More French Foliage!

Hi All,

It has to be one of my all time favourite stamp sets. It seems so right to be stamping leaves at the moment as the weather is turning colder.

I've made up several packs of these recently as little gifts for neighbours and hostesses as a way of saying 'thank you'. Another friend had a hip operation last week, so I popped in a book of stamps and it made a prefect present.
It's made as a one sheet wonder; the style of the bag requires no cutting........

.....and the cards are simply strips of the stamped image layered onto coloured card stock

Hope you've enjoyed popping by,

Jane x

The New 'In Colours'

Hi All,

Aren't the new colours scrummy?
I love them. Here's a collection of cards I made for a recent team swap.

The flowers are snipped out of the new lace ribbon border punch..........this is becoming one of my favourites, just to warn you!

These 9.5cm square cards are my 'Thank You' cards for this month

So simple and quick to make, a 1" circle just fits perfectly behind the punched flower

Must dash, busy day, no tell a lie........busy week ahead!!

Jane x

Christmas Day in October?

Hi All,

I know it's been so long since I last blogged anything, sorry............to much on my plate, (being computer illiterate makes blogging a long long task). I still can't get the new catalogue to appear on the screen or this months offer of free ink and card stock in the 'new' in colours if you sign up as a demonstrator in October. Never mind, I'm at a team meeting on Thursday, so will try and get help then!

Anyway, even though you haven't heard from me in a while..........I've still been crafting!

Here's the project I made on Saturday, when my up-liner Val and I ran a Christmas themed day.

A box (based on one by Jenny Moors) using the Serene Snowflakes stamp set in Cherry Cobbler and vanilla
It contained 4 cards, ranging from plain and simple...........

...............to a little more involved.

The tree (from Lovely as a Tree) is inked all over in Old Olive first, then finishing off with a Chocolate Chip marker for the trunk before stamping the image. Of course, the addition of Dazzling Diamonds for Christmas is a must............usually, I've more glitter on me than the projects!!

In this card I've used a wheel for the background, the stamp sets are Welcome Christmas and Curly Cute

To finish, the more complicated card out of the 4.

I got the ladies to use the 'Big Shot' for embossing and die cutting.

I love how you can simply change the look of a card, just by altering the way you place the card stock in the machine........don't you?

A great day, thank you to all that came.........I did take my camera, but forgot to take any pictures of the day!!

Enjoy your crafting, thanks for poppin' on by

Jane x

French Foliage

Hi All,

I met up with my long lost 'Buddies' today, (it's been so long - the summer hols got in the way:), we made a variety of cards using this gorgeous stamp set.

One of the designs I have shown you already and another one's been tweaked slightly.

Here's a simple 9.5cm square card, stamped in River Rock and Always Artichoke. The leaf image has been stamped off first and then rolled in the ink pad again to create a darker border around the outside edge.

I just love the autumn season.........isn't nature wonderful; it amazes me how many different colours a leaf can change into.............so this is the effect I was hoping to achieve in the making of the next card. (Joesph's Technicolour Dream Coat......I think they call it)

I started off with Whisper White card stock and daubed More Mustard, Always Artichoke and Cajun Craze all over it........so no white could be seen. Then randomly stamped the leaf images in Versa Mark ink, covered this with clear embossing powder and set with the heat tool. (You can just about make the leaf shapes out in the photo)

I then covered the whole card stock in Chocolate Chip ink using my brayer. Don't worry......... when finished just gently rub over with kitchen towel to expose the coloured leaves.

Here's the finished card...........

............hope you've enjoyed, thanks for dropping on by

Jane x

Happy Birthday

Hi All,

A bright card to wake you up this morning!
It was for another team member who celebrated her birthday at the weekend - Hi Maria!
A collective mix of old and new products........love them all!

On a tight schedule today,
Must dash
Jane x

French Foliage

Hi All,

I've been playing around with this set lately........I just love the stamped image of these leaves....don't you?
The cards are all fairly plain and simple, I was thinking along the lines of 'less is more'. The colours are River Rock, Always Artichoke and Whisper White

with the addition of More Mustard and Ruby Red (now retired).

