Good morning, friends! It's the eve of Christmas Eve! Are you ready? I'm not. In fact, I cannot remember being this disorganised for Christmas... totally unprepared...in utter chaos and, for the first time, I'm afraid.... very afraid that on Christmas Day we'll have a house full of people sitting down for a "Beans On Toast" lunch.
Here are a couple of projects, which I had the good sense to make in advance, for last minute gifts. They are also project I should have posted last week but didn't because misplaced my head in amongst the pile of unwrapped gifts currently cluttering our bedroom! (Please tell me I'm not the only one!)
Here's are a couple of gift card envelopes I made earlier. The first is for the Christmas Card Club's "Non-Traditional Colours" theme. The theme was picked by Margaret. I went for purples, pinks and turquoise with Clearly Besotted's Signature Christmas Additionsstamps.
This second batch of cards is for my BioDanza buddies. I'll be giving these to them later today after class. Hopefully they are all too busy and will miss this post...and the surprise will remain intact! Oh well, at this late stage does it really matter, I wonder?! :)
Again I'm using Clearly Besotted stamps from the Set The Scene collection... this time with more traditional colours.
I have to rush now... so sorry. A gazillion things to do and ... I could do with a dozen elves to help me! LOL. Hope all is merry and bright over at your end. Thank you for stopping by and see you soon, my friends!
Woohoo! The countdown to Christmas has begun. I can't believe the big day is so close. Today is a special day for a couple of reasons:
1. Advent Sunday - I'm a sucker for traditions, celebrations and feast days
2. André (our oldest furbaby) is 14 years old today. He was named after the saint of the day - Santandre (St Andrew). A special shout out to my friends in Scotland.
I also received some special candy from a very special person.... more on that later.
So, we're putting up the tree after Mass today, but first we will have a special lunch for André. Peanut and Richard Parker will take the tree down... we'll put it back up ... and so on until Jan 6th. It's another time-honoured Martins tradition!
But first let me show you a card I made for the Christmas Card Club. It's my turn to choose a theme and, in keeping with my personal tradition, I managed to confuse and confound everyone with not one but two themes. So sorry ladies!
And so, I hang my head in shame and introduce my card for these themes: "Silver Bells" and / or "All I Want For Christmas". I couldn't make my mind up about anything with this card... so I mixed up my stamps and came up with this.
The background CS is a very pale silvery grey. For the little falling hearts I used a Fiskers punch and silver mirri. The corner die is by WIld Rose Studio with lashings of Stardust Stickles. The greeting is from Seasons Of Love by Waltzing Mouse Stamps, stamped with Versacolor Silver.
The bells are from Chocolate Baroque's A Child I Born, stamped with VersaColor Silver and heat embossed with Stampendous Stardust Transparent. I coloured the leaves with green Caran d'Ache pencils. And in keeping with the theme(s) I tied 3 silver bells with some silver thread.
Here's a list of the über-talented ladies from the Christmas Card Club who, despite my best efforts to thwart their well laid plans, have managed to create spectacular works of art. Swing by their blog and you'll see what I mean!
And now for the special news I mentioned earlier. Check this out:
A very special lady (with a true heart of gold!) sent me this blog candy! I am so honoured to have found her in blogland and to be following her delightful and wholesome crafty creations. She also has a very special name so close to my heart since ... forever. She is Snoopy of Snoopy's Homemade Fun.
That box she sent has the prettiest flowers, ribbons, stamp pads and a bunch of Copic markers!!! If that weren't enough.... she also sent a 12" cutting mat!
I am grateful beyond words... so much so, I'm still lovingly caressing and admiring the contents. Haven't used them yet... but I will. I just need a few more days basking in their glory! THANK YOU, Snoopy. Unbeknownst to you, a life long wish has come true. When I was a child I wanted Snoopy to send me one of those letters he used to type on hid kennel. Almost 50 years later... I finally got that letter (and soooo much more) from "Snoopy". You see, along with the stuff are a couple of handwritten notes to treasure! Wishes do come true, folks. It's just a question of time... and faith! :)
Have a blessed Advent Sunday, friends. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year. Thank you so much for stopping by today.
I'll leave you with the original version of "Silver Bells" sung by Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell in the movie "The Lemon Drop Kid". There are so many beautiful versions but there's something endearing about Bob Hope's rendition.
Honetly, I cannot believe it's time for another Christmas Card congregation. But here we are and the theme this fortnight is Teabag Fold / Origami. Our lovely Karen Pettit of Stamping In Pink decided that we should flex our fingers and get creative at the same time.
And that's what I did. The main character on my card project is a wreath made from 8 pieces of 2" squares, each painstakingly folded and assembled in a circle.
