Still snowing on my blog in August

Wow what amazing weather we are enjoying again and it might be the hottest August bank holiday on record today. Temperatures are predicted to reach 32c. I hope you have enjoyed a great bank holiday weekend if you are in the UK and that today finishes it off perfectly. We spent Saturday on the beach at the south coast with our daughter and family. It was splendid.
We took our grandbabies to the beach for a paddle and shell collecting so that Mum and Dad could do some clearing ready for their building works.
There is nothing quite like grandparent time...

Well my Monday make could not be a greater contrast to the current weather as I am still sharing some samples using the new Visible Image Christmas stamps.

Today I am showcasing 2 sets.

Snowman Jack 

and 

Christmas backgrounds

This is what I got up to.
 I made a background on watercolour paper using Brushos and added some yellow Pixie powder for some sparkle.

Once dry I stampedt and red embossed the words stamp.

I also made a background using Sleigh blue Infusions.

I then cut the backgrounds to size and cut out an oval from the top layer using an old Marianne die.

Next I stamped snowman Jack and gave him a little colour with watercolour pens. I stamped his hat and scarf on paper for paper piecing.

Here he is

such a handsome chap!

I also stamped and cut out some of the sentiments from his set.

Here is my finished card

and a couple of close ups

and one final shot

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

Lil patch of crafting friends 3/3 anything goes
Rudolph's days  anything goes 1/1
Crafty hazelnut's Christmas challenge  anything goes
Christmas at sweet stampin 2/2  anything goes/snowpeople
Christmas cards all year round 1/3 add a tree

All the new release are available here now.

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.

 Thanks for stopping by,

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

Town and country Christmas Eve

Good morning, it's time for my Monday Visible Image design team make and I am sharing the 2nd of my Christmas samples using the awesome new Christmas stamps which were released on Saturday. They have been so popular and I have so enjoyed making my samples. 

Today's makes (yes I made 2 in the end) uses 2 wonderful sets

Christmas Eve

and 

sentimental Christmas

I wanted to showcase both the wonderful houses silhouette and the pine trees stamps.  I decided that making 2 cards would do this best.

So first up is how I made my "town" card. I stamped with black Versafine and clear embossed the sleigh and the search the skies sentiment from the 2nd set. I stamped the moon around Santa using Versafine Clair morning mist ( a grey ink). I then sprinkled on some "In the Navy" PaperArtsy Infusions and added some water until I was happy with the background. I then dried it off.

I repeat stamped the houses across the bottom of the background in Versafine Clair Morning mist first, then Paradise then Nocturne overlapping each layer. 

I added the little stars using gold ink. I also added some Frantage.

 This is my finished Town Christmas eve card.

with a close up showing the Frantage.

For the country version I used the same techniques but on a very different background made using the below ingredients. 

I embossed the stars in white glitter and the trees I repeat stamped using the same Versafine Clair colours as my town card. I used the same sentiment as it goes so well with Santa in his sleigh.

I added the large star in gold to this card which is in the Sentimental Christmas set.

Here it is.

I really love these 2 stamp sets.  There are lots of other sentiments in the Sentimental Christmas set which are beautiful and useful too. I have made a set of 4 cards using them which I will share at some point.

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

Cute card Thursday 2/3 add a quote

Through the craft room door 2/2 anything goes

A bit more time to craft 2/3 anything goes

Creative fingers 2/3 anything goes
Love to craft 2/3 anything goes

Lil patch of crafting friends 1/3 anything goes

ABC Christmas 2/3 p, q, r my R is for reindeer

Christmas at sweet stampin 1/3 anything goes

Crafty hazelnuts Christmas challenge anything goes

Christmas cards all year round add a tree

All the new release are available here now.

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.

 Thanks for stopping by,

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

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

A heartwarming story

Good Monday morning, I hope you all had a lovely weekend. We got home from our holiday in Sicily yesterday. Oh what a glorious week it was. This was the view we woke up to every morning, with Mount Etna in the distance.

and the wonderful village of Castlemola, perched right up on the hilltop (top right).

