Wedding album and acceptance cards

I always feel very inspired when the sun is shining and the weather is gorgeous today. Since I received the Jolly Nation Paper pack and saw this gorgeous Wedding decoupage I knew it would be perfect to decorate a Wedding album.

I bought a blank album at the Supermarket yesterday and set to work this afternoon. I used my Xyron machine to put adhesive on to the backing paper to get a nice smooth finish and then layered up the decoupage onto some shapes cut with Nestabilities. The letters are from a K+Co pack.
I had a tiny piece of backing paper left after making the album so I made up 2 tiny square cards that can be used as Acceptance or regret cards or to hold money or a voucher.

I had a very successful trip to my local craft shop today and bought far too many goodies, I have the whole afternoon to myself so am going to clear my desk and have a play with my new papers and stamps.

Have a nice Saturday!

Jane
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Nanny's brag book

I fancied doing something with my Jolly Nation decoupage from the Crafthouse Press so decided to put together a mini brag book, an ideal gift for a Grandmother. The decoupage image is so sweet and the backing paper has lovely colours.

The decoupage image is so sweet and the backing paper has lovely colours.

I used Nestabilities and my Cropodile to make the book and it was really easy to put together.

Jane
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Cupcake Craft Challenge 45

I wanted to make a nice colourful and cheery card tonight to give to my Nan and came across this great sketch on the Cupcake Craft Challenges blog.

I dug out one of my trusty Elzybells stamps and coloured it with Promarkers and paper pieced the dress.
I embellished the flowers with little gems.


I think the stripey paper was from a Papermania pack I got ages ago. I have never tried pink and yellow before on a card and I think it looks very fresh and summery!

Jane
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Another Challenge card...

I was in the mood to take part in another Sketch Challenge tonight so I chose to follow this lovely sketch over at Carol's sketch fun

I used some more of my Jolly Nation Christmas decoupage.

This image actually reminds me of my Son when he was little and used to have a massive stocking. Christmas was much more fun when the kids were little and they had much more exciting presents, it is all just books, cds and games for their games consoles now...

Anyway, I actually had a bit of a nightmare with this card, I discovered something new tonight...mirri board melts it you go anywhere near it with a heat gun! I wanted to stamp and emboss the greeting but I already had the image in place and all the mirri board melted on one side!

I took the card apart and trimed the mirri board back to get rid of the melted bit...and made a new greeting panel that I stuck over the mistake. Hopefully you can't tell now!

Off to bed now to read the latest issue of Simply Cards and Papercraft.

Jane
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Sketch and Stash Challenge 13

I made this cute doggy card using a Jolly Nation decoupage that I got last week from The Crafthouse Press.
I thought it would be perfect to use for the most recent challenge on the Sketch and Stash Challenge blog

The Challenge element was to use Animal themed stash so I used my 'neglected' DCWV Pets pad too. It it lovely and bright and I love the sparkly card with the bones on it.

I used some of my new Debbie Moore ribbon, it is just gorgeous! The sentiment and paw print stamp are from Elzybells.

Jane
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Nestabilities flower card

I made this card tonight at the Carann Crafters Workshop. I have been to the craft group twice now and it was really nice to be able to craft with other ladies.

Every third meeting, they hold a Workshop where they teach you a technique.
Tonight, we made cards with a Flower decoration made from Nestabilities.

We had 5 scalloped circles, 2 small, 2 medium and 1 large. The 2 small and medium size were folded 8 times to make 16 segments. One valley fold was cut to the middle of the circle and the circle was refolded to make a fan.

The flower was then assembled from all the shapes and stuck to the front of the card with a lovely paper flourish and a heart tag.

I had a lovely evening and I am really pleased with the finished card, was a bit worried before I put it together that it would look scruffy.

I will probably have a go at making a rosette using the same technique for another card design I have in mind!

Jane
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Princess Tippy Toes

I decided to have another play with my Jolly Nation paper packs tonight and fancied making something really girly! The pack comes with 4 easy to make cards which are basically small die cut cards that can be made up really quickly.

