Spooky!!!

Hi All,

Had a fab time at Ally Pally on Sunday with the Simply Handmade By.... girls and the ladies from our craft class.  We all spent far too much but oh my...... got some lovely goodies!!!!

I've been busy working on projects for Sarah Hurley - some which will remain under wraps for the moment, but I am very pleased to show you some cards I made with her lovely, smashingly spooky Halloween Digi sets:  Vintage and Whimsy.  There are some 'wicked' (get it??!!) images and fantastic background papers so check them out!!

Don't forget to have a look at Sarah's vintage challenge on her Blog - we'd love you to join in - see you there!!!!

Sarah Hurley Challenge - Vintage

Hi Folks,

Apologies for the lack of input this week but it's been a bit crazy what with our classes starting up again and Jules being on holiday (I love having him home but I lose my routine completely!)

This is my first Challenge as part of the Sarah Hurley Design Team and if you would like to join in you can find all the details here.

The theme of the Challenge is Vintage and we are very lucky to be sponsored by Altered Expression who very generously provided us with some beautiful images to work with.  Check them out - really inexpensive to download and there is a huge range to chose from.  Altered Expression will be giving gift certificates to 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners, so don't miss out! (There is $20 up for grabs for first place, $10 for second place and $5 for third place) - so please check out the Sarah Hurley Challenge Blog.

This is my card:

I aged the backing paper (from my stash) and my chosen image with Distress Inks and then went round the edges lightly with Versamark and embossed with gold embossing powder to give it a gilded edge.  I matted and layered these on to brown and pink card to pick up the colours in the image.  I added a strip of lace and gathered a small piece of the same lace to make a rosette and added some pearls.

Hope you like my what I've made and please do join in the challenge - we can't wait to see your creations.

Lots of Love,

Jess

xxx 

Simply Handmade By......Classes

Just to let you all know that after a lovely summer break, we are starting our classes again!!  First one is tomorrow, 21st September, 10am-12pm at Cliffe Wood Community Centre, Cliffe Woods, Nr Rochester.

If anyone is interested, please contact me and I can give you further details and future class dates.

Jess
xxx

Happy Birthday Sandra!!!!!

Another very good friend's birthday today and she's just told me that she has to work today!!  Not fair is it??!!  Happy Birthday Sandra - Hope you have a fab day regardless.

Anyway, here is the card I made for her using my very cute Puss In Boot stamp from LOTV - Hope you like it.

Thanks for looking - Your crafty time is much appreciated.

Happy Birthday Donna!!!

It's my very good friend Donna's birthday today - so Happy Birthday!!!!  Here's the card I made for her - It's always a bit nerve-wracking making cards for crafty friends but I think this one turned out nice.

Keep your eyes peeled for my first creations for the Sarah Hurley DT - there will be some exciting things coming soon!!!

Exciting News...................Oh And A Card!!

Hello fellow Bloggers,

I have some very exciting news...I am now a member of Sarah Hurley Challenges!!!!!  I am so excited about it.  It will be a great new venture and I am really looking forward to getting cracking!!  Keep an eye out for what's going on and I will keep you posted on the new and exciting things which Sarah has up and coming.

Anyway, inspite of coming over all unnecessary I have managed to put together a card - and quite speedily too - Mum asked me for it yesterday afternoon and I finished it off this morning.  OK, so not super speedy but not bad going.

It's a Ruby Wedding card for some friends of Mum and Dad.  I heat embossed the swirls and used nesties to cut the ovals - an get this - I made the flowers!!!!  First attempt too.  Hope you like it.

Thank you for looking and any comments you leave are much appreciated and gratefully received.

Jess

xxxx

I've Been Abandoned!!!!

It's Jules' day off today and he's abandoned me to go and play golf - how rude!!!!  I don't mind really (well that's what I'm telling myself anyway lol). 

We've got some new neighbours two doors down so I've made them a card to say hello.  Here it is:

The stamp is from Impression Obsession and I've just stamped it in black Versafine and layered on a Lacey Circle nestie.  Some Papermania paper over a Martha Stewart punched border and some Cuttlebug corners.  Hope you like it.

Thanks for looking.

Jess

xxx

Dusting Off The Distress Inks!!

OK - So I've had them for a while, and I've looked at them, got them out of the draw even, but so far I've been a bit scared to use them.  So I thought - it's time to dust them off and get going with my Distress Inks.  I've kept it simples ;) and only used one colour and it may not be the most exciting project (I may need to add glitter!) but I'm quite pleased.

What do you think???

Calories?? What calories???

Everyone knows birthday cake calories don't count - don't they??!!  Well I hope our Brother-In-Law Stuart took that into account.  This is the birthday cake that Jules and I made for him - it was a chocolate and vanilla marble cake with cream cheese and Oreo frosting - how bad could that be??!!!

Update on The Tigs

Just thought I'd let you all know that the Tigs is a bit happier today.  Still fairly quiet and a bit wary, but much improved on last night.  I'm sure she'll be back to her old self very soon.

She's made herself comfortable under the desk in my work room and I haven't wanted to disturb her, so no crafting for me today.  Hubby Jules is playing golf on Sunday afternoon, so you never know I might get something done then lol!!!

Happy Friday everyone - hope you have lovely weekends.

Jess & Tigs
xxxx

Simply Handmade By......

Hi All,

Just a quick post to upload a card which my lovely neighbour Carol asked Simply Handmade By... to make for her.  She was recently made redundant and wanted a little something for her friend that she job-shared with and here is what I came up with.  I thought that incorporating the tealights made it more of a gift/keepsake.  Carol was really pleased with it and so I am told was her friend.

