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Wednesday 30 November 2011

Christmas bauble

A Christmas card using traditional colour with a glittered bauble with ribbon and sentiment, on to Anna Griffin papers.

This is for:

Friendship's garden 5: Pinterest photo inspiration:

Shelly's terrifically thrilling Thursday: getting ready for the holiday - red and green
Polka doodles 47: Italian Christmas - white, red and green
Stamp n doodle: show us your green, red, plus 1 other colour
Create me pink 5: Christmas colours - red, green and either silver or gold
The paper variety: show us your ornaments
For fun: Christmas card
House of Gilli 18: flourishes

Tuesday 29 November 2011

Scrapbook page of mum's birthday

Regulars of my blog will know that I put together a scrapbook for mum's 90th birthday and I left the final page so that I could add photos of today. We went for a meal at the local Harvester and then back to where mum lives for a cuppa and birthday cake. Papers and supplies are Anna Griffin.

Please click on the picture to enlarge for a closer look

I'm linking this for these challenges:

Fussy & fancy 50: make a gift/anything but a card
Secret crafter Saturday 162: borders & flowers
Alota 71: dots
Created by hand: family/heart die cuts
Deep ocean 13: C as ... cake
Desert island crafts 20: choose at least 3 - I chose ribbon, 3 or more patterned papers, polka dots
CES 63: special milestone birthdays
Ribbon reel 16: anything goes
Party time Tuesday 44: anything goes
Crafty boots: anything goes

Monday 28 November 2011

A piece of good advice

It's time to do a DLO in the next CJ for the group of CBC forum (gosh, where has the month gone to?!). Anyway, this is in Net's circle journal - she says: Tell me the best piee of advice you've ever received'.

So here is my DLO:


Click on the pictures for a closer look

I used three different papers from 7 gypsies Baja journey and printed out the wording. The chipboard flowers are some that I've had for a long time - can't remember where I got them - they have gems and glitter on them, so they sparkle nicely.

I'm entering this into these challenges:

Fussy & fancy 50: make a gift/anything but a card

Trees and hearts

Another set of 5 cards - lots of glitter and foiling, particularly on the cute little trees:

These are for:

Craft your passion 86: tis the season
Gingerloft 30: Christmas and winter
Pixie cottage 97: make a set
2 sisters 67: holiday
Hiding in my craftroom 26: mix it up - holiday
Paper creations ink 13: Christmas theme
Papertake weekly: Christmas crackers - but not literally
Creatalicious 28: Christmas and make sure it sparkles
Everybody art 169: Christmas card
St Luke's November: Christmas is coming
Little red wagon 108: Christmas theme
Fairytale 29: Christmas
Simply create too 1: all about Christmas
Incy wincy 122: trees, trees and more trees
Our creative corner: O Christmas tree
Creative card crew: monochromatic
Crafty Ann 54: sketch and/or monochrome
Ooh-la-l 94: lots of sparkle
Crafty boots: anything goes

Sunday 27 November 2011

Mum's 90th birthday card

At last I've made the card for mum's birthday - it's on Tuesday, so it's at least a day ahead! Why is it that 'special' cards for family take so long to even decide upon, let alone actually making? Anyway, it's done now.

I wanted to make a card that would tone with the scrapbook I'm giving her (it's here if you'd like to have a peep), so I used Anna Griffin papers and 3D flowers, some ribbons with gems from Hobbycraft and silver letters and numerals. The stepper card is a Kanban one (took me a while to figure out how to fold it - I'm not totally happy with it as the steps don't sit down enough on the base - there is a double fold at the back, but whatever I do with it doesn't seem to make much difference. However, from the front the card still looks fine.

This photo was taken almost looking down on the card:

Close up of the top:
Close up of the bottom:

Side view:

Update: I left the card in an envelope overnight and took it out to take a photo outside - the good news is that the folds are now sitting correctly on the base of the card - so much better.



I'm linking for these challenges:

Top tip Tuesday 61: more than 1 fold
Sugar creek hollow: fancy folds
Little Claire 15: shaped cards
Crafty purple frog 29: for someone special
CES 63: special milestone birthdays
Take time for you 54: events: birthday
Fab n funky 100: happy birthday

Swirly trees

Yet another set of five cards with materials received from Handy Hippo.

