WOYWW and December giveaway winner .......

Apologies for combined posts. Will keep it short.

Well the random number generator thingy chose no 5, which is Shary, a new visitor to my blog I think which is nice. Shary, I have left a message or emailed you (sorry am doing this all the wrong way round, need to go and see what contact options I have for you via your blog) for your contact details. January giveaway will be along in the New Year. Sometime. Soon. Promise.

As you can see there's no new work on on my craft desk so WOYWWers feel free to leave now. I hope everyone had a great christmas - we were partying all the way so nooooo craft time for me.  I have a couple of hours to myself today, think I need to sort out the craft room which is where I dumped all my christmas presents. Main crafty goodies were an envelobox creator and a boxer board (because I don't already have enough bits of plastic with lines on LOL) and a new melt pot, which my darling OH got me after I moaned (well, hinted actually) that the old one had gone for good. But until I've done something with this nothing much is going to get done.

If you don't know know what WOYWW is then pop over to see Julia at the stamping ground for her weekly wednesday blog hop. It's the last WOYWW of  the year and I expect many of us won't have much to show but it's nice to say hello anyway.

Here's our family photo at one of our Christmas Day gatherings - do you like my mum's home made bunting? That woman is so on trend. I wanted a family shot so we set the timer and did two sensible ones and then a silly one. Guess which this is. Happy New Year all.

Last Chance.....

for the December giveaway, closes tonight at 9.00 pm.

Still doing Christmas.....

A quick card which I made using this week's challenge at Inspirational Card Sketches.











And a tag, which I can just squeak in to the current Try it on Tuesday challenge.


Feeling a bit low today, bound to be coming down with something just in time for Christmas - typical!! Good job everything's pretty much done, just got to  get through 3 days at work. How're your preparations coming along? Just 6 more sleeps till the main in red arrives!!

Just a few cards....

Just thought I would post a few of my favourite cards made this Christmas.



This one features a clarity stamp - amazing how you can
colour something red and add a bit of white glitter and it becomes Christmassy!

This is a very simple card but I really liked the way it turned out.            I'm having a bit of a love affair with baker's twine at the moment, can't seem to do a card without it.



I'm sensing a childish quality to some
 of my work this Christmas!!

I like this snow flake paper too - a simple kit card using embellishments and papers from a kit but so bright and cheerful. It's an 8 x 8 card and has gone to a friend who I also sent this because she is rather fond of hedgehogs:

This is a real favourite. I bought two new Christmas stamps from LOV this year and this is one - so cute!! This has gone to a very good friend who is a cat lover. The keen eyed among you will see that I have still failed to master the art of the stepper card - somehow I always get a fold where I wasn't expecting one no matter how many times I read the instructions. Nevertheless I like the way it turned out.

Well I feel so virtuous as all my cards were done and dusted in good time. I have a couple of stragglers where I have been waiting on a new address and a few to hand deliver but otherwise all done. But because I'm kind of in the groove I am still making Crimbo cards. Did another couple last night. Figure if I can have about 20 done before I pack all the stuff away I will have a jump on next year. But they can keep till then. Merry Christmas all!!

Surprise!! It's time for the December giveaway...

later than I had intended, and not to my original plan but hey what can I say? My birthday celebrations and a succession of Christmas parties have wrecked my schedule  - I have been absent from my craft room for most of the last two weeks but have been having a good time!!! I knew it was a good decision to get all those crimbo cards done in November, I would be in a mad panic now if I hadn't.


Well to get to the interesting stuff. I had a plan in mind for the December giveaway but have had to defer that as I just don't have time  to finish it and the giveaway really needs to be posted or it will be for January (!) so this month the giveaway will be one I prepared earlier - this little book of ATCs that you may have seen before but which have been sitting on my desk waiting for a new home since last February.

There are four collage type ATCs featuring vintage children in a little case. However, as it is Christmas, the giveaway will also include at least one other piece of handmade art (you will have to trust me on this as I don't know what it will be yet). Maybe a small canvas, a tag or a slide mailer. Depends how the muse takes me. And I will also include a goody bag with papers, diecuts, embellishments and any other little bits and pieces I can cram in. Or maybe I'll do an altered  box mmmm.....  in fact  I can see something suitable sitting on the floor .............

So, if you like ATCs and surprises feel free to join in. Usual rules apply, to be included in the draw you need to leave a comment on this post before 9.00 pm on Tuesday 27th December. International players welcome, feel free to link from your own blogs.

