Crafting in the Country: July 2013

Monday, 22 July 2013

PS Sparks - July Picture Perfect Challenge

Helloo there...long time no see again!!!

Well another Monday has come around again and a new Paper Smooches Sparks challenge starts today... it's picture perfect time and this weeks photo was a real head scratcher for me at first!!!

Such a clever piece of photography and beautiful colours too but the shape of the sun is what I kept going back too soo I got creative with some Distress inks on a circle of canvas to make a Sympathy card which are sometimes handy to have ready made ....

I used two pierced circle dies from Dienamics... one to deboss onto the card front and the other to cut the canvas which had been watercoloured with several shades of DI. The flowers and sentiment are stamped in Versafine which dried really well on the canvas.

I'm looking forward to seeing what inspiration you take from the photo in your cards too...dont forget to check out the rest of the design teams cards too

Savannah

and check out the challenge details at the PS Sparks blog here.
Thanks for looking :0)
Jenny x
Stamps used: Calico, Salutations by Paper Smooches

Saturday, 13 July 2013

Fishy Fun!!

Hello there :0)

I'm playing along with MUSE for the first time today... I just haven't got round to it until now despite tuning in each week to check out the challenge and gallery, but this weeks fun card by my good friend Therese, inspired my card for today's Make the Day Special DT post.....

The hot weather we're having is playing havoc with my crafting mojo so I was happy when I had a lightbulb moment of turning the chalkboard from Lawn Fawn's A Good Apple into an aquarium by flipping it upside down... the rest of the card fell into place quickly after that!! The one blue bird on Therese's card inspired my athletic green fish to show you his party trick :0)
I used a piece of thin clear film sandwiched between the frame and card for a shiny glass effect...

I'm also playing along with Addicted to CAS where the theme is water... a very much needed commodity around here at the moment!!!
So here are the challenge details....

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a great weekend :0)

Jenny x

Stamps used : A Good Apple, Critters in the Sea, Swimsuit Season by Lawn Fawn

Thursday, 11 July 2013

Three Shades of Grey!!

Hello there :0)

I couldn't pass up the chance to play along at Less is More this week with the Shades of Grey colour challenge and combine it with CAS(e) this Sketch which closes in the next few hours!!

I had every intention to do some stamping and shading with my grey Promarkers just because I love using them but my ideas got hijacked by the Air Vent die from Simon Says Stamp and the sketch at CAS(e) this week!!
I've used the die-cut as a guide to adhere the waste pieces back down on the card, alternating two different greys... I love the raised up pattern it creates :0) To make them fit snuggly within the circle, I positioned the vent die across it before running them both back through the bigshot.... then held my breath whilst I tried placing it over the grey stripes..Yay!! it worked :0)
The splattering, which is intentional on this occasion.. Lol, is Pumice Stone DI and water flicked from a brush.... so thats four shades of grey actually!!!

Thanks for visiting :0)
Jenny x

Monday, 8 July 2013

PS Sparks - July Designer Drafts

Hello there... we're back around to Monday again (sorry to remind you) and we're on the Designer Drafts week at Paper Smooches Sparks Challenge..

I'm really enjoying seeing how you guys interpret the challenges each week... Paper Smooches fans have the most creative minds :0) ... what will you make of this weeks sketch....

I haven't got the PS jar stamp or die yet so a bit of lateral shape thinking was needed and I'm loving going through my stamps and using older sets for these challenges...

I've left this blank thinking a News Flash could cover quite a few occasions... do you like the wire ariel?
I can remember, as a child, having to move our ariel around to get a better picture on our old TV and occasionally a thump with a fist on top of the set was needed too!!!

I hope you can play along this week... here are the links to the rest of the teams inspiration cards

I look forward to seeing you in the gallery :0)
Thanks for stopping by
Jenny x
Stamps used : Boob Tubes

Saturday, 6 July 2013

Party Fireworks

I'm just popping by with my DT card for Make the Day Special because it's for a couple of challenges and they close tomorrow... I think :0)

CASology have the cue word FIREWORKS and the colour palette at ColourQ seemed to fit that theme very well.....

I'm sort of halfway happy with this card...... I should have trimmed the white panel down more so as to show more of the blue base card but hey-ho. I've tried a different technique for this card by cutting the letters from the base panel and stacking extra die-cut letters underneath them to raise them up..... by using a contrasting colour I think they really catch the eye whilst blending in at the same time..... if that's possible :0)

I wasn't sure whether to add glitter or not as my Stickles weren't a good match so I plumped for bling instead, I really love these Lawn Fawn fireworks.... just the job for this challenge :0)

It's been the first day of a potential 10 day heatwave here in the south-east and I'm wilting already :0( The grass is already crunchy and the flower beds have turned to sand!! On the other hand the strawberry bed is in full production with this wall to wall sunshine and warmth..... guess you can't have it both ways!!!

Thanks for stopping by

Jenny x

Thursday, 4 July 2013

The Smallest grain of Sand and some holiday snaps

Well hello there... I haven't fallen off this planet!!!

It's taken me a while to get back to the craftroom since our holiday in Switzerland and when I have it's been DT stuff that needed attention but this weeks challenge at Less is More spurred me on to rummage through my stamps and create!!

The talented Hannelie is Guest Designing this week and as a nod to her location and blog name we have been given the theme of SAND for our cards this week. Now I have enough trouble with glitter so I wasn't about to bring sand into the craftroom as well!! but I did remember this stamp set and matching die from There She Goes lurking in my stash....

I thought it makes a brilliant encouragement card and hey, I used glitter too and yes.... I sparkled for the rest of the day!!! I wasn't sure what to use to make the pearl look 'pearly'... glossy accents just wasn't going to do the job so I have left it for the time being :0)

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I mentioned holidays pics in my last post and now that Hannah has downloaded them all from her camera I have a few to share with you. We went on a Great Rail Journeys holiday to Switzerland and travelled on the Glacier and Bernina Express whilst we were there and had a trip to Zermatt too. It's our second trip to Switzerland but a first for Hannah and James... in fact James has never set foot outside the UK before so it was quite different for him and unknown territory for us considering he is Autistic... he loved it!!

I've selected a few photos so I hope you can keep with me to the end of the post

We spent the first three nights in Chur and this is a square in the old part of town, it's one of the oldest settlements in Switzerland and you can certainly see that!!