Doves Of Hope

Once again it is the 2nd Wednesday of the month, and therefore it is time for a new

challenge at Words 2 Craft By. This month our quote is by Emily Dickinson, 

a famous American 20th Century poet...

"Hope is the thing with feathers that perches on the soul 

and sings the tunes without the words, and never stops at all"

I chose this image for several reasons, the first being that doves represent peace, and 

I desperately hope that in this troubled world we find peace. The second reason is

that for almost 20 years we had a pair of beautiful doves (identical to this pair) 

that were rescued from the most hideous conditions at an unscrupulous 

bird breeder's establishment.

The 'weird' lighting in my photos is caused by the sun being partially obscured by

dense smoke from a huge nearby bushfire, which thankfully has now been extinguished.

Inside my card co ordinates with the front.

A close up look at the gorgeous pair. I have had this stamp for many years, and bought it

just after Camilla and Torc came to live with us. Sadly, they both crossed the 

Rainbow Bridge not long before we moved from our farm. Despite their 

cruel beginnings, they quickly learned to trust us, and were such sweet 

gentle little things. We miss them very much.

Image -  PSX  K1567

Colouring - Promarkers

Dies - Spellbinder Labels Eight; Joy Crafts 6002/0135; Cheery Lynn Anastasia Border; Cheery Lynn Celebrate

Paper - DCWV The Lace and Linen Stack  (12"x12")

Pearls and silver tape are from my junk stash

Challenges I would like to enter:-

2 Crafty Critter Crazies #22 - 'Always Anything Goes'

Passion For Promarkers #475 -  'Use Dies and/or Punches'  WINNER

Stamping Sensations - 'Absolutely Feminine'

Sweet Stampin' - Spots and Dots' (background paper has glitter dots)

For a chance to win a great prize, check out my Words 2 Craft By teamies' fab creations, then enter your own interpretation of our lovely quote.

Until next time, thank you for visiting.

Hugs,

Jennifer.  xx

Autumn Leaves

Oh dear, I am way behind with my blogging, and already it is the

second Wednesday of the month (yikes, October!!!!!!!!!).

Sooooo, once again it is time for another challenge at Words 2 Craft By, 

and this month our quote is by Humbert Wolfe -

"Listen,

The wind is rising, and the air is wild with leaves,

We have had our summer evenings, now for October eves"

A lovely quote, and such an easy one for your interpretation.

We are looking forward to seeing your creations.

I decided to make a centre-step card, as I haven't made one for such a long time.

I made it for my dearest friend of almost 55 years, Diane. She loves leaves, 

so it is serendipitous that this month's quote is about leaves.

Inside the card where I wrote my personal message to Diane. These

leaves were stamped, heat embossed, then cut out by hand.

A close-up look at one of the side panels, 

die-cut leaves, and a tiny flower.

I also stamped; heat embossed several these leaves with various 

embossing powders; then cut them out by hand.

A side-on view. That friendship sentiment is from a sheet of 

friendship-themed peel-off stickers I bought specially with 

Diane in mind. I truly believe our friendship is a special gift.

Stamps - PSX F-2781; Stampworld Solid Gumleaf  (Both these companies no longer exist)

Dies - Cheery Lynn Flourish Leaf Strip, Mini Butterflies, Spellbinders Decorative Labels Eight

Paper - DCWV The Lace and Linen Stack

Ink for sponging - Ranger (Tim Holtz) Distress Ink Vintage Photo

Glitter - Ranger Stickles Platinum

Sentiment - peel-off stickers

Paper flowers are from my junk stash

Challenges I would like to enter

Crafteezee - 'Leaves'

Daisy Chain #24 - 'Autumn/Fall'

Papercraft Business #11 - 'Anything Goes with option of Halloween/Fall'

Use Your Stuff #333 - 'Autumn/Halloween' (stamps about 20 yrs old, paper about 7 yrs old)

For a chance to win a great prize, why not pop over to Words 2 Craft By, admire my teamies lovely work, then enter your own creation.

Until next time, happy crafting, and thank you for visiting,

Hugs,

Jennifer.  xx

Sparkling Forest

Good evening all.

