Better Late Than Never ...

Hello Everyone - I'm sorry I haven't been around much over the last few weeks - time has just flown by! I hope you've had a wonderful Christmas and I wish you all a very Happy New Year!

We've had a good Christmas - fairly quiet and stress free (well stress free once Santa had delivered his presents (LOL!), just a lovely family time! We managed to get the Wii set up and working on Christmas Day, which really pleased hubby and son, and I set up the puppet theatre for my daughter to play in.

Anyway, better late than never, I am showing the cards and presents I made for teachers this year. I used the Crafters Companion Popcorn Christmas CD to make the cards and boxes - and then we made shortbread cookies and cranberry and white chocolate chip cookies. This wasn't my original idea - I was going to make little boxes to put pocket tissues in, but my son thought that was a really naff idea!!!

That's it from me for now - I'm going to start making a photo calendar for my husband's parents - just didn't manage to get it done in time for their Christmas present - so, hopefully, it will be finished ready for a New Year present!

I do hope to be around again soon.

Love, Andrea xx

Sketch Saturday - Matching Cards and Pressies

Happy Wednesday everyone.

Two of my daughter's classmates had a joint birthday party yesterday, so I made matching cards and pressies for them both. Only thing is, I used the same wrapping paper for both presents, and wrapped them at the same time, and then forgot which was which - der!!! I did apologise to the Mums in case I got them wrong!!

For the cards, I followed the sketch on this week's Sketch Saturday Challenge. I rotated the sketch to fit the image, which is Queen Charlotte from Whiff of Joy, coloured with watercolour paints and pencils. After stamping Charlotte, I masked her and then stamped a present, so that she had something to sit on. I printed the sentiments on the computer. The pink papers are Kay and Co, and the lilac ones were from Lakeland. The gems are dew drops - maybe they're a bit big for the cards really!

And I decided to make matching photo hangers as part of the presents - can you see now why I panicked a bit when I couldn't remember which was which after wrapping?!!!



Well, I hope you like what I've shown today - I was pleased with them and I hope the girls like them!

I hope I don't have to make any more birthday cards for a while - I must get on with Christmas cards - I thought I was doing well, but I'm not - gonna have to end up buying some cards to give I think!

Hope to see you again soon.

Love, Andrea xx

Snips, Snails & Puppy Dog Tails!

Hello Everyone

Happy Tuesday to you all. I have been busy crafting for a few days - making cards and pressies for my daughter to give to some of her classmates for their birthdays. Who's allowed people to have birthdays just before Christmas when I should be making Christmas cards and pressies, and we've only got 24 days to get ready - scary, scary, scary (LOL!)

The first card I'm showing today is the card Eleri gave to a friend on Sunday. I am entering it in this week's Cute Card Thursday Challenge which is to make a card for a younger boy.


I have used my Ollyfant Autumn 2 set of stamps again, this time the boy - I masked him and then stamped the leaves and toadstool (which is hidden behind the puppy!) - and the puppy has been stuck on with a little spring, so you can bounce him about a bit to make him look like he is juming up! When I've seen the photo, I'm not so happy with my colouring, and I wasn't too sure about the faux buttons, but I didn't have time to be too fussy!! Just before putting the card in it's envelope, I decided to add some faux stitching around the image, which made the card look more finished (but my camera's battery had died so I didn't have time to photograph it again!!). Does anyone else do that - think a card is finished - and then at the last minute, decide to add something else???

Ooohh I nearly forgot!! I used the sketch over on Friday Sketchers this week, so I'm entering this card in that challenge too.

I'm sitting here having a major panic - as I've just realised I have a new baby card commissioned, I wanted to make some jewellery for Christmas presents, and I haven't even started to make the usual photo calendar for my husband's Mum and Dad - crikey, where is the time going - I've also still got lots of presents to buy - now breeeaaaathe!!

Eleri has another joint party to go to after school today, and I'm hoping to post the cards and pressies I made to show you later today or tomorrow, so see you soon!!

Sorry about the long post - I've blabbed a bit!!!!

Love, Andrea xx

It's Just Too Windy For Brollies!!

