It's Christmas Eve eve!

Whoop whoop, good morning all, it's Christmas Eve Eve and I am here to share my final design team inspiration for our Country View Crafts December "Christmas" challenge.  The monthly challenges are now being hosted over on Facebook as it makes it easier for everyone who wants to enter, to do so. You don't need a blog or an Instagram account, just head over to the group and join in with the fun! The link is here and if you are not already a member just request to join and we will love to welcome you over there. It will also be a place you can see Country View Craft products, the latest releases etc etc. We have a happy membership of over 250 crafters already and we are growing every day. 

I try to link up the products I use in my posts but obviously stock on the CVC website sells out quickly . Some may be out of stock when you click on the links. If they are just fill in the email notification and you will be emailed when they are back in stock.

As tomorrow is the night when Father Christmas will deliver presents to good girls and boys I just had to make a card creating the scene I have in my head from my 1960s childhood Christmas Eves.

This is what I got up to 

I stuck various pieces of Tim Holtz Christmas Christmas ephemera (mine is from a previous year but all his packs are awesome) onto black card using distress collage medium

When dry I cut off the overhangs.

I added some distress crayons to the edges and stitched around the perimeter of the background (seen in the final photos). I also stitched the border using my trusty sewing machine,

I stamped the Father Christmas from "Yuletide", coloured him with distress pencils fussy cut him out. I also stamped and cut out the sentiment from "Department store". I had some left over Tim Christmas die cuts in my box and added them to create my Christmas Eve scene. 

Here is my finished card;

with a couple of close ups;

and one final shot;

I really hope that I may have inspired you to join in with the "Christmas" fun. Do head over to the challenge on Facebook here.  There is also an amazing prize for one randomly selected winner to win...a £25 voucher to spend on the Country View Crafts website. You can enter up to 5 different projects.

Remember you can find me most days over on Instagram here @jane.tyrrell where I do share many, many more makes then I have the time to blog. 

This is the last of my design team blog posts for 2023. I will be back in the new year with lots more inspiration. "See" you on the other side. Wishing you a very merry Christmas, thanks for all your blog support this year. I can see by my stats that you are still out there reading Jane's Journal after all these years. 

I thought I would close with a little Christmas poem, one of my favourites.

It is just to try to set the scene and to remind us that material things at Christmas are nothing compared to making memories with those you love.

We will be raising our glasses on Monday with my daughter and her family and my son. We will remember our Christmases past, present and yet to come and our darling loved ones who sit or have sat at our tables over the years. They will always be a part of our Christmas.

Somehow not only for Christmas
But all the long year through,
The joy that you give to others
Is the joy that comes back to you.

And the more you spend in blessing
The poor and lonely and sad,
The more of your heart's possessing
Returns to make you glad.

(John Greenleaf Whittier)

Merry Christmas dear blogging friends. Have a peaceful time, make those memories and tell those you love that you love them. Find joy in the small things in life and try to look for the best in everything.

Bye for now,

Jane x

Christmas inspiration for the Country View Crafts challenge

Hello everyone it's time for my first design team inspiration for our current "Christmas" challenge over at Country View Crafts. The monthly challenges are now being hosted over on Facebook as it makes it easier for everyone who wants to enter, to do so. You don't need a blog or an Instagram account, just head over to the group and join in with the fun! The link is here and if you are not already a member just request to join and we will love to welcome you over there. It will also be a place you can see Country View Craft products, the latest releases etc etc. We have a happy membership of over 250 crafters already and we are growing every day. 

I try to link up the products I use in my posts but obviously stock on the CVC website sells out quickly . Some may be out of stock when you click on the links. If they are just fill in the email notification and you will be emailed when they are back in stock.

 I decided to make a very special card for a special person (she knows who she is and has now received it).

This is what I got up to;

I chose these pieces from Tim Holtz' awesome Christmas ephemera pack to use as focals. I added some vintage photo and candied apple distress ink to the edges for extra detailing, which you can see in the final photos. 

I selected a festive green distress inked background from my stash. Then I stamped some Christmas imagery in red . I used papers from Tim's backdrops papers (similar available here) adding pieces of material and stitched everything down using my trusty sewing machine.

I also added some Tim remnant rubs (similar ones are available here)

Then I put my design together adding a few finishing die cut stars.

Here is my finished card;

with a couple of close ups;

and one final shot;

I really hope that I may have inspired you to join in with the "Christmas" fun. Do head over to the challenge on Facebook here.  There is also an amazing prize for one randomly selected winner to win...a £25 voucher to spend on the Country View Crafts website. You can enter up to 5 different projects.

Remember you can find me most days over on Instagram here @jane.tyrrell where I do share many, many more makes then I have the time to blog. 

I will be back on Saturday 23rd December with my last DT make for the December challenge. Until then enjoy all your Christmas festivities.

Bye for now,

Jane x

A Visible Image Christmas

Good morning today I am sharing my last pre Christmas blogged Visible Image design team make.

As everyone knows my favourite Christmas set ever is their Christmas Robin stamp set. 

Now that they have co ordinating dies it makes them so easy to layer up. 

I used them with the lovely Christmas Eve stencil

I also used the sentiment and snow flurry found in the Snowflake grunge set.

to make a special Christmas card. 

This is what I got up to; I chose one of my shaving foam distress reinker backgrounds from my stash and spread red glitter paste through the Christmas word on the stencil. 

When dry I stamped the sentiment from  Snowflake grunge set underneath and randomly stamped the snowflake flurry from the same set in blue Versafine Clair,

I stamped the large robin from the Christmas Robin stamp set ,  3 holly branches and 2 single holly leaves. I coloured these using distress pencils and die cut them using the co ordinating dies. 

I then put my design together

I added some gold pen and glossy accents detailing which you will see in my photos below. I matted it onto red card and then adhered it to my white card blank. 

Here is my finished card

with a couple of close ups

and 1 final shot;

All the Visible Image links are listed below;

 Our kind, friendly and supportive customer Facebook Group is here ...it would be lovely to see you join us.  You will be warmly welcomed and see lots of inspiration from the DT and customers to inspire your own creativity. 

 I also organize a monthly artist trading card swap in the group.  We celebrated 2 years of swapping in May. Whether you are a new stamper or a seasoned one you are most welcome to join us. Over 150 members, worldwide, have taken part since it started. It's been such fun and it's so lovely to receive a unique piece of art from your partner in the post. The details and sign up for each swap are posted in the group on the 23rd of the month. There is no "monthly" commitment, just join in when you have the time and if you live in the UK can you choose to post to the UK only if that suits you best.

The main Visible Image Facebook business page is here

Visible Image also has its own You Tube channel here where you can see videos and Lives to give you lots of inspiration and ideas. 

Their Instagram page can be found here 

Pinterest here

and their website is here. 

 You will also find me on Instagram here; @jane.tyrrell where I share many more samples than I have the time to blog. 

Bye for now,

Jane x