& A Happy New Year

I wanted to share what I think will be my last LO for the year...I finally cleared up my craft table & did a quick tidy up of my craft room (found a couple of interesting things as well LOL). It`s been hard to get motivated to do anything crafty with both DD & DH home all day, it`s just too easy to go out all day, or sit & watch DVDs LOL. If anyone out there in cyberworld is a bigger fan of the new Doctor Who series, put your hand up now & go play with your inflatable cyberman... DD & I have been playing the DVDs at any chance I get (Thank you Santa! :) David Tennant has been a great Doctor, & I`ll be sad to see him go next year; BTW, if you ARE a fan, the ABC will have the Christmas Special on January 25th, so save the date!

Anyway, getting back to the LO, DD turned 11 yo. & I wanted to do the LO b4 she turns 12 (& don`t laugh, I only scrapped the photos from her 10th B`day a couple of months ago : O So here it is, using DCWV pps, ribbons, flowers (the lovely chocolate brown velvet flower with the silver center is from a CI pack courtesy of Victoria at SBT50, thanks V) There is a second page to this LO, & here it is....

P.S. DD wanted to make sure I mention that the plate of cupcakes was to be shared, not just for her, & I that she`s wearing her PJs (the purple top) so excuse her dress sense... (Now you all know WHY the "Birthday Diva" title LOL)

Before I forget, I`d like to thank you all for taking the time to visit my blog, & whether you leave me a comment or not, I`m still grateful for your visit :) I hope you all have a beautiful, happy & safe New Year, & if you have any traditions that you follow, don`t forget to document them...Mum always made us eat lentils as our first meal for the new year, & we also had to walk around the outside of our house (I still don`t know why LOL) I just remember how much fun it was...So Happy New Year, & my best wishes for you & yours :)

Merry Christmas

I hope you all got what you needed from Santa (like the song says, "You can`t always get what you want" LOL) I know I did ; ) I`ve been very busy spending time with family, eating way too much, & not doing anything remotely creative...it`s hard to be creative when my craft table is buried under left-over Christmas wrapping & bits of ribbon LOL. I will tidy up tonight & I hope to have something to show for it tomorrow, but in the meantime, I`d like to thank Victoria from SBT50 for a lovely parcel that I received on the 24th just for being a newsletter subscriber (how generous is she?!) If you visit the site (just click on the link) & have a look in the home page, there`s lots happening, & don`t forget to visit the gallery as well, you`re sure to be inspired :) Thank you for your visit & I wish you all a very Happy & Safe New Year/ FELIZ AÑO NUEVO (I hope the Spanish speaking girls appreciate the thought, it took me FOREVER to work out how to insert the "Ñ" LOL. But now I know so look out :)

As Promised...

Here is the card I meant to upload last night, only I got talked into watching a DVD instead LOL, it`s challenge # 2 in the 12 Days of Christmas competition over at SBT50, & it was a colour challenge. We were only allowed to use the colours pink, lime green, & chocolate, & had a choise of either a LO or a card...I went with the card, but I really liked the combination of colours so I`ll be using it on a LO as well (it`s in my To Do list)

& for all the crafters out there hoping for a visit from Santa...I have a poem for you (originally sent to me by Mary W. a member in one of my yahoo groups), & we don`t know who wrote it...but I thought it was funny & wanted to share, so here it is.

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Twas the night before Christmas, I'm glued to the tree.

I'm wondering what Santa has brought just for me.

Could it be cardstock or chipboard or lace?

Or a Cricut, I said, with a smile on my face.

And that's when I heard him."Hi Santa, " I said.

"You know....good little girlsshould be in their beds."

"I know I should Santa,and now I've got caught.

But I was just so excitedTo see what you brought."

"Well, let's take a look in this room where you work.

He shook his head quickly,And left with a jerk.

I heard him exclaim as he put it in gear.

"You've got enough crap,I'll see you next year"

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Before I forget, earlier in the week I received a lovely Christmas card from a cyber friend & tried scanning it, but it`s hard to see all the detail, so I`ll just link back to her blog, where she has a couple of great photos of it...but I tell you, this card IRL is just BEAUTIFUL, thank you so much Lyn : )

Now back to tidying my craft area, so Santa doesn`t get a shock!!!

A Blog? Never!

That`s the title for an LO I completed last night...I was going to start this post by apologizing for being MIA, but I think we are probably ALL in the same boat, so to speak, what with Christmas just a few days away & all LOL, so instead I`ll share my entry into the "12 Days of Christmas" competition happenning over at my favourite forum, SBT50. If you`d like to take part, have a look here for details.
The challenge was to scrap something that had happened to you during the year, (& the only embellishments allowed were die-cuts & stickers), & although I had lots of different things to scrap, the one that really stood out for me was the fact that I started my own blog... This world just keeps getting smaller & smaller, don`t you just love technology? So to all of you who visit & take the time to comment, I`m eternally grateful, & to those of you who just lurk, I hope you also enjoy visiting...(I know there`s not always enough time to comment, & I`ve been known to stalk a few blogs too LOL) I`ll be back later with another card, but I have to make it first :) Have a great day & thanks for stopping by.

