Jen Kray

If someone says you have too many dies, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.  Speaking of dies, I've recently acquired a haul of Tonic Sentiment Dies and goodness they are useful! I've been crafitng just over a year now, and I don't think I've ever seen more than a couple bereavement cards in craft groups which got me thinking... why are bereavement cards the elephant in the room? Brits love talking about cups of tea, puddings, what they're having for lunch and England winning the 1966 World Cup. They enthusiastically discuss the weather and some nutter called Guy Fawkes! They LOVE to tell you all the bargains they found...oooh ah, Margaret, I was in shop today and picked up 2 kilo of apples for 50p!  Now Iris, that's nothin... our Michael went to butchers last Sunday and picked up 3 pork chops, a small loaf. 2 slightly burnt pasties and a pickled egg for 34p. You can't beat a bit of a bargain, now can ya? While you...

I don't know about you, but I'm thrilled it's finally the weekend! And what better sentiment to use on a few cards than 'Have a Beautiful Day' by Tonic Studios. I often send my friends little notes to say I am thinking about them or a quick hello and tonight was the perfect time to make up a small batch. This was the first chance I had to clear my desk in about a week and bust out my new 'Have a Beautiful Day' Tonic Studios Die Set, which, by the way, is absolutely STUNNING! Three cards for you today...  Tonic Products Used Have a Beautiful Day Die Set you can buy  here Star Layering Die Set you can buy  here Petunia Trellis Die Set you can buy  here I found this great neon cardstock recently and it was perfect for my new Tonic dies! My first card was designed using the Have a Beautiful Day sentiment which was layered with white/neon pink, and the Petunia Trellis die set. The neon pink card which sits behind the petunia really makes the flower pop. The addit...

If anyone tells you they don't like Gin & Tonic, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.  Speaking of gin and tonic, today I'm sharing a few of my most recent creations using - G45 Artisan papers and Tonic dies.  I bought the G45 Artisan collection earlier this year and felt it was time to crack it open and see what all the fuss was about. Products used: Tonic Layering Die Set - Swirling Frame Tonic Beautiful Blooms Die Set  Spectrum Noir Clear Sparkle Pen Graphic 45 - Artisan Collection Honey Doo Crafts - Sticky Glue twine; string pearls; clear gems; hot glue Some close up detail.   The matching box, which is decorated and lined. ready to post.  The card and matching box using Graphic 45 Artisan Collection, and Tonic Layering Die Set - Swirling Frame.  And here is the finished design. This is going to a wonderful friend, as a thank you to her.  I've also designed a Birthday card & box for my niece, which...

Hello there! Today I've dipped into my watercolours and die cuts to create a large tag card, 15cm x 7.5cm.  This is the first time I've die cut into watercolour card and all I can say is...why have I not done this before?! I'm sure you've been doing this for years but to me it's new and I'm EXCITED!  So, I started off with a basic watercolour background for my tag, using  Kuretake Gansai Tambi Japanese Watercolours. I then die cut the  Tonic Beautiful Blooms and again used my watercolours on them. Then I hacked into a Tonic sentiment topper, added a few embellishments and popped it all together. A closer look at the watercolour background and some of the detail.  I used cord, watercolour paper and flower buds to make the centre of this flower. Isn't it lovely? I also used multiple layers of watercolours for a little depth on each flower.  I then cut out a Tonic sentiment topper and layered it with black card to make it pop. The finished tag card is lovely a...

TGIF!!  Craftwork Cards have recently released a really cool add-on kit - russet kraft  crates and I’ve been having some fun with them. There is plenty of inspiration on Pinterest for these lovely crates  here . I didn't want to do the normal build a crate so came up with a few ideas  Topper crate These little crates only take a minute or two to put together. You can use red super sticky tape, strong wet glue or hot glue (which I used). I made up a plain kraft one, another one I stamped with a wooden background stamp and white chalk ink, and various colours of glitter. I decided to use one of the crates as a topper storage/holder, it holds absolutely loads of toppers and the perfect size to boot! Now, anytime I need a topper, I can reach for that little crate on my desk. Having the toppers accessible means they’re a continuous source of inspiration instead of tucked away in a box somewhere. High  fives all around if you’re already doing this- I love the idea! Ch...

Happy Sunday to you!  I've been at the easel cards again and this time it's all about Craftwork Cards. It's a longer post from me today as I've made 6 different cards this week - from a tiny ATC all the way up to a very large triple easel card.  1. ATC Easel designed using Christmas Cheer. I don't know if you're meant to make easel card ATC's but it was fun making this little cutie! Here I've demonstrated just how small this is.  2. This is a  3 x 3 inch Easel Card designed using Birds & Blooms and took about 10 minute using the leftover paper from my other card creations.  3. 6 x 6 Easel Card designed using Birds & Blooms .  Once again I have opted to make a simply designed card which took no more than 25 minutes from start to finish (although I used a heat gun to dry the Stickles). For this card, the only other item used was Stickles, Star Dust. The topper on the base has been converted into a card, so there is room for your message inside....