Keeping it simple with Visible Image

Hi everyone. Yes I know it has not been fortnightly but this is my next blogged design team post for Visible Image. Starting today they are running a "Keep it simple" feature where each of the design team have made simple cards which will appeal to beginner card makers and also those who are fans of a more "Clean and simple" (CAS) style of making. As today is World Bee day I am kicking this event off! 

I enjoy making cards of all styles and often make more CAS cards for my Dotty's tearooms cards.

This is the card I have made for this feature;

 

I chose to use one stamp set (with it's co ordinating dies) and one stencil for my CAS make;

Bee Happy

with their co ordinating dies as these dies make cutting the bees out so simple. 

and the Honeycomb hex stencil.

To keep this very simple today I have numbered the steps; 

Step 1. Stamp the large and 2 medium sized bees onto white card using Versafine clair Nocturne ink, clear heat emboss and die cut out using the coordinating dies.

Steps 2 and 3. Place the Honeycomb hex stencil over the bottom right hand side of a 5" white square of card and carefully blend wild honey distress ink through as seen.

Step 4. Stamp the sentiment using Nocturne ink. Stamp the pollen splatters under where the bees are to be placed using Morning Mist Versafine clair ink.

Step 5. Smear a little wild honey and mustard seed distress ink onto a craft mat/acrylic block and pick up with a damp paint brush to paint the bees' bodies.

Step 6 Stick the bees in place.

Finally matt and layer onto a 5 1/4" square of yellow card and then adhere to a 5 3/4" square white card blank.

Here is a close up

and one final shot;

This stamp set and stencil are such fun and the co ordinating dies makes cutting out the bees a breeze! I really hope you might try this simple design out..and if you do remember to share it over in our friendly Facebook group. 

I always blog my makes here with detailed step by steps so do stop by in a fortnight's time if you would like to see my next project. 

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 3 amazing years of swapping in May. Whether you are a new stamper or a seasoned one you are most welcome to join us. Over 160 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

When the leaves turn red

Due to the Indian summer we enjoyed well into late October the leaves on the trees have turned the most amazing colours this years..so much red and yellow. Some of the trees seem almost to glow. 

I am loving the weather at the moment and I'm finding it so inspiring. 

 I came home to make my latest Dotty's card and decided to make a very clean and simple one focusing on the beauty of the leaves. I also appreciate that not everyone is surrounded by such beauty and also that life really does get tough sometimes. 

The sentiment stamp is by Visible Image, the leaf die cuts are MFT and are cut from inky mop up card. Sometimes a card as simple as this is enough to say it all. I just added the 3 leaves for some dimension. 

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

Less is more dimension

Simon says stamp Wednesday anything goes

The artistic stamper 2/3 square it I have made a square card.

The Ribbon girl 3/3 anything goes

Since we have had our first frosts the leaves are now falling like confetti from the sky. How inspiring Mother Nature is. 

Thanks for stopping by today and for the kind comments you take the time to leave me.

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

Amethyst water cast pendant

Hello, the sunshine made a welcome return yesterday afternoon after quite a dull few days. I took these photos in the early evening last week, I really like the shadows cast at that time of the day.

My fuschia and pots are still hanging on to their colour.

My silversmithing class is on summer break for another month but I thought today I would share the pendant I finished on the last day of term in July.
You may remember that last year we played with watercasting and I cast some interesting organic shapes. If you missed that post you can see it here
I had some other piece left and decided to use it as the base for an amethyst I wanted to set.
These photos are taken on my work bench with my phone so not the best but I know people are interested to see the process.
Below is the piece of water cast silver.

This is the setting I made for my stone.

I soldered both pieces together

 I then carefully cut off the excess and filed the edges smooth.
Then I set the stone, this view is taken from above with my setting held in a vice on some setting wax, which had been melted first. It's very much like the wax used for seals and has that distinctive smell too. It holds the setting in place without marking it and I was then able to gentle tap the edges of my mount over. You then gentle tap the setting out from the wax.

I also soldered a hanging loop on the back.
Here is my finished pendant.

Silver is so hard to photograph but I think you can get an idea. You can even see my hands and the lens in the stone's reflection!

 So my card to day is also purple in colour

It's a very CAS wedding card made for Dotty's Teahouse. The die cut is Sizzix, the stencilled hearts are a Tim Holtz stencil. The maker of the sentiment escapes me ,sorry!

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

Simon says stamp Wednesday anything goes
AAA cards use a stencil
Happy Little stampers CAS die cuts
Creative Moments 2/3 anything goes
Lil patch of crafting friend's 3/3 anything goes

Thanks for stopping by, the sun is back here again this morning and I have a plan to start some Christmas cards..yes only 117 days to go..ho ho ho!!

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

Last days of January

I'm not sure how it has happened but unbelievable we find ourselves in the last few days of January. It now feels as though Christmas was in the very distant past however weather wise we still firmly in winter. The north of the country has been experiencing a lot of snow but so far here in the south we have had some sleet and very chilly winds but so far no snow.

Today I was treated to lunch by my parents at my favourite garden centre in Knockholt, Kent. I was delighted to see some lovely colours amongst the plants for sale.

