It's May already!!

Well here we are in May already and that means a new Challenge over at the Clarity Stamp Challenge Blog!
April has see some more fantastic entries and I hope the winner will be as overjoyed as our March winner,  Dawn!

And so to this months challenge. Its one to get your sentiments out for

It's all in the Sentiment.

So remember that you can only use stamps by Clarity Stamp Ltd but you can use any other crafty items - diecuts, masks, inks ,paints - to create a project.

Here is the card I made to give you some ideas....not that you need any!

 

As you can see I have gone this time for a monochrome effect and used fired brick distress ink to do all the stamping. I stamped the image of Beatrice and the tall wild poppies on to some water colour card and then used a damp paint brush to drag out the colour from the line art. I used the brush then to create a bit of colour in the sky.

 

This topper I mounted on to ruby red card stock as this toned better than other colours.














I cut out a border using a memory box die (Butterfly Vine) and after stamping a background onto my card blank using the Oats as seen on TV stamp I stuck the topper and die cut onto the card.

I then chose my sentiment and stamped it on to a piece of card, drew round it to create a shape then cut it out. I distressed the edges using distress ink and mounted it using some foam pads onto the card.
 

I hope you have enjoyed looking at my project and I hope it has inspired you to have a go yourself..You never know you may be lucky enough to win the prize of £50 worth of vouchers to spend with Clarity Stamps!

 

 

Happy Crafting

 

Jane xx

 

 

 

 

 

End of playtime!

Well thats the Easter Holidays over and its back to work on Monday
I do feel as if I've had a really long holiday this Easter...maybe with working right up to the thursday before Good friday....I dunno but its been a good holiday.

And I have now done another of those things I want to do....I had my hair shocking pink!!!...Its nearly all gone now...it might still be in a bit on Monday but hey!

I have also been doing more of my journal and will now share a few of my most recent pages.

The first is using the tall trees classroom stamp by clarity.
As soon as I saw it I just got Stairway to heaven running through my brain so I used it as a page

The background I did by just randomly dividing into sections and then colouring in with pencil crayons.












The next page I had a go at doing was using the Clarity Birdcage set. I love this set and it has endless possibilities












After that I thought I'd use the Indigo Blu BFF stamps and create something. I also used Ella Bella







The last one is a page using bits and bobs of paper I had in my bit box...well its one way to use them up! I also inked a bit andadded some twirls of paper string!!! Fun times!













I hope you have enjoyed looking today and I will be back to share more with you very soon. Let me know what you think.

Happy Crafting

Jane xx

I have an Award

I have had a tremendous day yesterday out with friends buying crafty stuff and chatting craft as we drank coffee. I got home to find my new clarity stamps on the counter in the kitchen and then I came on my blog and saw that I have been given an award off the lovely Linda Walmsley! Thank you Linda and I accept it graciously! I shall display the badge with pride.

Linda has a lovely blog and thats why she was given the award! and now she has passed it on to me! Why not pop over to her blog for a nosey! http://lindylou-lifeinthecraftlane.blogspot.co.uk/

This award is designed for blogs that have less than 200 followers. Once the award has been accepted, the idea is to pay it forward to 5 other blogs that you like to read and follow, and hopefully encourage others to visit, read and follow them too.

To accept the award you have to ......
Thank the person who gave it to you, and link back to their blog
Post the award on your blog
Give the award to 5 other Bloggers, with less than 200 followers and leave a comment on their blogs telling them they've been nominated.

Here goes ........ my 5 nominations are ...

Jo Rice. My little crafty friend. And its right what they say....good things do come in small packages!! Jo is one of the most modest of people I know yet she has great talent! That's why she is on the indigo blu design team and other DTs too. Her blog JR Crafts is at http://jr-crafts.blogspot.co.uk/ and well worth a look!

Linda Page. She is a lovely lady and a fabulous crafter. She designs for the Clarity Challenge Blog and makes some gorgeous cards. Her blog is Linda's Handmade Cards is at http://lindyloushandmadecards.blogspot.co.uk/. Another one worth visiting.

Louise Withers. I have known Lou for a number of years but only just become reacquainted with her through crafting and become firm friends. She is another one of the modest type but her work is fab! Her blog Lous Creations is at http://lou-withers.blogspot.co.uk/ and is a definite one to visit!

Sam Crowe. I met Sam through facebook and then met up with her for real at Harrogate. She is a really talented lady and her work is really Arty! Sam loves inkyness and that can be seen on the work she does. Her blog SamsHomeCookedCards is at http://homecookedcards.blogspot.co.uk/ and is a must for all you stampists!

