Wisley Gardens in winter

I haven't had a chance to share the photos from my recent visit to Wisley Gardens so I thought today would be the perfect time. 

I love catching up with my dear blogging friend Brenda as we share a real love of gardening and so enjoy our seasonal visits to Wisley Gardens in Surrey. Our latest visit was in January and I must admit I thought there would not little colour around. How delighted I was to be so wrong. There were lovely colours everywhere.

Outside we saw the Witch hazel in bloom

 and this amazing tree, not sure of its name though.

Early daffs were in bloom

and even iris were poking up out of the undergrowth.

In the green houses the colours were so vibrant and the flower shapes so unusual.

So all these lovely colours inspired my latest Valentine's card which is heading down to Dotty's Tea House today.
I used some vibrant distress inks and the stamps are by Visible Image. I die cut some hearts and finished off with some sequins.

A couple of close ups.

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

The crafty addicts 1/3 anything goes
Double D 1/3 hearts
Creative inspirations 1/3 with love
Addicted to stamps and more 1/3 make your mark

As you like it 2/3 fave shape or fold and why Mine is a 7X5" card blanks as these are so much easier to display than square ones at Dotty's Tea House where I sell my cards.
Stamping sensations 2/3 all things bright and beautiful
We love to create 2/3 anything goes mixed media
Lil patch of crafting friends 2/3 anything goes
Crafters castle 2/3 anything goes
Penny black and More 2/3 anything goes with the option of tags
Fashionable stamping 2/3 anything goes

Thanks for stopping by and for your very kind and supportive comments you have been leaving me, they are really appreciated.

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

February, the love month

******Hello, this is my third (!) post today. If you are looking for my 1st of the month DT project for Country View you will find it here. The Turner syndrome awareness blog hop post for mid morning is here *********************

Because today is not only
the first of the month but also the first Friday in the month it is also time for my Theme and Sketch Design Team inspiration post for STAMPlorations. February is the month of love and the theme is very apt.

 The lovely sketch you can also work with is below.

The rules in brief are that you need to use stamping on your projects. You don't have to use STAMPlorations stamps to enter but of course we love it if you do! You can link up 6 times with new blog posts and you need to add our logo to your post. You can go with the theme, the sketch or both, the choice is yours. There are some fab prizes to be won too! The details are here

I chose to work with the theme and sketch and this is what I got up to;

I used this really gorgeous stamp set called Romantic expressions 1 Until 14 Feb there is an automatic 15% discount on this set and if you add my unique code STAMPGIRLJANE at the checkout you can get another 20% off! 

I got out my Oxides to make a blended pink background.

I added some water for interest and dried everything off. I added some faux stitching to the edge with a silver pen and stamped one of the sentiments (there are 3 lovely ones in this set) and some of the fun accent stamps. I also distressed the card edge.

I stamped some onto some white heart die cuts and coloured them in with gel pens.

I also added a glitter die cut heart for some extra texture. Here is my finished card

and a close up

I would like to link my card up with the following challenges;

Simon says stamp Monday love is in the air
Moving along with the times 3/3 have a heart

Simon says stamp Wednesday anything goes
Addicted to stamps and more 2/3  anything goes
Crafting from the heart 2/3 anything goes
Die cuttin Divas 2/3 anything goes
Crafty sentiments 2/3 anything goes
Cute card Thursdays 1/3 Valentines
Time out 1/3 photo inspiration I was inspired by all those fab hearts!
Craft Stamper take it make it 1/3 February

It would be lovely to see you joining us this month. Here is the link again. Remember the extra 20% savings, on top of any other discount being offered, on any order over at the STAMPlorations web site here just by using my code; STAMPGIRLJANE at the checkout. Shery ships internationally at very reasonable rates. 

Enjoy your February. At last the days will start to get lighter...hooray!

