Phoenix Inspirations

I can't remember how I found this challenge blog - but it's in my favourites and today I thought I'd join in. It's another sketch challenge and it looks like this The blog is Stampin' Royalty  and I remember now it was Bev who told me about it. Anyway here is my card To make this card I have cut into my precious Springtime Vintage DSP and also used my Baby Blossoms stamp set. The colours I have used are Rose Red and Regal Rose, Always Artichoke ink and Melon Mambo ribbon. It's been a little weird around here today. First we noticed alot of cars driving up and down our lane - that's rare and then we heard  a helicopter buzzing around. That unfortunately means there's been an accident down on the main road - and shortly afterwards it was confirmed. There had been a serious accident right outside the pub where my daughter and I used to work and to make matters worse it involved two people we know. Hopefully they will be ok. So please take care this ...

This is the sketch over on the Less is More  blog this week. The idea is to pick just one of the five squares and stay within those lines. Now it would have so easy to pick the middle square - I like being symmetrical, but this is supposed to be a challenge so I chose the bottom right hand square. Take a look I am definitely out of my comfort zone with this. I am sat here looking at it still thinking that it needs something more - but there is no more room in my box! I think maybe I should have made my main image square too - what do you think ...........? Thanks for stopping by, have a great weekend - Jacqueline xx.

Today's challenge over on Simply Stampin'  is 'Floral Frenzy' - how lovely. I love flowers and my garden has erupted lately with some stunning Peonys. Unfortunatly I don't have  any peony stamps so instead I took my inspiration from one of the design team - Angela  . I really loved the gorgeous colours she had used to match the Greenhouse Gala DSP. OK - so I didn't copy her card exactly - I chose the same stamp from the Ornate Flowers set and used some Sage Shadow card stock and Sage Shadow and Cherry Cobbler ink. Thank you Angela for your brilliant inspiration - hope you don't mind me copying!!! Jacqueline xx.

I've made another card in the hopes that I can encourage some of you to take part in my DT Call. The challenge blog is Make it Monday  and I have created a sketch for you to follow. The card I have made for you to see today has rotated the sketch to the right to give a different angle I have used my lovely new set Baby Blossoms and the co-ordinating Springtime Vintage DSP. The sentiment is from Simply Said and I have used Soft Suede and Always artichoke card stock. The vintage lace is some my lovely friend Cath sent me from Cyprus. Hope you can find time to join in - you have untill May 31st. see you soon - Jacqueline xx.

I think I must be getting better at the 'Less is More' concept 'cos when I showed my husband the card I'd just made his comment was "well, there's not a lot on it is there?" !!! Please take a look The stamp I used is my own design and the tiny butterflies are punched from some Cherry Cobbler card stock. This card is being entered into the Less is More  challenge where the them is 'Butterfly/Butterflies' Thanks for looking - see you soon - Jacqueline xx.

I am running out of time - big time - this week. I had a workshop last night where I made some sketches for the girls to follow so that took up all of yesterday and today I have been helping out at the local toddler group. But now I'm back crafting and I think I am just in time for the challenge on this week's Clean and Simple  blog. The sketch I followed looks like this and my card looks like this This is a one layer card and the lines of the sketch were followed by sponging ink on to the card. The sun was created first by using a post it note with a circle cut out. It was then covered with another mask and the rectangle was also masked off leaving the sun off centre. I don't know what I would do without post it notes - they are so useful! The stamps I used were from the Pocket Silhouettes set. So the weekend is nearly upon us and it's another Bank Holiday - will the weather improve do you think? I don't think I will mind particularly if it rains - I'll ju...

Hello folks - it's good to be back crafting again, Dad is out of hospital and doing well so all is good with the world. Today I arrived home and within minutes BF Bev arrived ready for action. We decided on two challenges - Mojo Monday  - sketch and the colour combo from Simply Stampin' Unfortunately I don't have any Daffodil Delight, I do however have some Summer Sun which although is retired I still have a lot left. Here is my card I borrowed Bev's stamp sets again and used the Bliss set and the new Strength and Hope. I layered the moth on 3D foam pads and added a bit of bling for some sparkle. The ribbon has been ruffled by pulling one of the middle strands - quite a good effect I think. I'm going to be busy this week I think - I've a lot of challenges to catch up on! - see you soon - Jacqueline xx.

