Blog Candy Giveaway!

Hi everyone and welcome. It probably looks like I'm doing diddly squat here on my blog because much of what I'm doing these days is 'behind the scenes' stuff . Oh yes, believe it or not I'm still pretty much attached to the laptop typing away furiously, writing lots of stuff, answering and asking questions, coordinating and all the other fun things that go with being, well me! There's also a fair bit of belting up and down motorways going on too (ahhh, the joys of university open days!) so I'm actually looking forward to squeezing in some crafting over the next couple of days time permitting.

And for you, all my patient and wonderful followers across the World that means? As promised earlier this month it's time for some well deserved blog candy. What do you need to do to be in with a chance to win?

• Be a follower.
• Leave a comment on this post.
• Display my Blog Candy badge in your sidebar with a link to this post.

What's up for grabs? Rather than give away one large bundle of stash I've split it three ways so there are more chances to win (click on each image for a closer look). As well as IndigoBlu stamps and lots of other brand new goodies, I've included one of my unique little creations in each bundle. To give everyone an opportunity to join in the fun this give away will remain open until Sunday, July 26th.

Please make sure you join in the fun and spread the word in Blogland so everyone gets the chance to win.

I will be back with news of something completely new, exciting and different from the clever bunnies at IndigoBlu this Wednesday so it would be great to have your company for that. In the meantime have a great week and whatever you're up to, take care of yourselves. Jenny xxx

It's Summer! at Frilly and Funkie

Hello and welcome! Over at the Frilly and Funkie challenge blog I'm standing in as host for Nancy with her choice of theme, 'It's Summer!' Here's what Nancy has to say about the theme; "Let us know what you love about Summer. Do you enjoy travelling, growing a garden, or laying on the beach? Create a vintage or shabby chic project, card, or layout showcasing what you enjoy most about this wonderful season."

What can you win by entering? Our overall winner gets the opportunity to be a Guest Designer on a future challenge at Frilly and Funkie, there's a randomly picked winner of a $25 shopping coupon at The Funkie Junkie Boutique and now we are also awarding Top 3 badges!!!

I got thinking about what Summer means to me... 

 (click on each image for a closer look)

To be honest over the past few years it's meant doing jobs around the house, day trips out and (whoopee!) exam results for one or more of my sons. I figured that's not really where Nancy wanted me to go with this!!! So let's go WAY BACK to my childhood (I know, prehistoric times but they were good!) Long-standing followers will have heard me reminisce about summer holidays spent with my Nana on the North-East coast. The North Sea may be cold but there are some incredible beaches up there with beautiful shells and pieces of sea glass just waiting to be collected. Inspired by these memories I set to work on altering a bottle to capture some of that Summer feeling.

This plain bottle was coloured from the inside using slightly diluted 'Time Travel Teal' Magicals before adding plain gauze and stamped bubbles to the outside. The shells were glued on top along with alcohol ink altered pearl beads. Extra colour was added by applying a little white gesso to parts of the shells then spritzing various Lindy's Stamp Gang Flat Fabio and Starburst sprays. 

The top of the original bottle featured a plain aluminium and rubber stopper - doesn't it look better transformed with alcohol inks! Then I took twine, beads, chains, jump rings and some of the fabulous metal charms from The Funkie Junkie Boutique to dress up the neck. You might just spot that the charms were also altered with the alcohol inks and a little white gesso. If you are looking for something slightly different in the way of charms I can highly recommend Linda's range - there are lots of themed sets and the most gorgeous designs with glass cabochon settings just right for adding your own images or words.

Now all this bottle needs is a message! So what do you love about Summer? For more inspiration head on over to Frilly and Funkie see what my Funkie team mates have created and then it's over to you. Thank you for joining me today. Whatever you're up to for the rest of the week have a great one and take care of yourselves, Jenny xxx

Into The Blue...

Hi everyone and welcome. So, it was another busy weekend demonstrating for IndigoBlu at Astbury Meadow Garden Centre, Congleton for the cheerful and enthusiastic stamping fans. It was great to see those fans coming along as we appear to be a dying breed in the UK at the moment! I was thrilled in particular that two of my very good friends, Anne Redfern and Tracy Evans were there to support me and pass on their collective wisdom to everyone too. It's always quite nerve-racking to be demonstrating in the presence of crafting royalty, hoping desperately to impart something that will inspire, but they seemed to enjoy it! Phew!

And so a new week begins. Don't forget, we are continuing to announce the awe-inspiring new line up for the International Design Team over on the IndigoBlu blog for the coming two weeks, so please do make sure you give them a huge welcome. I was quite overcome by the amazing comments you all posted about my own position on the team and thank you all from the bottom of my heart. As you can imagine, running two Design Teams and working in the industry full time now really doesn't give me the opportunity to get round to everyone's blogs in the same way I used to so for that I humbly apologise. I'm going to post some blog candy shortly to make up for it so do keep your eyes peeled for that.

