Sugar and Spice

Happy Friday,

Well, my half term break is sadly coming to an end - but I have got loads done.

It's time for our half way inspiration over at Polkadoodles and this week Team A have created projects for the 'SUGAR & SPICE' theme which began last week. Here's what I made for my DT inspiration ...

The theme made me think of 'sugared almonds', so off I went to reach for my 'Candy Doodles CD' which has some fabulous pastel papers and elements to play with. I printed off my little girl image and coloured in soft tones using my Promarkers. She is mounted on papers from the CD and the little tickets are also available to print - I simply added my own wording to match the theme. The wording around the edge of the card was printed on my pc and reads 'sugar & spice and everything nice - that's what little girls are made of'.

Hope you can join us - Nikky is offering a fab prize for the winner - a goody bag of delicious craftiness worth £50! Why not pop over to the main blog HERE and check out some more crafty inspiration from the team.

Hugz, Jan xx

Just a Note

Morning,

Well - Day one of my half term break went speedily along with lots of spring cleaning (there I go again!) and some crafting, of course.

Today is the beginning of a new challenge over at Cardz 4 Guys and this week our theme is

'MUSIC'

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

I have just about convinced myself that I don't need to buy a new stamp for every challenge, so in the absence of any 'music' stamps, I decided to go with some lovely music score design paper from one of my many paper pads. I kept it reasonably simple, just tearing and inking the edge of the paper (bet you can't guess which colour distress ink I used!) Lol. I made the little sentiment on my pc and added it to a 'Fleur de Lys' nestie shape cut from kraft card to match the background layer. A piece of twine and three coffee coloured brads to finish.

Hope you can join us this week with your musical creations.

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

Clean and Simple at C4G

Hello again,

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

'CLEAN and SIMPLE'

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

Now I never used to like this style very much (especially as I am a 'use every embellishment in the box' kinda girl) but more recently I have discovered a love of all things simple. It's a great opportunity to make a quick card and also to use up any paper scraps (which I have a mountain of!)

This one measures 6x6" and is made using a piece of milk cardstock which I inked around the edges using 'Walnut Stain' distress ink. I used one stamp (from an Indigoblu set), a scalloped circle cut from a piece of scrap brown card, a small oval of milk card and a little 'thank you' sentiment, cut from an old HOTP paper pad. Simples! 

Why not come and join us this week with your own CAS projects.

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

Fantasy Stampers - Challenge 4

Hello crafters,

I can't believe we are about to start our fourth theme over at my new challenge blog

FANTASY STAMPERS

That means it's been six weeks since our launch and we have had a fabulous response - thank you for all your support and messages of encouragement, they mean a lot.

So, here we go with details of our fourth challenge and this time our theme is

All you have to do is use the bingo board below and choose a line - either horizontal, vertical or diagonal - then use those items in your project. Remember you MUST also include some stamping to be eligible for our Top 3.

Here's what I made for my DT inspiration using the top line - Pink, Pearls and Lace ...

I used a couple of pink design papers from my stash to layer up before adding my stamped image - Fizzy Moon 'Wish upon a Star', which is coloured with my Promarkers and I paper pieced the star. I used white lace down the right hand side and a lacy doily underneath the stamped image.  The 'Baby' lettering is stamped and mounted on little die-cut tags; the 'Girl' lettering is stamped with my Clarity Letterbox stamps and mounted on pink squares.  I also added three flowers which have little pearl centres and three extra little pearls accents on the bottom left corner. Hope you like it.

Why not pop along to the main blog HERE and check out the amazing work of my design team. I look forward to visiting your blogs over the next couple of weeks.

Hugz, Jan xx

Always and Forever

Happy Friday everyone,

I hope everyone survived the awful weather once again last night - I really thought our car port roof was a 'gonner', but somehow it seemed to survive. The neighbours managed to lose their TV ariel which pulled off part of our shared chimney - but I think we got off lightly! My thoughts are with those  further South - I hope everyone stays safe.

It's time for our next challenge over at the Alphabet Challenge and this week sees us begin a brand new alphabet, beginning of course with the letter 'A'! Our team member Tammy has chosen the theme of

'ALWAYS AND FOREVER'

We would love to see your interpretation of our theme - here's what I made for my DT inspiration ...

I love the simplicity of this - it's a 6x6" card blank layered with a handmade background. I cut a piece of white card to size, popped it in an embossing folder and passed it through my Calibur. I then highlighted the embossing with pink gilding wax. The topper consists of a piece of white textured card which I ran through my printer to make the sentiment, then layered it onto a piece of pink cardstock. I added a piece of white lace, pink polkadot ribbon, a small die-cut, a little wooden flower which I embossed with pink frantage powder then topped with a gorgeous pearl centre. 

