A thank you blog hop for Di

Good morning, what a wild week is has been so far weather wise. We have had sleet, sun, rain, wind and more here. I have not been able to test my new camera out very much but I did take these photos the other day on my twice weekly walk to Dotty's Tea House, with my latest cards, via the ponds.

I've had a couple of questions regarding my camera...it is just a newer version of the cameras I have used for the last 10 years or so. It's a Panasonic DMC-TZ80 Lumix with a fab Leica lens. I have not edited any of the above photos. The only photos are edit here on my blog are my cards etc. I just don't have the time. So to answer another question I regularly get asked; No I do not use Photoshop etc for these shots, they are literally downloaded and added here. I just use Ipiccy to crop and watermark my card and artwork photos.

So back to the main theme of my post today. The lovely Di from Pixie's crafty workshop has run a fab challenge called Pixie's snippets Playground for the last 7 years. The current one is here and Darnell, a fellow playground playmate, has organized a thank you blog hop to help celebrate such a momentous occasion. I first "met" Di about 3 years ago and I have loved getting to know her through our blogging. Her challenge is to use up snippets of anything on our projects. She devotes so much time to the challenges and offers prizes paid for out of her own pocket. Thanks Di for your blogging friendship, kindness and generosity. Do pop on over and say hello to Di, she would love for you to join in the fun and games. This is the link to her blog.  Just say that Jane's Journal sent you 😃, she will welcome you with open arms.

Darnell suggested that we all post a snippets card on our blogs as part of a blog hop to celebrate this lovely occasion and to thank Di for all her hard work over the last 7 years. That is such an achievement, well done and thank you lovely lady. 

  

This is my card I am linking up made with all the snippets from a card I made here for STAMPlorations using their lovely stamps. So it is most definitely a snippets card! I used some book pages and a Noor die cut. The background is spray inks.

You can see the cards everyone else has made for Di over here on Darnell's blog here.. 

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

Crafty Catz 2/3 anything goes
Allsorts 2/3 friends

Cute card Thursday 1/3 critters
Crafty friends 1/3 animals/birds

Thanks so much for stopping by today and for the kind comments you take to leave me, especially when life is so busy!

I am back on Friday when unbelievable I have no less than 3 posts to publish. Yes a bit of a clash but plenty of Design Team work to share for Country View Challenges, STAMPlorations and a Blog hop for the Turner Syndrome awareness group..Stay tuned!

Bye for now,

Jane x

My review of 2018

We are into the last few days of 2018 and as in previous years I find this a really good time to reflect on the year that has past. I am so inspired by Mother Nature and always love to catch her at different time of the year in my photographs.

I think this is best shown as collages of the seasons I have lived this year...

Winter

...and yes we did have snow in February this year when the Beast from the East hit hard. Luckily it did not last too long. 

Spring

We had a cold start to spring but once April arrived things started warming up to produce some gorgeous spring flowers.

 Summer

I will never forget our long hot summer, the best since 1976. It surpassed the temperatures and hours of sunlight for that year too. We spent so many relaxing hours outside. My pots of flowers this year were magnificent thanks to the weather.

Autumn

 The long hot summer morphed into an Indian summer and we saw such spectacular colours during our delightfully warm, and sunny autumn.

Mother Nature really was at her best for 2018, it was a year to remember.

For my crafting I also put together a collage of some of my paper crafting projects...even I am a little startled at my stats because this is less than everything crafting I made. I also made quite a bit of jewellery at my silversmithing class.

I made;

348 one of a kind cards for Dotty's Teahouse where I sell my cards in Carshalton.
51 Christmas cards.
86 Design Team inspirational projects for my 3 Design Teams; Country View challenges, Visible Image and STAMPlorations.
2 birthday cakes: a tool box cake for Jack and a Unicorn cake for Daisy.
I was published 7 times during 2018 in 3 different crafting magazines, I made a least one project (for one I made 3 ) for each.
1 holiday album after our magical family holiday in Majorca.
At least 25 projects for TV, blog hops, Facebook lives, Creativation in the USA,  etc etc for Visible Image and STAMPlorations.
1 set of handmade Christmas crackers.

Gosh!

Here is a small collage just showing a tiny sample of my 400+ paper crafting projects during the year.

So my last project to share for 2018 has to be a card, as that is where my main crafting love lies. It is also a nod to Billy, my sweet cat who is my avatar and shares my blog and home.

I used the brilliant Curious cat Visible Image stamp set. I made a distress ink background and then coloured the eyes green and the nose pink, just like my Billy's.

Here's a close up

I would like to enter it into the following challenges;

Allsorts Thanks a bunch
Cute card Thursday 2/3 anything goes
Simon says stamp Wednesday anything goes
The house that stamps built 1/3 anything goes
As you like it 1/3 anything goes
Creative moments 1/3 anything goes

My card is also dedicated to you, my readers, as a thank you for all your support, visits and kind comments you have taken to leave me here during 2018. Some of you do this for every post I write 💕
My card is for sale at Dotty's Teahouse, Carshalton High Street, SM5 2AE. Dotty's is open every day other than New Year's Day.

