LOVELY NEW PROJECTS FROM THE CI 'TEAM'

Hope you all enjoyed the Royal Wedding - how amazing is Westminster Abbey? - and I feel really positive about the happy couple too - they look perfect together.

Just want to show you a few very lovely items forwarded to me by the 'team'.  We can't have too much inspiration I always think.  Hope you enjoy them.

A delicious box, using CI-310, by Zuzu:

A luscious panel, using an image from People & Places 2, by Lucy:

Two fabulous items,  the first using a 'must-have' wooden tray, and stamp CI-306, by Ginger:

And the second using a bird 'must-have' and stamps CI-308 and CI-309, again by Ginger:

And to finish a terrific tag, again using CI-306, by Sue:

Before I go for tonight I would also like to let you know that Tassy has made a one of her unique and very informative You Tube videos, using our products, to make a beeswax canvas, which looks adorable when finished.  So do check this video out at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAl2vClGfJc and I'm sure you will enjoy it.

Bye for today,

Jean x

APRIL CHALLENGE WINNERS

Thanks so much to everyone who entered the first CI Challenge - 65 entries in total - and what lovely entries they were!  It was sooo difficult to pick out some 'winners', in fact it took me the whole of yesterday evening to make some sort of decision; a near impossibility really.  Anyway here are the five I have chosen this time around (in no particular order), who will all receive a stamp of their choice - plus a few other bits and bobs I expect (could you email us please with your stamp choice ladies!)

For a splendid use of CI-295 I would like to thank Joan for her nautical entry:

And for a cool plus unique use of CI-265 the very creative Florence:

Then for a very pretty use of CI-060 and CI-022 visit Laury55 (loving the stitching too):

Finally - two ladies I have mentioned before who I came across because of this challenge, firstly the lovely Paula of Ephemeras Attic, who has used CI-122 in a pretty hanging:

And also from Crafty Hearts Wish the very creative Sharon who made this lovely box using CI-116 - the crackle stamp, and an image from People and Places 2.

Thanks to everyone again - hope you enjoyed playing along, regardless of whether you were a 'winner' this time around or not.  Lots more challenges to go - the next subject will be announced at the beginning of May, and has been chosen and will be judged by the uber talented Isabelle Norris - one of our great 'team'.  So do look out for that and please do join in the fun again.

Jean x

.....AND ANOTHER CLEVER LADY!

I hinted that I had another very talented crafter's work to show you and here she is (drum roll) - Sharon - at Crafty Hearts Wish - do go and check out her beautiful blog.  She is fairly new to blogging (just like me) and I'm sure she would love you to visit!

Here is a taste of her beautiful work - using an assortment of CI stamps and images, plus other pretty items:

And a simply gorgeous tag pocket book:

Sharon also attends classes at Grimsby Crafts with the lovely Sue from Paper Paradise Blog, so if you live in the area I can highly recommend Sue's classes.

Lovely projects Sharon - thanks for letting me share them here.

Only 1 day until this month's Challenge ends - so please do hurry up if you are thinking of posting.

Back soon,
Jean x

A WEEKEND AWAY, AND A VERY CLEVER LADY

Hope you are all having a lovely Easter break.  I have my two boys at home for the hols so the house is in chaos, and full of young people tonight.  On another note it is so nice to see some lovely sunshine here in England - hope this means we will have a good summer this year for a change!!

Last weekend Malcolm and I had a couple of days away in London - we stayed in Camden Town, which was great fun (lots of markets - vintage, craft, and clothes).  On the first day we had a trip to Highgate Cemetary - very gothic, nice angels, and I do so love statues!  We took lots of photos - with a quick peak below:

And another back view of me taking photos (results not quite up to Malcolm's standard though):

Plus the gorgeous ivy clad angel above that I've had a 'play' with below:    

I'm not sure this sort of stuff is everyone's 'cup of tea' - but I think I find it very 'spiritual' and certainly peaceful and beautiful.

Moving on now back to crafting, and I want to show you some work by the very talented Paula of http://ephemerasattic.blogspot.com/.  Do check out her blog to see some gorgeous items including the ones below using CI products, plus further instructions:

I absolutely love this one using our new elements stamp CI-306. 

Secondly a box using another elements stamp CI-278 - displaying some seaside delights!

Then a lovely use of one of our new Tags from a CI tag pack, and a chipboard CI frame:

A hanging using CI chipboard again, and stamp CI-065:

And finally a card using CI-174:

Hope you have enjoyed the above display as much as I have.  And I will be showing you some more goodies from another customer soon.

Don't forget only 5 days to get your entries in for the challenge for this month.  Five lucky winners will receive a stamp of their choice from the CI collection.  Check out the other entries and the submission instructions HERE.

Hope you all get lots of yummy chocolate eggs this weekend!

Jean x

 

Have a Very Happy Easter Folks!

A quick post to wish you all a very Happy Easter by way of a lovely card by Tassy.  Tassy used our collaged chicken stamp CI-289 to create this lovely cheerful card.

