Dont you just love meeting new folks

especially when they share your passion for crafting! here is a super blog of a very talented lady I have had the pleasure of meeting twice in the last 6 weeks. Her name is Susan - I do hope you enjoy your visit :0)

Christmas at the Clarkes

Another Christmas card class last night where the theme of Tim Holtz spilled over into next months theme of trees! This lush colour combo was discovered by one of my regular attendees - Alison. We were using Stampin up inks and Alison played with these colours - crumb cake, old olive and rich razzleberry. When the class was over I had a play myself and made this quick card. Stamped on cream which has the edges distressed lightly then inked with crumb cake (such a lovely colour) its then mounted on rich razzleberry card stock and onto a Kraft card blank. The trees are Tim Holtz and the sentiment butterfly kisses.

This is thin enough to go through the post on an ordinary stamp to so an extra bonus!

Thanks for the inspiration Alison!

Janet x

Try it on Tuesday All boxed up!

First of all huge thanks for all your comments last week - Rebecca was thrilled - really excited and said she felt she was famous! One very happy little girl xx

Onto this weeks challenge where we are decorating a box - any box. I was given some past times boxes after Christmas to play with - they are great as they have a magnetic clasp and are also a pretty burgundy colour.

I have added black card to the sides and top, seven gypsies papers, paper lace (have had that since time began LOL) and added a gorgeous image from crafty individuals.

Here is the inside of the box waiting to be filled and I know just the thing!

Well the sun is still shining here in Yorkshire - I hope it doesn't get too hot as I have lots of the dreaded H*******k to do today!!!

Hope your day is far more interesting than mine!

Janet x

Rocking my world Frida

A bit of a late post but I was on nights last night and was not organised at all! this week has trickled by with not much happening so i will be digging deep for my grateful s. here goes

1) As always my loving family who bring me joy each day, safety and security- without them I would be lost.

2)Lovely folks x - Crafting at Embsay on Tuesday with lovely people and again on Thursday. Today pipped the post as my fabulous friend Bobs came with hugs a plenty and sparkles in her eyes - truly one of life's most wonderful and treasured people xx

3) Chinese - yum yum - i have been a lucky gal and had 2 chinese meals at a local restaurant this week - blessed with wonderful company too what better way to spend an evening x

4) Freecycle - having received items over the last few weeks it was wonderful to be able to give this week - another thing avoiding filling a landfill site!

5) Followers. thanks so much wonderful followers for commenting on my Niece Rebeccas sun project in my last post - she is thrilled to be "Famous" and very proud of all her comments.

I wish I could have added the weather in my gratefuls but its been a miserable week of weather in the Yorkshire dales. I also heard of someone very dear to me facing another huge hurdle in their life - I would be grateful if you could spare a positive vibe or two to head their way - life is so cruel sometimes. Although this is not a positive I can honestly say it has rocked my world in the last 24 hours and given me a gnawing feeling of helplessness in my gut. I hope they know how much I love them both and want to take away their anguish. You know who you are and you are both very much loved xx

Janet

Here comes the sun or where is the sun thats the question!

Over on Try it on Tuesday we were hoping to celebrate the sun today it being the longest day and all that! I also asked my Niece if she could make something with the sun on it - she is 5 - lets just make the sun then she said! So here is her sunshine and I have to say its a pretty good substitute for the real thing!

It started life as this plain round box - first problem its blue
Rebeccas solution is to cover it in paper - here she is doing mighty fine for her age with those scissors!
Next she needed rays - Grandma to the rescue - bendy straws of course and with the help of the cropodile to make holes and a bit of squishing to get them in hasn't she done a great job? she didn't like the messy bit in the middle where all the straws meet so she then created a false bottom so she could hide things inside - What a girl! So here is the sun from Skipton.

Rebecca will be reading all your comments this week and is quite excited that people on the internet will be looking at her art work so if you have time to leave a comment it will make a little girls day :0)

Do stop by Try it on Tuesday and see what other projects the team have come up with this week.

Playing with miniature

I loved the workshops on Saturday especially the Oriental one so I decided to play around making it atc sized. Details of what I did are here

I used scraps to make the whole thing which was a bonus! and a freebie craft stamper stamp too - just goes to show you shouldn't throw anything away LOL.

Back to work today after 3 days off - could do with another week if I am honest - roll on July when I have 2 weekends away planned. Cant wait until the Claxby weekend and meeting up with the Claxby crew. 4 Whole days of total fun and creativity utter bliss!

Have fun today whatever your plans xx

Janet

Happy Fathers day and napkins

Today is always strange to me having lost my dad suddenly 17 years ago it can be very sad. I did however vow a few years ago that sadness would not benefit me in any way and the 29 years I had with my Dad were worth celebrating. I cannot change the fact he has gone but I can change how I view the whole thing. My Mum thinks I see my dad through rose tinted glasses but honestly he was perfect :0) no rose tinting needed :0) so cheers Dad - thanks for being wonderful each day we shared.