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

STAMPlorations love hop and linky party time

Welcome, I am delighted to be a part of the STAMPlorations love hop and linky party today. Shery has some gorgeous free digi stamps for you to download as well as some incredible savings on her love themed stamps on the website. The new digis below are FREE for you to download too. There are several designers taking part in the hop and if you leave a comment as you hop there are also OVER $100 worth of prizes in the form of gift certificates, products and coupon codes to be won! Oh and did I mention prizes too if you join in the linky party? Please check out all the digis and prizes details here  You really don't want to miss out. THIS IS OPEN INTERNATIONALLY.

 There is 15% off over at the website here  in the love/spring sections at the moment and if you add my code STAMPGIRLJANE at the checkout you can also take another 20% off your order. You can always save 20% off any orders at any time using my special DT code. Shery ships internationally too at very reasonable rates.

I used this great stamp set for my card.

Romantic expressions 1

This is what I got up to.
I stamped the background using the envelope using 2 different red inks and embossed them. I then added some silver pen to the hearts which you can see in my final photo.

I then stamped the sentiment into a die cut heart and added some ribbons and other die cuts,

Here is a close up of the fab sentiment.

Remember you could save a whopping 35% on this set if you use my 20% discount code STAMPGIRLJANE code on top of the current 15% off this set! Wow! Just enter my code at the checkout.  This is the link to the set

I would like to link up my card into the following challenges;

Sweet stampin 2/3 bright and cheerful
Cute card Thursday 3/3 banish the blues
Moving along with the times 1/3 have a heart
Artistic Inspirations 1/3 anything goes

Please remember to leave me a little comment to be in with a chance of winning one of the amazing prizes. Here are the details again and good luck.

Thanks for stopping by at my blog.

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane 

Revisiting Tim Holtz' tissue wrap technique

My long term blog readers will remember that for 3 years I took part in Tim Holtz' 12 tags of the year until 2 years ago when he sadly discontinued the challenge. I really loved learning a technique and turning his tag ideas into cards as that is my main love and have really missed this challenge.

I am part of a Tim Holtz Addicts Facebook page and I was delighted to see that the admin have decided to introduce a monthly challenge using one of Tim amazing 12 tags techniques. For January the brief is to use tissue wrap. I am going to try to take part in this each month as it really does spur my creativity and also gives me lots of new ideas and cards to sell at Dotty's Tearooms.

I had my crafting buddy, Daisy (my granddaughter) staying last week. She loves die cutting at the moment and she got out my Sidekick to make a sweet tag. She really loves the tiny side orders that are make specifically for this die cutter.

(Sorry about the blurry photo but it was just snapped with my phone). She adores glitter so of course we had to die cut using glitter card! She made this for her dolly Annabelle!

This gave me an idea to use another of the sidekick side orders for my tissue wrap card. So when Daisy went home I left my sidekick out. 

I have a few of Tim's tissue wraps and decided to use the Postale one.

 I added some collage medium to the card and then the tissue, scrunching some areas up to give some texture as per Tim's technique. Then I added various distress paints. 

I ended up with 4 pieces from my sheet of A4 card

I decided to use the red/grey background as I thought it would be perfect for a Valentine card. At the moment I am in full Valentine mode for Dotty's and I hope to get my cards into the shop this Friday.

Using my Sidekick I cut the little envelope in red and black card.

  I also used Tim's 3D mini provincial embossing folder to die cut some black edges which I added silver gilding paste to. It brings out the detail beautifully.

I also adore Tim's swirling stars die, I think it is one of my favourite ever dies and I use it lots. 

I die cut a starry background through the tissue wrap and matted it up on top of red card stock. I also used a my new die, the 3D laurel, leaf using aluminium tape (you will see this in the finished card). 

Below is the background after I had die cut the swirling stars...you can also use the stars you cut out, no waste with this one!

It was then time to put my card together...here it is;

with a couple of close ups, showing the laurel and the cute Sidekick envelope from the Love set.