Well, that's the end of my week off - back to work tomorrow - and I haven't done a quarter of what I intended to do! But at least I've started my Christmas Shopping, and got a plan for the Christmas cards I'll need to post out - just got to get stuck in to making them. Trouble is, my daughter has been invited to two birthday parties next week (one is a joint party), so I have three birthday cards and presents to make now!

Now, onto the cards I want to show today. I decided to use the same stamp set and idea for my other November birthday cards as I showed in my last post - Ollyfant Autumn 2 stamps, and fly away umbrellas on penny sliders - I'm loving putting moving elements on my cards at the moment, but I'm running out of pennies (LOL!)

This first card is the card I made for my goddaughter - she was 20 this week - crikey, that makes me feel old - I remember holding her as a baby!!

My second card is the one I have made for my mother-in-law. I've used a pin for the first time on a card, and added a bead to it - I'm quite pleased with how it turned out, and I hope MIL likes her card!

Well, that's it from me for today - I'm going to hoover upstairs before going to collect hubby from work - I'm being kind today and not making him walk in the rain!!

See you soon!

Love, Andrea xx

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge #58

Hello folks - Happy Monday - but what dreadful weather we're having here in Wales!
Hip hip hooray though, I have the week off!!! Just a quickie post before going off to dye my hair, and then plan a few Christmas cards!

This is the second of a small batch of November birthday cards I need to make - I am going to enter it in this week's Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge which is Four Seasons. I have chosen to make an Autumn card. I have used an Ollyfant stamp (Autumn 2, which includes a boy, girl, umbrella, dog, hedgehog and a mushroom - what a fantastic deal!). The poor girl looks so windswept, and her umbrella is blowing away in the wind (another penny slider) - I was so pleased with the way this worked! I thought the background paper looked as though it was a bit 'blowy' too!



I made the charm using a HOTP sentiment stamp, and added some glossy accents and seed beeds to it, and also glossed her boots. Her coat and the umbrella were paper pieced - I was going to add glossy accents to them too, but I was afraid to in case the paper curled up - one to try when I have more time if something goes wrong (not for a last minute card!!).

Well, that's it from me for now - may be back later!

Love, Andrea xx

Charisma Cardz Challenge #45 and Cute Card Thursday Challenge #86

Well, hello everyone - hope you are having a fantastic weekend! Sorry I haven't been around for a while - I just seem to have lost my mojo at the moment - but I have had to get my act together to make some birthday cards.

This is the first one I have made. I am going to enter it in this week's Charisma Cardz Challenge - Merry and Bright, but I'll understand if my entry can't be counted towards the prize cos it's not a Christmas card. My take on the challenge is to use bright colours, and have the girl merrily cartwheeling across the card! I do love the way these penny sliders work, and they are so easy to make!

I'm also going to enter it in this week's Cute Card Thursday Challenge, which is Glitter Me Silly - I have glittered the papers for the number and the slider, and the flower is also glittered. The girl has been painted with pearlescent paints.

Ingredients:

Pink Card, Ribbon, Butterfly Charm, Glitered Flower all from my stash
Patterned Paper - Kay & Co Sparkly Sweet, glittered with Crafters Companion Spray and Sparkle Gold
Stamp - Upside Down from Diane Duda for Sugar Nellie Stamps

Damn!! I just realised I forgot to change the month on my watermark on my photo - but I have only just made the card, I promise!!

Well, I hope you like my card. I'm hoping that this is the start of finding my mojo again because I'm hoping to get some Christmas cards made this week! I have a week off work (yaayy!!), with the intention of making some cards and buying (or maybe making) some presents.

Hope to see you again soon!

Love, Andrea xx

Hooray! A Card To Show...

Well hello and Happy Sunday - I hope you are all having a great weekend! They fly by much too quickly for me!

I have at last managed to finish a card that I can show you. This card is for my brother who is 40 tomorrow. I like making this style of card for special number birthdays - as the numbers fit perfectly on the back panel. I have used Sports George from Dottie Downloads, but I made him a bit too small I think, and I used the wrong red for his shirt, but it doesn't look too bad does it?? I've decoupaged George up a little bit. The papers I've used for the numbers and the strips are Basic Grey Cupcake.

Anyway, I hope my brother likes his card! I'd best go now 'cos hubby's just gone to work and I should be getting on with the housework (yeuk!!) before visiting grandparents this afternoon.

Hope to see you again soon.

Love, Andrea xx