A mermaid's tail

Good Monday morning, it's not a typo in my title but very apt if you read on. It is a very exciting one for me as I can reveal my very first sample made with new release Visible Image stamps. There are 9 amazing new sets including sentiments, something for everyone.
As regular readers of my blog will know I love mermaids and so does my sweet 5 year old granddaughter Daisy. She and are often say that we would like to be mermaids.
I love the seaside and there is nothing quite like gazing out to sea. This is a photo from one of our Rhodes trips...

I often sit on a rock on the beach and just lose myself in thought...and yes I would love to see a mermaid! No luck so far but I will keep you posted on that one!
In the awesome 9 new stamp sets being released is none other than a mermaid set called Mythical Mermaid and I knew that my first sample to make just had to be with her.
Mythical mermaid

I decided that I wanted to make up an underwater story to go with the fab sentiment.

I got out my alcohol inks, as these make perfect underwater backgrounds. I used glossy card stock, dripped on the inks and then added more with a felt.

Once dry I die cut a scalloped circle out of one.

I stamped and coloured Miss Mermaid with Zig watercolour markers and cut her out

While I was making some prototype practice mermaids I accidentally cut one of the prongs of the trident off so I removed it... and just look how cute she is stoking one of the dolphins. I will use this idea for a future project. There is nothing like a happy accident is there.

Anyway back to A mermaid's tail. 

 I stamped just her tail onto acetate coloured with alcohol inks, you will see why later on.

I stamped and coloured the gorgeous dolphin and shells and cut some out.

and also die cut some seaweed and a ships wheel and coloured them with inks.

Then it was time to put my Mermaid's Tail (Tale) together..(just indulge me 😉) I used foam pads between the 2 backgrounds so this card has lots of depth to it in real life.
So are you sitting comfortably?

Once upon a time there was a very beautiful a mermaid who lived in her shell lined cave at the bottom of the sea. There was always treasures nearby to furnish it with.  Her most recent find was the wheel from a ship wreck. (Don't worry she rescued the Captain...but that's another story). She often swam up to the surface of the sea and looked out toward the shore in the distance. Sometimes she sat on a rock and gazed out... life looked so different there.

She had a sweet pod of dolphins who loved to visit her and swim with her.
One day she decided that it was time to go ashore for ever, to see if she could find her rescued Captain.
With one flick of her stunning tail she was almost away..

However she felt the urgent nuzzle of one of her dolphin friends against her tail and a tap with his claw from one of the crabs. She stopped swimming and turned around.
She looked down and saw that her dolphin buddy was presenting her a with a gorgeous gold coloured starfish, balanced on the tip of his nose. He told her that she was the Queen of the Ocean and that all the underwater creatures needed her. He made her feel so special.
At that moment she realised that there was probably far more joy and beauty in her underwater world than she would find on dry land, even though her heart longed for it. Her underwater friends needed and looked up to her.

 Everyone, including the crabs (who tapped their claws together in unison) were so delighted that she had not deserted them. The pod of dolphins did a little dance among the shells and the crabs laughed at their antics.

And that the secrets of the ocean were safe...for always.

Here is one last shot

Thanks for indulging my little daydream.

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

Stamping sensations 3/3 show us your true colours
The Artistic stamper 1/3 by the seaside
Craft Stamper take it make it June anything goes
Happy little stampers anything goes with dies
Allsorts 1/3 fantasy world
Pixie's snippets playground #354
Creative artiste 1/3 anything goes
As you like it 1/3 favourite stamp brand and why? Of course for me it is Visible Image as they are just so very different to everything else...and the sentiments are just perfect too!
Cute card Thursday 1/3 anything goes

All the Visible Image links can be found here;

Visible Image group page on Facebook. Our friendly Group is here ...it would be lovely to see you there. You will see lots of gorgeous makes by the DT and customers to inspire your own creativity.

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

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

All the new release is available to pre order NOW here ahead of their 22 June release date.
And don't miss out as there is an offer of FREE WORLDWIDE postage until the release date. Just put the quote; NEWSTAMPS in at checkout.

I am busy making some more samples with these gorgeous new stamp sets...it may be a fairy story next week 😂 No don't worry you will be safe, one fairy-tale is enough!

Thanks so much for stopping by today.

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

Stamps and birthdays

It is the first Friday and June and of course that means that it is time for a brand new challenge over at STAMPlorations.

The theme for this month is a fun one,

 and a really cool sketch if you would like to try that.

The rules in brief are that you need to use stamping on your projects. You don't have to use STAMPlorations stamps to enter but of course we love it if you do! You can link up 6 times with new blog posts and you need to include the challenge graphic in your post. You can go with the theme, the sketch or both, the choice is yours. There are some fab prizes to be won too! 

This is the link to the challenge with all the info you need.

As always I used the theme and sketch and this is what I got up to.
I made an alcohol ink background using alcohol ink pearls. I then cut some pink and yellow card in the same shape as the sketch.

and stuck them in place

I then stamped one of the cupcakes and sentiment onto an oval die cut from the super fun stamp set
Birthday bash

This is my finished card

with close up of the focal. 

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

Love to craft 3/3 anything goes

Lil patch of crafting friends 3/3 anything goes

Through the craft room door 2/3 anything goes
Stamping sensations 2/3 show us your true colours

Remember if you would like to buy these stamps or any products on the website just enter my code STAMPGIRLJANE at the checkout to get 20% off on top of any current discount being offered.This is a direct link to the web site

It would be great to see you joining in with the fun and perhaps you might even be the winner of the $15 coupon code? Once again this is the link to the challenge with all the info you need.

Thanks so much for stopping by today,

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

Summer bedding colour

I  am back as promised to share my summer bedding photos. I bought the plants at the weekend and spent Sunday potting them up. It's always hard work but I know that I will get a whole season of delight so it is well worth it.

I bought 2 trays worth including dahlia, begonia, geraniums. It was a hot day so I worked in the shade of the sun brolly after my Hb and I had enjoyed an al fresco lunch in the garden. It reached 28c!

I have dahlia, geraniums, begonia

 nemesia, 2 tomato plants (gardeners delight variety of course) and lots more.

I also have a few fuchsia that have successfully overwintered so I used those too.

I managed to pot up 2 hanging baskets, 3 big pots and 2 small ones.

 A couple of close ups. I will get so much inspiration from these glorious colours. I gave everything a really good drink of water once they were in.

My card is not a floral one but a Father's Day card as 16th June is fast approaching. It is up for sale at Dotty's Teahouse, Carshalton High Street, SM5 2EP where my cards for all occasions are sold.

The image is a sweet vintage old Nicecrane one, sadly no longer trading. I stamped the sentiment and the scrabble pieces are also a download. The dies are by Cheery Lynn.

I would like to enter it into the following challenges.

Simon says stamp Wednesday anything goes 

Crafty catz 3/3 anything goes

Love to craft 2/3 anything goes

Lil patch of crafting friends 2/3 anything goes

Cardz for guys 1/3 Father's day

Everybody art 1/3 vintage

Through the craft room door 1/3 anything goes

Unicorn challenge For the men/boys

Crafty card makers 1/3 masculine

Crafting by designs 1/3 anything goes

I went to RHS Wisley gardens with my dear crafting/blogging friend Brenda Brown on Monday and the colours there too were amazing. I will share some photos soon. We have finally had some welcome rain now, my poor garden was parched. 

Thanks so much for stopping by today.

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x