Where would you go?

Good morning,

Wow! Four weeks since I finished work already! Where does the time go? I have been very busy in my craft room making lots of bits and pieces in readiness for the Christmas Fayre at school in December - I am planning to try my first table top sale. Never thought I would hear myself discussing Christmas at this time of year, but there you go. My biggest problem is where to store everything - I have some larger home decor pieces that are taking up a lot of room now!

Anyway, back to the here and now - we have our next challenge over at Cardz 4 Guyz today and this week Helen chose the theme of 

'TRANSPORT'

This is a great theme for a male card - lots of choice. Here's what I made for my DT inspiration ...

I was looking for an image on the internet because all my transport stamps are vintage cars and I wanted a change - so was looking for a nice steam train like the Hogwarts Express, as my girlies have been busy with all things Harry Potter this last week, taking part in an Instagram book competition and Sam has just received her new hardback 'copy of The Cursed Child', so has her nose firmly glued inside it!  

I found a beautiful image, but decided to keep it simple in black and white to match the design paper which is from my Prima 'Cartographer' paper pad, and added a few little embellishments to finish off.

Thanx for reading my ramblings - hope you all have a good day.

Hugz, Jan xx

Wood in Design

Good Morning,

I have my next Design Team project for you today, for the new challenge at Cardz 4 Guyz and this week Joan has chosen the theme of

'WOOD IN DESIGN'

So, here's what I made using a fab piece of 'distressed wood effect' design paper from Raspberry Road ...

I decided to cut into the paper, instead of just placing it at a whole square - then inked the edges with some Frayed Burlap distress ink before adding it to my layered card base.

The central piece is made from a die-cut shape which I ran through my wood grain embossing folder, then highlighted the embossed areas with the same distress ink.

I added a little wooden frame which is coloured with a brown Promarker, then placed the little die-cut heart (which is cut from the centre of the first embossed layer) in the middle.

Some decorative brads and a stamped sentiment finish off the card.

Hugz, Jan xx

Life Begins After Coffee

Good morning,

I'm back this morning with my next DT project for the new challenge at Cardz 4 Guyz today. This week Jane has chosen the theme of

'FOOD AND DRINK'

Now I looked through all my stash, and struggled to find both 'food' and 'drink' together, so I just went with the 'drink'. Now there are lots of 'drinks' to choose from, but I am a coffee girl and my day always begins with a nice flavoured coffee, usually hazelnut. So, here's what I came up with for some inspiration ...

I used one of the stamps from the Tim Holtz 'Fresh Brewed Blueprint' set and coloured it with my Promarkers. The sentiment is printed on my pc and I added a couple of eyelets to two corners for a little extra embellishment. I used my scissors to distress the edge and added some 'Frayed Burlap' distress ink. I used some scraps of leftover design paper to make a background, which is also edged with 'Frayed Burlap' distress ink.

Hugz, Jan xx

Time Flies!

Hi there everyone,

I'm back with news of the next challenge over at CARDZ 4 GUYZ and this week Joan chose the theme

'IT'S ABOUT TIME'

Here's what I made for my DT inspiration using one of my embossing folders ...

I began with a piece of plain white cardstock, then added some distress ink in Faded Jeans and Tea Dye using my inkdusters. Next I passed it through an embossing folder to create the clock background. I brushed gently over the top with some Gathered Twigs distress ink, just to highlight the embossing a little, then cut the whole piece into four smaller pieces

The pieces are layered on kraft card and then a background. The little topper is made using an old set of stamps - I cut out the 'Time Flies' part and then stamped and cut out the wings, adding them to the topper before layering it on to some more kraft card. It also has a little metal timepiece embellishment to finish off.

I hope you will join us over at the challenge.

Hugz, Jan xx

Boys Rule!

Good morning,

Well, I'm not liking this rain, that's for sure - where did the sunshine go?

We have a brand new challenge starting today over at FANTASY STAMPERS and for the next two weeks the theme will be

'BOYS RULE!'

