Friday 17 April 2020

Spread joy not germs official blog hop

Hello and a very warm welcome to everyone, including anyone who may be a first time visitor, to my blog, Jane's Journal. Today I am delighted to be a part of a wonderful blog hop called Spread Joy not Germs (#spreadjoynotgerms on IG) which has been organised by Catherine Pooler of Catherine Pooler Designs and  Alexandra Stapleton-Smith of Hedgehog Hollow.
Their aim is to spread inspiration and joy to fellow stampers who are at home, alone, anxious or just bored during this awful pandemic which has taken a grip on the whole world.  There are 150 (yes seriously) bloggers taking part who are hoping to give you bucketfuls of joy and inspiration. We are all sharing happy cards to make you smile and perhaps inspire you to make a card to send someone to make them smile too.

 To add even more joy to the hop there are also some serious prizes up for grabs. Just look at the list below. There are over 30 generous small businesses who are sponsoring this hop.


Sponsor and Prize List:
Catherine Pooler Designs - $20 Gift Certificate on each of the Brand Ambassadors' blogs 
Hedgehog Hollow - one month free sub to the box with free us shipping
Artesprix - Getting Started Kit
Beacon - Product gift bag 
Brutus Monroe - $50 GC
CAS-ual Fridays - Win the new release - over $80 value
Dina Kowal - Two $10 gift codes to Dina Kowal Creative
Dress My Craft - $35 gift certificate
Ellen Hutson - $35 Gift Certificate
Greeting Farm -$25 Gift Certificate
Heffy Doodle - £35 voucher for the store
iCrafter - $20 Gift Certificate 
Ink on 3 - $35 Gift Certificate
Joy Claire - $25 Gift Certificate
Miss Ink Stamps -$25 Gift Certificate
Pear Blossom Press -$25 gift certificate
Paper Sweeties - $50 Gift Certificate
Polka Dot Orchard- $20 Gift Certificate
Pink and Main - $25 Gift Certificate
Rabbit Hole Designs - $10.00 gift code on each DT members blogs
Sassy and Crafty Stamps - $35 Gift Certificate
STAMPlorations - $25 gift code on the STAMPlorations blog + $10 gift code on each designer blogs.
Taylored Expressions - $50 Gift Certificate
Trinity Stamps- $25 Gift Certificate
The Ton - $20 Gift Certificate (stamps, dies, ink or sequins)
Unity - two $25 Gift Certificates 
Whimsy Stamps - $15 GC on each of their Creative Team team blogs
WOW! Embossing Powder - two gift vouchers £30 UK or Europe & $30 for US winner
Xyron - Mega Runner, Refill & 1.5 inch sticker maker, refill

If you get lost at any point on the hop and also to see all the details of participants please check out either the post by Catherine Pooler here or Hedgehog-Hollow's here

As with all hops we are asking you to leave a comment on the blogs taking part, if you would like to be in with a chance of winning. However you do not need to leave a comment on every blog to be able to win a prize. Obviously the more comments you do leave the greater your chances are for winning any of the awesome prizes.

I am one of the team representing the lovely Shery of STAMPlorations who is offering a $25 gift code as part of the prize pot but she is also offering a $10 gift code on each of the 8 designers who are taking part individual blogs! So that means that I will definitely have a winner on my blog from all the comments left here. That's win win in my books. 😃

The last day to leave a comment is 24 April and a list of all the prize winner will be available over on Catherine Pooler or Hedgehog Hollow's on 27 April;

(If you get lost on the hop or any of the links are broken you can also go back to their blogs where a full list of participants is available).