I will be back on New Year's day as being the 1st of the month it's also time for my first design team post  for 2019 for Country View Challenges.

I will close with a very thoughtful quote from Edith Lovejoy Pierce;

We will open the book. 
Its pages are blank.
We are going to put
 words on them ourselves.

The book is called Opportunity
 and its first chapter is New Year's day.

See you on "the other side" and enjoy seeing in the new year in whatever way you enjoy. For those of you who have found 2018 challenging I hope that 2019 works out kinder for you. Life is definitely a journey and not a destination.

Take care.

Bye for now,

Jane x

My 7th bloggerversary and a giveaway

Yes it is hard to believe but Jane's Journal is 7 years old today!

7 years....844 (gulp) posts

7 years of wonderful blogging friendship.

261 loyal followers (and many more who have signed up and get my posts by email)

Goodness know how many photos....

This post is written to thank every single one of you who stops by here and reads my ramblings. I know that a lot of you are "silent" readers and I am waving to you today. Many of you also take the time to leave comments and there are a few (yes you know who) who leave comments on every, (barring holidays), post since I started blogging! 

Wow! What else can I say other than I honestly still love being a part the blogging community. I love blogging and it gives me a great deal of pleasure. I find it a positive, supportive and friendly place to be. I know that everyone has difficulties in their lives at some point but my ethos for writing my blog is to keep a record of my creative journey and hopefully, at the same time, put a smile on peoples' faces when they visit me here. I am a glass half full kind of girl and I believe that positive thoughts and words are contagious. My life has its fair share of ups and downs, the last few months have indeed had more than their fair share of testing times, but through it all I know that I am blessed and so thankful of the life I have been given.

Thank you for being a part of it. 

I am offering a small giveaway as a little thank you, with a choice of prize to the winner. This is open to everyone world wide...no gimmicks, no restrictions...just leave a comment that you would like to be included and your name will be put into the hat. As an extra thank you to my loyal followers I would like to offer you a second entry, just mention that you follow my blog (don't be shy if you want to join me today) or leave an extra comment. And if anyone would like to promote my little blog giveaway on their own blog or on social media, using the photo below, you are welcome to have a 3rd entry.
Below is the photo to use, if would like an extra entry. Just pop it into your side bar or share it in a post or on social media and let me know.
My giveaway is running from today and closes on 9th August at 4pm GMT.

There are 3 choices of prize for the winner, pulled out of the hat on 9th August. You may choose one of these;

• £10 gift voucher for Country View Crafts (Susan posts worldwide) to choose something crafty or put it toward something you have had you eye on.  Postage on your spend is free to any UK winner but if the winner is from overseas you will need to be be responsible for your own postage or other charges. I will send the £10 voucher by email worldwide. This prize has not been sponsored by CVC but I buy most of my crafting goodies from Susan as her prices and free postage are brilliant.

•  I know some of my dear blogging friends are not paper crafters so should you not have any use for a CVC voucher you may choose a £10 Amazon Voucher, sent by email.

or

• Some of you like my handmade bag charms, so my 3rd choice of  prize is the little cat bag charm, inspired by Billy and hand made by me using artisan glass lampwork one of a kind beads. I will post the bag charm worldwide. 

You don't need to make up your minds  re your prize choice yet, I will check with the winner after 9th August to see which prize they would like.

I can't send flowers so I am sharing these recent photos of my tiny sunny garden and my beloved studio, which give me so much inspiration

 and also a photo of my darling cat Billy who shares my outside space in the summer months.

 How easy it is to be inspired by Mother Nature.

Billy was caught napping on the garden table cover but instantly forgiven, he is just the best cat, my little shadow. He recently celebrated his 9th birthday 😺

My challenge project today is a thank you one...of course..
It's a thank you bottle tag I made for a good friend of mine who has stepped in to look after Billy at short notice several times this year. There was a bottle attached!

I used Distress Oxides for the background, a Tim Stencil and die cut sentiment and the long discontinued Bronte verse stamp by Visible Image which remains my all time favourite script stamp. I really wish Mark would bring it back...hint hint!!

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

That's Crafty 1/3 all things grunge

Fussy and Fancy 1/3 anything goes

Crafty Catz 1/3 anything goes

Emerald Creek Dares 2/3 sparkle/celebrations mine is of course my 7 year bloggerversary

Noor use die cuts

Happy Little Stampers (watercolour) 3/3 July
Artistic Inspirations 1/3 anything goes

Thank you again for stopping by and for making blogging such fun. Remember to leave a comment on this post if you would like to be included in my giveaway. Good luck to you all!

