Tim Holtz's 12 tags of 2014 Jane's Journal style

Before I share my card inspired by Tim's November tag I really want to thank everyone for their sweet comments left on my last "Thankful" post. Your really are so kind. Thank you.

For this month's tag Tim stayed with an autumnal theme. This is the tag he created.

Yet again the products he used had me a little stumped as he used some bright coloured distress paints for his leaf background and a leaf die. His process is described in his post here
Now I have neither bright distress paints nor a large leaf die however.........as usual at this time of the year I am looking forward to Christmas, I thought I could use a Christmas tree die instead of a leaf  and 3 of the 4 distress paints I own. I was also inspired bu the corrugated packaging as it gives such a cool rustic effect. I have also some Christmas remnant rubs so I though I could use those too. And rather than the gold flecks that Tim used I would make it snow on my card!

So armed with my supplies I headed down to my studio and first cut out my tree from some corrugated card which I ripped from some packaging. I tried 2 different tree

dies and plumped on the more square edged one. Both are dies by Marianne.

I then made some brightly coloured backing card using iced spruce, pewter and forest moss distress paints. I love the way by adding a spritz of water they blend together.

 I also added some pine needles and evergreen bough distress inks as I needed a little more green.

I created a snowy Kraft backing card using 2 of my favourite snowflake stamps by Visible Image. I added a glittery embossing powder for a touch of festive magic.

 I then added some some remnant rub words. I love the Christmas version of these, you get 1 black and 1 white sheet in a packet.

I took the cut out tree, put it back into the "hole" (as a stencil) and added some embossing ink through the gaps. I then sprinkled on silver embossing powder to give the appearance of tinsel.

Next I added some colour to the corrugated card. I thought it looked a little like a log cabin view so I added some wood coloured distress inks.

After putting the die cut down which I had used as a stencil I then had a little light bulb moment and thought "why not use the actual die cut on my card too".

I added some distress inks to this too. I love the rustic appearance. I have been using corrugated card on a few pieces recently so I was very pleased to see Tim doing it too!

It was then time to put my creative hat on and put everything together.

This is what I came up with in my completed card.

Here is the cut out tree, with lots of lovely frantage added to represent snow. The snowflakes are remnant rubs.

and the actual cut out as a second tree.

I love the snowy rustic feel of this card and shhhhh, it has been squirrelled away for my darling Hb's Christmas card.

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges

Tim Holtz's 12 tags of 2014 November

Creative card crew Christmas joy

Christmas cards all year round no patterned papers

Artistic Stamper Christmas is coming

Bearly Mine Christmas cards

Penny Black and More anything goes

Stamping Sensations simply Christmas

Visible Image Favourite stamp this time I have used my favourite snowflake stamps

Jelly Park Christmas

Inspiration Journal Happy Holidays

Crafty Ribbons Christmas

I really enjoyed making my card and I thank Tim for encouraging us to explore our creativity. I really had to think "outside" the box for this challenge and I had such fun. Making this snowy scene also got me even more into the festive mood.

Now that Guy Fawkes' night is over I really can shout out loud..................................................................................................................................................................................

Jane's Journal's countdown to Christmas has begun...and there are only 49 day to go until my the big day...woop woop!

I am meeting my dearest friend Karen for our annual Christmas shopping afternoon today. She has taken half day from work and I have Thursdays off so we will be enjoying Ladies's Lunch, followed by some Christmas shopping and then afternoon tea. What a great day lies ahead....I have my list written.

We also have Daisy's 1st birthday party on Saturday and I will be putting the cake together after work tomorrow. Her card is made and written and her parcels all wrapped up ready for her birthday on Tuesday when her Mummy and Daddy are taking her to the Zoo. I will be back soon with some photos of the celebrations but on Sunday I will be back with my weekly Funkie Junkie creation as I am trying to keep up with them each week!

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

The Funkie Junkie's tags of Christmas week 5, Jane's Journal style

Welcome to November. The incredibly mild weather continues in the South of England and it does feel strange creating wintery snowy cards. Yesterday here in Surrey it reached 24c mid afternoon.This does mean though that I can keep working in my studio in the garden after work and also still see my pots in flower and the neighbours' trees in leaf. This false acacia is to the left of my studio and I just adore the colours of the leaves.

My acers are also looking beautiful

We have now reached week 5 of Linda of the Funkie Junkie's Christmas challenge. I am making 12 special Christmas cards.

Everyone is welcome to join in with The Funkie Junkie challenge which closes on 21st December by which time you need to have submitted all 12 creations using Linda's tags for inspiration. You can make anything at all. The full rules are over on her blog here . Linda offers 3 very generous prizes of gift vouchers to spend in her terrific on line shop, The Funkie Junkie Boutique. Do have a look at the link here .

Her inspiration tag can be seen here. I was inspired by the great black die cut she used, the pewter and silver colours and also the twinkling stars.

 First I decided on my colours to make the backing card and blended these together.

For my twinkling stars I reached for my amazing Imagination Crafts Diamond sparkle medium. I used my Tim Holtz star stencil.

 The photo is very dark as it was taken in evening but those stars really do shine brightly.

I also made a sheet of card using the same ink colours but I daubed Pewter distress paint over it which gave a lovely subtle sheen. Adding some water made everything blend.

I used this sheet to cut out some festive shapes and also decided to try some black snowflakes too.
I wanted a large image in the centre of my card and found a deer which I had taken off a Christmas card last year. Us crafters are such thrifty souls aren't we. I decided to add some sparkle to it using silver embossing powder and a snowflake stamp.

It was then time to put on my creative hat...................................
and here is my finished card.

I had great fun cutting black icicles and holly leaves too. I continued the shine by adding diamond rhinestones to all the snowflakes.
A couple of close ups.

Perhaps I should call my reindeer Rudolph the diamond nosed reindeer? He would certainly shine out in a dark sky!

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

The Funkie Junkie's 12 tags of Christmas #5
Bunny Zoe animals
 Crafty Card makers cut it out
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday anything goes
Party time Tuesdays anything goes
Crafty Hazelnut sparkle
We do doobadoo enhance your dies
Polkadoodles recycle it my deer is recycled from a Christmas card from last year.
Imagination crafts anything goes
Christmas cards all year round no patterned paper
The Artistic Stamper Christmas is coming
Bearly Mine Christmas cards
Emerald Faeries non traditional Christmas colours

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x