My new Facebook Page ~ Handmade by Melinda Jane!

I recently decided to start a Facebook page to sell my handmade cards and other handmade gifts. I mean, why have all those beautiful handmade cards just sitting there and collecting dust when they could be sold and used!!!

It is a very slow process creating a page and also getting your name out there but I seem to be making something of it now! I have got some ongoing orders for a local business called Sweet Delicious! And I have done a few custom made cards for those who have already liked my page. Considering I have a normal job as well this is keeping me very busy! Not a bad thing :)

Today I spent the day finalising a few orders and making some Gorjuss Snowman Cards to put up for sale on my page! I also made some cute little Christmas tags which I am yet to post on my page for sale! But below is a photo of the ten Snowman Cards I made using Stampin' Ups Subtles Collection! I think they are super cute...don't you???!!!

I defiantely need to spend a lot more time making more cards and gifts to post for sale! Please support me and stop on by at www.facebook.com/handmadebymelindajane and like my page and while you're there why not share it around :) Thanking you in advance xx
 
♥ Melinda Jane xx

Happy 3rd Birthday Isaac!

Back again today with another post! I have a busy weekend next weekend with my Mum's 50th Birthday, my nephew Isaac's 3rd Birthday and my sister leaves for Europe for two years! Then I start back at work on the Monday :S That means I have been busy crafting cards for all those occassions this weekend, and I'm still not finished!!!

The birthday boy, Isaac, love love loves Dinosaurs and so I found this cute little pyjama set from target which has a dinosaur on the front. I really struggled to find a suitable stamp to match it so, I thought why not draw it myself (I'm not too bad at drawing when I have something to look at!)!!

So, I sat down with his pyjama set and my pencil and paper and drew a beautiful dinosaur to match! I'm really happy with the outcome and I know he is just going to love it and treasure it!!! I used Prisma Pencils to colour it in, Stampin Up cardstock and the sentiment comes from a Stampin' Up Dinosaur set!

I kept the card very simple because I wated my fabulous artwork to be the focal point (and besides that took long enough lol)!!! I took a photo of it with the shirt so you can see how great my drawing skills are hehe...I can't wait to give it to him, so, here it is...

 

 



♥ Melinda Jane xx

A pink owl card for Bec's Baby Shower!

Recently, my step sister Rebecca found out she was pregnant with her fourth child! You could imagine that after having 3 boys she was soooo happy to find out she was having a GIRL!!! And I was so excited and happy for her that I cried when she broke the news to me!

Now, Bec always themese her baby rooms etc and this time she is going with pink (of course) and purple with an owl theme! I just knew I was going to have so much fun buying and creating girlie things!!!

Unfortunately, due to moving house I wasn't able to go to her Baby Shower but I wanted to get her a present and make her a special card anyway! So, I went to the craft shop and bought some gorgeous pink netting ribbon, some pretty pink cardstock and patterned paper and then went home and got out my Stampin' Up Owl Punch!

I came up with a great idea to make a card but was missing a scallop circle punch big enough to put the owl on so I went over to my mumsy's house and borrowed her Big Shot and Spellbinder Scallops! And this is what I came up with....with a little help from mum....I just kow that Bec is going to love it!!!! I'm very pleased with it myself!

And the inside...

 

 

 

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

 



♥ Retro Sketches #34

♥ Emerald Fairies #34 - Anything Goes

♥ Bizzy Bec's October Challenge - Things with Wings!

♥ Bearly Mine Challenge #57 - Anything Goes!

♥ In The Pink: Buttons and Bows - Challenge #6

♥ Melinda Jane xx

Hanging Around ... Missing YOU!

So, today I decided to sit down and use one of my brand new Meljen's Digi that I won recently on a challenge! There latest challenge is Challenge #132 - Missing You! And I thought the Hanging Around Kitty I won would be perfect for this!

I just love cats (as you may already know) and wanted to make it more of a male card (well it could be either) - mainly because I had my husband in mind when creating it! We used to live in separate states so I used to buy (yes I know buy not make) cards to send him to tell him I love him and miss him terribly. Anyway, enough rambling, you probably want to see my card already, so here it is....

 

 

I'm really happy with it! I used Kaszazz papers, brown grosgrain ribbon from my stash, Glossy Accents and Fairy Dust for the swirls, Ranger Faded Jeans Distress Ink for the background and Prisma Pencils for the colouring! I just love it!! Thankyou again Meljen's for allowing me to win this digi!!

 

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

 

♥ Meljen's Challenge #132 - Missing You

♥ Emerald Fairies Challenge #34 - Anything Goes ~ WINNER! ~ Entry #88

  

♥ Bearly Mine Challenge #57 - Anything Goes 

 

 ♥ Melinda Jane xx



Potential 3CE Project for Kaszazz!

