STILL PLAYING CATCH UP...

Hello Crafters

As the title suggests I am still indeed trying to catch up with myself so I can properly show you some of the cards we took on the last Hochanda programme, along with other new makes sent to me by the team, and also sort out new makes with new stamps soon to be released, as well as getting ready for the next Hochanda show on 1st December - my computer desktop is a proper jumble - bit like the stuff inside my head too I suspect!

So here I have three cards by Helen, the first one a repeat of our last Facebook image - love it, so pretty...

Plus two other beauties...

Stamps featured here are CI-395 and CI-423.

Next I have two lovely bookmarks by Laury featuring  two halves of CI-480.

Plus a rather nice card too...

 With a delightful card by Flo to follow, again featuring CI-423...

Here I have three cards in similar colour schemes by Helen, Laurence and Coco - in shades of blue - a favourite colour of mine...

Stamps featured in these include CI-473, CI-464, CI-443 as well as CI-468.

Finally I have a very pretty Flamingo by Daniele, complete with a very pink feather...

Hope you are feeling inspired.
Watch out for the Newsletter about the brand new stamps coming your way soon - yay!!

Jean x

MORE GOOD STUFF....

I've picked out a few lovely items to blog today.  You have been liking this lovely mini book cover by Willy on Facebook recently.  Loving the experimental and relaxed style she has in her artworks....

Love the colours and the use of other stamp ephemera within the scene.  Main stamp is from CI-474, and CI-287 and more can be found in the background.

Sylvie has used similar colours in this lovely card...

So adorable is the child (and dog) amongst the flowers from CI-395.

Sylvie also decorated the backs of her cards, such a great idea, and a touch of this prettiness would also be very nice on an envelope too, don't you think?...

Here is another in a similar, pretty in pink style, again by Sylvie...

This time the stamp used is CI-423, and here is the back...

Sandra used this same stamp on her dimensional make - lovely!...

....and I adore this beauty again by Sandra....

....and her clever use of an ivy element from CI-482.  Stamps are just so very versatile.

My final image today is of a card by Helen, lots of prettiness here too, and a very imaginative use of CI-471...

What a fab selection from the team! 

Hope you all have a great week, thanks for looking.

Back soon,

Jean x

IT'S FEELING VERY AUTUMNAL....

Yes it's definitely very autumnal now.  Lots of leaves in the park and lots of fun walking through them crunching leaves and snapping twigs. I'm off to Lisbon for a few days this weekend with a good girl friend of mine, so lets hope it's nice and warm there.

So it's a little post from me today, still catching up on the lovelies made by the team for our last Hochanda shows (I'm back on Hochanda on 1st December!!).  This one from Sylvie is very autumnal/wintery in it's colouring I think - love it!..

Made beautifully with CI-425.

The following image is a completely different look with the same stamp and the elements stamp CI-482 from Sandra....

Sandra has given the holly a poinsettia look in this beauty.

Here is another cleverly put together from Sandra, also featuring the new postcard stamp CI-477 and the little robin from CI-456....

Talking about birds - Helen made this adorable birdhouse decorated with CI-395 for the shows....

As well as this beautiful decorated and crackled heart hanging....

Lovely decorated with embellishments from CI-443.

Lots more to show you still,
Back soon,
Jean x

IT'S DEFINITELY ABOUT TIME FOR A POST....

Now back from our travels over the last couple of weekends, it's high time I did a bit of blogging again.  First I have a few more shots of that shadow box I shared on Facebook recently, I loved making it and we must get some more in for the website, as they are so cool, and I want to make more!

I used our newest A4 background papers to decorate, plus the new postcard stamp (soooo useful!) and an image from our Christmas mini image book and our Nature book (butterfly).  I was inspired to create this layout after seeing this lovely card by Sandra, again using the new papers, postcard stamp and mini image...

.......Beautiful Sandra!!  Here are the papers we both used....

Another recent make of my own was this tryptych of mini canvasses, made for the Hochanda shows, using 3 stamps designed by my dear friend Linda Edwards...

......Images stamped onto tissue paper, painted on the back, and then applied to the painted mini canvasses.  Another tryptych, this time by Helen, was also created for the shows using the same stamps....

.......Delightful!  And here is another card using one of the above...

We have a special offer available right now on the website HERE, where you get 2 new 'Linda' stamps, the set of 8 new background papers, the Christmas mini image book, 12 mixed media A5 card sheets and 4 beautiful enamelled butterfly charms, all for the bargain price of £15.  Here are a few cards made with the stamps and papers in the pack...

.....Loving those new Oxides from Ranger, just great for making lush backgrounds for stamping on.

Finally I have another lovely card by teamie Sandra to share with you, again incorporating Oxides I believe...

.....Such a lovely dramatic sky behind that lovely stamp of Whitby Abbey! It will be Goth weekend there soon - such a treat to visit in October.

Thanks for looking,

Back soon,

Jean x

JUST A QUICK UPDATE FROM ME....

