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

Forever in your heart with Visible Image

 Good morning everyone, it's time for my fortnightly blogged design team make for Visible Image. Today I am sharing a card suitable to send to someone who is going through a tough time or even as a sympathy card.. These cards are always difficult to make. Personally the only way for me to make these type of cards is to make a few and keep them in my stash for when inevitably I will need one. I used the gorgeous "Forever in Your heart" set with its coordinating die. The sentiments in this set have a gorgeous type face and the little heart flourish is beautiful and can of course be used on other types of card. 

Forever in your heart

There is also a brilliant die for cutting out the feather

co ordinating die

I used the set with with the Framed fibres layering die

 and Heart ink stencil to make a sympathy card. 

ALL these products are on sale now in the Black Friday sale over on the website but you need to be quick as it finishes very soon (or when stock runs out). 

This is what I got up to; 

Using lost shadow, speckled egg and tumbled glass distress inks I made an inky "smooshed background" by adding ink to my craft mat and water and dipping in my card.

When dry I placed the Heart ink stencil in the upper part of the background and blended through some more Lost shadow distress ink.

(I also stamped the heart flourish from the set into the stencilled heart; you can see this further down) 

I then die cut a piece of white card using the  Framed fibres layering die, laid it under the heart ink mask and cut around the edge.

I then stuck this over the stencilled heart.

The sentiment was heat embossed in silver embossing powder onto white vellum, I used a ruler to get the torn edge. I added it to the bottom part of the card, tucking the edges around the sides of the background. 

I stamped the feather in grey ink and die cut it out using the co ordinating die. I folded it slightly in the middle to give it some extra dimension. I adhered it onto the background using foam squares. 

Then I put my design together, matted in onto white and then black card and then onto a card blank. The finishing touch was a blue and silver bow. 

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. The December sign up will open in the group tomorrow, 23rd November.  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. 

Before I leave, I am running my 2023 Christmas card creative workshop at Dotty's Teahouse, Carshalton, Surrey, SM5 3AE. The first date, Thursday 23rd November from 7.30-10pm sold out very quickly.

  I'm delighted that a 2nd date, THIS Saturday 25th November has been added.

 Booking are on Dotty's website here. We will be creating a stencilled moon to go into a distress inked starry sky and using Visible Image stamps create a magical Christmas card. If you would like more details please don't hesitate to email me. The cost is £30 and includes all materials, a Dotty's sweet treat and hot drink or mulled wine. Suitable for complete beginners or those with some experience. 

Back soon, 

Bye for now

Jane x

More upcycling for Country View Challenges

 Good morning I am here today with my 2nd design team inspiration make for our November challenge over in the new Country View Crafts Challenge Facebook group.  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 230 crafters already and we are growing every day.

The theme for our November challenge is "Upcycling" or repurposing . So we would like to see you upcycle an every day object into something else. You can make anything you like. You need to use products or brands stocked on the website. You can enter up to 5 different projects. There is an amazing prize up for grabs for the randomly selected winner. You really don't want to miss out on this! As always the challenges are open internationally.

 I have added some live links to the Country View Crafts website where you can purchase some of the products I have used. If any items are out of stock just hit the email request button. 

I love my thin paint brushes and but they live in a pot with lots of other brushes and I often have to rummage for them when I am colouring.  So I decided to upcycle a jar for them to live in.

This is what I got up to;

I used an empty horseradish jar

Using these alchol inks

I swirled them around the inside of the jar to give a little colour.

Using Tim Holtz collage medium I stuck some of his fun Ephemera to the sides. I wiped the collage medium over the surface too as I wanted a waterproof coating for my jar.

I had some cord from a gift bag I had kept so I also upcycled some of that to cover the screw top area.

I then left everything to dry.

Here it is finished

with a couple of close ups

and one final shot.

So now whenever I want a fine paint brush they are all in one place!

I really hope that I may have inspired you to join in with the "upcyling" fun. Do head over to the challenge now being hosted on Facebook here.  This is the amazing prize one randomly selected winner will win! It's a Stamperia mould and retails at £19.99

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. 

Before I leave, I am running my 2023 Christmas card creative workshop at Dotty's Teahouse, Carshalton, Surrey, SM5 3AE. The first date, Thursday 23rd November from 7.30-10pm sold out very quickly.

  I'm delighted that a 2nd date, THIS Saturday 25th November has been added.

 Booking are on Dotty's website here. We will be creating a stencilled moon to go into a distress inked starry sky and using Visible Image stamps create a magical Christmas card. If you would like more details please don't hesitate to email me. The cost is £30 and includes all materials, a Dotty's sweet treat and hot drink or mulled wine. Suitable for complete beginners or those with some experience. 

The samples I have made are below;

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x