Christmas baubles

This is another card made with Anna Griffin papers and 3D stickers, with just the addition of ribbon bows. The baubles are very glittered (can't really see that here).

This is for:

Tuesday throwdown 28: clean & simple
Mixed media Monday: 'tis the season
Iris' spot 11: holidays/winter
Challenge up your life 33: Christmas
Secret crafter Saturday 112: Christmas
ECP 27: Christmas
Sew many challenges 34: snowflakes
Paper playtime 28: snowflakes
Stamp n doodle: anything goes winter challenge
Craft yout passion 35: anything goes
Sundays with Crissy 12: Christmas is coming
Crafty Hos theme challenge: a card for any religious holiday
Spoon full of sugar 133: Christmas card
Let's craft and create 8: it's Christmas
There she goes 84: bring on the bling
Town scrapper: bling
Frosted designs: glitter
Moxie Tuesday trigger: all that glitters
2 sisters 16: sparkly Christmas
Gingersnap GC82 spicy supply challenge: glitter
Pixie cottage 48: sparkle and shine
Freshly brewed 26: sparkle and shine
Craft your days away 9: texture
Everything but the kitchen sink 28: texture
Cooking it up with Katie 41: layer me a red Christmas - red, layers, Christmas
Penny's 44: Merry Christmas
Paper cutz 70: Christmas using 2 kinds of patterned paper and any colours
Creative belli 106: Christmas embellishments/papers
Hanna and friends 74: Christmas in red
S2G Twisted Thursday: holiday - add plenty of glitter and bling
Annabell say it with ... Christmas scene baubles
Whoopsi Daisy: ribbons and bows
Top tip Tuesday 13: ribbon
Gingerloft 7: bows

Salt: believe

It was Stacy's turn to choose the topic for today's Salt challenge - you can read what she wrote here and see the lovely crafting of other team members.

For my LO I used Bo Bunny papers - the base paper is My Darling Clementine and I used the reverse side of My Darling Dots for the pink word strips that were generated by the computer and printed. The added circles, strip and journalling piece etc were from My Darling Cutout paper. Because the papers are so vibrant I decided not to add any pictures to the LO, but let the papers and the words speak for themselves.

I based my simple LO on Psalm 28:7 'The Lord is my strength and my shield; my hearts trusts in him, and he helps me.'

A Christmas prayer

It can be difficult choosing a card to send to someone who you know is going to have a sad Christmas , so this card was made with such a person in mind. This kind of card calls for something simple and thoughtful - it's not appropriate to put lots of 'fanciness' on the card.

The image was taken from an old card, so this is another card for Papercraft star 24: green holidays using recycled or repurposed items. I just mounted the image on to a foiled frame.


This is for these challenges:

Tuesday throwdown 28: clean & simple
Mixed media Monday: 'tis the season
Iris' spot 11: holidays/winter
Challenge up your life 33: Christmas
Secret crafter Saturday 112: Christmas
ECP 27: Christmas
Stamp n doodle: anything goes winter challenge
Craft yout passion 35: anything goes
Sundays with Crissy 12: Christmas is coming
Kort o mania 29: Christmas card
Crafty Hos theme challenge: a card for any religious holiday
Spoon full of sugar 133: Christmas card
Let's craft and create 8: it's Christmas
Penny's 44: Merry Christmas

Clean and simple red and white

Another quick and simple card using Anna Griffin papers, a red and gold foiled frame and a couple of sentiments.

