Paper Piecing

Good morning,

Well, what a day yesterday - cleaning out a student house!!! Need I say any more!

We have a new challenge over at Make My Monday today and my teamie Fliss has chosen the theme of 'PAPER PIECING' and I agree with her, it's a very simple, effective technique that I don't use as often as I should either. Here's my quick and simple DT inspiration ...

Due to lack of time and exhaustion (after all the manic cleaning!) I needed something quick - so thought I would focus on the actual paper piecing rather than all the other stuff I usually bombard my cards with! So one simple stamp (from Katy Sue Designs), layered on one piece of co-ordinating card. I used some paper scraps to paper piece the hat, adding a little touch of colour/shading with my Promarkers. I made the little holes/bubbles using my Crop-a-dile, allowing the orange layer to show through the card for a little extra interest. The stamped sentiment is from my stash.

If you have the time, please pop over to the blog and check out some fantastic work from my teamies.

Hugz, Jan xx

If Friends were Flowers ...

Happy Sunday everyone,

I hope you are all having a good weekend, despite the break in the weather - we had some torrential rain here last night! I'm off to York today to move my daughter out of her share house as she has now finished university and is moving back home. I shall have a full house once again!

It's my turn to post over at 'Sherri Baldy Art' today and this week I have made a home decor item - a wall hanging plaque using the gorgeous 'Positively Penelope' image which you can buy in Sherri's on-line store HERE.

I used lots of papers and embellishments from my stash, stamped out the wording before tearing and inking the edges and coloured 'Penelope' with my Promarkers before cutting her out and adding her to the project. All the flowers were stamped and hand cut before adding them to the design.

I would also like to enter this project into 

the current 'Besties Challenge' which is

'FLORAL FRENZY'

further details can be found by clicking HERE.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend,

Hugz, Jan xx

Xmas in July

Happy Friday,

It's time for another challenge over at the Polkadoodles Challenge blog and this week we are getting ready for Christmas! We would love to see your 'Christmas' projects, whether it be a card of other project. Here's what I made for my DT inspiration ...

I made a stepper card using papers and images from the brand new 'Angelberry Christmas' CD which you can purchase from the Polkadoodles store HERE.  I added a little organza bow and a few die-cut snowflakes to embellish.  I also added glossy accents to Rudy's nose, but it doesn't show very well in the photo.

Have a great day,

Hugz, Jan xx

Midweek Motivation at MMM

Yippeeeee!

Well, that's it folks - here comes summer (or did I miss that), 40 days off school!! And 40 days to craft! Lol.

Right, now I have that off my chest, it's onto all things crafty and as it was my turn to choose the theme over at Make My Monday, I also have a little midweek motivation for our 'PHOTO INSPIRATION' challenge. Here's what I made ...

This time I just used my inks, instead of pretty papers and embellishments - using the colour theme, the oval, the bunting and the little birdie house. The oval is TH 'Victorian Velvet' and the stencilling at the bottom is TH 'Spun Sugar'. I stamped the bunting and coloured with a matching Promarker (pale pink) and then stamped the little birdie house and two ickle birdies. Quite a simple one using an oval aperture and a flower stencil.

There is still plenty of time to join us - just click HERE for full details of the challenge.

Hugz, Jan xx

Photo Inspiration

Happy Monday crafters,

It's time for a new challenge over at Make My Monday and this week it is my turn to choose the theme.  I wanted something a little different, so decided to go for a 'PHOTO INSPIRATION' challenge. I would like you to use the photo below as your inspiration for the challenge. If you haven't done one of these before, you can take the colour, the theme, a specific element or all of the above to create your project - and remember it doesn't have to be a card.

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

You won't be surprised that I tried to use all the elements - picking out the colour, the theme, the bunting, the oval frame and the birdhouse.  I tried to create the look of the cloth on the table with the pretty doily and the die-cut lace border. I also added just a touch of the olive green in the birdhouse and the centre gem along the bottom (although it doesn't show very well in the picture).

I shall look forward to visiting your blogs this week to check out your interpretations of the theme.

Have a great week,

Hugz, Jan xx

My Notebook

Good morning everyone,

I hope you are all enjoying this fantastic weather, I must admit the cooler temperatures we had here yesterday were welcome. It has been like a furnace at school all week and the children are so irritable. Anyway, only two more days left - then bring on summer!!

I have another little project using one of the fantastic Sherri Baldy 'Bestie' images this morning - I adore these images and this one is brand new! As I'm always making notes when I'm on the internet I thought it would be a good idea to cover one of my notebooks. Here's what I ended up with ...

This gorgeous little girl doesn't even have a name yet, but is listed in Sherri's store as image 906 and you can buy her HERE.

I coloured her with my Promarkers (just for a change, I hear you say!)  I must really challenge myself to use some other colouring mediums - watch this space!  I love the pretty sugared almond colours though to match the backing paper.  The lettering is cut using my Sizzix machine and all the embellishments are hand made. Hope you like her.

See you all again tomorrow with a brand new 'Make My Monday' challenge.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend,

Hugz, Jan xx

A non-inked Stamp!

Good morning,

Well, I could really get used to this gorgeous weather - I hope it's here to stay (only 7 more days left at school)! Had a fab time this weekend at the Summer Crafting show in Doncaster and yes, I had to top up my goodies!

As it's Monday again, it's time for a new challenge over at the Make My Monday blog and this week is an interesting one. When I first read the challenge I was a little confused - a 'non-inked stamp'. But our Caz explained and she would like you to use a stamp that has never been inked before (this can be a new stamp, or one of those that you bought and have never used! Hence the 'non-inked.) And for those of you who aren't stampers, we would love you to use some new 'Decoupage' instead.

