Happy Birthday Elaine!

Its my Bessies birthday today so heres the card I made for her. Shes mad on Giraffes so when a docraft chum told me about this download I just had to have it to make her card. Hope she likes it - I dont see her till tomorrow!



The fabulous Midnight crafter is hosting a pressies on a budget day for our crafty chums - hop over to see what we are making tomorrow! May have more piccies for you then too!

Janet x

It didnt last long!

Well Ive had my freedom to drive the car for less than 2 weeks. Went to see the specialist yesterday about my vertigo attacks/ menieres disease. I have been keeping a diary so was able to give times, dates, type of attacks as well as how long they lasted. The upshot is I am to be referred for Vestibular testing with the liklihood it will take 4-6 weeks for the appointment and then back to Consultant for a diagnosis if there is one to be had. I had taken the DVLA form with me hoping to have some help filling it in but he immediately said "Oh no you cant drive - you are far too much of a risk with these attacks". So thats that. Cant drive again until attacks become controlled (if ever) PANTS PANTS PANTS. Looks like I wont be zipping over to Dys for classes again in the near future - even more PANTS!

week 11 a tutorial

Hop on over to Tuesday Taggers
where Emma and Michelle have shot a brilliant tutorial for our theme of "wall hanging" The Dt have come up with some fabulous entries too so do check them out!
And theres more - The Craft Barn
are also offering a fab £15 voucher for their online store as a prize for the lucky winner picked at random this week.
Heres my take on it - you may recognise the postcard bit!

Yes Im still feeling Christmassy! I decided to play about with some boxes covered with handmade paper that some craft supplies came in. Ive used a paint dabber and distress inks to cover the box then over stamped with Archival library green ink using a fir stamp. The postcard I had made for the distress week seemed perfect to add to the box. The lamp post is made of grunge paper and is a Tim Holtz stamp which I have embossed in gold then inked to colour it. It was then cut out and the edges inked some more before adding to the box. Ribbon and snowflake from stash. the snowflake was white but I used alcohol inks to make the colour blend in with all the others. The red glass dots were added for berries and are patties pretties by Kirsty Wiseman.

I havent added wire or ribbon yet but intend to do so. I like it so much I will def keep it for myself and once I decide where its to go I will add ribbon or wire then.

Hope the tutorial has got you fired up to use re cycled products too - the corrugated card was fabulous to use! My Fellow DT chums are soooo talented!

Happy Tuesday! Hope you are having a fun day x
Janet

A craft stamper project

I am a huge fan of the magazine Craft stamper and almost always find projects in there I want to try - this is such a project. Ive also seen something similar (but much more techniques) at Art from the Heart . Dy does a class on this which looks Ace! Heres why I needed the trip to Ikea for 15 mirrors!

Well this was in last Octobers Craft Stamper but I have adapted it as I didnt want to use stampboard. So I have used mountboard tiles instead.


40 of them to be exact at one and a quarter inch square. i then inked each tile and stamped using archival ink. I havent themed them just stamped random images from my collection. They have then been embossed and edged with gold krylon pen - adherred with silicone glue and once dry I have sprayed it with clear varnish. Oh I forgot I added a charm to one of the tiles using wire and a jump ring.

We did this as a project at last weeks craft club. Not sure everyone was pleased to be cutting out 40 tiles or getting messy, inky fingers again but i hope they let me see the final results as the stamped tiles looked fab!

So thanks Craft Stamper for another fab idea xx
Janet

Tuesday Taggers week 10 - swirls and curls

Dont ask me why but Ive really been head scratching over this one and only produced this last night! Its a small calendar. Ive not yet decided whether it will be a hanging one or not lol.
Its a piece of mountboard 6" x 4" coloured with distress inks antique linen, tea dye, frayed bulap then spiced marmalade. Its taken me a while to understand the layering with these inks but the colour is so intense when they are layered together. Ive then overstamped with frayed burlap using an inkadinkadoo stamp - this doesnt show up that well but ive then followed the swirls with cinnamon stickles dots. The flowers are the curls bit - my fellow teamie Michelle showed me a neat way of making these using a quilling tool. When I told my daughter I was stuck for ideas she suggested quilling for the curls bit - me and quilling have never really got on lol so this was a compromise! The leaves are just cut freehand and coloured with shabby shutters and the edges with frayed burlap before curling the edges with my scissors as you would curling ribbon. If you fancy investing in the distress inks (I love mine) any of the TT sponsors sell them check them out by clicking the buttons in my sidebar.


Me update - The doc says I can drive hurrah! I celebrated by going to ikea to pick up some mirrors for craft club tomorrow! We are having a go at our own version of a craft stamper project making little coloured and stamped tiles to add to the mirror - tomorrow we will be starting the project - cutting the tiles and colouring and stamping - hope everyone is up to it - some of my ladies are a little afraid of stamps lol.
Am off to spend the day crafting at my local craft shop and meet up with the lovely ladies there - it seems ages since I saw some of them it will be good to catch up! Ive got another calendar project I want to try so may have pics later to show :0) Hope your day is filled with fun too!

for my fellow teamie

Katy. I loved Katy's entry into the distressed week and as It was an atc she offered to do a swap. Ive never been good at Tryptichs - the story should follow through the atc - but I really wanted it so had a go whilst at Claxby.

