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









Monday, February 23, 2015

ANYTHING BUT A CARD MONDAY WITH BUGABOO STAMPS


To illustrate the versatility of Bugaboo Stamps (Jodie seems to have something for EVERY occasion in her store), I have made this bookmark, using the image Big Books Girl.

Coloured using alcohol markers, matted onto black cs, with a metal eyelet and a ribbon - this is just how I like it, nice and flat, and with a cute saying.

This week we start a 'tour' of South Africa's beautiful beaches.  you've seen my many pic of Durban beach, so we're off to Cape Town, and the beach at Camps Bay


Thanks for joining me today.

luv'n huggz
Jen Leeflang
Durban, South Africa


Sunday, February 22, 2015

3D DECOUPAGE CARD FOR A MAN


This easel card has a 3D decoupaged fussy cut image on the front:


I also used:

white cs base
blue cs mat
woodgrain dp
a chipboard clock embellishment

Thanks for visiting my blog today, and join me as we make our last stop in Kimberley, on our 'tour' of South African City Halls.


luv'n huggz
Jen Leeflang
DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA

I would like to enter these challenges:


Saturday, February 21, 2015

PAPER PIECED ELEGANCE


Today's challenge at The Outlawz calls for paper piecing, and my card has a paper pieced bodice:


and a ribbon skirt that I sewed into place:


I also used the following

cs cs base
black  cs mat
black and white (shiny heat embossed) dp
white cs diecut embellished with red pearls and gem in the centre


I used lots of Stickles and a round sentiment, punched

We're still in the province of Gauteng, South Africa,, 'visiting' the South Africa City Halls, and this is Johannesbirg City Hall


Thanks for visiting with me today.
luv'n huggz
Jen Leeflang, Durban, South Africa

I would like to enter these challenges:

CRAFTING BY DESIGNS, BINGO (BLING, RED AND GLITTER)
CRAFTY GALS CORNER, BINGO ( RHINESTONES, BOWS, PEARLS)





THE OUTLAWZ COLOURING CHALLENGE


This is the card I entered into the The Outlawz Colouring Challenge, according to this palette:



The image is from Ppinkydolls and I used alcohol markers for the colouring:



Also used to create my card are

white cs base
blue cs base
background created from the inspiration palette colours
tag, precoloured, punched and tied with baker's twine

sewn on sequins and beads
peel off sentiment
two different ribbons
three mosaic glass tiles


Thanks for joining me today, and coming along on my tour of South African City Halls - this is the Pretoria City Hall


luv'n huggz
Jen Leeflang, Durban, South Africa

I would like to enter these challenges:



ANYONE FOR BUGABOO BINGO?

This week's challenge is Bingo, at Bugaboo's challenge blog, Catch the Bug, and this is the DT card I made:


using the Bingo board


and the line:  
sentiment / 2 or more merged images - border

The two images I merged are 


I also used:

white cs base
blue cs mat
yellow riibbon
the border is the offcut/diecut  waste bit  from another border 
gems
peel off sentiment

The link to the Bugaboo challenge is here

Please join me on my tour of our South African City Halls, as today we're visiting the Port Elizabeth City Hall 


luv'n huggz
Jen Leeflang, DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA

I would like to enter these challenges

CRAFTY GALS CORNER, BINGO (RHINESTONES, FLOWERS, RIBBON)




Thursday, February 19, 2015

BUGABOO OLDIE BUT GOODIE



I made a boy's birthday card by merging two of Bugaboo's older images 


printed them onto kraft cs, and coloured using alcohol markers


I fussy cut, coloured and rolled the kraft cs so it looked like it had burned, and stuck it onto a precoloured background.

As embellishments, I used twine:\


Thanks for visiting me today, and for joining me on my tour of South African City Hall.  
Today we're visiting The Cape Town City Hall.


luv'n huggz
Jen Leeflang
DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA

I would like to enter these challenges:










Tuesday, February 17, 2015

A CASED CARD


This is a card I made to enter into The Outlawz Colour Challenge today, according to this brief:


So I decided to CASE on of the DT's cards, and to make my twist to use at least two of the DT's twists.

