Happy Easter

Happy Easter everyone! It is also time for my 2nd design team make for Country View Crafts Challenges and today is the very last day of our March Challenge. The monthly challenges are 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 is also be a place you can see Country View Craft products, the latest releases etc etc. We have a happy membership of over 300 crafters already and we are growing every day. You can enter the challenges up to 5 times as you like as long as you use products or brands which are stocked on the Country View Website. 

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. This is the link to the website   Remember that postage is FREE on all UK orders over £20. 

The theme for March is "Rabbits, hares or Easter" and I went with the rabbit and Easter theme to make this card.

Once again I used the gorgeous Happy bunny set by Visible Image which is also part of the brilliant prize bundle this month. More about that at the end of this post.

This time I teamed it with the daffodils from the Golden Daffodils set. 

This is what I got up to;

I used these distress ink pads to make my background. I then stamped the Golden Daffodils in the centre using Versafine claire nocturne and clear heat embossed it. I then coloured it using distress pencils.  I also added some scorched timber distress ink which you can see in my finished photos.

I stamped and heat embossed the bunnies from the set using scorched timber distress embossing glaze

I also stamped the single daffodil head and coloured that using the pencils too. 

then I added it to the image.

I matted it onto green metallic card and then a white 7x5" card blank. I added some sequins as a finishing touch.

Here it is;

with a couple of close ups

and 1 final shot

The challenge is open worldwide.

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. 

Remember to link up your March makes today for a chance to win this fabulous prize

The April challenge opens tomorrow; which happens to be my birthday and also my 8th anniversary of joining the Country View Crafts design team. I think that a glass of something bubbly or a G and T might be in order at some point to celebrate! 

Have a lovely Easter day....it's so good to see the lighter evenings.

Bye for now,

Jane x

Lilies with love

 Hi everyone and welcome to my fortnightly blogged design team post for Visible Image. Haven't the days suddenly got so much lighter? My tiny garden is warming up and bursting into life and I can almost hear the plants growing. It's such a wonderful time of the year. Spring really has sprung.

 Flowers are such an important part of my garden and I love making floral cards.  My make today showcases the beautiful Lilies in Love stamp set.

which is on the website here

 This gorgeous set has coordinating dies available here. 

However today I am sharing a "one layer card" to show that if you don't have the dies and don't want to fussy cut you can still make wonderful quick and easy cards using this beautiful stamp set. 

This is what I got up to;

I  selected a distress ink background from my stash.

 (If you are not aware Visible Image now has a superb selection of Tim Holtz products, including all his distress ink range on the website. Check out this link. I am delighted to see this addition as they are my go to products I use when making). 

 I always keep a good supply of inked backgrounds ready for projects. It keeps the creative juices flowing when you have a design idea and want to get making. It is also much better to work on a thoroughly dry background. This one was made using blueprint sketch, salvaged patina and kitsch flamingo distress inks pads pressed onto my craft mat.  I added some mists of water droplets using my distress water sprayer. I then dipped in my card and dried between layers until I was happy with the colour mix. 

I stamped the lily collage and the thinking of your sentiment with Versafine Claire nocturne ink and clear heat embossed. 

Heat embossing also makes the colouring step much easier. I love the new distress watercolour pencils and use them to colour all my images. As they are highly pigmented they work over the top of distress inks. Any that strays onto the stamped image, because it is embossed, is easily wiped off with a dry cloth. I used the colours below. People use the pencils in many different ways but I pick up colour from the pencil using a fine damp paintbrush.

I started with the leaves

and then added in colour to the blooms. 

I really do enjoy water colouring and find it very mindful. 

When I had finished I distressed the edge of the background with my distressing tool and added some picked raspberry ink. 

For a finishing touch I added some sequins and gold pen details before matting it onto cerise and then purple card and finally onto a white card blank. 

Below is a close up of my water coloured lilies and the gold pen detailing.

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 will be celebrating 3 years of swapping in May (don't miss this one as there might be a giveaway too!) 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 most days, where I share many, many more makes than I have the time to blog. 

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy these light filled spring days.

Bye for now,

Jane x

Bunny love with Country View Crafts

 Good morning I have just returned home from my Country View crafts inky cardmaking workshop in time to blog my first design team make for our March challenge over in the challenge group on Facebook. Yesterday I hosted my inky cardmaking workshop at Country View Crafts HQ.  And what a day it was. Here are a couple of photos 📸. 

Check out my latest post on Instagram here for some close ups.

The monthly challenges are 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 is also be a place you can see Country View Craft products, the latest releases etc etc. We have a happy membership of over 300 crafters already and we are growing every day. You can enter the challenges up to 5 times as you like as long as you use products or brands which are stocked on the Country View Website. 

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. This is the link to the website   Remember that postage is FREE on all UK orders over £20. 

The theme for March is "Rabbits, hares or Easter" and I went with the rabbit theme to make this card.

This is what I got up to;

I used the fun Happy bunny set by Visible Image which is also part of the brilliant prize bundle this month. More about that at the end of this post.

 together with their  heart ink stencil

I blended salvaged patina ink through the stencil

I then added the mask from the stencil set and blended salty ocean ink over the rest of the background.

I stamped the bunny using scorched timber distress oxide and embossed using the glaze. 

I then stamped one of the fun sentiments from this set and a couple of hearts.

I added a little colour using distress pencils, including scorched timber and finally matted up onto pink and blue card.

Here it is finished;

with a close up

and 1 final shot;

 I really hope that I may have inspired you to join in with the "Rabbit/hare/Easter" fun. Do head over to the challenge on Facebook here. Below is the fab prize up for grabs for one randomly selected winner.

 The challenge is open worldwide.

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 to share another make with this set on Easter day, 31st March.

Bye for now,

Jane x

Visible Image birthday tags

 Good morning another fortnight has whizzed and it's time for my fortnightly blogged design team make for Visible Image. I don't know about you but I often have made a card ahead of time but when it comes to the time to wrap the presents I often don't have a tag at hand.

 The Birthday balloons stamp set 

not only makes awesome birthday cards but is brilliant for tag making too. I love that it also has numbers in the set. It's co ordinating dies 

teamed with the fun sentiments from Best birthday ever 

make it quick and simple to make any tag needed. 

I decided to make a pair of tags for a 40th birthday to showcase these sets. 

This is what I got up to;

I took a piece of mop up inky card from my stash and die cut 2 tags from it. I then added the little stars flourish from the  Birthday balloons stamp set, stamping them randomly using gold pigment ink. 

I stamped the balloons in different colours and added the stars flourish to these too. I clear heat embossed them to add some shine,  

I die cut them all out and then added some bakers' twine to the back of each balloon. 

I stamped the 4 and 0 from the set in red and die cut those out too. I also used 2 of the sentiments from the  Best birthday ever 

I then put my design together and matted each tag on to red card. As a final touch I added a baker's twine cord to each tag and a bow to the balloons. 

Here they are separately;

and as a pair

with a couple of close ups

and 1 final shot

These really are must have birthday sets for your stash. I keep them out on my craft desk as I use them so much for cards and tags.

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 will be celebrating 3 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