Time for a Blog Hop!

Happy Monday,

Well, it's a special day today - the 29th of February only comes around every four years and to celebrate this fifth Monday in February we are having a Blog Hop over at My Besties UK.

All the design team are showcasing their favourite 'Besties' projects over at the main blog HERE - and I can tell you, this wasn't an easy task because I love all Sherri's beautiful artwork!

Here's just one of my favourites, which is also shown on the main blog ...

This one was made back in September 2013 

using the 'Wee Winged Ones' image.

I couldn't just pick one to show you, so here's a couple more of my favourites ...

This one is from February 2013 

and uses another favourite image 'Belinda Behive'

And my third choice is from March 2013

and uses yet another favourite image 'Cherry Blossom'

I could go on forever, but I hope you enjoyed taking a peek at just a few of my favourite Besties designs and if you would like to play along with us in our Blog Hop, you could win 3 digi images of your own choice from Sherri's stunning collection.

All you have to do is follow the blog list below and stop by and leave a comment on each of the design team's blogs. The winners will be announced on the My Besties UK Challenge blog on Monday 7th March.

Blog List

http://silverpaws1957.blogspot.co.uk

http://craftingjanie.blogspot.com/

http://sue-hickey.blogspot.co.uk/

http://ab5474-8kidsandstillfindtimetocraft.blogspot.co.uk

http://tanglemousecards.blogspot.co.uk

http://www.clairmatthews.com/

http://thiscraftymummy.blogspot.co.uk

http://christineingram55.blogspot.co.uk

http://jaybescraftybitz.blogspot.co.uk/ (me!)

Thanks for dropping by today, I hope you have time to play along with us and good luck.

Hugz, Jan xx

Pink and Pearly

Good morning,

I'm still not used to posting on a Thursday yet, but I am delighted to be back with a DT project for the new challenge blog at 'CARDZ 4 GALZ'. We are about to start our third week and Helen has chosen a beautiful girly theme of

'PINK & PEARLY'

To say I was in my element would be an understatement! Lol. Here's what I came up with using an old wooden stamp that I have had in my stash for ever ...

The main stamped image is called 'Dress Up' from Stampendous and I stamped it using Perfect Medium ink on pale pink vellum and embossed it with pink embossing powder. The sentiment is a favourite of mine and says 'Dance like no one is watching' and is also embossed with the same pink embossing powder.

Backing papers are from my stash and I added a pink die-cut shape behind the main image to give a little extra detail. The small flowers are Stampin' Up 'Petite Petals' and are stamped on some pink paper scraps and also embossed with the same pink powder.  Each flower has a pink pearl centre and the dress is also scattered with pink pearls too.  The extra sets of three pearls are faux ones made using my pink cosmic shimmer glue.

I think there is definitely enough 'pink' and 'pearls' there then - step away from the card Jan!! Lol.

Thanx to Helen for a fab theme this week - I hope you will come and join us with your own creations.

Hugz, Jan xx

Brand New Challenge!

Good morning everyone,

I am rather excited to be here today to share the launch of a brand new challenge blog over at

'CARDZ 4 GALZ'

This is a sister blog to the popular male themed challenge 'CARDZ 4 GUYZ' and is run by my very special crafty friend, Caz - so please join me in wishing her every success in this new venture.

I didn't need asking twice to be a part of the Design Team as I love anything 'girly' - here's what I came up with for our first theme

'YOUR FAVOURITE COLOUR'

Now for a very long time, I have always said purple was a favourite colour - but as I looked through my crafty stash (which took a while!) I couldn't believe the amount of pink things I have squirrelled away over the years, hence my very pink girly card.

I think this represents my true style of crafting - I love the stamped images (especially LOTV - you will probably be seeing a lot of those!) and colouring with my Promarkers, then lots of embellishments (everywhere!).  Time to step away from the card then! Lol.

For this one I have used LOTV paper pad 'Heartfelt' as well as the image 'Birthday Fairy' and the sentiment is from the 'Small General Greetings' set.

We would love you to come along and play at our new challenge - please pop over and say hello HERE and remember to hit the 'Follow' button to keep up to date with our challenges.

Hugz, Jan xx

A Brand New Challenge Blog!

Hello everyone,

I am here with some fab news today about a brand new Challenge blog due to launch on the 1st October. My very good crafty friend Caz over at Cardz 4 Guyz has decided that it is time to launch a sister blog for all the galz out there - so why not pop over and check it out at

'CARDZ 4 GALZ'

During the month of September she is planning to introduce the new design team and showcase some of their work, so I have one of my all time favourites to show you today to fit the theme

'MY FAVOURITE THING'

Now this was a hard one to decide on, but I chose 'Pink' and 'Embellishments' (which are only two of my many favourite things about crafting), but here goes ...

I am so proud of my friend for taking on this new challenge and wish her every success for the future of the blog. Please pop over and say hello and I shall look forward to seeing lots of your gorgeous work when we launch on 1st October.

Hugz, Jan xx

Babies

Hello again,

Well, it's back to school for me today - where did that week go! Having said that, I got loads done in the house and lots of crafting, so all is good. Great to see some sunshine too, let's hope it's here to stay.

On a crafty note, it's time for our next challenge over at Make My Monday and this week Jacqueline has set the theme of

'BABIES'

We would love to see your 'baby' projects - will it be a birth card, a scrapbook page, a baby gift - the choice is yours. Here's what I decided on for my DT inspiration ...

I made a little baby name plaque for a nursery door using lots of scraps from my stash (yep, the NY resolution is still going strong - although you wouldn't believe it if you saw my stash, it doesn't look any different!!)

I started with a piece of strong cardboard (recycled dog food box!) measuring 18cm x 9cm and covered it with some pink design paper left over from a previous project. The little teddy is stamped and coloured with my Promarkers and mounted on a pink scalloped circle. The lettering is stamped with my trusty Clarity letterbox stamp set and cut out (and I printed the date onto a piece of scrap paper which is torn and inked). Extra embellies include a piece of pink gingham ribbon, a little pink button and some punched flowers with pink gem centres.

Hope you can join us this week.

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 

Watch the Birdie

Happy Monday,

Righty, here we go again at the beginning of another week - I wonder what this one will bring? I have some more news for you tomorrow, so keep watching.

So, onto today - we have a brand new challenge for you over at Make My Monday and this week our Rosie has chosen the theme of

'BIRDS'.

Now I'm not a big fan of our feathered friends, so I had to put my thinking hat on. Here's what I came up with for my DT inspiration ...

Well, aren't they cute! I found the image with the help of my friend 'Google' and pasted it into a word document. The original was just one flamingo, but I copied, flipped, and made this cute looking pair, which are coloured with my Promarkers. The lettering has been stamped using the Clarity Letterbox set and I added a little Black Soot distress ink underneath the letters to give a shadow. The panel is mounted on a piece of textured pink cardstock and then added to my 6x6" cardbase.

Hope you can join us with your own 'Birdie' creations this week.

Hugz, Jan xx

In the Pink!

Happy Sunday to you all,

I'm back again with my Sunday post for Sherri Baldy Art and this week I thought I would try something a little different.  I have made a tag using a close up of  image 692 - 'Lil Muffy Mopsy' as the focal point,

which you can buy from Sherri's on-line store HERE.

I simply made the image the right size to cut out with my nestie, then coloured her with my Promarkers - don't you just love her pink hair! All papers and embellishments are from my stash and the wording made on my pc.

Have you ever thought about just using part of an image??  I would love to see your creations using part of a Bestie image - just leave me a comment/link to your art so I can visit.

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

B is for Bottles

Happy Friday to you all,

My working week is done, so it's now time for some crafting (I'll do some washing and cleaning later!) Lol.

As it's Friday that means it's time for the next letter over at the Alphabet Challenge blog, and this week my teamie Avril has chosen 'Bottles' for the letter 'B'.  So, we would love to see your projects showing a bottle somewhere, or you could alter or decorate an actual bottle.  Here's what I made for my DT inspiration ...

I've chosen a 6x6" card this time and decorated it with pink and green papers from my stash.  The gorgeous little 'Fizzy Moon - Let's Celebrate' image is adorable and is stamped and coloured with my Promarkers.  Added embellishments include pink polkadot organza ribbon, pink rose blooms, a pink button, a little pink die-cut butterfly and some pink adhesive gems.

