Birthday card

This Whiff of Joy stamp has to be one of my all-time favourites: "Willow Dressing Up", which I've coloured with copic markers.  The birthday card is for our step-granddaughter, Natalie, who was 25 a couple of days ago.  It hardly seems possible that all those years have gone by, and that her little boy Maxwell is now two and a half.

I used a printed and foiled heavy cardstock from Kanban for the background, and used gold cardstock for the borders and leaves, which were cut with an MS punch from Wendy at Stamps and Memories who also supplied the gold Sakura glitter pen  on the shoes and bangle (yes I know they look lime green in the picture, you'll just have to trust me that they really are glittery gold!!)  The punched flower border is cut from coredinations cardstock with an EK border punch from Oyster stamps, and the flowers are from Wild Orchid crafts.  The flowers are heavily shimmered with glimmer mist from Jill at the Hobby House, and the self-adhesive gems are also from there.  They do a fantastic selection of different coloured rhinestones and pearls, and they're extremely reasonably priced (£10 for ten packs).  Their charm selection is also very good.

Thank you so much for coming to visit my blog and for any comments you'd like to leave.

xx Jill

2nd Anniversary candy at Jacqui's blog

Jacqui is offering some lovely candy for the 2nd Anniversary of her blog, so pop over and see her beautiful inspiring cards.  xx Jill

Lili of the Valley

There is some great blog candy for followers of lili of the valley thursday challenge, so please pop over and see the lovely new releases to order from June 1st, and your chance to win a full set!

xx Jill

Emma the mermaid

This cute stamp "mermaid Emma" is from CC designs at Quixotic Paperie, and is coloured with copic markers from Wendy at Stamps and Memories.  This is a birthday card for my grand-daughter's best friend, Willow, who has red hair and loves anything to do with mermaids!

I created the background paper and insert from a digi-download from Kay Miller designs called "ocean adventure", which has lots of lovely sea creatures and several dps. 

I also used coredinations cardstock in pink and blue, from A Maze of Memories and Stickles glitter glue, "waterfall", which is a pretty blue-green from Hobbycraft.  The sentiment is computer generated, but coloured with copics, and the pearls are from Jill at The Hobby House, who also supplied the Nellie Snellen branch punch.

Thank you for visiting my blog, and for any comments you would like to leave.  xx Jill

congratulations card for my daughter

I used the A Gem of a Challenge inspiration picture and the  LOTV challenge sketch to make this card.

Just love the pink, green and burgundy colour combo for the Pink Gem Designs challenge this month - it's really one of my favourites. The sketch, which is just a beautiful layout, is by the ultra talented Bev, for the Lili of the Valley.

The image is by Magnolia of course, from Craftsulove and I really love this little cutie: she's coloured with copic markers from Wendy at Stamps and Memories, who also supplied the nesties.  The paper is Papermania Henbury Lane, which has to be one of my new favourites, with coredination cardstock from A Maze of Memories, who have the most enormous selection of plain cardstock ever!  The little sentiment, the larger flowers, ribbon, gems and leaves are from Hobbycraft, with the little roses from Wild Orchid Crafts, with stardust Stickles providing the glitter.

Thank you very much for visiting my blog, and for any comments you would like to leave.  xx Jill

A birthday card for our beautiful grand-daughter, Beth, who is nine, and has recently begun riding lessons, which she simply loves.  She is a very gentle, loving child, with a serene nature, and her instructor often compliments her on her skill in keeping the ponies calm and obedient.  She started cantering in the last couple of weeks, and is a very happy little bunny!

I used this very sweet stamp from LOTV "Me and my Pony", which I coloured with copic markers, from Wendy at Stamps and Memories.  I'm not at all skilled with painting hair, so colouring the horse was a bit of a nightmare!  In my efforts not to let it merge into the wooden door behind, the outlines of the horse are a bit too dark, and not well-blended.  Oh well, you live and learn!

The dps are Basic Grey from the Porcelain pad, which is one of my old favourites from Jill at the Hobby House.  The flowers are a mix of ancient Prima (now sadly almost gone in this colour), and Wild Orchid crafts gorgeous roses, and the leaves are stamped out from Bazzill dotty cardstock with an MS punch.  The little sentiment is from Forever Friends, and of course bling is supplied as always by stardust Stickles, and a few rhinestones also from Jill.