This is the DT card by Susan  that I CASEd:

 

To create my card I used a precoloured background that I printed onto white cs.  For the flowers I used a free image of the daisy and cut, pasted and resized it, before fussy cutting it. 
 I popped it onto the background using foam blocks, and then trimmed it to size.  

There is a button tied with a satin ribbon, three gems in the flower centres, and three gems on the matted sentiment.  

The butterfly is punched and embossed (a two part punch set) and a gem added.

Thanks for visiting my blog today and for joining me on my tour of South African City Haals - we're visiting Pietermaritabirg's City hall today.


Jen Leeflang
DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA

I would like to enter the following challenges:

TRY IT ON TUESDAY, TIC TAC TOE (FLOWER, BLING, BUTTON)

WITH LOVE, EMBOSSING AND DIECUTS


To create my card I used the following:

white cs base
red c with a white core. embossed and sanded
die cut 'bracelet' border, cut 2 of and intertwined, embellished with pearls and gems


The digital sentiment is cut with  label die, and has a ribbon through it


Thanks for visiting my blog today - I'm on a 'tour' of the city halls in South African cities, and we're in Pietermaritzburg.


luv'n huggz
Jen Leeflang
Durban, South Africa

I would like to enter these challenges:  
CRAFTS 4 ETERNITY, TWO’S (TWO TIES ON LABEL)


HAPPY BIRTHDAY - PINK AND GIRLY



My card features an image by Cheryl Alger that I coloured using alcohol markers, a white gel pen and Stickles


To create my  card I used:

white cs base
pink sc mat


sewn on flower sequins
rose and leaves


diecut, embellished border


peel off sentiment and a heart shaped bead on her hair bow.

Thanks for joining me today as we visit the Pietermaritzburg City hall, part of our tour of City Halls in South Africa.



luv'n huggz
Jen Leeflang
Durban, South Africa

I would like to enter these challenges:









UNSTAMPABELLES CHALLENGE : NATIONAL SYMBOLS : MIDWAY REMINDER

We're halfway through our National Symbols themed challenge at the Unstampabelles Challenge Blog, and here is my typically (South) African inspired card:


My card consists of

white cs base
kraft cs mat
African bead dp
sewn on beads forming an African continent outline
photograph of guinea fowl feathers
porcupine quills
natural raffia bow


What is YOUR country's national symbol?

Click here to link to the challenge.

Today we're continuing our tour of the city halls in the major cities in South Africa.  Thanks for joining me today.


luv'n huggz
Jen Leeflang
DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA

I would like to enter these challenges:




Monday, February 16, 2015

ANYTHING BUT A CARD AT BUGABOO STAMPS

It's Monday, it's ABaC Monday

ANYTHING BUT A CARD


I covered a store bought index book using an offcut of dp, and then added n strip of kraft over the spine.  All the edges were inked, and I tied some twine around it too.


The featured Bugaboo image, Farm Critter Stack was coloured using alcohol markers and a white gel pen 

I used the following

store bought index book
dp offcut
kraft offcut
twine

When the project was finished I used a clear lacquer aerosol over all it, to make it stain resistant, because this little book will be a RAK for Ainsley, my 'adopted' son, who is now working at a large butchery, and he will be making lots and lots of notes as he moves from department to department as part of his training programme.

This week I will be taking you on a tour of the City Halls in various cities and towns in South Africa.

Thanks for spending time with me today - we're visiting the City Hall in Durban, my home town.


love
Jen Leeflang

I would like to enter these challenges:



Sunday, February 15, 2015

A TWIRLING MOUSE FAIRY


I neeed to build up my collection of birthday cards for charity, and this is one of them.

The image was coloured using alcohol markers  and Stickles:



As embellishments, I used some square pink gems as corner detail.


I would like to enter these challenges: