Birthday Wishes

Hello again,

Welcome back to my blog, which is definitely being a little neglected lately.

Last time I posted, I was just off down to our new store which opened in Evesham last month. It's situated in the 'Valley' shopping village and looks so pretty.

It was most certainly a busy weekend - we had two of our TV personalities demonstrating and the store was full to the rafters. It was a couple of very long days, but my colleague and I had the best time there.

Back in our own store at Chesterfield, we are now preparing for our first Birthday celebrations - can you believe it's been nearly a year since we opened our doors! We have three lovely ladies coming over the birthday weekend to help us celebrate - Leann Chivers will be in store on Friday 22nd September, Sara Davies will be with us on Saturday 23rd and Lizzy Curtis on Sunday 24th. We are selling VIP tickets both in store and online if you would like to come and join us.

My crafty project today was made for my manager at the store who celebrated her birthday at the end of August - I'm sure she won't mind me showing you here ...

I used Sheena's glycerine technique with my Spectrum Noir Aqua markers to make the background - simply squidge a small amount of glycerine into your blending tool before picking up the scribbled water colour from your glass mat. It behaves much like distress inks, but stays open for longer allowing you to get a really good blend. I also flicked some water splats onto the background and blotted with a piece of kitchen paper to add a little interest. 

I stamped the pocket watch with black Versafine ink - 'Time Flies' designed by Donna Ratcliff for Crafter's Companion, then embossed with clear powder before adding a little extra depth using the same colours.

I stamped just one of the little butterflies for a second time and coloured it to match, then added it to the top of the stamped image.

A little frantage powder and a greeting to finish off.

Hope you like my design for today.

Hugz, Jan xx

James Bear has Presents

Hello everyone,

I have actually managed to make some of my Christmas cards on my days off this week - very proud of my little self! Still have a few more to go, but I'm not usually this organised, although I haven't even started on the Christmas shopping yet!

I have a cute little 'Clean & Simple' card for you today - my DT inspiration for the new challenge at Fantasy Stampers. Here's what I made using one of my favourite Christmas stamps ...

Now this one is a little more fancy than a normal 'CAS ' style, but it only involves two stamps and a die-cut, so compared to some of the projects I make - it is 'clean & simple' for me!

I simply die-cut the top section of my square cardstock using the 'Frostyville Border' die from Memory Box, then added a scrap of red Christmas design paper behind it.

The stamp is LOTV 'James with Presents' and is coloured with alcohol markers (and a little added glitter around his hat). A quick stamped sentiment and one little clear dazzler to finish off. 

Hope you will come and join us with your own CAS designs.

Hugz, Jan xx

Circles of Happiness

Happy Saturday,

I hope everyone has the chance to enjoy a great bank holiday weekend. I have lots of catching up to do after being out all week completing my training, but am hoping to spend some time in my garden with a few crafty bits and a nice cool drink!

We have a brand new challenge over at Fantasy Stampers today and it fits perfectly with the lovely weather. So for the next two weeks we would love so see projects that fit the theme

'SUNSHINE COLOURS'

Here's what I made for a little inspiration ...

There is definitely a circle theme going on there! I used some pretty design paper from my stash, along with pieces of gorgeous bright yellow and orange cardstock for my layers.

I die cut three circles out of the yellow layer, letting the dies go off the edge of the card, then trapped the design paper between the two layers of card so it showed through the circles. 

I used my Stampin' Up 'Flower Shop' set to stamp the two flowers for my focal point, using Ripe Persimmon and Scattered Straw distress inks. I also stamped lots of smaller flowers in the same two inks using my Stampin' Up 'Petite Petals' and then punched them out with the co-ordinating punch (so quick and easy!)

I love the sentiment on this one (just from a set I have had forever) and it fits in really well with the training I did yesterday about having a choice about how you feel and taking charge of how your day will be. So, I challenge you today - go on, 'Make your own Happiness'.

Hugz, Jan xx

Feathered Friends

Good morning,

I hope everyone out there in craft land is well - I'm hoping to pop over to Blythe Craft Studio later today - they are having a demonstration day (bet I can't get home without spending any money!)

