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Sunday 1 January 2012

Websters pages again

Another card using one of those lovely Websters pages papers that hardly need anything else because they are so beautiful - it would be a shame to cover up too much, so I've just used a stamped and embossed tag that I rescued from a card a couple of years ago.

This is for:

52 Christmas card throwdown 1: anything goes
I brake for challenges 15: vintage
It's all about the vintage 9: anything goes
Crazy4challenges 117: it's Santa
Gingerloft 30: Christmas and winter
Fairytale 31: something simple
Moving along with the times: step back in time - music related
Sentimental Sundays 83: anything goes
Aud sentiments 44: anything goes
Cutie pie 7: use a sentiment
Pile it on 1 of 2012: anything goes
Let's craft and create 35: anything goes
Secret crafter Saturday 166: anything goes
Simon says: anything goes
Everybody art 173: anything goes
Hiding in my craft room 27: freestyle
Inspire me Fridays 39
Make it Monday 70

There is celebration candy over on my CHNC blog
You've got to be in it to win it, so why not hop on over there and get linking?!

I just had to make a card ..

I'm still feeling poorly and have been trying to take my mind off how I feel, which is why I've been blogging some of the cards I made before Christmas, but not actually making anything today. Well, I really wanted to make a card, so I found a sketch challenge that made me remember some Eastern Treasures stickers I had that would be just right for it, together with some Jolees stickers. So this is for Fetch a sketch 14:


In the end I got carried away and didn't just make one card, but I made four because they were so easy to put together. I've used paper offcuts on all of them, so I'm linking for Pixie's crafty snippets 1.

The background of this one is pieces of K & Co paper and offcuts from the Kanban grass card that I originally used for John's birthday card.


Offcuts of Kanban grass card for this one, sentiment strips that I've had for ages and brad footballs, which are metal, so this one is for the Hybrid Chick Card caravan 9: metal.


The golf background paper pieces were originally from PDA:


The green diamonds paper is Craft creations:

These are also for:


Sparkles forum 27: anything but a Christmas card
ABC: G for green (particularly the first card)
Fussy & fancy 53: happy birthday
Crafty boots: celebrations
Joanna Sheen 2: celebrations
Fairytale 31: something simple
Unstampabelles 7: anything goes
Sentimental Sundays 83: anything goes - sentiments on cards 2 and 3
Aud sentiments 44: anything goes - sentiments on cards 2 and 3
Cutie pie 7: use a sentiment - cards 2 and 3
Pile it on 1 of 2012: anything goes
Let's craft and create 35: anything goes
Secret crafter Saturday 166: anything goes
Simon says: anything goes
Everybody art 173: anything goes
Hiding in my craft room 27: freestyle
Inspire me Fridays 39
Make it Monday 70

There is celebration candy over on my CHNC blog
You've got to be in it to win it, so why not hop on over there and get linking?!

Christmas sparkle and ribbon

Challenge 39 on Really reasonable ribbon is 'sparkle and ribbon', so these cards were made with Anna Griffin papers, most of which are very glittery.

They are also for The ribbon reel 18, where the following photo inspiration is given:





The circular sentiment is silver foiled (far nicer irl):

These are also for:

Shopping our stash 32: tie it up
Ruby's rainbow 18: monochrome
The craft garden January: monochrome
Sentimental Sundays 83: anything goes
Aud sentiments 44: anything goes
Charisma cardz 50: anything goes
Creative inspirations 143: anything goes
Cutie pie 7: use a sentiment

There is celebration candy over on my CHNC blog
You've got to be in it to win it, so why not hop on over there and get linking?!

Another zebra notebook

Another altered notebook made with another piece of offcut animal card (was in my scrap box for ages) and some 99p store stickers.

This is for:

Sparkles forum 27: anything but a Christmas card
Ooh-la-la 95: anything but a card
Fussy & fancy 53: animal print
Pixie's Crafty Snippets 1
Fairytale 31: something simple
Pile it on 1 of 2012: anything goes
Let's craft and create 35: anything goes
Secret crafter Saturday 166: anything goes
Simon says: anything goes
Everybody art 173: anything goes
Hiding in my craft room 27: freestyle
Inspire me Fridays 39
Make it Monday 70

There is celebration candy over on my CHNC blog
You've got to be in it to win it, so why not hop on over there and get linking?!