The card I want to show you tonight is the Christmas card I made for 

my dear husband, John...

It is an easel card, and I have used a new (to me) technique ...dryer sheet and 

ultra-fine glitter...there are endless tutorials for this technique on the internet. 

The sparkle is truly amazing, but as usual that is barely visible in my photos.

A closer look at the die-cut poinsettia with its pearl centre.

This is the easel card opened out. I chose the lovely blue paper, because

I thought it looked a little bit like cracked ice on a lake in front of

the pine tree forest.

The die-cut sentiment.

The back of my card. John gave me the "Handcrafted by" stamp many, many

Christmases ago. "Jen Pen" is one of the two nicknames John has for me.

Challenges I would like to enter

Addicted to Stamps - 'Baby It's Cold Outside'

Christmas At Sweet Stampin' - 'Anything Christmas'

Craft Rocket #44 - 'Winter'

C.R.A.F.T. #450 - 'Christmas'

Dare 2B Artzy - 'Winter Wonderland'

Eclectic Ellapu - 'Christmas'

Merry Christmas #2 - 'Anything Christmas'

Penny Black and More - 'Something New' (Technique)

Stamping Sensations - 'Cold and Frosty Colours'   TOP 3

The House That Stamps Built - 'Tic Tac Toe' (Pearls/Snowflakes/Silver & Snowflakes/Blue/Glitter)

Image - PSX K1465; Stamp World Handcrafted By

Paper - Kaisercraft Silver Bells

Dies - Sizzix Tim Holtz Alterations Holiday Words:Script; Spellbinder Layered Poinsettia; 

           Memory Box Star of Wonder

Punch - Martha Stewart PATP Aspen Snowflakes (negatives used for 'falling' snowflakes)

Glitter - Tim Holtz Rock Candy Ultrafine

Peel-off stickers, dryer sheet, and pearl are from my junk stash.

I really must be off to bed as I am light-headed with tiredness...I did some very heavy work in our couryard garden today, then did a huge grocery-shop. We had house guests last week, so the fridge and pantry were almost bare; and we are having several lots of guests this week.

Until next time, thank you for your visit,

Hugs,

Jennifer. xx

Any Worms For Me, Mr. Bear?

Good evening all. Today has been the most perfect autumn day, weatherwise...

the only thing that could make it even more perfect would be if we lived in a

part of the world where the trees changed into their beautiful autumn 

colours. Oh well, we can't have everything, can we.

My card is for no-one in particular. I just felt like having a session of colouring for fun,

and what could be more fun than colouring this wonderful PSX image. This is one of 

my favourite bear stamps, and it has lived for me for many, many years. Sadly, PSX

disappeared from the scene many years ago...such a shame, as the quality of their

stamps was A1.

A close up look at this cute bear with his little friend begging for

a worm or two for breakfast. Don't you just love 

Mr. Bear's huge feet! 

Inside my card co-ordinates with the front. The flowers on the

background paper are heavily glittered, but as almost always

I just couldn't pick up the shimmer with the camera.

Challenges I would Like To Enter

Hannah and Friends #272 - 'Glitter'

Kitty Bee #93 - 'In The Garden'

Passion For Promarkers #393 - 'Make It Bloom'

Sweet Stampers #6 - 'Animals' (2nd entry)

Through The Purple Haze #124 - 'Glitter'

Image - PSX GO521

Colouring - Promarkers

Paper - First Edition Blank Canvas

Dies - Spellbinder Classic and Scalloped Squares; Marianne LR0106, CR1253, LR0205; Cheery Lynn Stacker Flower #1 Leaf

Distress Ink - Gathered Twigs

Micro beads and peel-off sticker are from my junk stash

Later this evening I will have another card to show you, so until then thank you for visiting.

Hugs,

Jennifer. x

Peaceful Snow Scene

Good afternoon to all my blogging friends.

Where is this year going???...it's April already! I am already beginning to feel

 a sense of panic that I will be rushing at the end of the year to have all my 

Christmas cards made in time to make mailing deadlines.