This is for these challenges:

Corrosive 93: red and white for Christmas
Tuesday throwdown 28: clean & simple
Mixed media Monday: 'tis the season
Iris' spot 11: holidays/winter
Challenge up your life 33: Christmas
Secret crafter Saturday 112: Christmas
ECP 27: Christmas
Stamp n doodle: anything goes winter challenge
Craft yout passion 35: anything goes
Sundays with Crissy 12: Christmas is coming
Kort o mania 29: Christmas card
Crafty Hos theme challenge: a card for any religious holiday
Spoon full of sugar 133: Christmas card
Let's craft and create 8: it's Christmas
Cooking it up with Katie 41: layer me a red Christmas - red, layers, Christmas
Penny's 44: Merry Christmas

Red, cream, black and green

The colours called for this week on Loonie 121 are:

which are on this Craft Creations paper and also the holly tag. I love this paper (you can also get it in a mainly red colour) but I seem to be almost running out of it now.

This is also for:

Tuesday throwdown 28: clean & simple
Mixed media Monday: 'tis the season
Iris' spot 11: holidays/winter
Challenge up your life 33: Christmas
Secret crafter Saturday 112: Christmas
ECP 27: Christmas
Stamp n doodle: anything goes winter challenge
Craft yout passion 35: anything goes
Sundays with Crissy 12: Christmas is coming
Crafty Hos theme challenge: a card for any religious holiday
Spoon full of sugar 133: Christmas card
Let's craft and create 8: it's Christmas
Penny's 44: Merry Christmas
Tuesday taggers: deck the halls (with boughs of holly)
Ooh la la 68: Christmas song - Deck the halls with boughts of holly - and The holly bears a berry

Glittered snowflakes

It's so easy to make quick, effective cards with Anna Griffin papers and 3D stickers.

This is for these challenges:

Corrosive 93: red and white for Christmas
Tuesday throwdown 28: clean & simple
Mixed media Monday: 'tis the season
Iris' spot 11: holidays/winter
Challenge up your life 33: Christmas
Secret crafter Saturday 112: Christmas
ECP 27: Christmas
Alota 48: snowflakes
Sew many challenges 34: snowflakes
Paper playtime 28: snowflakes
Stamp n doodle: anything goes winter challenge
Craft yout passion 35: anything goes
Sundays with Crissy 12: Christmas is coming
Kort o mania 29: Christmas card
Crafty Hos theme challenge: a card for any religious holiday
Spoon full of sugar 133: Christmas card
Let's craft and create 8: it's Christmas
There she goes 84: bring on the bling
Town scrapper: bling
Frosted designs: glitter
Moxie Tuesday trigger: all that glitters
2 sisters 16: sparkly Christmas
Gingersnap GC82 spicy supply challenge: glitter
Pixie cottage 48: sparkle and shine
Freshly brewed 26: sparkle and shine
Craft your days away 9: texture
Everything but the kitchen sink 28: texture
Cooking it up with Katie 41: layer me a red Christmas - red, layers, Christmas
Penny's 44: Merry Christmas
Paper cutz 70: Christmas using 2 kinds of patterned paper and any colours
Creative belli 106: Christmas embellishments/papers

Christmas Candles for condolence

This is a card I made to send to a friend who was recently bereaved. I couldn't get a decent photo of it so I resorted to a scan, but, unfortunately, the stamped sentiment by Hampton Art doesn't show as it does irl. It says: 'with thoughts and prayers at Christmas'.

The candles image was rescued from an old card mounted on to a frame, so I'm linking this for Papercraft star 24: green holidays using recycled or repurposed items.

It's also for:

Allsorts 81: light up the night - use a candle
ABC Christmas: Y for yuletide - candles
Dollies elements challenge: this little light of mine - candles
Corrosive 93: red and white for Christmas
Wednesday stamper: red and white
Your next stamp 31: it's a CAS Christmas
Tuesday throwdown 28: clean & simple
Mixed media Monday: 'tis the season
Iris' spot 11: holidays/winter
Challenge up your life 33: Christmas
Secret crafter Saturday 112: Christmas
ECP 27: Christmas
Stamp n doodle: anything goes winter challenge
Craft yout passion 35: anything goes
Sunday stamper: wonderful Christmas time
Sundays with Crissy 12: Christmas is coming
Kort o mania 29: Christmas card
Crafty Hos theme challenge: a card for any religious holiday
Spoon full of sugar 133: Christmas card
Let's craft and create 8: it's Christmas
Stampavie 120: Christmas
Stamping royalty 49: winter holidays

WOYWW 79

It's Wednesday again and time for WOYWW 79 - if you've no idea what that is then pop along and have a look and join in.

