More New Shoes!!...

I've created this shoe with the same technique as yesterday's card - using the leafy corner again to give some pattern in the background. This time I've coloured in using a pink theme (Promarkers again) but to give it some pizazz - I went over the whole shoe with glossy accents. I added a final finishing touch of some glitter flowers from the Dazzlers range from Petaloo and a small peel-off greeting in black.

Happy crafting!

Jane

Two Blue Shoes

Well I promised you shoe cards - and here is the first. I have created masks using sticky notes (a how to guide on how to do this to appear shortly!) and then stamped the two shoes using Memento Paris Dusk. This is a lovely colour to stamp in a dark purply blue. I've then created a mask so I can stamp using the leafy corner in the same ink colour. The beauty of these stamps is as they are clear, you can decide which part of the pattern you want where - so I could position the corner into the corner of the shoe which would allow me to later add a sparkly gem. I used the leafy part of the design to fill in the rest of the shoe and then repeated along the rest of this and the other shoe. I then coloured the shoes using Promarkers - sky blue for the main shoe, pastel blue for the inside of the shoe. I added a little shading with a grey promarker to add a little definition. I then cut out the shoes and mounted onto sandstone swiss dots bazzill card and then onto a blue mount with a final flourish of a vibrant blue ribbon.
Stamps used - Sketchy Shoe from Clarity (item 6530 on web) and Leafy Corner from Clarity (item 6511 on web)
I've got more promarkers on order at the moment which should arrive soon, so I'm looking forward to seeing all the latest sets!
happy crafting
Jane

Bed Wars!!!

It had to happen. As soon as Barney decided to go eat his dinner - Molly spotted her opportunity. there's going to be trouble.....!

Cosy Kitty.....

Barney has never had a proper cat bed. In his younger days he wouldn't be seen dead in one!.... but we've noticed that in his 'middle years' he keeps nesting on anything he can find - a rogue jumper, a towel, my boxes of newly delivered stock!... so we thought we would buy him a bed. We took a chance that he would take one look and walk the other way... but no - he was straight in there pummeling away until he'd got the mattress scrunched up just how he wanted it - and he's not moved since! Let's just see if the novelty wears off or whether it's his new best friend!!. .. I've been busy playing with my Clarity shoe stamps today - so watch this space for a few different card ideas to appear during this week!
happy crafting!
Jane & Barney!

Simple .. but beautiful!

This lovely card has been made using the Clarity stamps honesuckle corner stamp. The corner stamps are fab and so versatile - you can stamp them in different patterns to create beautiful patterns, or side by side to create a border, they are also nice to use as a subtle background stamp with a delicate colour ink. I've stamped this one in VersaMark and embossed it using a silver sparkle powder which looks very striking on the black card background.
happy crafting!
Jane

Going all artsy!!

My friend Chris kindly lent me a whole box full of Clarity stamps (lucky me!!)... here's what I created using them. I've been inspired by a card I saw in the gallery on the Clarity stamp website! I've used sticky notes to mask off areas and applied Distress inks with a Cut n Dry foam and then stamped with a pattern stamp (I used the honesuckle corner) in the same distress ink, then finally stamped my main image over the top. Gradually build up your design by moving around your sticky notes. Inks used: Peeled Paint and Black Versafine on the first image, Broken China, Antique Linen with Walnut Stain to stamp the main image. Give it a go on an ATC - you can get some interesting effects! I think I might take these pieces back into the craft room and add some extra highlights with some glossy or crackle accents too.

happy crafting

Jane

Spring Card...

My first entry to one of the Passion for Promarkers competitions (Spring Theme with an animal) - hope you like it! You can view all the other fab designs at their blog here http://promarkerchallenge.blogspot.com/
The stamp is from Wild Rose Studio designs as is the paper pack (florals).
happy crafting
Jane

Mmmmm yummy colours...!

Well I finally found the time to play with the new Cosmic Shimmer Misters and use them to create a colour chart. I always spray them onto white and black card as they can look completely different on the two! Particular favourites of mine are Bronze Blush - has a hint of green mica - lovely!... Blue lime - a lovely zingy lime ink with a hint of blue mica and also the stunning Red Firefly - a vibrant orangy red wiht a hint of gold mica. I think that the Angel Mist and Sunlight Mist will prove very useful - they don't look so much on white - very pale - but they'll be fab for sprizing over printed papers to give that element of shimmer!
I intended to blog earlier in the week - but I've been nursing my dog Molly this week who had her visit to the vets on Monday to be spayed. So I've had to keep an eye on her this week - but it did at least give me time to catch up with some paperwork (yawn...), and also get the new 12x12s onto the website too. I did attempt to start stocktaking the decoupage ready for the web.... but there's such a lot of them I didn't get very far!!
I'm now going to spend the rest of today crafting before getting together with some of my crafting buddies this evening - who are all itching to see all the new supplies!.... so I would imagine there will be a few projects I'll be able to blog over the next few days!
happy crafting
Jane

FREE P&P over £10!

