Thursday Thoughts

Can't believe I'm writing every day this week, but sometimes it happens I have loads I want to share.

So today is a scrapbook page made with Shimelle's weekly challenge in mind.  Shimelle is actually on maternity leave at the moment, but has handed over the reins to trusted friends to keep her blog going. Each week there is a challenge taking a project from Shimelle.com's archives that Relly then uses to create a new page with a particular focus.  This week the focus was on large titles.

Here's my take:

The photos are not the best, but are very precious to me as they've been sent by my middle son while he and his family were on holiday. I don't get to see them as much as I'd like as they live a day's journey away which involes a sea crossing and much organisation, so I'm really lucky that he keeps me in the loop by sending photos from his phone.

Supplies:
Papers: Bazzill Basics cardstock; ep A boy's life; Hambly screen prints, little circles; scraps from my stash
Alphas: AC thickers, iguana; ep, Summer Days, Country Drive & little girl; Bella Blvd, Sophisticates
Labels: Simple Stories, I {Heart} Summer
Punches: ek success, border punch; Woodware, circle punch

Next today I have an update on this:

 

It has now become this and my first crochet blamket is officially finished!

 

I've so enjoyed making this blanket that it's difficult to imagine not having something to keep me busy, but relaxed and peaceful at the same time.  Another grand project will be started soon I'm sure, but for the time being I've learnt how to crochet granny squares.  My intention is to make a couple of cushion covers for the new outdoor chairs we bought recently - I'll keep you posted. Here's the first four showing the colour combos I'm just going to keep repeating.

That's all from me today, I'll be back again tomorrow with a trio of cards.  Thanks for looking.

Jane
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Wednesday Words

Two cards, two challenges and two posts today.

First up is my entry for Less Is More. This week it's a sketch and my card is a very literal interpretation. No prizes for guessing the colour scheme!

I used a cuttlebug die to cut the circular ring and then cut a second set in white and embossed the centre circle. I stamped the leaves on the base card before adding my current favourite flowers on foam squares for dimension. A simple sentiment just to finish it off.

 

Supplies:

Stamps: Clearly Besotted, Pretty Petals Plus, leaves from Design A Tree

Inks: Memento, grape jelly, rose bud, pear tart

Die: Cuttlebug circles; Clearly Besotted, Pretty Petals Plus

Embossing: Xcut quilting

Embellishments:Kuretake, Wink of Stella clear

Scroll on down for my second post.

Wednesday Words 2

Next card for today uses Sketch Saturday's new sketch.

I love this sketch and went straight to my washi tape box to create the vertical blocks.  Then out came the large sentiment from Uniko Studio and a few sprinkles and my card was done. Such a simple card to make but I find it so satisfyingly striking I know I'll make it again in different colour combos.

 

Supplies:

Stamps: Uniko Studio, All Occasion Sentiments #1

Inks: Memento, grape jelly

Washi tape from my stash

Embellishments:doodlebug sprinkles, cupcake assortment
Punch: ek success, bracket border punch

Thank you for dropping by today.

Jane

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Tuesday Talk

Time for a scrapbook page today. I used the layout from the current challenge at Unscripted Sketches - one of my favourite places to play - and some photos from when my boys were 11, 9 & 6 years old.

These photos jumped out at me when I was browsing through my albums - well if I'm honest really a shoebox full of pics.  Something about the vivid flourescent colours the boys were wearing coupled with the image of them posing theatrically in the stocks that just caught my eye.

So the photo packet was labelled 1990, but absolutely no clue as to where.  I could remember stopping to buy drinks at the village shop, I imagine much whingeing because it was a hot day, but no way could I place the village.  Google let me down too. Then, would you believe it my oldest remembered the day and that we'd been to see a watermill and that solved the problem.  This time google came up trumps and confirmed the location.

Learn from my experience - label your photos, so easy nowadays with everything stored and dated digitally to forget to note where a photo was taken.

