New Year New Beginnings 2018

I think I’ve been preparing for 2018 for ages and working so far ahead as we do in the publishing world, by the time Christmas comes around I’m so over it before it’s even started. I love the decorating and getting together with the family but I’m glad when it’s over to be truthful and I’m ready to start the new year all shiny and fresh.

This new year 2018 there’ll be alot to get excited about. I continue to have work published in Craft Stamper magazine which I’m very very happy about and I also continue to work with Canvas Corp brands who I love for their diversity of products from paints and canvas to fabrics and papers.  I’m also working with Paper Pen and Plan who are helping to feed my planner addiction and keep me focussed month by month with their monthly Sweet Treat Boxes.

This year however I’ve added a new team to be working with, WOW Embossing powders.  I’m thrilled to have been asked to join this amazing team of designers and I have to say I’m a little bit nervous about whether I’ll be able to keep up with the talent they have between them.

I’ve owned WOW powders for many years now and love them. They really are the best on the market. You’ll absolutely love the colours and finishes to all their powders and I hope in the coming months I’ll be able to do them justice.

I’ll be back on Friday with my In The Studio feature and show you what I’m working on right now.

All the best for 2018 to all of you and I hope it’s a creative one.

Jaine xx

Christmas Journal And Mini Albums

I’m still keeping up with my December daily journal although I might not exactly be to the day. It’s that busy time of the year don’t you know (smiley face).

I did wonder how using a junk journal with some very thin pages would work out but so far it’s not been too much of a problem if at all.

If anything shows through from the other side I’ve just covered it up with a picture or paper.

I’ve been working flat out to make mini books and albums for an artists Christmas event coming up in a weeks time. I’ll be showing and selling various different types of mini album including these accordion books. They’re just the right size for a few photos and messages for a last minute gift idea. I’m hoping they’ll go down well on the stand.

Looking at them here maybe I need to make a few not pink ones, I think my girly side took over.

Have a good weekend and if you have snow, stay safe and warm.

Jaine x

Happy December And Hello Daily Journal 2017

The madness has really started with shops heaving and roads full of traffic. I think this is why I prefer to do alot of my shopping on line to be honest. If I’m off to the shopping centre it’s to look at the pretty lights and get ideas not shop like a headless chicken for something I’ve no idea what.

Anyway that said, the best bits of the season have kicked off and that includes the first page in my daily journal for December which I’m doing in colaboration with Paper Pen and Plan. Day 1 is “One Happy Moment” which was most definitely going out with Cooper in the morning in the first real snow fall of the season. He loves it.

So far I’m not sure how it’s going to pan out using a junk journal for my daily with some of the pages being made out of thinner paper. This might restrict me from using too many wet media like paints and sprays. I’ll have to play it by ear and just see how it goes. If I have to use gesso or glue in extra pages then so be it. That’s just how it goes.

Have a good first weekend of advent everyone and I’ll speak soon.

Jaine x

More Than A Card Not Quite A Whole Book

You know that thing when making a card seems a little bit mean to be saying “thank you for inviting us to stay for the weekend” or “we had a great time at your party” and it’s a bit late to be making a whole mini album which you know they’d love but you just don’t have the time? Well I think this might just hit the brief in terms of more than a card but not quite a whole album.

It’s my old favourite the one page mini book, the one where I start off with one big sheet of paper, in this case it was an A3, and coloured the background with a marbled effect using spray and folded it up into my mini album.

Here are a few photos which hopefully show the folding technique.

The resulting book has 8 A6 sized pages so enough for a few photos and some writing.

I wrote a little tutorial for the marbled background which you can see on the web site of Canvas Corp Brands here by clicking this link.

As you can see I created enough coloured paper to use for die cutting the stars.

I hope you try it for yourself. If you do I’d love to hear.

Jaine xx