A vintage day

Hello and a very warm welcome to my blog. If you are a first time visitor via the Visible Image Facebook page you will discover that my photos of my surroundings and Mother Nature give me all my inspiration for my crafting. If you would just like to see my vintage wedding card just scroll to the bottom of this post. If though you would like to see how I was inspired.....read on........

I looked through my photos on file and realised that I had not yet shared my day out at the lovely National Trust property, Uppark in West Sussex in July. We enjoyed a wonderful day out there in with dear friends. Much of the interior decoration of Uppark were destroyed by fire in 1989  but it was restored to its former glory by the most incredible craftsmen. Luckily when the fire broke out most of the contents were rescued from the ground floor and saved.

Uppark stands in glorious grounds

I love seeing old kitchens, just imagine cooking here...talk about Upstairs/downstairs.

a tray had been set up for afternoon tea....one lump or two Madam ;0)

It must have been amazing to just ring the bell and be served this on a tray! I love the vintage lace cloth.
There was even a dairy where butter and cheese was made for the house.

With such pretty glass windows

This was the view

So looking at these photos gave me an idea for  wedding card I needed to make for Dotty's Teahouse..a very vintage one. By the way Dotty's won Newcomer of the Year at the recent Surrey Life awards. I am very proud to be able to say that I sell my cards at an award winning tearooms ;0)

For my card I used my new set of Visible image stamps..sent to me by Helen to use for my Design work

this set is for sale on their web site here
I used the sentiment to repeat stamp a background . I'm glad I took a photo as I then covered most of it up!

I used the poem, written by Helen as the focal. I stamped and embossed it onto my Craft Consortium papers. I used a  labels die to cut it out. I also made up a frame and a doily die cut in the same papers, mounting them onto card.

I stamped the lovely rose from the set onto book papers using archival inks and fussy cut them out. I finished everything off with a couple of heart pearls and a piece of vintage lace.

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

Penny Black and More 3/3 use a sentiment
Everybody Art anything goes
Simon Says Stamp Monday At the movies My movie is Muriel's Wedding.
Cheery Lynn Vintage You can see my English tea party doily die peeping out at the top and bottom of my card

Thanks for visiting me here today. I have scheduled this post as I am actually somewhere else....

Tee hee yes it's that time ;0)

Back very soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

Tim Holtz 12 tags of 2016 September..Jane's Journal card style

Phew what steaming weather we have enjoyed for the last few days here in the South. We're up to number 9 of  Tim's 12 tags and I must confess that although very clever technique wise, it was not one of my favourite of Tim's projects. He shared this technique in Creative Chemistry 103 so I had seen it in the summer.
Here is Tim's tag.

Yet again I struggled to find suitable stamps in my stash. I also only have bright coloured alcohol inks so I  decided to make a Christmas card. I need lots of stock for Dotty's as well as cards for my personal use this year. I went very off piste this month as I don't have many really solid stamps like Tim's man silhouette. I used my old trusty Visible Image Merry Christmas stamp as  I thought it might work with this technique.

 You will need to look at Tim's Blog here for the step by step but below is my version of the alcohol ink resist on Yupo paper. After getting the resist I decided to add a border of inks to my sentiment. I wanted a more floral organic feel rather than Tim's very masculine one.

I made a distress paint patina background

 and then added some more festive colours.

I then put everything together and below is my completed card.

I added a Cheery Lynn sleigh and holly sprig die cut and pink (yes very un me) holly berry gems and a little ribbon to finish everything off.
I would like to enter my card into the following challenges.

Tim Holtz 12 tags of 2016 September
Simon Says Stamp Monday At the movies My Movie is Santa Claus the Movie
We love to create 2/2  anything mixed media goes
Penny Black and More 2/3  add a sentiment
The Ribbon Girl 3/3 September card challenge
Addicted to stamps and more anything goes
Everybody Art anything goes
Mod  Squad what's that you say
Christmas at Sweet stampin Christmas die cuts

Thanks for visiting me today and for the kind comments you take the time to leave. I would also like to warmly welcome my latest followers who have joined me on my creative journey. It's great to see you here.

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

Hanging on to summer

I really enjoyed looking after Bear, my son's dog last week and we shared lots of long walks to all sorts of spots I rarely go to. The weather was very kind with no rain other than overnight one night.A very large wet dog is not fun!

He enjoyed sniffing around and I enjoyed the scenery. I noticed the leaves are beginnineg to change into their autumnal hues and there are lots of berries ripening ready for the birds for the winter.

I'm surprised though how many chicks have recently hatched. I wonder it they are 2nd broods of the season?

I have also noticed that the acers I grow in pots in my garden have changed into their autumnal colours.

I loved these seeded wildflowers on our walks

They reminded me of my Tim Holtz wildflower dies so when I got home I had a plan.

 Whilst bear "guarded" me in my studio ;0)

I decided to have a play brayering some distress inks similar to my Tim project last month





I had some left over pieces of die cuts which I also incorporated. I stamped and embossed a birthday sentiment

and made a wildflower inspired card ready for selling at Dotty's.

The house feels a little empty but it is lovely to have our dear Billy back downstairs. He set up camp upstairs as soon as Bear arrived, bless.

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

Pixie's snippets playgound #246 I used snippets of card for my die cuts.

Frilly and Funkie 2/3 things with wings

We love to create 1/2  anything mixed media goes

Ribbon Girl card challenge September

I hope you had a lovely weekend?  I was busy with some card commissions. I also got some gardening done yesterday as the weather was glorious.  We may have temperatures hitting the 30cs again this week.....we're hanging on to summer. Thanks for visiting.

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x