Onto some sharing with you guys now here is the napkin card project we did at Stamping club on Friday - the tutorial can be found here

I've used stamp man stamps - Kay Carleys funky flowers - coloured with promarkers and stickles added - frosted lace.
Here is the inside cover - all that punching was a nightmare LOL
Papers are elegant soiree by stampin up. This is the inside bit waiting for the message
and the back with my new personalised stamp which I love!

All the edges are distressed with brushed corderoy and I love the effect this gives. Despite the misgivings from the ladies at at the start we all completed our project with half an hour to spare - Brilliiant! This was our last Stamp man Stamping club so do check out the pages at the top for more info about our sessions. Thanks also to Kerry for the wonderful idea in the first place xx

Saturday 18th June at The Stamp Man

This will remain at the top until Friday 17th please scroll down for newer posts.

Its a very sad month for us here in Skipton as one of our favourite and long time shops closes its doors to go Internet and Show Only.

Jill and Ian at The Stamp Man have worked hard to keep the shop going but in this present climate the huge bills a retail establishment faces is just not practical. Rather than dwell on what might have been its a time to party and celebrate the fabulous shop they have created and say thanks for all the fabulous times time past and yet to come. The shop will be present on the world wide web as always and also at the shows they have gone to for many years so both will be still very with us in the crafting world which is Fantastic.

So on June 18th The Stamp Man holds a wonderful open day where customers can come along, share good times, get inspiration and grab a bargain from one of the best shops around.

Michelle and I are hosting 3 mini workshops which we hope showcases the wonderful array of products available at The Stamp Man so if you have the chance to join us it would be fabulous to meet you. Booking is essential as places are limited so we hope you can join us for some crafting and fun. check out Lovin ink for details of how to pay

Oriental hanging

10-30 till 12 noon

Cost £5

Recycled tags

12-30 till 2pm

Cost £5 please bring 2 clean drinks cans

Mens card and scrapling

2-30pm till 4pm

Cost £5

Am really excited about the day - Hope to see you there too!

The Stamp Man challenge - Butterflies and dragonflies

Exciting weekend at The Stamp Man as the open day is tomorrow! A new challenge too which is butterflies and dragonflies. I have used a well loved stampendous set with adirondack inks and distress ink. The ribbon was white so that's been coloured too. I am really loving Kraft card so have kept the colours to matt nicely with that. Its a piece of patterned paper underneath with the edges distressed and inked which just adds a little more detail.

As you read this we are at the Stamp man making a napkin card - hopefully I can show it to you very soon. Thanks to my pal Kerry for the wonderful idea.

Happy Friday x Janet

Rocking my world Friday

Hello fellow rockers and rockettes its the part time player here .....sigh

I have had an up and down week thats for sure! but here I go my top 5 grateful s for this week

1) As always my family - vertigo reared its ugly head last Friday - enough said - they looked after me so well x (pal Michelle too - where would I be without you )

2) Friends - as above Michelle but also new friends too ,as well as some old friends who have resurfaced. Facebook has been an amazing source of friendship this week - how wonderful to be a click away from someone - amazing!

3) New crafters. I have had 3 newbies to my Christmas card classes and they have all given me so much inspiration. I do love meeting new people and sharing - everyone has something to give and that little glint of inspiration can mean something works really well - I love it!

4) Work - you know a few weeks ago there was an issue and I was proud of my team mates for standing up and being counted - well lets just says the boss has had to resind his orders! When we stand together we are invincible - I wish I could capture the feeling and bottle it for low times but I am so very proud to work with the fabulous folks I work with - they rock!

5) Mr MoJo is back in the building or rather my head space he has been gone so long I had forgotten what he looked like - I do love crafting and need it for my mental well being so welcome back MJ :0)

Hope your Friday is rocking this week - do share it with us and Virginia at the Celtic House

Huge hugs and oodles of friendship Janet xxx

Butterflies at croaky towers

Over on try it on tuesday the theme is butterflies and as its the 2nd week in June its also Tag week. I am very late with this - I have a sick note though, I am loaded with cold and have a hacking cough - not great for the concentration it has to be said or for getting a good nights kip!

Anyhow better late than never. I have used adirondack inks and shaving brushes to create the soft background then over stamped in the same ink. The butterflies are paper pieced - I do love that little technique. A little fibre, butterfly charm and matting and layering and its done. the stamp set is pocket silhouettes by stampin up - if you only ever invest in one SU stamp set make it this one its soooo versatile i have used it lots. The sentiment is also from the set.

