Phoenix Inspirations

Hi folks, it,s been a while since my last post 'cos I've been away on my jollies having fun with my Mum. Been having so much fun that time has nearly run out for this challenge over on Project Tuesday.  It's not completly finished - but very nearly. It has some photo's in that were taken millions of years ago when me and my other half got engaged and then some of our wedding and our children when they were young. I love making these books - and I've made a few in my time, they are such an easy way to capure memories and they are so great to have around to pick up and look at any time - hope you like this one. Thanks for taking the time to look - Jacqueline xx.

That is this week's challenge over on Pollycraft.  And here is my card : The image for this card is last Friday's Friday Freebie  at Tales from Pollycraft. She is called Earth Fairy 'Love You This Much' and it included the sentiment too. Used my Stampin' Up Butterfly Punch for the large pink butterfly and every thing else was used from my stash Hope you like it - Jacqueline xx.

Hello every one - I would have posted this at least half an hour earlier, except I had a fight. My son had nicked my computer speakers, I mean how is a girl able to belt out Bruce Springsteen in a morning without her speakers? Anyway peace is restored - I am now happy and ready to show you my workdesk. Many more desks can found over at the Stamping Ground. My project for today is a paper bag album, hence the brown paper bags. Haven't made one for ages and then I stumbled across Project Tuesday  and I thought I would have a go. There is also a pile of cards lurking there waiting for their inserts and envelopes so I suppose I will have to fit that in somewhere, and my bag from last night's craft group will need to be unpacked. Many of you were interested in my water coloured atc's last week - here are the finished articles These have been posted to  ATC Swappers and I now await my swaps. I will also have to find time to pack my bag again tonight as tomorrow I have a p...

Hello every one - I would have posted this at least half an hour earlier, except I had a fight. My son had nicked my computer speakers, I mean how is a girl able to belt out Bruce Springsteen in a morning without her speakers? Anyway peace is restored - I am now happy and ready to show you my workdesk. Many more desks can found over at the Stamping Ground. My project for today is a paper bag album, hence the brown paper bags. Haven't made one for ages and then I stumbled across Project Tuesday  and I thought I would have a go. There is also a pile of cards lurking there waiting for their inserts and envelopes so I suppose I will have to fit that in somewhere, and my bag from last night's craft group will need to be unpacked. Many of you were interested in my water coloured atc's last week - here are the finished articles These have been posted to  ATC Swappers and I now await my swaps. I will also have to find time to pack my bag again tonight as tomorrow I have a p...

Hello folks - happy Monday to you all. First let me show you my card : This was a lovely card to do, a) because it's for  Stamp With Us and I get to show off all my fantastic Stampin' Up stuff, and b) because it is also for a brand new challenge blog Hidden Treasures Challenge . Here is the sketch from SWU that I followed: The challenge on Hidden Treasures was to use the colours Pink and Brown - here are the materials I used: (all Stampin' Up) Card stock: Very Vanilla, Pretty In Pink & Bravo Burgundy. Inks: Pretty In Pink & Bravo Burgundy. Stamp Sets: Greenhouse Garden, Flight Of The Butterfly & Pocket Silhouettes (sentiment). Punches: Butterfly punch & Scallop Edge punch. Hope you like my card - will be back later with another challenge card. Bye for now - Jacqueline xx.

Hi everybody - what fantastic weather we are having at the moment. Would it therefore seem a little weird to see a Christmas card popping up on your screen? No I am not going mad - I just found a weekly blog that does just Christmas challenges it's called Susie & Vicki's Christmas Club.  Maybe I'm not so mad after all, maybe by the time December comes around I (and all the others that play along) will have a nice stash of Christmas cards without the stress of making them at the last minute (which has always happened in the past!) So here goes - my first Christmas card of 2010 made before June! That's it flat, here it is open - it's an easel card And this is it from the side Recipe card stock: Stampin' Up - Very Vanilla papers: S'U - from the 'I Wish' Simply Scrappin' set stamp set: S'U - Wondrous Gift Ink: S'U - Mellow Moss other: bling, snowflakes and brads from stash See you soon with some more challenges, bye for now - Jacque...

No I haven't gone mad - I am not going to be talking about an irish boy band. It's the theme for a challenge I found on a blog called Daring Cardmakers.  Now doing male themed cards is a bit out of my comfort zone but I found a lovely  free digi on Sj's - Little Musings  - take a look : His name is Grey but it just reminds me so much of what my son Will used to look like. He even had a top like that! The challenge is being sponsored by Charmed cards and Craft  and I have just had a look . and there are some lovely things to see and buy So this is for the challenge - hope you like it - Jacqueline xx. Recipe White card blank Background papers: Hot off the Press Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Brushed Corduroy Image: Sj's - Little Musings Promarkers All other materials from stash.