One of the great things about being a Kaszazz consultant is that I get to create projects which I then upload to a Consultant Only page to be voted on and if Kaszazz and other consultants love my work I can be asked to submit it as a 3CE project for workshops. We are very lucky to have a massive selection of workshops to choose from, so as a hobbyist it means endless inspiration and for business consultants a great tool to sell products!!!

I have submitted a few projects in the past and have had 2 successfully added to the gallery of projects! It's a great feeling having your work published and seeing your name in flashing lights, plus we are awarded with a generous prize (usually a voucher to buy more products or generous suprise pack)!!!

Recently, I made a card for a few challenges and based it on a retro sketches design. I loved it so much and so too did my family, friends and fellow Kaszazz consultants that I decided to add to it to make a set of 3 cards to submit as a potential 3CE project!! I still haven't been asked to submit it but it is early days and I have had a lot of votes that I made it to page 1 of Top Rated.

So, I wrote up some instructons and tested them with a small group of friends, ironed out the bugs and even made a colour variation! Now it's all ready to go and just waiting for that special email to say Congratulations please submit your project! I'm positive it will be in my inbox anyday now!!!

But for now I thought I would share with those of you who read my blog! The first photo is the original set (my favourite) and the second photo is the colour variation.

 

 

Just beautiful, aren't they!!??!! Now I'm going to head into my craft cave and get creative for a few blog challenges I want to enter! I will no doubt post again soon :)



 
♥ Melinda Jane xx

My first Challenge WIN!!

So, this morning I jumped on here to see if I was a winner in any of the challenges I recently entered and to my suprise I WON 2nd place on Meljen's Challenge #130 Anything Goes. I got to pick any 2 digis from her store and my was that tough because everything is so lovely!

I finally decided on Cozy Winter Owl and Hanging Around Kitty! I chose Cozy Winter Owl because it's super cute and also because one of my best friends is a little obsessed with owls (I must admit I love them too!) and thought I could make a beautiful Christmas card for her with it! And I picked Hanging Around Kitty because well it's simple - I just love cats!!!

I will definately have to find some time (maybe Thursday) to get creative and use my new digi's. Will post for you all to see but until then why not jump on over to Meljen's Digi Shop and take a look - she has some great deals and freebies too!

♥ Melinda Jane xx

Getting into the Halloween Spirit!

Back Again! The joy of having a Saturday to my self means plenty of time to craft and blog!!! At least there is plenty of inspiration and creativity flowing :)

At the moment a few blog challenges are focusing on Halloween which can be very hard here in Australia as it isn't celebrated like it is overseas, but I thought why not play along! I searched a few of my favourite digi stores for a halloween image and found the cutest image on Meljen's Digi Shop called Mummy Kitty! It reminded me of one of my adorable kittens ~ Tessah and so I just had to buy it! This is Tessah ...

 

 

Isn't she just adorable!!??!! Anyway,I coloured the image using Prisma Colour Pencils and found a cute digi paper freebie on Bearly Mine Designs which has gorgeous detailing to it and went along with the halloween theme. I also added some ribbon to give the card a handmade feel which is super cute in orange and black! So here it is...

 

 

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:



♥ http://bearlymine-challenges.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/challenge-55-halloween.html

♥ http://foreverfriendschallengeblog.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/fortnightly-challenge-no-46-anything.html

♥ http://meljensdesignsdt.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/challenge-130-anything-goes.html ~ Entry #8 - 2nd place WINNER!

♥ http://blog.ribboncarousel.com/2012/10/rcc73-halloween-spirit.html
 

♥ Melinda Jane xx



Fly High - Be Free Retro Sketch Inspired Card!

I'm back with my second post for today! So, as I said before I armed myself with a list of challenges today and set aside some time to get creative! I decided to focus my next little crafty session on Retro Sketches Challenge #31 for the layout of my card and then use other challenges to form the "design" of the card. 

 

I am so pleased with what I came up with, clean and simple and showcasing Kaszazz products of course!!! I am even thinking of creating a workshop of 3 cards for Kaszazz around this idea because I think it is just lovely! So here it is....what do you think?

 

 

I would like to enter this set of cards into the following challenge/s:

 

♥ http://retrosketches.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/retrosketches-31.html  

♥ http://simonsaysstampschallenge.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/simon-says-glimmer-and-sparkle.html

♥ http://foreverfriendschallengeblog.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/fortnightly-challenge-no-46-anything.html

♥ http://emeraldfaeries.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/emerald-farie-challenge-33-flowers.html

♥ http://bizzybecsstore.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/october-challenge.html ~ I got a Top 3 Shoutout!

 

♥ Melinda Jane xx

Armed with challenges and creativeness!

After a week with so much going on I have finally attacked my list of challenges I want to enter and I have found the time to get creative. I have found challenges to be an inspiring way to get creative because it makes me think about what I am going to craft and sometimes I have to go a little out of my comfort zone!

