Gingerbread Twist

Good morning,

I hope you are all having a great weekend, despite all this cold weather. It kept trying to snow here yesterday but so far hasn't settled. I'm really fed up with it all now and wish spring would put in an appearance sometime soon!

It's my turn to post over at the Studio 12 blog at Polkadoodles today and here's what I made ...

I printed the gingerbread recipe onto some of the fab paper and added several elements from the Picknix 2 CD.  The 'gingerbread' title is printed using a font on my pc and the little recipe tab is stamped from one of my own stamps.  Quick and simple!

I would love to see your 'non-Christmassy' designs using the CD, so what are you waiting for ??

Hugz, Jan xx

Santa's Reindeer

Good morning,

It's my turn to post over at the Studio 12 blog today and I have a little inky project to show you.  I have used elements from the Picknix 2 - Gingerbread Twist collection and added them to a page in my Art Journal.  Each year we can never seem to remember all seven of Santa's reindeer names, so I thought I would journal them to keep them safe.

The background is coloured with Dylusions Squeezed Orange spray ink and TH Frayed Burlap distress ink before I layered the cute little reindeer on top.  The letters are printed onto the gorgeous brown crumpled paper (both from the CD) then I tore them and inked them before adding them to my page.  A bit of journaling and my reindeer names are safely recorded for the future.

Hope you all have a great weekend,

Hugz, Jan xx

Xmas Decorations at Studio 12

Good morning,

I hope the weekend finds everyone well.  It's my turn to post over on the Studio 12 blog today and I thought I would show you a simple little Christmas ornament that I made using the Picknix 2 - Gingerbread Twist CD ...

It's made using two papers and a sentiment from the CD, plus two die-cut scalloped circles and lots of bling!   I cut a scalloped circle from dark red pearlised card, then added a slightly smaller scalloped circle cut from one of the red papers, which was inked around the edge with Walnut Stain distress ink.  The next layer is a concertina paper rosette made using the second red paper and the topper is a sentiment from the CD mounted on another dark red scalloped circle.  Bling it up to your hearts content and add a piece of hanging ribbon and 'Voila' - a simple decoration.

You could easily adapt these to include an image in the centre, or even personalise them with family greetings.

See you all soon,

Hugz, Jan xx

Bright and Sparkle

Hi there everyone,

It's Friday again, which means two things - my half term break is almost over and it's Polkadoodles challenge day!

As Bonfire night approaches quick and fast we would like to see your 'Bright and Sparkle' projects this week over at the challenge blog.  Remember, it doesn't have to be a card - it can be any project at all as long as we can see some 'bright' and 'sparkle'.

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

I thought I would have a change from Christmas this week and made a bright cheery card for a 'Special Day'.  The square paper pieces are all printed from the 'Sugar Plum Daisy CD' and are inked around the edges with matching distress ink.  I made the centre panel on my pc, using letters from the 'Picknix 2 - Gingerbread Twist CD' to spell the word 'Sparkle' (I exported them to Paint and played around with the colour to make them all bright).  The sentiment is also made on my pc and I added a sparkly star (printed from the 'Sundae of Seasons CD') then treated it to a generous helping of glitter for some lovely sparkle.

Go on, pop on over to the blog - you know you want to! Lol.

Hugz, Jan xx

It's Candy Time ...

Morning everyone,

I hope you are all tucked up nice and warm and not having to battle any snow! I can't believe it snowed in October!

Well, as another month passes us by it's candy time again over at the Studio 12 blog - the design team have been very busy with some fab inspiration for you and there is some fantastic candy just waiting to be won.

In preparation for christmas I've made a Carol Sheet, ready for when I go carol singing!!! It would really be snowing then, I hear you say!! Lol.

I used the gorgeous frame from the 'Candy Wraps' jar in the Picnix Pantry on the 'Gingerbread Twist CD'.  I added the 'Jingle Bells' title and then typed out the lyrics for this popular christmas song.  The little bell embellishment is also from the CD. All together now ...,

Hope you enjoy the rest of the weekend,
Hugz, Jan xx

Beautiful Moments at Studio 12

Happy Saturday everyone,

It's my turn to post over at Studio 12 again today and I have another quick and simple Christmas card to show you.  I love this particular sentiment from the 'Picknix 2 - Gingerbread Twist CD' and thought it deserved to be the focal point on the card, instead of my usual coloured image.  What do you think?