I have another make for you today for the new challenge at Fantasy Stampers and for the next two weeks the new theme is

'PEACHES & CREAM'

So, here's what I made using a pretty little stamp from Clear Impressions ...

I have layered some peach 'Adorable Scorable' cardstock onto a cream card blank, then added my pretty flecked paper (it is cream with a slight peach fleck embedded into it).

I stamped directly onto the paper with my Spiced Marigold distress ink (I added a little Versamark ink to the stamp first, which seems to give a clearer stamped image when using distress inks). The gorgeous little birdie was from a freebie set that I got with a magazine some time ago - it is from Clear Impressions and is called 'Feathered Friends'.

I added a piece of cream ribbon, together with a bit of peach twine and a little pearlised heart embellishment to finish off my triple bow.

Other embellishments include a stamped sentiment using a brand new stamp set from Stampin' Up called 'Endless Birthday Wishes' (I can see this is going to be another favourite!) and three tiny little peach buttons.

Why not pop over and check out some more fab inspiration from my design team over at the challenge - hope to see you there.

Hugz, Jan xx

Birthday Blooms

Good morning,

Well, I have been at home for two weeks now and would have officially finished school for the summer yesterday - and guess what? It's raining here as I write my post!

We have a brand new challenge today at Fantasy Stampers with a nice easy theme for the next two weeks

'CLEAN & SIMPLE'

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

I must admit, it does have a little more detail than I would normally include in a 'CAS' design - but it is just one layer using the base card.

First I decided where I wanted the circle aperture to go and drew a feint pencil line to guide my stamping. Then I used my 'Stampin' Up 'Birthday Blooms' stamp set and stamped the gorgeous flower along the edge of the circle. I masked out the flower and added some stamped splatters using Milled Lavender distress ink.

Next I cut around the circle to make an aperture in the card, and also cut off some of the fussy parts of the stamp that were protruding into the circle. 

The flower is coloured with my Promarkers and I added a little glitter to highlight the petals. 

I added a piece of polka dot design paper behind the aperture (actually adhered to the inside of the card) and added a stamped sentiment (from the same stamp set). Three little punched butterflies from the scrap design paper finish off the design.

Hope you can come and join us over at the challenge.

Hugz, Jan xx

Wish upon a Star

Good morning,

Well, both my girlies have been in Zante together since Tuesday and I can't believe how quiet it's been without them! I grumble at all the noise when they are both in, but I sure have missed them both. They will be back next Tuesday evening, so I'm looking forward to hearing about all their adventures (well, maybe not all of them!) Lol.

Over at Fantasy Stampers today we see the start of the next challenge and the new theme is

'WISH UPON A STAR'

So we are looking for any of your project using stars - here's what I created for my DT inspiration ...

Think I went a bit overboard with the stars - but you get the idea!

The backing papers, stamped image and sentiment are all LOTV. The stamp is aptly called 'Wish upon a Star' and is coloured with my Promarkers (and a little added glitter sparkle). The 'Wish' letters are cut using an old Sizzix alphabet die, then added to my card. 

Why not pop over to the challenge blog HERE and check out some more fab inspiration from my design team.

Hugz, Jan xx

Teddy Bears' Picnic

Good morning,

I have a cute little Fizzy Moon bear to show you today, as we begin the next challenge over at Fantasy Stampers. The new theme is

'TEDDY BEARS' PICNIC'

So, all you have to do is use a bear - here's what I made for my DT inspiration ...

I used design papers from my stash and added the stamped 'Fizzy Moon with Flower' image as a focal point. He is coloured with my Promarkers and I added a little button in the centre of the flower for some extra dimension.

Embellishments include a stamped LOTV sentiment, some peach organza ribbon, a few pearl flowers (cut from one of my pearl strings), some die-cut flowers and a few adhesive pearls.

Hope you can join us this time - why not pop over and check out all the other bears at the 'picnic' over at the challenge.

Hugz, Jan xx

Man's Best Friend

Good Morning,

I have my next DT project for the new challenge at Fantasy Stampers today and the next theme is

'MAN'S BEST FRIEND'

Here's what I made using an old Magnolia stamp ...

