Spread joy not germs official blog hop

Hello and a very warm welcome to everyone, including anyone who may be a first time visitor, to my blog, Jane's Journal. Today I am delighted to be a part of a wonderful blog hop called Spread Joy not Germs (#spreadjoynotgerms on IG) which has been organised by Catherine Pooler of Catherine Pooler Designs and  Alexandra Stapleton-Smith of Hedgehog Hollow.

Their aim is to spread inspiration and joy to fellow stampers who are at home, alone, anxious or just bored during this awful pandemic which has taken a grip on the whole world.  There are 150 (yes seriously) bloggers taking part who are hoping to give you bucketfuls of joy and inspiration. We are all sharing happy cards to make you smile and perhaps inspire you to make a card to send someone to make them smile too.

 To add even more joy to the hop there are also some serious prizes up for grabs. Just look at the list below. There are over 30 generous small businesses who are sponsoring this hop.

Sponsor and Prize List: Catherine Pooler Designs - $20 Gift Certificate on each of the Brand Ambassadors' blogs  Hedgehog Hollow - one month free sub to the box with free us shipping Artesprix - Getting Started Kit Beacon - Product gift bag  Brutus Monroe - $50 GC CAS-ual Fridays - Win the new release - over $80 value Dina Kowal - Two $10 gift codes to Dina Kowal Creative Dress My Craft - $35 gift certificate Ellen Hutson - $35 Gift Certificate Greeting Farm -$25 Gift Certificate Heffy Doodle - £35 voucher for the store iCrafter - $20 Gift Certificate  Ink on 3 - $35 Gift Certificate Joy Claire - $25 Gift Certificate Miss Ink Stamps -$25 Gift Certificate Pear Blossom Press -$25 gift certificate Paper Sweeties - $50 Gift Certificate Polka Dot Orchard- $20 Gift Certificate Pink and Main - $25 Gift Certificate Rabbit Hole Designs - $10.00 gift code on each DT members blogs Sassy and Crafty Stamps - $35 Gift Certificate STAMPlorations - $25 gift code on the STAMPlorations blog + $10 gift code on each designer blogs. Taylored Expressions - $50 Gift Certificate Trinity Stamps- $25 Gift Certificate The Ton - $20 Gift Certificate (stamps, dies, ink or sequins) Unity - two $25 Gift Certificates  Whimsy Stamps - $15 GC on each of their Creative Team team blogs WOW! Embossing Powder - two gift vouchers £30 UK or Europe & $30 for US winner Xyron - Mega Runner, Refill & 1.5 inch sticker maker, refill If you get lost at any point on the hop and also to see all the details of participants please check out either the post by Catherine Pooler here or Hedgehog-Hollow's here

As with all hops we are asking you to leave a comment on the blogs taking part, if you would like to be in with a chance of winning. However you do not need to leave a comment on every blog to be able to win a prize. Obviously the more comments you do leave the greater your chances are for winning any of the awesome prizes.

I am one of the team representing the lovely Shery of STAMPlorations who is offering a $25 gift code as part of the prize pot but she is also offering a $10 gift code on each of the 8 designers who are taking part individual blogs! So that means that I will definitely have a winner on my blog from all the comments left here. That's win win in my books. 😃

The last day to leave a comment is 24 April and a list of all the prize winner will be available over on Catherine Pooler or Hedgehog Hollow's on 27 April;

(If you get lost on the hop or any of the links are broken you can also go back to their blogs where a full list of participants is available).

So after all that info I am sure you would like to see my "spread joy" Card" 😊

Here it is, I just love this sentiment.

As I usually do, I am also sharing a step by step of how I made it. I have linked to the STAMPlorations web site with the products I used.  So here goes;
I used a piece of yellow  watercolour card I had sprayed with twisted citron and squeezed lemonade distress ink sprays. When dry I added some circles through the bubbles stencil using transparent gloss texture paste to give some texture.

When they dried they looked like bubbles of shiny water.

