Phoenix Inspirations

Wouldn't it be good to be able to slow down time at the flick of a switch? I don't know about you but for me time is simply galloping by. I just about got my tree done and now I need to start on Mum's. But I still have cards to make and write, presents to buy and wrap and of course there is the Christmas Day running order to work out. Oh and I've still got my job to do too!!! So my title is -  few more Christmas cards - however I seem to have deleted some of them from my files so I've got one for today and I will take some more pics later when the light is better - don't you just hate these dark winter days? Today's card is some Triple Time Stamping - take a look Three pieces of card stock with the images stamped on to them and then stacked up with coloured mats behind them. I stamped my greeting onto some velum and also added some gems to add a bit of sparkle. Ok so I'm off to to  bit more Christmas crafting - see you soon - J xx

Well here we are four days into Advent and I hardly have any cards made! I have a day off on Friday and I can see me having a marathon card making session. That's apart from getting them written and posted  - eek! So I said I hardly have any made  - here's one that I managed to get done this last weekend.  I got the inspiration for this from Pinterest and it uses the lovely Christmas Happiness stamp set. I love the pine branches and cones and the silver bow adds the perfect finishing touch.  So before I go to bed tonight I am starting to set up my planner for next year. I love the idea of bullet journaling but I've decided to move from a notebook to a filo fax.  I tend to always be playing catch up when it comes to setting up the pages so I've bought some ready printed ones so I should be more organised  - well that's the idea anyway! I will get it set up and then do a post later in the week. Meanwhile I have been frantically working on my Mum

Hello again, it's been a while hasn't it? Work has been full on plus Mum has had lot of health checks recently. So  - have you noticed the new blog header - yes I've changed it again! The blog address is still the same - phoenixinspirations.blogspot.co.uk - as I guess every time I change it's like I'm rising back up to something new! The blog header has been designed again by my good friend Mynnette and she has done such a great job. I wanted something clean and simple but sophisticated and classy - and she did it! So what have I been doing craft wise? Well not a lot really. A little bit of stamping, a little bit of beading and also a little bit of work with fimo clay. I am also working on a large project for Advent. I think I may have bitten off more than I can chew with this but hey ho we'll see where it takes us! Here's a picture of the first stage - can you guess what it's going to be? I am hoping to work on this over the next fe

I have teamed up with my lovely friend Mynnette to bring you a brand new challenge blog. It starts in January and we would love you on our team. It's called The Rainbow Card Challenge The DT call will run throughout November and then in December we will announce the team and details of the first challenge. Isn't it exciting?!! All the details can be found on the blog and we are asking you to produce a card with a MONOCHROME theme. There are other requirements too so please do pop over and have a read. Here is a card I made a few years ago but it will give you and idea of what we are looking for I hope this will inspire you to have a go! Thanks for looking today - take care - J xx

So while I was making one flamingo card I thought - I might as well make two! Take a look at this fun flamingo This one is a little more clean and simple compared to the first. I coloured my flamingo image the same way using markers but this time I mounted it onto some pale pink card stock. Next I took a piece of white card and ran it through my Big Shot in a leafy embossing folder. I mounted this onto some green card and then added the stamped panel. The whole thing was mounted onto a white C6 card base. Here's the two cards together Thanks for stopping by today and taking a look at my blog - hope you liked it. Please come back again soon - bye for now - J xx

So it's been a while - again! Where does all the time go? I can't believe that it's the first of October already where has this year gone? Well anyway here is a card I made using a new flamingo stamp - a bit of summer colour before the world turns to Autumn. This flirty little flamingo has been stamped in black VersaMark ink and then coloured with marker pens of various pink tones. The leaf around the card is one I picked up at Hobby Craft for a silly price of 50p but gives a lovely tropical feel to the card. A few sparkly gems add a finishing touch along with the gorgeous sentiment. I found the flamingo stamp and the sentiment on line ages ago and I'm only just inking them up - how bad is that!!!! It's been quite a nice day in Bridgnorth today - a bit nippy first thing but a lot warmer when I left work this afternoon. Please pop back tomorrow when I shall have another fabulous flamingo card to show off to you. Thanks for stopping by today - see you

So far this year I have made the grand total of 1 Christmas cards which is shameful. I really don't want it to be a mad rush at the end of November to get them made and I would really like to sell for our company charity - Make A Wish. I don't get rid of many of my Christmas sets and the card I have for you today uses one I have had for ages. It's called Come to Bethlehem and features the Three Wise Men in silhouette. I have teamed it up with Waterfront and here is the result Unfortunately this won't make it into my stash as it was a Facebook swap but I am going to seriously get on with my Christmas crafting so watch this space! I hope you like my card today and that it inspires you to start your Christmas crafting - thanks for stopping by - see you soon - J xx