These are for:

Gingerloft 30: Christmas and winter
Pixie cottage 97: make a set
2 sisters 67: holiday
Hiding in my craftroom 26: mix it up - holiday
Paper creations ink 13: Christmas theme
Papertake weekly: Christmas crackers - but not literally
Creatalicious 28: Christmas and make sure it sparkles
Everybody art 169: Christmas card
St Luke's November: Christmas is coming
Little red wagon 108: Christmas theme
Fairytale 29: Christmas
Simply create too 1: all about Christmas
Our creative corner: O Christmas tree
Aud sentiments 42: any winter holiday Christmas sentiments
Creative card crew: monochromatic
Crafty Ann 54: sketch and/or monochrome

Red and glittery gold

Three more cards made from a kit received as part of my Handy Hippo prize - luscious red glittered cards with 3D foiled and glittered embellishments - easy to put together, but lovely to look at.

These are for:

My Sheri: decorate for Christmas
Gingerloft 30: Christmas and winter
Pixie cottage 97: make a set
2 sisters 67: holiday
Hiding in my craftroom 26: mix it up - holiday
Paper creations ink 13: Christmas theme
Papertake weekly: Christmas crackers - but not literally
Creatalicious 28: Christmas and make sure it sparkles
Everybody art 169: Christmas card
St Luke's November: Christmas is coming
Little red wagon 108: Christmas theme
Fairytale 29: Christmas
Simply create too 1: all about Christmas
Scrap-card 17: Christmas trees
Our creative corner: O Christmas tree
Aud sentiments 42: any winter holidy Christmas sentiments

Saturday 26 November 2011

Another set of 5 cards

This is another set of 5 cards I made yesterday for today's sale. This time I've used colours for Play date cafe 108:

As with the previous set, materials were from a kit received as part of my Handy Hippo prize, including some lovely little felt trees that came separately.

This is for:

Pixie cottage 97: make a set
2 sisters 67: holiday
Hiding in my craftroom 26: mix it up - holiday
Paper creations ink 13: Christmas theme
Papertake weekly: Christmas crackers - but not literally
Creatalicious 28: Christmas and make sure it sparkles
Everybody art 169: Christmas card
St Luke's November: Christmas is coming
Little red wagon 108: Christmas theme
Fairytale 29: Christmas
Simply create too 1: all about Christmas
Scrap-card 17: Christmas trees
Our creative corner: O Christmas tree
Quirky crafts 24: clean and simple
Created by hand: thanks/square die cuts

Frosty the snowman in the pink

For this card I've used pink text Papermania Christmas paper, with an offcut piece of pink, white and black striped DCWV paper. The lovely snowman stamp is from Stampotique by Jo Capper-sandon, coloured with promarkers. Flowers are from Poundland.

This is for:

Sunday stamper 181: Frosty the snowman
Stampotique 43: it's a non-traditional Christmas - no red or green
C.R.A.F.T. 130: unusual Christmas
City crafter 84: a pink Christmas
Everybody art 169: Christmas card
St Luke's November: Christmas is coming
Sundays with Crissy November 23: Christmas card using non-traditional colours
Little red wagon 108: Christmas theme
Fairytale 29: Christmas
Pattie's 34: Christmas
Simply create too 1: all about Christmas
Stampin with the dragon: anything goes - Christmas
Gingerloft 29: lace, fabric or felt (the flowers are felt)
Bah! humbug 46: fabric (felt flowers)
Craft your days away 34: buttons or bows
Glitter fairies 4: non-traditional Christmas - no red, green, gold
All kinds of cards 41: black + white + 1 colour of your choice
Paper creations ink 13: Christmas theme
Papertake weekly: Christmas crackers - but not literally
Kaboodle 94: baby it's cold outside
Stamp n doodle: it's snow time!
Oldie but a goodie: let it snow (this gorgeous stamp is over six months old)
Party time Tuesday 43: snow us what you got
Phindy's Friday 83: a sprinkling of now
Quirky crafts 24: clean and simple
I love promarkers 93: anything goes


Set of five Christmas cards

I needed a few more sets of 5 cards to sell in packs at today's Christmas Fair, so I made quite a few yesterday. These were easy to put together as I used a kit that was part of my blog prize from Handy Hippo. The gold foiled rectangle toppers layered with vellum were from my stash from long ago, the rest of the items were from the HH pack.


These are for:

Pixie cottage 97: make a set
2 sisters 67: holiday
Hiding in my craftroom 26: mix it up - holiday
Paper creations ink 13: Christmas theme
Papertake weekly: Christmas crackers - but not literally
Creatalicious 28: Christmas and make sure it sparkles
Everybody art 169: Christmas card
St Luke's November: Christmas is coming
Fairytale 29: Christmas
Simply create too 1: all about Christmas
Creative card crew: monochromatic
Crafty Ann 54: sketch and/or monochrome
Quirky crafts 24: clean and simple

This morning's Christmas Fair

It was the Christmas Fair at mum's sheltered accommodation this morning, so I thought I'd show my table - quite a lot of people come to it and there isn't much room there, so I have part of a table. So this is me as I was finishing setting up - I did move the Sainsbury's bag before we started - lol!

