Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge blog candy

To launch my new Christmas Challenge blog I'm giving away some blog candy - some super papers from the My Mind's Eye signature Christmas glitter book - you can read all about it here.


Don't forget: you've got to be in it to win it!

Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge blog

It is with great excitement (and some trepidation) that I'm launching my new Christmas challenge blog. You can read all about it here.

There's a blog button on my sidebar that will take you there too - and you might like to use it to put a link in your sidebar.

Salt: who is my neighbour

It was Lythan's turn to choose the topic for this fortnight's Salt challenge. She chose 'Who is my neighbour' and you can read what she wrote here.

My LO is based on the words of Jesus recorded in Luke 10:27:

'He answered: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and love your neighbour as yourself.'

When the man asked Jesus 'Who is my neighbour', Jesus went on to tell the parable of the Good Samaritan. He ended with this question in Luke 10:36-37: 'Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?' The expert in the law replied, 'The one who had mercy on him."'

Jesus told him, 'Go and do likewise.'

For my LO I used a piece of DCWV textured white card, with a few strips of coloured card. The rows of people are Sandylion horizons stickers (I bought them ages and ages ago and have never thought of a use for them till now).

The strip of torn paper is Bo Bunny love bandit tweetheart - I thought the use of some hearts was appropriate for the theme.

The typewriter keys letters were some miscellaneous ones I found in my box (thankfully I had all the necessary letters) and the 'neighbour' letters are thickers chipboard. The other wording was done on my dymo letratag.

If you can spare a few moments to have a look at the Salt blog, you won't be disappointed - the team always come up with beautiful artwork as a response to the theme - and perhaps you will join in by creating something - please leave us a comment so we can come and see your artwork.

It's Wednesday again

and that means it's WOYWW day (anyone who doesn't know what that is - is there anyone left who doesn't know? - should head over to Julia's blog and find out. The idea is to take pictures of your workspace and show them so that fellow crafters can have a nosy.

Today, I'm showing you what's on my dining table instead of the usual workspace. As I explained here yesterday, I'm getting cards etc ready for our mini market at church on Saturday.

So here are the boxes of cards, post-it note holders and notebooks that I'll be taking for the mini market on Saturday (the boxes won't look so tatty then and lots of the cards will be put out on display stands).

Lack of blogging

Lack of blogging doesn't mean that no crafting is going on. It's just that available time is being given to crafting rather than spending time to blog as well.

It's the church mini market on Saturday, so I'm trying to fill the gaps in stock with some more post-it note holders, notebooks and cards.

I'll be showing some of these soon, but in the meantime I need to get on with the crafting.

Secret garden CJ

The last month has gone by very quickly and it's time to have Jane's CJ ready for posting as part of the group on BF forum.

Dragonfly Jane chose 'the secret garden' as the theme for her CJ, saying:

'Your garden can either be a dream based in reality or fantasy, it's your garden to be as you wish, so please step forward and through the little gate or door to your own secret garden and give me a glimpse of what is hiding there.'

I used K & Co daisy embossed paper, some prima gems and pearls, butterflies from stash and PM sunflower border stickers. The writing was done on my dymo letratag.


I'm linking this for:

Alphabet: 'Y is for yellow'
Something completely different: 'green and yellow'
Three muses 73: 'things with wings'
Flutter by Wednesday 127: 'open - include butterfly, fairy or angel'
Penny's challenges 40: 'so long as it flies'
Craftalicious 10: 'anything goes'
Tuesday throwdown 22: 'anything goes'
Meljen: 'anything goes'

Sparkling paper piecing

This card is for Sweet stop 78 sketch with a spin - lots of sparkle:

The stamp is by Papermania - stamped on to white card and coloured with copics, the poinsettia being stamped on to red and green papers, cut and paper pieced, with a hint of copic red and stikles crystal ice glitter glue, with the addition of a few red gems in the centre. The background paper and strips on the left were left over from some magazine papers two or three years ago.

This is also for:

All things unity 17: 'paper piecing'
Andrea's stampin' moments: 'paper piecing'
Whoopsi daisy: 'let's paper piece'
Delightful: 'it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas'
Quixotic: 'christmas is coming'
Little paper shop 90: 'stickles or glitter'
My partner in crafting crime 13: 'shine on you crazy diamond' - sparkle and shine
Craftalicious 10: 'anything goes'
Tuesday throwdown 22: 'anything goes'
ABC: 'F is for flowers'
Meljen: 'anything goes'
Paper garden projects fourth Friday October: 'holiday cards'

Variations on a theme

Three very similar cards using components from the AG kit. I'm linking them for this week's Bah! humbug challenge of 'elegant' because I think they are. It doesn't show that well here, but they are very glittery and sparkly.