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

Thank yous

I really love our blogging community, everyone is kind and thoughtful. I have had so many messages, emails and cards to congratulate me and my family on the birth of our darling grandson Jack, who was born on 21st April. He is now 3 weeks old and although still so tiny (he was only 5lb 13oz at birth) he is putting on weight. When weighed a week ago he was 6lb 1oz so Mummy is doing really well with her feeding.

I know everyone has been asking how he is so here are a couple of photos from last Thursday and Friday when I went down to stay.

 Our darling Daisy is so grown up and is the most loving and caring big sister

 to her sweet little baby bro

We have a great friend who has lived in our road for over 30 years. She came to the rescue to look after our cat Billy at very short notice when we were going up and down to Southampton just before and after Jack was born. As a thank you I bought her a bottle of wine. I thought the baby feet logo was most appropriate and the wine is a gold medal winner.

As you can imagine time was pretty short at that time to make a thank you card so I made her a thank you gift tag instead.

It went down very well 😋
I have a full step by step of how I created this over on the Country View shop blog today if you would like to see. Here is the link . I used the wonderful distress oxides and some stencilling and added a stamped thank you.

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

Dies R us 1/3 shaped cards/projects
A bit more time to craft 1/3 anything goes
Artistic Inspirations 1/3 anything goes
Crafting from the heart 1/3 anything goes

Thank you everyone for your blogging friendship, I appreciate your good wishes very much indeed.

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

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

Thankful

The weather on Friday and Saturday was just glorious, we had real summer weather in November. I thought that at this time of the year, it was a good time to look around at everything that makes me feel so thankful for everything in my life. This is what I recalled from the weekend.

I was thankful..
That I could get my washing dry outside...yes I know it's a little thing but I love to see my washing out on the line

 I was also thankful...
 to be able to eat  lunch with my darling Hb outside sitting outside on our  sunny patio.

I was thankful....
 that I was able to finish potting up my bulbs and I will be truly thankful when I see them flower next spring.

I was thankful...
that our dear Billy was able to enjoy the garden too.

and he was very thankful....
that we left the chairs out after lunch and was able to get comfy.

We also had a special weekend seeing our beloved big and little babies.
I am so thankful.....
for time spent with our family on Sunday. My daughter, son, son in law and Daisy were with us.  I don't have any photos as I was too busy to grab my camera but there were lots of smiling faces and hugs. But I do have a recent photo of my Darling Daisy Jane who is coming up to her first birthday next Tuesday...how much joy this little person brings us, we are so thankful for her.

I am thankful...
for the beauty in Mother Nature at this time of the year. All around me I see warm and glorious colours and these inspired my card for my post today. My gazania is still in flower,

and my daisies.

and the false acacia is just turning from yellow to gold.

 It was one of those times when I just wanted to make a card and be thankful for all the positive things in my life.

I made an autumnal  background using my distress inks. I added some stenciling and script with my favourite Visible Image stamp. I also added some crackle stamping.

Next I decided to use a tree die cut which I coloured with distress inks and some corrugated card and dictionary paper for texture. I also rubbed some gold gilding wax onto the branches.

I die cut some Memory Box leaves, coloured them with my Distress inks  and added some crackle paint to some of them. I also added a Joanna sheen ivy die cut.

I also wanted to create some bountiful harvest for the Vintage Journey challenge so I used the idea of very clever Astrid from their DT for making pumpkins from 3 oval dies. Thank you Astrid for you creativity, I loved the effect.
So here is my thankful card with the crackle leaves and pumpkin added.

and some close ups.

 The tree is almost like a family tree....I added a few chit chat words and a LOTV thank you tag. And here is the little ripe pumpkin.

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

A vintage journey bountiful harvest
Visible Image favourite stamp I have several of theirs but I just love their Bronte script stamp
We do dobadoo enhance your dies
That's crafty hot and spicey
Fussy and fancy thankful
Cupcake Inspirations autumn inspiration
Craft Hoarders Anonymous for all that you do, we thank you
Pan Pastel add some bling
Papertake weekly anything goes
Loves rubberstamps anything goes
Simon Says stamp Wednesday anything goes
Simon Says stamp Monday the good old days I was think about my life, my memories and my family tree as I created this card and of course being thankful.
Sparkles Monthly fall/autumn colours
Party Time Tuesdays anything goes
Mixed Media challenge stamps I used stamps for my background and on the leaves and tree.

And last but by no means least I am so thankful for having such wonderful friends in my life including my wonderful blogging buddies here. I really do value your company here and your sweet comments, thank you to each and every one of you.

I do count my blessings. Life is most certainly a journey, the paths are often unknown and new but if we hold the hands of people who we care for, we get there.  We are often so busy that we fail to stand still, breath and be thankful. This quote really made me smile;

You're only here for a short while,
Don't hurry,
Don't worry
And be sure to smell the flowers along the way. (Walter Hagen)

Take care and try to look around at the positive things in your own lives too. It can be something very tiny but it is very precious..............be thankful...........and be sure to smell those flowers ;0)

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x