My top twelve creations of 2013

Wishing all my visitors a

Happy New Year

While blog-hopping a few years ago I found that some 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.

Update: Catered crop are asking us to show our favourites from 2013, so this post is now being linked there:

If you click on the links, you can go to the original posts and read more about each item. The items shown aren't just my favourites, but are reminders of various techniques and things I enjoy doing. It was so difficult to choose just twelve, but here goes:

My top twelve of 2013

January 2013: Pink inspiration - I love tinkering around on the computer with pictures, so this was digitally created:

February 2013: Doily easel card - I love crafting with purple and lilac colours and I love making easel cards, hence this choice:

March 2013: Orange script - I've chosen this card to remind myself that I ought to use orange more often - a colour that I don't usually use very much. And I like the texture created by the script embossing folder as well as the simple layering of the flowers - the kind of card that is useful for any occasion:

April 2013: Congratulations - I love the simplicity of this card - it's suitable for a wedding, an anniversary, even a special one, such as a golden:

May 2013: Card for our anniversary - this has been chosen because it was for a special person on our anniversary, but I like the design too:

June 2013: Burgundy and ivory - this is a reminder to use some of the simple elements of the past that tend to get forgotten, like corrugated card. It makes a nice backdrop for the flowers with the simple striped brads and the stamp is a perfect one for saying just the right thing at a difficult time:

July 2013: Folded Christmas tree card - I belong to a Christmas card club where a group of us take it in turns to challenge everyone with a different theme every fortnight. Karen set us the challenge to make a card that included a tea bag/origami folded topper - something I didn't usually do, so it was a challenge indeed! I found this Youtube link and created this card. This is a reminder to use similar techniques again:

August 2013: the Sweet Pea stampers fantasy challenge - I was delighted to be asked to join the Sweet Pea stampers Design Team earlier in the year. This card was for their 'fantasy' challenge. I love it because of the colours, the textures and, of course, the lovely Jasmine mermaid digi by Elaine Cox:

September 2013: Vintage hat - I've chosen this card because I love the textures, the colours, the papers ... and the super image - this was a Design Team card for the Cheerful Stamp Pad:

October 2013: Let's stencil  - this is another design card for the Cheerful Stamp Pad, using stencils and my gelli plate with acrylic paints and then stamping:

November 2013: Just a note -  I've chosen this card because I love the colour combo - and I used one of my favourite Penny Black stamps, 'sparklers' 

December 2013: Snow - no review of the year would be complete without a Christmas card - regular visitors will know that I make a lot of Christmas cards and have two of my own challenge blogs CHNC challenge blog   and CHNC challenge extra blog - and I'm also on Design Teams for other Christmas challenges, including the Glory of Christmas, where this card was shown. I've chosen it because I love the landscape design and also the use of dry and wet embossing with the lovely IndigoBlue stamp:

I have found it quite helpful doing this review of 2013 - 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.

Hobbyhome and Everybody art 259 are asking us to share our favourite card of 2013 - so I think that would have to be the one I've shown for September.

It's over to you

Perhaps you would like to do your own 'top twelve of 2013' - if you do I'd love you to add to the linky at the bottom ,and perhaps leave me a comment, so that I can come and look at your choices.

And then please encourage others to do the same.