French Country in a box

I love papers ,especially graphic 45 ,but sometimes I 'm loathed to use them just for a card . I usually need to keep them a while anyway , to flick through and stroke, is it just me , surely not!
Well I made a box as a present the other day , see post here , and I did love it and wanted to make something to keep for our home .
 The beautiful "French Country " papers ,by graphic 45, in the "8x"8 pad ,I bought a wee while ago ,suited my room at the back of the house perfectly, so I used them to cover some box blanks I bought recently.

I wanted some sunflowers for the top so I looked for a suitable cutting file for my cameo machine . The one I used was from silhouette america. I just used the different sized petals and for the centers, I had a sudden inspiration ! the man I work for gave me some assorted black beads , I blobbed on some modge podge to the centre of the flower , sprinkled on the beads , tweezered them into place and allowed to dry. I inked the petals with tim holtz rusty hinge distress ink . The leaves are graphic 45 paper punched with a woodware leaf punch , the veining effect is done with long nose tweezers , pinch and twist method.
I inked the edges of the boxes and added a pretty length of vintage looking lace trim. I'm very pleased with the results of my new home decor.

challenges entered :

That craft place Ltd : make or alter a box
pinspirational : anything goes
wordart wednesday : anything goes

well today looks a bit brighter than yesterday, no more rain please , the uk is soaked .
Have a great day and happy crafting. janex

A K.i.s.s card with a heart

I wouldn't say my cards are of the cas style , most of mine are the opposite , but sometimes you just want a quick and to the point card. My friend likes clean cut cards so I thought this would be perfect for her Birthday today.
It was ridiculously easy .lilac ,pink and yellow card cut  on my cameo machine using a silhouette america cutting file (the card is 5"x7") just right for a standard envelop . I added a really cute pink heart from my big button jar and hey presto it's done!

 challenges entered :

papertake weekly : with a heart
divas by design :with love
creative card crew : kiss (keep it sweet and simple)

had a great time at the pub yesterday afternoon , lots of wine , lots of laughs and chats with our friends and I even got myself a young admirer (it was ok my lovely hubby Bob was sat opposite).
In case you think my crafting is going down the simple line my next post will be anything but! stay tuned.

happy Monday. janex

decorated box blank , vintage blue with flowers .

I love decorating boxes , they can look stunning and yet are no harder than making a card . I made a few for Christmas gifts for family members and one for us too. My Mum in law loved her's and has asked me to make one for her cousins birthday . The cousin is a very crafty lady too , she sews the most beautiful quilts and cushions , I know she will appreciate a handmade item but the pressure was on to decorate a box fit for a crafter's scrutiny .
I  was given the brief of a pretty blue box suitable for a bedroom. The mdf boxes I buy from my local craft/garden center , this one was the medium size in a set of 3 which cost £3.99 , not bad hey!
The paper I've had for years is from a K&Co pad  called blue awning. I used it to cover the box using tacky pva glue , and also punched and die cut it (using the die and punches pictured bellow ). I love to make my own flowers and the link for the tutorial is at the top of my blog.
I've added lace from my craft box , a dove from hobby craft and some decorative sprigs from wild orchid.
I've inked the edges of the box with chalk ink , added stickles and white paint to the flowers, these I attached with collal glue. The silver watch charm was part of a set free with a craft magazine Then I sprayed the whole thing with spray & shine for extra protection and a nice look.

challenges entered :
brown sugar : use a die or punch ( I used both for my flowers )
ABC challenge  : F for flowers
pennys paper craft : monocrombe
little claires : monotone

well lots of pics but I wanted you to see the detail. Have a good weekend everyone and I hope the weather is not too terrible where you live . Wet and windy here but no floods unlike some poor people .

happy crafting. janex

Have A Tweet Day

Hi crafty folks , hope your well, been a busy week for me . Still time for a bit of crafting though.

