I've finished my Christmas cards!

I have finished my Christmas Cards today - so now I have time to upload some that I have done onto the blog.



As you can see I have been playing with my Cuttlebug tree folder. The first three are an experiment using white and purple parchment, with different coloured backings. I particularly like the white parchment with the green background.

These two were done on blue mirri and silver satin mirri.

Finally something completely different - a card for my hairdresser using Andy Carolan's Card Toonz "Professional Nuttiness" cd.

Hope you like them. More tomorrow.

Two postings today!

Yesterday I sorted my Christmas Card list, and managed to get 118 cards ready for posting (Do I really have that many friends and rellies? It would appear so.) I still have a few more to do - but at least I am getting there, and Christmas is often the only time that I get to catch up on news from us and from them as not everybody is on the internet.

I was a bit cross with myself, as I made a few more cards last night, and being all efficient, they were signed and sealed and put ready for posting before I realised I hadn't photographed them. Duh!

The cards I forgot to photograph were in the same range as the ones below, and were lanterns and bells. Just simple images from a pack of "match-its" that I treated myself to to try. The pack consisted of the images, and then matching peel-offs that fit over them. The certainly looked very effective and gave a nice dimension. Being the craft cardmaker that I am - I didn't decoupage all the layers, but used various elements to make more cards!

A celebration of life - Scott

Yesterday was the celebration of life service for my forum pal's little son, Scott. Knowing that the family weren't particularly religious, this is the card I made for them.

Forum Challenge

This weeks challenge on the Joanna Sheen Forum was to make a card with your favourite Christmas Carol or Christmas Song. I love this image from the Pamela West cd and thought it could represent: In the Bleak Mid Winter, or Walking in a Winter Wonderland.

I also posted a few others. These were all very simple quick cards. In order below they are:

1) Oh Christmas Tree, or Silent Night. 2) a bit of a cheat - but it reminded me of "We wish you a Merry Christmas", and although it is not figgy pudding - I am definitely not going until I get some!

3) Rudolph the red-nosed Reindeer 4) another one for "Oh Christmas Tree"

and finally - Ding Dong Merrily on high!

Biscuit Making

A slight deviation from card making today. My youngest granddaughter has been visiting whilst her Dad fixed Gramps's computer, so we made some Iggle Piggle and Upsy Daisy biscuits, which she then iced. I did manage to ice one and got told off - as she wanted to do it herself!

I think we have another cake decorator in the family! I love the concentration on her face.

We then did some crafting - or rather Bea did the crafting. I wasn't allowed to do any! I just provided the bits for her to stick on to the card!

November Birthdays

I made these cards yesterday, a nice change from making Christmas cards. The first two are a variation on the same theme. the first is on tapestry card, for my cousin, and the second on cream textured card for my son's mother-in-law. The images are from the Joanna Sheen Jane Netley Mayhew CD.

I then discovered I needed to do another card for my son's sister in law. As I know she has been bought a Wii for her birthday - I couldn't resist this image from the new Joanna Sheen Baby Love CD. The message on the top says "Well you did want a Wii for your birthday!

Remembrance Weekend and Fundraising

I have been a bit lax and not made any cards over the weekend, although I did start to cut out some decoupage that I bought at the SE Candlelighters fundraiser that Dawn and I attended on Saturday. £250 was raised at our event, and it was lovely to get together with our cyber pals. The events around the country organised by other cyber pals raised over £1,500 and there is still one event to "declare" their amount.

Sheila (SheWray) who started all the fund-raising had her head shaved yesterday and you can view the result at, as well as a picture of her "scare-cut":

http://www.justgiving.com/shewray

We have watched the Remembrance Services over the weekend, and this has recalled the poem that my father-in-law wrote in a letter home from Burma in WW2. I never knew my father-in-law as he died as a result of war wounds, shortly after being invalided out of the army. He was a regular soldier and achieved the rank of Colour Sergeant.

Home!!

I live in a Basha,

My word it's a smasher.

Just a few old Bamboo poles

And a roof full of holes,

Strung together in style

That makes everyone smile.

When the wind comes it shakes

And sometimes it just breaks.

When it rains cats and dogs

then it just waterlogs,

When it falls in a heap

And I'm still fast asleep,

For we know after strife,

Comes a happier life.

T.A.R Goodall

Buffs, Burma, WW2

~

I think this sums up life on active duty in far off places, and probably still applies to some of our fighting forces even today.

~

Right I must now knuckle down to making some more Christmas Cards.

Tomorrow I am attending a fund raising event in aid of Candlelighters, hosted by a fellow Sheenie, Eunice. Over the weekend there are a number of these events. The main one being a "Scare Cut" by another Sheenie Sheila up in Wakefield, who is having a no.1 cut on her hair, as well as organising other fund raising things for the day.

I have created an ATC to give to fellow Sheenies attending the local event tomorrow.

For my non-crafting friends I will attempt to explain what an ATC is. "ATC" stands for Artist's Trading Card. They are a set size 2.5 in x 3.5 in. ATCs are not sold, they are swopped or given in friendship. They have details on the back regarding whether they are a one off or one of a series, and the name of the series and creator.

To find out more about the fundraising event visit:

http://www.justgiving.com/shewray

Robert Addams

Well I have made another eleven cards today. This time using my new Robert Addams White Christmas cd. I am so glad I treated myself to this cd. Still all fairly simple ones.

My mother-in-law would have loved this Robin one.

Reindeers & Polar Bears

Today I have made a few simple Christmas Cards:

These cards were made using a stamp from a Goody Bag, coloured with Lyra Aquacolours, H2Os and Sakura a couple of been edged with my new copper pen touch. I then played with my nestability cutter using some card I had sprayed with cosmic shimmers. (However, the base card in the second image was actually bronze speckled and was not done with cosmic shimmers). So generally a playing with new toys day!

I also made these:

I ran off the polar bear image from my Joanna Sheen Pamela West cd on plain paper in error, instead of photopaper, but refused to throw it away. I highlighted the snow flakes with my clear Sakura sparkle pen. So I have used all the images making the cards similar, but different using peel-offs and a cuttlebug folder.

(Don't forget you can click on the images to view them in a larger format.)

November Garden

Inspired by some photos taken at Wisley by a forum pal - I was looking out of the window whilst at the computer and saw a beautiful combination of colours. I grabbed the camera and wandered around the garden. The first picture is of the sedum that I could see from the window.

As I wandered around the garden, I found my Nelly Moser clematis in bloom - Doesn't it know it is November?

I then did a couple of kaleidoscopes with the sedum image. Wow! was my first impression. Hope you agree.

A Few Cakes

Trying to decide what I would post to show you at the start of the blog has been quite difficult. I have chosen some single tier cakes for this entry. I will post some wedding cakes another day.