So after all that info I am sure you would like to see my "spread joy" Card" 😊

Here it is, I just love this sentiment.
As I usually do, I am also sharing a step by step of how I made it. I have linked to the STAMPlorations web site with the products I used.  So here goes;
I used a piece of yellow  watercolour card I had sprayed with twisted citron and squeezed lemonade distress ink sprays. When dry I added some circles through the bubbles stencil using transparent gloss texture paste to give some texture.
When they dried they looked like bubbles of shiny water.
To make the focal I stamped the cactus from the Succulently stamp set onto inky mop up card and then cut it out minus the spines.
I stamped the cactus again onto the base of the focal, which I had die cut using the smallest die from the Crazy running stitch nested dies. I also stamped the fun sentiment. I then decoupaged the cactus and pot in place.  I also used the Convallaria stencil to add some extra design interest to a piece of inky mop up card which I then die cut using the middle size die from the Crazy running stitch nested die set (As a little extra if  you are interested in buying any of these products you can use my unique code STAMPGIRLJANE at checkout on the website and get an extra 20% off everything, including any existing offers!) 
Here is a close up of the focal.

I finished everything off with a few of the Sparkly green shaker blend flat sequins and also distressed the edge of my card to add some texture.
Here is one last photo of my finished card.
Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope I may have succeeded in raising a smile and spreading a little joy? Or perhaps something in your own crafting life has brought you a little joy today; some new stash or you have tried a new technique?  Let me know in your comment  I would love to hear. And remember that your comment here could also means the chance of a prize as there will be a guaranteed lucky winner of a $10 STAMPlorations  gift code who will be randomly selected from all the comments left on my post. 

We will get through this pandemic.  Perhaps our lives may have even been changed in some way for the better?  We may become even more aware of living life in the moment and seizing every single day we have the pleasure of living?

I found this little non attributed quote on the internet

Joy is portable....bring it with you...

I would like to add a few words to it.....pass it on and
spread joy not germs!

I would also like to add happy photo from my garden yesterday, such joy to be able to soak up the sunshine outside.

Next stop on the hop is over at the lovely Sue Hastead's blog here

Remember that If you get lost at any point on the hop and also to see all the details of participants and sponsors please check out either the post by Catherine Pooler here or Hedgehog-Hollow's here

Good luck to everyone and let's all try to spread a little joy today. Stay safe. Thanks so much for stopping by.

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

146 comments:

  1. Cute card, love the sentiment!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for spreading joy during this thorny time.Your card is really cute!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Your garden looks beautiful! I love that glossy paste in your background of your cactus card, which is super cute!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jane this is beautiful TFS how you did your art - also---TF being part of the hop-- blessings

    ReplyDelete
  5. Beautiful card with fab sentiment!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thank you for sharing and for inspiring me to create.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Your cactus creation is so fun!! I just love that sentiment too!! So happy that you've shared a photo of your garden! Was so bumbed to look outside today to see all of my blooms and budding trees covered with so much snow!! Really inspired by your creation today! TFS!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Love your background and the sentiment is so true. Great card.
    Stay Healthy

    ReplyDelete
  9. Great card and this sentiment is so true!!! I just received a few stamps from Gina K and cannot wait to get inky!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. That sentiment is fantastic! And I love all the background work you did!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Cute card!! Love the sentiment!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Such a fun card and I absolutely love that sentiment!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Love your card! The sentiment is spot on too!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Great idea! I love this hop! Take care and stay safe!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Cute card! This blog hop has brought me joy today and I can't wait to get into my craft room.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thank you for the inspiration, especially during this difficult time. A nice pick me up.

    ReplyDelete
  17. great card. Thanks for sharing your inspiration.

    Hugs
    Ute
    DT Whimsy Stamps

    ReplyDelete
  18. Beautiful card and thanks for sharing the process of how you made it with us. Thanks for spreading some joy today and being part of this amazing hop!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Cute card and thanks for sharing your sunshiny picture.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Great card - love the stenciled background!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Great card and sentiment. I think we will all be changed after this. Somethings for the better.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Great card and the sentiment. It is thorny right now. thank you

    ReplyDelete
  23. "Sharp card". Hey... saw JenLee use tuilling and dry wall tape under a stencil making the design look like lace. Loved it. My favorite technique I think of all time. Thanks for "picking " this card for our inspiration and please be well!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Love the card and sentiment. Thanks so much.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Creative backgrounds! Love the sentiment,too!

