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









Tuesday, April 30, 2013

WINTER IS ON HER WAY!!!

Here in South Africa the weather is now starting to change - at last - and winter is on her way.  Although where I live in Durban on the east coast snow NEVER makes an appearance,I still love images of snow, and especially of the fun that children have in the snow.

This image featured on my card below, called Kai in the Snow, is certainly no exception.  


I coloured the image using alcohol markers and a white gel pen.  (I have discovered a way of successfully blending Copics and Spectrum Noir with each other- YAY!)


To make up my card I used the following from my stash
(from the card base upwards)

white CS card base
smooth white CS background (corners rounded)
textured pale turquoise CS background (corners rounded)
white CS cut with a die
white CS cut with a picket fence
three flourieshes cut with a die
one white slowflake cut with a die
mini paper flowers and sequins - hand sewn on with teeny tiny seed beads
I sewed on seed beads where the image shows tiny snowflakes




This card was specially created as my application for The Mo Manning Dream Team – Oh how I would LOVE to be on Mo’s Dream Team  - that would be one more personal goal achieved, not to mention the honour of being considered talented enough to serve on her team!
And because I love sharing my creations on my blog, I would like to add this card to the following challenges too:

FLOURISHES, TIMELESS TUESDAY, #218, IT’S ALL IN THE DATE ( My birth month is January so I have the colour blue and a ribbon)


luv'n huggz
Jen Leeflang
DURBAN
SOUTH AFRICA


BLUEBERRY BEAR NEW STOCK HAS ARRIVED - well some of it ........


AND NOW FOR THE GOOD NEWS ..... NEW STOCK HAS ARRIVED!!!

Some wonderful new stock has arrived and we're so excited!!! 

... and more is on the way!!!


CLICK HERE TO SEE THE NEW PRODUCTS  

(sorry - at this stage for South African orders only)

RICK ST DENNIS : NEW IMAGE :


 

Rick St. Dennis MFA

 I am extremely honoured to be a Guest Designer for Rick ST Dennis today!  The image I was given to use on my project is called Kuaulani - which I believe is a derivative of the name of Princess KaŹ»iulani (1875–1899) of the Kingdom of Hawaii.

Here is the card I created:  


Shen I first saw the black and white digital image, I immediately imagined her in an iridescent white dress with a lei of bright coloured flowers, and that's what I tried to capture here:


Here is how I created my card:


This beautiful image and many many more Rick St Dennis images are available HERE in the store - I am sure you'll find many that will be just perfect for your next project.

Thank you to Rick St Dennis and  to all the designers of his talented team - it has been an honour and terrifically exciting to have joined you today!

luv'n huggz
Jen Leeflang
DURBAN
SOUTH AFRICA



Monday, April 29, 2013

ANYTHING BUT A CRD MONDAY AT BUGABOO

Now is about the time that wedding bells begin ringing for the season and I have created this wedding table decor idea as my Anything But a Card project today!


I used the image called  Wedding Bells from the Bugaboo store and printed it out twice so that I could make a double sided project, visible from all sides of a round table.  The sentiment was printed in the round (as WordArt in MS Word).  I used a round die to cut them out and pasted them either side of a red CS doily diecut.

My apologies that it doesn't look round - that is as a result of the distortion of the glass jar it is in.

I suspended it from the inside of the lid, and added some stones in the bottom of the jar.  

I think this project could work very well for other occasions too, with a tealight candle at the top.

luv'n huggz
Jen Leeflang
DURBAN
SOUTH AFRICA




Sunday, April 28, 2013

(US) ARBOR DAY CHALLENGE AT THE OUTLAWZ

 (did you know that today - 28 April - is World Day for Health and Safety at Work??)

As 26 April was US Arbor Day today's CAS challenge is to create a card featuring a tree.

Here is my tree card:


My image is from A DAY FOR DAISIES and the colouring is alcohol markers-


Click here to link to the challenge.

luv'n huggz
Jen Leeflang
DURBAN
SOUTH AFRICA



Saturday, April 27, 2013

DIGISTAMPS 4 JOY :: NEW RELEASE :: MISTERI - TRIBAL DANCER'


Do you remember the new character, 'Misteri'  released the the Digistamps 4 Joy store last week?