I thought it might be a nice idea to make the card into a note holder to put on the front of a big card. I made a small pocket from card and fixed it to the inside of the ballerina card. I then fixed some ribbon to the back and front of the card before building up the layers.
The bow can then be tied to keep the surprise hidden! I embellished the ballerina with a small fabric rose.

We had some excitement tonight, I bought the latest issue of Quick Cards and my son Jack is on the letters page holding his first ever decoupage card, it was a Jolly Nation card he made ages ago. He was quite excited to see his photo in the magazine!

Am going to the Craft Workshop tomorrow, we will be making a flower card with Nestabilities.

Have a good evening!

Jane
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Have a Jolly Nation Christmas!

I used the rest of the die cut sheet I started on yesterday and a bit more of the backing papers from the Half Price Jolly Nation Christmas decoupage pack from The Crafthouse Press to make these cards this morning.

I was amazed I made 4 cards altogether with using half of 2 backing paper sheets, 1 die cut sheet and a few odds and ends from my stash!
I always like to make a collection of small cards at Christmas as they are handy to put money or vouchers in for a last minute present.
This card was so quick to make, I layered up red paper, lovely sparkly vellum, mirror card and a square of white card and then popped the 3 holly shapes on top. I gave the berries a bit of sparkle with some Sakura pens but you might not be able to see that on the photo.

When finished I had one tiny Robin left so I stuck him on the inside of the Robin card!

The stamped Greeting is by Elzybells.

Off to my Best Friend's house this afternoon, we are going to be making Baptism invitations for her gorgeous Baby Son.

Have a good Saturday!

Jane
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My first Design Team card!

I know it's sunny outside but it is never too early to start preparing for Christmas! This card was made using a sheet from the Half-Price die cut Christmas decoupage packs from Jolly Nation. There are loads of sheets of backing papers in the pack and some lovely die cut sheets. I only used half of a die cut sheet to make this card and a tiny bit of backing paper so I have loads left for another project! As the decoupage is die cut it was really quick to put together as well. The brown spotty paper is from my stash, the ribbon is Debbie Moore and the sentiment is from Elzybells.

Jane
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Friends are like flowers that never fade...

It is my Best Friend's birthday next week, I finished off her card tonight and decided to make make a box for a gift and a tag to match.
I made the box using the Crafter's companion score board. It was a bit tricky as the card was quite thick and corrugated but the finished box looks great. I made a topper with the Elzybells flower girl stamp. Her dress is paper pieced with Dovecraft paper and she is coloured with Sakura pens and Letraset promarkers.
The Friends card is also made with an Elzybells stamp and Dovecraft paper. I love the pink and green colour combination!
I received some goodies from the Crafthouse Press today so am off to have a play with those now :-)

Jane
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Red and Green should never be seen........

Except on New Home cards! I was going to go to bed after blogging my last card but suddenly had an urge to make a red and green card with some of my lovely new ribbon. I thought this OneFourZero stamp would be perfect. I paper pieced the stamp and stamped the greeting onto a circle cut from my nestabilities.
I love dotty paper and this green is so pretty!

Must go to bed now, I will tidy my craft desk tommorrow......

Jane
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A snoozing ted Father's day card

I couldn't resist making one more card with my snoozing ted stamp! The papers are from a pack I bought in France and the ribbon is from Debbie Moore.

The Elzybells teddy and his chair is paper pieced and the heart button is from John Lewis.
I received my prize from Debbie Moore today for winning a prize in a vintage card competition.
I got some lovely ribbons, embossing powders a cd and papers. The ribbons are gorgeous! I love using ribbons on my cards and couldn't resist this blue ribbon tonight. I actually based my whole card around the ribbon!

Jane
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Daisy and Dandelion Challenge 14 Sketch

I made this card to take part in the Challenge on the Daisy and Dandelion blog. The theme is Summertime.
I decided to use to lovely bright K+Co papers, this pad is very versatile and I have used it for so many projects now (Mum to be and Flower Wreath amongst others...) and I still have loads left!
All my stamps were too big to fit whole on my card and in the oval shapes to I had to make Daisy look like she was peeking through the oval!
These stamps are really cute and easy to use. I coloured them with Promarkers.