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

I went for the 'new' stamp, which I bought at my last crafting show in Doncaster but hadn't had a chance to play with yet. I couldn't resist them - they are so different to anything I have and are designed by Sandra Wright for Katy Sue Designs. I stamped out the design and coloured most of it with my Promarkers, but I thought the skirt was crying out to be decoupaged, to show the depth of the frills. The papers are from my stash, with a little added organza ribbon and a little sentiment by LOTV.

Hugz, Jan xx

Cherry Blossom in Pink

Well hello everyone,

I really hope you are all finding time to enjoy this gorgeous weather. I only have just over a week left at school before the summer break - I hope the weather holds.

I have a card to show you today showcasing one the gorgeous digi images by the very talented Sherry Baldy.  I was asked to join her team a couple of weeks ago and this is my first post, which can also be found on Sherri's blog HERE.

Here's what I made using one of my all time favourites ...

If you would like to buy this digi, just click HERE.

This is an 8x8" card, covered with papers from my stash. I coloured the little geisha image with my Promarkers and added a little glitter to the kimono. I added lots of extra embellishments, as usual - including a little stamped postcard (by LOTV), pink polkadot organza ribbon, dark pink die-cut border, an ivory blossom die-cut, stamped flowers and a Happy Birthday sentiment to name a few! Lol.

This one was made for my eldest daughter's birthday and she loved it - it is currently sitting in pride of place on my mantelpiece. Hope you like it too.

Have a great day

Hugz, Jan xx

Some Summer Fun

Happy Friday everyone,

It's time for our next challenge over at Polkadoodles and this week we would love to see your projects showing a 'Summer Scene'. There is a huge amount of scope for this one and with all the fabulous Polkadoodle CDs to choose from, I was spoiled for choice - but I must admit the new Bonbon Belles CD won. I can't believe how much stuff Nikky has packed onto this one - if you don't have a copy yet, click HERE - what are you waiting for?  Here's what I made for my DT inspiration using the yummy 'Chocolate Lime' section of the CD ...

There are six amazing colour groups on the CD and I think you can see where this one gets its name! I have used a selection of papers, together with one of the toppers and a sentiment. This represents such a small part of the CD - I still don't think I have seen everything there is to offer on there.

I shall look forward to seeing your interpretations of the theme when I visit your blogs and don't forget to pop over to the main blog and check out the work of my teamies.

Hugz, Jan xx

Balloons

Good morning,

Yeah! Summer is here - I hope you all had a great weekend in the sunshine.

It's time for another challenge over at Make My Monday and this week we would love to see your projects displaying 'BALLOONS'. Now this can be any kind of balloon - a hot air balloon or party balloons, whatever you fancy but it must feature somewhere on your project. Here's what I made for my DT inspiration ...

I'm not sure what it is exactly! It sort of evolved as I was playing, but I think it looks like a little hot air balloon, with the ticket for the basket! What do you think?

Don't forget to pop over to the main blog and check out the work of my teamies - there are some fantastic ideas.

Hugz, Jan xx

K for KEYS

Good morning crafters,

Hehe! I always want to type 'Good morning campers!!' Lol

Hope everyone is having a great week and as it's Friday again it's time for another challenge over at the Alphabet Challenge Blog. This week it's my turn to host the challenge and we are up to the letter 'K'. I chose the theme 'KEYS' for this one and would love to see your projects using a 'key' in some way, whether it's a focal point or used in a background -I can't wait to see all your interpretations of the theme. Here's what I made for my DT inspiration ...

I loved designing this piece, which is made from an old tag covered with brown cardstock which I embossed with a steampunk style mask. I added a little copper gilding wax to highlight the embossed areas to make my background. 

The heart is cut from card, covered with metal tape and also passed through a script embossing folder, then coloured with alcohol ink.  I added a strip of book paper behind the heart, just to lift it from the embossed background. The edges are inked with 'Vintage Photo distress ink.

I used one of my precious 'Tim Holtz' keys for this project - it has the word 'heart' written on the head of the key, which seemed an appropriate choice. I have wound some wire around the length of the key and added some tiny seed beads. Behind the key are a couple of die-cut leaves, which I hope look like wings and a couple of little tiny brass wings.

The wording is printed on cream cardstock from my pc. I chopped it into pieces and inked with the same distess ink, before adding them to the card.

The tag is embellished with some extra bits from my stash, including three metal finish eyelets, a metal look brad, a little metal safety pin (which is also threaded with tiny seed beads) and a little metal cog.

I was aiming for a 'steampunk' look - what do you think?

I would like to enter this project into the challenge over at Fussy and Fancy which is 'Steampunk'.

Hugz, Jan xx

Christmas in July!

Hello, I'm back today with our next challenge over at Make My Monday and this week Laura has challenged us to make a christmas card, hence the 'CHRISTMAS IN JULY' title!

Well, I almost went into a flat spin - never before have I opened my christmas craft box in July! But as they say, there's a first time for everything and boldly overcoming my fear I opened the box and made the following for your inspiration ...

Although I am a traditional girl at heart, I do love a contemporary christmas - hence the purple! I adore this little teddy bear image from LOTV - he has to be one of my favourite christmas stamps, so out of the box he came and I coloured him with my Promarkers and added a little glitter to his hat. You can't do christmas without a bit of sparkle!

The paper is from my stash and I added a white snowflake border which is embellished with little adhesive gems.  I thought the card looked somewhat plain, so I added some fancy corners in a dark purple (which are actually cut from a Spellbinders Fleur de Lys square cut into four pieces). Hope you like it!

Hugz, Jan xx