Hello folks - I would like to say first a huge 'Thank You' to all those people who commented on my post last week. It was the first time I had played along and I was overwhelmed with the response I received. This week I will try to get round more of you - so many desks.......so little time! Right confession time - this is my desk this week - It is a bit of a mess at the moment - to say the least! I am going to tidy it .....soon, and do some atc's, there is some water colour paper right there waiting to be used and I am going to dust off my water colour paints especially for this project. I haven't painted for ages - I used to do quite a lot you know and then I got struck down with the crafting bug!! Now if you would like to be nosey and see some more workdesks please pop over to the Stamping Ground  and do some snooping!! Bye for now - Jacqueline xx.

Good morning - a nice day at last, watered all my plants and put the washing out so - time to play! The challenge over on Pollycraft  this week is 'Summer Blooms'. We have plenty around us at the moment - the woods are full of Bluebells, Primroses and Wood Anemones, and the blossom on the apple trees are very pretty.........I will have to take some photos. Anyway here is my card: Recipe 5" x 5" white card blank background paper - free in Cardmaking + Papercraft (many moons ago) card stock - Bazzill - Lily Pond image & sentiment - Pollycraft flowers - The Craft Garden other - Cuttlebug, Nestabilities,Promarkers brads & gems from stash I am of now to do a bit in the garden while this lovely weather lasts. Hope you like my card if you pop over to Pollycraft  there are some more fabulous cards to admire. Thanks for stopping by - Jacqueline xx.

Hello folks - Monday again. Is it me or are the weeks getting shorter! Today I have a sketch for you : This is the challenge over on Sunday Sketch and Stamp  and this is my card: Recipe C6 card blank Background paper: Blue Cardigan Designs Card stock: Stampin' Up - Pretty in Pink Bazzill - Lily Pond and Brocade basic white Image: Sprinkles on Toadstool - Pink Gem Designs Punch: SU - Round Tab Other: flowers, glitter, pearls and coloured pencils from stash. That's all for now - but stay tuned 'cos it's Monday and that means it's time for another Pollycraft challenge - see you soon - Jacqueline xx.

It's time for another Pink Gem Challenge  and this month we have a colour recipe Using this picture for inspiration we have to use Green, Pink and Burgundy on our cards. I also like to use a Pink Gem image on my cards for this challenge and  guess what? - I won the two free stamps on last month's challenge - but which one to choose? In the end I decided upon Chloe on her Swing - if you pop over to the Pink Gem Blog  there is a lnk to the Pink Gem shop where you find these lovely stamps and more. Here is my card: With this card I would also like to put myself forward for the chance of becoming a design team member. Hope you like it - please check the other entries - there are some wonderful cards - see you soon- Jacqueline xx.

I have wanted to do this project for a while now. I was inspired by a blog I follow - Stampin 'n Stuff. Her name is Jo and her blog is brilliant. She has done some of these with the new SU colours too and I hope she doesn't mind that I used her template and had a go myself . I used Night of Navy and Ballet Blue card stock and ink from Stampin' Up Rich Regals range and the stamp sets are also SU - Flight of the Butterfly and Pocket Silhouettes. The butterflies are made using a SU punch and are stuck to the cards with 3D foam - the camera hasn't shown that very well. I really enjoyed making this - took me two days but well worth it. I think I will try and make an ATC sized one next. Thank you for stopping by and having a peep - please let me know what you think of my effort - see you soon - Jacqueline xx.

Good morning to you all. I was going to post this last night but the light had gone for the photograph - and I was tired and wanted to watch telly. Not too distressing, however, here is something that is : This is a new paper punch that I have recently purchassed from Stampin' Up and he is called '2 step Bird Punch' - I think I am going to have fun using him. Anyway the theme this week at Paperplay Challenges  is 'Brown and.....?' I have gone for brown and cream - the backing paper is 'Hot off the Press' and I have distresssed the edges using Tim Holtz 'Brushed Corduroy'. The flowers are made from another Stampin' Up punch and I have just layered these up. Here is a closer view :                                   Thank you for stopping by and taking a look - see you soon - Jacqueline xx.     ...

