Belated Christmas Card!

Yes - I am belatedly posting my final Christmas Card design - one that I was happy with for mass-producing - and it wasn't the one I previously posted! The last couple of weeks have been completely manic - but as always we had a wonderful Christmas, and I hope you did too.

I hope most people got theirs before Christmas - but no doubt some were late. (New year's resolution - to start my Christmas cards in August! LOL!)

I got the idea from Jacki (The Card Castle) who used the Baby Words Cuttlebug Embossing folder with a crib image - thanks Jacki, everybody has loved it! The scanned image doesn't do it justice really, but I am sure you get the idea - the crib stamp was from the nativity clear set from Lakeland.

I made around 60 cards in 3 sittings. A much reduced number due to sending an e-greeting to most people we know.

And yes the e-greeting contained an image of a crib, but also a link to our family Elf Show. If you've not yet seen one of these (I've been Elfed!) it's well worth a look - so hilarious, and you can custom-make your own: http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1452243874 (To get the right bodies, you need to upload your face photos in the following order: DW, DD, DS, DH.)

Daisy Card

I decided to change the Daisy Thank You card I made the other day - for a card challenge. I really didn't like the ribbon bow on it - so I took it off and what a difference.

Just goes to show that too much really can be too much! LOL! My only excuse is that I was trying to follow the challenge instructions and it said buttons and bows!

What do you think - is it better without the bow?

Pay It Forward

I agreed to do the 'Pay it forward' exchange on Jacki's blog today.

PAY IT FORWARD: handcrafted items - a bit like swapping ATC's with a twist! I will send a handmade item to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this "Pay it Forward" exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you probably won't receive anything before the year is over but I promise to get something in the mail by January. In order to participate, though, you must 'pay it forward' by making the same promise on your blog. Jacki's blog can be found at http://thecardcastle.blogspot.com/ and just like her cards, I thought this idea was great.

So basically, if you're one of the first 3 people to leave a comment on this post, joining this exchange, I’ll send you something crafty that I’ve made! Once you sign up, copy and paste the above paragraph on your blog - you'll get something from me via snail mail and then three other fortunate people will be recipients of your handmade work. So spread a little handmade cheer!! This will be great fun... I can't wait to see what Jacki is going to send to me - and I've now got to get my thinking cap on to make up something lovely for my exchange!

Card Challenge

Here is my card for the UKScrappers December Card Challenge - http://www.ukscrappers.co.uk/boards/showthread.php?t=198179

UKS based the challenge on some great sketches from the Pagemaps site - http://www.pagemaps.com/ - there are absolutely loads of fantastic card, tag and scrapbook layouts to view, print and download, as well as a great archive with even more to choose from!

I made the card using some Polar Bear papers & vellums, buttons from Papermania and Sizzix daisies. Hope you like it!

I hope to have time to do more of these challenges - but first I need to concentrate on those Christmas cards!

Free Stuff!

I do like to get my hands on free stuff on the web!

This time last year, I discovered an Advent Countdown of downloadable images - by Lisa Vollrath - it is classed as linkware, and once linked, they are then free for you to use for your own personal use. All of the images are absolutely gorgeous and there are lots of vintage and modern images - I think my favourite so far is the Angel stamps (day 4). So here is the link: http://www.tentwostudios.com/countdown/.

More free stuff is also available at the sister websites if you check out their links.

I think this year's images surpass last year's and I am really spoilt for choice - perhaps I could use one or two of them on my Christmas card - yes I know the past date for posting is looming, and I still haven't decided what card to make!!

Christmas Cards

Well, I am still working on it - the master plan Christmas card that is! The question is - portrait or landscape?! LOL


I used a clear Nativity stamp set from Lakeland for these cards, with Brilliance Moonlight White ink. Greeting stamp by Serendipity.

Book Reviews

I haven't had chance to do any proper book reviews yet. But I have managed to create a slide show of my favourite card making books, at the bottom of the page. Pointing your mouse over a book will tell you the current price of the book at Amazon. Most of the prices are pretty good. But do beware - if an item is out of stock at Amazon store itself, it can still get listed with an inflated price - as they sometimes list partner store prices, which can be pricey, plus extra p&p is charged. (If you want to buy a particular book, just click on the book and it should take you direct to the relevant Amazon ordering page, otherwise, try the general link on the right.)