Just a quick note to let you all know we have a special offer this week - we've lowered our free P&P limit to just £10!... so if you spend £10 or more you will have no postage costs! enjoy!
Jane

Metal Squares with Alcohol Inks

Chris, Pauline and I had a fab time in our workshop this morning. We spent the morning playing with different techniques using metal sheets and alcohol inks and by the end of the morning all three of us had very inky fingers! Above is a picture & closeup of the card I created. It's a simple technique but very effective - cutting out shapes using the cuttlebug and then embossing an applying the alcohol inks. There are endless possibilities that you can create using this technique when you consider the different shapes and layouts you can do, the different colour metal sheets you can use, as well as different inks, whether to sand or add black ink highlights, use texture tools or rubber stamps too. I've created a full downloadable and printable project sheet to create this card and you can download it via 4shared by following this link. I would love to see any cards you create inspired by this project, post a comment back to this blog with a link to you picture, or email me a pic that I can post up for all to see!

happy crafting

Jane

Coastal scenes

Well I did promise the next project to be more artsy - so here are a some cards I've made using the Create-a-scene Coastal or Village sets and Distress Inks. I've really taken to the create-a-scene stamps. So far I've only got the Coastal and Village set in my collection - but I've made so many different cards from the sets. I like the flexibility that lets you decide how big you want your scene to be and also how complex. They also mix and match nicely too as you'll never find two elements the same on the sets - even the grasses and clouds vary on all the different sets. These cards have been stamped using Distress inks - an ideal companion for these stamps. Simple stamping in just one colour then drag a little of the colour using a waterbrush to give a little softness to the images and then perhaps a few touches of glitter or Stickles to add a little detail. Any of you who know me well, knows I can't stop at just one or two cards when I can post six... that involves deciding which two and how could I pick! In a future post I'll give more detail on how to achieve the background of my first card - a handy technique to know!





I've found a handy tip with using these stamps is to ensure that your elements are always touching something else. So rather than putting in a rock all alone, just touch it up against something, grass, sand, the boat, it seems to help with the perspective of your piece. Also when using the waterbrush, don't try too hard to paint in the detail, just a few strokes with the brush to spread the colour it sufficient to give it some body. The inks used here are broken china (the pale blue), aged mahogany (that lovely burgundy) and peeled paint (green). I hope it gets you inspired to give them a go - they are great fun!
happy crafting
Jane

Meet Milton the Bear!

Meet Milton the Bear!... isn't he cute! He's part of a new range of stamps from Wild Rose Design which includes cute dogs, cats, bunnies and also some sassy ladies too! They also have four different 6x6 paper packs which are all a nice selection of designs and even have matching brads sets too - so if you like a co-ordinated look they are a great choice!
Grab a coffee and have a browse - lots of new products have been put on the web over the last couple of days!
happy crafting
Jane

Clarity stamps yippee!

I've just found a big box of clarity stamps waiting for me - hurrah... so watch the website for them to appear later!!!

a happy Jane :-)

It's Lofty!

For today's card I've used a lofty the giraffe stamp. I've stamped him in Tuxedo Black Memento ink and then coloured him in using Promarkers. To make the image stand out I've outlined him in a pale grey - this is also a handy way over covering any little strays over the lines. I've then used my labels dies to create the mount and then taken a sheet of patterned beige paper and run it through the cuttlebug with a Quickutz Vines embossing folder. Then add a little brown ink across the raised part of the card to add a few accents. Finally a little knot of rust coloured ribbon provides the finishing touch! I do like this style of card - you'll see similarilities in other designs I've created. I find that if you have a bold image, keeping the background quite crisp and clean only highlights the main design. I'll find you something a bit more artsy for my next project - show you something a little different in style!

happy crafting!

Jane

Vineyard card... and a furry helper!

OMG how did it get to 11pm on Sunday night - where did this weekend go!! At least I have a pile of cards to show for my efforts this weekend - all packaged up and ready for the craft fair next Sunday.... and I'm almost through coding up all those new peel-offs... my pet hate.. they just seem to go on forever!.. and I haven't yet been brave enough to tackle the 12x12s for the same reason!

