A Card for Peg !

Hello ! I hope you all had a nice Easter break ??? Mine wasn't really a break because I been starting up a new business to run alongside my SU demonstratorship !!! I am proud to announce they I am now an Independent Consultant for Neal's Yard Remedies Organic - the direct sales arm of the famous UK owned and run company whose flagship store is in Covent Garden ! I'm having a great time although it's hard work keeping two home based businesses going - not to mention the fact that they have completely taken over most of the rooms in the house !!!
On the subject on SU, one thing I have always appreciated is having a superb upline - it makes all the difference to how you feel about working under the umbrella of a large company !!! I am proud and lucky to be part of Peg's team - she celebrated her birthday recently and this is the card I made for her ! I would like to dedicate this post to Peg - you are a star and I'm honoured to call you my upline but most of all my friend xxxx

Thank you Peg for everything you do !!! 

Hugs Jane xx

Open Sea and Hardwood Cards for Men !!!

Hello ! Happy Spring - it's glorious here - we have had days of wall to wall sunshine !!! Two of my best friend's hubbies have birthdays in April and I'm afraid they both get similar cards as I make them at the same time - this year they have a boating theme !!! I love the set Open Sea and like to combine it with Hardwood as they go so well together ! 

I like to add tags to my cards for interest and made these with the tag topper punch . The sentiment is from Make a Wish - a really useful stamp set and my cardstock is naturals ivory and very vanilla !

Two cards which are variation on a theme and so quick and easy to make - finish off with a little knot tied with basic grey stitched grosgrain ribbon . 

I haven't made my Easter cards yet !!!! So, need to get those done this evening - have purchased the very important chocolate though - I have got my priorities right - LOL !!! 

Happy Easter - many blessings to you !!! 

Hugs Jane xxx

Stampin' Up Sunflower Goes Vintage !

Good Morning ! I love all the detail on rubber stamps - they just seem to stamp so well and this Sunflower is no exception. I especially love this stamp as it is just like an old botanical illustration and I also love that it is so big and makes fab large cards and is great for scrapbooking too ! I have double layered this one too - one layer underneath in vellum and a top layer stamped onto whisper white . I have added some sentiments using the lovely Chalk Talk set and vintaged up my card and DSP with Gorgeous Grunge - my inks are pool party, crumb cake , sahara sand and gold ! My card is made from a piece of soft sky co-ordinations card and measures 9 1/2 x 6 inches - I didn't cut off the extra length but scored along the bottom 2 1/2 inches in and folded up to create some inside pockets - these could be used to put a voucher of money gift inside the card ! The DSP on the front is from Epic Day This n' That and I have dry embossed one edge with the delicate designs embossing folder and then inked over to enhance ! 

More gold ink was used to highlight the card stock and the doily and a little looped linen thread and washi tape on the spine of the card add texture along with the essentials wooden element ! I punched a few leaves out with the bird builder punch to set off the flower on the page !

I loved making this card - the colours just go so well and give a nice soft vintage feel - as always and technique questions please ask - you can message me via the link on the right !!

Happy Crafting ! 

Hugs Jane x

Sunflower Oh, Hello Card !

Good Morning ! I have a happy sunny card to share with you today ! It's not a seasonal flower but is just like the gorgeous sunshine we have been having these last few days although it has been chilly ! It is a very simple card which is based on naturals white card stock and has a topper of DSP - I used the a pool party sheet from Epic Day This n' That. The Sunflower stamp was stamped out twice - once onto  vellum and once onto a daffodil yellow sheet of DSP - both in daffodil yellow ink ! I then ran my gold ink pad over the vellum which formed the top layer to add interest. The flower centre is a cute little wooden element which was stamped with the centre of the sunflower stamp coloured up with a write marker ( run some white ink over first as I find it works better that way ! )

I didn't get the stamp set Oh Hello until recently and I find it a really useful little set - the sentiments are great and unlike any others I own plus the chevrons are brilliant for adding interest to a project. I have stamped them on the background of this card but also added some leaves ( I just stamped the chevrons onto DSP and trimmed out ! ) Some washi tape ( Gingham Garden ) finishes off the card on the spine and the stem is a strip of natural trim .

I have another more vintage style card using the sunflower stamp to share with you tomorrow ! 

Many thanks for stopping by and happy crafting ! 

Hugs Jane x

Hardwood Picket Fence Card !