Ever since I was a little girl, I have dreamed of experiencing a 'white' Christmas, but

with the horrendous heat we have here in Australia in summer, I guess that is never

going to happen. Understandably then, I have always been attracted to Christmas

 cards with snow, deer and pine trees, so I decided to make a few of my own.

Breaking my own rule of never making 2 cards the same, I made several with this

design, and had such fun using these 3 tree stamps, and 4 different green inks. I 

bought the large tree stamp (PSX) on eBay many years ago, and must confess 

that I have rarely used it...don't know why as it stamps with such a

lovely textured impression.

Inside my card I am trying to use up my HUGE collection of peel-off stickers.

I must admit I have not been caught out with an April Fool's joke for many years,

but John 'got me a beauty' big time this morning...I think he is feeling much better

because while I was asleep early this morning he put all the clocks forward 2 hours,

 so when I woke up I panicked as I had wanted to go to 2 special local Autumn fairs 

that started early. He managed to keep a straight face for about 15 minutes then

said, very quietly, "it's April Fool's Day today" and burst out laughing

as he handed me my wrist watch which he had not altered. 

Mind you, he's lucky he did not finish up back in hospital. lol.

Challenges I would like to enter

A Snowflakes Promise #38 - 'Anything Goes'

Aud Sentiments #176 - 'Any Sentiment Except Birthday'

Fab 'n' Funky #344 - 'Christmas'  TOP 3

Fairytale #165 - 'Cards With Animals'

Kitty Bee Designs #9 - 'Spring Cleaning'

Moving Along With The Times #42 - 'Into The Woods'

My Time To Craft #342 - 'Woodland Animals or Easter'

Season's Greetings #4 - 'Always Anything Goes, with Inspiration Twist'  TOP 3

The Holly and the Ivy #2 - 'Always Anything Christmas Goes'  TOP 5

Winter Wonderland - 'Christmas Animals or Birds'

Tree Stamps - PSX; Stamp-it Winter Wonderland; My Stamps Pine Tree

Inks - Tim Holtz Distress Ink Iced Spruce, Peeled Paint, Bundled Sage, Forest Moss, Stormy Sky

Dies - Spellbinder Scalloped Rectangle; Memory Box Deer Trio

Glitter - Tim Holtz Distress Stickles Dry Glitter Clear Rock Candy

Peel-off Stickers are from my junk stash

I'm off now to transform into a 'domestic goddess', so until next time, thank you for visiting.

Hugs,

Jennifer. xx

P.S. I did make it to the Fairs in time.

In The Garden

Hello there to all my talented crafty friends.

Where, oh where can the months be going...

I am finding it almost too difficult to believe that it is now the 1st of May!

As well as it being May Day for many of you, it is also a special occasion for

 Crafty Little Fairies. As from today, we are a monthly challenge. The

Pink fairies and Blue fairies have combined, and together will have

a new challenge for you on the first Thursday of each month.

Our first monthly challenge theme is a lovely one you're sure to enjoy...

'IN THE GARDEN'

Yippee, this month we have five...yes, you read that correctly...FIVE 

wonderful sponsors, so there are plenty of chances for you to win. 

However, don't forget that to be eligible for a prize, you must use

a stamped or digi image, and follow the challenge theme.

Our lovely sponsors this month are -

My card features one of my favourite bear stamps, a very old one by PSX.

A closer look at the cute bear and his friend.

Inside my card. The little gardening tools are die-cut from heavy foil lids

from gourmet cat food, and the handles coloured with Promarkers. 

Challenges

Created With Love #80 - 'In The Garden'

Crafting For All Seasons #76 - 'Lots Of Layers'

Lexi's Creations #115 - 'For The Man/Boy In Your Life'

Image - PSX

Colouring - Promarkers

Paper - Graphic 45 Nursery Rhymes

Dies - Spellbinders Hexagons; Marianne LR 0205 (fence); Memory Box Puffy Clouds; Fancy That Garden Tools; Die-namics Grassy Edges

For a chance to win a lovely prize, why not visit all the other fairies and

their beautiful creations at Crafty Little Fairies, and enter our 'In The

 Garden' challenge. Remember, you now have a whole month 

to enter, and you still need to use a stamped or digi image.

