Gin makes me smile in May over at Country View challenges

Happy May everyone...we are firmly into late spring now and I am loving all this daylight and warmth.  It's time for my second blogged design team make for our May 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 320 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. 

For May the theme is "Make me smile" so we would like to see you sharing something that gives us a giggle.  The prize this month is no less than 3 of the brand new Versafine Clair ink pads! More details at the end of this post. 

I immediately thought of one of my favourite stamps sets with some very amusing sentiments; the brilliant Visible Image Keep your gin up set and made this card

 The stamp set is on the website here.

and if you want them there are co ordinating dies too (these are currently out of stock but just email CVC and Susan can order them for you)

I used the  Squared stencil in the background

and a sentiment from the brilliant "Best birthday ever" set available here 

This is how it came together; I chose a distress re inker shaving foam marbled background from my stash. 

Using kitsch flamingo and picked raspberry distress inks I blended some colour through the Squared stencil.

I stamped the sentiment using Versafine claire nocturne. 

I stamped out the gin bottle onto inky mop up card and the glass and ice cube I coloured with distress watercolour pencils. I fussy cut everything out. 

I stamped the "splash stamps" around the card too using hickory smoke distress archival ink.

Here is my finished card.

with a close up

and1 final shot

I really hope that I may have inspired you to join in with the "Make me smile" fun. Do head over to the challenge on Facebook here.  Remember that this fab Versafine Claire ink pad prize up is up for grabs for one randomly selected winner. You will win 3 of the brand new colours...I wonder which ones they will be? The only downside of the challenge is that I can't enter! I can't wait to get my hands on them.

 Our 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. 

You still have 4 more days to enter,  before our  new June challenge starts. Don't miss out!

Bye for now,

Jane x

New cat giggles for our May Country View Crafts challenge

 Hello everyone, it's time for my first blogged design team make for our May 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 320 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. The prize this month is no less than 3 of the brand new Versafine Clair ink pads! More details at the end of this post. 

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. 

For May the theme is "Make me smile" so we would like to see you sharing something that gives us a giggle.

For my first card I have used the brilliant new Visible Image Cat-tastic cat background,  which CVC have in stock now here. 

I also used the ever popular "That lovin' feline" set too which you will find here

and the co ordinating dies. The dies are out of stock at the moment as they are so popular but if  you email Susan she can order them in for you.

Unless you have been hiding under a rock you will have seen that there is a brand new Visible Image release of 5 stamps sets and 5 stencils. Susan has them all in stock with FREE UK postage on all UK orders over £20

  This is my " Make me smile card". Read on for a full step by step tutorial of how to make it. 

I pressed some salty ocean , twisted citron  and cracked pistachio distress ink pads onto my craft sheet, spritzed on some water and mopped up the ink for my background. when dry I die cut 3 hearts inserts using my hearts dies from my stash.

I repeat stamped the background cats using my go to Versafine clair nocturne ink

I also stamped out 3 of the That lovin feline cats and die cut them out.

Using distress watercolour pencils I started to watercolour my cats,

building up the colour and then adding gold pen eye details.

I had fun poking them through the hearts, adding coloured backing card behind. 

Finally I coloured all the background cats' eyes blue.

Here it is finished 

with a close up of the hilarious sentiment from the Cat-tastic set

and one final shot.

I really hope that I may have inspired you to join in with the "Make me smile" fun. Do head over to the challenge on Facebook here.  Remember that this fab prize up is up for grabs for one randomly selected winner. You will win 3 of the new colours...I wonder which ones they will be? The only downside of the challenge is that I can't enter!

 The challenge is open worldwide.

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. 

I will be back to share another humorous make on Monday, 27th May.

Bye for now,

Jane x

You're how old?

Now I know most of you will be glued to the TV today to watch the Royal wedding but I still need to pop in today to share my 2nd DT make for Country View for our May "humour" challenge.
To make you smile I thought I would share a photo of Nan's wedding in 1928 ...just look a those hats!!! Sorry about the big watermark but I really do not want this copied. There is far too much of this going on in the crafting world at the mo!

Now our challenge is open to so many interpretations, from adding a funny quote, words, images etc etc. As always you can enter as many times as you like and combine with any other challenges. It's win win in my books. Your make can be anything creative too. You may even be the lucky random winner of the £20 CVC voucher.

All the details can be found here

My card is one I made in a couple of colour ways for Dotty's teahouse.

I must admit I rarely use humour so I did have to put on my thinking cap. I decided to use a fab stamp set I won from a friend.

First I made a background using the Visible Image cogs stamps from the Ahead of Time stamp set.(this is the white colourway)

I then die cut lots of Tim Holtz cogs in all sorts of materials and also some numbers (not in the photo).

I then stamped the numbers from the Woodware stamp set around the edge and then embossed them. 

Here is the white colourway finished.

 and the green colourway.

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

Creative moments 1/3 anything goes
Crafty Catz 1/3 anything goes
Crafting from the heart 1/3 anything goes

Enjoy all the celebrations today. We have another date in the diary so won't see anything on TV so I'll have to catch up later. Have a great weekend and remember our humour challenge...we would love it if you could bring a smile to our faces as we visit your entries. 

Back on Monday.

Bye for now,

Jane x

Smile, it's May!

Good morning. Today we have reached May 1st and Mother Nature is in full flow around me. I adore this time of the year. Everything is bursting open 

 the trees are nearly back in full leaf

 and the blossom is everywhere

Of course it also means it's time for a new challenge over at Country View Challenges. For this month the theme is "Be humorous" Now that is open to so many interpretations, from adding a funny quote, words, image etc etc. 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

I decided that a new baby card would be very appropriate for this time of the year. First I took out a sheet of yupo paper and I added some blue alcohol inks. Sorry about the poor photo but it was taken late in the evening in my studio!

I have a fun baby quote stamp (long discontinued) which I use a lot (and sell a lot) on my cards for selling at Dotty's tea house. I thinks it really does make people smile.
I also used Tim's crescent moon and stars Bigz die and die cut a moon and stars from snippets of white card. I added grey distress inks to the stars plus a wink of Stella for some sparkle when dry.

I did the same with the moon but blended in some chipped sapphire too.

This is what I put together.

It is a sentiment which always raises a chuckle and is perfect for new baby cards.

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

Pixie's snippets playground #325 
Lil patch of crafty friends 3/3 anything goes
Crafty catz 2/3 anything goes
Simon says stamp Monday time out my entry depicts night time when the moon shines and the stars are out.


We would love to see you enter our "Humour" challenge this month over at Country View. All the details can be found here

I hope you all have a wonderful month ahead, "May time, play time" is what I always sung a primary school!

Now as the theme over at Country View Challenges for this month is humour I just had to share some really corny baby jokes;

How do you get a baby astronaut to sleep?
You rock-it

Eddie; "My Mum's having a new baby"
Sarah; "Why, what's wrong with the old one?"

What are baby witches called?
Halloweenies.

Now come on I bet that did at least raise the corner of your mouth into part of a smile 😂 Enjoy a great May.

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x