Summer bedding colour

I  am back as promised to share my summer bedding photos. I bought the plants at the weekend and spent Sunday potting them up. It's always hard work but I know that I will get a whole season of delight so it is well worth it.

I bought 2 trays worth including dahlia, begonia, geraniums. It was a hot day so I worked in the shade of the sun brolly after my Hb and I had enjoyed an al fresco lunch in the garden. It reached 28c!

I have dahlia, geraniums, begonia

 nemesia, 2 tomato plants (gardeners delight variety of course) and lots more.

I also have a few fuchsia that have successfully overwintered so I used those too.

I managed to pot up 2 hanging baskets, 3 big pots and 2 small ones.

 A couple of close ups. I will get so much inspiration from these glorious colours. I gave everything a really good drink of water once they were in.

My card is not a floral one but a Father's Day card as 16th June is fast approaching. It is up for sale at Dotty's Teahouse, Carshalton High Street, SM5 2EP where my cards for all occasions are sold.

The image is a sweet vintage old Nicecrane one, sadly no longer trading. I stamped the sentiment and the scrabble pieces are also a download. The dies are by Cheery Lynn.

I would like to enter it into the following challenges.

Simon says stamp Wednesday anything goes 

Crafty catz 3/3 anything goes

Love to craft 2/3 anything goes

Lil patch of crafting friends 2/3 anything goes

Cardz for guys 1/3 Father's day

Everybody art 1/3 vintage

Through the craft room door 1/3 anything goes

Unicorn challenge For the men/boys

Crafty card makers 1/3 masculine

Crafting by designs 1/3 anything goes

I went to RHS Wisley gardens with my dear crafting/blogging friend Brenda Brown on Monday and the colours there too were amazing. I will share some photos soon. We have finally had some welcome rain now, my poor garden was parched. 

Thanks so much for stopping by today.

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

Back to the studio

Well the weather has finally turned to spring and I decided it was time to spring clean my beloved studio and get it ready to open up for me to be able to work outside again. This has been the colour of the sky since Sunday...no filter, just snapped with my camera.

It was time to open the blinds

and have a good clean inside and out.

I also teak oiled my desk and put back my radio and my precious things.

Even Billy came in to say hello.

You will not see my studio this neat again until next spring!

My card today is a new one for Dotty's...and yes the next event on the calendar is Father's day so here is one of the cards heading down there very soon. 

The stamps are all by Visible Image. The sentiment is discontinued (for now).

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

A gem of a challenge 1/3 anything goes
Crafty catz 1/3 anything goes
Sweet stampin 1/3 anything goes
The male room 1/3 anything goes
A bit more time to craft 1/3 anything goes
Crafting from the heart 1/3 anything goes

So expect to see lots more influence from being out in my garden in my cards.....it's so good to be crafting outside again.

I would also like to give a heads up for the Stamperama show in Worthing  on Saturday 25th May, where I am demoing for Stampers Grove.

 If you plan to come do stop by and say hi, it would be such fun to put faces to names. I have lots of demos planned to share.

Thanks so much for stopping by,

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

Father's day card ideas

Hello it's time today for my 2nd inspiration project for Country View Challenges where our theme for June is "The written word"..add any form of text to your make.  As always you can enter our challenge as many times as you like and combine with any other challenges. Your make can be anything creative! You may even be the lucky random winner of the £20 CVC voucher.

All the details can be found here

 Father's day here in the UK falls this year on Sunday 17th June and I have already made some designs and taken them down to Dotty's Teahouse where my cards are sold. However I had not yet made one for my own dear Dad so I have used this for my post today.

I have made my Dad lots of different Father's day cards over the years...here is one from a couple of years back where I used  a photo of me as a child and made a mixed media background.

I wanted to use a different vintage photo for this year's card so I dug out my pack of Tim Holz Paper Dolls which Susan sells here at Country View crafts I also used the brilliant Visible Image Father definition stamp ***Remember that P+P is FREE in the UK for any order from Country View Crafts.***

I chose this fun boy paper doll and stamped my definition onto thick cream card.

I added some bister to a piece of watercolour paper and also stamped a couple of background stamps from my Visible Image stash.

 I stamped elemental in black ink

and then added the ink splats in sepia archival. 

I distressed the edges of the sentiment and added some of the small ink splats from the set.

Then it was time to put my card design together.

The Paper Doll looks so funny holding up my sentiment, I'm sure this will make my Dad smile. I added a few previously altered cogs from my stash to finish off my card.

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

Paper artsy paper dolls

Craft stamper take it make it 2/3 anything goes

Stamping sensations 1/3 anything goes

Crafty catz 2/3 anything goes

Thanks for stopping by and it would be lovely to see you entering our "written word" challenge over at Country View. I hope I might have given you a little inspiration today.

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

Is that real crackle on that card?

Today it's time for my 2nd DT piece for the "Crackle" challenge which is the theme for June over at Country View Challenges. For my first piece which I shared here I made a Father's Day card with a true crackle effect using  DecoArt mixed media products.
This time I am going to show that you don't need all those products, you can easily achieve a "faux" crackle effect too. It's simple, quick and very effective.
My card is similar to the first card I shared, this time,as we have now passed Father's day, it is a Dad's birthday card I made to sell in Dotty's.

I used my vintage childhood photo again.

For the base I used cheap acrylic paints, I buy these from The Works. I used a piece of grey board saved from the back of a paper pad and cut it into 2 and gessoed it - is that a verb??! it can be a Janeism then ;0)

 I dabbed on the colours with a baby wipe until I had a mottled effect I was happy with,

 Then it was time for the cheat bit ;0) ...all that is needed is a crackle stamp! These are Andy's Skinner's but there are lots on the market which can be used...you could even draw your own lines.

 I used black Archival ink

and this is what I achieved.

Instant realistic crackle.

I used one piece for my card, the other I have plans for.

Here is my finished card again. I used snippets of book pages and also tiny snippets of paper to die cut my dotty letters.

I used the Cheery Lynn Film set die for my photo and TH small sizzlits die for the film strip. The papers are vintage book pages.

It would be great if you can join in with our crackle theme over at Country View...you need to get cracking though as the challenge closes in 4 days time. You could even win a £20 voucher from our Sponsors, Country View Crafts, if your name comes up in the random draw. Here is the link.

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

Pixie's snippets Playground #235
As you like it 3/3 favourite die and why mine is my CL film set die..they are brilliant for framing photos.
Crafty Calendar 3/3 For a male
Happy Little stampers mixed media  texture
Creative Inspirations 1/3 bingo I used the bottom horizontal line...white (the book pages are actually white!), distress, dots (on my letters)
Emerald Faeries 3/3 anything goes
Love to create 2/2 #13
Double D challenges all about the boys

I am back again in a few hours with another post as I am also guest designing today too! Busy, busy, busy....

Thanks for visiting...it would be lovely to see you later too!

Bye for now,

Jane x

Talking Jewellery at the Womens' Institute (WI)

I was delighted to be invited as the Guest Speaker at a WI (Womens' Institute) meeting last Thursday. Earlier this year I received a lovely email from the group's events organiser who asked me if I would speak about my jewellery making. I was very pleased to accept the invitation.

I spoke for 40 minutes and as well as describing my jewellery journey over the last 14 years I also showed lots of my silversmithing and beaded jewellery. Here are just a few of the many pieces I shared.
From my first ring (very basic)

through my "middle years" playing with enamelling

onto chain making and delft clay casting.

Up until present day where I combined my card making and silver smithing to make a silver hinged card pendant. 

I talked about the lampwork beads I use as well as all the semi precious stones I use. 

 And the fun bag charms I make.

I also spoke about my jewellery parties and took some of my stock to sell.
I took a few photos to share of afternoon. It was great fun.

I was so busy after my talk that I didn't get a chance to take a photo of the table I had set up to sell my beaded jewellery. You can just see a peep of the corner of it in the photo below.

It was a most enjoyable afternoon.

As it is Father's Day today my challenge card is a one I made for selling at Dotty's Teahouse but there is a very funny story behind it.

My son arrived at lunchtime laden with gorgeous pressies for my Hb and a Father's day card......
...............................bless him, he had been down to Dotty's Teahouse and bought one of my cards for sale there. How about that for family support eh! My Hb did a double take when he opened it as he thought that the Mo Manning image looked a little familiar..LOLOL!
Here it is on the kitchen side

and as well as the gin, chocolate featured too :0)

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges; I coloured my image with Promarkers.

Pixie's Snippets playground #234 I have use a snippet of card for the sentiment and for cutting my die cuts.
Try it on Tuesday all about him
Die cuttin Divas Father's day
Double D challenges all about the boys
As you like it  1/3 favourite die and why I have lots but I love this Spellbinders die as it is just so versatile and I love using it as layer and mats.
Crafty Calender 2/3 Father's day/male
Ribbon Girl 1/3 any image

Happy Father's day to all those lovely Dads out there including my own. We had a lovely dry day in S'Ton yesterday and managed our coastal walk which finished off with afternoon tea and cake..what else? Enjoy the end of the weekend

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

On show

I only have 2 more silversmithing classes left for this year. There is an annual exhibition, which is held in the library, to show work by the students for all the crafts taught at our college.

It has been up for nearly 2 weeks and finishes in a few days time so I went to have a look yesterday.
We are allowed to exhibit any piece of work so I chose a pendant I made which is one of my favourites.

These are pretty grim photos as I didn't have my camera with me but by next week it will be over so I took a couple of snaps to share with you on my phone.

It's lovely to see everything set up

 My work is number 35...the pendant set with a beautiful dendrite agate stone.

and to show you closely here is a photo below from my file on my computer. It was very fiddly to make the setting but worth the effort.

I always think of this as a little winter's snow scene ;0)

My card today is certainly not a wintry snow scene but something very appropriate for this Sunday, which is Father's day. It's one I made for Dotty's Teahouse and it went down very well.
I used a Mo Manning digi which I coloured with Promarkers and highlighted with Prismacolor pencil.
The stamped sentiment is by LOTV.

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


DP2 anything goes #264
ABC J for just how you like it
Try it on Tuesday all about him
Die cuttin Divas Father's day
Crafty Boots masculine cards
Double D challenges all about the boys

Thanks as always for your kind visits and sweet comments you take the time to leave. I am still sorting out my fun Peppa Pig visit photos and hope to be back to share them on Friday...such a fun day out.

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x