 More photos to follow very soon.

This is my 2nd post today, if you are looking for my Country View challenge DT post you will find it here.

This is my design team sample from me today for the new Visible Image release and today I am using the 

Just breathe stamp set

Now when I first saw this set I was delighted to see that it is "anatomically" correct; it really appealed to the medical side of me. As my long term blog readers know I was a Chartered Physiotherapist for 34 years until I retired 3 years ago and my darling daughter is a doctor. I got out my copy of Gray's anatomy, bought when I started my training at King's College in London . I started my training in 1979 and this was the latest edition at the time. Nothing was on line in those days and it weighted a ton!

I wanted to check the correct position of the heart

as it is many years since I studied the heart (I was a musculoskeletal specialist). As I flicked through the huge tome that it is, it reminded me of my daughter's very first work experience placement as a 6th former, still at school. She had written many letters to try to find a placement and 2 answered her requests, one a charming Cardiologist.  She shadowed him for a few weeks at Queen Mary's Hospital in London. He really took a shine to her and followed her with pride throughout her medical school training and even bumped into her again years later when she had been qualified a few years. He had always seen her potential to be a wonderful doctor. 

At that moment I had the inspiration to make a "anatomy specimen for my first "just breathe" sample.

 I also thought that using book pages would be a cool background to use.

As you know I have a copy of A tale of Two cities which I have cut up for many previous projects. I remembered that in my stash was a book page which I had already stuck onto a piece of card to back it, left over from the "Greek Tragedy" card I made 18 months ago for Visible Image. I thought that the glue being really dry, would make it the perfect page to use.

I stamped the thorax onto white stamping card and when I looked at it it really reminded me of my anatomy dissections up at Kings'. We learnt so much form those sessions and I gained a lifetime interest and fascination for anatomy. I got out my craft knife and scissors and decided to "dissect" one half of the chest and fussy cut the rest.

I used red embossing glitter when stamping the heart and then added Glossy Accents for a very 3D effect.

I stamped and cut out the words adding some detailing with glitter and GAs. 

I also stamped breathe around the page in red versafine and then noticed that the chapter was called "Calm in storm" so I thought my stamped words were most appropriate.  However things were going to get a lot more "spookily" coincidental as my make went on. 

I started to put everything together on a corrugated card background I made. 

As I went to stick the Immortal sentiment at the bottom of the page I laughed as I noticed the word "doctor" and found that it even fitted around the shape I had cut the sentiment. So there was the perfect spot to stick it.

But there were to be many more rather incredible coincidences as I looked at my finished piece.

I had no idea that a Doctor appeared in this book as I have never read it (it's an old copy my Hb gave to me) so that was extraordinary but when I look closely at the text  I had left uncovered I found the words; " Sent a letter" and "Doctor's hand"

I also saw "Doctor", " Daughter's" and "Beloved child" staring out at me. It was as if it was recounting my daughter's first work experience and her journey into her medical career. It really made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. How on earth did that page remain unused until that day and that those words were clearly visible around my finished piece?

I like the way the glossy accents really give the glittered heart a life like appearance...and look the word "kind" even shows through the lower ribs, under the heart which I had placed anatomically correct. 

Here is one last shot of my piece, which I dedicate to my wonderful daughter, such a caring, hard working and well respected doctor and yes beloved by me. 

This was a piece which was obviously just meant to be.

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

Simon says stamp Wednesday anything goes
Craft catz 2/3 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.

A little reminder again that I will demonstrating Visible Image stamps and stencils, including the new release,  for Stampers Grove at the Stamperama Show, at Newbury Race Course, this Sunday 7th July . If you are coming do please stop by and say hello. I really love meeting "virtual" friends in person. 

Thanks so much for stopping by today.

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x