March Guest Designer for Penny Black and More

I am absolutely delighted today to have been invited to be a Guest Designer on the Penny Black and More card challenge for March. If any of you visiting me are first time visitors may I give you a very warm welcome to Jane's Journal. I am rather a different card maker in that I am also passionate about silver smithing, jewellery making, cake making and gardening so all these crafts feature on my blog. I also have a delightful cat called Billy who regularly shows up here and oh yes...I do also have to go to work ;0)

The theme for this month's card challenge over at Penny Black and More is "One for the Boys". Now this really takes me out of my cute and girlie comfort zone. I had a look through my Penny Black stamps and there were only 2 which were suitable. I chose this one, called "The three meows". I stamped out the image several times and had a play with colouring them with my trusty Promarkers.

 I planned to make something special, a Gate Fold card. I decided that a would try a grey monocrome colourway for my card. I coloured some of the stamps in single colours but decided in the end to add one colour to it as I found it looked too flat just in shades of grey (no not that one!) I found red worked really well with the greys and just picked out some accents on the images. I love the little coat on that kitty on the right!

I only was only bought my Big Shot die cutter at Christmas so I don't have many dies yet. I chose the Spellbinders labels 17 and a Fancy rectangle and cut them out.

I decided that the labels cutter (first image) suited my planned card best and made up a mat for it in black card.

It was then time to get out my paper stash and have a search for some ideas for the sides of my gate folds. In the end I decided on something quite plain as most others looked very fussy. I matted everything onto black card.

I used my MS star paper punch for the edges and added a lovely ribbon.

So here is my finished card

and here are a couple of more photos showing the inside too. I found a wonderful black silk ribbon with congratulations written on it so it served as a sentiment too.

and of course someone else tried to get in on the act too...............

Hmmmm I wonder if these cats are friendly...I think I ought to say hello to the Three Meows ;0) I wonder if Jane would make me a smart red coat like that...?

Billy is such a funny boy.

Thanks for visiting Billy and me and thank you Penny Black and More for inviting me to be a Guest Designer.
This new challenge "One for the Boys" is running until noon on 2nd April.

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

Penny Black and More (of course) One for the Boys
Simon Says Stamp anything goes
The Paper Shelter #101 animal magic
Divas by Design anything goes
Crafts and Me #122 dies or punches
Deep Ocean Challenge For a boy #46
Party Time Tuesday anything goes #109
Bearly Mine anything goes #75
Jelly Park get into shape
Crafty Ribbons anything goes with ribbon #40 my ribbon reads "congratulations" and I was able to take it inside the card too .
The Ribbon Girl add ribbon or twine I added the black congratulations ribbon.



Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x