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

I used up some of my paper scraps on this one, together with 'Scooter Boy' stamped image from LOTV which I coloured with my Promarkers. The sentiment is also LOTV and I added a few die-cut stars to embellish.

Hope you will come and join us with your own male themed projects.

Hugz, Jan xx

A Numbered Birthday

Hi there,

I'm back today with the next challenge over at Cardz 4 Guyz and this week it was my turn to choose the theme. So, we would love to see your male themed projects for a

'NUMBERED BIRTHDAY'

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

There were lots of possibilities for this one, but I decided on a child's birthday card using a new set of Kanban stamps which I recently purchased online.

Why not pop over and see what the design team did with the theme - hope you can join in too.

Hugz, Jan xx

A Little Gift Tag

Hi everyone,

I'm back today with the next challenge over at Cardz 4 Guyz and this week Andrea has chosen the theme of

'ORANGE & BROWN'

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

It's a little gift tag which is folded to give a 3D effect, but it doesn't really show in my photo. The stamp is from Woodware and is coloured with my Promarkers. The little greeting banner was printed on my pc and the embellishments are from my stash.

Hugz, Jan xx

Something beginning with T

Good morning,

Just popped in quickly this morning to let you know we have a new challenge starting today over at Cardz 4 Guyz and this week Jane has chosen the theme of

'SOMETHING BEGINNING WITH T'

So, here goes with my DT inspiration ...

It mainly consists of just one layer (apart from the clock centre and the sentiment). I used my Stampin' Up sets 'Clockworks' and 'Gorgeous Grunge' (two of my favourites for male themed cards). I stamped and masked the watch fob and then did the background stamping using Gathered Twigs, Rusty Hinge and Tea Dye distress inks. The sentiment is from a very old set of stamps in my stash - but I'm not very good at following the advice! I'm always putting things off until tomorrow!! Lol.

Have a great day (despite all the rain!)

Hugz, Jan xx

No Design Papers

Happy Tuesday,

Only four more days to go - not that I'm counting!! Lol.

It's time for our next challenge over at Cardz 4 Guyz and this week Kim has challenged us to use 'NO DESIGN PAPERS'. Although I have enough design papers in my stash to last two lifetimes, I do really enjoy making my own backgrounds. Here's what I came up with for my DT inspiration ...

I began with a square of white card and applied three different colours of distress ink (Tumbled Glass, Evergreen Bough and Tea Dye) using my ink dusters. Then I splattered some water on it before adding some inked splodges using the same colours. Finally I passed it through one of my embossing folders and then dragged some Gathered Twigs distress ink over the embossing to highlight it.

I stamped the wording using black archival ink and distressed the edges to match. It is fastened on with twine threaded through the four eyelets. Hope you like it.

Hugz, Jan xx

Football Crazy

Hello,

I have a male themed card today for the new challenge at Cardz 4 Guyz and this week it was my turn to choose the theme, so we would love to see your 'FOOTBALL CRAZY' projects. Here's my DT inspiration ...

This is one of my favourite boy stamps from LOTV and I think it's suitable for any age. I coloured him with my Promarkers to match the design papers. I'm not really a football fan, but chose both our local colours so as not to upset anyone! Lol. The stamped sentiment and little 'play' tag are also LOTV.

I hope you can come and play along this time.

Hugz, Jan xx

Anyone for Golf?

Hi there,

Hope everyone had a good weekend - I'm back today with our next challenge over at Cardz 4 Guyz and this week Caz has chosen the theme of

'HOBBIES'

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

I stamped my LOTV image 'Playing Golf' using Sepia ink and coloured it with my distress inks for a change. I used a combination of Antique Linen, Tattered Rose, Gathered Twigs, Walnut Stain and Weathered Wood.

I inked around the edge with Gathered Twigs and used a little foliage stamp to add some stamped detail around the edge of the card too.