Thank you for visiting, and until next time I wish you "happy crafting".

Hugs, 

Jennifer. x

Flutterbyes

Gosh, aren't the weeks disappearing rapidly, and therefore it is yet again time

for the Pink Fairies at Crafty Little Fairies to invite you to join us for this 

week's challenge, the theme of which is always such a popular one -

'THINGS WITH WINGS'

You may interpret this one anyway you like e.g fairies, butterflies, 

dragonflies, birds, or even aeroplanes.

A big THANK YOU to our 2 wonderful sponsors this week. They are

and

I made this card for a dear little girl who will be turning (no prizes for 

guessing...) four years old soon. I hope it is 'girly' enough for her, with a

combination of a fairy, butterflies, flowers, and buckets of glitter (perhaps a slight

exaggeration!). The '4' was in a big packet of wooden numbers

I bought years ago - I painted it blue then embossed it with about 

4 or 5 layers of Opals E.P., finally sprinkling it, while hot and

 'sticky', with Martha Stewart Ultra-fine glitter.

I LOVE my new Butterfly Border die!

A closer look at the little fairy and her flowers. The fairy is by PSX, and 

this stamp is one of my oldest. PSX stamps are of such high quality, but 

sadly the company ceased production many years ago.

Inside my card. The blue cardstock and the ink for sponging are a much

closer match in reality (would I tell a fib??!!). Seriously though, isn't it 

strange how colours often do not photograph true, particuly reds.

Challenges

An Oldie But A Goodie - 'Spring Has Sprung' (everything except Butterfly Border die)

Crafters' Cafe #54 - 'Flowers'

Crafting For All Seasons #72 - 'Spring Into Spring'

Cupcake Inspirations #251 - 'Butterflies'

Hobbybook Designer #1 - 'Make It Girly'

Milk Coffee - 'At least 2 Flowers'

Paper Shelter #149 - 'Fairies'

Papertake Weekly - Bingo (Gems,Die-cuts,Flowers; and Die-cuts,Free,Glitter)

Passion For Promarkers #238 - 'Butterfly Kisses'

Squirrel And The Fox #65 - 'Autumn or Spring'

Image - PSX 

Colouring - Promarkers

Paper - First Edition Spring Drop

Sentiment - Wild Rose Studio Cute Greetings

Dies - Spellbinders Labels Eight, Classic and Scalloped Ovals; Joy! Crafts Butterfly Border

Punch - Martha Stewart Branch

Embossing Powder - Opals

Tiny butterflies - from a $2 shop

Flowers and gems are from my junk stash 

For a chance to win one of two lovely prizes, why not visit us at Crafty Little Fairies, 

and enter our 'Things With Wings' challenge, but please remember that to be eligible, 

you must use a stamped or digi image.

Until next time, "happy crafting",

Hugs, 

Jennifer. x

Roses, Pinecones, Poinsettias, and Bows

Hello fellow crafters,
Tonight's card is a rather traditional one, with some of my favourite flora; namely roses, poinsettias, holly, and pinecones. Since I was a child I have always loved pinecones.

I actually made 2 of these cards with a few slight variations to maintain my policy of never making 2 cards the same. This one is for Rosalie and Charles, our wonderful neighbours who have become close friends, and the other one is for our musical and crafting friend, Margaret.

The image is by the long gone stamp company PSX, and is coloured with my Promarkers. I used a Spellbinders Label die to cut it out (I'm not sure of the Label number). The greeting peel-off sticker is holographic.

The poinsettia is vellum, cut from the 2 smallest Spellbinders 'Poinsettia' dies set. I used Distress Inks, 'Fired Brick' and 'Spiced Marigold' to colour it, then when dry I created 'veins' with my Pergamano 'ball tool', and layered them with a flower gem in the centre (created similarly to my large rose here). The holly and conifer leaves are Cheery Lynn, and the gold, glittery sprigs are cut from an old Christmas decoration.