I have to confess that today's pictures are a bit of a cheat. Regular visitors to my blog will know that I like to tidy up, but I thought I'd show you that my workspace does get messy and cluttered - yes, it really does. Having crafted yesterday, this is how my workspace ended up last night:



But before I went to bed I cleared some of it and a bit more this morning so that I'm ready to start afresh. Mind you, the boxes of ribbons that are overflowing and tangled up (how do they get like that when they are supposed to be individually bagged or banded so that they don't get in a muddle) have been moved to the sitting room - sorting them can be an armchair job while watching TV later.

So this is what my workspace looks like this morning:


Happy Wednesday to all WOYWWers!

Angelic singing

This is another card for Ooh-la-la 68 Christmas song. I'm privileged to be a Guest Designer on OLL for November and December and am enjoying it very much.

Once again I used one of the digi papers from the OLL Joyeux Noel angelic singing CD as the background (I changed it to 'antique' digitally and then slightly made it more pink).

The stamped image is Lost Coast - stamped with memento rich cocoa - I tore the edges and distressed lightly with brushed corduroy. Just the addition of the strip across the bottom and a bow of glittered ribbon at the top.



This is also for:

Flutter by Wednesday 133: open - I've included angels
Soartful: angels
Wednesday stamper: heavenly creatures
Gingerloft 7: bows
Whoopsi daisy: ribbons and bows
Let's ink it up 7: Christmas - twist: add sparkle/bling
There she goes 84: bring on the bling
Mixed media Monday: 'tis the season
Iris' spot 11: holidays/winter
2 sisters 16: sparkly Christmas
Challenge up your life 33: Christmas
Secret crafter Saturday 112: Christmas
ECP 27: Christmas
I did it 32: vintage Christmas
Fiskarettes: vintage Christmas
Stamp n doodle: anything goes winter challenge
Let's craft and create 7: anything goes
Craft yout passion 35: anything goes
Sunday stamper: wonderful Christmas time
Sundays with Crissy 12: Christmas is coming
Kort o mania 29: Christmas card
Stamp dreams 60: Christmas card in abnormal colours
Crafty Hos theme challenge: a card for any religious holiday
Frosted designs: glitter
Moxie Tuesday trigger: all that glitters
Spoon full of sugar 133: Christmas card
Top tip Tuesday 13: ribbon
Wee memories 34: holiday music inspiration

Stampotique snowman

When I saw challenge 20: 'bling bling' on Stampotique I couldn't resist ordering the snowman stamp by Jo Capper-Sandon that Kaz had used for her fab card. I've used the stamp with Kate Knight Christmas collection papers, a PM chipboard tag, a piece of ribbon that's been lurking in one of my boxes for some time, some silver sparkly strips and silver gems here and there, including the snowman's buttons.

I used the sketch for Integrity hump day inspiration 25:




This is also for:

