STAMPlorations 5th birthday June event and giveaway

Hello and a very warm welcome to this special post today. It is not my usual Design team post for STAMPlorations (all the challenges are on holiday until the autumn) but it's a super exciting one as 

we are celebrating STAMPlorations 

5th BIRTHDAY 

Many happy returns to the uber talented and most lovely lady Shery, who owns and designs for this fab stamp company.

There are so many amazing giveaways, sales and freebies that you really must check the links. For the whole of June Shery is hosting a 5th birthday event featuring a designer a day. We will share 3 of our favourite projects plus a newbie for visitors to CASE (copy and share everything). If you would like to join in and have a chance of winning a prize just link up your creations using the celebration linky over on the main blog here.  There are also lots of store specials too here . Some really awesome prizes can be won....over $500 dollars worth (this is open internationally). 

So today it is my turn to be featured as the designer of the day. You can see my post over on the blog here. I am sharing my favourite 3 cards I have made since I joined the Stamp and Sketch design team, initially as a guest designer and then a full design team member. I love working with these fab stamps and I struggled to choose my favourite 3 but choose I must. I am very much a "seasonal" card maker ie I tend to make bird cards in spring, seaside cards in summer etc etc as my inspiration is always from Mother Nature.  I have linked them to my original posts so that you can check out how I made them if you are interested.

They are in no particular order...so here we go.

Number 1

 from my original post here The trendy bird set is one of my all time favourites and I use it lots in my card making. 

 Number 2

I had great fun using an old map to showcase Shery's fab wanderlust stamps. This is the link here

Number 3

Those of you who know me well know that I adore everything about Christmas so I had to feature one of my Christmas makes and this one is my favourite. The original post is here

So what about my new card today? In my recent stash from Shery I received a fabulous summer stamp set which I have coveted for some time called

True North

The images are perfect for summer card making as are the fab sentiments which come with it. I have recently returned from a wonderful holiday in Majorca, a week by the sea. It was bliss.

This is what I got up to for my new card. 

There is no sketch or theme for the challenge but I decided to look through the STAMPlorations archives and find myself an old sketch to work with. I found this one from June 2017 

which I really liked working with. I actually find sketches are a brilliant starting point for inspiration. 

I got out my yupo paper and alcohol inks as they make the most unique of backgrounds.

I pounced on the inks, using blues and green to create the sea with seaweed.

I stamped the lighthouse onto a scrap of inky mop up watercolour paper

which I fussy cut out and added some more colour to

using watercolour pens.

I then stamped out a mask of the compass and added black and grey compasses across the page, using the mask to give some depth to my stamping. 

and added one of the sentiments.

To finish off I popped my lighthouse up on a foam fixer to give some depth to my card. I matted with navy blue card and used a Kraft card base.

So here is a photo of my finished card.

With a close up of the lighthouse and compass stamping

(I am giving this as an anniversary card to my darling Hb on 25th July when we celebrate our 37th wedding anniversary...he really is my true North!)

So if you would like to CASE my card just link up to the birthday linky here.  If (like me) you are not 100% sure what CASEing a card is there is a fab link  here  which Shery gave me and has kindly allowed me to share. It explains it perfectly, in my humble opinion. The best part of the explanation is to have a look at my card, look away and then ask yourself....what do you remember most......the colours, the lighthouse, the compass, the seaside feel, the arrangement of my elements etc. Just share what has inspired you, I would really love to see what you make!

Thanks so much for stopping by today, Happy 5th Birthday again to STAMPLorations, such awesome stamps which I have the absolute pleasure to design with as part of the Stamp and Sketch design team. Remember to check out all the prizes and giveaways over on the main blog. There are even prizes for just commenting on mine or any of the other designers blogs who are taking part, so do leave one here and good luck!

Also, outside of any other offers you can use my special code STAMPGIRLJANE at the checkout to get a 20% discount.

Congratulations to Shery and thank you for having me as a part of your talented design team.