Darkroom Door Christmas Competition Part 3

I needed a tag for a Christmas present...& I thought I`d make one using DRD`s Christmas set. Very simple to make, I stamped one of the reindeer images onto plain white cs using Adirondak Wild Plum ink, then carefully cut a straight edge around image leaving the hooves sticking out a bit (very technical, I know LOL) then using the Fiskar`s punch, I centered the tag & punched out the edge. I then used the plum ink to ink the edges of the tag. The "To"&"From"are hand-written, edged with the same ink & stuck on using ds foam tape. I then added the ribbon, & there you are, a very easy & elegant (even if I say so myself LOL)Christmas tag...

BTW, Rachel`s being extra generous & if you go & leave a comment you`ll be entered into a competition to win your choice of stamps...just for commenting!!! How good is that :) Have a look HERE, but hurry, you`ve only got until 7am Sunday 14th December...Best of luck :)

Darkroom Door Christmas Competition Part 2

My second project for this competition is an ATC. I did the background by painting a thin wash of acrylic paints onto watercolour paper, & after leaving it overnight to dry, I stuck that to cs. I then used some Versamark ink & the "Believe, Faith, Hope..." stamp from the Darkroom Door Christmas set to stamp my background, using some Pearlex powder to give it a lovely (but hard to see in the photo) shimmery look. I added some lace, & I got to use the Pink Paislee Pixee Stix in Berry Blue (thanks to Marie, again LOL) which is meant to be glitter, but which looks more like coloured sugar, & it made me think of cocktails LOL (I used to help mum dip the glasses into lemon juice, & then into a bowl of sugar in readiness for parties, many moons ago) I then stamped the reindeer & the word Joy using Stazon ink (Royal Purple), trimmed them both & stuck them in place using ds foam tape, & added some KG for the finishing touch. I`m really happy with how this ATC turned out, & I`m glad I didn`t trim the deer image as I had initially planned LOL.

Darkroom Door Christmas Competition

I hadn`t had a chance to play with these beautiful Christmas stamps until yesterday, & I got 3 projects done. For the first one, I started with a plain white base card which I sprayed with sunflower Glimmer Mist (a gift from Marie) & then I used my Fiskars` edge punch(also a gift from Marie) to give it a scalloped edge, I then used the "Believe, Faith, Hope " stamp & MarvyMatchables ink (Brilliant yellow) to stamp the b`ground, inking the edges with Adirondak Rust ink. Using the yellow ink, I then stamped & clear-embossed the reindeer, cutting it & adding some beads treaded through some wire. I stuck down a piece of silk fabric (it has a texture like burlap, but being silk it`s not as bulky) onto my prepared card front, & added the reindeer image. I also stamped & clear-embossed the word Peace, cutting it & layering over a piece of hand-made paper which I had stuck down to a piece of chipboard. I stamped & clear-embossed the Christmas postmark, & rubbed some brown ink over the top. Lastly , I added the fibres for a colourful finishing touch. I`ll be back later to show the other 2 projects...Thanks for visiting :)

Another Christmas Card

Here`s my entry to this month`s Scallops theme over at Inkurable Stampers. I got to use a couple of the beautiful images from the Christmas plates of UM stamps I won last month courtesy of PaperForest Designs (& Inkurable Stampers, of course LOL) My photo came out a bit dark, but when I tried to scan, it was a bit too bright LOL, so you`re stuck with the photo : )
I`ve used the girl image from the "Christmas 2" plate from PFD, & the "Merry Christmas" is from the "Christmas 1" plate. I stamped both using Adirondak "Cabin Fever" (a mix of inks in the one pad) & covered the images with clear EP. I cut & distressed the edges, & inked with same ink. I used a white card inked around the edges with Encore ink as my base, & used a piece of DCWV metallic cs trimmed with the Fiskars Treading Water punch (love it to bits, thank you Marie), layering my image using foam tape. I added the heart brads (originally gold, but coloured with my trusty brown Sharpie) before sticking it all down, & for the finishing touch, I added some metallic embroidery floss. I still have a couple more Christmas cards to do, & I really liked how this one turned out, so I might just use the same design, but use one of the angel images instead...I also received my order yesterday from TheStampingQueen, with the new Somerset Studio magazine (which I still haven`t had a chance to read!) & they kindly added some lovely pps in with my order, so I`ll be using them shortly (thanks Barb & Ray) Now I just need to ask Santa for Time, LOL...I hope you`re all organized for Christmas...I`ll be doing the wrapping tonight, wish me luck :)

Photobooth ATC Swap

Another great swap I took part in was hosted by Rachel G, over at the Darkroom Door blog, using the gorgeous photobooth images. Top row, first one was made by yours truly, next up is Marie S, & then Rachel`s own creation. Middle row we have Rhiannon R, Shern F, & Sarah S. & in the bottom row we have Gloria, followed by Lorri Lennox, & if you tilt your head sideways (sorry about that, forgot to check the scan b4 uploading) you`ll see Barb`s lovely creation...Thank you Rachel for hosting such a great swap, & thank you to all the wonderfully creative ladies who took part. This is my last swap for the year, & to date my collection has 198 little pieces of gorgeous ART...& I`ve got to say whenever I look through my collection, they never fail to brighten my day, & are always a great source of inspiration... I hope your collection is also looking great :) B4N, & don`t forget to do something creative every day...