Alota 48: snowflakes
Sew many challenges 34: snowflakes
Paper playtime 28: snowflakes
Stampavie 119: snowflakes
Gingersnap GC81 chestnut theme: snowpeople
Let's ink it up 7: Christmas - twist: add sparkle/bling
There she goes 84: bring on the bling
Mixed media Monday: 'tis the season
Iris' spot 11: holidays/winter
Created by hand: Christmas countdown
2 sisters 16: sparkly Christmas
Challenge up your life 33: Christmas
Secret crafter Saturday 112: Christmas
ECP 27: Christmas
Stamp n doodle: anything goes winter challenge
Let's craft and create 7: anything goes
Craft yout passion 35: anything goes
Sunday stamper: wonderful Christmas time
Sundays with Crissy 12: Christmas is coming
Kort o mania 29: Christmas card
Stamp dreams 60: Christmas card in abnormal colours
Creative cottage 28: untraditional Christmas
Crafty Hos theme challenge: a card for any religious holiday
One stitch at a time: old stash new stash - ribbon is old, stamp, papers and chipboard are new
Order of the Opus Gluei 82: let's get frosted
Frosted designs: glitter
Pattie's creations 7: recipe - ribbon and at least 3 embellishments - tag, ribbon and gems
City crafter 34: let it snow, let it snow, let it snow
Moxie Tuesday trigger: all that glitters
Spoon full of sugar 133: Christmas card
Top tip Tuesday 13: ribbon
CCEE 1048: snowman
Town scrapper: bling
Creative belli 106: Christmas embellishments/papers
Ooh la la 68: Christmas song - Frosty the snowman

The same, but different ...

I still have a few Christmas cards to make - you'd think I'd done enough by now (just as well that I love making them). Anyway, when I saw today's challenge 77 on Die cut dreams: 'seeing triple' - 3 cards that match with the same LO - I decided to use the current sketch 102 on Lord have Mercy for the three cards:

For each card I've used the Peace on Earth Personal Impressions stamp, heat embossing with silver or black detail as appropriate, inspired by the challenge today on Inspiration Avenue for 'peace'.

The first card has paper from the English Paper Company. This card is for Stamptacular 88: blue ... blue ... Christmas, Dottie: anything goes - blue, Lexi 28: blue & silver, Cute card Thursday 131: the blues, and for City crafter 33: blue Christmas.

The second card has papers from Kate Knight Christmas collection. For this card the lacy black band has a flocked velvety finish, which is good for Stamp insanity 37: luscious lace! the fabric of our lives ... This card is also for Paper playtime 28: snowflakes, Alota 48: snowflakes, Sew many challenges 34: snowflakes, and Stampavie 119: snowflakes:

The third card has papers from the Kate Knight Christmas collection, plus the piece with Merry Christmas which is DCWV:

I'm linking for these challenges:

PaperPlay 48: monochrome
Sparkle creations Christmas 2011 week 1: monochromatic
Dollies elements challenge: layer upon layer upon layer - at least five
Southern girls 7: it's heating up - heat embossing
Let's ink it up 7: Christmas - twist: add sparkle/bling
There she goes 84: bring on the bling
Mixed media Monday: 'tis the season
Iris' spot 11: holidays/winter
Created by hand: Christmas countdown
2 sisters 16: sparkly Christmas
Challenge up your life 33: Christmas
Secret crafter Saturday 112: Christmas
ECP 27: Christmas
Stamp n doodle: anything goes winter challenge
Craft your days away 9: texture - the embossed wording and the glittered stars, which are raised up
Everything but the kitchen sink 28: texture
Let's craft and create 7: anything goes
Craft yout passion 35: anything goes
Sunday stamper: wonderful Christmas time
Sundays with Crissy 12: Christmas is coming
Kort o mania 29: Christmas card
Stamp dreams 60: Christmas card in abnormal colours
Creative cottage 28: untraditional Christmas
Crafty Hos theme challenge: a card for any religious holiday
The creative type: all I want for Christmas is ... peace on earth
Cards for men 25: Christmas card - I think the first one would be suitable to give to a man
Paper cutz 70: Christmas using 2 kinds of patterned paper and any colours
Lots to do: words
Fairy prairie 41: use a star
One stitch at a time: old stash new stash - the papers for the first card are old, the papers for the other cards are new; the ribbons I used are old, the glittered stars are new
Order of the Opus Gluei 82: let's get frosted - the stars are glittered
Frosted designs: glitter
Fun at fairy knoll: all that glitters
Pattie's creations 7: recipe - ribbon and at least 3 embellishments - at least 3 glittered stars on each card
Town scrapper: bling

Special cards for men

These two cards are similar to those that I've shown here - supplies etc are the same.