 How cheerful the primulas looked

these were a couple of my favourite colours

As we were admiring the display we heard a little fluttering underneath the stand.  We found that we had been joined by this sweet fellow.

I do love robin's they are such confident friendly birds and this one was very fluffed up to keep warm.
I also loved these gorgeous terracotta pots for sale.

...thoughts of summer and strawberries..mmmm..

To remind us that it still is winter I spied some lovely variegated holly and some rich red berries

 

 and of course some snowdrops...very apt if the snow moves south.

For my challenge card today I was  inspired by the terracotta pots and the sweet robin to make another CAS card. I used a Kraft card base. This time I use a Meljen's bird digi stamp which I coloured with my Promarkers and highlighted with my Primacolor pencils.

I "sewed" around the clouds with a pen and added 2 Clearly Besotted stamped sentiments. 2 gem hearts and some red distress glitter gave a pop of colour just like the tummy of the sweet robin we saw.

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

Meljen team spirit  my colours are of my favourite  football team, England. This is their red and white away kit....the brown represents the mud on their kit!
Pan Pastel Happy birthday
Country View use something new to you my new are the red gem hearts
Cute card Thursday stamping mad
Work it Wednesday from Simon Says stamp show something new these red hearts are new and also CAS is a very new style for me, this is only the 2nd time I have made a CAS card.
As you like it favourite mat or shiney and why I love matt papers and use them most of the time. I think they give a really great depth and base to projects.  I love the kraft card I have used today and just a little bit of glitter really makes it pop.
Simon Says stamp Wednesday anything goes
Addicted to stamps and more CAS
Passion for Promarkers garden life
NoorUK! with love

I think I may have jinxed the lack of snow here...we have now been forecast some snow overnight in the South East. Hmmm I really hope that the snow does stay away as I am due to have one of my fab Inky days on Saturday with Brenda in Flitwick and I really hope I can get there.

Whatever the weather I hope you all keep snug. Thanks for visiting me here and for all the lovely comments you take the time to leave. Enjoy the weekend when we get there,

Keep warm and carry on crafting,

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

New beginnings

When I was driving home last night I noticed how much lighter it is getting already. Also this morning I saw the same thing....the daylight is returning...bliss. Although it has been quite chilly today here in Surrey we have really escaped any wintry weather so far. The north has seen quite a lot of snow but none here so far.

As I walked home this afternoon I actually did a double take as I saw 2 daffodils, yes daffodils in full flower. I grabbed my camera and walked back and took this shot,

 How astonishing is that! They were quite a way up someone's drive so I couldn't really go any closer I just zoomed my camera.

I decided to check how my own bulbs are going and this is what I found

daffodils springing up here in my front garden, the flower head nearly ready to burst open

 and plenty of shoots in my pots in my back garden.

Wow amazing new beginnings.

At the weekend I also decided to try something new with my card making. As I am sure you have all worked out by now I am a crafter who constantly love to try new ideas. I don't have a fixed style with my crafting and I love to use lots of different ones. The one style of card I have never made is what is know as CAS or clean and simple. I know some very clever CAS card makers who make this style of crafting look easy but it certainly isn't . The key is a very clear design and lots of white space. Less is most definitely more. Whilst having some crafty play the other day I decided to try my hand at my first CAS style card.

I came across a left over butterfly from my 2015 wall hanging, which if you have not seen is here. These are the butterflies which I stamped and embossed onto distress inked card and then cut out. The stamp is by Visible Image and is one of my favourite stamps



I decided that I would use my left over butterfly as part of the focal of my CAS card. So then it was time to think of a very simple but eye catching design for my card. Now this really does take some time and patience.
I was looking through my Craft Stamper magazines and I saw on the front of one of them the free stamp from last year still attached. I thought it would be perfect, just a simple flower. The sentiment is a Clearly Besotted stamp.
So this is what I came up with.




I was pleased with this, my first attempt at CAS
here is a close up

I also thought that this would work well in other colourways too.

So today, inspired by the wonderful daffodils I spied on my walk home,I decided to make a yellow version. I stamped and embossed some more butterflies onto some other card which I had made using various Distress inks

 ....what do you think?

I have put this card up for sale in my Etsy shop here and if it sells well I may well reproduce it in different colours.  I may also put different sentiments on as it would work for many different occasions, get well, engagement, anniversary etc. I will also try different embossed backgrounds too...............hmmm lots of possibilities. 

I really enjoyed my first dabble into CAS.

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

Pan Pastels clean and simple

Craft stamper Take it make it Take a stamp

Fashionable stamping something new my something new is my first attempt at CAS and the flower stamp is new.

Country View use something new to you this is a new style I have attempted...CAS and my flower stamp is new.

Natalie and Amy all things new my style and flower stamp are new

Crafty boots out with the old in with the new  it's old butterfly stamp, new CAS style and flower stamp

Winter wonderland things with wings

Papertake weekly It's all new

Addicted to stamps and more make a mark 

Creative Inspirations anything goes 

So there are lots of new beginnings going on around here...Mother Nature certainly gives me so much inspiration and she has also reminded me that spring is not so far away. 

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x