And before I move on with today's offering how pleased was I to find out that my first ever journalling spread had been picked as a Top 3 badge winner!!! I'll be guesting there in the not too distant future as a result and can't thank Donna and the team enough for their award.

OK, on with today's card and this one is distinctly travel related...

(click on the image for a closer look)

Believe it or not this started life as a 'mop up' for this journalling! As something of a thrifty crafter I used the wet Distress Paint covered reverse of the Bubble and Splatters Layering Stencils to add some layering to this piece of 'Correspondence' paper stash. It didn't show up much on the predominantly white design but that got fixed with a good application of Faded Jeans Distress Ink (and a touch of Brushed Corduroy around the edges). And the stencilling kept on coming with Rays in Texture Paste, outlined with a Frayed Burlap Distress Marker.

There was already a lot going on in the background so then came the balancing act of adding more without overdoing it. I started with an old Tim stamp, the plane, stamped and embossed in gold on a piece of grungepaper. The Faded Jeans DI filled in the uncoloured areas and complimented the background. As well as the map (cut from the Correspondence collection) I needed some other travel related bits to layer under the plane. I was really pleased with the way the travel map from the 'Documented' set looked stamped in Cornflower Blue Archival Ink on more of the Correspondence paper and you should also be able to spot a travel ticket (Potting Soil Archival Ink on the same paper) from the same set. The tag was another mop up sat neglected in my scraps box and finally I added a die cut using the Thinlits Celebration Words (there's always a birthday in our family!!!)

Hopefully this card has given you some ideas for using these Tim Holtz sets and maybe setting off on a creative journey of your own. I'll be back with news of that blog candy in a few days, but in the meantime take care of yourselves and have a great week ahead, Jenny xxx

Amazing News!!!

Hi everyone and welcome. Well it's been another whirlwind few days, especially last weekend. A trip to visit David Young and his lovely customers at Cutting Edge Crafts in Skegness on Saturday, followed by taking my place on the IndigoBlu stand demonstrating alongside Kay Halliwell-sutton (how cool!!!) at the Stamp Magic show in Doncaster on Sunday.

It was lovely to meet lots of friendly faces keen to know what I was doing with mucky hands and a scoochy!!! And what a surprise, I got a visit from my DT buddy Sue (Stamping Sue Style) the wonderful Ruth (A Love To Create) and lovely Sharon (7 Til 9 Crafting Time)!

And the magic continues as the brand new IndigoBlu International Design Team 2015 - 2016 is being unveiled on the IndigoBlu blog, starting today with lil' ole' me as the DT Lead!!! I know, pinch me, I'm dreaming!!! What an absolute honour to have been asked to take on this role, especially knowing the incredible people I will be working alongside! Thank you so much for putting this much faith in me Kay and Alfie x

This is the start of a new and exiting chapter as we spread the love for all things IndigoBlu around the World with a dream team of international designers. Please make sure you head over to the IndigoBlu blog every day for the next two weeks to see who else is a part of this journey.

I'll be back with more creations very soon, but for now take care of yourselves, Jenny xxx

Monochromatic at Frilly and Funkie

Hello and welcome! Today it's the turn of the Funkie side of the DT at Frilly and Funkie to present their projects for the latest challenge 'Monochromatic'. Here's what our host Cec has to say; "This one is called Monochromatic and I want to see a shabby chic and vintage project that uses basically one colour and its various hues and tones - a little white or cream can be added but unless that is the main colour, it needs to be just an accent. The winner will earn the chance of a Guest DT spot at Frilly and Funkie, and everyone who enters and follows the rules will be entered into the draw to have the chance to win a $25 spending spree at The Funkie Junkie Boutique.

So, there were a number of fabulous projects from the Frilly side of the team featuring shades of blue and, despite the urge to use some of the fabulous teal hues I love to reach for, this time it's shades of brown taking the spotlight (and yes, I've been journalling, again!)...

(click on the image for a closer look)

This two-page spread is basically an exercise in layering. It started with white gesso and some Tissue Wrap to cover the diary pages underneath. Next came offcut strips from die cut Vintage Lace (you know, the bits that are left over when you've popped out the actual designs), some Tissue Tape and Artful Arrows die cuts. Much of this got covered up but if it wasn't there you'd notice the lack of depth and dimension in the end results.