Hello ! Just a quick post very late in the day to show you one of the cards I have made today ! I have seen lots of cards featuring the gorgeous background stamp Hardwood - it's a wonderful versatile stamp and well worth the investment as it has a multitude of uses ! This is my take on the picket fence style cards that have been made with it ! I started by stamping onto soft sky in baked brown sugar ink and then toned it down by sponging over in white ink. Then I trimmed out all the panels and cut them in half across the width giving me lots of fence slats which I then pointed using the banner punch ! 

I then sponged the edges in crumb cake to define and then set about doing my background . The card is A5 size and I stamped onto whisper white for a fresh clean look - I used a mix of stamp sets to achieve the floral collage and my inks were a mix of soft shades. I also sponged the top of the page in pool party to give a feel of the sky ! Then I glued on my fence and added some little punched flowers and leaves to soften the fence. The sentiment is inside - not every card has to have a sentiment on the outside !!!

I had fun making this card - it is for my daughter just to let her know how special she is !!! 

Many thanks for stopping by ! 

Hugs Jane x

Field Flowers and Summer Silhouettes Floral Cards !

Spring has sprung here in Worcestershire and all the gardens are full of beautiful Spring flowers - it's my favourite time of year - I love the freshness of the air and how the light changes and of course all the lovely colours ! I was inspired to get some of my floral stamp sets out and make some cards - I have two to share with you today - one A6 and the other A5. I love soft sky card stock as a card base and I have put it with whisper white for a nice fresh look. My inks are - soft sky, smokey slate, summer starfruit, pool party and pistachio pudding . 

Here are the stamp sets I used to create these cards - Field Flowers, Petite Petals , Summer Silhouettes, Hello Doily and Friendship Preserves. A little ribbon and a doily complete the cards - you only need to use a small amount to add that finishing touch. 

Off to play with my new light box !!! I have used it for these shots but used my phone for the photographs - need to find my camera to see some real improvement in the standard !!!! LOL !!! 

Happy crafting ! 

Hugs Jane x

Tea Party and Swallowtail Card !

Whoops - just missed saying Good Morning - I am wasting so much time each day taking badly lit photos and the editing so I have bitten the bullet and ordered a light tent !!! Hopefully my photos will improve when I have worked out how to set it all up !!! Today I have a copy card to show you A5 size - I have made this card before in a different colour way and am surprised at how different it looks in smokey slate and blushing bride with a little basic to lift it ! I love to stamp card in the matching ink and love how this one turned out . The Swallowtail is stamped on whisper white as are the flowers - they look nice and fresh and the little blooms are punched from the brushed silver card stock and I have added a little bling !!

The stamp set I used are - Tea party , Swallowtail and Flower Shop . The envelope was made using the envelope punch board and the tag topper punches were used to make the cute little tags ! 

More card making today - I'm on a roll !!!! 

Happy crafting ! 

Hugs Jane x

Soho Subway Travel Log - Final Instalment !!!

Hello ! I have had to wait the best part of the day for the light to improve so I can show you some semi decent photos for this final post on the travel log !! Oh, and I may have been nattering on the phone to a very special friend for a little while too - !!!! This project is available as a class for customers and fellow demos - first class on Friday - I hope my ladies love it ! Here is the finished journal and then all the other photos should fill in the gaps so you can see how it all goes together ! 

So, you will see that I have put a few photos of New York inside - they are not mine sadly but I would love to go there one day. It just gives an idea of how I intended the journal to be used and not all  the place labels refer to the photos - they just give an idea for how to decorate the inside so I have just photographed some of the pages ! The belly band can be taken off alternatively it could be attached just on the back cover if you want to add more bulky items inside and make the journal expandable. The key is from my own stash and I think adds a nice bit of texture and I typed the cover title on my lovely old typewriter ! 

Thank you for your visit - hope you have enjoyed this project ! 

Happy crafting ! 

Hugs Jane x

Soho Subway Travel Log - Part 2 !

Good Morning ! I have a few more photos of my travel log to show you today - hopefully you will be able to see the construction in the first photo but as always , any questions just mail me via the contact link on the right ->
The cover is now on and this has been embossed and then sanded - having used the gorgeous Coredinations card stock in crisp cantaloupe. The binding is burlap ribbon which is nice and wide and covers a multitude of errors - not really but it could !!! The inside file folder pages have been added with their little hinges - these were made using the envelope punch board - it's not just for envelopes !!! 

I have designed a fastening for this journal made with the tag topper punch and there is more decorating to do !!! Do come back to see it finished !!! 

Have a great crafting day !!! 

Hugs Jane xx