Back soon, 

Bye for now,

Jane x

Final Creative Chemistry 103 homework and my giveaway winner

Hello and as promised this is my final piece of homework from Tim's Creative Chemistry 103. The wrap up day is tomorrow and everyone's homework has to be in by tonight.
It's the best  crafting $25 I have spent in a long time. He is a brilliant teacher and there is life long access to the course. That's win win in my books.

For my last piece of homework I made a card using backing made using his texture paste embossing technique.

This was my piece, I added some hot summer colours of distress ink again. The stencil is my TH lace stencil.

 I stamped put my Lady Rose stamp again and hand water coloured her... I love this stamp.

I then die cut some MB and Cheery Lynn floral die cuts. I also added some rose stamping to the edges of the card.
 I put on my creative hat and this is my finished card.

I love the way the embossing shines out as raised texture.

You will notice that I made this a thank you card....


This is a thank you to Tim for being such an inspiration as well as a kind, warm human being. I really like his style of teaching and I know I will never get to sit in a class of his myself so this has been the next best thing.

I would like to also link it up to the following challenges;

Stamping Sensations anything goes
Penny Black and More anything goes
A vintage journey stencil it
That's Crafty 3/3 zesty zing
Craft Heaven Shop Challenge 3/3 #14 anything goes
Happy Little Stamper anything goes with dies
Addicted to stamps 1/3 and more anything goes
Simon says stamp Wednesday go wild I have used wild African bush colours!!
As you like it favourite flower and why mine is the Rose because they look and smell so beautiful and I had them in my wedding bouquet.
Uniko flowers

This is also a thank you to everyone who commented on my 6th Bloggerverary post 2 weeks ago and entered my giveaway. Yes it's time to announce my winner...........

I put the names in a hat

and my Hb pulled out a winner who is

Karen P...well done to Karen and if you can send me you snail mail address I will send you prize out to you. My email address is in my side bar.

I'm sorry I can't send everyone a prize but I can say once again to you all

Thank you...

 for being such great blogging friends.

I have nearly finished my holiday journal and hopefully that will be the piece I will be back with next. Happy Thursday, the weather is picking up and apparently next week we will heat up to 36c and be hotter than Ibiza...bring it on!

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

Hot summer days in my garden and my giveaway

Happy August everyone and I am thrilled to be hosting the challenge over at Country View today. It's a first for me and I decided to chose the theme, " Hot summer days". I love the summer and I think that this theme is pretty open and can be interpreted in so many ways. Think gardens, bees, ice cream, holidays...you get the idea! You can find the link for your projects here
To me "hot summer days" screams my garden to me. I love the long hot days and evenings we can spend out there. My pots and my hanging baskets are looking their best and showing off their bold colours.

I decided for my 2 inspiration pieces this month to show 2 ways of using the same stamp...both with a hot summer theme.
Both cards are made with these 4 distress inks, even their names scream summer don't they?

 and the same gorgeous Wendy Vecchi stamp, spring bouquet.
I stamped and embossed the image in white embossing powder.

This is my first version I am sharing today. I added the inks to my craft sheet added some water and then got dipping and drying.

Once I was happy I added a little more of the same inks with a blending foam and distressed the edges.

  I stamped my Visible Image butterfly onto a piece of mop up card and cut it out.
Here is my finished card, complete with a few finishing touches...ribbon and a stamped and embossed sentiment.

I would like to enter it into the following challenges;

Simon Says stamp 2/5 Wednesday anything goes
anything but cute summertime fun

                                                           Crafty cardmakers 2/3 summer

Fancy and fussy 2/3  a walk in the garden 

Crafty friends 2/3  favourite embellishment mine is ribbon
C.R.A.F.T summer
We love to create 1/2 anything goes mixed media#16
The artistic stamper 1/3  anything goes

I am back with my 2nd inspirational DT piece on Wednesday. I have used the same stamp but made a very CAS card...do pop back then if you would like to see it.
I really hope you will join in with the challenge this month and I look forward to visiting all your blogs as I get to choose the Top 3 and the DT special mention!!

Remember that my 6th bloggerversary candy is running at the moment. The prize is 3 pieces of my handmade jewellery.

