Hot Diggity Dog's Go Camping

I've always wanted a retro camper van , they are so cool! This stamp set "hot diggity dog" I bought for half price in the sale at my local craft shop, I put in a bag with some papers, shoved it in a draw, and promptly forgot about until my tidy up this morning.

I've coloured with promarkers, the paper is just dandy by echo park and I've add a sentiment and a few strips of washee tape. I've tried to get a retro look with the papers and colours but they play havoc with your eyes.
The shaped card is by craftwork cards.
I thought this card would be good for my my step fathers Birthday soon.

challenges entered :

cupcake challenge : shaped cards
cards galore : one for the men
craftroom challenge : for a man

I've been to my cleaning job this morning, they are a lovely couple, but it's hard work, who needs the gymn 'I'm aching already, totally unfit.
happy crafting. janex

A Slice Of Happiness

Happiness comes in all shapes and forms ,why not pizza! I certainly experienced happiness making the card.

The stamp is a House Mouse and friends , from a set by Joanna Sheen called "A slice of happiness". I've coloured with pro and flew markers , I needed the fine nib for the red lettering. The other sentiment saying "bon appitti " is from a MFT stamp set. The papers are happy days by papermania. I've added a silk ribbon and a few red gems.

I've entered the following challenges :

deconstructed sketches : followed sketch 89 (above)
613 avenue : anything goes
Totally Gorjuss : happy
Allsorts : Animals

Spend the morning at church ,the lenten cross was in place , a different object is placed on the cross leading up to Easter and the crucifiction of Christ, it doesn't seem a year nearly since last Easter. It was a good service with communion and tea and lots of chat afterwards. I don't go every week like I used to but I'm always made to feel so welcome by all it's still my second home. I though it was only right to say a proper thanks for Sam getting that job, everyone asked after him. Thanks to you my lovely blogging friends for all your good wishes to Sam.

enjoy the rest of the weekend . janex

More Annabel and Good News for Sam

Glad you liked my last post , this stamp is from the same set "Annabel " by Kanban. I've coloured with pro and flex makers in shades of mint green and brown.

The papers are Linen closset. I die cut a memory box die in the same paper/card and glued it flat to the paper, it gives a lovely dimension, like embossed paper, I'll be doing that again for sure. I've added pretty buttons and ribbons from hobbycraft and a sentiment , part of a docraft clear stamp set.

challenges entered :
stampavie and more : lots of layers
Papercrafting journey : bingo ( mine was , sentiment/buttons/flowers)
chocolate coffee cards : buttons and bows

The lady from the council rang today , Sam has got the  apprenticeship  , it's in Guilden Sutton outside Chester but she says they will find a lift for him and to start a week Monday. I'm so pleased for him.
Very dull (hense the rubbish pic) here and still very cold, not a nice dog walk huddled up especially with Hudson lagging behind sniffing every thing in sight.
have a good day and happy crafting. janex

Animal Friends

I had forgotten about this very cute stamp part of a clear set by Kanban called "Annabel", defiantly designed by the same artist Lili of the valley use!
I've coloured with pro and flex markers . The cherry paper is happy days by papermania (love it). The sentiment is part of a set from MFT. The green stem die cut was a little free gift in my order from Tracy at Dies To Die For, I added a few red punched flowers a red silk ribbon, red flower button and some bakers twine.

challenges entered :

sweet sketch Wednesday : Followed the sketch (rotated)
milk coffee : make it cute
oldie but a goodie : bright colours
I love promarkers : four legged friends
crafty ribbons : button up
J & C creations : international friendchip
4 crafty chicks : twine


Sam's Grandparents have offered to buy him a scooter so he can get to that job he was offered yesterday , if a place is not found in Chester, I do hope it works out .
Still very cold here and dullish, Winter doesn't seem to want to go yet, but new things are peeking up from the ground , so Spring is not that far away.
Happy Crafting. janex

Happy Hour

These Uptown girls are definitely painting the town red. I love paper piecing the dresses , like being a child again with those paper dolls.

 My stamp is Uptown girls Victoria and Juliete's night out by stamping Bella. I've coloured them with flex markers and used me to you with love paper on the dresses and bp. The glasses and sentiment are part of a 2 piece set from die-namics called "lets toast".

