The new Hopes and Dreams release from Visible Image

 

Hi everyone, today I am delighted to be sharing my first Design Team make using the beautiful Carefree Days stamp set from the brand new Visible Image Hopes and Dreams collection, which debuted on HobbyMaker TV on Monday.

The collection received a fantastic launch, and if you missed any of the shows, don't worry—you can catch up and watch them for up to a week afterwards. You can see the new release collection  here and if you are quick you can still buy the TV bundle with a great saving here.

Here is a close up of  the gorgeous Carefree Days set. It is available here to purchase as a single set if you don't want the bundle, or it has sold out. 

I had so much fun bringing this design to life.

To make this card, I created a colourful background using salty ocean, twisted citron, salvaged patina and mustard seed Distress Inks.

 Once the panel was cut to size, I stamped the branch using Versafine Clair Nocturne ink and clear heat embossed it for added shine and definition.

I then placed lined up the top of the swing, as shown in the photo below, before stamping the girl using the same technique. Clear heat embossing not only adds a lovely finish, it really makes the image standout from the colourful background and is a technique I use a lot. 

 I added the sentiment along with some of the delightful dandelion stamps to create extra detail and interest. I used 2nd generation stamping on one of the dandelion heads to make it appear as if in the background.

 For a finishing touch, I added a few white pen highlights for contrast and dimension.

Here is a final photo of my finished card. 

This really is a gorgeous stamp set with so many creative possibilities. Be sure to check out the entire Hopes and Dreams release on the Visible Image website, and keep an eye out for more Design Team inspiration being shared over the coming days and weeks on Facebook and Instagram.

You can follow my Instagram account here.

Bye for now,

Jane x

The brand new "Always there" release from Simon Says Stamp

Hi everyone, a beautiful brand new release by Simon Says Stamp launches today called “Always There”

I was delighted to receive the new stamp set, Floral word builder, (2240ssc) to create some design team samples with. You can check it out here   (If you want to die cut out the letters there is also a co ordinating die set available here. )

The letter stamps feature beautiful botanical details surrounding each character and can be used to spell words including Joy, Love, You, hello and Hugs — perfect for so many card making occasions as well as journalling projects. There are some very sweet little accent stamps in the set too...a bee, butterfly, bird and florals which you will see I also used in my makes. They add delightful details. 

I created four different samples using this gorgeous set, each with its own unique colour palette and style. I’ll be sharing them individually over on Instagram here, with some step by step tutorials, but I always love gathering them together here on my blog as a reference post for future inspiration.

So here they are; My first card has a very English country garden feel to it, inspired by my own little garden. I used Kraft card and stamped using green ink. I coloured the flowers using Distress watercolour pencils. I tucked a sheet from Tim Holtz Yellow palette paper pack behind the focal and then distressed all the edges, finishing off with a bow made from garden twine.

 Card number 2 is a clean and simple design for a very striking slimline card. I just stamped in black ink and added little red accents to the flower centres. I used parts of a die cut using the Tim Holtz doily 3D embossing folder, adding ink directly with his lumberjack plaid ink pad, in 2 of the corners. The finishing touch was some little red die cut hearts using his stacked hearts die set. 

For card 3 I went with a distress stain spray background. Those inks always create a feeling of Joy when I use them!  I used distress watercolour pencils again for colouring the letters. I used the sweet bee and butterfly accent stamps here...can you spot them? 

My 4th and final card has a fresh spring inspired distress ink background. I used all the little accent stamps on this make. You can spot them around the card edges and also to add details around the letters. How cute is the bird! Again all extra colouring was with Distress watercolour pencils. 

The versatility of this set really shines through, whether you prefer clean and simple designs or more detailed layered projects. The floral elements and accent stamps add such a soft and elegant touch to every creation and make the sentiments feel extra special.

Thank you so much for stopping by today, and I hope my cards inspire you to get creative with the new release. Do check out this gorgeous Floral word builder stamp set here on the website and remember that SSS ships Internationally! You can also see the whole new release here.

Remember to check me out on Instagram here where I share all my creative makes and inside photos of my little garden studio and garden where I sit and make and get lots of inspiration.

This was my view while creating my "Hugs" card.

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

An idea for one of those always tricky male birthday cards, Visible Image style!

 Hi everyone, I had such positive messages after sharing my blogged step by step for my last Visible Image design team make that I decided to write another! I can't promise this for every make but I will try as often as time allows. 

 For this fortnight I was set the brief of creating a summer-themed male birthday card. I immediately reached for the fabulous "You're a Classic" vintage car stamp set—it's such a versatile collection and perfect for masculine makes.

To bring the design to life, I created a road background using the Logic stencil.

One of the things I love most about Visible Image background stencils is how flexible they are—you don’t always have to use the whole design. Sometimes just a small section can completely transform your project, and that’s exactly what I did here.

I started by building a vibrant distress ink background to give a warm, summery feel. 

I stamped the sentiments in opposite corners.

I stamped and cut out the car

and loosely placed it where I wanted it on the background. I used scraps of copier paper to give the width of my road.

I layered additional distress ink through part of the stencil to form the road. This adds depth and interest without overpowering the focal image.

Using a ruler and distress watercolour pencil in the same colour I drew in the edges of the road

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and then added some more background stamping using the numbers stamp from the set. 

Using these 2 distress inks I painted a little colour on the car and it's wheels. 

 The vintage car was glued on top, tying the whole design together.

Here is my finished card again

Remember that most of my creative makes are shared over on Instagram (linked here and in my sidebar), so feel free to pop over and follow along there too.

Thanks for visiting me today

Bye for now!

Jane x