It is open worldwide to everyone. I never have any rules with my giveaways...it's my way of thanking everyone who stops by and reads Jane's journal. However by being a follower and sharing my photo you can get 2 extra entries into the draw. Just click on the link here or the photo on my side bar to leave a comment and good luck.

Thanks for visiting and for the kind comments you take the time to leave.

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

Now I am 6 and a giveaway

Wow.....6 years of my life have flashed past and I find that today that I am celebrating my 6th anniversary of my little blog. There are some of you out there who have been with me since my very first blog post in 2010 and many more have you have joined me on my creative journey.

There are just 2 words I can say at time like this...

THANK YOU

I so appreciate your support. I know that many of you are silent readers so I will wave to you and thank you for reading Jane's Journal. Lots of you take the time to leave comments, one special lady (yes you know who you are V) has left a comment on every single post I have ever written...barring when she is on holiday. I have made so many blogging friends over the years and some I have even had the joy of meeting up with in the flesh. This is such a great world to be a part of and I have found nothing but kindness, friendship and generosity here. 

THANK YOU

I am still the same happy blogger as I was when I set off on this journey 6 years ago. I have written 671 posts...that's a lot of words and photos.  My creative journey has wandered along many paths and I am still as keen to learn new techniques as I was all those years ago. I have shared thousands of photos, as you know my camera goes everywhere with me, capturing many moments in my life. Mother Nature is also a huge inspiration for me. I really enjoy sharing my photos and I know from the sweet emails and comments I receive that they inspire you too.

THANK YOU

So I have decided to hold a very special giveaway today. I an offering 3 pieces of my one of kind handmade jewellery to one lucky winner who's name I will pull out of my sun hat in 2 weeks time. I wanted to make something really bright and summery for you. 

So below is my photo of what you can win, which will be on my sidebar after today's post.

Below is a close up of the bracelet, made of freshwater pearls, shell and mother of pearl. All the fittings are sterling silver.

 The bag charm has 2 one of a kind glass lampwork beads.

 The dichroic (fused glass) earrings have sterling silver stud  fittings.

They will be presented in pretty organza bags. You can keep them or gift them to a friend. One lucky person will win all 3 pieces. I will post world wide.

I dislike any rules when offering a thank you giveaway so anyone can enter by simply leaving a comment on this post that they would like to be included in the draw.

However I always like to offer a couple of extra chances to my loyal followers and readers so;

If you are a follower, (you are welcome to join today) you can have an extra entry...please leave a 2nd comment saying so.

If you share this photo in a post, with a link back to here on your own blog or if you post the photo in your side bar, with a link back to this page, you can have a 3rd entry.
Just pop back with another comment and let me know.

I don't do the fancy link up thingy, it's just names in a hat for me!

My giveaway closes at 4 pm (British summer time) on Monday 8th August.

Good luck!

So my card today could be nothing other than a thank you card could it? I stamped and coloured one of Tim's flowers and used lots of layers of die cuts to create something delicate yet vintage......the sentiment is LOTV.

 There is some flower embossing too using a Visible Image rose stamp.

 and some faux stitching with my white pen.

I would like to enter it into the following challenges;

Anything  but  cute summertime fun
Little Claire's 3/3 anything goes
ABC L for lots of layers
Pixie's snippets playground #239 I have used lots of snippets of card...my frames and my glitter card hearts
Uniko flowers
Try it on Tuesday make us smile
Crafty cardmakers summer
Simon says stamp Monday add some texure
Penny Black and More Any stamp

And as my post title is taken from one of my favourite book of poetry and because at heart I really do not think I will ever grow up I will end with this sweet poem

The End (taken from Now We are Six by A.A.Milne)

When I was One,
I had just begun.

When I was Two 
I was nearly new.

When I was three,
I was hardly Me.

When I was Four,
I was not much more,

When I was Five,
I was just alive.

But now that I am Six, I'm as clever as clever,
So I think I'll be six now for ever and ever.


Thanks for visiting today and as always for taking the time to read Jane's Journal and leaving your kind comments. I  won't be stopping blogging now that I am Six and I am certainly not clever..LOL! However if you can keep young at heart and you will never, ever feel old.

Here's to many more happy years of blogging. Cheers to you all.

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x