Phoenix Inspirations

I wont be around for a while as I have to go away and take care of my granddad - he recently had an eye operation which didn't go as planned and he is now blind. We are are hoping that this is temporary and he will improve with time however he needs a bit of extra care now and I am staying with him. The thing is granddad doesn't have the Internet (never even heard of it!) so that will mean no blogging (!). The girls at Make My Monday have very kindly taken a break during August and Mynnette is seeing to things at 52CCT - thank you Mynnette. Please don't forget to pop over to Addicted to Stamps (all links are in the side bar) on Wednesdays to see the challenges there - there are some excellent ones coming up and I will see you in a few weeks - Jacqueline xx

OK so I'm cheating today the card I have made to show you today uses Mynnettes gorgeous  Make My Monday  colours and is the subject of this week's Mid-week Motivation found -  HERE I have also used our sketch from this week's  Addicted to Stamps  challenge - I loved this sketch so much that I had to make more than one card for it Here is my card As my title suggests - this is a Double Dutch Fold card and if you hop on over to  Splitcoast Stampers , check out their resources section - you will find a tutorial showing you how to make one. Did you notice that I had used my new Bright Blossoms set again - I am so in love with this set!! Here's a close up of the large panel Here is what it looks like opened And this is how I attached the ribbon to the back have a great rest of the day folks - Jacqueline xx

We have a lovely sketch for you this week at  Addicted to Stamps  - take a look at what Kylie has designed for us Here is the card I made I broke in a new set for this card - Bright Blossoms and made an easel card using some blue, red and white card stock. Here's what it looks like closed The ribbon is seam binding and some of the images have been raised up on 3D foam pads. Inks used were Real Red, Pacific Point and Certain Celery - the dt have made some beautiful cards please do pop on over and take a look. I have another card for you later using this sketch - it also uses the colours from this week's Make My Monday challenge so please be sure to pop back - see you soon - Jacqueline xx

A short step by step tutorial is now on my  Craft Club Blog  (there's also a link in the side bar) - here's the one we made at last week's workshop using the Stampin' Up 2 Step Owl Punch this card is also being entered into Mynnette's  Technique Tuesday Challenge Bye for now - Jacqueline xx

We are using BLUES this week at  Make My Monday  - not just any blues though - these have been specially selected by Mynnette - take a look And here is my card I have used one of Priyanka's  digi designs from  My Heart Pieces  - this month's sponsor and coloured her using Promarkers. The blog is also showing off some fine work by the dt so please do hop on over and take a look - bye for now - Jacqueline xx

Yes that's right sewing - and you can guess that I don't do much 'cos it took me all day to locate a needle and thread!! Anyway the challenge this week at  Less is More  is Theme week once more and this time it's SEWING For this it could be machine or hand sewing.. faux or stamped... you could even use sewing related images... just let your imagination roam! So I had this idea in my head for this using real sewing and for once it turned out just as I had imagined - take a look And just to prove that I really was sewing ('cos I have been known to staple things together instead!) here are a couple of pics during the deed and behind my card ha ha - must remember to show this to mum - might make her faint though! Bye for now - Jacqueline xx

It's 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown  challenge time again, Mynnette has chosen a lovely theme for us this week come and take a look I love wreath cards and had so much fun making this one to show you today I really must get some new Christmas stamps as I keep going back again and again to this set - Pines and Poinsettias - it is lovely though isn't it and perfect for this kind of card. I have stamped the pine cone stamp repeatedly in a circle and then stamped some more on separate card stock, cut them out and attached them with 3D foam pads to fill the gaps. Colours used are Creamy Caramel, Lucky Limeade and Poppy Parade. Don't forget Mynnette is giving away a prize this month so please do pop over and have a go - my fellow team mates have also got some dazzling examples to show off there too - see you soon - Jacqueline xx

One of the ladies of my craft club had a 'special' birthday last week and this is the card I made for her I have combined Everything Eleanor with French Foliage for this one and used Pretty in Pink, Certain Celery and Wild Wasabi inks. The numbers are peel offs (which I don't normally use) and they were silver 'til I coloured them with a pink Promarker. Hope everyone is in the mood for a good weekend - I myself am holding my husband hostage until he has cleaned out the porch - we were all set to do it last weekend but he had to work instead. Next on the agenda - make himself an office. At the moment he uses the kitchen - most inconvenient when he's in an on-line meeting with Japan - 'konichiwa'! See you soon - Jacqueline xx

That's right folks you heard it here first - more details can be found over on the blog it's self click  HERE  to take a look. The subject this time has been chosen by  Victoria  and it's HOLIDAYS Here's my page These are pics of me, my husband and my two children on the beach at Weston - Super - Mare. Just look at that blue sky  - obviously these photos were taken back in the good old days when we used to have sun! I have used Kraft card stock for my base, some blue card stock on to which I have mounted some Kaisercraft patterned paper. My clouds have been drawn freehand and cut from white paper and my bunting is made from scraps attached to twine. I will be adding this page to my  Scrapbook Blog  tomorrow along with a tip for positioning photos on your layouts. In the meantime please pop over to  Addicted to Stamps  and check out the fabulous work created by my fellow dt friends - Jacqueline xx

It's been so miserable here today that I have taken refuge in my craft room and just played! No cards today but a scrapbook page inspired by the sketch on the  Sketchbook 365  blog The sketch is based on a layout by  Melenia Agapides Here is my page This is a photo of me and my brother from waaaaaay too many years ago - probably more than 30 yikes! I can't believe we are actually smiling as we used to fight - a lot, dad must have caught us on a good day! I used some Bazzill card stock along with some Stampin' Up DSP (Everyday Enchantment). I also used the DSP for my bunting and flowers. The butterflies were die cut on the 'Bug and I found some weird looking paper clips shaped like hearts so I added them as well. Platinum Liquid Pearls were used for the flower centres along with some flat backed gems. I am going to be posting more pictures over on my  Scrapbook Blog  for the ladies in my club if you would like to see more - see...

