IT JUST HAD TO BE DONE!

Hi Everyone

Well the sun has been out and shining beautifully, the washing has been going outside to dry and the heating hasn't needed to be turned on at all .. .. .. how wonderful is that!

So with that "feel good" factor in the air what do I do?  Clean the windows?  Start some Spring cleaning?  No .. .. .. I make my first Christmas card for 2025! LOL!!

Some may say it is a bit too early .. .. but I need to start my Christmas stock box in readiness so I am not doing them last minute.  So it might be early, but I am only just in time for running over to the Christmas Kickstart Challenge where the theme is "Positively Poinsettias".

Not too many Poinsettia themed craft goodies here .. .. .. but I did have this little chappie .. .. .. 

This used:

Image:  Amanda Jane Designs "Poinsettia Penguin" (once again I am not able to link to him - as an individual image - he was part of a Christmas digital bundle that no longer seems to be available)

Sentiment:  A strip of printed cotton ribbon by Bertie's Bows

Backing Papers:  From my Christmas Snippets Box (but all originally from those never ending large paper pads they sell at The Works).

ProMarkers

Corner Rounding Punch

Diamond Stickles

Glossy Accents

My Trusty Sewing Machine

So that is my crafty fix for today before I head off to Mum.

I always take something crafty to do with me when I go .. .. just in case it turns out to be a day when Mum is doing a lot of sleeping .. .. so who knows.  There might be more crafting time once the chores are done, but then again, perhaps not.  It all depends which Mum I have today.  The very sleepy and out of it one .. .. or the social chatty one.  But at least I have a Mum .. .. .. and I count my blessings for that.

Enjoy your day whatever you are doing.

SNIPPETS PLAYGROUND CHALLENGE #501

Hi Everyone

I hope you all had a lovely weekend and got to see some beautiful sunshine.  

It wasn't "hot" sunshine here but still beautiful to see in a lovely clear blue sky!  Let's hope it is a sign of things to come.

A play in my craft pod yesterday created a card for Challenge #501 over in the Snippets Playground. This challenge encourages us to use up papers and card that have been leftover from other projects.

I started out with an image which I coloured with ProMarkers and then grabbed a wallet of snippet papers which I knew would work beautifully alongside. 

Whenever I purchase a set of digital papers I print off the ones that appeal to me the most, and once used I store any leftovers in their own labelled wallet ready for the next time I want to use them, knowing everything will match beautifully without needing to search through my large collection of random snippets.  Anything in these type of wallets in my craftroom started life as an A4 printed sheet. 

Below is my finished offering .. .. ..

This used:

Image: Amanda Jayne Designs (via Etsy) - Bee With Balloon
Design Papers:  Nitwits Collection "Beelightful"
Sentiment:  Computer Generated
ProMarkers
X-Cut Flower Die (very, very, very old)
X-Cut Corner Rounding Punch
Nail Heads
Crystal Glamour Dust
My Trusty Sewing Machine

Have a good week everyone.  

ACROSS THE MILES

Hi Everyone

I hope your week is off to a good start.

The weather is definitely very Autumnal here with the wind swirling a multitude of different coloured leaves all along the roads!  Not my most favourite season I must admit.  I love the colours but not the dark evenings or the thought of worrying winter weather looming.  

My share for today is a Christmas card which uses another of the cute images from the download I purchased on Friday .. .. .. I just knew this was the next character I "needed" to use.  I love the outfit so much that I would love a jumper just like it!  LOL!! 

This used:

Image and Sentiment:  Amanda Jayne Designs "Ultimate Christmas Bundle"

Backing Papers:  Buddly Craft - Kim MacFarlane - Silent Night Digi Papers
Memory Box Die:  Snowflake Heart
ProMarkers
Diamond Stickles

Glossy Accents

My Trusty Sewing Machine

I am trying really hard to make "at least" one card every day and will hopefully be here again tomorrow with a Teeny Tiny Tuesday creation.