Sticky notes holder

This is a sticky notes holder that I made using some Crafty Creations offcut card - good for Phindy's Friday 86: scraps, and a Stitchy Bear cameo silouette mounted on to holographic foiled scalloped card - the photo was taken at an angle because of the reflection of the holo foiling - also to show the sticky notes being housed.

This is for:

One stitch at a time 94: use a digi
Digi doodle 88: anything goes
Sparkles forum 27: anything but a Christmas card
Ooh-la-la 95: anything but a card
Colour create 86: blue, silver & white
ColourQ 117: basic black, white + any 1 colour
Shelly's terrifically thrilling Thursday colour challenge: black, silver and one additional colour - and throw in some bling
Create me pink 6: colour splash challenge - black and white with only 1 other colour
Pixie's Crafty Snippets 1
Fairytale 31: something simple
Pile it on 1 of 2012: anything goes
I did it 88: anything goes
Let's craft and create 35: anything goes
Secret crafter Saturday 166: anything goes
Simon says: anything goes
Everybody art 173: anything goes
Hiding in my craft room 27: freestyle
Inspire me Fridays 39
Make it Monday 70

There is celebration candy over on my CHNC blog
You've got to be in it to win it, so why not hop on over there and get linking?!

Decoupaged reindeer

It's time for a new challenge for the Christmas card gang and Carol is being kind to us with 'anything goes' - to show our first Christmas card of the year, so here goes with a couple of decoupaged cards. These are also for the Sunday's with Santa facebook group, where week 1's challenge is also 'anything goes'.

The card blanks are some that I've had for so long I can't remember where they came from and the items for the decoupae were part of a kit bought from QVC a couple of years ago - about time it was used!

The first card is for ABC: G for green.


This is also for:

52 Christmas card throwdown 1: anything goes
Hiding in my craft room 26: use it or lose it
Fairytale 31: something simple
Let's craft and create 35: anything goes
Secret crafter Saturday 166: anything goes
Simon says: anything goes
Everybody art 173: anything goes
Stamp n doodle: it's Christmas
Crafty purple frog: Christmas
PaperPlay 50: Christmas
Bizzy becs: Christmas
Inspire me Fridays 39
Make it Monday 70

There is celebration candy over on my CHNC blog
You've got to be in it to win it, so why not hop on over there and get linking?!

Some crafty New Year resolutions

This is what I wrote at this time last year:

As for crafting resolutions, once again, I'm resolving to use up offcuts and scraps - but the box is just as full as it was this time last year, despite using a lot during the year - the trouble is that they just got added to because I like cutting into new papers as well as using up old.

Another crafting resolution I made this time last year was to make Christmas cards throughout the year - and I kept to that. So this year I'm determined to do the same - spurred on by setting up my new blog to also encourage others to do the same. Challenges on Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge blog start at 9:00 am tomorrow morning (1 January 2011) - I hope to see you over there.




So, here are my crafty resolutions for this year:

Use up offcuts/scraps:

Well, I start this year with my offcuts box just about the same as it was last year! I really have been trying to use up the scrap pieces, but they keep being joined by other offcuts as I can't resist also cutting into new papers. During 2011 I discovered Jules always with a heart blog where Jules invites us every week to join her in the Snippet playground - the idea is that on Sundays Jules creates a Snippet challenge post - an opportunity to link cards that have been made with some of the offcuts and scraps. I'll be trying this year to take part every week. In fact Jules has now handed over the snippet keys to Di who will be hosting weekly Pixie's Crafty Snippets.

Make Christmas cards throughout the year:

This is something I managed to do again during 2011 with the help of my Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge blog. During the year, the blog has become successful with many crafters joining in and for this coming year I have lots of sponsors lined up so I am going to be able to give a prize every week for a randomly selected entry. If you haven't yet joined in my CHNC challenges, why not make it one of your New Year resolutions to make Christmas cards throughout the year and ease the panic towards the end of the year.