I must also say a BIG thank you to everyone who sent me birthday wishes, cards and gifts. I do aplogise that I haven't had time to thank everyone personally but I just haven't been about. I will try and rectify that over the next couple of days but please believe me when I say that I love to receive best wishes and goodies from my crafty friends - the cards are always stunning and the messages mean so much, considering that I have never even met most of you!! THANK YOU!!

WOYWW - # 130

Well I am on holiday this week so no excuse not to take part today as it is a 'home' day for me. Here is my desk, lookimg remarkably uncluttered.

I really must finish off or throw out some of those glitter glues, they are overtaking the place. Christmas is still out (is it too boastful of me to say I should be finished with my Christmas cards and gifts by tonight? At least that is the intention and I am 95% there already). I have enjoyed preparing for Christmas this year without the stress but I will be glad to move on. Finished cards on the window sill, really must post out that new home one today.

Main WIP today are these little hearts. I'm not quite sure where I am going with these yet but hope inspiration will strike over the course of the day. Found them when I was looking for something else. As is so often the way. The cropped photo really does show all those stamps that need putting away as well. They are definitely threatning to take over  my workspace.

What about this card? is it too much? LOL someone has already put dibs on it so maybe not.




Here is a view from the other side. Not so much my desk as my paper storage cupboard. Some of you may recall I blogged about it a couple of weeks ago. Thanks for all your support it was quite easy to assemble even without the instructions. And works a treat. Proof also the door now opens. And I have space above to display art!! Much Better!!

Don't know why I am showing you this? Then pop over to see the wonderful Ms Dunnit at Stamping Ground, the host of this weekly blog hop extravaganza. Have a nosy, have a laugh, feel better about your work space...... only joking. Have a wonderful WOYWW.

November giveaway Winner...

is KATHLEEN. Please contact me to confirm your address details. Thank you to everyone for playing - the December giveaway will be along shortly.

Cindy

Vintage bookmark

Made this vintage bookmark for a Christmas swap over on Flickr. The stamp is from Clarity stamps and the background is made from grungepaper run through the cuttlebug in an embossing folder to give it a bit of texture. There is a Christmas tag to go with it but I'll think I'll keep that secret for now - there have to be a few surprises at Christmas!!

Still making crimbo cards and pressies, will have to start writing them tomorrow, those last posting dates for overseas are creeping closer by the day!!

I had a request for Christmas cards at work - but really as most people buy them by the busload there is not much of a market for run of the mill cards. However I knocked a couple of 'special' ones up on request and can use them myself if they don't go.

WOYWW #128

I can't believe it is Wednesday again and time once more to visit the desks of the crafting great and good. If you want to nose about, or feel like baring your all (so to speak) hop over to see our hostess Julia at Stamping Ground and join in. Here's mine.

There's a fair bit of inky messiness going on today and I am sure the workspace bit is getting smaller and smaller. I will have to put a few stamps away soon, I have discovered I have a plethora of snowflake stamps in varying shapes and sizes. Still, I guess  a girl can never have too many snowflakes. I am finishing off some fat pages for a swap, one theme is poppies/ rememberance which I have just completed and the next is Christmas (sometimes us crafters are so predictable....). You can see Santa over in the background. I'm not quite sure where that one is going yet, may have to hit it with the white embossing powder to lighten it up. But much as I would like to finish it off while I'm in the mood it needs to dry properly or it will just be Santa in a snowstorm. I hate waiting for things to dry lol.


Finally my lovely new cupboard for my paper stash arrived today. It's very heavy, I may have to reinforce the floor once the paper is in  it!! Anyhow, here it is, in pieces (and upside down, the photo gremlins are back) and likely to stay that way for now as only one page of assembly instructions came with it. I may have to wing it, how hard can it be? But it will have to wait for the weekend, I'll show you next week if I have managed it. I'll be the one in tears if I have messed it up.
Have a wonderful WOYWW everyone.

Just a few piccies...

to prove I haven't gone into hibernation again. The Christmas cards are continuing apace, but I am a bit loathe to put too many up - you never know who's looking!! Anyhow here's a tealight card I tried out, another tutorial from Stampartic. Very simple and a nice little gift. It would also be nice a bit smaller with just 4 tealights I think.

And a birthday card for friend, who isn't particularly girly so I have kept it simple and subtle. If you are not familiar with this stamping technique, it is achieved by covering a peice of black cardstock with versamark and brushing over with mica powders. You then stamp your chosen image with versamark which lifts off the mica. I usually just seal with a light dusting of hairspray. It is quite nice to quarter or cut the image up and mount on to black card to give a tile effect but I had cut the card to such a weird size I couldn't do the maths so I left it as it was. It will do.


Finally an emergency wedding card I had to make last weekend (why am I always so disorganised lol?).

