Wonderful Year

Hello, Crafters.

Yesterday's Christmas Fair was very disappointing as far as sales were concerned. Unfortunately, the weather was bitterly cold and I think it kept a lot of people away. If I wasn't a stallholder, I would have probably stayed indoors in the warm, too! But it was still the usual happy atmosphere there always is at this event, people were happy to stop and chat, and have a giggle or two!

Kellie, the owner and lady who runs the Pavilion, offered me the use of the hall if I want to do classes, and I also made a useful contact for another craft market organiser, too.

Today's card is quite a busy card for me, but it does make a lovely change! Maybe I should make more like this methinks! The sentiment is from the Wonderful Year Stamp Set which I received in my goody bag, when I went to the craft retreat in September. I've found it to be a really useful set to have. 

I started my card with a base of Cherry Cobbler Cardstock (CS), with a layer of Whisper White and a top layer with one of the designs from the This Christmas Specialty Designer Series Paper (DSP). I adhered all the layers together using Tombow.

I inked my stamp with Versamark, then inked it with Cherry Cobbler Ink. I stamped it onto a piece of Whisper White CS and quickly dipped it into my box of Clear Embosssing Powder. I heat set the sentiment using my Heat Tool until it had all gone beautifully shiny! I layered it onto a piece of Cherry Cobbler CS, and adhered it to my card front, using Dimensionals, making sure I left a bigger gap at the bottom for the Christmas Stockings.

I chose three Cherry Cobbler designs DSP from This Christmas. I stamped the stocking from the Santa's Sleigh Stamp Set, using Basic Black Archival Ink, once on each of the three designs. Then I used my Cherry Cobbler Marker Pen and coloured in the smaller stripe on each stocking. I changed to my white gel pen and coloured the top of the stockings.

Then I used my two-way glue pen to paint the top of the stockings, and dipped them into my Dazzling Diamonds Glitter. I did consider using the Mica Flakes but I thought it may be too thick on something so small. Although there is a die for the stocking in the Santa's Sleigh Framelits, I cut the stockings out by hand so my cut lines were right on the very edge of the stockings. As I cut them out, I deliberately cut off the hooks as I was planning to use a Rhinestone to hang the stockings up with.

I attached the stockings with a Dimensional on the bottom part and a Glue Dot at the top where it would be touching the sentiment. My final touch was to add Rhinstones to the tops of the stockings and three randomly on the sentiment.

That's about it for today's card. Until tomorrow, happy crafting.

JanB.

Another Wonderful Year

Hello, Crafters.

Have you seen the This Christmas Specialty Designer Series Paper (DSP) that's available in the Annual Catalogue? It's called Specialty because it's lighter weight than our regular DSP and it comes as a pack of 24 sheets. Anyway, the design I've used for today's card is my favourite design. Unfortunately, you can't see the full beauty of it but it is really lovely, and that is what triggered today's card - I really wanted to use this design!
As it's such a busy design, I decided to keep my image as a sentiment and went back to the same stamp set I used for yesterday's card i.e. Wonderful Year. This stamp set wasn't on my wishlist but we received it in our goody bag we received when we went to the Craft Retreat at the beginning of September, fortunately!

I started the card with a base of Very Vanilla Cardstock (CS), then a layer of Cherry Cobbler CS and a top layer of the This Christmas Specialty DSP.

There are two large sentiment stamps in this stamp set of six stamps and I chose to use the opposite one to the stamp I used for yesterday's card, which I'd heat embossed with Early Espresso Ink.
 
The three colours used for this set of DSP is Basic Black, Cherry Cobbler, Garden Green on a base of Very Vanilla. I chose my Marker Pens in these three colours and painted the image. I used Basic Black on WISHING and the two little "splash" marks at beginning and end of JOYFUL; I used Garden Green for YOU A and CHRISTMAS. This left Cherry Cobbler for JOYFUL and the two swirly lines above and below CHRISTMAS.

At one stage I, while I was painting CHRISTMAS, I managed to get some Garden Green on the line below, which was going to be Cherry Cobbler. I used a Blender Pen to remove the green from the area where it shouldn't have been! This is a tip that works brilliantly!
 
