Christmas greetings to everyone

Good morning Bloggers everywhere.

This greeting is for you wherever you are in the world.

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and that 2011 brings you health and happiness :o)

I created this virtual greeting using two of my favourite own photographs. You may have seen the trees a few times but this is the first showing for the robin photograph taken in my back garden on 29th November.

Background dots created by my great friend Pat :o)

Jackie xx

Baby cards

Good morning everyone, at last I have been able to leave some comments :o)

I was asked by a band member to make a baby card but she didn't know what sex the expected bundle is yet! I decided to make a few cards for her to choose from then the rest can go into my box :o)

I made a mixture of boy, girl and neutral so hopefully one will be suitable for her.

All main images are Koetie Cow from Nellie Snellen, I just love those little moo cows :o)

Other stamps are a mixture of Papermania and unknown.

Papers are from an FF CD and J&P.

All cutting/punching done using Martha Stewart punches, Nesties and Quikcutz dies :o)

Jackie xx

Apologies and good morning

Hi everyone, my apologies for not visiting your blogs, Blogger is being very unkind and not letting me comment at the moment. I will try again later!

Hugs, Jackie xx

Crafty Cardmakers 36 - First and latest or greatest 3rd entry

Yet another entry for Crafty Cardmakers 36 first and latest or greatest.

This was my very first stamp and I used pearlescent paints then cut out the image to mount onto the card.

This is one of my favourite stamped cards made earlier this year, this time I used Tim Holtz distressing inks :o)

Jackie xx

Crafty Cardmakers 36 - First and latest or greatest 2nd entry

This was my first ever punchart card, made in 2006, although I would hesitate to call it art LOL.

I am offering it, along with the one below, as my second entry into Crafty Cardmakers 36 first and latest or greatest.

This one is my latest punchart card made in September this year. I have since added a sentiment and gave it to a friend for her wedding anniversay.

There are so many more sophisticated tools for us to play with today :o)

Jackie xx

You have Wishcraft to thank for this..... + Crafty Cardmakers 36

.....utter rubbish LOL.

I cannot believe that I made these but unfortunately I did when I first started card making. Lisa wanted to see my first card and fortunately I haven't got a pic of those tentative efforts in 2005, this is my earliest photograph of anything made by me!

Even back then I was using my own photographs but to abysmal effect! I am hanging my head in shame and would never have inflicted them onto you all if Lisa hadn't begged me to! Lisa, you have a lot to answer for LOL.

I am glad I kept them though because looking back on them now shows me how I have developed since 2006, thank goodness!

Any how, abysmal or not, I am entering it into Crafty Cardmakers 36 mega Christmas challenge - first and latest or greatest along with this 2010 Christmas card using my favourite winter photograph which I took at Elvaston Castle Country Park. I thought I would like to show you how I can use my own photographs to better effect nowadays :o)

Jackie xx

Baubles baubles everywhere

Good morning Bloggers :o)

Yes, I finally succumbed and bought this stamp! I'm afraid I am one of those peeps who, as soon as everyone has a stamp, I don't want it so I didn't buy it last year!

Anyway, I finally caved in and bought it on Sunday and then had to go and play with it. These are the result, and I must say I am quite pleased with them :o)

I know I said I had done with Christmas for this year, and that is true, so these are to add to the ones I have already made for next year :o)

I stamped with versamark and heat embossed with Stampendous powders. All are matted onto mirri card and then mounted on linen card which I have folded and cut to 7x5. How simple they are to make :o)

Jackie xx

Did I say I had finished with Christmas stuff?

I must have been dreaming :o) I totally forgot I hadn't made the money/voucher wallets for my

Daughter Susan (Lakeland vouchers)

Grandson Ben (money)

and Greatgrandson Ryan. (money, he has too many toys from his Mum's very large family).

I did Granddaughter Sian's a couple of weeks ago.

Oh well, they are done now and as it's Sian's birthday 2 weeks after Christmas I had better get cracking on that one. She is soon to be 19 and always wants money :o)

Jackie xx

Just a photograph today

Good morning everyone :o)

No cards from me yet but I just took this photograph 5 minutes ago through my sitting room window. There are a few apples left rotting on next door's tree and the starlings are loving them :o)

I'm hoping to shut myself in the craftroom today. I have to try and get myself out of Christmas card mode and start making January birthday cards. I also have to make 3 baby cards, 1 boy, 1 girl and 1 neutral as the customer doesn't know what sex the baby is :o)

Jackie xx

Cards for next year

Yes, you did read it right, cards for Christmas 2011, can't seem to get myself out of Christmas card mode at the moment so I might as well do them while the mojo is there :o)