The stamp is called 'Wilma with Rose' and I coloured her with Gathered Twigs distress ink (and a little red Promarker for the rose).

The design papers are mostly LOTV from the 'Country Gent' paper pad and are all layered on kraft card. 

Some brown ribbon, three buttons and a few adhesive pearls to finish off.

Hope you can join us with your own projects - just perfect for Father's Day coming up on the 19th.

Hugz, Jan xx

All About the Girl

Happy Saturday,

Well, I managed week 7 of our 8 week half term, but it was a gruelling one - even the children have had enough now and are ready for a break. Just three and a half more days to go until my break begins. It's Science week at our school next week, so lots of interesting science lessons, activities, and assemblies for them to look forward to.

On a crafty note, it's time for our next challenge at Fantasy Stampers and the new theme for the next two weeks is

'ALL ABOUT THE GIRL'

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

I do love lots of different styles of crafting, but would say this one is most typically me! 

I used one of my many LOTV stamps called 'Birthday Fairy' and stamped her in Sepia ink and coloured her with my Promarkers (with the addition of a little glitter on her wings).

The pretty design papers are from a new pad that fell in my basket whilst out shopping this morning and is called ' Floral Muse' from Dovecraft. All the papers are muted pastel tones of peaches, cream and mocha - they have a real vintage look to them (and only cost £4 for the whole pad!)

I added some ivory lace, a little die-cut banner, some paper roses and a few flat backed pearls. The two little stamped sentiment tags are also LOTV.

Why not pop over and check out some more 'girlie' inspiration over at the main challenge blog - would love to see you there.

Hugz, Jan xx

A New Baby

Good morning,

Well, that's the first week back at school over, just another seven until the next break!  I actually felt nervous on Monday, after being off for a month - but everyone was pleased to see me and I coped pretty well.

Now, just before anyone gets any ideas - the title of my post doesn't relate to me! Lol. We have a brand new challenge starting today over at Fantasy Stampers and the new theme for the next two weeks is

'A NEW BABY'

Phew! Don't think I could cope with that right now (unless it was a new grandchild, of course!) Well, one can hope. Here's what I made for my DT inspiration ...

I used a 6 x 6" scalloped cream card base and layered it with kraft card and some blue paper from my stash. The centre strip is a piece of torn vellum and I added a piece of blue ribbon too.

The image is LOTV 'Balloon Basket' which is coloured with my Promarkers (and the balloon is paper pieced from a scrap of the background paper). I added a little stamped sentiment and a few blue adhesive pearls to finish off.

Hope you can come and play along - why not pop over to the challenge where you can see some more fab inspiration from my design team.

Hugz, Jan xx

In the Springtime

Hi there everyone,

First of all, I wanted to thank each and every one of you that has sent such lovely messages offering words of sympathy and support during our sad time.  It has been a very difficult few weeks, with so many things reminding me of mum (and I'm sure there will be many more difficult times ahead). I managed to get through the funeral in one piece on Monday - it was a beautiful service and a very fitting tribute to mum.

I haven't been doing much crafting at the moment (haven't had time really), but we have a brand new challenge over at my challenge blog, Fantasy Stampers, today. I also have a close friend's birthday on Monday, so decided to put the two events together and make my DT card for her birthday. The new theme is

'IN THE SPRINGTIME'

Here's what I made using a pretty LOTV stamp called 'Little Lamb' ...

I know the image has Easter eggs on, but the little lamb reminds me of Spring (and her birthday falls over the Easter holiday). The image is coloured with Promarkers and the sentiment is also LOTV.  All other papers and embellishments are from my stash.

Hope you will join us with your own 'Spring' makes over the next two weeks.

Hugz, Jan xx

Just One Layer

Good Morning,

Well, as my Half Term break comes to an end I am now thinking about the next five weeks until the Easter break. I think I am wishing my life away!

I have a new card for you today made as DT inspiration for the new challenge at Fantasy Stampers where we would love to see your projects showcasing

'JUST ONE LAYER'

Here's what I made with my inks and stamps ...