I have so many lovely stamp sets that I hardly ever use - gone are the days when on receiving a new set I would get it out and use it there and then. Now I have to wait for days off work and also days when my fibro isn't playing up - those days are few and far between. Today's card is using Lovely Wishes and yes it's one I've had for months and it's only just getting an airing! I love the delicate images and had great fun stamping, embossing and colouring in - take a look I left it free of a sentiment so it's in my stash now ready for any occasion. I am entering this card into the challenge over at A Gem of a Challenge Where the challenge is Breast Cancer Awareness - and the card is predominantly pink. Thanks for stopping by today - see you soon - J xx

Today I don't have a card to share with you but a project I created a while ago for a Facebook swap. I'm part of a group of like minded crafters on Facebook and there are always loads of exciting things to join in with every month.  So a while ago I took part in a swap where the challenge was to decorate some wooden pegs - I loved doing this and here are the results The paper I used is retired now but it's one of my favourites as I love floral designs. I also used a variety of dies and punches to layer up adding some glitter paper, rhinestones and clay flowers. To make the package a bit prettier I clipped them to a piece of card stock and die cut some letters to add the word HELLO. I'm having a very lazy morning here in Hereford as I am typing this in my PJs! I'm off out later to visit some lovely friends who I haven't seen in a while so I'm really looking forward to that. And then tomorrow when I post again I shall probably be back at home

Today is a very special day for me. Five years ago I set up The Male Room - a challenge blog strictly for male orientated cards. Sadly though I had to give it up a while ago as I was going through some personal problems. But the team did not give up and the challenges still happen every two weeks and they have just gone from strength to strength. Please do go and visit  The Male Room The best thing is though Jane asked me to contribute a card to celebrate the five year anniversary - I couldn't say no could I? Here is my card I have used my Waterfront set again to create a sunset scene. Lots of masking with post it notes and sponging with yellows, oranges and reds. The birds are from High Tide but make a lovely addition to the scene. The Happy Birthday image is from You're Inspiring. So as you know I'm staying with my daughter in Hereford - haven't got to the outdoor gym yet - maybe tomorrow! I did however fit in a trip to Hobbycraft where I

A set I haven't used yet - even though I've had it for ages is Waterfront. It's a fab set for creating scenes which is something I love doing, so I really don't know why it's taken me so long to play with it! The card I have created is taken from a tutorial on Youtube. Unfortunately I can't remember where I found it so I can't add a credit but it turned out rather well I think - take a look It's a one layer card so it's really good for posting and it didn't take very long to create. I've used a variety of inks: Early Espresso, Mossy Meadow, Old Olive, So Saffron and I think Bermuda Bay. I love the spotty stamp - it gives lovely texture without adding any bulk. So I'm in beautiful Hereford now spending time with my daughter. Tomorrow we are going to an outside gym. Never done that before but I'm always up for new experiences - will tell all tomorrow! Thanks for stopping by today - see you soon - J xx

Graceful Garden is a set I love, in fact I just love roses and this set has the most beautiful rose image perfect for colouring in or paper piecing. Today's card features this lovely rose and one of my favourite Stampin' Up colours - Night of Navy. So I tried to take an arty photograph of my card and I think that there is more of everything else than there is of the card!! The rose has been stamped onto Soft Sky card stock with Versamark ink and then heat embossed with white embossing powder - the leaves were treated the same way but onto Old Olive card stock. I used my leaf punch to and some copper glitter paper for my leaves and my sentiment is from (after searching through my stamp sets for ages) Beautiful Peacock - from the last Sale-A-Bration offer. I am off to my daughter's in Hereford for a few days but I am still hoping to blog a little - especially as I now have my handy little tablet keyboard! I'm getting quite techy in my old age - just need t

Do you remember me saying that I was having problems with my laptop? Well I think I have solved the problem - I now have a keyboard for my tablet, and I managed to set it up myself! No more carrying around bulky laptops for me! I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner. OK lets get on with the business in hand. I have a card to show you today and it's a bit of a strange one. It's daffodils - take a look I used the very beautiful You're Inspiring stamp set and coloured it using the markers. Looking forward to using this set next year for Easter and Mother's Day - in fact it would also be handy for any occasion during spring - I can't wait! Hope you like my card today - please do leave a comment to let me know you've visited - thanks for stopping by - see you soon - J xx