To put the card together, I started by attaching the DSP to the Cherry Cobbler layer using Tombow. Then I took two strips of the Cherry Cobbler 3/8" Silky Taffeta Ribbon, which comes as a duo pack with a roll of Emerald Envy ribbon. I adhered the two ends at the back on one end, 1.5" down from the top and the other piece 1.5" up from the bottom. I used my Grid Pad to get them in the correct positions and then adhered the other two ends at the back.  Then I adhered this piece to my card base. I die cut the sentiment using the second to largest Lots Of Labels Framelits. Then I

drew around the same Framelit on a piece of Cherry Cobbler CS and cut it our free hand to use as a layer for the sentiment. This comes up a bit smaller than the next size Framelit. It's not a huge difference, so if you don't like cutting by hand, I recommend you die cut the layer. Then I adhered the two together with Tombow and attached to the card front using Dimensionals, making sure they went in between the ribbons.

My final touch was to add two Metal Ribbed Pearls to either end of the image. Nice and simple but quite striking! Until tomorrow, happy crafting.

JanB.

Mum's Birthday Card Video

Hello, Crafters.

This morning I posted the video which shows how I made my friend Liz's 90th birthday card which I shared here with you on Tuesday, 20th. September 2016. 

I altered the card I made in the video so it's suitable for my Mum's 93rd birtday on 3rd December 2016.  - she'll be 93! I changed colour combo - this time I used Wisteria Wonder and Mint Macaroon. It's a long video because there are several big elements to it. I suggest you keep your finger on the Fast Forward button so you can give it a good workout!!

For today's card, I started with a base of Real Red Cardstock (CS), followed by a layer of Whisper White and a top layer of a stripe design from the Candy Cane Lane Designer Series Paper (DSP).

For the thinner strip actoss the centre, I started with a layer of Whisper White CS, then a layer of Real Red and a top layer of the spotty Crumb Cake from the same set of DSP.

I chose the sentiment from the Wonderful Year Stamp Set  and heat embossed it on top of the DSP using Versamark and Early Espresso Ink. 

I wasn't sure if that would work without scorching the DSP but it worked beautifully; I just needed some teddy bears to finish off my card. 

I took the small teddy bear stamp fom the Santa's Sleigh Stamp Set and stamped five of them. 

I die cut them all using the coordinatimg die from the Santa's Sleigh Framelits.

I cut the legs off three of them so I could adhere them peering over the top, and I adhered two more bears - full size  - standing either side of the centiment.

I painted over all the bears, using my Wink of Stella Clear Gliter Pen. A much easier card to make than today's vide card. Until tommorrow, Happy crafting. JanB.

 

Kim's First Project & Folkestone Edited

PLEASE NOTE: this post has been edited. JanB.


Hello, Crafters.

IMPORTANT NEWS: Clearance Rack has just been updated and there are some amazing bargains to be had. Chances are they will sell out quick. If you see something on there you want, don't hesitate, order it now - don't forget to come back and read today's blog, though! LOL!!

We had a lovely stroll around Folkestone yesterday before our leisurely drive home. 
Now for some photographs of Folkestone. I'm going to post the photographs and add comments to them individually. I hope you enjoy them.

Until tomorrow, happy crafting,

JanB.

Burlington Hotel - this is where the Craft Retreat was held

The Metrople Hotel on the left and the Grand on the right - built by two brothers
competing with each other to see who could build the best hotel!

Look in the little "house" at the bottom of the flagpole - you can see a light.
It was designed by Yoko Ono and is continuously sending out a Morse code
message across the English Channel to France and is saying Earth Peace.
It's a memorial to everyone who has died for peace.  

Plaque that explains Morse code above and paving slab below.

The message from Yoko Ono.

All in a line - the paving slab, the plaque and the Morse code "house"

Close up of Morse code light.

Another plaque explaining the next monument (next photograph)

19,240 individually number stones representing soldiers who died on
 1st July 1916 on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.

Knitted and crocheted poppies tied to the railings

The Short Step Centenary Arch - see plague after next photograph

Arch plaque.

Under the Arch is a huge circle of paving stones which names countries
who were involved in the world wars in alphabetical order.

Folkestone Harbour with the tide going out.

This is the dog-free beach.

This is the dog-free beach looking in the opposite direction.

This is the dog-friendly beach.

This plague is on the wall leading to the dog-friendly beach! LOL!

Water fountains that children love playing in
 - they were all at school yesterday!

The water- powered funicular railway. We have just three left here
in the UK - others have been converted to electricity!

The pipes on the side of the carriage is where the water
is added/removed.I hope you've enjoyed this quick tour of Folkestone!

I hope you've enjoyed this quick tour of Folkstone. ☺