This is my last post for a while - Dad is in hospital having some treatment so I'm popping up to see him. This is also the last of my challenge cards for this week too - take a look I made this card following the sketch over on Simply Stampin' I used some of the Springtime Vintage DSP mounted onto some Always Artichoke card stock (although you can't see that very well 'cos I made such a pigs ear of placing it that I had to trim most of it off!!). I then used some Rose Red card stock with a little pale pink ribbon to make the borders. The main image is stamped using the new Baby Blossoms set and it is mounted on some 3D foam tape. I am going to go and pack now - not in a suitcase though - oh no. I have to pack my clothes in a black bin liner. Why? Well my darling daughter has recently been away and she broke my only suitcase - she didn't tell me either 'till just now...doh! See you soon - enjoy your weekends - Jacqueline xx.

This is the card I have made for this week's Clean & Simple  challenge. I have followed the sketch and used my gorgeous new set - Baby Blossoms. I have even cut into my new Springtime Vintage DSP. But is it Clean & Simple - what do you think? I love this card (if I do say so myself!) and I shall enter it into the challenge and I will leave it up to you lovely crafters to tell me if it's OK or not!  Bye for now - Jacqueline xx.

I have set up a new challenge blog - Make It Monday . The first challenge actually is to find a design team. If you are interested please pop over and read all the details - it's really easy all you have to do is follow my sketch and make a card. Just like this one in fact Then all you have to do is link it - I'm going to link this one just to test that it works! The challenges will all be set weekly on a Monday (obviously!) and there will be prizes. Looking forward to seeing you take part - Jacqueline xx.

I love Tuesdays - I get to do my favourite thing - crafting - and with my best friend - Beverley. Well, today we have had a ball. Bev wanted to enter a blog challenge so we plumped for the sketch over on Mojo Monday Bev did her card as the sketch was and you can see her card on her blog (see side bar) - I had such fun watching her ruffle her red ribbon. I on the other hand decided to rotate the sketch but I also got to use Bev's fab new Bliss stamp set. It's from the latest Sale-a-Bration and unfortunately now retired but I love it - take a look I have used Baja Breeze card stock along with some more of my Elegant Soiree DSP. The label is from my *Very New* Baby Blossoms set and the center has been raised up with 3D foam pads. I have used Baja Breeze and Not Quite Navy ink and a tiny scrap of Very Vanilla ribbon. I love the Bliss set and really wish I had been able to get it - oh well will just have to get Bev to come round more often!!!!! Bye for now - Jacqueline xx.

You Know I really enjoyed making the card in my previous post. It was a one layer card with hardly any embellishments and no matting and layering. But then again I love getting as much on a card as I can possibly get away with. This one is just that - it's for the challenge on CAS-ual Fridays  and the theme is Buttons and Twine. Here is my card My 5" x 5" card blank has been layered with some Baja Breeze card stock and then a piece of DSP from the Elegant Soiree collection. I have used the Vintage Vogue stamp set and Chocolate Chip and Baja Breeze ink pads. My twine has been woven through my vintage lace and I have put my buttons in the flower centres along with a bit of bling. Some of the flowers have been layered up using 3D foam pads so this card is quite high - especially with the buttons as well. I'm off now - thanks for looking - Jacqueline xx.

Time for another fab challenge over on Less is More  and this week the brief was a one layer card with some embossing (dry or heat). I have had this idea in my head for a while now and today it took flight. I took my card blank (5" x 5") and masked off a section roughly (!) in the middle. I then used one of my favourite stamps. It's from the Papermania Build a Poppy set - it's the largest flower in the set that stamps images for you to cut out and make a 3D flower. After stamping my image in Onyx Black VersaFine I covered it in clear embossing powder which I then set with my heat gun. It looked good just as a black and white image but I decided to colour the poppies in using some Promarkers. The sentiment is from the Stampin' Up set Bird on a Branch and is also embossed. Here is a close up the embossing Oops forgot to say I used a post it note mask to overlap the flowers. Thank you for taking the time to stop by and take a look - see you soon - Jacqueline xx.