Finally I passed the whole piece of card through my Calibur using a Clarity 'brick wall' stencil to created some texture.

The little sentiment was made on my pc and attached with a couple of eyelets.

I hope you will come and join us this week.

Hugz, Jan xx

Puppy Love

Happy Tuesday everyone,

I have news today of our next challenge over at Cardz 4 Guyz and this week the new theme is one very close to my own heart ...

'PUPPY LOVE'

Those of you who know me will understand this one - my little fur babies our my world and I wouldn't be without them. So, here goes with my DT inspiration ...

This one is another 6 x 6" and incorporates one my new embossing folders that I ordered from the TV last week - they arrived in record time, so I couldn't wait to play with them.  The photo doesn't show the embossing to the full advantage (I am rubbish at taking photos!), but they are lush, no other word for them. See, it doesn't take much to keep me happy - just have to recover the bank balance!! 

The piece of black card was embossed with the 'distressed' folder and then highlighted with a little guilding wax. I stamped the front panel using the little puppy stamp (an old freebie from my Craft Stamper magazine) in black ink and then coloured them with just my grey Promarkers. Their little noses are stamped again and decoupaged (but sadly this doesn't show very well either). 

I die-cut four little labels and stamped the 'Love' lettering, then fastened them to my card using four tiny button brads.  The whole piece was mounted onto green cardstock and voila!

Of course, there are other ways to interpret our theme - I even think 'Donny Osmond' was mentioned in our discussions - hope you will come and join us with your own makes over at the challenge this week.

Hugz, Jan xx

Sit Back and Relax

Hello again,

I'm back today with our next challenge over at Cardz 4 Guyz and this time Helen has chosen the theme of 'SIT BACK AND RELAX'.

I knew exactly which stamp I wanted to use for this one, so here's what I made for my DT inspiration ...

Another 6 x 6" design using kraft card which has been passed through my hexagon embossing folder (yes, I do seem to be going through an embossing phase at the moment - explains why I had to order some of the new embossing folders from the TV last night!)

The image is Fizzy Moon 'All About Him' and is stamped on ivory cardstock with Vintage Sepeia ink and then coloured with a combination of Promarkers and coloured pencils. I also paper pieced the book to make it look like he was reading the newspaper. I cut a circle aperture in the kraft card so the image peeps through. 

I highlighted five of the hexagons and added the lettering 'Relax' and also a little banner made from book pages and a few stars to embellish.

I hope you can come and join us this week with your own projects.

Hugz, Jan xx

Let's Pretend

Good morning,

Well, after seven weeks we appear to have our internet fully functional again - to say it has been driving me mad is an understatement! After a visit from a very obnoxious BT broadband engineer with a god complex he decided it was the extension line to the upstairs that was causing the fault. Said connection has now been removed and all seems well again - only time will tell, I suppose!

On a crafty note, it's time for our next challenge over at Cardz for Guyz and this week Kim has chosen the theme of

'LET'S PRETEND'

So we would love to see your projects showcasing a 'pretend' or faux technique, such as making something look like wood, or using faux stitching (that sort of thing) OR you can play 'dress ups' like the children when they 'pretend'.

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

I decided to go for the faux metal look with my aluminium tape - a definite favourite of mine. I cut nine squares of scrap cardstock 4cm x 4 cm and covered each one with metal tape. I ran them all through an alphabet embossing folder, then added some alcohol ink to distress them and make them look a little rusty (I hope!).

These little faux metal tiles were then adhered to some kraft cardstock, then layered onto turquoise cardstock before adding to my card blank.

The topper consists of two die-cut layers (the top one has been inked to give a soft turquoise tone to match), then I added the lettering (using my good old Clarity Letterbox stamps). A piece of brown velvet ribbon secures the topper to the centre of the card.

I hope you will come and play this time with your 'pretend' techniques.

Hugz, Jan xx

Vintage!