Had completely forgotten (to make the card, not to go to the wedding) so used my Craft Artist programme to do the background and personalise it so it looked like there was a bit of effort made and here is my first hybrid card. Again, I don't suppose it will stand out in the crowd but at least it was a one off. Bye for now!!

 (If you haven't already done so don't forget to join in with my November art giveaway - details in the side bar)

WOYWW # 127 - It's Christmas!!

It's Wednesday again, and another chance to go for a wander through blogland's crafty desks courtesy of Julia Dunnit at Stamping Ground. Although I am home today I wasn't going to post as I won't be around much to blog hop  - but then I thought, just get on with it!! I had a rare crafting afternoon with my mum AND my sister yesterday and she brought along this sleigh stamp which I had to have a go at and made these three cards. Two of them at least came out bright and bling so I am putting them in to Hazel's CHC Challenge.  We had decreed it was a Christmas card afternoon - we even put on a CD of christmas songs to get us in the mood!!
The rest of the desk is covered with Christmas stuff and I shall be continuing in this vein for the next week I should think! I used to refuse to deal with Christmas until after my birthday at the beginning of December but ended up in such a state the last two years I have decided that the cards at least have to be done BEFORE my birthday. We'll see. Anyhow have a happy WOYWW and thanks for stopping by (I'd love it if you entered my giveaway too, details on the side bar or is that just shameless self promotion lol?)

Watch the Birdie!! November giveaway is here

Was trying for a Christmassy feel for the November giveaway , not sure I pulled it off!!

As usual, my mediocre photography skills let down a rather cute little bird house. It is very small, about 3" high and is basically an altered chipboard house. I just used some paints and metallic rub on (also used the PVA technique on the roof to get the distressed look) and finally found a use for the littleshrink plastic leaves I made a month or so ago - there were just enough!! The tiny seed beads which were once in a glue like medium that has long since dried out were the perfect size to use as berries to add a bit of colour and my little robin (you may need to use your imagination as his red breast kinda disappeared) was made using shrink plastic and a Tim Holtz die.

I have just realised I took the photo befor I put back his little hangy bit. This little house does come with a hanging loop so it could go on the tree - or wherever you want really!!        Anyhow, usual rules apply, you need to leave a comment on this post before 9 pm on Sunday 27th November to be included in the draw. International players welcome, feel free to link from your own blogs. Thanks for looking, and hopefully for playing along.                     Cindy x              

After the storm ......

sorry about the post title, running out of ideas!! Not much going on, after a really hectic week last week with 3 children's activities and an Open House, I am feeling rather 'flat'. After the initial feeling of euphoria that I was no longer marching (make that running) to keep up with deadlines I now feel a bit unfocussed. Always have been a 'work better to a deadline' kinda gal. Hey ho. Maybe I am just tired, my attempt to get back into my keepfit regime with a long walk on Sunday and an aquafit class yesterday left me exhausted when I woke up this morning. Hey ho. Anyhow, here's a couple of cards I made over the last week.

First an exploding handbag card for a  friend.





I was quite pleased with the way the bunting turned out but had a job writing anything in the card after I had put it all together!!

Just like the way this one turned out. The main image is from a tunnel card set I bought but I didn't like the way they went together - the folded card as it comes out of the envelope is most uninspiring. So I have been using the images as toppers. I love the gorjuss girls. Actually did use one of my 'touch of mica' stencils to emboss the background and I love the idea of frilling up these flower shapes I have with a punch - saw that on the Stampartic website.

In fact I see they have a monochrome challenge for November so I think I'll enter this card I just made. Can you see the Sue Wilson influence lol? I just love her OTT decoration and the layers of detail on her cards. But it just makes me want to buy more nestabilities!!

This is more what I have time for on a regular basis:

Must have been in a bit of a brown study the last couple of days!!  Ok, right now I am sitting in my workroom with all the Christmas papers and stamps out. Lovely. So, must make a start on those Crimbo cards, I have vowed I will not be doing them at the last minute this year. See ya!!

What's on Your Workdesk? Wednesday # 125

Well this week I am so early Julia's post isn't up yet, perhaps because it is only just past midnight!! But I am at work tomorrow, so will have no time to post in the morning. So what's on my workdesk this week.......

Nada. Nothing. Tidy though eh? Here's the thing, I have been in this room every waking moment the last few weeks making cards and bits for my MacMillan Open House on Monday (it went very well thank you for asking) and finally it got to me. The general untidiness, the fact I couldn't get the door open wide enough except to enter sideways, having to wrestle the Grand Calibur out of its totally unsuitable resting place..... so I had a tidying day today and it feels good.