You know Friday 13th never used to bother me - superstitious nonsense I said. Well I have eaten my words today - everything that could go wrong did go wrong and I mean everything - too much even to write down. Well since my yesterday post has disappeared I will add my pic again - I entered it into the Clean & Simple  challenge which was a sketch. It's a Father's Day card for my dear dad - I'm off to see him in a few days as it's time for more chemo so as I am really organised I can take it with me thus saving on postage - result! It's still there in the list over on Clean & Simple but when you click on the link - nothing. I wonder how many more people have lost their posts and where did they go - and wasn't it weird I've felt quite lost all day!  Anyway blogger is back - I'm sure that there was much gnashing of teeth for a while but we are lucky - it's free when so much isn't these days, and now as I am at war with the world I shall sign...

You know as a maker of cards you would think that I would be able to reach for the perfect card anytime to send out at the drop of a hat. No - that's not my style at all. Birthdays, Anniversaries and even Christmas cards are all done in a mad last minute panic! So imagine my surprise when late last night I discovered that I had made a Father's Day card - yes a whole month or more before the event. Now I really shouldn't gloat about this 'cos I know if I'm not careful I shall put it away and a) lose it or b) forget I've even done it or even c) my daughter finds it and nicks it to give to her dad!! Anyway here is the card This card follows the sketch over on the Clean and Simple Stamping  blog and uses some of my favourite colours - it just so happened that I hadn't cleared up after making my last card and they were already out on my work surface - Chocolate Chip and Crumb Cake - mmm sounds like a dessert!!! OK I'm off now - I got up super early this m...

This is just a quickie as it's my second post today - but here is my entry for this week's Simply Stampin'  challenge. The theme is Buttons and Bows . This has been made using yummy Chocolate Chip card stock and the even more yummy Crumb Cake mmm cake! The image is from Just Believe and is stamped in Chocolate Chip ink. Alas - I used the last of my Very Vanilla ribbon on this card - I had just enough to tie the bow after wrapping it rather extravagantly twice around the card! The buttons are two I fished out of my bits and bobs box and have been tied with some brown string. Thank you for stopping by to take a look - see you soon - Jacqueline xx .

Yesterday was my monthly Tuesday workshop and this time we made cards using the Black Magic Technique. We all had black card stock and stamped on to it with white pigment ink. After leaving it to dry we then coloured over the top of it with coloured pencils. Tip: please don't do what I did and use Promarkers - it does't do them any good at all!! Anyways here is the card I demo'ed Somebody did remark that purple and black are a little funereal so I livened it up with a few cheerful flowers and some bling! I will have to think of some brighter colours next time!! - see you soon - Jacqueline xx .

Yay - I've found a new challenge blog - CAS-ual Fridays  and the theme for this first challenge is 'Texting Skills' Basically you have to make a card with some text on it - not just a simple sentiment. Hmmm bit of a tall order if you don't have any text stamps. I do however have this cute butterfly from the Butterfly Prints set, so I stamped him and punched him out three times. I then decided to create a background from my Best Wishes stamp I masked off sections of the card so that there was a clear space in which to mount my butterflies and it was all stamped with Cherry Cobbler ink. The dotted line was made using a stamp from Hot off the Press bought absolutely years ago but rarely used. Thanks for stopping by to take a look - bye for now - Jacqueline xx.

For a change from making cards I decided to have a go a making this cute little tissue box holder The band around the middle moves across to where you pull out your tissues And when they are all gone - open up the flap at the side and refill it ...... simples This is a fab little make and if you would like to make one too pop over to Vicky's blog 'cos she has done an easy to follow tutorial with pictures and everything. Thank you Vicky - I'm going to make a few more of these especially as everyone I know at the moment is suffering from summer colds and hay fever!! Atishoo - oops bye for now - Jacqueline xx.

