When is a sunflower a dahlia?

 Hi everyone, it's time for my next blogged design team make for Visible Image. We have been given free choice for this week so I thought I would make something summer garden inspired. I love dahlias, my granddad always grew them and there are now so many beautiful vibrant colours. I used the lovely Sunflower Grunge stamp set and transformed the sunflower into a dahlia. My granddad's dahlias were grown up against the garden wall so I also used the uber versatile Distressed Brick stencil to make this summery birthday card.

Photo 1

This is how I made it;

I taped the distressed brick stencil over a piece of square white smooth card. 

Photo 2

Using worn lipstick and frayed burlap distress inks I blended the colours randomly through the stencil using a round blending tool. 

Photo 3

I stamped the sunflower onto a scrap of white card using black Versafine Clair ink and clear heat embossed it. I then coloured the image using distress watercolour pencils. You don't need to be too precise as it is then cut out. 

Photo 4

I stamped the sentiments into the gaps between the bricks and stamped the sunflower in place ready to adhere the cut out flower on top.

Photo 5 

Below shows the cut out "dahlia" in place. For finishing touches I repeat stamped the little dots stamp and then added Stickles red glitter glue to the flower and randomly over the card.

Photo 6 

Photo 7

I'm hoping I have shown you how easy it is transform the sunflower into a dahlia. You could make this in so many different colour ways too. And if you enclosed a gardening gift voucher inside it would make the perfect personalised Birthday present for a gardening friend.

Photo 8

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.  I also organize the monthly artist trading card swap in the group. It is open to everyone worldwide. Over 170 members, worldwide, have taken part since it started over 4 years ago. It's been such fun and it's so lovely to receive a unique piece of art from your partner in the post. The details and sign up for each swap are posted in the group on the 23rd of the month. Our next swap is our 51st.  There is no "monthly" commitment, just join in when you have the time and if you live in the UK can you choose to post to the UK only if that suits you best. Do come over and join us, you will be most warmly welcomed. 

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 

You will also find lots more of my own Visible Image personal makes over in my Instagram account here; @jane.tyrrell

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

A Grunge floral card for Visible Image

Hi everyone.  It's time for my fortnightly blogged design team make for Visible Image. The theme this week is "Grunge" so I decided to use another of the new florals release for my Grungy card

I used Colourful life

 together with a very useful background set called Blocked up.

This is the card I made

and this is how I made it;

I used squeezed lemonade, salvaged patina and worn lipstick distress inks and roughly blended them onto a 5 1/2" square of white card. I then sprayed with water, allowed the inks to drip down and dried it with a heat tool (or leave to air dry).

Using these 3 Versafine Clair inks I used the medium and long solid block stamps in the Blocked up set and repeat stamped them over the background. I marked the word "colour" off and stamped the top part of the sentiment in black ink. I did the reverse and stamped it with red and clear heat embossed the whole sentiment.  I then stamped the bloom of the flower in black and its stem in green Versafine inks.

I stamped the flower bloom again onto a scrap of white card and cut it out. I added some glitter pen detailing to the centre and stuck it over the stamped image on the card. I also repeat stamped the circle stamp around the edges 

I then matted onto red and black card and finally onto to white square card blank. 

Here is my finished card once more.

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.  I also organize the monthly artist trading card swap in the group. It is open to everyone worldwide. Over 150 members, worldwide, have taken part since it started over 3 years ago. It's been such fun and it's so lovely to receive a unique piece of art from your partner in the post. The details and sign up for each swap are posted in the group on the 23rd of the month. The April sign up is open now until tomorrow, 27th March. The fun theme is "Feature a Creature". There is no "monthly" commitment, just join in when you have the time and if you live in the UK can you choose to post to the UK only if that suits you best. Do come over and join us, you will be most warmly welcomed. 

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

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

My November Christmas card workshop at Dotty's teahouse

Hello blogging friends I know I rarely post something that is not a design team make these days, but today is an exception as I have some very exciting news; I am going to be hosting a Christmas card Creative Workshop at Dotty's Teahouse in Carshalton, where I sell my cards.

 It will be held upstairs at Dotty’s on Thursday 24th November from 7.30pm to 9.30pm. We are planning a fun festive event in a small group setting.

You will learn how to make distress ink backgrounds using a mixture of sprays and ink pads. You can choose to create with traditional Christmas colours or go more contemporary, the choice will be yours.

The stamp set we will be using for the images is the beautiful Christmas Robin set by Visible Image stamps. I will also demonstrate stamping techniques and heat embossing and will share lots of card making design tips and techniques.

These tips and techniques will enable you to make your own unique handmade Christmas robin card. If there is time you can make a second (or take it home to finish). Everyone will also receive a little Christmas bag with some festive die cuts, papers etc to take home too.

Here is a little taster.

The workshop is suitable for beginners or those with crafting/card making experience. It is for ages 16 years and over.

All equipment will be provided plus a card making take home bag.

The cost, which will include a mince pie and hot drink, is £25

And just in case you are new to my blog;

+++A little bit about me+++

I have 30+ years of crafting and card making experience. For the last 6 1/2 years I have been on the design team for 2 UK companies (Visible Image and Country View crafts) and 1 in the USA. I demonstrate distress inks, stamping and paper crafts at craft shows, including the annual Alexander Palace Craft show in London. My work has been shown on TV and is regularly published in craft magazines. I am proud to have been Dotty’s in- house card maker and sold my cards there since the day she opened. Check me out on Instagram; @jane.tyrrell

If you would like to attend the workshop please book via the Dotty’s Teahouse website here. Or you can phone to book on 0203 754 4613. You will find Dotty's at 108 High street, Carshalton, Surrey, SM5 3AE. Carshalton railway station is a short walk away. Buses from Croydon, Sutton and Morden tube station all stop in the High Street.