Because of limited space I didn't take all my stock, but sold quite a bit.

Although I've been making Christmas cards throughout the year, I've sold so many for Tearfund, at our church's minimarket and supporting other charity events, that I now find that I need a lot, lot more for our own use, so I need to get going now and use up some of my stacks of Christmas papers pretty quickly!

CHNC challenge 48: vintage and/or distressed

This week seems to have been a very busy one, but I don't seem to have got done everything I wanted to. As this post goes live (scheduled last night) I'll be on my way to where mum lives for their Christmas Fair to sell my cards. So I'm trusting that blogger will play nicely and publish this post. I'll be back later in the day to link to the challenges I've included.

Can you believe that we're on challenge 48 today on my CHNC blog. Not long to go to the big day, so let's make the most of the time left and get those Christmas cards made. Hopefully my challenge will help you - I'd love to see you there. The theme for this week is vintage and/or distressed.

I've used graphic 45 double sided 'we wish you a merry Christmas' paper from their Christmas Past collection. I stamped an oval background with antique linen DI and stamped the Docrafts Father Christmas stamp on to it using versafine black onyx. I've had this stamp for ages, but, until now, hadn't used it - I'm not sure why I hadn't. I then tore round the image paper using a perspex oval and inked the edges very lightly with shabby shutters DI, using this on the left edge of the card as well. The addition of some lace, glittered ribbon and Martha Stewart daisy stickers and the card was done.

I'm also linking this for the following challenges:

Ribbon girl: Jingle all the way to Christmas
2 sisters 67: holiday
Hiding in my craftroom 26: mix it up - holiday
Our daily bread 86: recipe - lace, ribbon and glitter
Crafts and me 62: shabby chic/vintage
Paper creations ink 13: Christmas theme
Papertake weekly: Christmas crackers - but not literally
Creatalicious 28: Christmas and make sure it sparkles
Sparkles forum 25: vintage Christmas
Everybody art 169: Christmas card
St Luke's November: Christmas is coming
Sundays with Crissy November 23: Christmas card using non-traditional colours
Little red wagon 108: Christmas theme
Truly scrumptious 70: Christmas projec with pearls or vintage
Fairytale 29: Christmas
Pattie's 34: Christmas
Simply create too 1: all about Christmas
Stampin with the dragon: anything goes - Christmas
Gingerloft 29: lace, fabric or felt
Rogue redhead 5: only one piece of designer paper
Papercraft star 72: anything goes

Thursday 24 November 2011

A commissioned birthday card for my mum

A friend asked me if I would make a card for her and her husband to give to my mum for her 90th birthday next Tuesday. She requested that I put a photo of mum as a child, so I've used one of the ones that I included in the scrapbook I made for mum.

I used the sketch for Technostamper's Monday lunchtime 201:

I used Basic Grey papers from three different collections for Basic Grey challenge 57: mix 'n' match. The background paper is BG cappelia, as are the scalloped strips that I cut to go across the card (these don't show up too well here though). The blue paper that has been die cut with a Nellie shape is BG sugar rush - I distressed the edges with brushed corduroy DI. The flowered paper behind the photo is also BG sugar rush. This was then matted on to a piece of dark brown paper from BG infuse.

The greeting and the numerals are gold foiled - shame I had to take a flash photo as it's now dark and the card needs to be given to my friend tomorrow morning. The rhinestones are habico and the flowers with the pearl centres were from the 99p store.

This is also for:

Birthday sundaes 36: old neglected stash (I've had these BG papers for quite a long time)
Crafting when we can: female birthday
Take time for you 54: events - birthday
Crafts and me 62: shabby chic/vintage
Crafty purple frog 29: for someone special
Hooked on craft 12: something punched or die cut
Your next stamp 56: use die cuts

Tuesday 22 November 2011

Oh Christmas tree

Another quick card with Anna Griffin supplies, this time using a decoupaged tree trimmed with glitter layered on to a glittered paper background, matted on to a patterned card.

This is for:

Scrap-card 17: Christmas trees
Paper creations ink 13: Christmas theme
Wags n whiskers 67: Christmas themed
Papertake weekly: Christmas crackers - but not literally
2 sisters 66: let it sparkle
Creatalicious 28: Christmas and make sure it sparkles
Crimbo crackers 2: make it sparkle
Sparkles forum 25: vintage Christmas
Everybody art 169: Christmas card
Phindy's Friday 82: Christmas cards
Floweret 8: Christmas cards
St Luke's November: Christmas is coming

Traditional Christmas card

A quick card using Anna Griffin supplies (yes, still using them up and more to come!).

