HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE

Hi Everyone

I am ashamed to say I haven't been in blog land very much this week - life has been very hectic - as I am sure yours has too. Preparing for Christmas takes a lot of doing - but I love it!!!

Firstly I would like to share a Christmas card which is to wish everyone a very happy Christmas.

Anyone who calls by - this is for you with my love and thanks for being great blog buddies.

Whatever you are doing this Christmas I hope you have fun.

Today is Christmas Eve (probably my favourite day of Christmas as I love the excitement) and the hectic life has meant a world first for me!! I do not need to wrap any presents this evening and I do not have to go out delivering - all done and dusted.

This means I can spend the whole day in the kitchen cooking lovely Christmas goodies. I love the smell of mince pies cooking!!

Have a brilliant time everyone.

Christmas love and hugs to everyone.

Jules xxxxx

PHEW !!

Well how is it all going?

Is everyone on track for the one day of the year that sends us all into a frenzy??

Today is the last posting day for 1st class post so perhaps like me you spent yesterday writing up all your cards - and searching for that one address that you just can't remember where you put "for safe keeping" LOL!!

I thought I would share something other than a Christmas card today.

This used:

Image and backing papers: Pink Petticoat "Big Fella"
Martha Stewart Punch: Embossed Zig Zag
White "Fun Flock" (not that you can see it too well)
Nail Heads: Josy Rose
Normal felt tipped pens

I have lots of orders to finish today for those organised people who want their January cards ready and waiting to send in the New Year. I wonder if I will ever be that organised?!?!?

I think there is a saying something about "Cobbler's children have no shoes" - well this certainly applies to me at the moment. Piles of cards for everyone else to send and a last minute frenzy to do my own !! LOL!!

Of course in a week or so we will all be making our New Year Resolution lists. Mine always ends up with so many statements and promises for "self improvement" that I forget half of them!!

Right then I am off to have a productive day. I hope you get all your letters into the post and thanks for calling by.

Love Jules xx

FIRST TRY AT BRENDA'S ROSES

Good morning everyone

A special share today.

We had visitors for a Chinese meal last night and whilst the men folk were fetching it I had a little "crafty session" with two special friends.

We always make something when we get together and this week I had no idea what we were going to make until my little visitors actually arrived .. .. when suddenly Brenda's roses popped into my brain.

Here are our first attempts. We followed Brenda's tutorial (which you can find here) but we didn't treat the paper to all the luscious treatment that Brenda did. To be honest we didn't expect them to turn out as good as they did.

Here are the first two roses we made:

and here are my lovely playmates - Neil and Helen

Neil helped to punch the flowers out and Helen did all the shaping and sticking together. She is a real "craft queen" in the making.

Helen is going to come and sleep over with me one weekend so we are going to have to think of something special to make/play with that weekend.

By the end of the evening Helen was a "dab hand" at making these lovely roses and she made lots and lots and even glued a cocktail stick through them so she can put them into a little vase or some oasis. I wish we had taken pictures of all of them at the end now. Helen also did different sizes and managed to do a tiny one using a 3/4" punch!!

I hope you like Helen's creations and know she will be looking on my blog here to see what you think. I am sure you will all be as impressed as I am.

Well done Helen.

Love Jules xx

ALLSORTS DT WORK - WEEK 32

Good morning on this crisp cold day .. .. .. no snow here in the Midlands but a big, big frost!! Think I will stay in today as much as I can . . . . . bbrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr..........

This week on Allsorts there is a slight change in the challenge in that my lovely team mate Debs has asked for "anything but a card".

We have been sponsored this week by A Passion for Stamps and Ruth is offering 1 lucky winner, picked by Random.org the opportunity to win some beautiful stamps. Please pop over to the Allsorts challenge blog to see the stamps and the gorgeous creation Ruth has made to "showcase" them.

I decided to try and incorporate my creation into my Christmas preparations and came up with the following:

I had a few oddly shaped gifts to wrap and decided that this was a good way of disguising them!!

To make my little creation I used:

Paper: by Papermania
Label: Cuttlebug heart die run through the snow embossing folder
Punches: Fiskars small star punch and the tiny snowflake I still don't know!!
Gems, bells and ribbon from my stash box

I am sure you will have all seen these before but I just thought it was a great way to hide presents that are an odd shape - plus they look quite sweet.

I have seen them all over blog land with various names but they remind me of something we used to have as a treat as kids and I am sure they were called a "jubbly". Basically it was a huge chunk of flavoured ice (orange or cherry I think). Mum would cut the top off and you would squeeze the bottom for it to slide up the package to eat. They seemed huge and took for ever to eat!! I have seen versions of them on sale now but they are dinky little things .. .. .. .. not the humongous things we used to eat (that kept up quiet for ages).