That goose in the previous post folks, I emailed Attenborough to ask what kind it was and it's just a common or garden domesticated one that's probably escaped from somewhere was the reply! Still, it got the old grey matter churned up and working for a

couple of days :o)

Back to my cards, all of them I made on my fab crafting day with friends on Tuesday. What a fab day that was too :o)

 As you can see they are very simple. They are all 6x6 and base card is Bazzill, pine branch is Hero Arts, sorry don't know about the sentiment and reindeer as they were my friend's stamps. I used Stampendous detail gold and silver embossing powder. Couldn't be much simpler :o)

Jackie xx

A few photographs

Good morning everyone. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr it's cold out there. We still have compacted snow, frozen solid on the road outside!

Anyhow, tomorrow I am off to Macclesfield for a crafting day with friends so I am leaving you with a few photographs to peruse. I went to Attenborough Nature reserve on Sunday 28th November and these are just a few of the pics I took.

If you've never been, it's well worth a visit if you live close enough. I am lucky, it's only about 8 miles from me :o)

The poor birds were slipping and sliding all over the place!

Imagine walking barefoot on that snow brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Does anyone know what kind of goose this is? It's a winter visitor but I don't know

where from!

I hope you all manage to keep warm

Jackie xx

No cards so here is my tree...

... with the baubles I made on it :o)

I managed, this morning, to finish addressing and stamping all of my Christmas cards including putting inserts in 5 of them. Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy, I have finally finished them but just in case I get any unexpected ones, I have some bought ones from last year :o)

Keep warm and safe

Jackie xx

Yet more Christmas cards

Good morning everyone. I was at our Dabblers fuddle lastnight which was very enjoyable except for the cold. The heating wasn't on and although we turned it on the hall never got warm so we celebrated and crafted in our many layers including top coats brrrrrr!

When we came out to go home there was a big surprise awaiting us. The snow was back and with a vengeance. It was 15 miles an hour for a lot of my way home!

More mini 4x4 cards. Used my robin pics again :o)

Red and gold card from stash, punches used were Woodware, Martha Stewart and Xcut. Noel cut on cricut, dies used were nesties and nellie Snellen.

They are all very simple cards again as I have to get them finished,

written out and posted :o)

Jackie xx

Elvaston Castle lunchtime today

I needed to get out for a while so took myself and my cameras off to Elvaston Castle around lunchtime. I was only there for half an hour or so and took about 50 pics, but these show roughly what it was like. Within that half hour it went from clear and fine to this near whiteout!

I gave up when my finger ends got so cold I couln't feel them and didn't want to drop the cameras!

Jackie xx

Second try

Good morning Bloggers, I hope it's a good morning for you wherever you are. I thought we'd escaped yat more snow with none overnight but no, it waited until this morning and now it's coming down again as if it means business!

I did it again! I uploaded to the wrong blog yesterday and didn't have time to get them on here! How much dafter can I get? I shudder to think LOL.

These are what I made Tuesday morning except for the large bauble card, all very quick and simple. Sizes vary from 3x4 up to 6x6 and a variety of materials/equipment was used including;

Cricut, Woodware, Martha Syewart and McGill punches, Sizzix and Nellie Snellen dies.

Papers from MME and J&P

Stamps from See D, Art Impressions, PB

Last but not least, my robin photographs :o)

Jackie xx

CFM 24 Christmas

Good morning all, I do hope you are not bogged down with the white stuff! We have had another 4 inches overnight and it's just about stopped now, hopefully for the last time (fingers crossed)

Anyhow, I digress. This is my first challenge card for a while, been too busy with other stuff like going out to work and preparing for Christmas! I actually managed to make 12 cards from mini to 6x6 yesterday, all very simple :o)

This is my effort for CFM 24 Christmas.

Base card is Bazzill, stamped with versamark and heat embossed with Stampendous Detail Gold. Snowflakes stamp from a See D's set which I've had for aeons.

Tag was cut on the Cricut using gold textured and red card from stash.

Added a scrap of ribbon also from stash :o)

Jackie xx

3 posts in one day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just had to share these with you, I took them this morning in my garden. Isn't he just so gorgeous :o)

Going off upstairs now to see if I can make a card with him :o)

Jackie xx

OMG I won................

.............. My bauble won over on the Winter Wonderland decoration challenge, what a great start to Sunday morning. It helps to make up a bit for the broken indicator lens (earlier post)  :o)

Jackie xx

No images yet today...

...but I am not a happy bunny! I went out to go to work yesterday afternoon and the compacted snow was like glass. I slid into the gatepost and crack went my indicator lens so that's going to cost me around £120 as it's a sealed unit :o(  Still, it could have been worse (I think)!