Since there's a quite a bit of action with the folding, I kept the rest of the card simple bit some unknown green patterned paper for the background and dotted the corners with Ivy Green LP. The wreath is framed with Spellbinders's Square Fleur de Lis diecut and dotted with some Gold LP on it. The greeting from CBS Sweet Little Sentiments, stamped on a piece of velum with Brilliance Graphite Black. I finished the card with a red bow.
Here's a close-up of the wreath. I cut up an 8" square patterned paper from Dovecrafts's Vintage Christmas into 2" squares and got 16 bits from the sheet. Then I inked the edges with TH Peeled Paint and folded each piece. Next, I assembled 8 pieces into a circle by tucking one edge into the other, holding down with a little dot of fast-drying glue. Finally, I glitzed up the edges with Stardust Stickles and finished with some Ruby Red LP. I made 2 wreaths from one 8" square patterned paper.
You can see that the wreath is quite dimensional but it obediently squishes down when stuffed into an envelope, which makes it perfect for mailing. Thank you Karen for this wonderful challenge. It really made me think and do a little research. It's always nice to learn a new skill, allowing me to add "can fold itty bitty bits of paper" on my CV!
I can't remember where I found this folding technique on the net. But as soon as I find it again I'll add the link so you can have a go at making these cute little wreaths.
In the meantime, here's a list of the rest of the Christmas Card Club girls. I have a feeling these ladies have something crafty up their sleeves. Why don't you swing by and see what they're up to.
Well well, here we are in November! How did that happen, I ask ya?! In any case, the Christmas Card Girls have come together again for another show and tell. This fortnight, our lovely Lorraine picked the theme of "Snowmen". Looking at my card now, I didn't quite follow the theme. Can I get away with just oneSnowman?
I inked up the bg with TH Chipped Sapphire and Tumbled Glass. The snowflakes are stamped in Versacolor Silver and added a few Liquid Pearl dots for texture.
Here's a close-up. I coloured the little guys with Graph'It markers, fussy cut and adhered them to the bg. Then I slapped on some Stardust Stickles for a little sparkle and shine.
The inside looks like this.
You may be aware that I am scrambling to make cards for Vera Yates and Jennifer McGuire's Caring Hearts Card Drive to collect cards for the elderly in nursing home. If you'd like to join in, just head on over to Jennifer's blog post on the Caring Hearts Card Drive for all the details.
Here are 3 more quick makes for the cause with the same Snowmen theme - three Snowmen! Yay!
I stamped the Snowman with Versafine Black Onyx on watercolour paper. Kept it very simple with a few snowflakes in the bg with VersaMagic Sea Breeze.
Here's a close-up. I used Caran d'Ache Supracolor Soft Aquarelle pencils. Added some Stardust Stickles for a little icy sparkle. I stamped the greeting with VersaFine Majestic Blue.
Here's a list of the rest of the Christmas Card Club girls. These ladies are exceptionally good at what they do. I highly recommend you swing by for a dose of inspiration.
Gosh! Has it been 2 weeks since our last CCC meet-up? The days are zooming by at such breakneck speed I fear Christmas might pass me by. Last year I told myself I'd get all my cards in the mail by the third week of November... and then I go and promise a (dear) friend a dozen festive cards as a gift. I think she's expecting them sometime before Christmas too. Have I lost my mind?!
The theme this fortnight is Christmas Reindeer - chosen by our very own Miss Rita. I whipped up this card in no time at all - and in my world that means in under 2 hours. This is not a 10 minute dash, nor 20 nor 40. The stopwatch read 1 hour 52mins and 47 seconds as I placed my final Liquid Pearl. Most of that time was spent mulling, worrying, panicking and looking for stuff (found my new Versafine Satin Red pad MIA since February ... woohoo!) Time to clean the "studio". (I'm hoping the pretentious name with motivate me to pick up the broom ... if I can find the darn thing!)
And one more thing - not even one stitch on this card. There simply wasn't enough time. I'm still not over the anguish and trauma. This will take a while to heal.
No patterned paper. I stamped the fireworks burst in Versacolor Silver and added Liquid Pearls for stars ... and in my haste a couple of them turned out to be meteors! To finish, some silver thread.
I die cut the snow globe and placed it over with foam tape. Santa and his reindeers are stamped with Versafine Black Onyx, the city scape with Versafine Majestic Blue, the moon with Memento Cantaloupe, the snowflakes with Versacolor Silver and for the sentiment I used Versafine Satin Red.
Here's a list of the rest of the Christmas Card Club girls. These ladies are organised, very talented and unlike me, they know what they're doing. I highly recommend you pop by for a dose of inspiration.