The words are from Tim's thinlits sets; handwritten love and the & is from the Holiday words set. The hearts are Tim's Heartfelt Bigz. 

and one last shot

As well as linking up with the challenge on Facebook I would like to link up my card to the following challenges;

Try it on Tuesday 1/3 something old something new my old is my Postale tissue wrap, my new is my laurel die .
Frilly and Funkie 1/3 Inspired by I have of course been inspired by the master of crafting...Tim Holtz/

Crafty sentiments 1/3 anything goes

Cuttlebug mania 1/3 new mine is my new laurel 3D die

Get creative 1/3 anything goes

Simon says stamp Monday something new mine is my new laurel 3D die

Creative moments 1/3 anything goes

Crafting from the heart 1/3 anything goes

Love to create 2/3 anything mixed media

Not just cards 2/3 anything goes

Thanks so much for stopping by today.

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

Mother's day at Dotty's Teahouse

Dotty's is getting ready to celebrate Mother's day over the weekend with a special afternoon tea. The event has already sold out, which is not surprising as there is nothing quite like tea and cake with your Mum is there?

I took these photos when I nipped in to do my stock check, last week, before the customers arrived.

This will be a real hive of activity

and my Mother's day cards have been set up on their own special shelf (below right, top shelf)  next to the shelves that I normally sell from. 

Here are some of my cards, there are more in the window. (Edit; Since I took this photo some  cards from this photo have been sold)

Rebecca, Dotty's owner really has made this the most delightful place to spend a few hours. If you are ever near Carshalton High Street in Surrey do pop in.

My card today is another of my Mother's day makes using the Visible Image Mother definition stamps and words from written in the stars zodiac collection.

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

Creative Moments 1/3  anything goes
Time Out 1/3 Bold
Addicted to stamps and more 1/3 make your mark my background was created with distress inks.
Alphabet challenge 3/3 Y for your choice
Crafty Catz 3/3 anything goes
Crafting with an attitude 3/3 anything goes
Card mania 3/3  embossing, all my stamping has been heat embossed.
Simon says stamp Wednesday anything goes
Cute card Thursday 3/3 anything goes
Allsorts 2/3 ladies only

Thanks so much for stopping by today and enjoy the rest of the week. Compared to last week it has been positively spring like. I will be back on Friday and if you like The Moomins...you will enjoy my post!

Bye for now,

Jane x

More love in February

We are racing through February. There is so much going on at the ponds with the lovely wildlife. Just look at the love between the swans which I witnessed at dusk last week.

I am here with my 2nd project to hopefully inspire you to join our "anything but cute" February theme over at Country View. Remember that February is a short month so you only have another week to enter and possibly win the £20 crafting voucher to stock up on all the fab new products that have been arriving on the Country View craft website.

For my 2nd card I still kept to the love theme of my first card but this time made a general "love" rather than a Valentine's.
I made myself a metallic background using aluminium tape

and a knitting embossing folder. I used my heart Tim Holtz Bigz die and cut out and removed all the hearts. These will be useful for other projects.

I matted this up on black card

and dded some gilding wax

I then used another of the Tim Holtz hand stamps which I had spare from my first project. I fussy cut it out.

 I infilled a couple of the hearts with red die cuts and one with a little white heart die cut and a sentiment to finish off my card. 

We have seen some lovely anything but cute projects from the entries so far and would love to see even more. All the details for the challenge are here

I would like to join in with the following challenges;

Pixie's snippets playground #320

Crafty catz 2/3 anything goes

Creative fingers 1/3 anything goes

Get creative 1/3 anything goes/use ribbon

Creative Artiste 3/3 anything goes mixed media

Rubber dance stamps 2/3 colour board or hearts I went with the hearts theme

Crafty Calendar 1/3 2 or more layers

That's crafty 2/3 I heart you

Simon says stamp Wednesday add a die cut

Thanks for stopping by today and for the kind comments you take the time to leave me, I really appreciate every single one. A warm welcome too for my newest followers, it's lovely to see you on board my creative journey here. 

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x