Challenges entered :
Tuesday Throwdown : monocromatics
Timeless Tuesday : seeing red
word art : anything goes
creative inspiration :anything goes

My son Sam went for a second interview today , with the council on an apprenticeship with the view of a job afterwards, he has been offered it but in a place that would need 2 buses to get there , he doesn't have any transport except a push bike and 8 miles is along way to cycle. Fingers crossed they can accommodate him in Chester City centre. Life is hard for young people and him at home all day is hard for me .

Happy Crafting janex

Vintage Lady

Hi there crafting friends , bright and cold day here, quite a frost this morning,nice day for crafting indoors as the light is good. A fancy card for me today using lots of diecuts and punches.

My lady is a Marianne design diecut ,the border edge and corners are spellbinder Parisian accents , the circles nesties. The roses are made from a woodware punch ,cut , rolled and glued into place. The bow is 2 ribbons tied together with my bow maker . I've added sticky pearls and pearly strands from the hobby house.Edges were either sanded or chalk inked. The paper is linen closet by DCWV.

Challenges entered :

(pin)spiration : photo inspiration see above
scrap creation : bingo (my line was pearls/diecuts/ribbon
shoping our stash : oldest designer paper (had this 12x12 pad for about 3 years.)
splendiferous : cut it out (diecuts etc)
pretty little ribbons : anything goes

Enjoy your day , hope your getting some of this lovely sunshine too. Happy crafting. janex

Shabby Chic Birdy

I don't often try my hand at shabby chic, but it's nice to try new things ,stops the crafting rut setting in. Quite pleased with the results , what do you think....shabby chic or just plain shabby?

I've used lots of dies and lots of punches ,all on pink or brown bazil paper and sanded them with them sanding flower do da's.
The bird die cut is a Marianne design, the circles nesties. The punches are floral punches and embosers, a large woodware petal punch and a L-Em. com fern punch.
The mesh I bought from my local craft shop yesterday, love it , and only 50p a meter. I inked the mesh and the paper edges with brown chalk ink. The sentiment from  whiff of joy  . The bp is first edition . The pink gem is from hobby craft.

challenges entered :
Happy Campers : shabby chic
Anything goes challenge: shabby chic
pan pastel : just 2 colours
crafting when we can : birthstones ( mines a cystal birthstone for October called pink tourmaline)

lovely sunny day here , hoping my hubby gets back from work soon.
enjoy your day. janex

Nature's Day

A lovely day here, cold but bright , nice to see the sun and hear the little birds singing.
Inspired by the lovely day I've made a card featuring a bird. This lovely stamp by penny black called "Nature's Day", I bought in the Christmas sale at Sir Stampalot. I've coloured with copic markers. The papers are my often used "bird Song" by first edition.
I've added a flower made with my floral punches and embossers and a pink button centre.

challenges entered :

The sweet stop : followed the sketch with a twist above
Allsorts : Things with wings.
Alphabet challenge : anything with wings
ABC challenge : H for Happy Birthday


If you didn't read my last post , please do , in case you can help in any way. Off to walk my 2 poodles now and thinking how lucky they are to have a good home .
Have a good weekend , we are going to my Mum's for dinner this evening , lovely. janex

Wanted Very Good Home For 2 Silver Toy Poodles

I got an email yesterday via my Mum, from a lady who has loved , owned and bred toy poodles all her life.
The email said

I am desperately looking for a home for two little silver girls , 3 and 5 years old , these belong to a lady who is desperately ill with terminal cancer, one of these girls is a daughter of Merlin and the other one could be Sparky`s  but would have to look into this latter parentage. Both must go together as they are mother and daughter.

Merlin is my Mums friend poodle and Sparky is my Mums, they are both lovely natured dogs and very healthy so I would assume the little girl dogs are too. We all live in on the Wirral. If you or anyone you know could offer a really good home to these 2 little dogs please email me with details.We are so tempted but already have 2 dogs and our son says noway are 4 poodles sleeping under his bed.