Thank you very much for looking, and for any comments you might like to leave.  xx Jill

the last two

These are the last two thank yous for the guys who helped at the show, and I'm very glad they're all finished, as I found it hard to find some extra inspiration, so finding these new papers really helped.  Again I've tried to keep a similar look to them both.

For both cards the dps, fancy die-cuts and ribbons are from the Persimmon range by Papermania, which have quite a masculine look to them.  The hexagon die cuts are nesties, and the stars are punches from Hobbycraft, all with a little bling (courtesy of Stardust stickles of course)!

Two more male thank you cards using the Persimmon Range of papers from Papermania, together with one of their diecuts and some ribbon (all from Brushstrokes at Wokingham).  The dark blue cardstock is coredinations from A Maze of Memories, and I couldn't resist a little Stickles glitter glue!


















The second one is very similar, with a slightly different layout, and has metallic peel-off strips, which I rarely use nowadays.

get well card

A get well soon card for one of our Senior A students, Jess, who had to drop out of all her numbers during our dance show last week.  She'd felt very unwell during the first performance and thought that she was itchy because of the costumes.  The following day we had a call to say that unfortunately it was chicken pox!!  One of our talented Senior dancers had to learn her part that morning so that the dance could go on.  Well done Salina - you were such a star!!  I suppose we'll know in a couple of weeks time how many of Jess's friends have picked up the chicken pox bug too.

I'd made this little card last year for a challenge, so I drew little pink spots on the bug's face to make it a bit more lifelike.  Inside it says "hope you feel better soon".    The stamp "bug with bug" is by Alota from Tracy at Dies to Die For, the papers are from my stash, and the little flowers are Prima.  Hope you get well soon Jess!

A couple of male thank you cards: how tricky to think of something for this! 

I went for Navy coredinations and red Bazzill Bling cardstock from A Maze of Memories, with Papermania men's papers and red Stickles glitter glue from Brushstrokes in Wokingham.  The  Sizzix diecut sentiment and corner die are from Cutting Edge crafts. The next one is very similar, with a different  layout  and (Cuttlebug) corner die.  Rather more functional than inspired, and there are several to do!

Thank you cards: first set

This is the first of a long line of Thank you cards planned for the helpers at our recent dance show.  Many months of hard work always go into this, and everyone is a volunteer, so it's nice to be able to give a personal thank you card to all those members of the crew who worked so hard to make it such a success.

This Pink Gem designs stamp is "Summer Milly" which I have coloured with copic markers from Wendy at Stamps and Memories, who also provided the MS leaf punch.  The flowers are mostly from Wild Orchid Crafts, and the silver rub-on sentiment, the Papermania and MME papers are from Brushstrokes in Wokingham.  The Stickles glitter glue and the little gems are from Jill at The Hobby House.

Thanks very much for looking at my blog, and for any comments you'd like to leave.  xx Jill

This beautiful image from magic moonlight inspired me to make a retirement card for a Magistrate colleague of my husband's who has organised the Friday bench for many years.  Historically, all Magistrates have to retire at the age of 70, as if they suddenly become old duffers once they reach that age!  Nowadays many people lead fulfilling lives into their eighties, but clearly the "youf" of today look upon anyone over the age of thirty as ancient anyway!

I decorated the inside, the back and the envelope too for this very special lady, who will be very much missed.  The Friday bench has lots of social occasions too, so I expect she'll be attending most of these in the future!  We're to Afternoon Tea now, to celebrate her retirement.

I used my favourite coredinations cardstock in a light teal from A Maze of Memories, and Papermania "Chatsworth" papers from Brushstrokes in Wokingham. The Prima flowers, and the brads and little pearls are all from Jill at The Hobby House. The Waterfall Stickles glitter glue is from Jeannette at the Creative Craft Cabin, and the little branch punch is from Wendy at Stamps and Memories. 

Thanks very much for looking at my new cards.  Following the show last weekend I'm busy with lots of thank you cards, so I'll put those on my blog as soon as they're finished.