Halfway reminder, my Guest design card for the new Baby Billie LCI release and Card challenge

It's hard to believe that the O Baby card challenge over on Ladybug Crafts Ink is now half way through. You have 2 more weeks to join the challenge. There are more new inspiration cards over there today from the DT, do pop over and take a peep.Also remember that you can buy these new teddy cuties for only £1.75 each, they are available on the web site.
I have a new image to showcase today and this one is called  Baby Billie's Rattle and you can buy it here.
If you would like to win it, just leave a comment at the end of this post and 2 lucky winners will be picked out of the hat and announced next Tuesday here on my blog.
The winners from last week who win my Shh Billie is sleeping image are;

Brenda ((Floral Fantasies)
and
Lisa (Ella's Designs)

Well done ladies, please email me and I will send you your digis by return...you could even use them to enter the challenge?

So without any further delay here is this week's card creation from me. This new stamp is called Baby Billie's  rattle.

This is such a sweet stamp and it looks like Billie is awake today so there is no need to read quietly ;0)

I made an easel card,  here are a few more photos;

and this is the inside when the easel is lifted up.
Here is the outside flattened down;

I have coloured Billie with my Promarkers and highlighted with my Prismacolor pencils.
The sentiments  Lili of the Valley and Whimsy.
The sweet pram paper is an Etsy digi paper purchase.
You will see my cute Memory Box baby washing line is there again.
The doily die is a fab one from Cheery Lynn called English Tea and although it is a tough one to cut, it is a real beauty.

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges;

ABC card challenge N is not for One  I have used die cuts, ribbon, buttons, twine, charm, paper flower, pearl brad and glitter embellies so I can count 8!
Emerald Faeries Ribbon #43
Crafts and Me use a digi #133
Ribbon Girl May colour challenge lavender/lilac
Joanna Sheen Girls girls girls
Pan Pastels New beginnings #20
Little Claires Blog hop and open card challenge #33
Forever Friends  For a child #62 final challenge
Bearly Mine anything goes
Passion for Promarkers 4th Anniversary Anything goes challenge

So there is only one more LCI Guest Designer card for me to share with you and that will be next Tuesday.

Kerry is again generously offering  2 lucky commentators the chance to win my digi stamp from today. Just leave a comment on this post.
Good luck everyone and thanks for visiting me here today,

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

Ightham Mote and the Bluebell Wood

Last week I visited a favourite National Trust (NT) property of mine, Igtham Mote in Kent. If you ever find yourselves in Kent it should be on your must see list. The property is one of the few moated houses which still exist in the UK and it dates from the 14th Century. It was left to the National trust by Charles Robinson a wealthy Canadian who saved it from ruin and re development.  After they inherited it in 1985 the NT spent millions bringing it back from the brink of decay. I visit this house most years with my parents and I have been delighted to see all the restoration take place. This is now finished and the house stands in all its glory.

The medieval house is completely surround by the moat.

The entrance of course is over the (now permanent and made of stone) draw bridge

It is a large house set around a quadrangle. The photo below is looking back from the inside to the photo above, if that makes sense?

The rooms are quite amazing and one of my favourite is the ancient chapel on the top floor which you can see from the outside in the photo above. You can see some of the stained glass there too.
The grand entrance hall has a picture of the lady of the house dating from the 15th Century.

There was a fire burning in the fireplace that day but the fireplace was a later addition. When the house was first built the fire would have been in the centre of the "hall" and there would have been an opening in the ceiling of the room. How cold these houses must have been in the winter. We also learnt that the reason the 4 poster beds had canopies was not just to keep the cold out but to stop the bat and occasional bird droppings falling on you as your slept ;0)

Here is one of the Selby family ladies. The family  lived in the house from the 1591 until 1889.
We have seen the inside of the house many times so I did not take lots of photos as the other reason we had come to Ightham was to see the renowned bluebells on their estate.
The grounds around the house are also worthy of a visit. Here are a couple of photos I took en route to the woods.

The one advantage of all the rain we have had is how lush and green the English coutryside is looking at the moment. I really love the photo above....Constable would have enjoyed painting that wouldn't he with those fluffy marshmallow clouds in the sky.

We walked the short walk up through the estate to the woods are were totally delighted at what we saw as the bluebells were out in all their wonderful glory.

There were drift upon drift of these amazing English bluebells and the sweet scent hung on the air. It really was a sight to behold and it took my breath away. I have mentioned this before, real English bluebells have their flowers only on one side of their stalk. Sadly the continental bluebell is fast hybridizing our gardens  so you really need to get out to the woodlands to find the original English bluebells.

Here is a close up and you can see how the flowers hang just on one side of the stalk. Sooo pretty.

There were lots of different blue shades

and we even found a patch of white..perhaps these are albino?

