Welcome to my blog and thanks soso much for spending a little while peeping into my world

ARTS, BELLYDANCING, CRAFTS
BELLYDANCING, ARTS, CRAFTS
CRAFTS, BELLYDANCING, ARTS

whichever order I put them in, these are my passion!

... all from my little home studio in Durban, on the east coast of sunny South Africa!

"I used to think that anyone doing anything weird was weird. I suddenly realized that anyone doing anything weird wasn't weird at all and it was the people saying they were weird that were weird." -- Paul McCartney









Thursday, February 28, 2013

A BUGABOO 'OLDIE BUT GOODIE'

Thursdays are the day we at Bugaboo Stamps get to remind you how fabulous the older images are ... and here is one of the oldies I have used on a POST IT PAD COVER


The image featured on my card is Flower Watering Can - Daffofill Can that has been coloured using my Spectrum Noir markers.



I mounted it onto a black cardstock (heavy) folder into which I pasted the post it pad.  The embellishments are a yellow organza ribbon bow and a row of yellow gems.

Click HERE to link to the CATCH THE BUG blog to see the other Bugaboo Design Teamies' creations, and prepare to be inspired!

luv'n huggz
Jen Leeflang
DURBAN

A SKETCH CHALLENGE AT THE OUTLAWZ

Wednesday's Sketch Challenge at The Outlawz has a lovely sketch to follow this week : 


but I rotated it a quarter turn to the left and this is my interpretation :


The image featured on my card is one of my own drawings available as a digistamps at Digistamps 4 Joy, and is called Catherine.   I paper pieced the dress, and shaded theimage (and the paper piecing) using my alcohol markers. Here is a better look at the image and the paper piecing I did on her dress:

Here is what I used on my card:


I would like to add this card to the following challenges


Tuesday, February 26, 2013

TUESDAY'S COLOUR CHALLENGE AT THE OUTLAWZ

Over at The Outlawz the Tuesday Colour Challenge has this as colours to use


I made a Recipe Book Marker Tag using the Bugaboo image called Kitchen Ginger - Bowl which I coloured using alcohol markers.


Here is a better look at the image :


To make up my tag, I added the wording in a downloaded font which has lovely outlines so that I could colour it too.


and if you look closely at the photograph above you will see the freehand cutting I did on the borders of the tag.  I used a red CS background to give my tag a little more thickness.

The embellishments I used are 3 fabulous red felt flowers from BLUEBERRY BEAR.

A hole was punched in the top and a large industrial brad and ribbon added.

luv'n huggz
Jen Leeflang
DURBAN
SOUTH AFRICA

I would like to add this card to the following challenges:






WHAT'S NEW AT BLUEBERRY BEAR?

The answer to that is LOTS ....

Check out these new items :


packs of 3/4/5 FELT diecut flowers available in an assortment of pretty colours


multicolour packs also available


Some beautiful metal (brass) embellishments too


pretty little organza flowers


 layered organza flowers

dainty satin flowers

and these are on their way ....



STOCK AVAILABLE ex-DURBAN

Click HERE to see the entire BLUEBERRY BEAR RANGE

luv'n huggz
JEN LEEFLANG (aka BLUEBERRY BEAR)
DURBAN
SOUTH AFRICA 

A BIT O' BLING FOR THE OUTLAWZ MONDAY CHALLENGE

Monday's weekly challenge at The Outlawz called for bling ...
and here is my card:


I coloured the image using alcohol markers and a white gel pen, and added Stickles to parts of her outfit.

I have given a pictorial explanation of how I constructed my card below ...

luv'n huggz
JEN LEEFLANG
DURBAN
SOUTH AFRICA

I would like to add this card to the following challenges:

Monday, February 25, 2013

FOREVER FRIENDS - FORTNIGHTLY CHALLENGE #56


This fortnight, at the Forever Friends Challenge Blog, we'd like to see

BEARS

on your cards! Teddy bears, real bears, Forever Friends bears, the choice is yours! But we definitely want at least one bear on your card :)

We have two great sponsors for this challenge. 
Our Randomly Selected Winner's prize is sponsored by the fabulous


who are providing our lucky winner with

Our Forever Friends Favourite prize is sponsored by the lovely


who are providing our lucky winner with a $10 voucher to spend at their web-store.

Here is my "Bears" card for your inspiration:


The image featured on my card is Butterfly Bear - Bear 5 from Bugaboo Stamps, that I coloured using alcohol markers to match the DP 


I added a sentiment of my own :


To makeup the rest of my card I added a black CS card mat and cut out some of the circular 'flowers' from the cut offs of the DP and stuck them over :


Click HERE to link to the challenge to add YOUR entry, so you are in line for winning one of these fabulous prizes!

Luv'n huggz
Jen Leeflang
DURBAN
SOUTH AFRICA


Sunday, February 24, 2013

ADD A FULL MOON .. A CAS CHALLENGE AT THE OUTLAWZ

This week's Sunday CAS challenge is to add a full moon, and this is my card:


I coloured a Rcik St Dennis image called "Eve and the Apple" using alcohol markers and a white gel pen.  The apple got the Glossy Accents treatment.


I fussy cut the image, mounted it directly onto textured black cardstock and added a handwritten sentiment using a white gel pen.