The girls are back and this fortnight we have Sue P in pole position with a brand new theme: Carol Singers. Christmas wouldn't be the same without a sing-along, would it?
I decided on the is cute image from Polkadoodles Work & Play 5: Festive Hollybobs. In fact, I got all I needed to make this card from this CD!
The paper and embellishments are from the Hollybobs CD. I just did a load of fussy cutting .... very therapeutic. For a little dimension (not too much because I want this to be post-friendly) I added a few pale blue bling around the carollers, yellow liquid pearls in the centre of the poinsettias and tied a twine bow around the gift box.
Here's a close-up of the carollers. The photo is a little over-exposed.... just couldn't get the lighting right yesterday. Of course, there's stitching... can't do without it!
I wanted the inside to be fun and playful. So I thew in a couple of embellies from the Hollybobs CD. The greeting is a die-cut from Britannia Dies.
And here's a list of the rest of the Christmas Card Club girls. Surely you must know by now that these ladies are super charged turbo powered crafters!
Goood morning, friends, and welcome to another show and tell by the Christmas Card Club. Our lovely Christine of Christine's Cards and Crafts has picked a fabulously festive theme for us: "Winter Wonderland".
With so many options swimming in my head: snow flakes, cute winter animals, maybe penguins, a pretty snowy village or landscape, I simply couldn't decide. So I packed my bags and headed North to the land of endless winter nights, to be awed by the wonder and magic of the Northern Lights.
A festive sleigh under the entrancing and phenomenal dancing luminescence of the Aurora Borealis is my idea of a Winter Wonderland. Here's my card:
I created the background by streaking and blending several TH Distress Ink - Peacock Feathers, Squeezed Lemonade, Mowed Lawn, Peeled Paint, Crushed Concord, Festive Raspberry, Stormy Sky, Black Soot, Tumbled Glass and Salty Ocean. The Lights do not have prescribed patterns and they dance randomly in the night sky exposing shades of so many colours. So in blending the colours, you want to let hints of several colours come through in the dark sky. I've added some stars using a silver Sharpie.
Here is a close-up of the sleigh from Chocolate Baroque's Santa Baby. I stamped it directly onto the background with VersaFine Black Onyx, paper pieced the body of the sleigh and coloured the presents with Promarkers. I added some a few bling and chucked a load of shimmery fibre to create the snowy ground. The greeting, stamped with VersaFine Majestic Blue, is from Chocolate Baroque's Christmas Magic. This is not an easy card to photograph - the glare from the snow and the dark sky do not do this card justice. Trust me - it looks good IRL... much to my surprise!
And here's a list of the rest of the Christmas Card Club girls. I must warn you - they are exceedingly talented, so be prepared for a creative explosion of epic proportions!
Oh well, the Christmas Card Club girls are at it again! This fortnight's party is being hosted by the super talented multitasking card-making diva - Hazel Harris. Hazel has picked a fun theme for us - "Something Starting With S". So many options: Santa, Sack (of presents), Snowflakes, Snowy Scene, Sleigh, Stickles, Stitching .... when in doubt, use everything! It is Christmas after all!
Santa and his sleigh are from CB's new Santa Baby set. I created the snow dunes(?) with torn paper and Distress inks. The "trees" in the background are from CB's Turtle Doves.
Santa Baby! I coloured him with Graph'It markers. I also stamped snowflakes in the background and added bling. Along the snow dunes I added some Stardust Stickles for added shine.
Have a lovely day, all. Rosie is getting better. She's put a little weight and is now keen on going for long(er) walks. That's progress! Stay safe and I'll y'all again real soon!
Here's my third Christmas card in as many days! This time, Miss Mary form our little Christmas Card Club, known for her passion for birdies, would like us to show off A Cardinal (or Other Christmas Bird). Here's my avian offering:
The patterned paper is from MME Snowed In (retired). For cutting and layering I used Spellbinders Circles and Fleur de Lis Squares dies.
The image and sentiment is from CB's Christmas Song A5 sheet. I coloured the bird with Graph'It markers and added blue bling to the hanging ornaments. The snowflakes in the bg is from the new Snowy Scenes A5 sheet, stamped with VersaMagic Sea Breeze.
The greeting inside is from CB's Warm Christmas Greetings A5 clear stamp set, with VersaFine Majestic Blue.
Another trying couple of days for Rosie. We still can't keep her fever down without medication. By dawn on Saturday she hit an all time high of 41ºC (105.8ºF) and had to be admitted immediately. Despite all the setbacks she's soldiering on, tail wagging, without complaining. We just need to stabilise her temperature and allow the antibiotics to kick in. That seems to be the hardest battle right now. My daily mantra to her is "not today, not without a fight". Truth is, I don't know if I'll ever be ready to face "the day". And so we keep fighting, for as long as she is willing to.