Don't forget to pop over to the challenge blog and check out the fab work from my teamies. I shall look forward to seeing your entries over the next couple of weeks.

Hugz, Jan xx

Hugs and Kisses

Happy Saturday,

Well, I can't believe that my half term week is gone already - where did it go? I love being at home so that I can craft, but alas will have to return to work next week to fund my obsession! Lol.

I had time to play with one of my new Saturated Canary images yesterday, and decided to do something a little different.  I'm really pleased with the outcome - see what you think ...

The image is 'Hugs and Kisses' by the very talented Krista Smith 

and is printed A5 size onto a border of pink paper.  

She is coloured with my Promarkers: 

Hair - satin, sandstone, caramel and burnt sienna

Skirt/boots - pale pink and dusky rose  

Hearts/tights - blossom and budding rose 

Box - satin, sandstone and caramel

I popped her into a plain black photo frame and decorated the corners 

with embellishments from my stash, 

including flowers, hearts, 

a Doohickey die-cut swirl and  small butterfly.

I think this will make a great gift for someone, 

but not sure who just yet.

I would like to enter it into the challenge over at 'Fussy and Fancy' 

which is Black and Pink.

Enjoy your weekend,

Hugz, Jan xx

A little Distressed!

Hi there fellow crafters,

Welcome to my new followers - my numbers are rising slowly and I'm thrilled :)  I hope you all had a great weekend and are enjoying the warmer weather.

My card today is made for the challenge over at 'Stampin' for the Weekend' which is 'Distressed'.  Here's what I made ...

I used my favourite 8x8" card blank and covered it with gorgeous Tim Holt paper which has been well and truly distressed around the edges and inked with 'Walnut Stain' distress ink too.  I added another couple of layers which were subjected to the same treatment and then added the stamped image which is from Kanban.  I paper pieced the skirt using scraps of the text paper and added a couple of little brass wing charms to the back of the bodice.  I love the sentiment (which is from Creative Expressions) and this is stamped and embossed.  Extra embellishments include a couple of stamped hinges, an organza ribbon bow, some roses (which have also been distressed with the ink), a couple of Doohickey heart swirl dies and some adhesive pearls.

Thank you for all your kind comments on my past posts - I love reading them all, they mean a lot and I always try to return the favour where I can.

Big hugz, Jan xx

Anything with Wings

Hello there everyone,

Not only is it Friday, which means it's my day off - but it's half term here next week, so I get a whole week to play in my craft room! Yay!

So, Friday means we are ready for another challenge over at the Alphabet Challenge Blog and as last time saw the letter 'Z' it means we can start again with a brand new alphabet.  It was my turn to choose the challenge this week and for the letter 'A' I chose 'Anything with Wings'.  Anyone who knows me, knows this is a favourite theme of mine and here's what I made for my DT inspiration ...

I made a cute little keepsake box by cutting two hot pink 'Fleur de Lys' squares using my nesties.  I then measured, cut, scored and folder the central piece to make the box.  I fastened a piece of hot pink ribbon around the centre and some adhesive pink gems for added decoration.  I stamped the gorgeous fairy image (by LOTV) twice and coloured her with my Promarkers, before cutting and decoupaging her for some dimension.  I added crystal glitter to her wings before securing the whole piece to the top of the box.  I've not decided what to keep in here yet, but it would also make a great little gift box for a special treat.

Don't forget to pop over to the blog to see more fab inspiration from my teamies.  I look forward to seeing your projects displaying 'Anything with Wings'.

Big hugz, Jan xx

My first Saturated Canary Image

Hello to you all in blogland,

I hope everyone had a great weekend with lots of crafting taking place.  I have had a weekend of birthdays - first my hubby on Friday, followed by my sister today. What with Valentines Day on Thursday - it's been an expensive month too! Lol.

I thought I would show you the card I made for my sister today, using my very first 'Saturated Canary' image.  I bought the image a few weeks ago, but hadn't had an opportunity to use it yet - but thought this was the perfect time to print it out and colour away to my hearts content. Here's what I made ...