It was hard to tear ourselves away as it was so beautiful. However our tummies were calling us for our packed lunch which we sat and ate in the picnic spot whilst the birds sang from the trees to us. It was a wonderful day out in the English countryside.

My card today is inspired by English gardens and is one using a great digi stamp by Ladybug Crafts ink

This image has been very popular in my Etsy shop and I have sold several colour ways. This colour way just had to be blue, as inspired by the bluebell woods.
I have coloured it with my Promarkers and highlighted with my Prismacolor pencils.
I have used pretty Prima Papers from the Jack and Jill set.and added a LOTV sentiment.

It is for sale here in my Etsy shop and just for this week I am offering FREE shipping to anyone in the UK. Sadly I cannot offer this to my overseas buyers as postage is so expensive now but as a thank you to all my overseas blog readers I will take off £1.10 (the equivalent of the UK shipping charge). This applies to all my cards, jewellery and bag charms in my shop so do take a browse. The code to use is BLUEBELLS2013 for UK buyers. If you are abroad please email me or contact me via Etsy before purchasing as this code will not work for you. I will re list the item with the money taken off. If there are any problems I will refund any overcharged monies via PayPal.

I would like to enter my card into the following card challenges;

Whimsy card challenge anything goes #59
Papertake Weekly The sound of music My song inspiration just has to be the 1960s tune "English country garden" by Jimmie Rodgers...I can't get it out of my head now. Put it into Google and you will find it on You Tube.....LOL a real 60s classic ;0) I can remember it as a kid.
Natalie and Amy things with wings #9
The Cupboard trilogy Spring Flowers
Emerald Faeries Ribbon #43
Simon Says Stamp flower power
Crafts and Me Use a digi #133
I love Promarkers Simpy does it #168


Thanks for visiting me. Do remember that I have a candy running on this post. You could win the sweet baby digi stamp I used for my card there. Just leave a comment on that post and I will be back with the 2 winners and another of my Guest Design cards for Ladybug Crafts Ink on Tuesday.

I hope you enjoyed your virtual visit with me to the beautiful English countryside. All we need now is some sustained sunny weather...hmmm, that's another story I think. Enjoy the upcoming weekend. I have the day off from work as does my daughter. We are meeting half way to enjoy Ladies' lunch and a little retail therapy ;0)

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

My 2nd Baby Billie Guest Designer card

Yes it's already Tuesday again which means that I am posting my second card for the new Ladybug Craft Ink Baby release. Kerry asked if this week we could make a boy version of the image I showcased last week. I put away all my pink things and got out the blues! It's funny how we associate certain colours with boy and girl babies. I had such fun with my patchwork I have been making that I decided (I must be mad I  know) to take the time to make some more. This time I used some really cute first edition papers called animal antics.Just look at that sweet giraffe ;0)  If you want to see how I made my patchwork for my last GD card do have a look here.

So with out delay here is my card for today.

Shhh don't read too loudy you may wake Billie ;0)

This time I made a gatefold card.

Here is the sweet image which I coloured with my Promarkers and highlighted with my Prismacolor pencils.
Again I paper pieced the little blanket and glittered the lace edge.

Here is one of the flaps with my "hand" stiched aka inked stitching. Can you see those sweet giraffes...my son would love this ;0)

You can also see my Memory Box baby washing line die has been used again and also my new MB marshmallow cloud dies. I loooove these.

A close up of the flap above
and here is the inside below.

Thank you for all the really lovely comments you left me on my last baby card. I put the names into the hat and pulled out 2 winners who each win my Shh Billie is sleeping image.

Well done to

Caz 
and
Joey 

Please email me at the address on my blog and I will be delighted to email you your sleeping Billie digi stamp.

I am back again next Tuesday with my mid way reminder card for the Ladybug Girls O Baby Challenge. Remember you have a whole month to enter your cards.

Next Tuesday I will be showcasing my second digi and it will be for a little girl again.

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges;

Make it Monday Linky challenge
Stamping for the weekend Button it up
Ready Teddy Go Spring has sprung #22
My Mum's Craft shop Spots/stripes
Cupcake Craft lots of layers #242
Cards for Men Fancy Folds #10
Forever Friends pastel colours
Whimsy stamps anything goes #59
Papertake Weekly The sound of music my inspiration for my card is the John Lennon classic "Beautiful Boy"
Bearly Mine Lucky dip #86 I have chosen die cuts , faux stitching and pearls/gems as my lucky 3.

I would also like to mention the fab giveaway over at the generous Ribbon Girls blog, do pop over, their twine candy is just gorgeous.

Remember there is another chance this week to win my sleeping Billie image, just leave a comment and I will again put all the comments into the hat and pull out 2 lucky winners.

In the meantime I will be back later this week to share my photos from my trip to Ightham Moat and the Bluebell wood...I had such a great day and the scenery showed the  English Countryside at its very best.

Thanks for visiting,

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x