Ive used the paperartsy bricks and mortar range along with basic grey cupcake papers. the laugh love live stamp came from ebay many moons ago but has proved to be a useful stamp, it fit just nicely into the paperartsy mini I used on the last page.
Anyway Katy has recieved it now and likes it so its safe to post its pic :0)

Hope you are all ok x Im back at the docs today. I hardly dare say ive had 2 weeks without an attack!
Janet

Tuesday Taggers - Texture

Chosen by the fabulous Emma this one had me thinking hard! After seeing the wall hanging in Febs craft stamper I have wanted to play with corrugated card so the weekend at Claxby was the perfect opportunity!
First I cut the card board to size - this was just some packaging from inside a box. I then pulled off some of the top layer in 2 corners then painted using a baby wipe - I used Blonde moments shimmer paint. I then over stamped using a Blonde moments background and inked the edges with black soot distress ink. I coloured some white card with fired brick distress ink and then stamped the paperartsy house - cut it out and mounted on black card. i have used a cropodile to add the eyelets then added a felt flower, metal flower then a brad and charm the the pearl brad to finish it off.

This was made for Jill at The stampman for being so kind to me a couple of weeks ago. Just a little thank you to say how much I appreciated her thoughts - hope she likes it!

Have fun with your Texture challenge this week - I look forward to visiting you blogs :0) Janet

Claxby Pics

So this is The Viking Centre where the retreat was held. The building used to be the village school.

What a tidy table! This is where we decamped to eat - and what amazing menus were lined up - we were fed like Kings xx

Different shots of the tables - not a tidy bunch of crafters but certainly the best company and so very talented!

Cant wait for the next one! We are meeting again at The end of November for a Christmas Pyjama event!

First of the bits I did I will upload tomorrow for the Tuesday taggers challenge!

have a fab day :0)

Quick one!

What a fantastic weeknd I have had - brilliant company, location and food - crafting from morn till night - bliss! My Mojo did return in fits and starts so I will share pics with you tomorrow x AMAZING! next one is booked already Christmas Crafting in Claxby - perfect!
Hope you had a fab weekend too xx

Going away

For the weekend on a Craft Retreat with some of the fabbiest people you can ever meet! Its been a long week so far - I seem to have to concentrate far harder at work lately though I do think its more to do with the young people I work with being particularly challenging at the moment. I have been hit, kicked, thumped an attempted bite and had my feet stamped on all in the space of this week so challenging is the word - the first 3 were from a young person who didnt want to wash his hands after using the loo and didnt like me reminding of it!

Thankfully as they are Young people it hasnt hurt me - my colleagues havent all been so lucky!
So a break in Claxby Viking Centre is just the ticket. Im going to take all my messy gear and hope I can shame my MoJo into making an appearance with all that lovely mess making stuff! If not then I hope the fabby gals and chap will give my MoJo a quick boost to get it going again! So hope you have a fantastic weekend - Im sure to have lots of fun surrounded by my crafty buds :0)
Janet x

Tuesday Taggers week 8

I just loved visiting your blogs last week to see the distressing going on - some fantastic ideas from you clever peeps!
This weeks challenge is to make something for your Best Friend - whoever that may be. We would like you to add sentiments too if at all possible.

We have a brilliant prize on offer from the folks at The Craft Emporium - take a look at this!

Click on the picture to visit the store.
Check out my fellow teamie Katy for ideas of what to make with these fabby papers

On to my tag.This is for a fabulous lady who has been a huge support to me the last few weeks - in fact though she has not been well herself she has kept in constant contact, been a listening ear and has made me feel very loved x
The tag is coloured with distress inks spiced marmalade and mustard seed - overstamped with a floral background on half of it. The Angel is coloured using promarkers and sakura pens. The sentiment I have had for ages - I bought it from ebay ages ago. At the bottom I have coloured some lace with mustard seed then added flowers and brads plus a little flower charm. an over sized bow to finish it off - I hope when she receives it she likes the bright colours which represent the cheeriness she has brought to me in these difficult weeks.



Hope she likes it xx

Do hop on over and take a look at my awesome teamies work at Tuesday Taggers
Janet

Flowers for the Dragons den

Been sorting out my sentiments so thought id make a tag for a special lady who I dont see often but will be meeting up with on Friday. Over at Dragons den the theme is a tag with flowers and at least 1 stamp so hope this fits the bill!
Paper by stampin up, flowers, brads and mini peg from stash - bought the stamp off ebay yonks ago so couldnt tell you where it comes from! Hope it will do!

Spent the afternoon with my bessie - shes been full of creativity whilst my MoJo has been hiding. Lovely sitting and chatting although after the weekend I am too tired to do much else!

Hope you are all ok xx
Janet

More Christmas

Did this at the craft session at my local craft shop. Papers are by Cosmo Cricket. I was bought this set and chipboard last year for Christmas so I thought id cover a clipboard and give it to my SIL who is a lists person! As part of the kit there are some tags which are double sided to write memories on so I added a pocket to put them in. Just need to find a nice pad to go with it.

My MoJo is still AWOL. I tried to do the colour create card at the craft session too but I just could not do it. Maybe I need to leave cards alone for a while. The weekend of 10th, 11th, 12th July I am going to a craft retreat to spend some quality time with crafty pals - hopefully their enthusiasm will rub off on me. Ive got quite a few "altered" projects I would like to try so am going to do those. As a consequence there will be less to blog about over the next couple of weeks but I will be popping on to see more of your stunning creations.

Thanks for stopping by x Janet