I have been neglecting my blog lately  - for a number of reasons  - mainly because of my increasing health issues and also because my laptop is sadly on the way out.  I did think that I might replace it but it's a big investment and I'm wondering whether it's just as good blogging on my tablet.  So  here I am  on my tablet blogging and so far  it's  ok! Crafting has taken a back seat too  - it's frustrating knowing that just a couple of years ago I was able to craft all day and run a crafting business. Now I'm lucky to be able to make one card a week and more often than not it's weeks between crafting sessions. Time management is not one of my strong points and although I'm having a week off work at the moment I've only managed to get in a little crafting. I've managed to reorganise my desk area and surrounding space so that it's easier to craft so now it's time to get down to some serious work before time runs out again! The card

I have a challenge card for you today. It's for the "Things With Wings" challenge over on  Make My Monday I used the Bird Banter stamp set from the latest Stampin' Up mini catalogue as I'm ashamed to say that I haven't used yet! It's a lovely set with exotic birdies and branches and it's perfect for colouring in . Here's my card  This is a teeny tiny note card (also from the mini catalogue) and I've stamped my branches directly on to the card. The toucan was stamped separately, coloured and cut out. He was also treated to a layer of crystal effects glue to make him lovely and shiny. He was then popped on with dimensionals and the sentiment was added too.  Thanks for stopping by today - see you soon  - J xxx 

So I was standing at my kitchen window looking out and I spied some tiny Muscari flowers framed beautifully against an old wooden sleeper.  The garden is terraced with sleepers as it's very steep and there is a layer of pebbles to stop the weeds - only it doesn't really work and loads of things keep coming up including the aforementioned Muscari. They did look very pretty though and inspired my card making today  - take a look  For my background I used Crumb Cake ink and the large Hardwood stamp. I then used the Tranquil Tulips set and the little stamps from that to create my Muscari. There are lots of leaves and spikey grass bits to use too. It's a very clean and simple card and I may add a sentiment later or I may just leave it as it is.  Hope you like my card today  - see you soon - J xxx 

It's been a jolly long time since I last blogged,  my health has not been good lately and it's taken me a long time to get over my bout of flu. It really messed with my fibro and I've found that just getting to work and back has been enough and the inclination to craft is only just coming back.  Therapy comes in all sorts of ways and I've found that my planner has been invaluable. It helps keep me organised and is also a place to dump all my ideas and dreams . It's a place to doodle and while away the hours planning and organising how my time will be spent when I get to craft again . Today I have my weekly layout to show you  - before the pen as they say  - take a look  It's mostly in pink this week which is my favourite colour with a little stamping thrown in for good measure! I've used Stampin Up Perennial Birthday which also happens to be one of my favourite sets at the moment.  Anyone who knows me knows that I love to customise my things

Today's card is another fancy fold - a Pop Out Swing Card. Here's how it started To get to this stage I followed Amanda's tutorial HERE Here are some more views To decorate it I cut a frame from Whisper White card stock and also a mat for the swing out middle I then decorated them using Blooms and Wishes stamp set and attached them to my card I also used my leaf punch to add to the middle design which was attached using Dimensionals. Hope you like my card today - see you soon - J xx

Today's card is a Bridge Card - I would also like to share with you how I made it. Here is a small tutorial. I took a piece of coloured card sock and scored it into three equal sections. The two outside sections were also scored down the middle - all were creased with a bone folder. White card stock was cut to fit each section.  The images from Climbing Orchid were stamped, coloured, die cut and assembled. A branch from Seasonal Layers was also die cut.  The white card stock was stamped with the Hardwood stamp and the edges sponged. This was done with Crumb Cake ink and Early Espresso. The pieces were stuck down.  The orchid images were arranged and stuck down. A piece of card stock was attached to the card which enables the card to stand up. The strip is the length of the card when one of the side panels has been folded in. This means that it folds flat for posting.  More orchids were assembled to decorate the side panels.  A sentiment was added to

Unfortunately this little set retired with the start of the new Spring/Summer Mini but when I saw the sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches this week I knew I had to get it out again for an encore. Freshly Made Sketches H|ere is my card My three beverages were stamped onto a piece of Whisper White card stock. They are a two step stamping set so the solid middles of the mugs were also stamped and the decoration was then added. This ensures that there are many combinations to these images. The images were cut out and attached to the banner. I am also entering this card into the challenge over at The Paper Players Thank yo so much for visiting today - see you soon - J xx