Card Recipe

Image 

'Jules' by the very talented Krista Smith at Saturated Canary

Colouring Medium 

Promarkers

Papers 

from my stashbox

Sentiment 

printed on pc

Flowers 

Doohickey Vintage Daisies, pink roses

Dies 

Doohickey Heart Swirl and Small Dragonfly, 

Memory Box Spring Border, Whimsy Banner Pennant

Embellishments

pink polkadot ribbon, pearl oval buckle, doily, flat back pearls, pearl stamens, pink adhesive gems

I must say, this is one of my favourite cards yet - I hope my sister likes it!  I can see I need to pay another visit to the Saturated Canary shop real soon - better start saving :)

Hugz, Jan xx

A Special Lady

A midweek hello to all my crafty friends,

Just popped on to show you a birthday card that I made for a very special lady  - I'm sure she won't mind me showing you all.  My biggest decision was whether to make it using her own products, or something completely different! Well, I took the 'completely different' option and used one of my own favourites instead.  Here's what I made ...

I began with my usual 8x8" scalloped card blank in cream and covered it with a selection of gorgeous papers from Pion Designs, which have all been inked with Victorian Velvet distress ink.  The main image is one of my favourite Magnolia stamps - 'Tilda and her Bunny' from the Butterfly Dreams collection and is partly coloured with my Promarkers (the hat and top are paper-pieced with scraps from the backing papers to match).  I also added a piece of ivory lace which I threaded with some pink organza ribbon and made a double bow using ivory seam binding and some more ogranza ribbon (can you spot the little silver metal heart charm?)  I used a LOTV sentiment and embellished the card with pretty flowers, some die-cut leaves, a lace doily, a little stamped postcard, a couple of hearts, a TH 'Wish' ticket and some flat back pearl accents.

I love the shabby chic look that the card has - hope my friend enjoyed it as much as I loved making it.

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Inky Chicks - Bingo (Flowers, Lace and Pearls)

Magnolia Down Under - Recipe (Pink, Lace and Metal)

Midweek Magnolias - In the Pink with Ribbons and Pearls

Sugar Creek Hollow - Tic Tac Toe (Lace, Ribbon and Pearls)

Bye for now,

Hugz, Jan xx

X Marks the Spot

Happy New Year everyone,

I do hope you all had a fab Christmas and New Year - I have had a lovely break and enjoyed the festive season with my family.  The decorations are all down now and the house clean again, ready for my return to school on Monday.

As it's Friday, it's time for the Alphabet Challenge and this week we are upto the letter 'X'. Shaz has chosen the theme 'X Marks the Spot' and we would like to see your projects using 'spots and stripes'.  Here's my DT inspiration ...

As I've made so many cards for the Christmas period, I decided to make something totally different for this week's challenge and decorated a little brown gift bag.  My 'spots and stripes' feature on the backing paper (which is from my First Edition - Sweet Owl paper stack) and on the stamped image (which is LOTV).  I've even used a different colouring medium this time - I stamped onto watercolour paper and coloured with my distress inks for a change! The little flower petals alternate between spots and stripes and I added a brown button centre for some dimension.  Added embellishments include a stamped sentiment (from LOTV), some pretty pink polkadot ribbon, three matching die-cut flowers from the leftover backing paper (each one has a brown candi centre), three punched pink flowers (each one with a sparkly gem centre) and a little pink heart on the bag handle.  

I shall look forward to seeing your creations over at the Alphabet Challenge blog.  Don't forget to pop over and check out some more fab inspiration from my teamies - just click HERE.

Happy crafting,

Hugz, Jan xx

Wings and Things

Hi everyone,

It's Friday again, which means it's challenge day over at Polkadoodles and it was my turn to choose the theme this week.  I had to pick something which allowed me to use one of my favourites - butterflies, but I am looking forward to seeing all the different interpretations of 'Wings and Things'.  Here's what I made for the challenge ...

I chose a pretty pink paper, some gorgeous black silhouette butterflies and a lovely sentiment from the Candy Doodles CD to make a wall hanging for my craft room.  I started with the paper and arranged all the black butterflies and sentiment before printing it out.  I then masked some of the butterflies before adding lots of extra interest to the paper with some 'Spun Sugar' distress ink.  I cut out another butterfly and treat it to a sprinkling of pink glitter before adding it to the oval nestie focal point. The project is mounted on black mirri card, then again on pink card before I added a piece of black ribbon for hanging and the usual sprinkling of adhesive gems for a bit of extra bling!