Hardly any layers due to the constraints of the post office!

Happy Creating

Jane x

Say 'Hello'

Hi All,

It's so sad when we have to say goodbye to stamp sets and products from the catalogue, but soon you'll be able to 'touch and play' with some lovely 'NEW' products too!

Being a Demonstrator allows you to get your hands on some of the new products a month early. I just love the new border punch and 'in colours'. I've a feeling you'll be seeing me use these a lot in the future.

A very simple design, the 1/8th taffeta ribbon fits through the border perfectly.

This one's slightly more complicated, I cut the border into a frame shape. Have you spotted the new stamp sets yet?

Happy stamping,

Jane x

What's This?

Hi All,

Can you believe it?..............just had to take a picture............my husband using stamps.......he must be feeling poorly!I mustn't get too excited, it had nothing to do with paper craft........he's cleaning off an old alphabet set after labeling some of his machinery in the garage!!

Untill next time,

Jane x

Say 'Goodbye'

Hi All,

Here are a couple of quick cards in 2 colour choices.
They are simply embossed, stamped with a sentiment and layered onto the base card.
In both cases the ribbons are retiring.........you'll have to be quick, some of the supplies are running out fast.

In Regal Rose..........

......and Night of Navy.

Happy Crafting

Jane x

My Swap

Hi All,

I spent the weekend with 'crafty' friends; we attended a SU training session in Leeds on Saturday afternoon.

This is the swap I made.............it's a gift tag and card topper

I know it's not Christmas, but like a good 'Girl Guide' I want to be prepared!!

Happy Crafting

Jane x

I'm Back!

Hi All,

I decided to continue the holiday mode and took a break from blogging..........did you miss me?

I had a great couple of weeks away with the family, camping in Herefordshire. How could you not get relaxed..........waking up to this view from your tent, in the morning. The sun was just coming up, unfortunately you can't see the moon in this photo, but it was so large, round and gorgeous......it made you feel great to be alive.

The sunsets were great too.............this was taken on our last evening...........just after we'd heard about the floods back home!

Anyway back to craft. I have still been crafting, but forgot to photo much of the items.........sorry.
This simple card is a good example of how to use up those small scraps of ribbon, you always end up with

Promise I'll try and post more often................the holiday's over!!

Thanks for hanging in there

Jane x

Scrapbook Revisited

Hi All,

Sometime ago I promised you some photos of the scrapbook I'd designed for a hen party (only I'd forgotten to take my camera!)

Everyone had the same base layout pieces given, but could put their own twist on how they wished to embellish it. I'd made a few templates so that it wouldn't be too daunting for them, and they could copy if they wished. You can see the main post dated 13th June 2011

Unfortunately I'm not very computer literate and it won't let me upload some of the photos I've been sent, but these were the girl's favourite pages

I think you'll agree they were so creative considering only one person had crafted before.

I loved the number of combinations they came up with for a heart, and the twisting of the bird punch leaves into a tree is something I hadn't thought of before.

Hope they've inspired you to (and I'm sorry there's not more photos of their gorgeous creations)

Jane x

Quick Cards!

Hi All,

A couple of quick and easy cards, they are both 9.5 cm square.
This one I did as a make 'n' take at a recent workshop, it's using the Circle Circus stamp set in Riding Hood Red, Baja Breeze and So Saffron.

The sentiment is from Party this Way.
I don't know about you, but I always feel I have to finish off the insert and the envelope too.

The other one is simply stamped with the hostess set Silhouette Sentiments and then punched out in squares. I have raised a couple of the designs on dimensionals (I don't think it shows up too well in the photo!)

Hope you've enjoyed,

Jane x

Baby Blossoms Collection

Hi All,

Where has the time gone?
I created these with my 'Buddies' last month.........and have been too busy to blog. I've been volunteering here there and everywhere, along with crafting of course! Somethings were on such a tight schedule, I didn't even have time to take photos :( - sorry; and now the kids are off school.