I would like to add this card to the following challenges:




luv'n huggz
Jen Leeflang
DURBAN
SOUTH AFRICA


ANOTHER RICK ST DENNIS IMAGE CARD ---

--- just because I LOVE the images!!!


This image is called 1906 hat - isn't she gorgeous! - and there are actually 13 terrific hat ladies available in the etsy store.

I coloured the image using alcohol markers and a white gel pen, and added a liberal treatment of Stickles:

I fussy cut the image, and mounted it onto a purple diecut that was embellished with gems.

The other ingredients of my card are:



luv'n huggz
Jen Leeflang
DURBAN
SOUTH AFRICA

I would like to add this card to the following challenges :

STAMPING SENSATIONS, FEBRUARY, FUR AND FEATHERS ( my image has a fur collar and feathers on her hat)

ANYTHING GOES - WITH A TWIST AT AVENUE 613 CREATE

613 Avenue Create



This week's challenge at Avenue 613 Create is an ANYTHING GOES WITH A TWIST one, and the twist is to 'pile it on...'

Here is the inspiration piccy for you .. how is this for piling it on ...


and this is my inspiration card, 
using Bugaboo Stamps' Theodore - Shamrocks  


I coloured the image using alcohol markers and a white gel pen, and fussy cut the image.  The following are my pile-it-on's:

white CS card base
green striped DP with distressed edges
white CS floral fourish diecut
green paper shamrocks with pearl centres
gold metal corner 
gold stick on "Good Luck" sentiment

Click HERE to link to the challenge at Avenue 613 Create, and enter your card.  I would love to see how you pile it on ...

luv'n huggz
Jen Leeflang
DURBAN
SOUTH AFRICA

I would like to add this card to the following challenges:


GUYLOU’S INIMITABILITY, BINGO CHALLENGE, (STARTS WITH A G ‘GOOD LUCK”/FREE SPACE/DIECUT)
CRAFTY CREATIONS, TIC-TAC-TOE, (ORANGE/PEARLS/DISTRESS – the hat buckle is orange, the pearls are in the centres of the shamrocks, and the distressing is around the DP)

..... and now to find someone Irish that I can give this card to  ...

Saturday, February 23, 2013

DIGISTAMPS 4 JOY :: NEW RELEASE :: SIMPLY SUMMER

The other Digistamps 4 Joy new release that I'd like to share with you is called "Simply Summer"

Simply Summer

Here is my "Simply Summer" card:


I coloured the image using alcohol markers and a white gel pen, and paper pieced the circle shape in the background, to match the DP mat


I used a special technique on her strapless top, to create the sparkly polka dots



The following items from my stash were used to create my card:

pink CS card base
white CS card mat
pink DP with punched corners
pink CS diecut
sewn on sequins and beads
pink organza flower and bead embellishment
pink satin ribbon and bow

luv'n huggz
Jen Leeflang
DURBAN
SOUTH AFRICA

I would like to add my card to the following challenges:

PAPERMINUTES, #257, FACES

DIGISTAMPS 4 JOY :: NEW RELEASES :: MISS FLUTTERBY


Miss Flutterby

Yippee!!

Time to share another new release at Digistamps 4 Joy with you, and this one is called Miss Flutterby, another one of my silly scribbles available as a digistamp at Digistamps 4 Joy...

I made a card with the image, and here it is ...
I printed the image onto white CS, and cut out using an oval die.  The edges were inked, and I colored using alcohol markers :

To create my cared I used the following from my stash:
lilac CS card mat
DP offcut with a punched border
CS diecut
flowers and leaves, arranged in a spray
satin ribbon and bow
lilac gems
sticky metallic sentiment

luv'n huggz
Jen Leeflang
DURBAN
SOUTH AFRICA

I would like to add this card to the following challenges:
PAPERMINUTES, #257, FACES




Thursday, February 21, 2013

ALL THE THINGS I LOVE CHALLENGE AT the Sparkle and Glitter Challenge Blog

ALL THE THINGS I LOVE
is the theme of the challenge over at the Sparkle and Glitter (Rick St Dennis) Challenge Blog.

This card, featuring an image by Rick ST Dennis called 1935 Hat, represents so many things I love in cardmaking (not all cos there is not enough space on one card to show you that!)



Y....

images with beautiful faces and expressive eyes
colouring using alcohol markers
my white gel pen for highlights
dies
fabulous DP's
sequins and beads sewn onto my cards using invisible thread
Stickles
sprays of flowers and curling tendrils
and
bling, bling and more bling

and I have now discovered one more for the list ....

Rick St Dennis images!!!

Isn't this one a beauty!

luv'n huggz
Jen Leeflang
Durban


A BUGABOO OLDIE BUT GOODIE FOR THE OUTLAWZ THURSDAY CHALLENGE




The Catch the Bug Blog is where it is all happening today.  The Bugaboo Stamps DT ladies get to share their OLDIE BUT GOODIE creations here.

Four of my favourites of the older Bugaboo digstamps  are featured on my card:


The four stamps are from the set called Mini Set - Bunny Blocks

Mini Set  - Bunny Blocks



I printed four of the images in a 2x2 block and coloured using alcohol markers, using the colours specified in The Outlawz Twisted Thursday challenge, where only the colours black, white and flesh tones are permitted.


I mounted the block onto some black and white DP, and then onto a Black CS card base.  A flesh coloured satin ribbon and bow is the only embellishment.

luv'n huggz
Jen Leeflang
DURBAN