The nights draw in

It's now getting dark just after 6.15pm and the clocks go back in a few weeks time. However it's not cold yet and the trees in my neighbourhood are looking awesome.

Some are just beginning to drop their leaves

 Mother Nature is getting ready to feed the wildlife though the winter

 If you look closely at the photo below Daisy's Mr Skinny Legs our friendly garden spider is still spinning his web. Busy catching flies for his supper.

I have been making some more Halloween tags. 

For the base of this one I stamped and embossed a Graphic 45 spider stamp. I picked this fun set up in a sale in the summer together with some papers. 

I also stamped some words from my Tim set in Wilted Violet Distress oxide

and then as we do covered it all up...LOL!

Here is my next Halloween tag...the Tim sentiment is stamped in blood red ink. The paper is graphic 45. The sentiment is my old Nicecrane one. I textured the pumpkins and gave red eyes to the witches cat.

with a close of this fun spooky ghost...

BOO!

My tag was made for the following challenges;

Emerald Creek Dares freaky fun

Card mania 1/3 halloween colours

Pixies snippets playground #301/2

Double D 1/3 fright night

Happy little stampers 1/3 anything goes with dies

Frilly and Funkie 1/3 show us your stamps well most of mine got covered up!

Simon says stamp Monday a walk on the wild side

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I'm back on Friday with my STAMPlorations Guest Designer post as the challenge is starting up again after the long summer break. 

Bye for now,

Jane x

A Christmas card for those who find Christmas tough

Monday has spun round again and it's time for my Visible Image DT inspiration. Today I am focusing on the gorgeous new Christmas stamp release and designing with 2 sets;

The very poignant Christmas memories stamp

which I thought went perfectly with the left hand (arms crossed) angel image from the angels set and the angel word.

As you all know I am Mrs Christmas and adore everything about it. However I do understand that for some people this can be a very difficult time of the year. Particularly when they have recently lost someone they love. That first Christmas afterwards, I know from my own experience, is very tough. I sell my cards at Dotty's Tearooms in our local high street and I thought this card would be a helpful extra to sell there this year.

My design also uses the strobes stencil (these are all back in stock on the Visible Image main website). I think it makes a great sun/star burst and used it in the background of my card.

So this is what I made.

I kept my colour very upbeat and simple.

I gold embossed the angel word and added some gold to the border.

I blended distress inks through the stencil. I wanted the angel to be more of a shadow and I achieved this by using a gold metallic ink. The sentiment is stamped and embossed.

Here she is in close up, irl she has a shimmery gold effect.

All the Visible Image links can be found here;

Visible Image group page on Facebook. Our friendly Group can be found here ...it would be lovely to see you there. You can add work to the "Show and Tell" album where one randomly chosen winner each month wins a £25 coupon to spend on the website.

The main Visible Image Facebook page is here; there are weekly stamp giveaways...open world wide!

And the shop web site is here; where all these gorgeous stamps and stencils can be purchased. 

You can also follow via:

 Pinterest

Twitter

 Instagram

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

Simon says stamp Wednesday 3/5 anything goes

Deep Ocean goodbye summer

Ribbon Girl 1/3 October any card

Winter Wonderland 1/3 anything goes

Christmas at sweet stampin 1/3 anything goes

Christmas card challenges #22

Thanks so much for visiting me here today. It is only 84 days until the big day and I am getting myself into Christmas card making mode now that the evenings are getting darker. 

Time to light those candles......

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

Things are starting to get spooky

Good morning and happy October...autumn is really getting settled in and things will start to go bump in the night as we find ourselves hurtling towards Halloween. The weather has been very kind over the last week or so and we are still enjoying some warm sunshine. The trees have taken on their autumnal hues

and are dropping their leaves. Conkers have fallen like rain and lie like glistening jewels in the grass.

and in my garden golden hues are everywhere.

As it is the first of the month it is of course time for my next design team project for Country View and our brand new challenge. For this month the lovely Rachel has chosen very appropriately " Mixed media with autumnal hues". Remember that you can enter our challenge as many times as you like and combine with any other challenges. Your make can be anything creative! You may even be the lucky random winner of the £20 CVC voucher.

 You will find all the details here

  For my first piece this month I thought I would use a fab die as the focal on my mixed media card.....a hint of spooky things to come later in the month. I took some autumnal Paperartsy fresco paint colours

and brayered them onto some watercolour card.

I die cut lots of autumnal foliage as I will need some for all my October creating. I altered them with inks and stamping and gave some a crispy crackle with Crackle paste.

I added some  stencilling with my Tim harlequin stencil and distress oxides.

 The script stamping is my Visible Image Scripted streets stamp.

I added some gold Wendy Vecchi embossing paste through my Tim Holtz leaf stencil.

Then I added some die cut spider's webs. 

Then it was time to put my witches  creative hat on to put my card together. The fun die cut is by Cheery Lynn.

a couple of close ups

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

Crafty cardmakers 2/3  autumn
Cute card Thursday 1/3 trick or treat

Simon says stamp Wednesday anything goes

Creative Inspirations 2/3 anything goes
Crafty cardmakers autumn
Sweet stampin 2/3 autumn
Deep Ocean goodbye summer
That's crafty 2/3 forever autumn
Mixed media world 2/3 anything goes

 We really hope to see lots of you entering our mixed media autumnal hues challenge this month and remember you can find all the details and lots more inspiration from my CVC teamies  here .

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x