Good morning friends and followers,

I'm back today with our next challenge over at Cardz 4 Guyz and this week it was my turn to choose the theme, so we would love to see your projects showcasing

'VINTAGE'

I think this is a great theme for a male card and here's what I created for my DT inspiration ...

It measures 6x6" in size and uses kraft card and a piece of design paper from my stash. The main image is from Creative Expressions and is stamped with Vintage Sepia ink onto watercolour paper. I have torn the edges to give a distressed look and layered it onto another piece of kraft card. The greeting is also from CE and stamped with the same ink - perfect for this challenge! A couple of buttons, a piece of ribbon and a little hand doodled border to finish off.

I hope you can come along and join us this week - I look forward to seeing your interpretations of my theme.

Hugz, Jan xx

Favourite Christmas Colours

Hi there,

I'm back today with news of our next challenge over at Cardz 4 Guyz, and this week Helen has chosen the theme of

'FAVOURITE XMAS COLOURS'

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

Although I do love the contemporary style Christmas cards, I am also a sucker for the traditional - so I went with 'Red/Gold/Green' option for my card this week.

I stamped the gorgeous reindeer (which came free on a recent crafting magazine) and embossed it with gold detail embossing powder. I also stamped and embossed the 'Happy Christmas' greeting too.

Papers are from Kaisercraft and are layered onto gold mirri card. I also made a rosette out of the paper left over and added a little gold button to the centre.

I hope you will join us with your own Christmas Colours this week.

Hugz, Jan xx

Happy Anniversary

Good morning,

I'm back today with news of our next challenge at Cardz 4 Guyz and this week it is my turn to choose the theme. As I am due to celebrate my 30th wedding anniversary very soon, I thought it would be a good opportunity to use this as a theme - so we would love to see your 'WEDDING ANNIVERSARY' projects over the next week.

Here's what I made for my hubbie (and DT inspiration) ...

I used a 6x6" card blank and layered kraft card and some fab backing paper from my new LOTV paper pad (Father Knows Best), which is inked around the edges with 'Tea Dye' distress ink. I added four brads to the corners and a piece of ribbon before adding the focal image. Of course it had to be another LOTV image and this one is called 'Anniversary Surprise' (perfect for the theme!)  I coloured it with my Promarkers and added just a little sparkle to the flowers, before adding it to a 'Fleur de Lys' die-square cut from kraft card. I finished off with a little sentiment which was produced on my pc.

I hope you can come and play along this week - I shall look forward to visiting your blogs over the next seven days.

Hugz, Jan xx

Cardz 4 Guys Launch!

Happy Tuesday everyone,

Well I have more exciting news to share with you today - one of my very best crafty friends is launching her brand new challenge blog today called

'CARDZ 4 GUYS' 

which couldn't have come at a better time after the demise of a couple of male themed challenge blogs over the past couple of weeks.

Caz also asked me to be part of her new design team and I couldn't wait to get started. I think we all find it more difficult to make for the guys in our life, so this brings a fantastic opportunity to hone my skills. The new design team have been getting ready and have made some great male themed projects for our first challenge, which is a great one to start with. Here's my DT inspiration for our first challenge theme, which is

'HAPPY BIRTHDAY'

Now who hasn't got a male birthday coming up in the next few months - I know I have, it was my dad's birthday yesterday so perfect timing for our challenge. I used an 8x8" scalloped card blank and covered it with papers from my stash. The cute little chimney sweep is from the 'Cutie-Patooties' range at Little Claire Designs and is called 'Little Bert'. I stamped him in Vintage Photo distress ink and used the ink to colour him with the addition of a blue Promarker (yep, I couldn't step away from them totally!)  The sentiment was created on my pc and the 'Dad' lettering was stamped using the Clarity Letterbox kit. Hope you like it.

If you have a minute, please pop over the the main blog and take a peek at the work my teamies produced too - they would love your comments.

I hope you will join us in our new venture and I shall look forward to popping over to your blogs during the next week.

Hugz, Jan xx