I used a plain white A5 card blank and added three different strips of blue paper from the 'Picknix 2 - Gingerbread Twist CD'.  The silver ribbon is from my stashbox and I embellished with a couple of punched snowflakes and some self adhesive gems.

Don't forget to check out the blog tomorrow for the October giveaway - oops, did I say that out loud!! Lol x

Have a great weekend (and don't forget to change the clocks tonight!)

Hugz, Jan xx

Contemporary Christmas

Hi there everyone,

It's my turn to post on the Studio 12 blog and I have christmas project for you today.

I have been reading a lot about the cutting files that Nikky included on the Studio 12 Picknix CDs and Lou's snowflake card yesterday was lush, but sadly I do not have a cutting machine (hope Santa's listening!) Lol.

Anyhow, I have avoided choosing them from the pantry menu on the CD up until now, but thought I would take a little look at the files and what did I find!  Some gorgeous black silouhette .png images that can still be exported into your chosen publishing software to play with.  Maybe I'm a bit dim, but I didn't know you could use them like this - thought they were just for cutting, doh!

So after playing around with them in Microsoft Word, here's what I came up with ...

I made a Christmas card and matching gift tag, using just two of the many gorgeous images from the cutting file choices.  

I cut my background paper to the chosen sizes for the project, then went to work with my distress inks for a change, instead of using a backing paper.  I layered up four colours using a blending tool, starting with Mustard Seed, then added Dried Marigold, then Spiced Marmalade and finished with Rusty Hinge (I just love the names on these inks!)  I then stamped around the edges with a little snowflake stamp in some of the same colours to build up the background.  

Once I had manipulated my chosen images to the right size for the project, I printed them onto the inked backgrounds.  The easiest way I have found to do this is to print the images onto a piece of plain copier paper, then position your background pieces into the right place using a little repositional glue (I use my tape runner) then pass the paper back through your printer.  This allows perfect alignment of the images, ready to use in your project.  

Mine are backed onto black glossy card to accent the black images and I drew a funky pot under the tree to fill the gap. Some black adhesive gems and a bit of sparkle and hey presto - a bit of contemporary christmas!

Enjoy the weekend,

Hugz, Jan xx

Gingerbread Gift Box

Hi everyone

It's my turn to post over at the Studio 12 blog today and I thought I would show you another of my TV samples for the amazing Picknix 2 collection 'Gingerbread Twist'.  This little box template is so versatile and can be used for almost any occasion - this time I made a little christmas gift, using the gingerbread theme and filled it with gingerbread biscuits.

The paper and all the different elements are from the 'Gingerbread Twist' CD, with the addition of some die-cut shapes and my favourite 'Walnut Stain' ink to define the outer edges of the box.  The box template can be found on the Polkadoodles 'Paper Boutique - Vol 1' CD.

I am definitely planning a few more of these for little christmas treats this year.  

Hugz, Jan xx

A Gingerbread Christmas

Morning everyone,

It's my turn to post over on the Studio 12 blog today and I can't believe just how many gorgeous ideas have been shown over the last couple of weeks - I consider myself very fortunate to work with such a talented bunch of people.

I thought I would show you one of my TV samples that I made for the launch of the new Picknix 2 collection.  I just adore all those little gingerbread people and couldn't resist popping one straight onto a card the minute I received them.  So, here we go ...

I love this shade of green, I think it's much softer than the traditional christmassy green and I used three different papers that all co-ordinate nicely for the background layering on the card.  The little gingerbread girl is sooo cute with her little mop cap and christmas stocking - I printed her straight from the CD and layered her onto some matching cardstock.  The sentiment is also from the CD.  A piece of organza ribbon, a couple of sprigs of holly (also from the CD) and some red adhesive gems finish off the card.  Hope you like it!

Have a great weekend,

Hugz, Jan xx