Long time no blog!

Well it really has been a long time since I blogged but hey life has been busy and currently so are our bees which were the inspiration for my guest designer spot at through the purple haze challenges.......it is the first time I have been brave enough to say yes to doing one so am a little bit anxious.  Everything on the card is just ink of varying kinds and a little mica powder and some embossing powder for the middle circle embellishment and the stamps were free from a magazine earlier this year....... I seem to like the things I make with very little far more than the ones I use loads of different elements for.

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Congratulations it's a hybrid.

Yup I have astounded myself as I am sure I will do everyone who knows me...... by using a craft cd.... is there any stopping me now. This has real life gems on as well as flowers I made from the same disc so it's a hybrid and it has gone to my favorite person I make a card for during the year...... my Justine's friend Nikki....... she always appreciates the cards I make her and keeps them all on her wall...... It was her birthday on Valentines day and she is now 22 EEK. Entered to the Through the Purple Haze challenge

The big reveal!

It really is the big reveal for me..... Through the Purple Haze Challenge for this week is use a digi...... and a die cut....... those of you who know me know that a die cut is no problem but a digi image well....... you might as well have asked me to plait fog. However with the help of Lucy Gregg and the encouragement of Erin Fairclough I have actually taken the first steps into a new technological crafting era...... Not sure what I think of it so far but my effort for the week are the ATC's below which have the flowers as the die cuts and the Alice in Wonderland images are my digi's........ I was a little concerned about posting them as I haven't learnt to watermark yet which is something I really must learn if I am to post anything I have bought digitally. The cards are now winging their way to a new home in the USA.

Lets start as soon as we mean to go on :)

I hope it is anyway....... a  12 x 12 layout of my birdtable ...... no birds in sight ...... the squirrels were there in abundance though for a good feed :) x  they are always more than happy to pose for pictures. I love having them around and they are the reason for my blog name. I am entering this for the first through the purple haze challenge of the year...... which is aptly entitled anything goes....... it certainly does where our squirrels are concerned.

Here comes Santa Claus!

Yeay my christmas spirit has arrived in bucket loads and right on time....... only 5 sleeps :)  And I am so happy that I have managed to complete my final Purple Haze challenge ....... yes one a week since the challenge blog began until now....... quite an achievement for me. The very last one is Penny Black Christmas and I love Penny Black and I love christmas so the biggest challenge this week was to decide which cute image to use.....I chose Thinking of you....... Oh and getting my creation dry and photographed without anyone eating it :) xx Jayne xx OOOPs sorry it is a Candy Cane Wreath ... :) x

And here's one I made earlier!

Well it really was a bit of a case of here is one I made earlier for this weeks purple haze challenge..... the theme was colours of christmas and I made a card. I wasn't 100% happy with said card and so I started again and made a crystal snowflake bracelet....... beautiful as it is ..... it didn't seem right for the challenge  so I was struggling. Then whilst knitting a scarf for a christmas present ..... I fell in love with the colours and the sparkle of silver that runs through them which I doubt will have been captured in the photograph....... the whole thing shrieked colours of christmas at me........... can you enter a scarf in a challenge ..... well knitting is a craft and I made it myself so yes I suppose I can, The only down to this story (unless you are me) is that the scarf is so gorgeous and pretty ..... oh and warm that it has to stay with me......so I'm off to buy more yarn this afternoon so that I can start the present all over again..

..... note to self...... choose yarn that you don't like or you'll be knitting forever xx Jayne xx

Baubles

Baubles..... well hangers for baubles are my make for this weeks Through the Purple Haze challenge. I never like the bits of shiny cord that come on baubles....... I don't like ribbon as I think it looks too bulky....... I don't like the strange bent wire hangers you can buy and bent paper clips are now a thing of the past now too....... I have been beavering away with beads and have made some bauble hangers that I am very happy with and are worthy of  the Fisk family baubles ........ what I could really do with now is a couple of extra weeks....... I feel so far behind after being poorly for so long that I'm beginning to wonder if the tree will be up in time for christmas ...... xx Jayne xx

Use your stash!

Erm really well that is quite a challenge....... so is crafting whilst feeling this rubbish...... wish this cold would do one. So here is my Purple Haze Challenge for the week....... Beaded snowflakes ready for the tree :) xx Jayne xx

Red.... It's Red honest!

The challenge this week over at purple haze is to use red, purple or pink so I chose red for these christmas photos of my beautiful Ffion and a 12 x 12 scrap book page. It looks quite pinky but that is the light and my amazing photography skills and I am in a poorly state which means I couldn't be fussed to take more...... I can't believe I have another full blown cold..... it is only a month since the last one..... I really have no immune system whatsoever at the moment and no patience as I hate being poorly.... so you will just have to believe me when I say "It's Red" xx Jayne

Stop the world..... I want to get off!

Stop the World I want to get off! Wow really I mean it....... I really am meeting myself coming back...... even more so than usual and in the midst of the chaos that is Garden Cottage at the moment another shock....... a card and a card made by me that I actually love......I don't care if anyone else likes it or not..... how flippant of me but I don't make cards that I like so maybe I should go buy a lottery ticket whilst these strange things are happening :)  so here it is my card....... a drum roll if you please. I almost forgot to say it is for thePurple Haze Challenge xx Jayne xx

Couldn't give a hoot!

