HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Hi Everyone!
Are you sorted for Monday then?...or still rushing round doing all those last minute things on your list? Whatever...if you are reading this, then 'Thank You' for taking the time out to do so.

My last card (before Christmas anyway) is the one I made for hubby. Trial and error with the inking, I think my distress pads are drying up and even though I used Sheena's card I got blotches! Anyway managed to pick a suitable bit for the card and hubby likes it! Need to sort this inking lark once and for all next year!

The aperture was cut with a Spellbinders die and mounted on foam for depth. the sentiment as always from stash and I used some twinkling embossing powder...which I wish I hadn't now as it doesn't show up much....I would have been better with silver...sigh! My moon didn't work too well either!  A tiny punched snowflake and gem and hey ho...there we have it.The stamps are a mixture form my stash. Fairly happy with the card though maybe if I hadn't left it till the last minute I could have improved on it.

The photo is rubbish...sorry... as the light was terrible...it really sparkles as it was treated to my usual liberal dosing of Glamour Dust.

Right I am not going to hold up you busy people any longer.

I would like to say A big THANK YOU  to each and every one of you that visit's my blog....without you I would lose heart to blog at all. ,and especially THANK YOU to those of you who take the time to leave me such lovely comments and have become such great blogging friends...you are all truly appreciated...probably more than you realise.

I wish you all a Wonderful Christmas and a Healthy, Happy and Peaceful 2018 when it arrives.

Take care and have a great time
Crafty love and hugs
Carole xx

One week to blast off!

Well hello everyone. I do hope you are well and not too stressed out with all the Christmas preparations.

I won't keep you long as I know you are busy, but thought a Christmas card  would be appropriate.....here goes...three, all a variation on the same die...a Crafters Companion die which I love......

I am sure they speak for themselves.
Apologies if the photos are not brilliant but the light has not been good recently.

So we escaped the snow here in West Yorkshire thankfully, I hope it wasn't too bad where you are.

OK are you ready for Christmas? I just have the cake to ice and marzipan. it never gets cut on Christmas Day as everyone is full of dinner, so this year I have only made a small one as hubby and I end up eating it all...not good for the figure!!

I'll let you get on...do stop by later in the week though to see the card I made for hubby...and a mince pie and a tipple if you are lucky..lol! I'm off to tidy Christmas craft stuff away now till next year!...see to that cake and the usual mountain of ironing in threat from snow on the top it's so big!!!

Till then, thank you for popping by today, take care and see you soon.
Crafty Christmas hugs
Carole xx

Anniversary card, a Birthday and a tour!

Hello friends!.....can't believe it is Tuesday already! that's mainly due to the fact that hubby had along weekend so I am a day out now...4 short days instead of 5 to get everything done!

So how are we all? good I hope..... and to all my cyber friends over the pond...I hope you have recovered from a wonderful Thanksgiving?

Christmas is fast approaching now...the advent candle is in place....I did suggest burning it early and then telling everyone they had missed Christmas dinner, but hubby said no! I,m never done any earlier for Christmas..are you?.....because the more time free, I find something else to squeeze into the preparations...so this year it's take it steady and don't go overboard.

Just to fool you all while talking about Christmas..here is an Anniversary card!!

The die is an Intricut die from Hobbycraft...beautiful die and I re cut the birds in blue and overlaid them so they would stand out. The tiny heart is not part of the die, I just popped it there. I think the sentiment is Uniko (lost the piece of paper with all my details on...sorry). I put tiny pearls on the leaves where they are embossed using.........(brain whirring here )...oh I know....Viva pearl pen.
The rest speaks for itself.

Black Friday...I had a birthday! so it wasn't black Friday for me at all!! Hubby and I went to Burton Agnes Hall to see the hall all decorated by the owners ans and staff for Christmas. It was fantastic...such a lot of hard work. It was all done with using as much natural stuff from the estate as possible and a lot of the decorations were crafted in some form or another so it was a real treat. here's a couple of pics.......

Just look at those carvings round the walls and fireplace.....!

Sprayed hydrangea heads and origami butterflies...

A paper cut village....

paper flowers....

knitted snowmen family...

and pom pom flowers and paper lanterns.....

Are you still with me?...OK I can't count , there are 6 not 2 photos but I hope you enjoyed them. I could show you loads more but I wont keep you any longer and I have to go and crack on too.
next weekend is hubby's birthday....card to make...eeek!!!

Hope you all have a good week and achieve all you want to do. Saturday.... fingers crossed is our re-arranged meal and catch up with son and partner.

Thank you all for spending your precious time with me and for all the lovely comments you leave me and that I appreciate so very much. Without you all I would not be sat here doing this blog.