This is for:

The crafty pad 148: festive cheer - traditional red & green & gold
Tanda teaser 184: traditional red and green Christmas
Just us girls 111: colour challenge - red, white, green
Paper creations ink 13: Christmas theme
Wags n whiskers 67: Christmas themed
Papertake weekly: Christmas crackers - but not literally
Shopping our stash 27: Christmas or winter related
Card and scrap 20: traditional Christmas colours
Creative craft: free for all
Lollipop crafts 58: anything goes
Freshly brewed 71: anything goes

Silver snowflakes

It was time to make my inchies for the monthly swap on the Bubbly Funk forum, this time with the theme of 'winter'. The background is Curious Metallics silver, on to which I stamped with four lovely little snowflake stamps from a set by Wild Rose Studio (these were in my prize parcel that I received the other day from Hando Hippo - you can read about it here). I inked with versamark and heat embossed with detail silver. I added a few Kanban bling gems (these were also in the parcel from Handy Hippo) and then dipped the edges of the inchies into glue and then into Art Institute glitter.

I'm linking for the following challenges:

I brake for challenges 14: favourite season: winter (for cardmaking, that is - I really love the warmer weather - lol!)
Stamps R us: bling it on
Wags n whiskers 67: Christmas themed
Papertake weekly: Christmas crackers - but not literally
2 sisters 66: let it sparkle
Creatalicious 28: Christmas and make sure it sparkles
Crimbo crackers 2: make it sparkle
Creative card crew: monochromatic
Divas by design 15: monochromatic
Crafty Ann 54: sketch and/or monochrome
Kaboodle 94: baby it's cold outside
Make my Monday 25: flowers, foliage or snowflakes
Party time Tuesday 43: snow us what you got
Fab n funky 99: baby it's cold outside
Fashionable stamping 9: I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
Crafty catz 109: snowflakes
CES 62: snowflakes

Golden angels

At last I back to doing some crafting after what seems ages (apart from making my card for my CHNC challenge 47). I'm still in the process of getting stuff back into right places (or new places for some of it - taking the opportunity for a bit of re-vamp of my craft storage). Anyway, back to the point of this post - I needed to get my ATCs done for the monthly swap on the Bubbly Funk forum. This month the theme is 'gold', so I decided to use one of my favourite Christmas stamps 'Angel collage' by Rubber Stampede, inked with versamark and heat embossed with detail gold. I then added gold stickles to the halos. These were than matted on to some textured gold foiled card.

As always with glittery, foiled things, it was difficult to get photos, particularly as the light isn't good today, but you can get the general idea, although they do actually look better irl:


I'm linking these for:

ATC challenges 15: anything goes
Stamps R us: bling it on
Sparkles forum 25: vintage Christmas
Wags n whiskers 67: Christmas themed
Papertake weekly: Christmas crackers - but not literally
2 sisters 66: let it sparkle
Creatalicious 28: Christmas and make sure it sparkles
Crimbo crackers 2: make it sparkle
Creative card crew: monochromatic
Divas by design 15: monochromatic
Crafty Ann 54: sketch and/or monochrome
Paper and such: not to colour
Creative craft: free for all
Lollipop crafts 58: anything goes
Freshly brewed 71: anything goes
Stampavie & more 156: anything but square

Friday 18 November 2011

CHNC challenge 47: music

Tonight I made a card for the first time this week. At the beginning of the week I managed to finish the scrapbook for mum's birthday, but since then haven't been able to do any crafting because of the decorating being done.

I nearly delayed making a card for my CHNC challenge 47 (this will go live at 09:00 UK time tomorrow morning), but in the end I managed to get one done. Christmas is really creeping up on us fast now, so, if you haven't done so already, now is the time to get serious with making those cards, so why not join in my challenge? This week I'm asking you to make a card with a musical theme - the interpretation of this is up to you, so I think it gives quite a lot of leeway.

For my card I used some music background paper from the My Mind's Eye Christmas glitter book (I love these papers) - it has part of the 'figgy pudding' song on it, so I thought it appropriate to use a die cut glittered and foiled Christmas pudding with holly on top. The foiled spots on the pudding look black in the photo, but they are, in fact, gold foiled.

The wide wired ribbon is some that I've had for some time. It is semi-transparent and sparkly. The sentiment is a left over from a kit I had two or three years ago.