Lynne Hammond. I think Lynne is one of the most inspiring talented crafters I have ever met. She does the most amazing cards and is so inventive with her work. I suppose thats why she is on the Clarity Stamp DT. And yet she is another modest lady! Her blog Lynne's Crafty Little Blog is at http://lynnehcrafts.blogspot.co.uk/ and has to be one you look at!


There you go. 
Congratulations ladies! 

If you choose to accept the award, follow the instructions, grab the badge from the top of this post and display it on your blog. Don't forget to link back here to show who was inspired by your work and awarded you the Liebster. xx

Have a good time crafting!

Jane xx

April Fool's....certainly NOT

Well its another month and so there is a new Challenge on offer over at the Clarity Stamp Challenge Blog...and what is is I hear you ask?

Well we have had some really bad weather recently and so the new challenge could be something that we won't have been doing much of!

In the Garden....

 
 
So here is my card that I did


and I want to say thanks to my friend Jo Rice who lent me the garden stamps. I didn't tell her why I needed them...just that I needed to do something with them! I also used my new bunny stamps to make the card


I was glad that I got the masks for the bunnies as it made things a whole lot easier!

I did the sky by cutting my own mask for the clouds....and made a note to myself to get a cloud mask as soon as possible!!
Here is a close up of the image!

I matted the image onto black and then stuck this onto the centre of a 21cm x 21cm card blank. I went round the edge with a fineliner pen and in the corner added the words In the Garden.

I then cut out 2 of the Memory box die 'Leafy Branch' one black one green and stuck it to overhang the image.






I hope you have a go at the challenge. Lots of people had a go last month and it was great to see all the fabulous cards and projects you all made.
Why not have a look at the Clarity Challenge Blog for more inspiration and believe me.... there is plenty there. If you have a blog you can enter that way, if not you can send in your entry via email.  Don't be shy!
The winner will be picked by random generator....just make sure that you only use stamps by Clarity Stamps.
I hope you like my project and I look forward to seeing lots of great projects from you all.

Good Luck and Happy Crafting.

Jane xx

Red, white and Black ...but still Indigo Blu!

I can't quite believe that a month has gone by since the last Indigo Blu Challenge.
I did enjoy the challenge and working in Blues!

This month it is words and phrases that are the focus so I had a look at the stamps I have and found a stamp I hadn't used yet in my box! Well I just had to make use of it for the main image on my card! It is the Ella Bella stamp

I needed a background stamp too and chose the bubbles one. For my words and phrases I chose the new plate of saying B.F.F.

I had an idea in my head and started off by making th ebackground by stamping the bubbles in flitter glu onto black card. I then used winter dawn flakes over this to create the background.


I also stamped in  Cranberry adirondack ink onto the ribbon so it could dry off before making a bow.






I stamped the main image and the two phrases in cranberry. Then I was ready to assemble the card.

 

 

I used an 8x8 card blank and laid all the pieces on to chack the design. Once happy with it all I stuck it all down and here is the finished result.

 

 

I am quite pleased with the result and hope you like it too! Please let me know below what you think.

 

Thanks for dropping by

Happy Crafting

 

Jane xx

Oh I have been a naughty blogger....

....and not been blogging much! I have just been rather busy and then been ill!

Well Its all rainy and awful here and I am still full of this terrible cold/flu!
Just had my first Lemsip of the day and thought that I would share a card I made for a friend who is not well at the moment!

I used the indigo blu clockworks set and a kaisercraft background stamp and masks to do this one. I also used the indigo blu crackle background stamp.

The sentiment I made on the PC as I couldn't find one I liked in my small selection of stamps!!! Ahem! Slight exageration there!

I know he liked it!

Oh well short and sweet but I need to sleep now!

Happy Crafting and stay warm and dry everyone

Jane xx

Anything Goes

Well The 1st March is now here and today we have seen the Clarity Stamp Blog Challenge go live.

Here is my DT card I made for it.
I wanted to use my new humming bird Stamps so I thought about how I could make it a bit different!

I got a piece of black card and stamped the large and small humming bird and some of the flowers large and small in versamark.

I then used mica powders in a variety of colours and brushed these over.



Once I had got this topper I needed to think about the background. I matted and layered it on to purple and jade green card.

The base card which is white i decided to use the humming bird to create a backing paper.

I used my splodgemat to create an ink pad and put 4 colours of distress inks on to the mat. I then stamped the humming bird into this ink and then created a background of humming birds.
I also used a blending tool and ink off the splodgemat through sequin waste to add to the  background

 

Once I had got my card and topper I assembled it and added a piece of narrow ribbon and some clear dewdrops to the corners of the topper and on the ribbon.

I was pretty pleased with the final card. And I hope you like it too.

 

Let's see you have a go at the challenge and remember......

 

......Anything Goes!!!!

 

Happy Crafting

Jane xx