On to my card, it features one of my all time favourite stamps "Lady and the tramps" a wooden stamp by Lindsay Mason. I've coloured with flex markers , used do craft basic papers and the dog sounds are cut from echo park WOOF 12x12 paper. The sentiment is a new set from MFT called clearly sentimental about pets.

challenge entered :
totally papercraft : pets

have a great day , sun shining here , hopeful the little dogs will find a good home. janex

A Taste Of Summer

The sun is shining here , but it's very cold , the only taste of Summer is in my card.
I've seen a few cards featuring hexagons and I loved the look of them so I purchased a die namics die cut for hexagons,  it's a 2 part die and the hexagons quite small . Papertrey has a fabulous one but it's a US company that doesn't trade in the UK.
Must say gluing the hexagons in place  (with out a grid ) is a labour of love, fun to me though. It's not perfect but the over veiw is something I'm pleased with.
I saw this gorgeous card  and that was my inspiration for mine.
The papers I used are by raspberry road, the pad was a magazine freebe last Summer. The stamp is from a die namics set and the strawberry a spellbinder die cut. I matted the sentiment on green bazil and cut the edges with my crafters companion clever cut.

 Challenges entered :
charisma cards : anything goes
Lady Anne's : anything goes
world art : anything goes/love

just got back from my new job, not very glamorous, cleaning for an old couple from church. They are lovely people and are finding their rather large house hard to manage but they don't want to move.
I forgot what hard work it is (warms you up no end though ) ,my own is cleaned everyday and is always just so (except the craftroom ) and I had the Church working like clockwork. I think there are a lot of older folk that need help with everyday things but lack the money to pay for it!

Enjoy The Ride

I've  always wanted a lovely retro Vespa, but Bob says there dangerous and with me being a very clumsy person it's probably a good idea I never have one.
I love these Uptown Girl stamps by Stamping Bella , so I treated my self to another " Vienna and her Vespa", isn't she so gorgeous and cool!

I've coloured with promarkers ,the papers are Lily Bimble and I've added some triangle bunting , the London Line. The sentiment comes with the image stamp. I've die cut some yellow bazil card with a ric rac die from die namics and machine stitched the edges. The ribbon is old stash.

challenges entered :

I love promarkers : one for the girls

Tuesday throwdown : anything goes
fab n funky : whats inside (decorate the inside of your card)

As I'm typing this post the snow is coming down fast and furious. The poodles want their walk but I don't want to go out in the snow storm. Winter continues.
My neck and shoulder was so painful yesterday , easing a little now, thanks for your kind words, they mean a lot.
janex

Sew Mice

I had been neglecting my HM stamps for awhile, decided to use them more. This stamp is really sweet, it's from a set by Joanna Sheen called Mice and Crafty sew mice. I've coloured with promarkers. The papers where a magazine free gict and are by Lilly Bimble. The cotton reel and sentiment where the free gift stamps in cardmaking and papercraft last month. I've added some cotton twill to the cotton reel stamped image and pushed a pearl headed pin through and added 3  fancy metal brads from my stash. I've used my sewing machine again to stitch the edges.

challenges entered :

house mouse and friends : I love you sew much
everybody art : metal
party time Tuesday : 3 and 3 ( I used 3 fancy brads, 3 patterned papers and there are 3 critters in the image )

very cold here still, I've woken up really achy around my back and shoulders , hope I'm not coming down with something. Quiet week I think after our socialising. Rose liked her pressies and we all had a good time at the pub.

enjoy your day. janex

So proud of my stitching

I look at cards on blogs with fabulous stitching and always feel envious of their skills, the stitching really takes a card to another level. I have spoilt many a card trying to stitch it on my machine. So today I said "right Jane , you can do it ", I took it slowly and well I'm very pleased with the results.
The papers are first edition , blank canvas and the beautiful sentiment is pink petticoat , nature sentiments. The little butterfly is a sizzix die , cut twice and some gems added .

Challenges entered:
sweet things : followed the sketch above

It has rained all day here and it's cold, mind some folks have had snow. We are all going to Bob's parents for dinner,even the poodles , Alfies been bathed for the outing.It will be nice to get out and enjoy someone  elses' s cooking for a change.
Enjoy the rest of Sunday. janex

Die- Namics Lets Toast

It's our friend Rose's 50th Birthday soon, we are seeing them on Monday before they fly to Egypt for 2 weeks. Rose is very pretty and so young looking and slim you'd never believe she was 50. She loves red wine, don't we all, so I thought a card with roses and wine and a bottle of wine with a fancy label will be much appreciated. She often buys my cards for friends and family so will love the handmade gifts.

