Afternoon tea anyone?

 Hi everyone, and welcome to my latest design team make for Visible Image. The theme for our makes this week is "friendship". 

My favourite beverage is tea and the blacker the better. There is nothing quite like catching up with my friends over a cuppa and indulging in a slice of cake with it, is even better.  I decided make a card using  the Afternoon tea set with the  Splash stencil. This stamp set is full of fun tea and cake themed images, there is even a fork and a tea bag. The sentiments it contains are delightful too. 

This is how I made it;

I cut a piece of smooth white card to a 5 1/4" square and blended salvaged patina, squeezed lemonade and worn lipstick distress inks onto it. Then I added some drips of water, blotted and dried the background with a heat gun (or you can leave it to air dry).

Using the Splash stencil I blended the same 3 inks through the stencil onto the background. 

This is how it looked after adding the extra inks. 

Once dry I stamped my design, for placement on the background. I used Versafine clair nocturne ink and clear heat embossed everything.

I stamped the teapot and cup again onto red card and the knife onto silver and cut them out.

The cake was stamped twice onto inky mop up card and cut out.

I cut out just the cake from the top image and stuck it over the "blue" cake. I added some glitter pen to create the "jam" and "cream".

I cut out the the fork too and added some white pen detailing to the cup, teapot and plate.

I then adhered these images over those on the background. 

I stamped the sentiments onto white card, cut around them.

and stuck them in place. 

I also added some stickles glitter glue to the cake icing for some extra sparkle. 

Here it is finished;

The above friendship card, for me, is worth the effort of the extra decoupaged detailing, but I also made this non decoupaged version below which I just coloured directly with watercolour pencils. So if you would like to make a quicker version you can. Simply stamp the background with the design I have shared and colour using your favourite medium. 

This is fun card to send to a friend who you might not have seen for a while and need to catch up with...over a cuppa! And of course a slice of cake would make that date extra special. 

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. 

The main Visible Image Facebook business page is here

Their website 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 

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

Keeping creative for Visible Image

Good morning, a fortnight has rolled round and it is time for my regular design team post for Visible Image. Wow there have been so many changes in these 2 weeks. Sadly the upcoming Create and Craft show on TV was cancelled, but that was the right decision of course. Dotty's Tea House, the vintage tea rooms in Carshalton where I sell my cards has closed so life has changed so much for everyone. Helen and Mark aka Mr and Mrs Visible Image have lots of ideas to keep us all entertained, engaged and creative in the weeks ahead and one lovely idea is the start of a new challenge.

The theme of challenge #1 is such an apt one, "Brighten someone's day".

 I managed to see my best friend for a long lunch just before this whole situation took hold and we both cherish those few hours and realise it may be quite some time before we see one another again. I decided to make my card to send to her.

I knew just the sentiments to use. This is such a great set. 

So much stronger

My dearest friend  loves her garden as much as I do so I also reached for the wings of change set.

Her favourite colour is pink so I made a very pink and girlie background. First I sprinkled on some Infusions and added some spritzes of water

 I then blended on some Distress oxide ink.

 I also made some textured butterflies by stamping on some left over inky card, adding crackle accents and a sprinkle of glamour dust for texture and sparkle.

Once dry I cut them out minus the antennae.

I stamped the sentiment and butterflies on the background and then stuck the butterflies on top raising the edge of their wings with foam pads. 

Then it was time to put my card together. Here it is;

and one last shot;

I would like to enter it into the following challenges;

Pixie's snippets playground #374 using snippets of card for my butterflies

Creative fingers 3/3 anything goes

Simon says stamp Wednesday anything goes

Addicted to stamps and more 2/3 make your mark

Through the dark room door 2/3 anything goes

Crafty sentiments 3/3 anything goes
C.R.A.F.T 2/3 spring/Easter

All the Visible Image links are listed below

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. Do check out the Facebook LIVES and videos where you will be able to see lots of the samples we have been making with the new release in the flesh!

Their Instagram page can be found here

  Pinterest  here

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

There is  also a special Mindfulness section on the Visible Image  website here which has 30% off, just perfect for crafters who are sending out cards to help raise people's spirits at this time. Visible Image is a small husband and wife team who are still shipping here in the UK and abroad for as long as they are able to . 

And yes my dear best friend received this card last week and told me that it did lift her spirits which was my very intention. I feel empowered by my crafting that during these uncertain times that I can give a tiny moment of positivity to someone's day. 