Here is today's card - it's been created using Woodware wine buff clear stamps and I have coloured them using Promarkers. I created the background by scrumpling up some white card into a ball, then flatten it back out, spritz with random colours of Cosmic Shimmer Mister and allow to dry. Then once dry, I spritzed some more mister onto my craft mat and dragged the scrumpled card across the surface so all the peaks picked up more mister. This creates a great effect because the crumpling of the card damages the surface of the cardstock so it soaks up even more ink and mica powders. If you want a very flat finish, you can always iron the cardstock flat again, but I like it slightly rumpled for a bit of texture. Finally I've used my old favourite trick of 3 little dots of stickles in the corners - this time I used a dark blue.

.... I had a little help tonight from my furry friend Barney... perhaps I should get him to do the next blog?.... if you look carefully his paw is just reaching for the mouse pad...!
happy crafting
Jane

10 tips for using Stickles

I've had my Stickles for ages and after an initial play, they lay forgotton and unloved in my craft box until I rediscovered them again last year!... now there's no stopping me and I've found that they are such a useful product to use in many ways - here's a few ideas to get you started, so go and find those forgotton Stickles and give them a little TLC!....

1. They make an ideal accent. Place three small dots in a line at the corners of your card for a sparkly detail.

2. Fill in a whole area with Stickles - such as a dress or handbag for an image with a bit of bling (see my last post for an example!)

3. Before using them give them a sharp shake downwards to move the glue down towards the nozzle end, this helps get rid of air bubbles

4. Keep a pin handy in your toolkit just in case you get an occasional blocked nozzle

5. Apply a clear stickles such as Crystal or Diamond over decoupage or a project and then smear it over the surface with your finger for a fab sparkly finish!

6. Use to accent the centres of flowers - whether stamped, decoupaged or on a printed paper. You can make a fab card by just taking a decorative paper and adding accents - like the card sample below!

7. You can never have too many colours! and they last a very long time so they are good value for money. I've never run one out yet - not even my crystal which is used most cardmaking sessions and in many workshops too!

8. Give them a gentle squeeze to apply your glue, that way you can control the flow and get very fine detail - have a bit of a practice on some scrap paper first just to make sure you have mastered the flow and got rid of any air bubbles.

9. If it goes somewhere you don't want it to (or you put your finger in it!!), if you are quick you can remove it by scraping it off your card. I find my curved ended tweezers are ideal for this

10. Experiment and get artsy!.. you can create flowers and swirls and squiggles and all manner of effects by mixing the colours too!

This card is made with a simple black and white paper with flowers. I've added accents using a dark blue Stickles to transform it into a card with lots of bling! It just shows that you can made a lovely card with the simplest of papers!

Hopefully this has inspired you to reach for your Stickles, and if you need to add some more colours to your craft box, you can buy them at the shop here with 10% discount until 15th March!
Happy Crafting!
Jane

Just a bit of sparkle!

I've been playing with my new Winestool Nikki stamp from Ladybug Crafts Ink. They are new clear stamps very reasonably priced and stamp very nicely! I took my cue from the beautiful samples I saw at the show and thought I would sparkle her up! So I've coloured her in with my Promarkers and then used a turquoise stickles glue to give her dress and shoes a bit of bling factor! I then used my nestabilities labels to make the layers for the card and was very pleased with the results!

Happy crafting

Jane

Have I cracked it....?

I may just have cracked the techie stuff after all.... if this appears on facebook I'm there!!!!

Dog-gone...I finished all the staffie cards!

Well I've finished my Staffie cards and they are now ready to be posted off with their final destination to be on a stall at Crufts! It was nice to have something different to do and I decided it would be nice to have some bright papers to go with them so I 'liberated' the Big One pack of 12x12s by Dovecraft from my stock! They are lovely! Now onto my list of Easter cards to make. I've also been playing with my new Winestool Nikki stamp over the weekend so I'll post up a card sample later this week...!
just a few flowers as the finishing touch!

I got to play with my new nestabilities labels too!

I was a bit stumped at first with this one. Mounted up the 3 dog pictures and it looked a bit bare - but It didn't look right with flowers or ribbons - so I got creative with my letraset fineliner and decided to doodle some random swirls - I was really pleased with the result!

Happy Crafting!

Jane

Getting my head round all this techie stuff!?!

Well.. it's a whole new world trying to teach yourself how blogs work, how facebook and twitter links in... some of it might as well be written in Japanese, but I am persevering.... I will crack it in the end!