Hope you managed to tune in to Hochanda last Sunday and see one of our shows?!  I am actually beginning to enjoy them a little now I think, as someone who is very shy by nature, it's quite an achievement to appear in front of the cameras - big yay!!

We are madly preparing for Port Sunlight at the moment, which is on Saturday.  We will travel down on Friday, and set up the stand, ready for the show the next day.  Hope you have your ticket!

Here are just a few of the many makes we took on the Hochanda shows....

A card made with the Winter Garden stamp, Oxides and our brand new A4 Background Papers (now on the website).

Here we have the canvas made with the Spring Flower Garden...

Plus a card by Sandra (gorgeous!) using the Summer Meadow stamp....

.....pity you can't see on the photo how the grasses are so gently glittered by Sandra.

....Here we have a beautiful hanging by Helen, featuring all of the stamps above, again on the new background papers....

...And finally another lovely card by Helen, featuring the Winter Garden again, all pretty and metallic....

Thanks very much everyone.

Back soon,

Jean x

HOCHANDA AND VERY VINTAGE .......

I've been busy with Hochanda preparations today, getting ready for my two shows next Sunday, 1st October, at 4pm and 7pm.  We would love it if you tuned in to watch.  Here is a sneaky peek at a mixed media canvas I have been preparing for demo purposes.  If you would like to see it in it's entirety then do pull up a pew and join me then to see this and more being made before your very eyes.  Please share the date and times for us with your crafty friends on your blog or on Facebook if you can.  Your help to spread the word will be very much appreciated always.

Lovely Lesley of Chocolate Baroque will be my companion again on the trip to Peterborough next weekend, but Lesley also has her own shows tomorrow and Monday, at 7pm tomorrow, and 7am and 10am on Monday.  Alongside her own fabulous stamps on show she will also be taking on a kit made up of CI items too, so it's another 'must view' folks, as Lesley always has some great demos up her sleeve.

After the Hochanda visit we have less than a week's turnaround before the trip to Port Sunlight for the Happy Stampers show taking place on Saturday, 7th October.  If you visit the Happy Stampers site at: http://happystampersnorthwest.co.uk/ you will see that there are only 200 tickets left - so if you are intending to go please be quick and get your ticket, as you will need a ticket to get in to the halls!!  Chocolate Baroque will also have a stand there as well as lots of other fabby crafty folk, so you will be sure to enjoy the experience at this very friendly show.

My other couple of makes to show you this evening are creations beautifully made and very vintage in style by teamie Sylvie.  Check out Sylvie's blog for more good stuff at: http://scrapcool.over-blog.com/

Stamps appearing above include CI-481, CI-477 and CI-473, alongside Sylvie's lovely vintage images.  They all work so beautifully together don't you think?

Bye for now,
Back soon,
Jean x

VERY AUTUMNAL...

It does indeed feel very autumnal here at the moment, the leaves are changing colour and falling from the trees, and there is definitely a chill in the air.  It maybe an age thing, but I don't really feel like we've had a proper summer yet, so it seems way too early for autumn to arrive already!

The makes I have to show you today all have a bit of an autumn feel to them too I think starting with these rather lovely tags made recently by Flo, and ones that featured in our most recent newsletter.  We have a special offer still on the main stamp CI-402, if you are quick...

.... and I love this one in particular - think it's the lovely red hearts that grab my attention so here....

Another one that looks quite seasonal to me, and again by Flo, is this trees and birds make (new stamp set CI-478), maybe the birds are leaving for a warmer climate here do you think?!

Another Florence creation, again on the subject of tags, is this tempting teasel tag...

Check out the offer on this beauty too, CI-121, with a touch of CI-161 and CI-451 appearing here and there on the background, also all on special offer still if you are lucky.

Before I move onto more makes by the team I have a little message for 'Kate' - one of the comment leavers on my last posting - you will find Florence Langley's Blog Here, which has lots more lovely inspiration from this lovely and creative lady.  There are links to all our teamies to the right hand side of this blog, and you will find all of the linked blogs a delight to view I'm sure.

My next make is this gorgeous ATC by Willy....

The background to this one features another new stamp CI-477, and although the young girl also on here is a now 'retired' stamp, I'm sure many of you will still have it in your collection.

Here is another lovely card, by Sylvie this time....

Such a sweet little robin here from CI-456, and more!

Then I have some makes by Corinne in oranges and greens and more...

Stamps featured in the above are CI-475, flowers from CI-206, and on the front of Coco's folding tag book is CI-468, and a section out of CI-466.

My final two makes for this evening are by Daniele and Sandra.  This is the front cover of a pretty travel journal made by Daniele, and featuring CI-480....

... looking forward to seeing the inside pages Daniele!!

....and using the same focal image on her card is this beauty by Sandra...

Thanks to all the ladies featuring above for sharing their delightful makes, and thanks to everyone who leaves kind comments on this blog - you are all simply fabulous!

Bye for now,
Back soon,

Jean x