They are also for:

Delightful: 'it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas'
Quixotic: 'christmas is coming'
Sarah Hurley 14: 'Xmas but red and green must not be seen'
Little paper shop 90: 'stickles or glitter'
My partner in crafting crime 13: 'shine on you crazy diamond' - sparkle and shine
Craftalicious 10: 'anything goes'
Tuesday throwdown 22: 'anything goes'
Meljen: 'anything goes'
Paper garden projects fourth Friday October: 'holiday cards'

Musical Christmas

A couple more Christmas cards made from the AG kit, this time featuring background paper with music, which is the theme for Created by hand this week.


These are also for:

Delightful: 'it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas'
Quixotic: 'christmas is coming'
Craftalicious 10: 'anything goes'
Tuesday throwdown 22: 'anything goes'
Meljen: 'anything goes'
Paper garden projects fourth Friday October: 'holiday cards'

The morning stars sang together ...

...and the angels shouted for joy.

Another pack of 5 Christmas cards done - using a tin can mail stamp by Inkadinkado that I bought this week. I coloured with copics, but some of the pale yellow is so pale that it looks white here - deeper tones irl. The background paper is some English paper company that I had left over from two or three years ago.


These are for:

Bah! humbug 41: 'elegance'
Delightful: 'it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas'
Quixotic: 'christmas is coming'
Sarah Hurley 14: 'Xmas but red and green must not be seen'
Three muses 73: 'things with wings'
Flutter by Wednesday 127: 'open - include butterfly, fairy or angel'
Penny's challenges 40: 'so long as it flies' (hope angels qualify)
Craftalicious 10: 'anything goes'
Tuesday throwdown 22: 'anything goes'
Meljen: 'anything goes'
Stamping with the dragon 12: 'you got ink'
Paper garden projects fourth Friday October: 'holiday cards'

BF October ATCs: felt

The days go by so quickly - my ATCs for the swap on BF forum need to get to Ali by tomorrow, so these are now finished and will be in the post in a while.

The theme this month is 'felt', so I've used some die cut felt teddies - the die is one that I got with the QVC pink peril machine (cheat version of the old Sizzix) - got rid of the machine ages ago, but kept a few of the dies that came with it.

I inked the edges of the teddies with brushed corduroy distress ink, but the ink faded, so it is hardly visible. The features were drawn with copics. The backgrounds were stamped with this lovely Tim Holtz stamp, using brushed corduroy, which I then used to distress. Buttons, gem eyes and bows from stash.


These are also for these challenges:

Corrosive 86: 'get rid of the white' - the background card was white before I stamped and distressed
Cowgirl's Sunday: 'create your own background'
Craftalicious 10: 'anything goes'
Crafty pad 93: 'distressed or torn edges'
Stamptacular 81: 'no cards allowed'
Sundays with Crissy 10: 'buttons and bows'
Tuesday throwdown 22: 'anything goes'
Stampin' royalty 42: 'ribbons'
Meljen: 'anything goes'
Frosted designs: 'let's see your die cuts'
Stamping with the dragon 12: 'you got ink'
Sweet stampin' 48: 'ribbons'
365 cards day 236: 'Friday five'
Teddy stampers 22: 'open theme'

Central sentiment for Christmas

Another quick Christmas card using Anna Griffin paper etc.

This is another one for the BF forum 25th club, to focus on the sentiment and for Flourishes timles 89 which also has the focus on the sentiment.

Sorry that the photo is crooked - the card isn't!

It's also for:

If the shoe fits Fasionista Friday 51: 'a holiday for the holidays' - Christmas
Paper cutz 63: 'anything goes'
Quixotic: 'Christmas is coming'
Craftalicious 10: 'anything goes'
Tuesday throwdown 22: 'anything goes'

Christmas again

This card is for Town scrapper's sketch this week:

I've used BG wassail papers, Joanna Sheen's letterbox stamp coloured with copics, computer generated sentiment and a few buttons.