The new releases from Digistamps 4 Joy this week include three more images  in the “MISTERI” set, one of my favourite characters I have drawn.

One of them is called “Misteri – Tribal Dancer “ and here is a card I made using her:



I used alcohol markers and a white gel pen to colour her :


To complete my card I used the following from my stash:
white CS card base
lilac CS background
lilac DP
red CS scalloped border
white CS die cut
red CS diecut
string of red pearls
scrap of white lace
layered flowers with pearl centres
sewn on sequins and beads


luv'n huggz
Jen Leeflang
DURBAN
SOUTH AFRICA





DIGISTAMPS 4 JOY NEW RELEASES : MISTERI - MY DANCING SHOES


Do you remember the new character, 'Misteri'  released the the Digistamps 4 Joy store last week?



The new releases from Digistamps 4 Joy this week include three more in the “MISTERI” set, one of my favourite characters I have drawn.

One of them is called “Misteri – My dancing shoes “ and here is a card I made using her:


I used alcohol markers and a white gel pen to colour her :


To complete my card I used the following from my stash:

white CS base card
lilac DP
lilac red and green card mats
lilac polka dot DP
purple and green satin ribbon and bow
shiny glass gemstone button
sewn on sequins and beads
layered flowers
flower brads
peel off sentiment and hearts
lilac butterfly embellishment



Click HERE to see the other new releases in the DIGISTAMPS 4 JOY store.

luv'n huggz
Jen Leeflang
DURBAN
SOUTH AFRICA

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



CHARISMA CARDZ, #16, POLKA DOTS (I have lilac polka dot DP)
LOVE TO CREATE, #62, BINGO (ribbon, diecuts, flowers)


DIGISTAMPS 4 JOY :: NEW RELEASES :: MISTERI - BASKET OF APPLES


Do you remember the new character, 'Misteri'  released the the Digistamps 4 Joy store last week?



The new releases from Digistamps 4 Joy this week include three more in the “MISTERI” set, one of my favourite characters I have drawn.

One of them is called “Misteri – Basket of Apples “ and here is a card I made using her:



I used alcohol markers and a white gel pen to colour her :




The base card is one that I learnt this month at a workshop, and it's called a DOUBLE DUTCH GATE FOLD CARD - rather a mouthful :)



To complete my card I used the following :

green CS base card
white CS card mats
green foliage digital DP - inlcuded in the kit
and then for the band, from my stash:
punched border strip
layered paper flower and rose
gems

Click HERE to see the other new releases in the DIGISTAMPS 4 JOY store.

luv'n huggz
Jen Leeflang
DURBAN


A COLOUR CHALLENGE AT BUGABOO'S CATCH THE BUG BLOG

Today's challenge at Bugaboo's Catch the Bug blog is a colour challenge, and this is the pretty palette to follow:


So now here's the thing ... I am a big girl (yes in size!) , and find it very difficult to do the wishy washy stuff ... and those pastels are pretty - but just not me.  I said to myself, "Self, would it really matter if I notched those colours up a tad, made them a little deeper?"  

Yes, I did get and answer and this is my interpretation  - two fold card with a pocket inside that can hold some photographs, some money or a gift card etc.


The Bugaboo images featured on my card are:


and they were coloured using alcohol markers and a white gel pen:


The first fold is on the right hand side and when you open that, you find the pocket inside.  The punched  blue CS border and pink satin ribbon on the left hand side of the card don't form part of the front of the card:


Click here to add your entry to the challenge (you don't need to make such an elaborate card at all, and a simple one fold card/tag, etc will do - I just got a bit carried away!)

You could win one of the great prizes!

luv'n huggz
Jen Leeflang
DURBAN
SOUTH AFRICA

DIGISTAMPS 4 JOY : 'MISTERI'

Of all the little characters I have drawn for the Digistamps 4 Joy store, I think Misteri is now my favourite girl!  This image was released last week, and I am happy to 'let the cat out of the bag' and let you know that there will be some new Misteri's in the very near future ...


The colouring of the image is courtesy of Copics and Specturm Noir, and I used a white pen for the highlights.

I had a little bit of time to play so I completely sequinned and beaded the diecut circle - they are all individually hand-sewn onto the diecut.