And now a so so pretty card by Karen at Karen's Keepsake Cards who was inspired by the Royal Wedding and street party bunting into making this little delight.  Karen used our tea party stamp CI-269 which incorporates a tea-party ticket from 1857 for an Easter event in Merthyr-Tydfil, so it was a very apt choice for the time of year.  Just lovely, thanks Karen!

With thanks to all of you - the total number of blog followers now stands at 207 - Wow!  And we are still getting lots of amazing entries to the April Challenge which can be found here.  Do click on the pics to visit some lovely blogs and take an artistic journey - full of inspiration.
Back again soon.

Jean x

NEW STAMPS, MUST-HAVE'S AND LOTS OF LOVELY DAFFODILS

As you may have seen, from last night's email, we have just released 3 new Individuals rubber stamps, and 3 new Elements rubber stamps, all of which we are very pleased with and hope you will find will be both useful and attractive to use in your crafting projects.  We hope you enjoy them.  The images below are a couple of projects I have made with them so far.  The frame is a little round chipboard Tando 'must-have'.

Loving those corsets and accessories!

And that oh so proud peacock!

We also have a fantastic current special offer of a 'designer' tote bag, which is light, strong, and of course - eco friendly.  It comes free if you spend over £35 on the website.  I use mine all the time for that extra shopping, and it looks great if you pin your CI badges on it (more badges available to purchase coming soon).

On a different note Malcolm and I had a really lovely day out amongst the daffodils in beautiful Farndale yesterday.  We just caught them at their best - I think they must be a little earlier this year than usual, and if you are intending to visit don't leave it any longer than this week.  The walk is around 3 miles from Low Mill to Church Houses, and back, with a cafe and a pub at Church Houses.
The weather was amazing, and the walk takes you along the banks of the river Dove.  At times the view was a complete 'sea' of stunning wild yellow daffodils.  Of course we had Crafty Individuals in mind and photos were a priority - maybe a glossy sheet, nature book, background sheet, or even a stamp, might result.  Here is a little taste of the views, plus a shot of me amongst the little delights.

Mother nature (who didn't have anything to do with that hair!) is quite incredible, isn't she?

Thanks for checking back.

Jean x

Two More 'Squares' to Share and a Tag

Just a beautiful sunny afternoon here - hope you are enjoying a little Spring sunshine wherever you are - we certainly need it don't we?

I have two more squares to show you from the 'team'.  The first one is a set of hanging mini frames, with birds, by Ginger in beautiful shades of green - lovely!

And secondly a little square lantern by Lucy topped by delicate butterflies:

Finally one of our printed tags - not a square of course - but beautifully decorated by Helen:

So very pretty!

We are delighted to see you are enjoying participating in the challenge - 24 entries already!  What clever crafters you are - the standard is amazing.  Keep them coming - there are still 18 days to go!  Check out the challenge and enter HERE.

Jean x

 

MORE INSPIRATIONAL 'SQUARES' FROM THE 'TEAM'

A quick post to show you some more inspiration for your 'squares' for the CI CHALLENGE which is now up and running for April.  We have had entries already - which has amazed me!  Thanks so much to Yolande (our first entry ever!), Samantha, Willy, Delia and Sam - what stars you are - and so talented too!

'Team' pieces today are from Sue - 3 lovely Stampbord squares, and a really cool acetate book:

Plus a fab square bird project from Zuzu:

And beautiful square Stampbord hangings from Helen:

And I'm sure you will agree crafting doesn't get much better than these - love them all.

Thanks for joining in!  And there are still 22 days to go, so get those crafting fingers working, and check out the Challenge and latest submissions HERE.

Jean x

CRAFTY INDIVIDUALS NO. 1 CHALLENGE - APRIL 2011

Well here it is our first Crafty Individuals Challenge, and here are the guidelines:

CHALLENGE GUIDELINES

To enter this month’s Crafty Individuals Challenge please put together your project, following the subject material outlined below (your project should include at least one Crafty Individuals product please), then:

Post your challenge project on your blog, before the 26^th of the month, and include a link back to this blog,

Leave a link in the URL box to take us directly to your challenge project, etc. – which will then appear here on this blog as a thumbnail image – so we can all see your wonderful work.

At the end of the month the CI team and/or guests will set about choosing five lucky participants, each of whom will win a CI rubber stamp of their choice.

Go for it and enjoy the challenge x

CHALLENGE SUBJECT MATTER

The first challenge will be a straightforward one based around 'SIMPLY SQUARES' and I have some inspirational projects to show you to get you going.


My first offering is my own, and is a little framed 'seaside' image, using the lovely Tando frames - soon to be available on our website.

 Then I have a lovely suncatcher to show you by Ginger

 

A card by Jo Capper Sandon

A card by Tassy

  And lastly for today two cards by Isabelle

All very different, and lovely projects based around the same subject 'Simply Squares'.

So do give it a go!

I am trying out a way of posting your images (fingers crossed it works for me) using 'InLinkz' (thanks Isa),  posting is available from 1pm on 1.4.11, ending at 12.59am on 26.4.11

Jean x