It's also for:

Going grey (scrap creations): 'Christmas'
Paper romance 20: 'let's use our buttons'
If the shoe fits Fasionista Friday 51: 'a holiday for the holidays' - Christmas
Paper cutz 63: 'anything goes'
Quixotic: 'Christmas is coming'
Craftalicious 10: 'anything goes'
Tuesday throwdown 22: 'anything goes'
Just inspirational 16: 'stamp'

Another sympathy card

One more sympathy card very similar to the previous two, this time stamping PB letters and flowers in rich cocoa and colouring with pink copic. The base card is a patterned one by PDA and the silky ribbon is PM.

This is for:

Incy wincy 64: 'pink & brown'
Theme Thursday: 'pink'
Totally Gorjuss 52: 'pink'
Stamp and create 6: 'pink for breast awareness'
The craft garden October: 'pink ribbon'
Paper cutz 63: 'anything goes'
Lots to do: 'plain and simple'
Craftalicious 10: 'anything goes'
Tuesday throwdown 22: 'anything goes'
Just inspirational 16: 'stamp'

Blue letters and flowers for sympathy

Another clean and simple sympathy card, more or less the same design as the previous one. This time I've used the PB letters and flowers stamp and coloured the flowers with copic pale blue.

This is for:

Paperminutes 136: 'petrol/blue/white'
Just add ink 39: 'just add blue'
Pixie cottage 40: 'sketch and/or stitching'
Speedy the cat 25: 'stitching'
Anything goes 20: 'ribbons'
Sweet stampin' 48: 'ribbons'
Paper cutz 63: 'anything goes'
Lots to do: 'plain and simple'
Craftalicious 10: 'anything goes'
Tuesday throwdown 22: 'anything goes'
Just inspirational 16: 'stamp'
Annabelle: 'say it with ... no DP'
Paper pretties: 'black, white and an additional colour'

Silver and purple sympathy

For this card I've again used the PB sparklers stamp, this time embossing with detail silver. The stamped image and printed sentiment are mounted on silver mirror card (the scan makes it look black, but it is silver).

It's for these challenges:

Pixie cottage 40: 'sketch and/or stitching' - stitching on the ribbon - easier to see irl
Speedy the cat 25: 'stitching'
Anything goes 20: 'ribbons'
Sweet stampin' 48: 'ribbons'
Paper cutz 63: 'anything goes'
Lots to do: 'plain and simple'
Craftalicious 10: 'anything goes'
Tuesday throwdown 22: 'anything goes'
Just inspirational 16: 'stamp'
Annabelle: 'say it with ... no DP'

Pink and brown best wishes

This is a very simple card using another Penny Black stamp - sparklers, just stamped with memento rich cocoa, mounted on brown textured card and the background of the card covered with some BG paper.

This is for:

Incy wincy 64: 'pink & brown'
Theme Thursday: 'pink'
Totally Gorjuss 52: 'pink'
Stamp and create 6: 'pink for breast awareness'
Paper cutz 63: 'anything goes'
Lots to do: 'plain and simple'
Craftalicious 10: 'anything goes'
Tuesday throwdown 22: 'anything goes'
Just inspirational 16: 'stamp'

Letters and flowers

This card is for Penny Black Saturday challenge 123, using Debby's sketch:

The patterned paper on the left is K & Co. The stamp is Penny Black letters & flowers (another new stamp acquired when we were away), stamped in black and the flowers coloured with copic salmon pink.

The small embossed piece of card was embossed with the cuttlebug script folder. The ribbon is PM.

This is also for:

Theme Thursday: 'pink'
Totally Gorjuss 52: 'pink'
Stamp and create 6: 'pink for breast awareness'
The craft garden October: 'pink ribbon'
Paper pretties: 'black, white and an additional colour'
Artful inkables think ink Tuesday 31: 'embossing and flowers'
ABC: 'F is for flowers'
Other lovelies thoughtful Thursday 29: 'F' - for flowers
Stamp away with me colour cue 9: 'light pink, white, grey/black'
Paper cutz 63: 'anything goes'
Lots to do: 'plain and simple'
Craftalicious 10: 'anything goes'
Tuesday throwdown 22: 'anything goes'
Just inspirational 16: 'stamp'
ColourQ 55b:

Oh deer!

A couple more Christmas cards using AG papers etc.

The background of the first card has a flocked texture - lovely to touch.

