An apology and a catch up

Hello folks,
Sorry it has been a long time since the last post, but I thought I had shown you all the cards I'd done, but turns out there are a few I missed, so here they are!

It is not that I haven't been making cards, I have!!!  I have the most amazing samples coming up, but I can't show them until after 13th June.  Abs is on Hochanda at 11.00 and 15.00 to launch the new release stamps.  They are beyond amazing - I love them all and have had the most wonderful time working with them, so you'll have to tune in and see....
If, like me, you can't wait, Tracy Evans is doing a facebook live on Monday, I think at 18.00 to show some of the stamps..

In the meantime here are a few I made a while ago...

All done with stamps and stencils from AALL and Create

Have a lovely evening

Janet xxx

Another butterfly

Good afternoon,
I hope everyone is well and managing to keep warm!  I am very excited today, I have received a big parcel full of the most amazing new stamps from AALL and Create - this is just teasing because I can't tell you about them yet, except to say I love them all and can't wait to get started using them...

Today though it is a card using the existing stamps which I love just as much.

For the circle, I used paints on a gel press petite circle and the Diamont Life stencil.  I painted the back of the card with the same paint, but just made it a bit darker, then die cut with a Pete Hughes sizzix die which cuts the circle but also the ring for the edge.
The butterfly was stamped and painted then cut out
Then jut add the corners and sentiment.
All stamps and stecils from AALL and Create.

Hope you have an amazing weekend, I have had some brilliant news, which I will share later, and I am off to do the final prep for the workshop at great Blakenham tomorrow.
Thanks for visiting
Janet xxx

Spring colours

Good morning,
I hope you are enjoying the bank holiday today.
Today's card is one we did at the Diva Red workshop on Saturday.  It is very much stolen from a tag I saw Abs do on the TV.

Stamp 120 by Tracy and stencils #7 and #58 by Abs

The background is done bt blending distress crayons through a stencil.  I would like to say a huge thank you to Abs for taking time out of a bank holiday weekend to help me with this.
Once the backround was done, I coloured another piece of card and stamped the flower, then cut it out and added some splatters of white paint.
I also added some texture paste through a different stencil along one edge of the background
Assemble it all together, then add the words and a card candy centre.
Stamps and stencils by AALL and Create

Thanks very much for visiting
Janet xxxx

The Same but Different!

Good evening!

I hope you are having a good day - avoiding the heavy showers!
It was the Diva Red workshop today, the one I do with Moira.  It is always a good laugh and always good to catch up with everyone's news.

One of the cards I did had two versions, the monochrome or the one with a bit of colour...

This is a big A4 stamp, and this is just half of it, simply stamped in black, the coloured in grey tones with inketnse pencils.  I decided to add a colourful border.  I used inktense pencils round the edge












This is the original version, coloured n greys with Prismacolour pencils and blended with sansodor

The stamp is #143 Time Flies by Tracy Evans for AALL and Create.

Hope you have a good evening
Thanks very much for visiting,
Janet xxx

Girly Ghouls

Good evening!

I hope you have had a wonderful day.  Tonight's card is one I did for the TV featuring the rather cute little Quirks stamps and Diamont Life stencil by Olga for AALL and Create.

I started by brayering some DIna Wakley acrylic paint onto the circle gel press petite, place the stencil on the card and press the paint through the stencil onto the card.
Once you've done that and removed the stencil, print what you have left on the gel press onto another piece of card.  You get two prints for one!
Decide which one you like best for this (I liked the second one!)
For the Quirks, I stamped and cut out the bodies and heads.
I also painted another piece of card, then stamped the quirks again over the top and cut out the dresses.
Layer the dresses on the white stamped base, then add to the card

Thank you very much for visiting
Janet xxx

Owl You Need is Love!

Good evening all,

A quick reminder that lovely Abs is back on Hochanda TV on Thursday 25th at 8.00 and 12.00 for more fun and inspiration with AALL and Create stamps and stencils

In the mean time here is a card I made featuring the Owl You Need is Love set by Olga

I brushed green and brown ink though the Wood Pile stencil by Abs for the background, then added some brighter green through the leaves of the Let Go stencil by Fiona for a bit of contrast.
I stamped some script from the For the Record stamp by Aida in black, but didn't mount the stamp so I only got a part image.  I added some splatters.
I stamped, coloured and cut out the owls and words,on a separate piece of card, then glued them all in place.
I doodled a frame round the edge
Finally I used some of the hearts from the new dies to add the finishing touch.

Thanks for visiting and don't forget to tune in tomorrow!
Janet xxx

Two African Men

Good morning! 
Another lovely day today. I am planning more gardening and some prep for my workshop on Saturday.
Today on fb I got a friend anniversary memory from 5 years ago and thought it would be the ideal day to show this card.
People who speak to me will know that it doesn't take long before I start talking about my Kenyan friend!  He sent me a friend request 5 years ago today - I normally reject requests from men I don't know unless they are obviously interested in card making, but for some reason, I thought it would be interesting to have a friend in Africa, so I accepted it.  He messaged me and told me a bit about himself, he was a student and wanted to improve his English by chatting to me online.  I agreed, and so began our journey

He was painting amazing little pictures to go on cards which he was selling to help pay for his education, I asked him to send me some and was amazed at how lovely they were.  One thing led to another and I agreed to support him through his schooling.
Not only did we share a love of cards, but also a love of nature, his dream was to become a tour guide for a safari company, which must have seemed like an impossible dream for him, considering his situation.






That dream is coming true!  He is now at college to gain the necessary qualification to become a tour guide.  I am so proud to have helped turn his life around and improve his prospects.  He has some big dreams and I have every faith that they will come to pass, he is an amazing young man!








Those ladies who come to any workshops I do will also know that it doesn't take long before I start talking about the other African man in my life.  I had got into a bit of a rut with making cards until I saw him on TV...  I caught one of the first shows he did and was totally blown away with his techniques, the stamp designs but mostly the stencils - they are fantastic for creating backgrounds. I signed up for some online workshops which showed me a whole new approach to designing and something inside just 'pinged' and a whole new world opened up for me!  I went to some of his workshops and loved his energy and attitude and of course his art.  He and his team have inspired me so much and I am beyond excited to have been invited to join his new Hochanda Design Team.

Stamp set #125 and Planisphere die

This is my card using one stamp set and a new die.  The whole die cuts the world in amazing detail, but I chose to just use Africa on this occasion.

Thank you for making it to the end of this long post.
I hope you have a fabulous day
Janet xxx