When falling leaves inspire falling snowflakes

We finally had our first frost during the week and it was enough to trigger the leaves to start to fall...........

carpets of them appeared almost overnight.

I stood mesmerised in the park watching them float to the ground

 Even some of the acers in their pots in my garden dropped lots of their leaves overnight.

All these falling leaves  make me think of a stamp that was in my yummy Design Team package that I recently received from Visible Image. In it is a lovely poem stamp about falling snowflakes. Here is the you can see it here

 I decided I would have my first play with decorating one of their awesome Monoliths with it. If you have not seen these before they have been designed by Mark and were a totally unique product, new to the crafting market last year. You can see them here. They are fab quality free standing MDF plaques which can be decorated on both sides and make awesome gifts.

 I took a couple of  process photos but I got so carried away with my painting play that there are only a few.

As I was using acrylic paints I just gave my Monolith 1 coat of Gesso. I then crushed up some tissue paper and adhered it to the plaque with matt medium.

I then got busy with adding some Decoart media paints and lots of spritzes of water and dabbing with baby wipes and my fingers. 

I also stamped my poem onto tissue and then added it to the plaque together with some some embossed snowflakes from their enchanting snowflakes set

 I also embossed more snowflakes on the reverse using a winter wonderland embossing powder.

and then it was time to add some festive die cuts and the one thing it just had to have..............

yes....of course..

SNOW 

The Monoliths can be left to flat pack but as I wanted a snowy base I stuck my base together permanently. My snow is a mix of Frantage, Decoart snow and Glamour dust. IRL it sparkles so much.

So here is my first Monolith,;for me it just had to be a Christmas themed one. 

Here is the reverse

and a few close ups...it's so hard to capture the sparkle at this time of the year....I loved the way the paints ran into the crackles.

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

A vintage journey cracking up I achieved my cracks using crumpled tissue.

                                                                         Noor 2/3 Winter
                                                               Anything but Cute  rustic glam

Everybody art vintage

Dies are us 2/3  thankful for nature

ABC Christmas 2/3 V for vertical
Addicted to stamps and more 2/3 holiday

Let's craft and create 1/3  winter

WOW embossing powders Boxes and gifts

Rhedd's Creative spirit altered art
Crafty friends 1/3 for someone special


Thanks for stopping by today and for the kind comments you take the time to leave. Enjoy your fireworks if you are having any. We plan to stay put this year and watch Strictly live rather than catching up as we often do on a Sunday!

Keep snug,

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

Early November mists

The mists have certainly been rolling in for the mornings but we still have mild days and my Hb and I enjoyed a long walk on Sunday.  The leaves were crunchy underfoot and we marvelled at how the trees are still turning colours, almost each day they look slightly different.

I got creative in my studio as I wanted to enter some November challenges including my #5 Funkie Junkie card.

If you would like to play along please check out her post here which gives all the details of the challenge requirements. The challenge is sponsored by The Funkie Junkie Boutique and you could even win one of the prize vouchers if you complete all 12 weeks.
This week I was inspired by Linda's use of holly and cut outs and focused on using these for my card.
This is what I got up to. I chose red and silver for my inky background.

 I  added some alcohol inks to some holly mirror card

 and then die cut my Tim Holtz holiday greenery..I love these dies.

 I also used the negative and stuck it onto green card

I then put on my creative hat/  Again I made 2 cards as they are for my Christmas fair at Dotty's. I will share the other one at some point.

I added some holly stamping to the background and some flicks of tarnished brass distress ink. I distressed the edges for a vintage look. The sentiment is Tim Holtz.

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

The Funkie Junkie 12 tags of Christmas 2016  #5

Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas challenge  2/3 anything goes #365

                                       Sweet stamping inspired by a book or song Mine is the song, "Have yourself a Merry little Christmas" by Bing Crosby. One of my favourite Christmas tunes.
                                       Allsorts 2/3 Let's made a start on Christmas

Noor Winter

Everybody art vintage

Dies are us thankful for nature

ABC Christmas V for vertical
Addicted to stamps and more holiday
Winter wonderland 2/3 frosty or well wrapped up I've obviously take the frosty route ;0)

Thanks for visiting me here today and for the kind comments you take the time to leave me. Enjoy the start of November and remember we're now counting down the days til Christmas...52...and counting ;0)

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

Seeing stars

Hello and welcome to November. As it is the first of the month it is the day for my Country View Design team piece for our brand new challenge.  For this month the lovely Rachel has chosen the theme stars. It is the time of long dark nights when we start drawing the curtains earlier and earlier in the afternoon. Rachel's lovely theme of stars for this month's challenge is perfect to shine some light for us.  I really hope that lots of you can join us. You can enter anything crafty with no limitations to other challenges or the number times you can enter. You can win a £20 voucher too so it's win win in my books! All the details can be seen here

The weather is so mild at the moment and I still have fuchsia in full flower...long may it last. I love the dew on these beauties.

The clocks went back on Saturday night so we need all the light we possible can. I decided to make something very sparkly for my DT piece, a fairy Christmas card using some very non traditional Christmas colours. I added lots of sparkle too.

I made my background with distress stain and then added and ink through my Tim Holtz star stencil

I stamped my Lavinia fairy

I added a little blue and purple around the edges and my Noor Christmas star die cut. Then I replaced my stencil and added some sparkle medium for extra bling

and Stickles to her wings for even more shine for a snowy scene.

Here she is again after drying with a TH celebrate sentiment in glitter card to add that extra sparkle for Christmas. Do you think that up there with the fairies, these stars then fall as snowflakes on earth...I do ;0)

 I have used this colour way and stamp for my 2nd DT card which is coming up on 27 November. You will see how very different 2 designs can look. Stay tuned.

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

Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas challenge  anything goes

                                       Sweet stamping inspired by a book or song I think mine is very  obvious..."When you wish upon a star" from Pinocchio ;0)
                                        Allsorts Let's made a start on Christmas
                                       Simon says stamp Wednesday anything goes



Thanks for visiting. Happy November everyone and yes I can say it now...only 54 days til Christmas...are you ready ;0) 


Bye for now,


Jane x