More buttons and lace for Country View Crafts

 Hello everyone, it's time for my second blogged design team make for our August Country View Crafts challenge hosted over on Facebook. 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 warmly welcome you. It is also be a place you can be the first to hear about workshops, the latest releases etc etc. We have a happy membership of over 340 crafters 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.

The theme for this month is "use buttons and lace on your make". For my first make I shared here on 3rd August I used a little artistic licence and used some "faux" lace with my buttons on my first make. For this make I used real vintage lace with my buttons as I made this card for my daughter and son in law's recent 12th wedding anniversary.

This is how I made it; I stamped and die cut my Tim Holtz cats and coloured them with distress pencils.

I used a background I had made at an art class recently with some lovely foiling on it. 

I chose a piece of vintage lace from my stash and some buttons. I stamped the Visible Image Happy Anniversary sentiment and made a little banner and scene.

Here is my finished card again 

with a close up

and 1 final shot.

I really hope I might have inspired you to join in and and have a play. 

The amazing prize this month is the gorgeous brand new Tim Holtz Floristry stamp set...wow..such a brilliant prize. 

Our challenges are open worldwide. You still have nearly 2 weeks to add your entries.

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

Bye for now,

Jane x

 

Jane's Journal is 10 today...and has a giveaway!

Yes friends, today my blog is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Wow who could have thought that, certainly not me as I took that first tentative step all those years ago with my first post. I have made so many lovely friends over the years and even met some in the flesh too. I have had the very best time blogging and even though times are really changing I still enjoy writing Jane's Journal. I have always used my blog as my diary of all things craftyness and my love of Mother Nature. I have also give some peeps into special occasions I have celebrated over the years in my family life. We saw my daughter married, my grandchildren born and much much more. I decided from day 1 to always try to focus on the good things in life, not because bad things don't happen to me, of course they do, but I think that people enjoy a little positivity in their lives. Blogging has enabled me to document all those times and I can look back at the 1,297 (!) posts I have written. I know that a lot of my very original blogging friends have moved over to Instagram and Facebook. I must admit it is very easy and quick to share on Instagram and I do not write as many blog posts as I used to but I still enjoy writing some. 

My creative journey has been quite honestly just incredible.  10 years ago I did not share any of my papercrafting here as jewellery making was then my main hobby. I am also lover of knitting and crochet but never really get the time nowadays.  Here we are 10 years later and not only is my papercrafting my passion but my main hobby.

I am on 4 design teams; Country View Crafts, Visible Image, STAMPlorations and Creative Stamping Magazine . For the last 4 years (until closing for now but hopefully opening again soon!) I have sold over 1,000 cards in Dotty's Teahouse in Carshalton High Street. I have had my work published in Creative stamping magazine, Craft Stamper and Making Cards and I have demonstrated at Craft shows in the South of England for Jame's Dennison of Stamper's Grove. I have had my work displayed at Creativation in the USA and at Craft shows throughout the UK and also shown on TV.

It really has been a dream come true...having worked until I took retirement in  2016 as an NHS physiotherapist I would never have believed this would have happened. It has been the most exordinary journey. 

So I decided that my giveway to celebrate my 10th bloggerversary should have a mix of everything "Jane" and also a shout out to those who have made my creative journey such fun. This is what someone will win, I wish I could offer something to everyone but obviously that's never possible! 

OK to talk this through. The little piggy Artist trading card, top right (yes those who know me well know how much I love pigs) also has a little sterling silver charm, which I made, resting on it.  You can attach this to your own chain via the soldered jump ring.

The other Artist trading card is one from a recent swap. I adore ladybirds and had such fun with these Tim Holtz stamps |I bought during lockdown.  The bag charm I made is a nod to my favourite drink, tea. I am well know for enjoying my regularly cuppas, especially when outside in my studio and with Billy my sweet cat.

The bag charm has a spoon, tea cup and tea bags (of course) charms. The glass beads are artisan hand made by my lampworking friends I have made over the years.

My flower tag below was made recently during the Lockdown being inspired by Tim Holtz and the amazing Facebook Lives he gave over 16 weeks. He really is my inking hero and I am lucky enough to have attended the UK workshop he held here in the UK a few years ago. I use his distress inks in nearly every piece of paper crafting I make and the tag below is no exception, 

And finally my main Union Jack card is made up of elements from all my design teams, to thank them for all their support of my art over the years. I am so grateful to them and their belief in me. 

The Union Jack stencil is from Visible Image as are the cupcake stamps. The cup and saucer stamp is by STAMPlorations. The sentiment stamp is from a recent free set of stamps from Creative Stamping Magazine where I had a feature. (Oh and a little heads up I have a feature in the next magazine (#86) which is published in early August). The red and blue distress inks, the Stickles glitter glue and embossing powder are sold by Country View Crafts. 

 The smooth white card is sold by James of Stampers' Grove.

I always enjoy entering card challenges so I will enter this one into;

Time out 2/3 peaceful
As you like it 3/3 summer or autumn definitely  summer for me as I sit outside and craft and enjoy my tea!
A bit more time to craft 3/3 anything goes

Crafters' castle 3/3 anything goes

Crafty friends 3/3 anything goes

A gem of a challenge 3/3 anything goes

Crafty sentiments 2/3 anything goes

Through the dark room door 2/2 anything goes

Creative artiste 1/3 anything mixed media

The alphabet challenge 1/3 H for Hungry, favourite food mine has to be cake!

My giveaway is open to EVERYONE.  I will post world wide. I never have complex rules as to me a free giveaway should be just that. Just leave me a comment, mentioning that you would like to win, and your name will go into a hat. I will get my Hb to pull out a winner soon after the giveaway closes on 8th August.