It took me ages to decide what to do for this one, but ended up with a simple design. 

I masked off the card blank, just leaving the square to work in - then applied three different colours of distress ink - Mustard Seed, Peacock Feathers and Mermaid Lagoon with my ink dusters. I also added a few splatters of Peacock Feathers using one of my favourite grunge stamps from Stampin' Up. 

I stamped the Inkylicious 'Wild Flora' stamp through the masked aperture using black archival ink and added the little bird from the same set. 

A hand drawn doodled border frames the piece and a quick stamped sentiment to finish off.

I hope you will come and join us with your own 'One Layer' creations over the next two weeks.

Hugz, Jan xx

Love is in the Air!

Good morning,

Well, after a week of 'flu' I think I am starting to feel a bit more human again. Three out of the four of us here have been struck down with it this week - it was like the hospital ward!!

On a crafty note, it is time for our next challenge over at Fantasy Stampers and for the next two weeks the theme is

'LOVE IS IN THE AIR'

Here's what I made for my DT inspiration (now my mojo has returned!) ...

I started with a piece of coconut white card and stamped all over it with a variety of different stamps from Indigoblu and Stampin' Up to create a background. I love the stamped frame just off centre with the little paint drips - as this was made with my hubby in mind, I wanted a more grungy feel to it.

I added a couple of die-cut hearts (well it wouldn't be a Valentine without them) and then printed the wording on my pc. I tore out each word and inked around the edges before adding them to my card.

I hope you can come and play along this time, and why not pop over and see what my design team made for the challenge too.

Hugz, Jan xx

CAS Christmas

Hello there,

Well I have to say that things have been getting away from me the last couple of weeks!

After mum being in hospital, I'm still struggling with my back (I have been referred back to the hospital next week) and we have had some personal family stuff going on, as well as manic times as the school term hurtles towards Christmas (Christmas market, nativity production, pantomime, cards, calendars, parties, coffee morning - you know how it goes!) And then there is all the Christmas shopping to come! I say every year that I will start sooner, but alas I am once again struggling to keep up.

My crafting has also taken a back seat, but I am back today with news of our last challenge for 2015 over at Fantasy Stampers - we will be back in the New Year to celebrate our 2nd birthday!

Here's what I made for our new challenge - 'Clean and Simple Christmas' ...

This one uses five stamps from a freebie set called 'Winter Wonderland' which came with a recent craft magazine. I used black archival ink to stamp out the little scene, then I used the snow stamp with Perfect Medium ink and dusted with Cosmic Shimmer 'Enchanted Gold' mica powder (I think you can just see it in my photo) to create a snowy sky.

The scene was mounted on a scrap of black card before I added it to the card base. I stamped the sentiment in black archival ink to finish off. Definitely a simple one!

I hope you can come and join us for our last challenge of the year.

Hugz, Jan xx

All About the Folds

Good morning to you all,

I have my DT project for the new challenge at Cardz 4 Guyz to show you today, where this week Jane has chosen the theme of

'MORE THAN ONE FOLD'

Now there are loads of different ways of interpreting this one, but I went for a basic fold and came up with this ...

It is a 6" square card and I have folded the front section back on itself. I added design paper from my LOTV 'Father Knows Best' paper pad and then a die-cut topper which showcases my stamped saying (from Inkylicious).

Hope you can come and join us this week.

Hugz, Jan xx

Winter Wonderland

Good Morning,

I'm back this morning with a new challenge over at Fantasy Stampers where the new theme is

'WINTER WONDERLAND'

Here's what I made for my DT inspiration using a cute little set of stamps that came free with a recent magazine purchase ...

The stamped panel began as a piece of white card and I brushed Weathered Wood distress over it after masking out the moon.  I added hills in the foreground using a piece of torn paper and some extra ink.

Next I stamped the trees, once with first generation ink and then a second time to create a lighter image and give the effect of distance. I also stamped the deer and the sleigh and reindeer using the same black archival ink.  I stamped some little snowflakes around the top edges of the design using the distress ink again.