To make the focal I stamped the cactus from the Succulently stamp set onto inky mop up card and then cut it out minus the spines.

I stamped the cactus again onto the base of the focal, which I had die cut using the smallest die from the Crazy running stitch nested dies. I also stamped the fun sentiment. I then decoupaged the cactus and pot in place.  I also used the Convallaria stencil to add some extra design interest to a piece of inky mop up card which I then die cut using the middle size die from the Crazy running stitch nested die set (As a little extra if  you are interested in buying any of these products you can use my unique code STAMPGIRLJANE at checkout on the website and get an extra 20% off everything, including any existing offers!) 

Here is a close up of the focal.

I finished everything off with a few of the Sparkly green shaker blend flat sequins and also distressed the edge of my card to add some texture.
Here is one last photo of my finished card.

Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope I may have succeeded in raising a smile and spreading a little joy? Or perhaps something in your own crafting life has brought you a little joy today; some new stash or you have tried a new technique?  Let me know in your comment  I would love to hear. And remember that your comment here could also means the chance of a prize as there will be a guaranteed lucky winner of a $10 STAMPlorations  gift code who will be randomly selected from all the comments left on my post. 

We will get through this pandemic.  Perhaps our lives may have even been changed in some way for the better?  We may become even more aware of living life in the moment and seizing every single day we have the pleasure of living?

I found this little non attributed quote on the internet

Joy is portable....bring it with you...

I would like to add a few words to it.....pass it on and
spread joy not germs!

I would also like to add happy photo from my garden yesterday, such joy to be able to soak up the sunshine outside.

Next stop on the hop is over at the lovely Sue Hastead's blog here

Remember that If you get lost at any point on the hop and also to see all the details of participants and sponsors please check out either the post by Catherine Pooler here or Hedgehog-Hollow's here

Good luck to everyone and let's all try to spread a little joy today. Stay safe. Thanks so much for stopping by.

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

Finding joy in the little things

We had a fab time at Southsea last week and the weather was really kind, sunny but not too hot. We had lunch at the 10th hole again which I have shared with you in the past so I didn't take any new photos.  If you missed it one of my previous posts can be seen via the link here This is a super lunch spot and I highly recommend it if you are in the area. 

Daisy and Jack had a super time in the swing park and I took a couple of fun snaps...just how much joy can a swing bring!

This was Daisy in the same swing park 4 years ago....bless!

Daisy took Jack down the slide too

It's the little things isn't it! You can also see that Jack is wearing his first pair of shoes...yes he is now toddling everywhere...and getting into places you would not believe!

You may remember me sharing photo of the swan boats on our previous visits... ..always tied up..

well on this visit I was delighted to see that people were out having fun in them.

I did offer Daisy a ride but she found the swings far more exciting!

I thought my card today should be just as joyful and fun. It is a new baby card for sale at Dotty's...and no before you ask there is no hidden meaning here with new babies in the family (other than my niece who is expecting number 2 in December). 

I love this Lili of the Valley baby quote stamp and it is a popular sentiment down at Dotty's.

The sweet animal die cuts are a sizzix set I got in one of Country View's sales a while back. The other dies are Cheery Lynn and Joanna Sheen.

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

That's crafty 2/3 animal magic

Penny Black and More 3/3 I spy something beginning with B My Bs are bird, beak, babies (stamp), brad, blue (brad and some of the flowers) 

A bit more time to craft 1/3 anything goes

Lil patch of crafting friends 3/3 anything goes

Time out 1/3 how bright can you be?

It's nearly the weekend again and I hope you take a moment to find some joy in the little things too. 

Thanks for stopping by and as always thanks for your kind comments too.

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

April mindfulness

Yesterday I was busy working on a project for a magazine with a very short dead line so I enjoyed a whole day, from 9am, creating. I have not yet got back to working in my garden studio, I am still working from the breakfast bar in my kitchen but I opened the back door as the sunshine was so beautifully warm. 