Cards for men 24: Christmas cards
Paper Sundaes 47: gift it - can be a special 'over the top' card
Paper players 27: Christmas theme

Another doiley card

Another doiley card, very similar to the previous one, using Anna Griffin papers and flower, this time with a 'just for you' sentiment.

This is for:

Flourishes 95: doilies
Creative belli 105: Rs - ribbon and rose
Wee memories 33: ribbon
Tuesday throwdon 27: embellish it
A crafty little place 66: anything goes
Top tip Tuesday 12: anything goes
There's magic in the air Magical Monday: anything goes
I did it 31: surprise me - open challenge

Doiley brithday wishes

The theme for Flourishes 95 this week is 'doilies', so I found some up and folder in half. The papers and 3D flower are Anna Griffin.

This is also for:

Creative belli 105: Rs - ribbon and rose
Wee memories 33: ribbon
Kenny K's krafty girlz 21: think pink
Tuesday throwdon 27: embellish it
Fab n funky 51: birthday
Hodge Podge 5: birthday cards
4 crafty chicks 14: birthday
A crafty little place 66: anything goes
Party time Tuesdays 23: anything goes - birthday
Top tip Tuesday 12: anything goes
There's magic in the air Magical Monday: anything goes
I did it 31: surprise me - open challenge

New candy on my Christmas challenge blog

There's some new candy over on my Christmas challenge blog:


You've got to be in it to win it - so please go over there and join in (open until midnight UK time 23 December) ... and help spread the news of new challenges starting on 1 January 2011.

Black and pink birthday

A simple card, using an Anna Griffin 3D embellishment as the central focus. The flower was originally white - I used a copic to colour.



This is for:

No time to stamp 167: black Friday - use black
My partner in crafting crime 16: black and white + 1
Kenny K's krafty girlz 21: think pink
Fab n funky 51: birthday
Hodge Podge 5: birthday cards
4 crafty chicks 14: birthday
A crafty little place 66: anything goes
Party time Tuesdays 23: anything goes - birthday
Top tip Tuesday 12: anything goes
Paper cutz 69: anything goes
There's magic in the air Magical Monday: anything goes
I did it 31: surprise me - open challenge

WOYWW 77

It's Wednesday again - and that means WOYWW - if you still don't know what this is (is there anyone left who doesn't?) then hop on over to Julia's blog for a nose and join in.

No actual crafting going on atm - I've been writing Christmas cards - you can see a pile that's been done in the second picture - in fact, there's another pile behind that - think I've done about 80 so far. As you can see, I have little labels all over the place - believe it or not, they are in groups according to family etc (I know it doesn't look like it!). I'm a cheap skate, so I don't buy special labels - just print out sheets with addresses as if they are labels, cut them up and stick them using my good old ATG gun. And it also means that I have a ready list on computer - just update when it comes to the next year.

I've actually got some crafting to show, but haven't yet got round to blogging it - perhaps later today.



And this is the view if I swing round to the window - brrrrrrrrrrrrr:

More snowy pictures here.

Thanks to everyone who visits me and leaves comments - much appreciated - I seem to fail miserbly at hopping around the WOYWW blogs - I do try, but never seem to be able to get to all of them.

And by the way, thanks for all those who have become followers of my new Christmas challenge blog. I did the draw for the candy very early this morning and have posted the winner. There is going to be more candy very soon - as a thank you for so many people joining in so far - so check back to my Christmas blog in the next day or two and please join in.

PS Just come back to change the title of this post - for some reason I originally put 71 instead of 77!

It 'snow joke now!!

The photos say it all!!

The whirligig washing line keeps swaying a bit in the wind - the snow fell off at some stage yesterday, but has built up again - think it's now too frozen solid to drop off! At least the wind is keeping the tree branches from breaking with the weight of snow.


and the garden table looks like a big Christmas cake!