Supplies:
Paper: Collage Press, Grayson Hall; plus scraps from my stash
Stamps: Technique Tuesday, Life in Pictures & Summer Rocks by Ali Edwards
Ink: StazOn, Jet Black
Embellishments: Stickers & banner from my stash

Did I say Unscripted Sketches was a favourite place to play? Well here's a WOW - I've just been asked to guest design for them in May.  So it's looking very exciting for me next month, can't wait!!!!

Your visit today is greatly appreciated, hope you'll come back another day!

Jane
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Monday Moments

Only one week to go and then the first challenge at Triple A Cards will be launched.  Victoria has been working so hard getting everything ready and sourcing sponsors for future games.

Everyone who plays along with the first challenge will get freebie digital images of a sunflower - so what's not to like about that! Go check out the blog to see what's on offer. I'm super excited and so looking forward to seeing my first ever DT card on show.

So this weekend I've been busy crafting and have made a few cards to share this week.  Today's card is for the new challenge at Time Out - CASE with your own twist. And what a brilliant card to CASE, such wonderfully vibrant colours that just grab your eyes and have you mesmerised.

For my card I've picked up on the colours, the patterned paper, the twine, the single flower and the button.  For my twist I've rotated the layout and made a stack of circular layers to place my feature flower, which of course just had to be one of Uniko Studio's Beautiful Blooms. This was such a rewarding card to make as it used so many dies which sometimes get a bit neglected in my stash.

Here's my card:

And the card from Time Out:

 

Supplies:

Stamps: Uniko Studio, Beautiful Blooms 1; Clearly Besotted, Say It In Style

Inks: SU, calypso coral; Memento, teal zeal

Dies: Xcut, spiro circle; Uniko Studio, Graphic Flowers Time; Spellbinders, standard circles small

Paper: Paper Cellar, Floral 2; Bazzill Basics cardstock

Embellishments: twine & button from my stash

Thanks for all your lovely comments about previous posts. I'm happy that you found time to drop by  and look at my blog today.

Jane

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Friday Focus

Two cards to share today before the weekend arrives.

Just brilliant colours at Color Q this week - so yes of course that means it includes purple!

I combined these colours with the layout from Freshly Made Sketches and made this card:

First I masked off the background circle and used my inkylicious dusters to randomly shade it in. Then I cut and pricked the kraft banner.

For the square I used an embossing folder, again randomly inked and pressed the pattern onto the card by hand.  I then stamped over the lattice pattern with the sentiment and tiny butterflies before mounting it onto pads to give dimension.

Finally I added some Wink of Stella clear sparkle to the butterflies.  This is my new toy and I love the delicate touch of sparkle this brush gives and its ability to be applied with such precision - just a shame it doesn't really show up on photographs.

Supplies:
Stamps: Clearly Besotted, Good Times & Say It In Style
Inks: Memento, dandelion, grape jelly, bamboo leaves
Embossing: Xcut quilting folder
Embellishments: Kuretake, Wink of Stella clear

Focus 2

My next card has more dreamy colours - in my opinion - so yes again purple is in there! I used the layout from CAS Colours & Sketches, the colours from Colour Throwdown and those new vine background stamps I mentioned here from Uniko Studio.

 

I'm just loving this set of stamps and the way different combinations of them produce so many new images, not to mention the prettiest of pretty colours in this combo, the amazing stitched dies from Lil'inker and the precision of the Wink of Stella sparkle brush.

Supplies:
Stamps: Uniko Studio, Background Builders Vines; Inkylicious, Twinchies sentiment
Inks: Memento, sweet plum, angel pink; Adirondack, meadow
Paper: Bazzill Basics cardstock
Die: Lil' inker, stitched mats, rectangles
Embellishments: Kuretake, Wink of Stella, clear

Well that's me finished for today, thanks so much for looking.  Best wishes for a great, and maybe crafty, weekend. 

Jane
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