Better Late Than Never...

A while back I took part in a Tim Holtz stamps ATCs swap hosted by Sarah over at Inkurable Stampers, & although I received my returns about 4 weeks ago, I got side-tracked (nothing new there! ) & forgot to show off the lovely creations...so here they are, & if you`d like to see ALL the ATCs from everyone who took part, just have a look here Top row, first up is mine, followed by Teresa A, & then Gail S. Middle row first up is Katrina T, next is Rachel G, & Sarah F. & in the bottom row we have Damaris M, Nicole de H, & Sarah S...Don`t they look great :) Thank you Sarah for hosting, & thank you to all the ladies who took part. BTW, if you click on the image you`ll get a closer view :) Thank you for stopping by, & have a fantastically creative day.

A Quick Share

I got to play with my brand-spanking-new Fiskar`s punch yesterday, & I can see why it is soooo popular (thanks Marie) For the top card, I used the Glimmer Mist (sunflower, which was a gift from lovely Marie) sprayed onto a white base, I know it`s hard to see here, but it looks great IRL...& I used WRMK pp for the side trim. The stamped image is an Art Declassified UM which I got here

The second card is for my DD`s birthday...she loves these girls, & she loves pink, so I had to use them for her card. I stamped the girls, heat embossed the images, & then (masking the girls) I stamped the Hugs & Kisses (SeeDs) using Kaleidacolor ink (berry blaze)painted some cs with Twinks H2O, punched out the "corners" with the Treading Water punch (it took me a little while to work out how to do it) & then I took the scissors & cut the inside corners off...& stuck them in place. I used Collections cb tags, & cb numbers, & I coloured the girl`s dress using a paint brush & some Vivid ink...I hope she likes it : )

I also took delivery of some beautiful UM stamps yesterday, courtesy of PaperForesDesigns, but I wont get a chance to play this weekend, as we are having DDs birthday celebrations (sleep-over/swimming pool outing, cooking & games) so I`ll have to wait til monday to catch up on some stamping & creating...Have a great weekend, & see you all monday : )

New Toys

My postie was very kind to me yesterday. Marie, the lovely owner of Said Simply , & the blogs Pernickety & Artilicious, picked this card as the winner of a competition she ran a while back, & when asked which Fiskars punch I wanted, I said I`d love the treading water one...It took her a while to get (we all know how popular this punch is), but it finally came , & not only that, she also kindly included a beautiful "ladybug" bracelet for my DD who also took part in the competition. She also included some gorgeous bits & pieces (a bottle of Glimmermist, & a "Pink Paislee Pixie Stix"which looks a bit like coloured sugar granules...) Will have to have a play as soon as I get our Christmas decorations up :) Thank you so much Marie.

I also received my gift pack from Victoria, the new owner of SBT50. I won this for my stamped LO (part of the 8 weeks of Christmas challenges), & she must have read that I don`t normaly buy a lot of rub ons, because she included some great words & flower rubons as well as some beautiful velvety flower brads...Thank you ladies so much for your generosity. See, I`m proof that you`ve got to be in it to win it LOL.

Maybe have a go with this month`s theme over at Inkurable Stampers, & while you`re there have a look at Sarah`s "12 Days of Inspiration", or you could try a moo card, care of Marie at Artilicious. Either way, go forth & create something :)

Pheeeww!

I finished Sandie`s last card for her "12 Days of Christmas" challenge on Saturday morning, but I`ve only just had a chance to scan & upload today (Saturday night was my DHs office Christmas party at the Grand Hyatt in town)...I also took a couple of photos of ALL 12 cards together, all awaiting being written up & put into their respective envelopes. Thank you Sandie, my friend, thanks to you I`m on time this year LOL. The challenge for day # 12 was to use a photo of a couple of Doodlebug houses as inspiration (I focused on the buttons) so for my card I covered a triangular shaped piece of cb with green BB cs, added some buttons, some white gel pen, some KG, & the word Peace, in my own hand-writing. I used some gold ink for the background, & some foam tape for added dimention... & on another note, I had a lovely email waiting for me this morning from Sarah, owner of Inkurable Stampers, to let me know that I`d won a fabulous prize from PaperForestDesigns (I should stay away from the computer more often LOL) for my entry this month (using a bottle top), so a big thank you to Sarah for coming up with some great themes each month, & also for finding such generous sponsors...Anyway, I better get my Christmas cards done...B4N & thank you for stopping by :)