I was able to enjoy a cuppa outside and as I took a few mindful moments I revelled in seeing how far my garden has come along over the last couple of weeks. I could even hear the low buzzing of a bee,  looking for nectar.

I snapped these photos to share my few minutes of mindfulness. At this time of the year I just sit on my back door step.
 My magnolia is bursting into flower..it appears unscathed by the late snow we experienced.

 What is there not to love about a blue sky and blossom?

How good it was to see the shadows cast by the bright sunshine through my trellis.

I also felt such joy to see the bulbs I planted last autumn now flowering in glorious colour. I love the way daffodils turn their heads to face the sunshine.

and yes my tulips have flowered too.

For those few moments I was able to just still my thoughts and be mindful.  I recharged my internal batteries in that sunshine and appreciated how very lucky I am to be able to do what I do. 

I am going to share a tag I made using Tim Holtz products including a Distress oxide background. The dies are all by Tim and I think his chit chat words are brilliant.

Here are a couple of close ups.

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

Time out inspiration photo

Lil patch of craft friends 1/3 anything goes

Addicted to stamps and more 1/3 anything goes

Crafty catz 1/3 anything goes with optional spring

Emerald creek dares spring has sprung

The sky is not quite so blue out there today but it is still a wonderful spring morning, one to "stay simple".

Have a lovely weekend ahead...I have some very exciting things to look forward including flying...I jest not....and visiting the Stamping show at Ally Pally in London.
Enjoy yours whatever you do and I will try to fit my minutes of mindfulness in too.

I am back on Monday with my weekly Visible Image DT post. I am so looking forward to catching up with Helen and Mark Alexander, aka Mr and Mrs Visible Image at Ally Pally on Sunday. There will be lots of hugs from this delightful pair and a lot of catching up to do. If you happen to be going too I would love to say hello...give me a tap on the shoulder 😃

Bye for now,

Jane x

Few words needed

As promised I am back to share my buys from the Country Living Spring show I attended last week. My Mum and I were delighted by the quality of the merchandise available. I was actually quite restrained with what I bought but of course I had to treat my Daisy to some of the wonderful hand made clothes on sale. The dress I bought it completely reversible including the sash.  I also bought a few crafty bits to add to my card making and cake making stash and my darling Mum treated me to a gorgeous cashmere top.

Few words are needed............

Yes I know I'm a lucky girl.

My card today is actually a tag which I felt inspired to make on Sunday. It was a chilly but beautiful spring day and I had just returned from a sunny walk. I do feel very blessed. Our lives are so full of hopes and dreams which we strive for. However life is never easy and there are constant changes and challenges. Sometimes  to achieve this we do need to push ourselves into uncharted waters. I wanted to make an inspirational tag and looked through my Lili of the Valley Pretty Vintage quotes stamps. 

I chose this one

 and made this tag

Just to celebrate life ;0)

I had such fun making up the background using distress ink and a TH clock stencil. I die cut 2 Cheery Lynn seahorses (I was feeling in a summery mood ;0) out of book pages and Distress Inked them. I love the way the one at the bottom almost looks camouflaged. I also had a chance to ink up mu Designs by Ryn rising bubbles stamp and stamped it in both DIs as a shadow and then again in blue archival ink. I added a few words .....just hopes and dreams.

Here are some close ups

and one last view showing the ribbons I have attached. 

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

A Vintage Journey say it with words 

Hels Sheridan Sunday Stamper dreams

A little bit Crafty are we there yet?

The Squirrel and the Fox Inspired by a book my book is The life of Pi by Yann Martel

Cheery Lynn celebrate  I am celebrating life!

Fashionable stamping silhouette I love my seahorse silhouette, he is nearly camouflaged there ;0)

Country view Crafts paper chase

Flonzcraft just for you I certainly made this tag just for me

The Artistic stamper Letters words and numbers

Little Claires make a tag

Crafty Ribbons anything goes with ribbon

Happy Tuesday everyone and thanks for making my blogging life such a enjoyable one. 

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x