I'm also entering this for the following challenges:

Totally Gorjuss 106: Christmas traditions - having Christmas pudding is certainly a tradition, as well as singing the song!
Pile it on 46: traditional Christmas
Card and scrap 20: traditional Christmas colours
Tanda teaser 184: traditional red and green Christmas
Art impressions 41: red, green and metallic
Phindy's Friday 82: Christmas cards
Wags n whiskers 67: Christmas themed
Creatalicious 28: Christmas and make sure it sparkles
Crimbo crackers 2: make it sparkle
Really reasonable ribbon 36: CAS Christmas & ribbon
St Luke's November: Christmas is coming
Floweret 8: Christmas cards
Di's digi designs: ribbons and bows
Hooked on craft 12: something punches or die cut
Anything goes 54: a real sweetie
Raise the bar 84: time to feast

Fantastic Handy Hippo prize win!!

I've not been crafting this week because of having the decorating done. Everything had to be packed away - now the decorator has finished we are gradually getting straight, concentrating today on cleaning windows and putting curtains up and trying to get some of my crafting stuff back into the room, as well as getting our bedroom sorted a bit better.

Amid all the chaos a lady arrived with a big boxed parcel for me - it was the goodies that had been sent from Handy Hippo as a result of my name being drawn out for the wonderful prize lot of goodies they gave. This had been organised on Jules' blog, where she said:

The lovely people at Handy Hippo are wanting to shower one very lucky person with a fantastic bundle of goodies to help with the creation of all of those Christmas makes.

Well, along with others, I left a comment and followed the instructions to put a post here on my blog ... and didn't really think I should a chance - and wow! I was the winner.

This is what I received - a parcel of goodies to the value of over £60!

Click on the picture to get a closer look

Thank you so much to Jules and to the wonderful people at Handy Hippo - this certainly made my day! (I should I say 'my week'?!)

Wednesday 16 November 2011

WOYWW 128

It's Wednesday again and time for WOYWW 128 (well, I'm cheating really because I'm preparing this on Tuesday because I won't be able to get in my craft room again till later in the day Wednesday. The room (and our bedroom) is being decorated, so this is how my workspace looks atm:



The decorator has gone home now (Tuesday afternoon atm) so at least I can get in here on to my computer, but that's all I can do - no crafting today.

Last week for WOYWW 127 I showed the scrapbook that I'd got to make for my mum's 90th birthday, so, as I've got nothing in my workspace to show you, I would show you the finished scrapbook (well, all I've got to do is scan and print a photo for the front of the book and on mum's birthday I'll take a couple of photos to put on the back page to complete it.

On reflection, I'm not sure how wise it was to start with a semi-finished book where some of the work had already been done because the spaces that were given for photos were all for 6 x 4 and I wanted to use quite a few smaller photos, so I ended up having to create backgrounds to accommodate these. I also had lots more Anna Griffin 3D flowers to add to the pages and other bits and pieces, most of which were AG, but a few other ribbons etc.

Each double layout matches up, but right at the beginning of the book I made the mistake of getting a page out of sequence, so, unfortunately, mum and dad's courtship and wedding are shown just before the photos of mum as a baby/child and her brothers and sister when they were little. I could change the pages around, but the DLO then wouldn't match, so I think I'll leave it as it is - a pity, but I didn't realise this till I'd finished.






















I hope to be able to get round to see what everyone else is showing for WOYWW 128. I amazed myself last week and managed (I think) to get round to everyone - not sure that I've ever managed that before - I don't know what came over me! I'll have to see how I go this week.

It's now Wednesday morning at silly o'clock as we have to be up and ready for the decorator to arrive at 8, so I just popped on here to put the link for WOYWW 128 - see you there!

I'm also entering my scrapbook LOs into the following challenges:

Deep ocean 12: vintage - particularly the early pages
Art impressions 40: use 2 or more ribbons - lots of ribbons used and some LO have 2 different ones
Totally papercrafts 92: Victorian - the 'ancestry' page with my grandparents - born just before the end of Victoria's reign
Crafty ribbons 6: anything but a card
Crafty Ann 53: floral frenzy
Delicious doodles 6: remembrance - the whole album is a trip down memory lane!
Sassy Cheryl 90: stump the boss - anything goes
Try it on Tuesday: anything goes - wish you were here (the holiday pages)
Freshly brewed 71: anything goes
2 sisters 65: anything goes

Thank you to everyone who took the time to leave me comments last week. I hope you've enjoyed seeing my scrapbook today. If you have time to leave me a comment I'm very grateful.