However I do like giving a little "extra" to my loyal Blogger friends who have followed and supported me all the way on my blogging journey. Some have been with me from day 1, and one wonderful friend has commented on all my posts since we met a few posts in from my very first. Thanks V you are a super star. 

So, if you follow me here (and you are welcome to hit the follow button today in my sidebar) you can have a 2nd entry and if you mention this giveaway on your blog, Instagram or Facebook or share the photo just let me know and I will add a 3rd entry into the hat. Simples! I know that some people follow by email, no problem. Just let me know in your comments and you will get your extra entry/ies

Also I know a lot of people now follow me on Instagram (which I where you may have seen this post mentioned). To say thanks to those followers you can also have an extra entry. Please just let me know in your comments that you follow me on IG and I can add your extra entries in. If you want to find me over on Instagram today and follow me today this is the link. So some of you may well be able to have 4 entries into the draw. 

I think my sentiment sums up what I wish for every one of you all today and every day.

Thank you all for your friendship, your kind comments, your support and for reading Jane's Journal.

Hugs and love,

Jane

(and of course my sweetest cat and blogging avatar from day 1, Billy)

 xxx

It's always been you

Hello and welcome to a new week and my Monday Make for Visible Image. Last Thursday was mine and my Hb's 38th wedding anniversary. It was the hottest day of the year and we had a wonderful day out in East Sussex visiting Great Dixter House, a medieval marvel, and gardens and the pretty town of Rye.

The house was built in the mid 15th century by rich land owners to show off their wealth. No indoor photos are allowed but the inside is superb.

It was bought in 1910 by the Lloyd family who created the wonderful garden.

 There is an amazing plant nursery there too but sadly it was far too hot to put anything in the car. It reached 38c that afternoon!

We had such a great day. I will share the photos from Rye another time.
I knew the perfect sentiments to make my Hb's anniverary card would be found in this stamp set;

Have I told you lately

I used alcohol inks on glossy card to create a background

 I dripped the ink and also added some on a felt until I was happy.

I swirled some more inks onto another sheet and die cut some hearts.

2 I stamped with  sentiments.

I found the very first photo ever taken of us (In Richmond Park, July 1979) copied it onto photo paper and cut around it.

I also used the block heart in the set to add some more pattern to my background

and stamped the word soulmates into the corner (I love this typeface).

I then put my design together

I am pleased to be able to say that he really loved it

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

The house that stamps built 1/3 anything goes

Crafty friends 1/3 summer

Creative fingers anything goes

Crafty catz 1/3 anything goes
Love to create 1/3 Anything goes

All the Visible Image links can be found here;

Visible Image group page on Facebook. Our friendly Group is here ...it would be lovely to see you there. You will see lots of gorgeous makes by the DT and customers to inspire your own creativity.

The main Visible Image Facebook page is here; there are regular giveaways...open world wide.

And the shop web site is here; where all their gorgeous stamps and stencils can be purchased.

And a big heads up that there is a SUMMER SALE on NOW where some stamps are 30% off, just click on this link. But you need to be quick as there is limited stock and when its gone its gone! Ends 31st July.

Thanks for stopping by,

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

Where dreams have taken us

Yes unbelievable at the weekend it was the 1st  anniversary of Dotty's opening. Where on earth has the year gone? If you have not been following my blog for long I sell my cards at Dotty's, a Vintage Teahouse in Carshalton High Street since the doors first opened last May. My grand opening post can be seen here

This was the opening day last year which was attended by the Major of Sutton.

I went to the anniversary celebrations on Saturday and shared a post here if you missed it. Yesterday I showed the card which was commissioned by the staff to give to Rebecca, the owner.

As it is Monday it is also my day to share some inspiration over on the Visible Image Group page. Today I am sharing the 2nd Dotty card I made, This one I made from me to give to Rebecca and her lovely staff.  As the theme for the celebrations was WW2  I decided to go with a patriotic red, white and blue theme and I used a very apt Visible Image sentiment from the "Where dreams take you set" which is available here here

 I stamped the sentiment and die cut it

 I found some very apt tea cups paper in my stash.

I stamped and fussy cut out the paper plane from the destination unknown set available here

 I also stamped the sentiment from the same set

and then I put on my creative hat to made this card;

Here are a couple of close ups; the great cup and saucer die is Marianne, the layering dies are all Spellbinders. The hearts are La-la land

I cut the what lies ahead sentiment into 2 parts.

This  last year for me, both selling at Dotty's and designing has been such a great adventure and I do indeed wonder "what lies ahead".  My dreams are certainly taking me into all sorts of new adventures!
Here it is in the window of Dotty's on Saturday, together with the card I made for the girls to give to Rebecca. Such a fun day.

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

Allsorts birthday it was also their birthday on Saturday, but they were 8.. Dotty has some catching up to do!

Crafty Catz anything goes with a twist of more than 2 layers I have at last 5 on my card!

Creative Inspirations 3/3 anything goes
Lil patch of crafting friends 1/3 anything goes
Crafty Hazelnut's patterned  paper May

All the links for Visible Image can be found here;

Visible Image group page on Facebook. Our friendly Group can be found here and it is where you will find our first themed "Express yourself" challenge...it would be lovely to see you over there. There is a £40 voucher up for grabs if you are the randomly selected winner.  You can also add work to the "Show and Tell" folder where one randomly chose winner each month win a £25 coupon to spend on the website.

The main Visible Image business page is here; there are weekly stamp giveaways...open world wide!

And the shop web site is here; where all these gorgeous stamps can be found.

Thanks so much for stopping by today,

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x