Happy New Year !

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas ? It goes by so quickly but there is lots to look forward to in the new year and if you are anything like us you are still enjoying lots of sweet treats ! I have had a very serious discussion with several friends and we have decided that we will not give up the fairy lights in our kitchens and when the decorations come down they are staying !!!! After all what is good for Nigella is good for us !!!
No cards to show you today but a last little bit of Christmas ! I thought I would share with you my Christmas welcome wreath which decorates my front door. I make up my wreaths from dried roses and foliage from my garden and freshen them up regularly with new leaves and stems. I am know locally as " Wreath Lady " by my neighbours as I always have a seasonal wreath on my door and as you know I have quite a fondness for putting them on my Christmas cards , so it seemed appropriate !!!

Wishing you all a :

VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR !

I hope 2012 is a wonderful year for you and your loved ones !

All my very best wishes !

Hugs Jane x

Merry Christmas !

Hello to fellow bloggers and hoppers around the world ! This is my last post of the year and I want to wish you all a ;

VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I truly appreciate your lovely comments and the interest you take in my blog ! I look forward to sharing lots of new exciting projects with you in the new year.

Here are a few last cards for Christmas, I'm a little sad as they are my favourite cards to craft but I've lots of ideas for Valentines and birthday cards for the new year !

Lastly, I enjoyed a lovely afternoon with my friend Peg and she taught me how to make this gorgeous little mini book ( her fabulous craft blog is at www.pegcraftalot.com - so sorry I do not know how to do a link but this is to acknowledge that it is Peg's project ! ). It is actually a little handbag but I have turned it sidewards and added ribbon so it ties as a mini book/card. My gorgeous daughter Rosie will be the recipient of this !

That's all for now folks ! It just remains for me to send you blessings of the season and hope and peace in your heart. Have a wonderful day and don't for get the washing up rota so you don't have to do it !!!!

Until next year, 

Hugs Jane xxx

Lots of Last Minute Christmas Cards !

Hello, long time no posting !!!
It always amazes me at this time of year how the big day suddenly creeps up on you and the days go fast !!! I absolutely relish Christmas and I enjoy everything except the wrapping which I never leave enough time to do really well. I have all these plans for hand stamped paper and co-ordinating tags and I always run out of time ! This Christmas is no exception and I still haven't wrapped a thing !!!
I have made some last minute cards though and thought I would share them with you as my second to last Christmas post of the year. They are all really simple and I made all these and some, in about two hours. Some have already been sent out to my lovely crafting friends; just hope they get there on time !

The idea of this post is to show you some last minute ideas; sometimes it's nice to check out craft blogs for inspiration if you are feeling a bit stuck or your brain is overloaded with food lists or making up the spare room for Christmas guests ! 

Supplies from Stampin' Up used in these cards are as follows:

Card stock: naturals ivory, very vanilla and real red.

Inks: real red, cherry cobbler, riding hood red, old olive, lucky limeade, sahara sand and crumb cake.

Embossing folders: vintage wallpaper

Stamp sets: Sincere Salutations, Pines and Poinsettias, Lovely as a Tree, Winter Post, Delicate Doilies and Bella Toile ( retired ).

If I am very organised, I will post again before the big day ! In the meantime, enjoy all your Christmas preparations and all the other lovely things we are blessed with at this very special time of year. We don't have a wider family, so spend Christmas day just the three of us and it's lovely , but we do get to see our wonderful friends around the holiday period and it's so nice to enjoy their company and share  yummy food and drink. I am  always a little sad when the tree comes down along with all the pretty twinklies and my beloved fairy lights !!! But that's not for a while so lots to enjoy still !!

Enjoy the season !

Hugs Jane x

Christmas Banner !

Hello ! Gosh, it's rather windy here today but thankfully we don't have snow !!! My sweet daughter's uni course requires her to work outside so she has gone today with multiple layers and a funny hat just in case !!! In contrast she will look gorgeous tonight as she has the uni Christmas Masquerade Ball to attend all dressed in sumptuous purple velvet !
I have a banner for you today made very simply from the lovely petal cone die using naturals ivory card. The stamp set " Letter It " was used to make the sentiment - BELIEVE - and this was stamped in crumb cake ink.

This die is so versatile but it helps you make a very quick banner or pennant and I made up some rosettes from the first edition speciality DSP and layered these up with punched scalloped circles in gold card and some stamped and embossed " Delicate Doilies ".

  

The light is not good today for taking photos and a banner is tricky to photograph so I popped it onto the fireplace in an attempt to show you the project ! The gold ribbon is taped to the underside of the flap using double sided tape; this lends itself well to this design and you get a really neat back to your banner too. I spaced the pennants 3cm apart.

Here is a close up, this time taken on the floor in daylight ! I have added some bling and glitter to make it shimmer and glued a strip of lace made using the eyelet border punch (my favourite !) I've just realised that the letters I have photographed spell a fib ! LOL ! Funny how you never notice these things when you take your photos ! Note to self - wear your glasses when taking photos for your blog !

This final photo gives a more honest representation of the true colours !

This is quite quick to make if you have the petal cone die but  all the components could be hand cut for a similar effect !

I'll be making versions of this with my lovely ladies next Tuesday; though we plan to scoff mince pies and mulled cider too !!!

Thank you so much for stopping by to visit; if you have any questions about any of the projects shown please do contact me via the link on my profile above.

In the meantime - Happy Crafting !!!

Hugs Jane x