    ReplyDelete
  26. What wonderful work on this awesome cactus design!! I love that fabulous sentiment!

    ReplyDelete
  27. What a great sentiment for this image! Love the background too 😊

    ReplyDelete
  28. So many products and techniques combined in such a beautiful way! I love to see what people put together! Thx!

    ReplyDelete
  29. What a great sentiment ... and ain't that the truth!! :)
    Wishing you a joyful and safe weekend my friend, take care,
    V x

    ReplyDelete
  30. Ready to get out the cacti stamps.

    ReplyDelete
  31. That it is, Jane. That it is! Love this card!!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Nice card and neat sentiment

    ReplyDelete
  33. I just think it is wonderful what you and all the companies are doing to bring light and cheer to stampers. Thank you so very much.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Absolutely love your background and that sentiment!

    ReplyDelete
  35. Sweet card -- great/true sentiment!

    ReplyDelete
  36. Thanks for the smile and yes I have tried a new technique thanks to the spring card camp class I signed up for I learned how to make and use a faux embossing folder (stencil)

    ReplyDelete
  37. Your stenciling is amazing! I LOVE the cactus!

    ReplyDelete
  38. Wow, creative. Love the patio setting 😍

    ReplyDelete
  39. Beautiful! Thank you for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  40. You definitely made a great card here! :)

    ReplyDelete
  41. Darling card! perfect for this hop! Thank you to all who have come together!

    ReplyDelete
  42. Great card! Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Thank you for joining in on the blog hop, and for sharing the joy with all of us!

    ReplyDelete
  44. A great fun card. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  45. very fun card, I can think of a few prickly people on my card list to send this one to.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Hi Jane love your mixed media cactus card..that transparent glossy paste is now on my wishlist! Love to play arouns with stencils too, thanks for the inspiration and hop, stay safe in the garden! Hugs Blankina

    ReplyDelete
  47. That is my favourite background in the bloghop so far. Love the use of textured paste.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Love the card and your use of color and the techniques. I need to use my texture paste (hope it’s not dried out). Thanks for posting.

    ReplyDelete
  49. Love the cards, the techniques.. ❤️❤️

    ReplyDelete
  50. great background. I have not tried the transparent paste.

    ReplyDelete
  51. You had fun making that card! All those fun inky backgrounds.Thanks for spreading nthe joy

    ReplyDelete
  52. Perfect card for the pandemic pandemonium! Love the sentiment and could easily add that one to my stash -- I love sentiments!

    ReplyDelete
  53. Great card. I love the way the bubbles look. The color added with using the convallaria stencil. Thanks for sharing with the Spread Joy Not Germs bloghop. Blessings.

    ReplyDelete
  54. I almost purchased the transparent paste and now I'm regretting it. Now it's back on my wishlist. Thanks for the cheerful card and the lovely picture of your garden.

    ReplyDelete
  55. What an adorable card...so bright and cheerful. Love Stamplorations. My first purchase there was the Bloomtangled die and I always love seeing their new offerings.

    ReplyDelete
  56. Love your card! That sentiment is awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  57. I somehow like the quote 'thorny but beautiful' :)

    ReplyDelete
  58. Love cacti cards. Your card is gorgeous. The colours and textures are great. Love the sentiment too. xx

    ReplyDelete
  59. sweet card - love how your garden looks too:)

    ReplyDelete
  60. lot of great techniques in one card.

    ReplyDelete
  61. Such a fun card with the techniques! thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  62. Fun! Thank you for sharing your process and for including a photo of the sunny yard. :)

    ReplyDelete
  63. I love your Life is thorny card. Such a true statement with all thats going on.
    Thank you for helping all of us stuck at home dealing with this virus by giving us a creative outlet.

    ReplyDelete
  64. I really like your color combo. Nice job.