I was hoping this set of stamps and dies by Die -Namics  called "Lets Toast " would arrive in good time to make these for Monday, quick email to Tracy at dies to die for , and they where in the post.
The paper used is first edition j'adore. I've added paper roses and tiny bows from my local cake shop and touches of gold trim from the hobby house. The border punch used is friscars treading water.

challenges entered :
the sweet stop : followed the sketch above
love to create : lets celebrate
the crazy challenge :  :for a Birthday

spend so much time crafting , no housework or ironing done, craft room looks like a bomb site ...why am I only creative in a mess ?

have a great weekend. janex

Bird Song

Not my usual style ,but it's nice to have a change. I bought some really lovely digi sentiments from pink petticoat and was dying to use them. I though this one went so well with the paper , bird song by first edition and the die cut is bird on a branch by Marianne designs . I used 2 nestie shapes to cut and edge the sentiment and some Tim Holzt ink around the edge.

challenges entered :

The crafting cafe : anything goes
Forever Friends monthly challenge: animals/butterflies or birds
crafty sentiments : anything goes
613 avenue : anything goes with an option of love

still cold here and maybe snow to come on Sunday. Last night terrible hail stones woke me up. On a brighter note the nights are pulling out.
happy crafting. janex

Chocs Away

Mmm truffles....what a girly card to feature a bear . All pink , chocolate and hearts, perfect for valentines.
I've used a house mouse and friends stamp, featuring a gruffie bear , the set is called "Bearytastic Day".
I coloured with promarkers, must say the bear is hard to colour ,trying to make his limbs standout and yet still blend in , tried my best though, using the blender pen helped.

 The lovely pearl florishes are from the hobby house as are the ribbon and pearl flowers. The heart paper is me to you , free gift in a card mag. The gorgeous circle with hearts diecut (I cut in half and stuck under the image ) was a freebee the lovely Tracy at to die for included in my last order.

challenges entered :
Creative card crew : chocolate
House Mouse and Friends : anything goes using a special cut.
 Penny Black and more @ allsorts : pink, pearly and swirly
everybody art : hearts
fab n funky : valentine /hearts
charisma cardz : love

I've suddenly got a craving for chocolate, I wonder why...... happy crafting. janex

Bags Of Fun

Some ladies are mad about bags, me I'd rather have craft stuff any day, I have a nice Clarks bag I've had for years and that does nicely. I did love this digi image though by Pink Petticoat called the perfect bag. I remembered buying a sentiment at a craft fair for 50p that would be perfect with it.
The image is coloured with promarkers. The die cuts are all Spellbinders bar the felt rose that is a di namic die. The papers are craft work cards and the ribbon and sticky gems are old stash .

challenges entered :

ABC : G for going dotty
papertake weekly : anything goes
shopping our stash : oldest bling (just a few of these gems left and not much sticky)
Ruby's rainbow : roses

We had some snow yesterday , but it didn't stick, good. Gorgeous bright sunny day here , hence the good photo, but mighty cold. My craft room has a really drafty window so I'm perrished with the wind hitting the house at the front.

happy crafting . janex

Bring on the cupcakes

Looking at the lovely Jule's blog, always with a heart, as I often do , I saw a gorgeous card using a Pink Petticoat digi image , so I hopped over there and bought 2 Lola Rose digi images. This one is Lola Rose with cupcakes.

I've coloured the image with promarkers using the colours picked from the pretty floral paper,Spring Drop by first edition.I've used a Martha Stewart cup cake border punch and sticky green ribbon. I've added glamour dust , brads and a sentiment from craftwork cards.

Challenges entered : sketch N  stash : followed the sketch above
craft your passion : pastels
Love to create : lets celebrate

very windy and dull here, still had a good walk though, down the Wirral Way (a long stretch down the Wirral that was once a railway track). The poodles think it's Disney Land for dogs.

happy crafting. janex