Hope you are all fit and well and enjoying a little sunshine whilst its here. A busy few days ahead so I hope the cold beats a hasty retreat for me. have a great day x

Janet

Such a slacker.... Weird and wonderful TIOT

Ive been slacking again! This is my late DT piece for Try it on Tuesday with a theme chosen by my gorgeous pal Georgina. Weird and wonderful was the brief so thats what I have done. A really cas card with the TH clock stamp, paper artsy cog stamp and then Mr Umbrella man die cut from some freebie papers. He has his edges inked to bring it all together then the sentiment is by hero arts. Unusual fro me its also an A6 card!
This is card week and we are sponsored again by our lovely friends at One stop card crafts - do stop by the Try it on Tuesday Blog for other weird but wonderful cards - what fun!

Ive been on Nights so am a little tired to say the least but am hoping for a fabby craft day on Thursday with my lovely chum Kerry as I have 2 commissions to make so thats something to look forward to. Happy Crafting folks x Janet

A little scrapping for a change!

This was our last project at craft club - a layout. I was actually the only one who followed a sketch but then thats cos the ladies who come are so talented anyhow they don't need help! We have not scrapbooked for ages so it was lovely to do this. the pics are of my daughter Megs 4th birthday - the cool thing is - see the 3 kiddiwinks in the top RH corner? These were all playgroup friends. Only one of them went onto the same primary school as Megs but they have all joined up again in their teens at Secondary school and become good friends again. I'm hoping to get a pic when they all come round for Megs birthday in October - they will all be in their 16th year!

papers I am not sure about - all the card stock is co-ordinations. the daisy die is from stampin up - love love love it! and the flower and swirl are from Mr Holtz sissix range. It was huge fun to do scrapbooking again so I think we will do more next month too!

Last night I went to see Take That at Manchester city stadium - absolutely amazing! I have NEVER screamed before but did all the usual whooping, squealing and general appreciation showing noises - they were utterly awesome - am hoping my SIL will be sharing some of her pics so I will post them when I get them. If you are going to see the tour - be excited NOW! it is fabulous!

Have a great day folks x Janet

Stamp Man Challenge? Go on then I admit it..........

This week I have run out of time. Why oh why are there only 24 hours in a day? I had one day off on Tuesday and I admit it I wasted my time frivolously! I went out for lunch with friends, drank wine, became a little squiffy so avoided the food shop and then slobbed in front of BGT - there I have confessed - will it be good for the soul I wonder???

Well maybe not because now I have started confession I have to carry on! - See the above pic? this is my DT entry for The Stamp Man challenge - excellent stamp set bringing an olde worldy feel to a mans card - especially watercoloured like this - However here is the confession.........
This is the card - put together by me but designed by my pal for the ladies workshop we run every Friday. The ladies have learning difficulties and have turned out to be excellent artists when it comes to colouring in - so just putting together a card plan and kit is perfect for them - they stamp, they colour, then put it all together. Today we were one short so I did a kit and this is it! So I am an imposter, a slacker and a cheeky mare for sharing this as a DT project (although I have not been so bold as to add it to the SMC blog)- Michelle thought I would not do it but time has been short today and BGT won again this evening( what a fab semi tonight was!) so my time was squandered idlily watching TV (after a food shop I must add) and now we are at the end of Friday. This fab little stamp set is available here at The Stamp Man and is a snip at £4-99 - If you fancy it give them a ring as I cannot find it on the website. Better still treat your self to a trip there before the shop shuts its doors - certainly worth every minute with bargains galore to be had! Will I sleep tonight I wonder for confessing my sins or will guilt keep me awake - shame I drank all the wine...................

The Stamp Man atc swap

A new month a new theme over at The Stamp man atc swap. This months theme is Trees. I have used the Habico oriental stamps this time - the branch is separate to the leaves so the tree has to be built up. I wasn't sure how it would look but am pleased how its turned out. The bird is also a Habico stamp but the friend is an old stamp from my stash - just thought the corner needed a little something!

Hope you play along with us again this month all the details can be found here

happy Creating x

Janet

Returning to cute!

It was my Friends Jules birthday on Saturday and today we went out for lunch to celebrate. I made her this very girly card - not sure if its quite her but I had fun making it! Jules does not make cards - she does cross stitch although not much these days. Anyway I wanted the friend sentiment on it (SU on the bow), Happy birthday (SU) and of course the gorgeous Tilda (thanks Kerry at least one girl has progressed from face and hair lol)
Kerry also gave me the gorgeous papers which are by die cuts with a view - more of a card stock really. The card blank is from papermania - loving the larger size at the moment. The lush flower and heart button are from another pal Alison - love them too so huge thanks. Shame there isn't a challenge for "things you were given!"
Hope she liked it!

I would like to enter this into the following challenges

Creative card crew - for a diva - this image reminds me of my little niece who is 5 and definitely a diva!

2 sisters challenge - anything goes

Stamp Something - Something sentimental

A spoonfull of sugar - Flower Power

And just Magnolia - Friends