But each card needs to be created alongside us working on what we are calling "project downsize" .. .. .. .. where we are sorting out our house ready for moving to pastures new.   Not an easy project!  We have lived here for 32 years and have accumulated far too much. We are all sold and have found our next nest .. .. .. but can't take everything with us! 

Various local charities are doing well out of us, and anything that we don't need which will help someone else is being passed along.  I just wish I could be given £1 for each time one or other of us has said "why on earth did we keep this?" LOL!!!

We have moved house a few times during our very happy marriage, and a couple of times the saying "new house, new baby" has turned out to be true .. .. .. but there is no chance of that anymore (unfortunately).  Those days are long gone.

Anyway, enjoy what is left of today and I hope the week is a good one for you.

HO HO HO!

Hi Everyone

Happy weekend!  I hope yours has got off to a good start.

After what has been a very busy week I decided I was going to treat myself today and spend as long as I possibly could in my little craft pod making Christmas cards.  I didn't manage as long as I would have liked .. .. .. but then I am never satisfied.  I always want to play longer.

It was as if fate decided that it was going to lend me a hand and treat me too, because out of the blue yesterday evening I got an email via Amanda Jayne Designs promoting a special offer on her Ultimate Christmas bundle .. .. .. a whole 130 Christmas characters and 50 Christmas sentiments for £15.00.

I already owned a handful of Amanda's images and knew how lovely they were to colour/work with so I decided to treat myself and hopefully speed up increasing my Christmas card collection in the process.

Oh my days!  I am now spoilt for choice on what to use .. .. .. so many lovely images to choose from, and all easily downloadable from just one file I received via MailBigFile. 

I made the mistake of going through the whole download straightaway last night just before bedtime (well it would be rude not to LOL!!) and filled myself with excitement at the thought of it helping me with my craft makes today.  I was even tempted not to bother going to bed .. .. but to start playing straight away .. .. but of course that would be silly!

Anyway .. .. .. .. here is my favourite make of the day.  I have also printed out lots more images and plan to take them with me when I go to spend time with Mum tomorrow.  Nine times out of ten she will have a snooze so I sit quietly colouring until she wakes up.  Then she likes to look at everything I have done!

This used:

Amanda Jayne Designs "Ultimate Christmas Bundle" for the image and sentiment
Christmas design pad from The Works
ProMarkers and Chalk for the rosy cheeks
X-Cut Corner Rounder Punch
Die Cut Snowflakes
Tag Die
Ribbon
Diamond Stickles

My Trusty Sewing Machine

Always keen to share something I feel is amazing with my crafty pals .. .. you can see the images in the collection here on Etsy .. .. .. but if you decide you "need" the collection too don't buy it from the Etsy site.  To get the super special offer (it ends at midnight tomorrow - Sunday 12th November) you need to send a payment of £15 via PayPal to stokesamanda@ymail.com adding a message saying "ultimate bundle" and the email address you want the bundle sending to.  The bundle comes via MailBigFile within 24 hours (but mine came through pretty much straightaway).

I haven't been asked to promote this offer .. .. I just wanted to share the amazing deal .. .. but I did check with  Amanda first to make sure it was OK to do so.

So that is me for today.  

Going back now to play with my download a little bit more before my day of crafty fun ends. 

Hope your day has been as much fun as mine.

JOLLY HOLLY CHRISTMAS

Hi Everyone

Happy Monday!

I hope your week has got off to a good start.

I am happy to report that my Christmas stash is still being put to good use and my favourite make of today is this little number which involved a bit of paper piecing.  A technique I really enjoy.

This used:

Image: Amanda Jayne Designs "Holly Penguin" Digital Stamp 
Sentiment:  Computer Generated
Backing Paper:  Dovecraft 12 x 12 Christmas Basics (very old)
ProMarkers
Corner Rounding Punch
Diamond Stickles
Glossy Accents
My Trusty Sewing Machine

Hope everyone has a good week.