The second card is very glittery irl:

They are for these challenges:

If the shoe fits Fasionista Friday 51: 'a holiday for the holidays' - Christmas
Paper cutz 63: 'anything goes'
Quixotic: 'Christmas is coming'
Lots to do: 'plain and simple'
Craftalicious 10: 'anything goes'
Little paper shop 90: 'stickles or glitter'
Sisterhood of crafters: 'all things known as bling'
Anything goes 20: 'ribbons'
Tuesday taggers: 'more than 2 legs'

More Christmas

This is any simple card made with AG components. Once again, it's for this month's 25th club on BF forum.

It's quite difficult to see from this photo, but the papers are very glittery.

It's also for:

If the shoe fits Fasionista Friday 51: 'a holiday for the holidays' - Christmas
Paper cutz 63: 'anything goes'
Quixotic: 'Christmas is coming'
Lots to do: 'plain and simple'
Craftalicious 10: 'anything goes'
Little paper shop 90: 'stickles or glitter'
Sisterhood of crafters: 'all things known as bling'
Anything goes 20: 'ribbons'

Back to Christmas again

I need to stock up on more Christmas cards (having sold quite a lot at my recent 'at home' day), so over the next few days I hope to be showing some cards made with an Anna Griffin kit - easy and quick crafting, which is necessary when so many cards are needed.

On the BF forum it was my turn this month to choose the theme for the 25th club: 'I'd like you to make cards where the emphasis is on the sentiment - lots of wording or one big sentiment. There can be images on the card, but the main focus should be wording.'

So these simple cards are ideal for that.


They are also for:

If the shoe fits Fasionista Friday 51: 'a holiday for the holidays' - Christmas
Paper cutz 63: 'anything goes'
Quixotic: 'Christmas is coming'
Lots to do: 'plain and simple'
Craftalicious 10: 'anything goes'

Rose postcard and scarlet's letter

I was itching to use my new rose postcard stamp (Hardenbrook studio/art in motion by Stamps Happen). I stamped on to cream card, coloured with copics and used distressed inks to give an aged look. The background paper is BG Scarlet's letter - still one of my favourites.

After a few days of printing and no 'hands-on' crafting, it was lovely to once more play with inks and copics.

It's for these challenges:

Crafty pad 93: 'distressed or torn edges'
Flourish timeless 88: 'ink and edge distressing'
Italy on Sunday 55: 'there's a place for you'
Craftalicious 10: 'anything goes'
Pear tree designs 22: 'free for all'
Paper cutz 63: 'anything goes'
Just inspirational 16: 'stamp'
Color dare 80: 'poppy parade, pear pizzazz, chocolate chip, very vanilla'
Sarah Hurley 13: 'colouring'
Copic creations 37: 'colourless blender tricks' - on the rose
Little red wagon 50: 'something old/something new' - the BG paper is old (one of the first BG paper pads I ever bought) and the stamp is new
The three muses 72: 'vintage'
Lots to do: 'plain and simple'
Color throwdown 114:

Playing with ink

I've had a lovely time this afternoon playing with ink, using some of my new stamps that I bought while we were away in Maidstone.

This first card is for Inspirational card sketch 87:

The papers are from Making Cards October issue. The stamp is Joanna Sheel with Personal Impressions coloured with copics. The 'across the miles' sentiment was computer generated and printed.

This is also for:

Craftalicious 10: 'anything goes'
Pear tree designs 22: 'free for all'
Tanda teaser 157: 'going dotty'
Just inspirational 16: 'stamp'
Rainbow lady 122: 'around the world'
Sarah Hurley 13: 'colouring'
Alphabet: 'X for Xmas'
If the shoe fits Fasionista Friday 51: 'a holiday for the holidays' - Christmas
Paper cutz 63: 'anything goes'
Quixotic: 'Christmas is coming'
Lots to do: 'plain and simple'

Mission accomplished!!

Yay!! the 300 Christmas card order is finished. You might have read about it here.

Thanks for all the helpful comments I received. Someone suggested changing the printer settings so that not so much ink was laid down on the card, but I'd already tried that - it gave a far inferior print of the photo.

So I've spent the last four days feeding the printer individually and spreading the cards everywhere possible! And then each one had to fed through the printer again to print a logo on the inside.