Places are limited so please book asap if you would like to come.

Please feel free to share this info with to anyone who is near the Sutton, Surrey area and might be interested. 

I am so looking forward to the evening. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me by email via the link in my side bar. 

(PS and if you don't like mince pies I am sure that Dotty's will find you something else!) Ho Ho Ho!

Thanks so much, 

Bye for now,

Jane x

Creative Stamping Magazine, a double appearance in Issue #83

I am delighted to appear in two features in this month's Creative Stamping Magazine which is for sale now. I feel the best way to purchase this in these difficult times in on line.  Here are 2 links I can suggest (I am not sponsored by either in any way); https://www.craftstash.co.uk/creative-stamping-magazine-83.html  or here https://www.moremags.com/creative-stamping-magazine-issue-83
 I have a 5 card commission as part of the magazine design team and I also appear in a feature showcasing for Visible Image stamps.  I was delighted to get my copy  in the post this week, it really is a bumper one and I admit it is always a thrill to see your own work in print, especially as a double appearance. It came at a good time too and cheered me up after such a tough week.

This is the front cover with my Moon Gazing Hare card waving out from the bottom right hand side.

and the delightful free stamps which come with this issue called Enchanted Woodland.

Below is the "official magazine" close up photo of my Moon Gazing Hare card.

I am only obviously only allowed to share the "official" photos here and on social media to comply with copyright restrictions. 

I can't share the rest of my makes here, you would need to buy a copy of the magazine 😀,but I thought I would share one of the "extra" makes I made for myself using the stamps. When I am designing I make several cards and designs and often have one or two that I don't use and are not sent in for publication. 

Below is one of them where I used the gorgeous free owl stamp and some of the branches together with the Happy Birthday stamp.

The background is distress oxides on specialty stamping paper and the circle insert is coloured using  Infusions. I stamped the owl onto card, coloured him in and then raised him up with foam fixers. I continued stamping the branches into the inner circle to add to the depth of the card. 

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

Pixie's snippets playground #375 I used a snippet of card to stamp my owl on before cutting him out. 

Allsorts 1/3 something old, something new.... my old is my circle die I used to make my aperture, the new is obviously my new stamps.
Cute card Thursday 2/3 anything goes
Love to craft 3/3 anything goes
Lil patch of crafty friends 1/3 anything goes
More mixed media 1/3 anything goes
Sweet stampin 1/3 things with wings
We love to create 1/3 anything mixed media
Penny Black and More 1/3 anything goes
Crafter's castle 1/3 anything goes

Before I close I would like to thank everyone for the kind, thoughtful comments they left on my last post about Bear. I had not realized that even from afar, through my blogging and his visits here,  how much he was loved. I also received some cards and wonderful emails too...how thoughtful everyone is.  I am truly humbled and it shows how caring our creative world is.

Stay safe and thank you again.

Thanks for stopping by,

Back soon,

Bye for now.

Jane x

Christmas stamping for our November challenge over at Country View

It is time for my to share my 2nd design team make for our current challenge over at Country View Crafts. 

November has finally turned chilly and it does feel more like the count down to Christmas. I spotted this lovely decoration in a shop recently, it will soon be time to decorate our trees. 

The theme this month is to hand stamp the focal of your card, so no digis, dies etc please but you can use these in the background, as long as we can see stamping as the main focus of your card. All the details can be found here.

My first project was a transition tag from Halloween to All Saints day which if you missed it you can see it here. 

This make is a Christmas card using stamps by Visible Image. Remember that Susan of Country View Crafts offers FREE UK postage on everything with no minimum order. I used the Christmas Eve set (sadly completely sold out for this year) with the super cute Snowman Jack

 and a sentiment from Sentimental Christmas  

This is what I got up to;

I added Paperartsy sleight blue infusions to watercolour paper and spritzed with water.

I then masked a moon and added pumice stone and chipped sapphire oxides.

 I stamped Snowman Jack and paper pieced his hat and scarf. I coloured his features with watercolour pens. 

 I stamped Santa and the sentiment into the sky adding some gold stars from the same set.

 I created some snow drifts ready for Snowman Jack by adding some more pumice stone ink.

Here is my finished card.

with a couple of close ups

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

Sweet stampin 3/3 Make your own background

Addicted to stamps 3/3 anything goes

Mix it up 4/5 anything goes
Addicted to stamps and more anything goes
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas challenge anything goes
Penny Black and more 1/3 Christmas
Try it on Tuesday 1/3 Cold, cold, cold

I hope I may have inspired you to join in with our challenge. You can use any stamps/products, the choice is yours. 

You can enter our challenge as many times as you like and combine with other challenges. There is also a £20 crafting voucher up for grabs to the lucky randomly selected winner to spend over on the Country View Crafts on line store. Remember that UK postage and packing is absolutely FREE! All the details for the November challenge can be found here.

I hope your card making (or buying) is on track. I still love to send and receive cards every year. E cards just don't quite tick the box do they!

Thanks so much for stopping by,

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x