In October of this year Stampin' Up celebrates it's 30th birthday. That's 30 years of bringing us quality stamps and products. Products that you can find today in the current catalogues. Main Catalogue These products are available throughout the Stampin' Up year and can be ordered any time. Spring/Summer Mini These products are available from January to the end of May. Sale-a-bration This offer is only on from January to March and only available to purchase with a qualifying order of £45 or more. All the products can be viewed in my online shop HERE All items ordered can be sent direct to your home (p+p £4.95) anywhere in the country. So - what are you waiting for???? My order went in earlier today for new Spring/Summer items and I was able to add 2 free Sale-a-bration items to my order - roll on next week that's all I say!! The flu is well on the way out and my first shift back at work is Wednesday so I'm hoping my order a

Today's card is very clean and simple - take a look I used Hometown Greetings Thinlits dies to create this card attaching them over a sponged circle. A sun was added along with some smoke from the chimneys. A portion of one of the sentiments from the Hometown Greetings stamp set was added in Pumpkin Pie ink to finish the card off. This card is being entered into the following challenges CAS Colours & Sketches Color Throwdown Thanks for stopping by today - still feeling rough from the flu but I think I'm on the mend - see you soon - J xx

So the flu is still rampaging but I do feel marginally better and mum is out of hospital so things are looking up! The card I have for you today features my beautiful Fabulous Flamingo - take a look My background was created by swiping a baby wipe and ink over my Whisper White card stock. I then stamped my grass and sponged the bottom of that to make a little piece of land. Finally I stamped my flamingo. I am entering my card into the challenge over at Sketch Saturday I'm off now to order some goodies from the new Spring/Summer mini catalogue and hopefully qualify for some free Sale-a-bration items on the way!!! See you soon - J xx

So - it's been a lousy week. I have a viral infection which has messed with my fibro, this has left me feeling pretty fed up as I haven't felt able to do anything. Yesterday however I was feeling a bit better so I had a little play. It's not a very detailed card as just lifting my Big Shot on to my desk did me in! Here it is The branch from Seasonal Layers Thinlits was die cut from some glitter paper and a die cut orchid was attached with Dimensionals. The sentiment is from Blooms and Wishes and is stamped in Early Espresso ink on Sahara Sand card stock. A glitter centre to the flower adds the perfect finishing touch. I am entering this card into the challenge over at CAS(E) this Sketch Thanks for stopping by today - don't know when I shall be back, on top of this fibro/flu of mine Mum was taken into hospital this morning - it never rains but it pours as they say - 'cept it's snowing here which is why I didn't go with her. Hopefuly I

I needed a baby card this week so out came the very pretty Moon Baby set again - perfect for the arrival of little ones - take a look I started with a white circle which I then sponged with Soft Sky ink. Then gradually getting paler as I got to the middle I added some Night of Navy. The very edges were sponged with Basic Black ink. On another piece of white card stock I stamped my moon and baby and coloured it with marker pens. It was then cut out and attached to the blue circle. A piece of Soft Sky card stock was added to a white card blank and the circle and baby attached with Tombow glue. All that was left was the addition of the sentiment. I am entering this card into the following challenges The Male Room Cute Card Thursday Challenge 512 - Something New!   All products used are Stampin' Up - if you would like to order any please get in contact or go direct to my on line shop HERE Thanks - see you soon - J xx

I've finally found some time for crafting! Work has been pretty full on lately but I've treated myself to a week's holiday and boy am I enjoying myself: late nights, long lie ins and lunches out with family and friends. So in amongst all this frivolity I have crafted a card - take a look For this card I used my colourful Seasons Bundle which includes the Colourful Seasons stamp set and the Seasonal Layers Thinlits. My flowers were die cut from Dapper Denim card stock and three of them were stamped with the stamens and heat set with white embossing powder. The leaves are die cut from Soft Sky card stock and the branch and background mats are again Dapper Denim. This card was inspired by one I saw on  Narelle Farrugia  's blog and is going to be entered into the challenge over on Make My Monday Challenge # 62 Blue and White  Thanks for stopping by today - all products used on today's project are available in the current Stampin' Up

Happy New Year to all who read my blog posts! Have you noticed the new logo and blog design? Isn't it fab? It was created for me by my great blog buddy Mynnette Kitchen and I love it.  Also new are the new catalogues from Stampin Up  - take a look  These go 'live' on the 3rd of January and there are some fabulous new sets coming your way  - email me to receive copies.  Lastly I have a new Filofax  - it's all gold and sparkly and will hopefully keep me organised in the coming year! Thanks for stopping by today  - see you soon  - J xxx