Hope you will join us,

Hugz, Jan xx

Truly, Madly, Deeply!

Hello again,

I'm back today with news of our next challenge over at Cardz 4 Guys and not only is the title track of one of my favourite songs, it's also the theme that Caz chose for the next week

'TRULY, MADLY, DEEPLY'

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

With Valentine's Day only three days away, I decided to make a male themed Valentine card - so, out with the pink and in with the black and red. This was a really quick one to do and I managed to use up some more of my stash scraps (another tick for my NY resolution)! Lol.

Ingredients include: 6x6" card blank, one piece of leftover design paper, small strip of red pearlised card, a scrap of black ribbon, a small piece of both black/white card and three self adhesive gems. The wording was printed on my pc. Simples!

Why not pop over to the main blog and check out the design team projects.

Hugz, Jan xx

So Berry Sweet

Hi there,

I'm back with my second post today as we begin a new challenge over at My Besties UK. For the next two weeks we would love to see your projects showcasing the theme

'SO BERRY SWEET'

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

Now, there's a dilemma if every I had one as I think all Sherri's images are 'sweet'. So, I decided to keep it really simple this week and let the artwork speak for itself. I printed my sweet little image to fit a 5" x 7" photo frame that I bought in a discount store. I used my Promarkers to colour her, but was undecided when I got to her hair - so in-keeping with the colour scheme I thought - why not Pink (in honour of our hard working DT co-ordinator)! Hope you like her.

Why not pop over to the main blog and check out the gorgeous work my teamies have made for the challenge - see you there.

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

Love is in the Air

Hello,

It's Friday again, so it's time for another challenge over at Polkadoodles and this week our Nikky has another new brand new collection - Dollie Daydream goes East. This one is crammed full of oriental gorgeousness and has to be my current favourite.

Our challenge theme this week is

'LOVE IS IN THE AIR'

but the Design Team were challenged to use the new collection and we weren't allowed to make cards either! Here's what I made for my DT inspiration ...

Well, I made another tag - I love them (and I have a huge stash of them)! It's covered with lush lantern paper from the CD and then mounted onto gold mirri card, then a black mat. All the elements are from the CD and the gorgeous oriental Dollie is coloured with my Promarkers to match the lanterns in the background. I think my favourite bit is the tiny little scroll, which is also printed from the CD. 

Hope you can join us this time.

Hugz, Jan xx

Spots and Stripes

Happy Tuesday,

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

'SPOTS AND STRIPES'

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

I found this cheeky little chappy on the internet and coloured him with my Promarkers. The design papers are from an old 'Hot of the Press' pad which I have had for ages (a bit more of my stash used up - new year's resolution going well so far!) The stars are cut from the paper scraps and the greeting was from the same paper pad.

I hope you can join us this week with your lovely 'spotty and stripy' creations.

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

Fantasy Stampers - Challenge 3

Happy Saturday everyone,

Well, I am delighted with the response to my new challenge blog

'FANTASY STAMPERS'.

We had 57 entries for the second challenge, which was almost double the first one. So, a mahoosive 'Thank You' from me for the support and words of encouragement.  Again we had some stunning entries - why not pop over and check out our Top 3!

So, onto our third challenge -  one for all you romantics out there

We would love to see your projects showcasing something romantic - will it be hearts and flowers for Valentines Day, or a wedding/engagement - the choice is yours. But remember, you MUST include some stamping on your project.

 Here's what I decided on for my DT inspiration ...

I made a 6x6" card using design papers from the LOTV 'Always and Forever' paper pad. The image is also LOTV - 'Meant to Be' which I thought was just perfect for this theme - don't they look so cute! I stamped in Sepia ink this time for a more muted look and coloured with my Promarkers. Added embellishments include a die-cut butterfly border, pink polkadot ribbon, flowers and a few die-cut leaves. The wording was made on my pc and tucked behind the main image.

I also decorated a little wooden heart with matching design papers and added a gorgeous stamped Rose (which was a freebie on a recent Craft Stamper magazine). I stamped it three times and coloured it with my Promarkers, before layering it onto my project. The lettering is stamped with my Clarity Letterbox stamps.

If you have the time, why not pop over to the challenge HERE and check out the gorgeous creations from my teamies.

I hope you can join us for our third challenge - I shall look forward to visiting your blogs over the next couple of weeks. I wonder how many entries will we get this time??

Hugz, Jan xx