Thank you so much for all your prayers and well wishes. These little gestures make a world of difference to us. I wish you all a happy and blessed Sunday, friends.
Hello, friends. Are you enjoying the weekend? It's warm and sunny here... at last. The perfect weather for Christmas projects! LOL. Anywho, it's time for another Christmas Card Club show and tell session. Our hostess is the lovely, the talented Lizze and her theme of choice for the fortnight is "Anything But A Card".
I made a little box to house half a dozen yummy delights. These treats are perfect little gifts for friends and colleagues. I have a few made up to give way to anyone who drops in over the festive season.
The box measures 3.5"x 2.25" x 1". The image and sentiment are from WMS Nutcracker Sweet. I coloured it with Graph'It and Promarkers. To secure the lid I used some green-red-white twine by Doodlebug.
I cut the edges of the lid with a scallop die. A little peek inside... yummers!
Ok folks... time for another Christmas Card Club jam session. This fortnight, we have the lovely Miss Sylvie taking centre stage in a pink feather boa.... Hahah! I bet that caught your attention! Sylvie's theme: Trees
I've had a pretty awful weekend. Jabbed myself in the eye with a tube of toothpaste and ended up at the hospital with a torn cornea and a patch over my left eye. Been off the computer all day yesterday. (Am I ever going to catch up when the universe is conspiring against me?) Tried blaming hubby for my misfortunes but he's having none of it. Why can he not see that had he put the top back on the toothpaste I wouldn't be sitting here in an eye patch? Makes perfect sense to me!
Here's my card featuring these adorable owls from Chocolate Baroque's latest Christmas stamps: Snowy Scenes. Christmas trees, firs, pines would have been the obvious choice for this fortnight's theme but I'm going with a bendy tree and part of a tree trunk. And why not?
Love the blue-brown combo. I've inked the background with TH Faded Jeans and Tumbled Glass, with a little Antique Linen and Frayed Burlap at the bottom. The bendy tree is from CB's Fantasy Woodland. The snowflakes and the sentiment are both from the Snowy Scenes set. To finish: little bling and some ribbon.
I used GI and Promarkers to colour the image: Owls: GI 01250, 02110, 02120, 02130, 02160, 09102 Tree trunk: GI 03140, 03150, 03160, 03180, Stockings: GI 05210, 05220, 05250 & Promarkers Holly, Lush Green, Leaf Green
Thank you so much for stopping by today. Have a wonderful week ahead and remember... a tube of toothpaste is a formidable weapon. Handle with care! This one-eyed bandit is off to invade your blog-space.
It's time for the Christmas Card Club to come together for another festive show and tell. Our lovely hostess, Sue of Planet Susie, has the honour of setting the theme: Christmas Teddy. I have to say, I struggled with this one. My mojo took off without warning leaving me to complete the project on my own. It took me 4 days to finish this card... and I'm still not sure I like it. Hubby, for fear of not being fed said, "It's lovely, dear". What do you think?
All papers and elements are from Forever Friends Designstax Christmas Kraft Notes. I've had this bumper pack for 2 years but never used it. There are 48 double-sides papers, tons of die-cut elements and 3 mini clear stamps. To dress the card I used ribbon, button, twine, die-cut robin and tiny blue bling. There's also a Scalloped Tag die by CBS and die cut greeting by Britannia Dies. Yep, I've got everything but the kitchen sink on this card!
A closer look at the cuddly chap. I coloured him with Graph'It and Promarkers. Bear - GI: 1210, 1230, 1250, 3120, 3150. Suit - GI: 5210, 5220, 5245, 5260, 5280. Fur Trim - GI: 9100, 9102. Sack - GI: 3140, 3150, 3160, 3180, 3190 Green - Promarker: Forrest Green, Bright Green, Leaf, Apple. Also added some Stardust Stickles on the trim of his suit.
On the inside is a sentiment from WMS Seasons of Loveand a die-cut element from the pack.
How about we send this jolly little guy to a few challenges:
Rosie's News:
I received several e-mails from concerned friends wondering why I haven't been posting any updates on Rosie. The truth is, she's had quite a few setback lately and I have not had the will to write about it. Her last X-rays showed minimal decrease in the tumour. Clearly the Doxorubicin isn't enough. So after much thinking and talking with her oncologist, we've added another drug to the mix - Palladia. She's taking it every 72 hours. Her appetite is bad, she's tired and spends most of her time asleep. I'm trying not to think too much about what to do next. We are very grateful for your kind thoughts and prayers.
Thank you so much for stopping by today. Have a wonderful week and I hope you're enjoying this fabulous weather!