Take care my friends till next time I see you.
Big crafty hugs
Carole xx

Autumn Hedgehogs

Hello friends!
Well it's certainly turned colder here these last few days...the thicker duvet has gone on the bed...and hubby is in long sleeved shirts...lol...so I guess we can say it's almost winter.
 However the leaves are still clinging to the trees in some places and such lovely autumn colours too when the sun shines, so I thought I would post this card I made while it;'s still relevant to the season.......

The image is a digi image that I coloured with copics and the leaves down the side are the cut outs from my previous post, coloured with distress inks. The embossing folder is a Crafters Companion from one of Sara's Signature collections.
I hope the leaves from my cut outs qualify for snippets so I'm hopping over to the Playground with this card. I haven't been for a few weeks now and I am missing my playmates! If it doesn't qualify feel free Miss Di to ban me at the gates!

Thank you for popping in and for your lovely comments...as you know I am always thrilled to hear from you.

Hope you are all well...and stay that way...if not then please get better soon.Take care and have a good week.
Crafty hugs
Carole xx

Challenges entered :-

Pixie's Playground week 307/308......use snippets

Autumn leaves

Hello friends.

A quick post today with an Autumn leaf theme..........

I die cut the leaves into a panel of linen textured card which was then raised on foam pads over the card base and a background painted with starlight paints.....love the sparkle on these.The outlines were edged with a fine liner pen as it just needed something more, and the sentiment stamp was from stash.

So there we have it..less time to write about than make!

The leaves here are very wet and soggy today....no sunshine and sparkling colours in them.

Thank you for popping in and your kind comments. Incidentally the catch up meal with eldest son didn't happen as Becky his partner was poorly.....postponed till next month...eek...nearly Christmas!

Hope you all had a good and safe bonfire weekend and that your week is going well.

TTFN

Hugs

Carole xx

recycling and stamping

Good morning friends.
So NOVEMBER! how did we get here? and so quickly!!
 I hope your weekend has got off to a good start and you have something nice planned.....maybe a bonfire party and a few fireworks, of maybe a cosy night in after a busy day shopping...or in the crafty zone?
For us it's a nice meal out with my eldest son and partner... a good chat and catch up as they lead such busy lives, we don't get together often enough.

On to my card...
It's another bit of recycling/up-cycling  and a bit of stamping too.
Do you remember the robin card here I shared with you? Well I cut them with the outer die from the frame of three which left me with the aperture in this card...... and then I made an inky background, stamped my trees in Smokey Grey Versafine, and added the proverbial glamour dust! popped it behind the aperture...another card for the stash!

and a close up to show the sparkle....

I tried to do my background with brushes and distress inks...not very successfully I have to say...definitely need more practice with the brushes.

I still haven't found the time to play with my new oxides.....no space on my desk to get them out either! I am so cluttered at the moment...the floor is covered, I keep falling over things and all my Christmas stash is on the guest bed in the spare room...good job no-one is coming to stay! I just have not got enough space!!!!!! A big sort out is looming in the New Year I think. I seem to find it so hard to part with things, even the smallest snippet of card, but I feel my clutter is holding me back...feng shui and all that.

Thank you for popping in,please do leave me a comment so I know you have been...I love to read them.....I know my creations are not mind blowing but at least I am using up some stuff...a small indent in the huge pile....doesn't make me anymore space though!

Enjoy your weekend and take care with those fireworks please.
Crafty hugs
Carole xx

Blue Poppy

Hello again everyone!
Hope you are all well and looking forward to the weekend.

Here is a quick Sympathy card that I made. Unfortunately needs must sometimes even though they are not our most popular type of card to make.

I went with the ever popular Memory Box Poppy die and great deliberation on the colour. Should I use black as it was going to a male recipient?  or red? ....in the end I plumped for a subdued shade of blue...a little less harsh but not girlie.

I used the negative of the die on a linen card and layered on the blue background and kept it as flat as possible but felt it needed the pearls just to finish it . The sentiment was from stash.. I thought I would have loads of 'Thinking of you' sentiments but when it came to it...a choice of two! Bit like never having that right colour ribbon...you know what I mean.

Thank you for all the lovely comments you leave me, I love to read them all and I value your virtual friendship so much, and the time you take in your busy schedules to stop by my blog and read my ramblings.

Have a great weekend all of you...fingers crossed that the weather will stay bright and if you are in the UK ...enjoy the extra hour ...YES don't forget to put your clocks back.

Till next time
Crafty hugs and Happy Halloween to all who celebrate it...stay safe!
Carole xx