I do hope you might join us over on FB with this challenge. The link is above.  Perhaps you could then send what you have made to someone you care for and cannot see in person for now? 

Back soon,

Stay safe and stay creative,

Bye for now,

Jane x

Wisley wonders

A few weeks ago I met my dear blogging friend Brenda at Wisley in Surrey. For those of you who are not familiar Wisley is one of the Royal Horticultural Society's gardens and is a real gem. My Hb and I used to go very regularly but I haven't been for about 6 years. Wow things there have really moved on..the plantings now are just gorgeous. These are a few photos from our lovely day.

A field of alliums.

Peonies the size of saucers.

and stunning alpines in the rock gardens.

Years ago my Hb and I bought a shrub from Wisely and could never remember its name...Brenda and I found it

 Cornus kousa var.chinesia ..a variety of dogwood

and here is my one at home...

We loved our visit so much that we already have a date in the diary to meet again in July and see Wisley in full summer mode.
For my card challenge today I am sharing a floral tag. The lovely girl dancer, nest and branch stamps  are by Rubber Dance. I coloured her with watercolour pens.

I added some Tim Holtz remnant rubs too and some die cut flowers and butterflies.
It sums up our wonderful day out.

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

Rubber Dance 1/3  colour challenge or make a tag
Pixie's snippets playground #328
Creative artiste 1/3 anything goes #39
Penny Black and More 1/3 in the garden
The butterfly challenge letter M I have gone with 3 elements, moss green, mint green and marble effect (I achieved this using inks, stencilling and blending).
Simon says stamp Monday anything but a card
That's Crafty 2/3 A summer's day
Craft stamper take it make it June



Thanks for stopping by and for your very kind comments. Enjoy the end of the week and have a lovely weekend when we get there.

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

Tove Jansson and the Moomins

In January I went to see a really super exhibition with my Mum and Dad at Dulwich Picture Gallery in South East London. I have waited until now to share this post as I made something from it for a very dear blogging friend'a birthday and I wanted her to have received it first. It was a very wet miserable January day when we visited but the poster advert really cheered everything up.

 Until I was 18 I lived in nearby Peckham and some of my good friends lived in Dulwich so I have visited the gallery many times in years gone by. In recent years it has undergone extensive renovation and it really is a little gem tucked away in South East London. If you are ever nearby it really is worth a visit.

and yes it even has an old London telephone box in its grounds.

 Who out there remembers Press button A and then Button B?

Gosh it took me back to my childhood. 

Photos are allowed inside but not for the visiting exhibitions. There are some gorgeous artworks housed there permanently.

I loved these Moomins stickers that were also part of the advertising

We had such a lovely morning and even spotted these lovely flowers in the Village Florist when we walked to lunch.

Now I have a dear Finnish blogging friend Mia who I met on line about 9 years ago through our mutual delight in all things Moomins. Mia makes delightful handmade things and over the years I have owned lots of her gorgeous work. Although Mia does not blog as she did years ago, she is more an Instagram girl, we still have a very close friendship and are in regular contact. Her birthday in March I knew just what I would do with the sweet Moomin Programme.

Yes....I would use it to make her birthday card. What was perfect is that she is such a "pink" girl that I had the colourway already there.

I got out my matching distress inks

and made a watercolour background adding some star stencilling in grey. 

I wanted to use the window idea from the programme so I die cut my own in black and white card to layer them up.

I decided my Moomin would be looking out from the window to a moon lit starry night so I die cut a man in the moon and some stars using my Tim Holz bigz die.

and then it was time to put on my creative hat and put my ideas together. 

Here is Mia's finished birthday card.

The sentiment is by Visible Image. 

Here are a few close ups

and one last shot

I really had fun making this and I am so delighted that Mia loved it when she opened it on Sunday morning. 

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

Pixie's snippets playground #321 I really went to town with my snippets with this card......cutting up the programme and all the rest of my die cuts were snippets too!

Allsorts 3/3 ladies only
Simon says stamp girl power Tove Jansson was the epitome of girl power in the 1930s and 40s..very ahead of her time!
Creative Inspirations 1/3 any occasion mine is birthday

let's craft and create 1/3 anything goes
Get Creative 1/3 fantasy
As you like it 1/3 single or multiple layers Mine is multiple as I love the  more realistic 3d effect you can achieve

Another week has whizzed by and we are looking forward to catching up with our babies tomorrow. Enjoy your weekend and I will be back bright and breezy on Monday morning.

Bye for now,

Jane x