These were all taken from inside (or with the back door open for a better peep) - staying in and keeping safe and warm.

Hope to blog some cards soon, but atm writing Christmas cards.

Ooh-la-la's Christmas song

Today sees a new challenge on Ooh-la-la to make a card inspired by a Christmas Song.

I'm so enjoying my Guest Designer slot on OLL. This time I couldn't resist making two cards for this, both based on one of my favourite Christmas carols: Hark the Herald Angels sing.

For the first card I used OLL Happy Christmas papers from their Christmas Presence CD and an 'angelic singing' topper from their Joyeux Noel CD, with the addition of a gold ribbon and a chipboard star coloured gold with promarkers and then covered with gold stickles.

For the second card I used the same paper on the left, but this time for the right hand side of the card I used an 'angelic singing' paper which I had digitally reversed and changed to a colour to match the tones of the image I'd used. It so happened that the Lost Coast stamp arrived on the day I wanted to make the card and I couldn't resist using it straight away, it's such a lovely stamp. I stamped with memento rich cocoa and coloured with promarkers (I'm not deserting my copics, but am also loving the promarkers), distressing the edges by tearing and sponging with distress inks. The gold flower and leaf have been in my 'odds and ends' box for ages - I can't remember where they came from, but think they might even have been on a Christmas cracker originally.

I'm linking these cards for these other challenges:

Crafty creations 95: Christmas is coming
Freshly brewed: winter/Christmas theme
Scrappy frogs: merry Christmas
Crafty catz 60: Christmas
Crafty Emma 14: vintage Christmas (2nd card)
Creative cottage 28: untraditional Christmas
Paper playtime 27: Christmas carol inspired
Bah! humbug 46: feeling the blues (1st card)
2 sisters 14: non-traditional colours
Stamp and create 7: 'tis the season - Christmas
Stamps R us 10: holiday cards
Pollycraft 72: chipboard (the star on the 1st card)
One stitch at a time 41: celebrate in style - bling it up
I love promarkers 42: anything goes - with a bit of sparkle (2nd card)
Character cafe: natural neutral colour + sparkle (2nd card)
Order of the Opus Gluei 82: let's get frosted - the glittered chipboard star on the 1st card and the sparkly ribbon on the 2nd
For fun: anything goes
Fab n funky 50: going with the flow
Hodge podge 4: anything goes
Paper cutz 69: anything goes
I did it 31: surprise me - open challenge
There's magic in the air Magical Monday: anything goes
Christmas stampin' all year long 72: anything goes
Totally stampalicious: anything goes

Magical Christmas

'Magical Christmas' is the theme for Chrissie's circle journal as part of the BF forum group. For my pages, I've chosen to do something about Christmas cards - as a cardmaker, I make a lot of these.

The background paper is Craft Creations Christmas green mixed stripes. The journaling and card pictures were generated on the computer and printed. I just added a few bits of holly and a bow.

I'm linking this for the following challenges:

Crafty creations 95: Christmas is coming
Freshly brewed: winter/Christmas theme
Scrappy frogs: merry Christmas
Crafty catz 60: Christmas
Crafty Emma 14: vintage Christmas
Bunny Zoe: Christmas, but not a card
Sew many challenges 34: red & green
Ellephantastic 20: red & green
Spoon full of sugar 131: anything goes
For fun: anything goes
Fab n funky 50: going with the flow
Hodge podge 4: anything goes
Paper cutz 69: anything goes
I did it 31: surprise me - open challenge

Lots of bubbly buttons

Yesterday postie brought me the ATCs from the November swap on BF forum - the theme was 'buttons'.

Aren't they lovely?

I didn't blog Friday or yesterday because on Friday I was getting everything ready for the Christmas Fair at Southmore Court, which was yesterday - this went well, but I was very tired by the time I got home.

I've got a few cards to blog, but I mustn't be tempted to do that now because I must get on with my pages in a CJ so that it gets into the post tomorrow.