I must admit - this one was harder than I thought it would be. The challenge was over on the Less is More  site and the rules were 'White on White - no coloured images or additions' This - I thought called for layers and textures. So, out came the 'bug and my favourite embossing folders. I did flowers, butterflies, nesties but nothing seemed to work. Then I got out my paper punches (my craft space looks like a bomb's hit it!) and slowly my card began to take shape. I'm still not happy with it - the concept 'Less is More' escaped me at this point and I had to rein myself in with all the leaves and fronds! I added some white glitter to the fronds but that cannot be seen in the photo - take a look Yikes - how hard is it to photograph white cards?!!!! So in the end I used white card stock throughout, Swiss Dots embossing folder, Cuttlebug, Stampin' Up 5 Petal Punch & 2 Step Bird Punch and a Pine punch - phew, see you soon - Jacqueline xx.

Sorry Vicky - it's not chocolate!! Take a look at my card and I'll explain all below I found the 'Black Magic' technique in the resources section over on Splitcoast Stampers. I took a piece of black card stock and then chose a solid image stamp (Ornate Flowers) and stamped it using a white pigment ink. I let it dry completely (you could speed up this by using your heat gun) and then using coloured pencils I coloured the image in. This is what me and the girls will be up to on Tuesday morning - should be fun. You won't believe the trouble I have had trying to make this post. I started this morning at 9.00am - just as we had a power cut! The power came on later this afternoon - it took 20 minutes for my computer to load.................... and then the internet crashed!!!!!!!!! I'm going to go get a cup of tea now - I'm suffering withdrawal symptoms, hopefully the power will stay on long enough for me to boil the kettle!! See you soon - Jacqueline xx.

I made this card a couple of weeks ago but have only just got around to posting it. It was the last one made with borrowed Inspired by Nature. I brayered the background with various Whispers ink pads starting with a very pale yellow and ending with a deep orange. I then stamped the flowers and ripped the bottom of the paper, I also ripped the bottom of the black card too before mounting it onto orange card stock. The orange ribbon is some saved from a box of smellies that I had for a Christmas present - it matches perfectly don't you think? Hope you can pop back tomorrow - I've a little Black Magic to share with you............... see you then - Jacqueline xx.

I've been having a little play (making up for lost time!) and I have managed to kill three birds with one stone! I had a trip around blog land and found three challenges that took my fancy and came up with this card I started with a 5" x 5" card base of Very Vanilla and added a square of Basic Black. I then took some Crumb Cake (mmmmmmm cake) on to which I added cut out flowers from the Simply Said stamp set. These were stamped in Basic Black and Cherry Cobbler. I did add some glitter to a couple of the flowers but the photo does not show this very well and then to finish it off I added a few ruby gems to some of the flower centres. I love how this card turned out and I am going to enter it into the following challenges: Clean and Simple  - Sketch Challenge Splitcoast Stampers  - Colour Challenge - Basic Black, Cherry Cobber & Crumb Cake. Less is More  - Thank You or Congratulations. That's all for today folks - see you soon - Jacqueline xx.

Hello folks - sorry I've been away a while. I had not been very well over the week end, Bank holiday Monday I felt a little better, did a bit of gardening but had to admit defeat and come in as I started to feel poorly again. So I took the time to make my Husband's birthday card. It was quite a large birthday as you will see from the pics and I thought rather cheekily that I would use my 'Vintage' Vogue stamp set. I know it's very feminine and flowery but the border stamp looked very nice stamped around the edges. What do you think? Here is a pic of the middle And this is the card open Now, this is the card that I thought I would enter for this week's Simply Stampin' Challenge . This week it is a colour challenge so I got out what I thought were the required colours ( Whisper White, Basic Grey, Always Artichoke and Rich Razzelberry) and made the card. Thing is I had a senior moment and instead of using Rich Razzelberry (which I don't have anyway!) ...