New Year

Very best wishes to everyone for a happy, peaceful and healthy New Year.

My first card for 2011 is a shelf card made using My Craft Studio Klever Konstruction CDs - actually it was started last year but completed this morning once the glitter and glue had dried. There are some really pretty designes on the discs and it was difficult to select which one to make first;  I also found it a bit on the fiddly side and it doesn't stand quite as well as I thought but I would print  out onto heavier card another time which I'm sure would solve that little problem.  I'm suffering crafting withdrawl symptoms due to the cold weather and the normal festive season 'stuff' but hopefully now the temperature has gone up to more normal winter levels I should soon get back into the swing of things (after some long overdue tidying up of my workspace).  I don't really 'do' resolutions but if I did it would have to be to put everything away as I go along and possibly not to hoard so many bits and pieces of card and paper which I can't bear to throw away.

Very Best Wishes for Christmas

Good morning and the best of wishes for Christmas and the New Year to anyone who reads my blog - very many thanks for all of your encouraging comments throughout the year.  I'm hoping to get back to my regular blogging once this very cold snap has passed as my craft room is somewhat chilly and I've not been spending as much time in there as I would like.  Stay safe and warm 'see' you all again soon.  This is my last Christmas card for a while until the ladies at Bah Humbug start up their wonderful challenge again in  January - do watch out for it because if you take part you will have a good selection of cards ready for next Christmas with no last minute rush. 

Silver Tree

Another very cold day here and quite dark this morning with more snow forecast - ugh!!  A Christmas card today made using a free embossing folder from Papermania with some background paper from the same company and a snowflake cut using a Spellbinders die. The embossing was done on silver mirri card and then sanded off to show the white core but the scan is showing it as blue although it is actually a monochrome card.

Parchment Christmas Tree

Well we've had another fall of snow overnight here in the south west and although it looks pretty at the moment it is causing major disruption at this busy time of the year.  I'm staying firmly indoors as there is no necessity for me to be out and about so best leave the roads to those who really MUST go out.  My friend Anne has received the parchment card I sent her so it is OK to post it here now.  I'm so glad I posted my cards off in good time  otherwise lots of folks would probably not have received one in time this year. Glitter backing paper and jewelled brads are from Papermania and the snowflakes made with an X-cut punch.

Quirky New Home

I just love Polkadoodle images and recently bought a set of stamps with quirky buildings on them.  This one has been made into a new home card; background paper is from my stash; image coloured with Copics; computer sentiment on SU punched shapes, swirls were from a Marianne die with flowers from my stash.  Afraid I've not been posting regularly - trouble with the weather, seasonal jobs to do and so on all getting in the way of crafting.  Roll on the New year.

Cheery Sunflowers

I came across these die cut sunflowers by Papermania when I was searching for something else in my stash and thought they would make a nice cheerful card for these dark days although actually today the sun is shining in a pale blue sky - still quite chilly though. Background paper is My Minds Eye and flowers were layered up using Pinflair glue gel.  Punched corners using SU and EK success punches and a Spellbinders border strip.

Parchment Bookmark

The recent very cold weather has had me searching for crafty things to do on a lap tray in front of the fire instead of spending so much time in my chilly craftroom with the health and safety issue of tripping over strategically placed fan heaters.  I realised that I'd not done any parchment craft for absolutely ages so spent a quiet time looking through some of my magazines and  old newsletters from Parchment Express which is where I came across the pattern for this clever corner bookmark designed by Pauline Loweth.  I'd forgotten how small the holes are in the fine perforating grid and this is far from perfect but I thoughd I'd show you anyway - and I will keep practising to improve my technique.  I popped the corner over a piece of card to scan it and it is like a large photo corner and handy for keeping your place when reading a book.