Don't forget to pop over to the blog for some great ideas from my fab teamies.

Hugz, Jan xx

A Special Birthday

Happy Saturday everyone,

I can't believe how fast the time is flying by - I have already been back at school four weeks, only another four until the next break! Lol.

I hate to say it, but I haven't done much crafting this week - I have been so incredibly tired.  My hubby thinks I may have had some sort of virus - I said 'Yes, it's called sleeping sickness!'

Anyway, I have a very special card to show you today - one which I made for a special crafty friend who celebrated her birthday a few weeks ago.  I don't think she will mind me showing it you today ...

I bet you couldn't guess her favourite colour is PINK!  I raided my stash for everything pink I could lay my hands on, as you can see.  Here's the ingredients I used:

Image - Magnolia 'Princess Tilda'

Colour - Promarkers

Papers - Magnolia, My Mind's Eye (text paper was from my stash)

Sentiment - LOTV 'Recipe Sentiments'

Die-cuts - Doohickey: 'Vintage Daisies', 'Heart Swirl', 'Lovely Fence', 

'Antique Lace', Dragonfly and Marianne leaf die: LR0226

Embellishments - pink polkadot ribbon and bow, text heart, flat backed ivory pearls, 

pink adhesive gems, pink eyelets, 'wish' lettering

Ink - TH Distress ink 'Walnut Stain' and 'Victorian Velvet'

The sentiment is stamped onto a Doohickey 'Vintage Tag' 

and is tucked in behind the main image for an extra little surprise.

I think this particular Magnolia stamp is quickly becoming a favourite amongst my ever growing stamp collection - it fits so many different occasions.  Hope you like my little creation - I'm sure my friend did :)

Enjoy the rest of your weekend,

Hugz, Jan xx

Monochrome Pink

Hello there,

Well, I had to speak too soon, didn't I!!  It has been very overcast here today, but still very humid - we have even had the odd rumble of thunder in the distance.  Bring back the sunshine!

I have a card to show you today for a September birthday (woo, look at me getting ahead!) Lol.  I am going to enter it into the 'Lil's Little Fairies' blog challenge, which is Monochrome this week.  I adore the 'Lili of the Valley' stamps and use them lots, so I thought it was time to have a go at one of their blog challenges.  Here's what I made ...

The gorgeous background paper is another 'First Addition' - this one is from my 'Love Letters' paper stack and the colours are to die for.  The paper and image are matted onto a pretty pearlised pink card.  The cute little image is LOTV 'Patchwork Daisy' and is coloured with my Promarkers and the sentiment is also LOTV.  Embellishments include some die-cut leaves, three little punched flowers, two pink brads and a raspberry candi centre for the daisy flower.

I would also like to enter this one into the 'Stampin for the Weekend' challenge which is also Monochrome this week.

Hugz, Jan xx

Fairies, Fantasy and Flitter

Good morning,


It's Friday already, that means it's a new challenge over at Polkadoodles - this week Emma set us the challenge of 'Fairies, Fantasy and Flitter'.  Our cards have adopted a real fantasy theme this week, with a selection of fairies all scattered with a dusting of glitter. Here's what I made ...

I made a door hanger for a girl's room this week instead of a card.  The project measures 20cm x 10cm and started out as a piece of white card.  I covered it with a pretty pink paper from the 'Sugar Plum Daisy' CD, rounded the corners with a punch and inked the edges with Victorian Velvet distress ink.  The fairy, toadstool and butterfly wings are all printed from the same CD and are layered up to give some dimension.  The sentiment is also from the 'Sugar Plum Daisy' CD and is layered onto a pink picot circle cut with my nesties.  The pink flowers are printed from the 'Sugar Birdies' CD and have been embellished with pearl centres and pink adhesive gem centres, together with white feathers and a white swirl.  The whole project is edged with a pink lacey border cut with my Doohickey dies.  A few Polkadoodle dew drops accent the corners and it wouldn't be fairyland without a liberal sprinkling of stardust glitter! Hope this gives a little bit of inspiration for the challenge and I look forward to seeing some of your creations over on the blog.

Enjoy the weekend,
Hugz, Jan xx