Moving the furniture around and having a bit of a weed seems to have made a big difference. It has all gone back in better (I really didn't throw that much away) and I am going to get a different cabinet to store my papers and that will make more space because I can get rid of my big shelves. I can open the door as well!! Not completely, right back to the wall open but wide enough to walk in carrying something.  I also seem to have more workspace. The only thing is, this plastic box of WIPs is rather full, I am going to have to have a browse to see what is actually in there, I haven't dared so far.

What I did find when tidying up was lots of lovely art in a box marked 'filing' (?) and I wanted to get more of it on show. So I have made a little display shelf for myself. I have soooo many gorgeous ATCs hidden away I decided I should really make more of an effort to look at them. I had a few on this photo display 'thingy' but it was on a very high shelf so of course not only could I not see them properly but I haven't changed them in over a year. Hopefully these are nearer eye level so I will look at them every day. And just for fun and because I found them in the box there are a couple of halloween ones as well.

So busy nattering on about my day I forgot to say that WOYWW is a fun weekly bloghop run by Julia at Stamping Ground. So go and have a nosey and why not join in with whatever you have on your desk this week. Have a great Wednesday, I shall be spending the day with Horrid Henry. I'll bet there's no one else out there who can say that!!

A woman's right to ........SHOES!!!!

In the midst of this week's card making frenzy in anticipation of my Macmillan Coffee Morning tomorrow, my mojo suddenly rebelled and commanded me to have a go at making paper shoes (One never ever questions one's mojo, or it might just get up and go).

I had seen a tutorial after followed a link from my blogging buddy Astrid's site to the StampARTic blog. OMG what a gorgeous place, full of yummy projects including the Elegant Shoe Tutorial which is what I used as a base for my little creations.

Anyway, enough of my waffling, here are the pics. This is the first one I made, and I decided it would go to Astrid for her birthday. (Her photos of this are way better than mine the way - I just can't do photography. Hers are also all the right way up. I really must try and discover what it is I am doing that makes everything upload to blogger the wrong way round).

For this one I got all daring and altered the back and made a high heel. These photos are rubbish, it is so much prettier in real life. (PLEASE NOTE - although rubbish, these pictures are up the right way ?!?!??!)

Finally I tried out a flat shoe without a heel.

In case it isn't obvious, I made matching tags for all the shoes with a sort of shoe related saying on the back. The idea is to add little goodies such as ribbons, or maybe a little bag of charms, or a lavender sachet, a little pack of bath salts, even a gift card ....... whatever. They are kind of an extra special gift box. Or just something pretty to look at I guess. I had such fun making these and they really are not difficult, its just papercrafting so do have a go. Not sure where these last two will end up yet, but now I know what I'm doing I will probably have a shoe as one of the giveaways sometime next year.  Once again, sorry about the rubbish photos but I really don't have time to do them again, I need to shake a hoover round the house before tomorrow and bake a cake or two!!

One final link for you to look at because I was absolutely blown away by this (well I'm pretty much in awe of everything this lady does). Pop on over to see Laura at Artfully Musing, but in particular to see this glorious and very topical Witches Shoe. Awesome!! Happy Sunday all.

And we have a spooooooky winner!!!!

for the October giveaway. There were so few entries this month (and one was anonymous and so I would have no way of contacting them) that Mr Random Generator did not have to work very hard. In fact, he selected no 1, which is my dear cyber friend Georgina. I know she is a little bit nuts about halloween so I guess she'll appreciate it.

Well, haven't decided on the giveaway for November yet, possibly something Christmassy (gosh it hardly seems a year since the last christmassy thing was up for grabs!!). We had an early draw this month so I could get it off in the post before the big day (!) but next month's giveaway will be uploaded in the first week of November. Meanwhile I will carry on card making...... Do remember to come back and join in nearer the time!! Cindy x

More 'stuff' - quick show n tell

Here's my completed canvas. Did the drawing about 6 months ago and finally incorporated it into a canvas. Made this one for myself. It's upside down. Why I don't know. I've never had a picture upload the wrong way round before. Ooops! Well, just lean to  the left. Sigh. Life's too short to worry about these things. (Addendum: discovered that  if I save it on my pc skeewif it uploads the right way round - the things you have to do)

Despite the demise of my melt pot, did manage to do a bit of beeswax work. A few ATCs and a tag. Which I also can't get the right way up lol. But you get the idea.

Also found time to make this little hanging. Just a few ods and ends I had stamped/coloured made - seemed to go together. Couldn't find my nice 'believe' stamp though. Another thing that's gone down a black hole. (Keep losing my 'word' stamps. Think I forget to put them away because they are small.)

See ya soon.

Cindyx