Anyway, back to the projects, the colours I used were Pear Pizzazz, Regal Rose and Pink Pirouette. The DSP and ribbon are old supplies (got to use them up, as there will be more come the end of September)...........and where am I going to put all the new ones.......LOL!!

There's a bookmark made out of wooden sticks............

..........a gift card holder and tag, using an envelope folded in half with the ends cut off.........

...........and 2 cards. The first using the 'Top Note' die, and the second is a step card with gorgeous organza ribbon.

Thanks for looking, I'll try and pop back soon..........if time allows

Jane x

The Scrapbook

Hi all,

Well, the 'rain dance' definitely worked yesterday!! (I got my crafting done..........but unfortunately I didn't think of others, as I was dancing.........I only remembered them when it was pouring down, but by then it was just too late......LOL!!)

So I apologise to my sister and Merlin her dog, who were competing in agility...........and also..........to Val's sister and her family; who were packing up their tent throughout it all!

Anyway, here the pictures of the re-make........it might not be 100% true to the original, but it will give you an idea of what we got up to.

Throughout the album the base layers were the same size. I gave various designs ideas for each size so that everyone could pick and choose one if they wished to copy. The butterfly above........

........and this tandem could fit on the front cover and in the middle of the book.

You'll see from the following photos, different design ideas for the small and large pages.........

The bridesmaid dresses are Cherry Cobbler in colour, but I was aware not everyone might what to use this album to hold wedding pictures, so that's why I have given so must diversity in my design.

The left hand page below was blank for either the wedding date, journaling or photos

I used the 'Big Shot' embossing folders and dies as well as rollers, stamps and punches

The pages alternate, opening from left and right

I even included a pocket, for any extras (seen below on the right)

It's been difficult to photograph, but I hope you get the idea

Thanks for dropping by today

Jane x

OOps!!

Hi All,

The 'good news'................

I had a fab time today,crafting..........it was part of an all day 'hen party', all of the group apart from one were non crafters.
They all produced a scrapbook...........it had a basic layout in which they could change the page designs as they wished, and boy they didn't disappoint..........it was great to see how creative they were; each of them created something special to keep and they were all very different.

Now the 'bad news'...............

I know I promised you pictures of this project............well, I could have shown you...............if only I'd taken my camera!!
I'm so sorry; but as Jill helped me out today, and with the overall design.......I let her keep the scrapbook. Hopefully, one of the girls will forward the pictures for me to share them with you.

I am planning on making one for myself, so, if it rains as forecast tomorrow........I'll try and reproduce it.

Hope I can be forgiven, better start my rain dance!!

Jane x

Another Twist Card!

Hi All,

A friend asked me to make a '15' card for her nephew........he lives the farming life style and is into tractors, heavy machinery etc...........not the usual bikes, cars or football! So we came to the conclusion that a pheasant would do.

She wanted the card large, so I made twist card from a whole sheet of A4........then had problems deciding how to fill the space:) That wasn't the only problem..........when creating the card I didn't think of an envelope to fit..........LOL!! Fortunately a 12" x 12" piece of card stock fit the bill and I just had to add some DSP so that I could join it at the seams.

Happy Crafting

Jane x

Fancy Folds

Hi All,

Today I'm meeting with my 'Buddies' again..........they wanted me to come up with a few fancy fold cards and even gave me a variety of stamp sets to use...........I must remember to to stick to one stamp set in future..............less to lug about......LOL!!
I've chosen one colour scheme though Rich Razzleberry and Old Olive and used some much loved and cherish retired papers.

The 1st card is a flip or twist card using Nature's Walk..............it's basic stamping with a masking technique and spritzing effect. This is probably my favourite one of the 3..........what do you think?

The 2nd is a shadow box card using flight of the butterfly, pocket silhouettes and the Sanded background stamp. The butterflies have been embossed with clear embossing powder (although it's not showing up very well in the photo)

And lastly, an explosion or centre diamond card. Stamped with Simply Said and decorated with butterflies (Beautiful Wings embosslits die)

Thanks for dropping on by, I'm off to meet my 'Buddies' now

Cheerio

Jane x