The Other Side Of Me

The time has finally come to make my Granddaughter's birthday card, and here it is: After a great deal of dithering over what style of card to use, I decided to use the sketch over at Sunday Sketch and Stamp  .  I can honestly say I've never used anything like it before, but it was perfect for what I needed today.  The bunting at the top is part of the sketch, so of course I stamped the letters for 'Princess' on it, as she is totally into princesses.  I've known for a while that I would use this as a theme, especially when I saw these fabulous papers from Imaginisce.  The stamps are from Imaginisce too, and they're only 99p each! As planned, I've made her a door hanger with the same papers.  Here's one side: using the same papers as above, but this time the princess has brown hair.  This is the side that says 'Come in!' This is the reverse side: Here is the other paper (and don't forget, both papers were double-sided, so there was a lo...

Goodness, what a busy weekend it's been!  I've hardly sat down.  So this is what I made on Friday: The tag is from a set bought from Inkylicious, and I've used their stamp for the 'Post Card' stamp down the left hand side, and the post mark at the top, but the flower is from Penny Black.  I've coloured it with water colour pencils, very nervously as I'd used Tim Holtz distress ink over the entire tag first, but it was fine.  Here is the whole card: It's got a beautiful feel to it because of the distress ink.  I tied each tag with gardening twine before sticking them down.  You can do this on a sheet of A4 card.  The tags are 8cm wide, so I cut A4 down to 27cm wide and scored it into 9cm sections so a bit of the black border would show.  The mid section has been stamped with my Letter stamp from Penny Black.  I am getting into mixing and matching stamps from different sets.  As long as the scale is the same, it seems to work reall...

Hello there all, I hope you're getting some of the sunshine we're having, it's been a funny summer so far, hasn't it?  On Tuesday night I went to my craft class at Dolly Cottage Crafts.  I haven't been for absolute ages and really enjoyed myself.  Yes, we make cards, but we have such a laugh at the same time.  It was amazing for me to see how far I've come since I last went (I'm not afraid of the Bigshot, for a start!) We made a Christmas card, which I'll show you nearer the festive season, but I also made this: It looks quite effective, but it's very easy to do.  It's all about using double sided paper.  This is Bloom and Grow by MME.  I have a soft spot for this paper as it's the first paper I came across when I started crafting and had that moment of revelation of 'It's not just me!  Other people like paper, too!'  I never bought it, though, so it was lovely to have the opportunity to use some.  The variations of this card ...

As you know, I spent a bit of cash at the exhibition on Saturday, and today I've made a card using one of the stamps I've bought.  It's by Lili of The Valley and I liked it as soon as it came out a few months ago.  This is how I've used it: I've used the sketch from Sunday Sketch and Stamp  which I really enjoyed.  I actually coloured the stamp last night.  Usually I look at papers, Promarkers and the stamp all at the same time, to make sure there is some co-ordination going on, but it is such an unusual stamp that I decided just to colour it how I saw it in real life (but there's always the question, grey mouse or brown mouse?!) and then this morning I looked through my papers based on the colours I used.  This is just one sheet from my free Craftwork Cards vintage papers set, and the circular piece cut out from a sheet of October Afternoon Thriftshop paper.  Everything else is just a basic red card, but I love the colour scheme of blue and red toget...

Helloooo, I have got a card to show you but I just want to say what a fantastic time I had at the Summer Crafting Exhibition at Doncaster Racecourse yesterday.  And I need to thank those that gave me advice for coping strategies, like 'wear strong shoes' and 'sharpen your elbows' !  Ladies, all I can say is, "You weren't wrong!"  The stalls were all very close together, it was extremely hot and I can honestly say I've never seen so many women crammed into such a small space.  The cafeterias were so busy there were people sitting on the floor eating their lunch!  It was incredible.  Plus we queued for twenty minutes only to be told they only accepted cash.  'Strewth. All the cards and stamps seemed so much bigger and brighter in real life.  I was a bit blown away by some of it, and thought, 'I'll never be able to do that,' but I think it's because I was so overwhelmed.  I was thrilled to find the Lili of the Valley stand (but fancy...