Well yes I could....... I made another little owl bag charm and he was to give......... he was very well received by his new owner and as I have met myself coming back this week he will be my "anything goes" Purple Haze Challenge ....... I think I love him even more than the original which I kept...... hhmmm can see me having to make another one soon :) xx Jayne xx

Here comes my girl :) x

Here comes my girl and I am very biased but she is beautiful :) x  Scrap page for the through the purple haze challenge. My lovely Justine-Holly....... can't quite believe she will be 20 at Christmas and in her second year of University...... I am sure she was a curly haired toddler just last week :) xx Jayne xx

How very scary

It really is scary how fast time goes by...... it's almost Halloween and I'm sure it was only Easter a couple of weeks ago and it has been so long since I made any ATC's which is a bit mad as I love making them and the swapping. So I have got myself out there and found a swap to join and my first cards are my entry for this weeks Through the Purple Haze challenge I loved making them...... very messy stuff it was..... the backgrounds are my also loved but underused alcohol inks on glossy card.  I love making my own backgrounds and that is something I haven't done for way too long as well..... how can someone with so much craft stuff actually use so little.... answers on an atc card maybe...... lol xx Jayne xx

It's my birthday!

Well really yes it is..... how old am I...... well I'm older than I was yesterday but younger than I will be tomorrow.......  Birthdays mean CAKE yeay ...... mine was a Gruffalo one and very yummy too. Birthdays also mean cards.....and here is one I made for this weeks through the purple haze challenge....... I didn't actually send myself a card though......but this one is really going to be given to someone..... my lovely mother in law who celebrates her birthday tomorrow :) xx Jayne xx

OMG It's Christmas!!!

Well it nearly is and I love ...... everything about it  and I am now officially excited after making my Purple Haze challenge for this week...... wall  art with lots of messy ink, paint, the lovely Indigo Blu Christmassy stamps that I had to have and some upcycling...... I love upcycling and giving something a whole new lease of life...... oh and Christmas.... did I say I just love Christmas....... So here it is Merry Christmas...... xx Jayne xx

BOO!

Scary stuff this week for the purple haze challenge a suitably scary child modelling her super scary halloween themed neck cuff........ can you tell how pleased she is..... and yes Justine you look stunning ....... now please believe mummy when she tells you "if you pull a stupid face I will still use the picture ...... lol xx Jayne xx

Time to Scrap

Well it certainly was time to scrap these lovely photos of Ffion. They were taken a few years ago in the very beautiful Joseph Banks Conservatory which is situated at The Lawns here in Lincoln. I was inspired to recent weekend at the asylum...... we went in and I could have cried..... apparently Lincoln City Council have slashed funding for the Conservatory and oh my goodness it is in an utterly awful state....... It is so very sad that they can get away with this...... If it was private then they would slap a purchase order on it or something of the like.  I need to think about what I can do...... how much of a fuss can one person make...... I have taken similar photos as it is now and the difference is devastating...... I know that I can't just sit back and say nothing at all. Anyhow back to the matter in hand Through the Purple Haze Challenge........ inspired by TV or Film....... so here is my interpretation...... It is Ffion (my very own princess) starring in I'm a Princess get me out of here...... two pics as it is a double layout :) xx  Right off I go to comprise a very strong e.mail xx Jayne xx

Sorry NO Cards Today!

Can you tell what it is yet?........Well not a card and that's for sure........ sorry but I'm all carded out. It wasn't a bad run for me. Anyway it's my Purple Haze Challenge for the week and the theme is Bling it on........ so it called for a new handbag charm........ time to get the beads out and I have to admit I enjoyed it.......  I am loving these challenges as they are making me create at least one thing from the mountains of craft stash I own each week and I like that it is getting used very much......... now to stop replacing it with twice as much (at least) as I use that is another challenge altogether xx Jayne xx

Life as we know it!

Yep another card so I'm thinking that life as we know it may cease to exist or the universe may even implode because this certainly is far from the norm........ its for the Purple Haze weekly challenge  and more shocks in the fact that I have even managed to upload it on time..... ooh and I even like this one a little bit..... It's for Justine's friend Kimmie so there is even a recipient.......... that means I made yet another card that I don't hate and I am giving it away......... I don't like the Universes chances :P xx Jayne xx

Keeping schtum but not for long

Well here it is....... my challenge for http://www.throughthepurplehazechallenges.blogspot.co.uk/ It is very simple so simple in fact that  might not believe how close it came to the bin..... I had a very definite  idea and I know the saying goes "It's a poor workman that blames his tools" Well blame is not the word I would use but this post isn't the place ........ I shall publicly slate them in another post in my own time......... one of my pet hates is when things don't do what they say on the packet....... another is wasting precious time and I have seriously done this today so for now here is the card..... yes card ...... I know another one....... although I can safely guarantee:) no one will have to receive it so you are all safe xx Jayne xx