Jane
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Some very very exciting news!!!!

Am so excited! I found out yesterday that I have been accepted to join the Design Team for The Crafthouse Press!! It's the most fabulous news ever! I am so excited to be given this opportunity and can't wait to get started! I love all their products especially the Jolly Nation decoupages. Stay tuned to see what I come up with!

Jane
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Pink cat Get Well Soon card

A quick card for a Friend who is recovering from an operation. I bought a set of Penny Black Little Critters stamps yesterday and coloured them this evening with some of my new Letraset Promarkers. I bought the flowers in John Lewis.
I know this is VERY pink but I couldn't resist making a really girly card.

I was very good tonight and tidied up my craft desk, tomorrow I will start on the rest of the house as it badly needs it!

Jane
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Beach huts and the sea!

Inspired by today's beautiful sunshine, I decided to make a card to remind me of one of my favourite places in the world. These beach huts are based on the ones at Lyme Regis in Dorset. We love going to Lyme Regis and love the Jurassic coast. We have had so many lovely times there and I have lots of treasured memories of rainy and sunny days spent hunting for fossils, building sandcastles, boat trips and fabulous walks with breathtaking views of the sea and the coastline. I tried to evoke the feeling of serenity I have when in Dorset with a simple uncluttered card.

The sentiment stamp is by Elzybells.

Hope you are enjoying some sunshine where you are!

Jane
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Decoupage Father's day card

I made this card last night for my kids to give to my hubby for Father's day. I bought the decoupage last year and spookily it really looks like him! I cut the scalloped squares at my craft group last Tuesday and I thought they set the decoupage off perfectly.

Went to Kingston today and discovered a hidden Art shop that stocks Promarkers so I bought another 5. Will probably have a play with them later :-)

Hope you are having a good weekend!

Jane
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Friday Sketchers Challenge 56 Card

I made this card for this week's Sketch Challenge on the Friday Sketchers blog


I am going to give to my Best Friend and her Husband today. I am babysitting her gorgeous baby son while they go out to celebrate their wedding anniversary. Stamp is Elzybells (no surprise there then!) and the papers are mostly bargains from the Works, the spotty paper was a magazine freebie.

Hope you are enjoying your Weekend!

Jane
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Elzybells Birthday Blog Challenge

I made this paper flower wreath for the Elzybells birthday blog challenge running this week. The challenge is to make 'Anything but a card' with a Birthday theme using any Elzybells stamps. I decided to make a Birthday flower wreath made from Hello Kitty Sizzix die cut paper flowers and hang my Cutie Patootie stamp in the centre.

I paper pieced the bear with flowery paper to make her a cute dress and coloured her in with Letraset promarkers and Sakura pens.

The papers I used are K+Co and I love the mix of colours, the green pink and blue look so cheerful and Summery!

Jane
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July Addicted to ATCs swap going ahead!

I am very excited as the Addicted to ATCs July swap is going ahead as we now have enough people taking part. The theme will be 'About me' as a way of getting to know each other. The cut off date for ATCs to arrive to me will be the 31st of July. If you are interested in taking part in our 1st swap, please check out my Addicted to ATCs blog and get in touch.

Jane
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Mummy to be Card and Gift and some Christmas stamping

I started making this card on Friday and finished Sunday night when I received my Elzybells stamp but couldn't post it up until today in case the Friend I made it for saw it. The card layout is really simple and the flowers are made with the Sizzix Hello Kitty layered flowers set topped with a vintage Mother of Pearl button.

The Stamp is so cute so and the dress lends itself so well to Paper piecing. All the papers are by K+co.
I decided to make a gift box inspired by the tutorial by the very talented Tracey Dee who was a guest designer at the beginning of the month on Elzybells blog. The box holds some baby bootees and scratch mitts. It was the perfect size for a small baby gift to celebrate my Friends fabulous news.