Over the summer, when I have more time, I am trying to make a few things that aren't cards.  Some papers are so lovely, I like to find ways of keeping a little bit back for myself!  This is my latest project: I used some of the vintage papers from Craftwork Cards, which I've backed onto cardboard hearts all cut out with my Nellie Snellen dies.  The back of each heart is plain green.  I've stamped 'Home, Sweet Home' onto the hearts, I hope you can see it.  The top heart has a little clothes peg on it, and some tiny polka dot buttons.  The middle heart has a couple of roses on it, and the bottom heart has a bow at the bottom.  What thrilled me was that I found the green polka dot ribbon in my stash that is perfect for this colour scheme.  I've hung it up in my kitchen window where it looks really good. Hope you like it. Jane xx (whose tickets have finally arrived for the craft exhibition on Saturday - panic over!)

Wow!  It came in the post on Saturday, I was so excited and ran in to open it - my candy from Donna at My Happy Place (if you're looking for a dollop of inspiration, this is the place to go). Here is what I got: A pack of stick on diamonds (can't wait to start using those), some very groovy sentiments, a little bag of goodies containing little flowers, metallic heart shaped brads etc, and a wonderful stamp set with a gorgeous bear doing some painting and decorating.  I never win any competitions, raffles etc, so this is very exciting for me! As the title says, I have been making some ruby wedding anniversary cards this week.  What a flippin' saga!  It is so hard to make sure they don't look like: a) wedding cards b) 40th birthday cards which you don't realise until you start making them. Anyway, here they are: This was made using some magazine freebie papers, but the main sheet is from a Forever Friends set I bought last Christmas.  I printed the word...

Last September I saw some card designs in a magazine and smiled to myself and turned the page.  As if I was ever going to make those!  Just totally not my style.  Now, ten months later, I've flicked through the magazine again and realised that I actually have the papers and could make the card, (if I wanted to, if I didn't have anything better to do) so I decided to have a go yesterday, and here is the result: I don't really do vintage or retro or anything like that,  but when you've got this in your hand, there's something wonderful about it.  I may have to make another one.  The papers are from a range by October Afternoon called The Thrift Shop.  They're very varied, but I've used a lot of them. It just goes to show you shouldn't ever throw anything away, or dismiss a project thinking that you'll never have a go at it (even the dreaded quilling, I suppose!)  I've cut all my articles out of the magazines and filed them as individual proj...

I've finally got around to making my card for the St Luke's Hospice Challenge this month, which is titled, 'Black, White and One Other Colour', so this is what I've made: Every so often I get lucky with peel-offs and have a good idea of what to do with them, but not very often!   I've put the bird peel-off onto glitter card, which is very shiny, even though it's hard to tell from the photograph.  I've embossed a bigger piece of card, which I'm glad you can see in the photo, and added it to my white card base.  I've taken the peel-off leaves and put it across the middle, then added my image with sticky fixers underneath.  After a lot of faffing about, I stamped and heat embossed the wording, 'A little bird told me...' which continues inside the card with '... it's your birthday,' and just backed it on a piece of black card.  I really enjoyed making this, it was one of those 'make it up as you go along' cards, but I...

I was amazed to see this image by Tatty Button in a magazine, then only a couple of days later to spot it in Blyth Craft Studio, and I grabbed it quickly.  There's something very appealing about it, but it's different from normal 'cute' stamps, almost goth, but not quite.  There's a lot more tree on the stamp and you could do it in a rectangular frame, but I decided to have a go like this first.  She's coloured in Promarkers, of course.  I am adding to my collection at the moment, with a few more greens.  The papers were free with Simply Cards and Papercraft magazine, and I've loved and used every single bit, they are so lovely.  It was the 'wishful' banner that started me off.  I die cut the flower and added a little tag sentiment, and there we are. Thanks for dropping by today, Enjoy the sunshine. Jane (thoroughly excited as I've won some candy from Donna's My Happy Place!   I can't wait to see what I've got...)

I am well and truly going through a pink phase.  Please bear with me, I'm sure it will pass!  But if you can't have some fun with your favourite colour, what can you do? This card sums up everything I've bought new recently.  The image is a free digi from Little Claire's.  I have had the papers for a while (MME).  I decided to colour her in antique pink and pastel green, which really matched the flowers and came out quite aqua looking. New things: The flower at bottom left is made with a Marianne Creatables die.  I am in love with these.  I think I'll buy a ribbon threader next, I've wanted one of those for a long time.  The top left corner has a corner die.  These are fab, too. Top right is an LOTV sentiment, 'Time To Shop.'  How perfect can you get, for an image like this?  I love it when a plan comes together. Hot News:  I have twisted hubby's arm, and he has agreed we can go to the Create and Craft exhibition at Do...