I thought of using fixative, but didn't think the quantity involved would be good for my lungs and it's not the sort of weather when the window or door can be open. So in the end I layered a piece of paper between each one when the inside had been printed, just as a safeguard against any smudging.

They're all done ahead of deadline, so I'm pleased.

WOYWW 71 a day late

We came back from Maidstone on Tuesday and yesterday seemed to go by in a flash, so I didn't get round to WOYWW 71. So this is a day late - should now be called WOYWT instead.

Having taken on a commission to do 300 Christmas cards - designed on computer and printed - before we went away I printed some and didn't realise until I went to print on the other side that ink had smudged from each one on to the back of the next.

So now I'm printing them off and putting them around the room - will be starting on the bedroom next - and hoping they will dry. The card has a sheen to it, which is why they are not drying - they're not actually wet or even damp, but cause a bit of a smudge if they are piled together. I think I might have to give each one a blast with the heat gun.

So this is my workspace today - notice that I've left a bit of a space so I can still use the computer and perhaps do a bit of crafting at some point - although I need to take each card off the printer individually, so I can't just leave them.






Back to the printing!

A little bit of holiday shopping

While in Maidstone I managed to find one or two (or three) craft shops and it would have been rude not to have bought something, so this is what I managed to get:

and, yes, there are some promarkers there. I'm really a copics girl, but I couldn't resist! I think my favourite purchase is the large postcard stamp.

Salt: God's righteousness

Kim chose the topic for today's Salt challenge - you can read what she said here and also see the lovely crafting of others in the team.

Having just returned from a week in Maidstone, I reflected a bit on our visit to All Saints church - such a walk down memory lane for John (you can read more about it here). This seemed to tie in very well with the verse I chose for the theme:

'I will give thanks to the Lord because of His righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the Lord most high.' Psalm 7:17

As usual, if you click on the picture it will enlarge and you will be able to see what I've written - you can also click again to see it even more clearly.


The paper is making memories 'music edges findings' and the lettering and scallops etc are PM Hampstead. The text from Psalm 7:17 was printed on my dymo letratag.

We would love to see what you are prompted to create for this theme - please leave us a comment on Salt with a link to your project and we will come and look.

Stairway to the stars

It's a long time since I did anything for a Soartful challenge. When I saw the current Stairway to the stars challenge, I immediately thought of the picture of Tom Chambers and Camilla Dallerup, the winners of Strictly 2008. I've used this picture as my avatar this month on BF forum. I digitally cut out the dancers from the original picture and inserted them on to the stairway provided by Soartful - so, a very simple entry.

In the post

When we got home there was some post waiting for us - most of it went into the paper recycling box - but there was an envie waiting for me with the gorgeous twinchies from the swap on BF forum organised by Carol.

Thanks, everyone, they are all so beautiful.

In case you haven't read my previous post, we've just returned from a week in Maidstone - a little bit about it here with some pictures.

Back from Maidstone

I've been missing from blogland for the past week because we went to stay in Maidstone. John was born and brought up there, but hadn't been back to stay for many, many years. We stayed at the Hilton hotel, which was very comfortable, with excellent food and facilities.

We were able to visit some of John's relatives, with the opportunity to catch up on old times and enjoy their hospitality - two lovely evening meals on Saturday and Sunday.

John was keen to visit the church where he was a choirboy some 60+ years ago - he was head boy and also head solo boy. We were disappointed to find out that the church opened to the public up until the end of September - and, of course, it was October by the time we were there. However, we found a number to ring for information and found out that there would be some people in the church on Thursday morning and we could go along then.

As we entered the church we were given a welcome by a man who got chatting with us. When John told him he had been a choirboy there, having given his name the man chatting said he too was a choirboy there at the same time and remembered John - he used to call for him to go to school - they were in the same year group.

So here they are - two school friends together again - it was such a lovely surprise - John never imagined he would meet up with someone from the past like that.

We went to the service on Sunday morning - it started at 9:30 so we had to have early breakfast and John's cousin picked us up at the hotel and took us there.

After the service we walked down to the river and strolled into the town. You would never guess from the tranquility there that we were so near to the hustle and bustle of a busy town.





And we were blessed with such beautiful weather most of the time. When we left home last Tuesday we had had days of rain - and, indeed, Wednesday morning in Maidstone it rained hard, but it cleared by lunchtime and thereafter we didn't have another drop all week.

I haven't enhanced the colour on these photos - the sky really was that blue.