the most fantastic birthday weekend with my family - but now it's back to the real world that is work.

It's time for a new challenge over at My Besties UK and for the next two weeks we have an 'ANYTHING GOES' theme. Here's what I made for my DT inspiration ...

As I've had such a busy weekend, I decided to keep this one 'clean and simple'. I printed out my image (which has to be one of my favourites) - 'My Little Dimples image 934' which you can buy from Sherri's Etsy store HERE.

She is coloured with my Promarkers, but I kept to one colour tone to make the card monochromatic. The edges are also distressed with my scissors, but it doesn't show too well on my photo. I then matter her onto brown cardstock to compliment the colour scheme.

Promarker Colours Used:

Skintones - almond, blush, dusky pink (sunkissed pink cheeks)

Hair - tan, cinnamon, cocoa

Hat, Dress and Shoes - tan

Cardigan - march hare, morning mist

Jeans and Band on hat - tawny owl

Flowers on hat - sunkissed pink

Hope you can pop over to the main blog and check out what my teamies made too - there is some fantastic inspiration for you.

Hugz, Jan xx

Colour it Purple!

Good morning and Happy Bank Holiday Monday,

I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday weekend and the gorgeous weather on Saturday.

I'm back today with news of our next theme over at the

'My Besties UK Challenge blog' 

But first I would just like to say 'thank you' to everyone who joined us on our new look blog last time with a little bit of Hollywood Glamour - we had some fab entries and you can see the winners over at the main blog.

So, onto our new challenge - for the next two weeks our new theme will be

'THE COLOUR PURPLE'

Well, needless to say those who know me will know that I lurve purple! So here's what I made for my DT inspiration  ...

I decided to make some Tag Art this time and used my 'go to' shaped base tag which is covered with design papers from my stash - I find this is a good way to use up some of those little scraps we all have lying around.

I used Sherri's gorgeous image 313 for my focal point and coloured her with my Promarkers - you can find this adorable little girl at Sherri's on-line store HERE.

I also added a little sentiment which was printed on my pc, together with lots of purple die-cut flowers, some ribbon and fibres, and the lettering 'Dream' - I believe everyone should have a dream! Lol.

I hope you can come and join us for our new challenge - why not pop over to the main blog and check out what my teamies made for their DT projects, there is some fab inspiration and another special priced digi image available for your projects - just click HERE.

See you there,

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