The following were also used (from my stash)

white CS card base
red CS card mat
plaid check DP
flowers
flat back pearls
green CS vine diecut:

I really had fun making this card.

luv'n huggz
Jen Leeflang
DURBAN
SOUTH AFRICA


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


An Aperture of some kind _ in the round Diecut is an aperture to reveal the DP underneath
Something beginning with the letter P - pearls
A Die-cut or Punchie – round Diecut and vine punchie
The colour Blue – blue skirt





Friday, April 26, 2013

FREEBIE FRIDAY AT BUGABOO'S CATCH THE BUG BLOG

Friday has swung by again, and it's always a great day - not just because the weekend is in view....

BUGABOO STAMPS gives us yet another reason to love Fridays ..... with a freebie.

Here is this week's cutie:


Isn't this just great for your Spring projects?

As the image is so charmingly simple I felt that it would be perfect for some 3D layering. I printed out a couple of the image, coloured them using my alcohol markers, and started layering :

layer 1 : white CS card base
layer 2 : deep orange card mat
layer 3 : pale orange CS card mat
layer 5 : black CS background
layer 6 : image
layer 7 : popped up feet, hand and flower

Click here to link to the Catch the Bug blog, where you will be able to pick up the link the the freebie download.

Have a great weekend!

luv'n huggz
Jen Leeflang
DURBAN
SOUTH AFRICA

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




ANYTHING GOES - TODAY'S COPIC/PROMRKER CHALLENGE AT THE OUTLAWZ

Today's challenge at The Outlawz Copics/Promarker challenge is a fun one :

ANYTHING GOES
with an optional CHRISTMAS twist

I opted to use the twist,. so here is my DT sample card using an image from Kenny K :


I coloured the image using alcohol markers (a combination of Copics and Spectrum Noir) and used a white gel pen for the highlights:


To make up my card ... this is what I used from my stash:

red CS card base
white CS card mat
Christmas themed DP
punched border using red CS. laced with silver cord
punched foliage border using green CS
punched flowers - double layer - using white CS
sewn on sequins and beads (tiny green flowers)
three gem stars for bling
Merry Christmas peel-off

All put together I think this is such a happy feeling card!

Click here to add your entry to the challenge - remember to use some sort of alcohol markers on your entry!

luv'n huggz
JEN LEEFLANG
DURBAN
SOUTH AFRICA

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

OLDIE BUT A GOODIE, MAKE IT GIRLY (the cord, stars, sequins, beads, border punch and DP are all over 12 months old and more)
SWEET STAMPS, #114, USE 3 OF ANY ITEM (I have 3 handmade flowers)
ECLECTIC ELLAPU, IT’S IN THE STARS (I have three blingy stars on my card!)





Thursday, April 25, 2013

A BUGABOO STAMPS GOLDEN OLDIE - GUS FISHING

If it's Thursday, it must be 'OLDIE BUT GOODIE' day at BUGABOO STAMPS' Catch the Bug Blog, right!

I have a Oldie but Goodie ... and surely a 50th birthday card falls into that category? Here it is:


The image featured on my card is called Gus Fishing that has been coloured using my alcohol markers, and Gus' spectacles have a bit of Glossy Accents:



To make up my card I used the following from my stash:

dark green CS base
dark green CS mat
printed DP as an 'overlay'

50 peel off
Happy Birthday peel off
strange fibre ribbon kind of stuff
vintage button
twine

luv'n huggz
Jen Leeflang
DURBAN

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

A LITTLE BIT VINTAGE

Wednesday's Sketch Challenge at The Outlawz has a wonderful sketch to work with this week:  


and this is how I interpreted it :


I decided to go a little bit vintage (to practice my vintage/distressing techniques) and to use no image.  I started off using a DP offcut - I handcut the outer border and inked it.  

 
To that I added a pale green diecut and in the centre I used the waste piece from the die cut which I inked and placed back into the diecut.   The sentimnent was coloured using a purple Copic marker, as were the three borders behind the diecut.  Tiny flower sequins and beads were sewn on using invisible thread, and the flowers and diecut butterfly.


I love the way this turned out - although I think I need lots of practice in my vintage techniques.

luv'n huggz
Jen Leeflang
DURBAN