I'm determined this year that I'll make even more cards early than I did last year because I found that I sold so many for charity that in the end I was making loads at the end of November/beginning of December for our own use.

Regularly see to inserts/labelling/bagging cards:

I love making cards, but I suspect like most cardmakers I'm not so keen on putting in the inserts and bagging up ready for selling - that's boring and I tend to ignore that this has to be done. Then I suddenly find that I've got loads of cards that need to be done at once (usually just before a Tearfund sale, which means they have to be done then). So this coming year I'm going to do this job regularly. I'm going to try to do this every Monday - we'll have to wait and see how long this resolution lasts!

Put things back in their right places:

I try to be organised in the way I store all my craft stuff, but however much I try it seems to get out of hand at times and I end up with things in wrong places, which means that I can't find them quickly enough when I want them. So I think I'll make this a Monday job as well.

Are you going to join me in making some crafty New Year resolutions? If so, I'd love you to leave a comment so I can come and visit your blog and read what they are.

Scroll down or click here to see my Top 12 of 2011

There is celebration candy over on my CHNC blog
You've got to be in it to win it, so why not hop on over there and get linking?!

Top twelve of 2011


Wishing all my visitors a

Happy New Year

While blog-hopping three or four years ago I found that quite a few crafters had shown their Top Ten makes for the year and so, at the beginning of January each year, I've done the same, except I changed my choices to twelve, one for each month of the year and that's what I'm doing again this year.

If you click on the links, you can go to the original posts and read more about each item. The items shown aren't necessarily my favourites, but they are reminders of various techniques and things I enjoy doing.

I'm updating this to say that I've just seen Debby's challenge 'to choose your Five Favourite Cards or more', so I'm linking for that.

My top twelve of 2011

January 2011: Winter fantasy


This has reminded me that I haven't used any of those pastels for ages - must do so soon.

I'm linking this one  for Whimsical designs: favourite project, also for the Stamp man 3rd annual awards: best/favourite project

February 2011: Inchies


This one is a reminder to get the shrink plastic out occasionally!

March 2011: Trust


Sweet memories of working with the design team for Salt - and also, of course, some very precious pictures in this LO.

April 2011: A card for mum




A twisted easel card for Mothering Sunday

May 2011: Time travel


Working with digital images - something I haven't done for a while, but enjoy doing.

June 2011: A masculine card


This is a reminder to use impressabilities more!

July 2011: Musical birthday


A reminder to use UTEE more often!

August 2011: Clean and simple


I love the simplicity achieved with the masking and one of my favourite stamps.

September 2011: Rosettes for school


Using my Hougie board (a reminder not to neglect it!)

October 2011: Purple butterly ATCs


No review of the year would be complete without some ATCs. I love taking part in swaps to make ATCs, inchies and twinchies. This was another opportunity to play with distress inks.

November 2011: Scrapbook for mum's 90th birthday


No way could I leave this out - 24 pages altogether!

I'm being greedy for November and also choosing A piece of good advice



I've chose this because I love taking part in Circle Journals and this is an example of one.

December 2011: Sending Christmas cheer



My review of the year wouldn't be complete without showing some Christmas cards - as regulars to my blog know I make Christmas cards throughout the year and started my own CHNC challenge blog at the beginning of 2011. These cards were simply stamped and embossed.

I have found it quite helpful doing this review of 2011 - it has brought back many memories, but has also reminded me of some techniques etc that I haven't tried for a while, not just in the items that I've chosen to show here, but in many other items that have been blogged over the months.


It's over to you


Perhaps you would like to do your own 'top twelve of 2011' - if you do I'd love you to leave me a comment with a link so that I can come and look at your choices.


And then encourage others to do the same.

By the way, just in case anyone thinks I've spent  New Year's Eve preparing this - no, I haven't - it was prepared and scheduled much earlier!


There is celebration candy over on my CHNC blog
You've got to be in it to win it, so why not hop on over there and get linking?!