I am very edgy today as I has to take my Tigs to the vets this morning - she is having some dental work done under aneasthetic (the vets bamboozled us into it when we took her for her booster last week).  I should be able to pick her up at 3pm - bless her heart.

5pm and The Tigs has been home for about half an hour.  She's still quite dozy and has jelly legs but I think she's OK - not sure she's forgiven me just yet though!!

Happy Birthday To My Mum Lorraine

Hi All,

It's another hot one today but I couldn't let the heat get to me as it's my Mum's birthday and I've been busy making cards.  I had a real dilemma because I had a few different ideas (the first and second shamelessly borrowed from Simply Handmade By - hope you don't mind girls - thank you Emma and Donna) and couldn't decide which one to use for my Mum's card - so I made all of them!!!!!  Still, it's a special birthday (bet you can't guess which one lol!!!)  for her and the more the merrier.  I made her a cake too which I will upload piccies of later - it's on Jules' (Hubby's) phone.

Don't forget to check out our Simply Handmade By Facebook page for news and our latest creations.  We will be resuming our Craft Classes in September so please contact us if you would like to come along.

Happy Birthday and Much Love to My Mummy

Jess

xxxxxx

Candy To Be Won at Crafty Emma's Store

Fancy winning some candy??!!

We have this gorgeous bundle of goodies for one lucky winner in celebration of Crafty Emma's Store 1st Birthday.

**There is also a £20 voucher up for grabs over on the Challenge Blog...make sure you enter the challenge for a chance to win. New challenge starts tomorrow at 8am**

Creative Expressions Calling Card Challenge

Hi Folks,  Here is my entry for the Calling Card Challenge over at Creative Expressions.  To keep within the challenge rules I have stamped my gorgeous little upside down house mouse and coloured him in with Promarkers.  He is layered onto one of the Floral Doily Accent dies and matted and layered with patterned papers onto an ATC sized matt.  I have made a centre step card and decorated this with the same patterned papers, some flower die-cuts and some yummy card candy.  Hope you like my efforts - I've never made an ATC before but have really enjoyed doing it.

Thanks for looking.

Happy Sunday

Just a quick post for now to say hello and to upload a couple of cards I've made recently.  I made a few of these as thank you's to my lovely friends and family for my super birthday pressies. 

Sunny Days are here again!!

Weatherwise and craftwise!! There is a brand new stamp available from Little Claire, called Sunny Day which you can find by clicking here. It's an adorable little set with the cutest hedgehog pushing a lawnmower. Here are a couple of cards I made with it:

Glad It's Cooler - Phew!!

Don't get me wrong, I like the weather to be nice but boy, Monday was just toooooo hot!!  It's a lovely day outside today and I have been busy crafting with some gorgeous new stamps from Little Claire - watch this space for more details.

Simply Handmade By did a stall at Hempstead Valley's Craft Fayre on Sunday and despite the centre not being that busy (I think eveyone was mass barbequeing!!) we did very well.

Our Craft Club (In Cliffe Woods, Nr Rochester) is expanding - I think we had 12 ladies on Monday evening - the club is open to everyone, all ages, all abilities, it's fun and informal and a chance to craft and chat at the same time. If you would like to join us or would like more information then please do not hesitate to contact us at Simply Handmade By.

Anyway,  here are some cards I've made - one a 25th Wedding Anniversary card for some friends and sadly a pet sympathy card.

Thanks for looking.

Tealight Card

I made this card/gift for someone my Mum know - she wanted something a bit different so I decided to make a tealight card.  Hope you like it - The butterflies are a Marianne Design.

Little Claire Challenge 9 - Cards for Men

Hi All,

Little Claire's 9th Blog Challenge is under-way and the theme is Cards for Men.  It can be a little troublesome sometimes making cards for the fella's in our lives so hopefully this Blog Challenge will give you some inspiration.  Here's my effort - I used the inside image from theRWAV Garage Set.

Check out Little Claire's Blog - there is come fabulous candy to be won!!

A FEW RULES

• You DO NOT need to use a Little Claire stamp to qualify for the prize draw
• However, only those using Little Claire stamps will qualify for a Top 3 badge
• You may enter the challenge UP TO 3 TIMES and you may combine with other challenges
• You must follow the challenge theme and NO BACKLINKING please, new cards only
• Please provide a link to our blog in your post
• Please leave a link to your actual card, not just to your blog
• The challenge will close at 2pm on Fri 24th June

GOOD LUCK & HAVE FUN!

Dream A Little Dream.......

I have been having a play with a stamp from Little Claire called Dream A Little Dream, which is a really pretty, whimsical, dreamy stamp that lends itself to all kinds of techniques.

Both images have been stamped with Memento and coloured with Promarkers.

You can't see from the photo but I have put Glossy Accents on the bubbles.

This one has glittery bubbles.

Thanks for looking - your time is appreciated.

Jess

xxxx

June Club Stamp

Hi All,

The June Club Stamp set has been released over at Little Claire.  It a lovely set of Gerbera Daisies including a corner stamp and lovely sentiment.

For this card I stamped the small Gerbera three times (top, middle and bottom flowers), then I masked them and stamped the flower inbetween to make it look as though they are behind.

New Stamps

Here are some new stamps from Little Claire.  Daisy Pitcher and Wheelbarrow

Happy Anniversary Mum & Dad

It's my Mum and Dad's Wedding Anniversary today - they have been married for 42 years.  So Congratulations and Lots of Love from me. Jxxx

I made a card for Mum to gave to Dad and of course one from me and Jules - here they are.

Super Sale!!

Little Claire are having a 1 day special sale on the Spikey Flower Set.  Usually £7.50 but until 4pm Friday 20th May, so hurry, hurry, hurry!!!