I cut this center step card on my cameo machine using a silhouette America cutting file , so easy , just cut and bend! no fiddly measuring . My patterned paper is Magnolia ink "50's cherries ", I've had this hiding in the draw for years , too lovely to use ....mad hey...The stamp was a card mag freebie by pink petticoat, that I coloured with promarkers. The embellishment are  red  fimo and modge podge melt coloured with promarks for the nest (see this post for details ) used in molds .

challenges entered :

Inky chicks : use a cute animal stamp
fairytale challenge : more than 2 colours
I love promarkers : Birthday


It's been wet and windy here , not like the south west though , how the coast is getting natures wrath, I feel so sorry for the people with flooded houses with sewage coming in . On the bright side the days are getting longer , loving the extra light , here comes Spring ...we hope .
have a lovely weekend. janex

Fimo verses modge podge and a pretty heart box with chocolate hearts (warning picture heavy )

I like to try my hand at many crafts , before cards I was really into dolls houses and miniatures, I have 1 large dolls house now furnished to bust.  I used fimo in the past for food making etc, but the clay was really hard . Now the fimo is made in a soft variety , it's much easier to work with.
I bought the molds sold for use with the modge podge melts , I used the melts and normal glue sticks , the results where hit and miss , the best ones are photographed bellow. The melts are expensive at £8.99 for 16 sticks so I ordered some fimo and 2 molds (pictured bellow ) and tried them out . In my opinion the fimo is far better , the details show more and there is less to trim away with your craft knife .

My hubby joined in too , he was very proud of the brown owl he made. For the melts you use a heat gun , for the fimo you bake for 15 mins in a low oven , I use 120 , in my electric fan assisted . You can paint them but I used matalic pens and a gold pilot marker on the glue stick molds.

 The heart box was made using a silhouette studio cut file , cut on my portrait machine , the heart paper is home for Christmas by papermania . I've added a scallop border (cut on my machine ) and home spun style ribbon from the ribbon box. The roses and doves are fimo molded shapes. The chocolate marzipan hearts are from Aldi , they are so yummy.

challenges entered for the heart box :

paper players : valentine card or 3-D project with a" food or treat" theme .
open minded crafting : show some love
Allsorts : love is in the air

The fimo embellishmemts

 The milky white coloured are modge podge , the clear and metallic coloured glue stick , the tiny rose and heart are air dried clay.

 the purple molds are handmade , I bought them on e bay ( quite cheap )


well I'm truly hooked on fimo /molded embellishments , I will no doubt buy more fimo colours and more molds . As for my silhouette portrait I love it and don't know how I crafted without it , my one regret is I didn't buy the big machine (the cameo ).
I hope you found this review helpful and try your hand at making your own , it's such fun and will be cheaper than buying embellishments in the long term.
We are invited to dinner at my Mums tonight , I'm taking the heart box filled with chocs , I know my Mum will love it.

enjoy the rest of Sunday and happy crafting. janex

Nicer than you

Our house is cold and smelly ,Bob is putting white gloss on the woodwork in the new kitchen , it gives me nasty headaches . I've been to work this morning and I'm no holed up in the craft-room . I will paint walls and do DIY but hate glossing. Windows and doors wide open I'm wrapped up in a fleece jacket.

My card uses pretty echo park digi papers . The flower is a heartfelt creations die "sweet juliet ", with a do craft brad. I've added some zig zag stitching and a sentiment stamp from a set "Lillibet" a tale of friendship by trimcraft. I've added a do craft tag with a pink heart punch and ribbon tucked into the pocket.

 to the pocket.

challenges entered :

The paper players : followed the sketch above
The pink elephant challenge : love

Off to the doctors later , seeing the nurse too , lucky me !
enjoy the rest of your day and happy crafting. janex

Vintage Cute

This card features all the things I like , pretty girls in pretty dresses , cute puppies , vintage papers and a dolls house. I made some curtains for my dolls house on Thursday in a pretty pink vintage rose fabric, pity they weren't so easy to make for real size house windows.
The papers and elements are all echo park digis , so into these lately  and the image is a Sarah Kay called " Fanny's Cuddle " , that name makes my hubby laugh , can't think why? I coloured her with pro and flex markers then inked all the papers with brown distress ink for a lovely vintage look.

challenges entered :
Allsorts : vintage
Fussy and fancy : vintage
alphabet challenge : Y is for young card or little one

well what a day of two halves weather wise, set off with my Mum to go to Lady Heyes craft centre ,the sun was shinning , sunnies on in the car, couple of hours later wild wind and hailstones , we were shivering with cold but still managed to shop , we both bought some really lovely bargain vases, glassware, pottery and a picture  , then my Mum treated me to a yummy pub lunch and a pint of real ale. Back home , heating on and arranging my new (antiques) buys.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend. janex