    ReplyDelete
  65. It's a great sentiment and project of yours. And I love the look of your garden, wish I could join you there in the sun ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  66. Such a pretty card! Thank you for sharing with us. Your yard is lovely as well.

    ReplyDelete
  67. Fabulous card.. ..Thanks for sharing x

    ReplyDelete
  68. Cute card with very appropriate sentiment for these times ... and your garden is AMAZING!!!

    ReplyDelete
  69. Super cute card. Loving the texture on the background. Thanks for sharing and adding a photo of your Happy Place. We will ALL get through this!! Stay safe!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  70. Love your card!!! Thank you for sharing a picture of your happy place<3<3<3 Stay healthy! Stay safe! Keep crafting!

    ReplyDelete
  71. Cute card! Love this for this crisis! Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  72. Thanks for sharing your card making talents!

    ReplyDelete
  73. Fabulous card!! The background is awesome; I love the shiny "bubbles"; so fun!

    ReplyDelete
  74. I love your cactus card! Also, I want to come hang out in your garden!

    ReplyDelete
  75. Great Card, like the little Cactus.

    ReplyDelete
  76. Cut e card! I like the Joy quote that you found & the add on. It's perfect for what we're facing now. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  77. Loving that background and the sentiment is perfect!

    ReplyDelete
  78. The sentiment is perfect for the now. Great card, thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  79. Cute card! Thank you for helping to spread joy!

    ReplyDelete
  80. Jane your card is so colorful! I love that background you created and the cactus and that sentiment are perfect to bring a smile right now! Thanks for the inspiration and Stay SAFE!

    ReplyDelete
  81. What a great card and your garden looks lovely :D
    huge hugs
    Amy xx

    ReplyDelete
  82. Wonderful cactus card. I love how our hobby just reaffirms the feeling I've always had of how we can bring happiness and comfort to someone.

    ReplyDelete
  83. Enjoyed your card and your backyard. You are very talented.

    ReplyDelete
  84. Stunning details on your card, and wonderful that you have spot to enjoy your backyard.

    ReplyDelete
  85. What an amazing mixed media card. Love the great textures in the background... also love that lemonade color! The cactus image is very pretty! Thanks for the inspiration. God bless! PS: you have a lovely garden! :)

    ReplyDelete
  86. Love stencils & ink boending!

    ReplyDelete
  87. Wonderful cactus card. Like all of you media techniques

    ReplyDelete
  88. Love using cactus thanks for a beautiful card

    ReplyDelete
  89. Super cute card. Thanks for sharing and being a part of the hop.

    ReplyDelete
  90. Very nice card. I fully agree with the sentiment. :) xx

    ReplyDelete
  91. Pretty card! I love the sentiment, my daughter loves everything cactus so I'm always looking for cactus (cacti?). Thank you for sharing and sharing the beautiful pic of your garden :)

    ReplyDelete
  92. Thanks for the amazing inspiration! This card is really beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  93. Love the colors and background! Pretty card!

    ReplyDelete
  94. Love your card. Saying is so true. My favorite Wow embossing powder is Fairy Tale.

    ReplyDelete
  95. That is so fabulous Jane! Love your fun creation and that sentiment made me smile so much! Fabulous! Hugs, Wends xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  96. FUN creation! Awesome event to spread Joy during these uncertain times! Thanks for the chance to win!

    ReplyDelete
  97. I can’t get enough of this card; it’s perfect! ✨🌵

    ReplyDelete
  98. What a fun pic of your backyard! No cactus in sight! Must live in a much wetter environment! Thanks for showing step by step how you created this! Always neat to see a fellow cactus sharer! Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  99. What a wonderful cactus card :)

    ReplyDelete
  100. What a bright and cheery card, just like your garden. TFS!

    ReplyDelete
  101. Thank you for sharing! I love how wonderful your card is! Beautifully done!

    ReplyDelete
  102. Beautiful card!! I love the sentiment too. Thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  103. Cute cactus card with shiny bubbles. TYS!