It's Mid-week Motivation time over on  Make My Monday  and for it I made another Butterfly Easel Card - I've made it with some nesting butterfly dies on my Cuttlebug I used some Bazzill Basics card stock along with some yellow from my stash drawer and ran one of the yellow butterflies through a Swiss Dots embossing folder. A sentiment and some purple flat backed gems add a finishing touch. Hoe are you getting on with these colours this week? - the challenge can be found HERE  if you are interested and it would be great to see you over there having a go - see you soon - Jacqueline xx

I love clean and simple cards and the challenge this week at Addicted to Stamps  is all about that - take a look I have simply taken a 5 1/4 " x 5 1/4 " card blank and added a panel of cream card stock and then scored down vertically either side. My stamped images are from my Field Flowers set and have been inked in Wild Wasabi, Pink Pirouette and Regal Rose. Here's a close up of my flowers - stamped using the Two-Step Stampin' technique Thanks for stopping by to take a look today - please pop over and see all the lovely work from the rest of the dt - bye for now - Jacqueline xx

It's Monday and that means another challenge over on  Make My Monday  and as we continue our journey through the colour wheel Mynnette has provided us with two colours to play with this week - take a look Here is my card Don't forget we have a prize for the winner this month - a choice of 3 digi stamps from our sponsor My Heart Pieces Bye for now - Jacqueline xx

It's a One Layer challenge this week at  Less is More  with the added extra of things in 3's - here is my card And here's how I made it: Post it notes to mask off a square and to make my 3 clouds 3 blues to stamp my images: Bashful Blue, Marina Mist and Pacific Point. 3 Balloons from Up, Up and Away plus 3 birds flying in the sky 3 little words - just for you - from Just Believe. Thanks for looking - Jacqueline xx

Yes that's right it's Colour Challenge time at  52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown  and here are the lovely colours that Mynnette has chosen for us And here is my card I have used one of my favourite Christmas sets - Pines and Poinsettias and I have stamped my images in black. My splash of blue is around the edge as I used blue card stock to make my card and I have coloured some of the flowers in using a Pool Party marker pen. I have also added Liquid Pearls to the centres of the poinsettias. Well how are you doing with your Christmas cards? If you have joined in with us since we began at the start of the year you should have at least 27 cards by now all ready for posting in December - just think no last minute panic!! Have you seen that we have a whole design team now too? Please pop over to the  blog  - they have made some wonderful cards and there are links to their personal blogs too - well worth a visit. See you soon - have a great weekend - Jac...

Next Thursday evening I will be having a workshop where we are going to be making Cascade Cards - here's one I made earlier using some Crumb Cake card stock, Everyday Enchantment DSP, Boho Blossoms, 5 Petal Punch and the 2 Step Bird Punch. All the details of what you will need to make this card (should you wish to play along) are over on my  Craft Club Blog  - please do pop over and take a look. Spookily Cascade cards are also the subject of this month's  Technique Tuesday  so I have entered my card there and if you do play along with me next Thursday be sure and post the results there too. Bye for now - Jacqueline xx

There is a sketch this week at  Simply Stampin'  - have a look I had such fun with this sketch and as my title suggests - I used my Everything Eleanor set. Take a look at my card I also used a leaf stamp from my French Foliage set and a sentiment from Field Flowers. The colours I used are Whisper White, Pretty in Pink, Certain Celery and Wild Wasabi. Also added to the mix were some flat backed gems and some seam binding ribbon. Here's a close up of my flowers - I cut out several layers to make them Well that's it - have a great weekend everyone, see you soon - Jacqueline xx

Whilst visiting some blogs today I came across a new challenge blog CASology This Tuesday saw the start and their very first challenge asking for cards with a very unfamiliar theme - take a look When was the last time we saw the sun and I don't mean fleetingly through scudding black clouds but shining down from a sky of blue?! Hmmmm. Anyway my card can be viewed from two different angles -  So this could be a card to the sun 'cos I'm sure we all do miss it, but really it's a card for a friend which is why it's also for  Mynnette's  Spread the Love campaign My sun is die cut on my Cuttlebug and the sentiment is from Up, Up and Away - coloured with markers. Thanks for stopping by today - hope you've had a good one - Jacqueline xx

For this week's Mid-week Motivation piece over on  Make My Monday  I have created a card using the colours ORANGE, GREEN AND PURPLE. I have used Fresh Vintage for the main image and cut out flowers and then the sentiment is from Field Flowers. All stamps have been inked with marker pens before stamping in Certain Celery, Wisteria Wonder, Peach Parfait and Concord Crush. Card stock is from my stash. Here are a couple of close ups All challenge details can be found  HERE  if you would like to have a go and I will see you soon - Jacqueline xx