The card inside is decorated to match the front. Once again, I have used my favourite 'Snowflake' embossing folder to emboss the red panels on the front and inside. The card is fairly large, so although the emb. folder is 5" x 7", I had to emboss 2 pieces of red card - the strips of holly DP cover the joins. The corners are punched with Martha Stewart's 'Aspen Snowflake' PATP (corner punch). For the message panel, I have used the second largest die in Spellbinders 'Floral Ovals'. The pretty delicately embossed gold backing paper is actually from a roll of Christmas wrap, and the holly DP is Graphic 45 ' 'Tis the Season'.

Challenges I would like to enter are -

Sparkles Christmas #23 - 'A Button or Bow' (2nd entry)

Papercraft Junkies #5 - 'Embellish It' (2nd entry) '2nd Prize'

Paper Crafting Journey - 'Christmas Projects'

Sweet Stampin' - 'Dies and Punches'

Cheery Lynn #58 - ' 'Tis the Season' 

Our show last night was a great success, and it felt soooooooo good to be performing again. The 90 guests were lovely and our music was warmly received. Many of them sang along with us, which of course we love, as it shows that an audience is enjoying our choices.

I hope I will be able to show you another card tomorrow night, but if not, the reason will be that I have to have an X-ray and ultrasound of my left shoulder at 11am, when a doctor will inject cortisone into the joint. I have had a 'Frozen Shoulder' for about 12 months, and although the procedure sounds uncomfortable, I hope it will give me some relief from the pain, and allow me a little more movement of my arm and shoulder.

Until next time,
Hugs,
Jennifer. x

Holly and Poinsettia

Hello fellow crafters,
Hope you have enjoyed, or are still enjoying, your weekend. After playing 'domestic goddess' this morning, I  hid myself in my studio, and made another 2 cards. This is one of them.

I was quite pleased with how it turned out, despite the fact that it looked nothing like this in my mind before I began. The base card is actually dark green, but looks black in all the photos I took.

The holly berries have been given a touch of 3D lacquer.

A close-up of the poinsettia, made with the Spellbinders die, 3D mini foam dots, and 3 tiny gems.

Inside the card, decorated to match the front.

Challenges I would like to enter are -

Fab 'n' Funky - 3 of Something (3 gems in poinsettia) (Winner)

Crafty Sentiments - 'Red, White and Green'

Fussy 'n' Fancy #77 - 'I Love Christmas'

Hooked On Craft #27 - 'Christmas'

Image - PSX

Colouring - Promarkers

Embossing - 'Trellis' (not sure of the brand)

Dies - Spellbinders 'Poinsettia', Classic and Scalloped Rectangle, Classic and Scalloped Circle; Memory     

           Box 'Amira Flourish; Marianne 'Poinsettia'; Cheery Lynn 'Holly Leaf Strip', 'Holly Flourish', 

            'Merry Christmas'

Punch - Martha Stewart 'Branch'

Happy crafting, and thank you for visiting,

Hugs,

Jennifer. x

Poppies and Roses

Hello fellow crafters,
Finally we have some pleasant spring weather. Yay!!! Let's just hope it lasts before the predicted horror summer heat sets in.

Today I have a card for you that has a very unusual colour combination for me - black and orange. Here in Australia we tend not to celebrate Halloween, so although I have admired so many cards in recent and current challenges using that theme, I have not participated. However, Cheery Lynn's current challenge theme does not specify 'Halloween', just 'Black and Orange', so I thought "why not have a go", challenge being the key word.

I have always loved poppies, so decided to use a very old, favourite stamp by PSX, a company which sadly disappeared some years ago. Their stamps are such beautiful quality. The luxurious glittered DP is First Edition Desert Blooms.

I coloured the image with my Promarkers. 

The black flowers were punched using a Carl punch, and the roses and gems are from my stash.

The inside of the card is also decorated.

Dies I have used are Cheery Lynn Lace Light Deco Border, Fanciful Flourish, Flourish Leaf Strip; and Spellbinders Classic Circles (plain and scalloped).

Challenges I would like to enter are -

Cheery Lynn #49 - 'Black and Orange'

Wags and Whiskers #90 - 'Orange, Green, Black and White'

I hope you enjoyed (or are still enjoying) your weekend,
Until next time, thank you for visiting,
Hugs, Jennifer. x