    ReplyDelete
  104. Fun card with lots of techniques. My joy comes from all the wonderful inspiration on this hop and the card I received from a crafty friend.

    ReplyDelete
  105. Great textures and patterns.

    ReplyDelete
  106. Thanks for sharing. Your card is so cute - definitely brings a smile!

    ReplyDelete
  107. What a fab idea to use the transparent texture paste. Great card!

    ReplyDelete
  108. I love mixed media. Just haven't done it much. I like your backgrounds very much. Thanks for sharing the process.

    ReplyDelete
  109. Love the techniques used going to have to give it a try!

    ReplyDelete
  110. Such a creative card, thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  111. I love your little cactus card. I am guessing cacti are really popular in the stamping world right now because I hav seen several lately. Thanks for sharing your ideas.

    ReplyDelete
  112. Fun card. Thanks for sharing, Glad you have a place to soak up some sun. Looks very relaxing.

    ReplyDelete
  113. Loved seeing your relaxing spot.
    Sitting and sunning there would
    be wonderful. Your card would
    make a great display piece, a
    reminder that there are ups and
    downs. thanks for sharing.
    txmlhl(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  114. FABULOUS card!
    YES, you made me SMILE :)
    LOVE the pretty cactus and WONDERFUL sentiment, a great design and combination of techniques!
    Thank You for sharing and INSPIRING!

    ReplyDelete
  115. Wonderful card, thanks for sharing the process. Great use of inky mop up papers.

    ReplyDelete
  116. Love the technique for the bubbles! I'm using up some paper stash for happy mail to family and friends!

    ReplyDelete
  117. Great card! It did bring a smile to my face. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  118. Beautiful card! I love the bubble stencil and I have cactus stamps on my wishlist. This is a new company to me and will take a look at their site. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  119. Super cute card! #stayhomestaysafe!

    ReplyDelete
  120. Cute cactus card!! Stay safe! #spreadjoynotgerms

    ReplyDelete
  121. What clever and creative cards, Jane! Love the cacti card! Thanks for sharing. Stay safe! :)

    ReplyDelete
  122. What a lovely backyard! Fantastic card. Love the textures, layers and color palette.

    ReplyDelete
  123. So pretty. Love the design.
    Valerija xx

    ReplyDelete
  124. So pretty thanks for the detailed instructions! I have found some joy using my stimulus money to support the crafting industry!! lol!

    ReplyDelete
  125. What a fun card with so much detail!
    thanks for the hop!

    ReplyDelete
  126. Like all the details. Want bring a smile to me today was founding a bunch of pre colored Christmas images so now I can get my creative juices flowing and make Christmas cards ahead.

    ReplyDelete
  127. Yes, you most certainly did bring joy my way today! Thank you for participating in this excellent way to encourage stay-at-home!

    ReplyDelete
  128. I love your card and all the cool colouring techniques. Beautiful! Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  129. Hi Jane :) I love your mixed media techniques!!! I also have a green thumb and love plants so your card is right up my alley! 100% sweetness! Thanks for inspiring me :)

    ReplyDelete
  130. Perfect sentiment to go with the cactus and I like the stenciling.

    ReplyDelete
  131. Love the background and that cute sentiment! Your garden looks inviting! I have been making a lot of cards lately and that brings me great joy!

    ReplyDelete
  132. Great card. The yellow background is so beautiful- thank you for sharing the technique! Each layer is so interesting, and that little cactus is precious!

    ReplyDelete
  133. Cute card. I've been making cards all week to send to friends and family has kept me busy. Love that quote too. Very inspiring. Thanks for a wonderful hop and the inspiration!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks so much for leaving a comment; I really enjoy reading every single one of them.

To comply with the new Data Protection legislation (GDPR) May 2018 I wish to state that any comments left here are with your consent that your name & comment are visible to anyone who visits my blog and that you accept that your personal information is being used for that specific purpose.

Jane x