Good evening everybody, have you all had a good day crafting? I have had an interesting day. First up-loaded a link to What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday on my other blog - that was o.k, then decided to have a go at this week's Truly Scrumptious sketch challenge. Here is the sketch : I decided to go with the above and omit the square base and make a round card - well a round easel card actually - here it is: This a two - step stamping method using my new stamp set from Stampin' Up - 'Greenhouse Garden' Been hankering after this for a long time and have finally got it. The card stock and inks are Stampin' Up too - sorry if I'm boring I just love them. So what do you think? I'm a little unsure, this is not how I pictured it in my mind at the start. I don't know - maybe it will grow on me. However those around me like it - hope you do too - pop over to Truly Scrumptious  and take a look. Don't forget to stay tuned - have got another new stamp set...

Hello crafters - please forgive me it's been one week since my last post. Have been away though and had a lovely break. Came back to find out that my kids had had another party in my absence - didn't come back to as much devestation as last time but even so - where has all the discipline gone?????? And don't get me started on what their father was doing allowing it to happen! O.K. rant over - I am now cool and calm and ready to begin crafting again. I found a blog a while ago - Stamping Ground  where crafters post pictures of their workdesks - so here is mine: This is very organised and tidy for me! My Stampin' Up order from Rosie arrived yesterday so that is my top priority today - I did have a quick play with the 'Bird on a Branch' set and I have now moved on to the 'Greenhouse Garden'. I am going to try doing a masking technique with post it notes. Also on my desk are a few ATC's I received that are waiting to be put away and a pile of cards from ...

Hello folks - how are we today? Well I hope. Here is a picture of a book I made today It was inspired by the sketch over on Tuesday Morning Sketches  and I am going to enter it into this week's challenge. As you can see - I rotated it about 90 degrees, I also used an illustration instead of a stamp - hope that is O.K. The pic is from the Craft Stamper Magazine  web site, just go to the download page - they have got some lovely vintage pics - for free! and if you are interested to see how I made this book, please pop over to my other blog deezines creations   and take a look - I have put instructions there. Hope you like this effort, I have a craft group tonight then I am off for a long weekend with my mum - hope the weather improves!! See you soon - Jacqueline xx.

I love making books, be it memory books or just plain notebooks - I love to make them and customise them. This is one I made today: She was inspired by I sketch I saw on Tuesday Morning Sketches  and I didn't just want to make a card this time. So I used some cereal boxes - 4 pieces 15 1/2 cm by 22cm and I glued them together. I glued the picture sides together so it wouldn't show through my paper when I came to cover it. I then covered over them with brown wrapping paper - I bought it from my local Post Office - and then I decorated them. I used some Anna Griffin blue polka dot paper and inked it with my Tim Holtz distress ink - Brushed Cordouroy and stamped some swirls using Stampin' Up inks Bordering Blue and Night of Navy. The vintage lady is from the Craft Stamper Magazine  web site - I just ripped the edges and inked them. The flowers are punched from vintage papers using the Stampin' Up 5 petal flower punch and again are distressed and inked. I stuck them on with...

'Here Comes The Sun' - well it does on the Pollycraft Monday Challenge blog. Here is my card - it's a bit bright - you may need sunglasses Yikes all that yellow!! All the images on this card are Pollycraft digi's, they are from the Sweet Dreams Springtime Retro collection and her name is Evangeline. I used Promarkers to colour her in. Hope my card has brought a little sunshine into your day - see you soon - Jacqueline xx.

This is the sketch for this week's challenge over on Sunday Sketch and Stamp . And here is my take on that sketch: The backing papers are from my stash the stamps are from Stampin' Up - Flight of the Butterfly. Yes I know I have been using this set to death - never fear - I have some new sets on order so I will have a bit more variety for you soon! Bye for now - Jacqueline xx.

Hello again - just a quick post - time has nearly run out for this challenge however, I think I've made it just in time. This time it's A Gem of a Challenge  and the theme this month is 'Special Birthdays'. Now I know that '5' is not a significant birthday but the little girl that will receive this card is very special, so I hope that makes up for it! My image is a digi from Pink Gem  and it's called Milly and Lily. She is coloured with Promarkers and I've just used bits and pieces from my general stash to make the card. Hope you like it - Jacqueline xx.

This card should have been posted Friday for the Stamp Something challenge but because it was for Clive's birthday - I forgot! So I sneaked it off the shelf and took a quick pic and here it is: The image is a freebie from a blog called Bugaboo  stamps - check them out they have some really great images. He was coloured with Promarkers and all the papers and embellishments are from my stash box. Don't forget to check out the Stamp Something  challenge site - there are some really lovely cards on there. Bye for now - Jacqueline xx.