I am really pleased with this simple set of 3 cards I made using all Kaszazz products (some of the products have been retired). I love bright colours teamed up with crisp white cardstock! I also love distressing ink around the edges to create effect and even to mimick things such as grass (as displayed in the blue card). And the added touch of glitter makes these beautiful cards sparkle! These cards showcase beautiful dragonflies, flowers, ezy press embossing, distressing, and 3D effects. So here they are....

 

I would like to enter this set of cards into the following challenge/s:

 

♥ http://simonsaysstampschallenge.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/simon-says-glimmer-and-sparkle.html

♥ http://foreverfriendschallengeblog.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/fortnightly-challenge-no-46-anything.html

♥ http://bizzybecsstore.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/october-challenge.html

♥ Melinda Jane xx



Mother Daughter Craft Day!

So, for the second time this week my mum has come over to my house and we have had a mother daughter craft day! I really cherish our craft days together. Not many people I know can say they have so much in common with their mum and can spend a whole day crafting...! It really is a blessing! ♥ you mumsy xxoo

We decided it was time to use a few of our "beyond the page" projects we have had in our stash for a while! I really love the range of Kaszazz products and one of the products we used is their Chipboard Frame (5002 Chipboard - Frame-it-Kit 210x210mm) and teamed it up with a Kaszazz workshop - 2H812 French Provincial Frame. I added the wording to make it more personal! The photo is of my husband and I, at the end of a holiday when we first met - we never thought we would see each other again ... but now we're happily married! So here it is...

 

So, when mum and I get together we go all out, we don't just stop at one project!! So, we made another "beyond the page" project using the recently released Kaszazz product (5222 Journal 120x170mm)and our own individual creativity! This gorgeous little journal I thought would be perfect as a little brag book of my wedding, so I stayed within my wedding theme, which was birds, birdcages, feathers, black, white/ivory and a touch of purple! I took inspiration from a project uploaded by a fellow Kaszazz Consultant on the Kaszazz Consultant's Facebook Page (I can't remember who it was, sorry) but again I made my own personal touched too it! So here it is... 

 

And considering the inspiration for my brag book is my wedding I thought I would share with you all a photo! This photo is one of my favourites of our bridal party! ♥

 

 

Well, that is all from a fun filled crafty day yesterday! I hope to make a few more projects later on in the week and I will also upload a few more projects that I made over the last year! So make sure you keep coming back to get your crafty inspiration!

 

♥ Melinda Jane xx

Bearly Mine Crafts MEGA Blog CANDY!

Okay so this is my 3rd post for today but I just had to share this with you! Bearly Mine Crafts is having a MEGA Blog Candy Giveaway! The prize is huge! Head on over to http://bearlymine.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/mega-blog-candy.html and find out how you can be in for a chance to win!!!

♥ Melinda Jane xx

First attempt at Challenges...

For the first time I have decided to enter a card I made into some blog challenges. It's something that mumsy does a lot and she has won a few times so I thought why not give it a go!

Recently I purchased a stash of Gorjuss Stamps and a set of Premier Prisma Colour pencils! I love love love Gorjuss stamps and really enjoy colouring and blending with my Prisma Pencils!

One of the Gorjuss stamps is called Scribble and it's a clear stamp set, she is so cute with her piggy tails and fringe, oh and not to mention her little stockings! I just love pastel colours and especially yellow and pink together which worked so well with this theme.

 

I would like to enter this card into the following challenge/s:

 

♥ http://simonsaysstampschallenge.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/simon-says-anything-goes.html

 

♥ http://bearlymine-challenges.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/challenge-no-54-add-sentiment.html

 

♥ http://thepapershelter.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/challenge-83-anything-goes.html

 

♥ Melinda Jane xx

New Beginnings for my blog!

It has been a while since I have blogged anything craft. To be honest I haven't been doing a lot of craft but I also never really had my blog set up in a way I love, until now....

After a creative day with my dearest mumsy yesterday she encouraged me to start using my blog again, she fixed it up a little last night and then I woke up at the crack of dawn this morning to make it Simply Me. I must say I am very happy with how it has turned out. The best part is I can now blog all my crafty things!

So to get the ball rolling this first card is one that was made yesterday with mum. It is inspired by Julie Storti ~ a fellow Kaszazz Consultant's creation, which was published to our consultant Facebook page. It is a variation to the one she posted and I think it is just beautiful! Who knew masking tape would be so effective! I have even converted mum to buying it now!! So here it is...

We also made another set of cards which again is a variation of a Kaszazz Workshop 2H1111 Fly High Be Free Cards. I just love the oatmeal card base, butterfly stamps, masking tape and little embellishments - all Kaszazz! Definately going to have to stock up on Kaszazz embellishments! So here they are...

 

Gorgeous aren't they? Can't wait for another mother-daughter craft day tomorrow! Going to go and plan the projects for tomorrow. Can't wait to share them all with you once they are finished. So until then Happy Crafting....

♥ Melinda Jane xx