Allsorts Challenge = New Beginnings

Hello Everyone,

Well this will be the last post of this year, I hope that everyone has enjoyed a fabulous Christmas and have lots of plans for bringing the New Year in and have made lots of New Years Resolutions.  Leave me a comment to let me know what yours are!  Todays card is my take on the Allsorts Challenge New Beginnings - how lovely to make anything but Christmas cards!   As you will see I have chosen a wedding theme and didnt have any problem with the stamp that I wanted to use as I love the Daisy and Don series that Marianne Designs brought out a couple of months ago.  They are a real cute image with lots of opportunity to colour in your image however you prefer. I used pro-markers I have also used several of the Marianne Dies including the newest Craftables which is the very pretty rectangle die which Don and Daisy have been stamped onto. The backing papers are from the Melissa Francis range, which I am still loving, and weathered wood and victorian velvet distress ink complements the whole design.
                       Pop over to the Allsorts Challenge Blog and have a go - make taking part in our weekly challenge your New Years Resolution there are some fabulous prizes and it is great fun!  I hope that you like my take on it.  It just leaves me to wish everyone a very Happy and Healthy 2012 take time to look back at 2011 and all the fabulous things that have happened to you this year and think about what you would love to achieve in the next year.  Thank you to you all for following my blog and leaving such lovely comments over the last few months it has been so much appreciated.  Bye for now Jo x

Allsorts Challenge - Blue and Brown

Good Morning Everyone

Apparently it has been on the radio today that it is called panic shopping Saturday!  and that people will spend a billion pound over the weekend on Christmas shopping - are you one of these people!!  I hope that the answer is no and that you are all sorted and ready for the big day.  Before then though you need to check out the Allsorts Challenge for this week and the sample here is my little offering, I hope that you like my take on the Blue and Brown Challenge.

It is a very easy and simple design but refreshing after all the gold, silver, red and greens that we have all been playing with since goodness nows when!  I chose not to stamp the image today as this gorgeous Sarah Kay decoupage was shouting out from the cupboard and was perfect to start off my challenge card as the colours were perfect.  I have also used a blank card and edged it with the classic bracket edgeability and inked it with Tumbled Glass distress ink.  The other Spellbinder that I used is the eyelet circle, I love to use this one as you can thread ribbon, twine, raffia through to enhance it further.  The papers (I think) are Basic Grey - they were bits I had (BTW this is going to be a New Years Resolution - use up bits of paper!!!)  The other cardstock that I used was Kanban's sherbert pips.

I hope that you like the design pop a quick comment in if you are not one of the millions going shopping today!  Also pop over to the Allsorts Challenge blog to check out the other DT creations for lots of inspiration before you crack on with yours!

Enjoy a lovely weekend and take care,
bye for now
Jo x                                                      

Peaches and Cream!

Hello Everyone

I was just looking out the of the window and it is so dull and damp so I thought I would post a quick bright and happy card.  It was a card that I made a couple of months ago for one of the Spellbinder shows.  I received some lovely emails so I hope that some of you had a go since I demo'd it.

I have used the Classic Scallop Edgeability set which I am particularly fond of.  I have used one of the inserts to made the eyelets to thread the vintage ribbon through - this is particularly good as it is soft and manageable.

 I also used the scallop edge to make the K and Co paper attractive.  The distress ink that I have used is Spiced Marmalade and I have popped it on all edges.  I then used baker's twine and layered a Piquot edge circle with a greeting on top.

I hope that you like my little bit of sunshine,
Bye for now
Jo x

Week 133 It Takes Two

Good Morning Everyone

What a chilly start to the weekend, Winter is certainly here now!  This morning I am posting my card that I have put on the Allsorts Challenge for this week.  The title of the challenge is It Takes Two (this can also include white as the base card)  This is such a typical design for me as you know I love using my distress inks and this card is no exception Vintage Photo all the way!  The stamp design that was used is from Creative Expressions Mother's Day plate.  Although the title suggests that it is quite limiting it is quite the opposite, a lovely plate to use for lots of occasions and the rose has been a big favourite of mine.  The design is quite simple - I have created the backgound using vintage photo blending different areas with different strengths of the ink and then spritzing it with water to give the aged appearance that I was looking for. These inks are perfect for this technique.  It makes a very inexpensive background too! I have simply embellished the design with organza ribbon and some gems. I popped in a couple of hearts from a Marianne die to enhance the design making it quite romantic.

I hope that you like my take on this weeks challenge and do have a go yourself and hope that you win a lovely prize! Well Done to Maria for getting chosen last week - it was a fabulous design enjoy your prize.

I have been sent some more photographs of the weekend event with Sheena on so will be posting again in the next couple of days with these. 

Hope that you enjoy a lovely, albeit chilly, weekend!  Wrap up warm if you are going out Christmas shopping!
Thank you, as ever, for popping in,
Bye for now
Jo x

Birthday Weekend!

Hello Everyone,

Firstly, sorry this post didnt go out yesterday as promised I had it all done and then blogger decided to have a blip!  so I lost it all.  After a few ?!?!?!?!  I decided to go to bed and have another go today! So here goes!

As I said we had so many great photographs taken over the weekend so I thought I would share a few with you.



Mark and myself with Karen Lines (Creative Expressions)
and Steve (Little Claire)

 These are our 2 birthday cakes, the first was brilliantly made by Jeanette and the second was a gift from Maria and Lynn.  They were both gorgeous!

An occasion at Let's Create wouldnt be the same without Mum's mince pies!
Thank you Mum!



Thank you to everyone that popped in over the weekend and we hope that you enjoyed the fabulous demonstrations.  Thank you also to the team that made everything happen.  Here's to the next year!!
Bye for now
Jo x

Week 132 Going Round in Circles

Good Morning

Another Allsorts Challenge and another week closer to Christmas!  We had the most amazing weekend last weekend for our Birthday Celebrations.  I will be posting again tomorrow with lots of photographs of the weekend extravaganza so pop in to have a look.

The card that I have done for the  this week is full of circles.  I used a host of Spellbinders as you will have noticed!  (that makes a change!) the butterfly is from nested butterfly set and I have also used the tiny butterflies on the background that are cut out of the main die, they were so cute I couldn't ignore them.  The two larger circles are from the Grand sets the scalloped being the large scalloped set.  The paper was just out of my stash and the name had been cut away so sorry I havent got a record of this but i am sure it is a K and Co. 

I hope that you like the design and that you will have a go at the Challenge this week too!  Dont forget to pop in tomorrow to see the photographs of the weekend.

Bye for now
Jo x