I treated myself to some Christmas stamps in my last Elzybells order so thought I would try them out. I don't have many 'boy' stamps so this one was perfect to have a play.!

Jane
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60th Birthday Vintage Sport card

This card is for my Dad-in-law. I created a template from Word for the number and cut it from a green card blank with a craft knife. I then cut the number out of vintage football wrapping paper and edged it with black ink.

On the inside I layered up Silver Mirri board and white card and stamped a greeting. I then added I paper pieced snoozing ted.

Don't you think this is the cutest Ted ever?

I received some more Elzybells stamps today, can't wait to have a play with them :-)

Jane
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New ATCs for June swaps

I made these a few days ago for June ATC swaps but I thought I would post them on here as they were put in the post today by my lovely hubby.

The first ones are for the Summer time theme on Becky's Monthly ATC swap. I used Imaginesce Snag em stamps and some free papers from Crafts Beautiful. I coloured the stamps with Promarkers and used Glossy accents on the sauce.

The next lot are for Paul's ATC Swappers June swap. The theme is Call of the Wild so I used a baby Lion Sizzix shape, layered up with white, black and Animal print paper.

I am thinking of starting to host my own swap if I can get enough people to take part.

Let me know if you are interested or if you know someone who might be, please point them in the direction of the Addicted to ATCs blog I have set up.

Jane
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Carol's sketch fun card

I made this card up today while on the sofa to play along with the Sketch Challenge on Carol's blog.
I user Papermania papers and some paper from Lidl which I embossed with my Cuttlebug. The snoozing Ted stamp is from the latest Elzybells release.



This is Carol's first sketch challenge. Why don't you visit her blog and play along. She has some fab candy for the winner!I have still been feeling awful today and have slept most of the day, I hope I will start to feel better tomorrow.

Jane
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May ATCs received

I got up this morning feeling very under the weather but went in to work. I ended up coming home at 10 o'clock as I was feeling increasingly worse :-(

I was on the sofa about to fall asleep when my ATCs from the 2 swaps I took part in this month dropped through my letter box which as least gave me something to smile about :-)

The first eight are from the Monthly ATC swap run by Becky. They are all amazing! Thank you to Paul, Sheila, Louise, Hazel, Becky for your fantastic works of art!

The second swap I took part in was ATC swappers run by Paul and they are all fantabulous as well! Thank you to Paul, Dawne, Sheila, Michelle, Cheryl, Steph, Angel, Hazel, Becky for your amazing mini masterpieces!
Am off to have a sleep now after I have put my cards safely away in my ATC folder:-)

Jane
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Snoozing ted.....time to relax

I had a play with my Koh-i-noor pencils and blending stumps and medium this evening. I used my new Elzybells snoozing ted stamp which also arrived today. I coloured it in and had planned to use a Papermania paper with orange and blue tones but I couldn't find it!


I managed to find this Sissix paper instead and I think it works rather well!

I am going to try and get started on my ATC swaps for ATC swappers June swap, the theme is 'Call of the Wild'.

Jane
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Wonderful Whitstable!

I didn't make any cards this weekend as I spent a lot of time getting the House straight after all the fun of the previous weekend's decorating.

We did go to Whitstable though on Sunday to have lunch with my Nanny to celebrate her 88th Birthday. We had a lovely day and the weather was gorgeous. I bought some ribbons in a sweet little haberdashery shop and there was a Craft shop there too but it was closed on Sundays :-(


I took these photos of beach huts and the beach and I would really like to go back there for a longer visit someday. Maybe when the craft shop is open!

We had to stop at Maidstone on the way home to get curtain poles so I popped into Hobbycraft to get some more Promarkers and Imaginesce snag em stamps. They are so cute :-)

I received my latest Elzybells purchase today (stamps and koh-i-noors) so can't wait to play with those tonight.

Take a look at Elizabeths Elzybells blog as it is One year old and she is having a party for the month of June!

Another bit of good news...I found my missing Nestabilities circle! Woohoo!

Jane
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