Oh well, no good crying over spilt milk, as they say. I am going upstiars and shutting myself in the craftroom to get some more cards made. Hopefully I won't be disturbed.

Stay warm and safe everyone :o)

Jackie xx

More danglies for my tree

Good morning all, has the snow reached you yet? It's reached Derby, it was there when I woke up this morning brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr 

Not had chance for cardmaking this week, been too busy making tree danglies :o)

The baubles all cut with new Sizzix die and the tags cut with Cricut.

I've just discovered that having mad 140 Christmas cards so far, I've neen selling them and now have a shortfall of about 25 for my own use so I have to pull out all the stops and get some more made quickly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jackie xx

Winter Wonderland - decoration

Good morning all, is the frost as thick where you are as it is here brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr?

This is my offering for the Winter Wonderland - decoration challenge

Front

Back

It's really very simple. All bits cut with my new Sizzix bauble die from gold mirri and green holographic card, then stuck together and the alternating colours popped with foam pads. I found some gold cord in my stash and split it because it was too thick. Methinks I will make some more of these for my tree :o)

Jackie xx

Craftycatz #59 get well soon.....

..... for our Aunty Sue.

Made this for the CraftyCatz challenge which is to make a get well card for Aunty Sue, who we have missed so much. We are soooooooooo looking forward to the day when Sue is well enough to come on and say hello to us {{{{{{{{{{gentle hugs Sue}}}}}}}}}}}

Plain white basecard covered with MME paper

Rhonna Farrar swirly stamps to make up the centre border, inked with

Brilliance lightning black

Xcut and Martha Stewart punches, Nellie Snellen die

SU sentiment stamp

Jackie xx

Crafting day part 2

Oh wow, what a day it was. There was just one reason why it couldn't be perfect and that was because Viv could not make it due to her hubby being ill, I do hope he is much better now. We missed you so much Viv, it's just not the same without you!

Other than Viv's absence the day was fantastic and we did manage a little bet of retail therapy although spending was kept down a bit because of Christmas being nearly upon us. I restrained my self very well and only bought 3 items, which I will show you tomorrow (work beckons today!) along with the 2 cards I managed to make.

I think we must all of us have put on at least half a stone in weight. I don't think we ever really stopped eating. Linda bought us some Spanish confections and Pauline made a wonderful carrot cake, all of which were added to the bacon butties and the meat and potato pie. Definitely no good for calorie counters :o)

Jackie xx

Crafting day

Good morning everyone, today is the day that I have been waiting for. It's my turn to play hostess this time for a crafting get together. We even have a friend popping in from Spain so I am looking forward to seeing you Linda, and then there will be Viv, Pam, Pauline, Diane, Brenda and Sandra so what a day we are going to have. What a shame that Issy can't be with us today, you'll be missed Issy.
We might even get a bit of retail therapy in too. My little house will be bursting at the seams but what the heck. I hope you all enjoy your Sunday as much as I am going to :o)

Jackie xx

Another blog award.....

..... this time form the lovely Carol If you have seen her blog do go and pay her a visit, she makes some beautiful projects :o)

Thank you so much Carol, I really appreciate you thinking of me :o

Now for the hard part! I have to think of 3 things about me that I haven't already used so here goes!

1     I used to be 5' 1 1/2" tall (or short) but I seem to have lost 1/2" somewhere over the years!

2     When I was 15 to 17 years old (way back in the dim and distant past) I worked in a fruiterer and florist shop and made wedding bouquets etc.

3     I am a qualified NVQ 2 Assessor in performing manufacturing operations

Now for the even harder part. I have to pass this award on to 5 bloggers and this is so difficult. How do you choos 5 out of so many? I have tried to pick peeps who I haven't passed awards on to before so here goes (gulp) in no particular order;

Mandy

Ikki

Gina

Mina

Dianne 

If you pop on over to their fab blogs you will see why they deserve this lovely award :o)

Jackie xx



Suprise pressie from Squirrel.....

..... if you are already a follower!

I have put the link at the top of my sidebar if you want to pop over there and leave a comment for the surpise candy :o)

Jackie xx

OLW # 28 5 colours

Good morning everyone, it's very white here again but I am comfortable with that now my car has had it's service and antifreeze topped up :o)

Now no to today's card which is for OLW 28 and had to have 5 colours.

I have used gold, red, purple, green and blue.

Materials used are;

White base card, cut and folded to 7x5

Dovecraft chalks for the background

Hampton Arts stamps and Marveys for the flowers/grass/geese

Petaluma tree stamp

Detail gold heat embossing powder

SU sentiment stamp

Jackie xx