The panel is mounted on white card, then silver mirri card - then mounted with foam tape onto the background layers (the top one having been passed through my 'snowy' large dot embossing folder).

The stamped greeting is also from the same set and I made a little banner to show off the sentiment. Lots of glitter and three silver candi dots finish off the card.

Why not pop over to the challenge blog where you can see what the design team made for their 'wintery' projects.

Hugz, Jan xx

Animal Antics

Happy Saturday,

Well, my half term break has finally arrived and guess what - I am still struggling with my back! I really hope things improve over the next few days - I seem to spend all my time off, trying to get better to go back to work! There must be something wrong with that on some level!

Anyhow, on a crafty note, it's time for a new challenge over at Fantasy Stampers and for the next two weeks we would love to see your projects showcasing

'ANIMAL ANTICS'

Here's what I came up with for my DT inspiration using one of my favourite LOTV stamps (but then they are all favourites when I get them out to use!) ...

This one is called 'Big Hug' and I think it can be used for so many different occasions. I coloured with my Promarkers and added a little glitter here and there. The design paper is from the Bo Bunny 'Isabella' paper pad, which came free with a recent magazine purchase. The stamped sentiment is also LOTV. A few embellishments to finish off include some pink satin ribbon and a few grey candi dots.

The design team have some more fab inspiration over at the challenge blog, why not pop over and say hello.

Hugz, Jan xx

Clean and Simple

Hello there,

I have a very quick make for you today as a DT project for the new challenge at Cardz 4 Galz. This week Amy has chosen the theme of

'CLEAN & SIMPLE'

Here's what I made ...

It took about 15 minutes to make, so was a really quick one!

I simply masked my piece of white cardstock (using some trimmed post it notes) and then stamped just over each edge with my swirly flower stamp using Shaded Lilac, Picked Raspberry, Evergreen Bough and Broken China distress inks. A simple stamped sentiment and a couple of little die-cut butterflies to finish.

Why not pop over and see what the team made for their CAS designs?

Hugz, Jan xx

Fright Night!

Hello there,

Well, I went back to school on Wednesday and my back is coping a little better - new pain meds from the doctor and I was back at the hospital yesterday for some up to date x-rays - so onwards and forwards as they say!

On a crafty note, I am back today with our next challenge over at FANTASY STAMPERS and the theme for the next two weeks is

'FRIGHT NIGHT'

So we would love to see all those fab Halloween projects - here's what I made for my DT inspiration ...

I love making these type of cards with the inky scene backgrounds. I started with a piece of white card and added layers of distress ink in Seedless Preserve, Scattered Straw, Spiced Marmalade and Rusty Hinge, using a piece of torn paper to make the hills and a circle mask for the moon. 

I stamped the tree (from an old Christmas scene set) in black archival ink and added some stamped foliage around the edges using the Seedless Preserve ink. The spooky house and fence are both die cuts that I bought in a pack from one of the craft shows a while back. A little stamped 'Happy Halloween' greeting finishes off the design.

I hope you can all come and play along with us for this theme.
Hugz, Jan xx

Steampunk Stylie

Good morning,

I have had a really tough week, this week with my problematic old back! I am trying to manage the pain, but on occasions it has got the better of me this week. My working week from Monday to Thursday has been a challenge, to say the least.

Over at my challenge blog, FANTASY STAMPERS, we have a brand new challenge starting today with the theme of 'STEAMPUNK'. Now I know this can sometimes be a daunting one, and the design team found it a challenge too, but we would love you to experiment and come and play along.

Here's what I came up with for my DT inspiration ...

This all began as a piece of white cardstock, which I covered with distress inks in 'Scattered Straw, Rusty Hinge, Aged Mahogany, a little Crushed Olive and some Gathered Twigs'.

I used my Papermania cogs stamp to add some detail down the right hand side, and then ran the piece through an embossing folder to add a little interest to the left. The quote was printed on my pc and mounted on brown cardstock. The butterfly and cogs are chipboard pieces that I covered with gold embossing powder and then I added a key to the centre of the butterfly. There are a few other stamps from my stash in the design too.

I hope you will come and play along with us, with your own projects.

Hugz, Jan xx