Next it was time to start adding those brown shades. A base layer of Cafe Au Lait Flat Fabio warmed everything up. Then came stencilling - I added Antiqued Bronze Distress Paint and Perfect Bronze Pigment Powder to Translucent Paste to create a rich, glossy medium to spread through the Layering Stencil. With all these grooves and bumps in place I dripped various mists and stains from each edge in turn, drying one before moving on to the next so the colours remained pronounced. I love that from head on the page looks brown/bronze, but when tilted to an angle you get to see other colours and tones coming through (mainly from the Lindy's products).

At this point it still felt too flat but one thing I learned from Marjie Kemper's online class was to keep layering with more detail/media for a more interesting look. Time to get bold - I stamped the World map from Tim's 'Documented' set in Snow Cap pigment ink over both sides - hey presto, detail and contrast! The arrows needed a boost, hence the Remnant Rubs, Small Talk words (edged with a Frayed Burlap Distress Marker) and dots of Rose Gold Liquid Pearls. To finish I had fun with the Vintage Globe die cut; Byzantine Bronze and Cafe Au Lait Embossing Powders on the frame, Chateau Rose Embossing Powder on the land masses and Golden Doubloons Mist on the oceans. To pull all of that together and retain the brown theme I blended Sepia Archival Ink over each part before reassembling it. And don't you just love the little bronze bird charm? It was easy to snip off the loop at the top so she could fly free across the World on her own adventure.

Sticking to one colour family seemed like a challenge initially but actually it provided the opportunity to focus on the texture, design and dimension. See how my Funkie team mates handled the challenge by heading over to the Frilly and Funkie challenge blog - I know I say it a lot but you REALLY are in for a treat! And of course we'd love to see your Monochromatic vintage or shabby chic creations.

Whatever you're up to for the rest of the week, take care of yourselves. Jenny xxx

Celebrations at A Vintage Journey

Hi everyone and welcome. It's the start of this month's challenge over at A Vintage Journey and our lovely host, Sandy, has picked the theme 'Celebrations'. Here's what she has asked for; " Share your celebrations with us. It can be the end of the school year, a birthday, Father's Day, a wedding or a special anniversary. Use any of Tim's products or techniques." 

The theme itself of course is fairly easy, but it is important to remember that this is a Tim Holtz inspired challenge, so when choosing our top 3 entries, we want to see Tim's influence clearly represented in your project. If you describe it in your post even better! You do not have to use Tim products, though his wonderful Distress range of course offers plenty of choice, but we do want to see that your project is inspired by one of his wonderful techniques that he so freely shares. You can make anything you want, as long as it clearly follows our challenge rules (available to view on the challenge blog). One randomly chosen winner will receive a £20 gift voucher from our very generous sponsor, Country View Crafts. We also have our Pinworthy blog badges for the Top 3, who will be chosen by the Creative Guides (DT).

(click on each image for a closer look)

My wonderful hubby celebrates another birthday at the end of the month so I thought I would grab the opportunity to make him a celebratory card based on this month's Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2015,  Not being a big coffee drinker (hubby is more of a tea urn!) I grabbed the Sizzix Bigz Die 'Packages and Bows' and got to work with lots of surfaces. As well as cutting burlap and kraft card you'll spot card covered in 'Passport' Design Tape and plastic packaging painted on the reverse with Stormy Sky Distress Paint (fake cream was never going to work on this but I loved the effect on Tim's original tag). A hint if you try this yourselves - I found that a coat of Glue n Seal over the paint prevented it from moving when dry.

Tim provides a full tutorial for the basics of this tag HERE so I'm not going to repeat it here. Suffice to say I chose a base of Antique Linen, followed by a more traditional plaid using Abandoned Coral, Stormy Sky and Iced Spruce with the Stripes Layering Stencil. I also added jute string and Remnant Rubs stars to the parcels, and Mirrored Stars covered in Mushroom Alcohol Ink on the bows. A Word Band was added with inked Linen Ribbon and a Muse Token to more jute bows at the top of the card.

So that's it for my 'Celebrations' project for A Vintage Journey. Please make sure you pop over to see what my fellow Creative Guides have come up with - as ever, you are in for a real treat and plenty of inspiration!

I am going to enter this celebratory collage card (with no stamping!) into;

Sunday Stamper - Week 358 - Breaking The Law

'The Mixed Media Card Challenge'.

Now thoughts for me turn to the weekend as I'm off on my travels again!

On Saturday 6th June I'll be at Cutting Edge Crafts in Skegness demonstrating for IndigoBlu, and on Sunday 7th June I'll be doing it all over again (but this time in partnership with Kay Halliwell-sutton) at Stamp Magic, The Dome, Doncaster. Further details are on my sidebar and I look forward to seeing lots of you there!

Whatever you're up to this weekend I hope you enjoy yourselves. Jenny xxx

Products used in this project are available from Country View Crafts