Just in case anyone hasn't come across these little packages before all you need to do is:

- cut your paper to a size (craft paper, wrapping paper, brown paper - any paper !!)

- stick double sided tape down one edge (attach to the back of your paper not the patterned side)

- remove the backing from the tape and roll over and stick the opposite edge to the tape to form a tube .. .. the right side of the paper sticking to the tape

- now put double sided tape inside the top and bottom edges of your tube

- before you take the backing off the tape flatten one end of your tube (but just at the very edge not all the way down or you will spoil your jubbly case) I do it with my original join sitting underneath

- remove the backing from the tape at your creased end and join together your first set of end edges

- next add your present

- then crease the last end of your jubbly case but this time at "right angles" to your first end and stick this together. (If I am not explaining this very well go back to the last pictures above and that will hopefully help you).

- now the best bit .. .. .. .. decorate as you see fit!!! LOL!!!

These little packages are not really called jubbly cases I am sure .. .. .. but once finished and decorated I always say "lovely jubbly" .. .. so what better name.

If you decide to make a "jubbly package" then please let me know. I would love to come and have a "look see" at what you did.

Have a lovely jubbly day everyone!!!

Love Jules xx

HUBBY HAS A BIRTHDAY

Good morning everyone

Brrrrr........ cold start today.

My lovely hubby has a birthday today and here is the card I have made for him.

No problem for you to find a heart .. .. .. .. lots of hearts for my hubby because he deserves them!! (Along with a medal for putting up with me LOL!!).

Here is my creation:

This used:

Image: Penny Black 1301K "Hedgehog Kisses"
Background Papers: Funky Hand Download "Hearts & Flowers" (one of my favourites)
Sentiment: Pink Petticoat "Tiny Tags Handwriting"
Cuttlebug: Embossed heart
Koh-I-Noor Coloured Pencils
Nail Heads: Josy Rose
Cord from the stash box

The birthday boy has had to go off to work today - and I am at home. What do I want to do? Sit and make cards!!! (Still have quite a few I want to make).

What have I got to do? Clean just about every room in my house and tackle a mountain of ironing!!! Oh well .. .. all that activity will warm me up!!

So my thinking is that if I have a beautifully clean house (and keep it that way) my creative brain will work better over the weekend for lots of creations and I won't be in the usual mad clean up panic just ahead of Santa coming!!

This year I am determined to have a relaxing and chilled Christmas !!

So no Friday cooking by the birthday boy tonight - he has the night off. I am taking him out to his favourite Thai Restaurant for a meal.

Right then - off to turn on every radio in the house and clean my mucky house!!!

Have a lovely day everyone and just think .. .. ..

this time next week Santa will have visited if we have been good enough !!!!

Thanks for calling by.

Added note: I am over halfway through the day and would like to know .. .. .. .. how come a day spent crafting just flies by and yet I have spent all day doing housework and it feels like it is lasting for ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love Jules xx

PENNY BLACK CHALLENGE - WEEK 79

Hi Everyone

Well I haven't had chance to play along with the Penny Black challenges for the last couple of weeks so I decided it was time to make amends.

The theme this week is "Red and Gold". I have lots of Christmas cards still to make and so what better colours could I use.

Here is my creation:

This used:

Image: Penny Black 1506J "Just Wishing You ..."
Sentiment: Woodware JGCL502 "Christmas Ribbon Tree"
Backing Paper: Pink Petticoat "Fairy Lights"
Nestabilities: Classic Squares Large
Sizzix Die: Stars #2
ProMarkers
Nail Heads: Josy Rose
Glamour Dust
Cord from the stash box

Progress has been made today on the Christmas front - I have actually managed to wrap some Christmas presents and get them lined up in their carrier bags ready for delivery/collection. Still a long way to go .. .. .. and there aren't many more sleeps left!!!!

Love Jules xx

TO SAY THANK YOU

Hi Everyone

I hope you all had a great weekend.

We had a wonderful "label day" yesterday and as usual everyone started to get into the swing of it once they realised the day was nearly over (you know - the point where panic sets in that you have more presents to give than labels .. .. .. and then people get offended that they didn't get a handmade label) .. .. .. .. we couldn't craft all evening too though as it was the X-Factor final !!!

Everywhere is now covered with glitter and snippings of paper but hey . .. it will get tidied up eventually. In the meantime I am crafting around it all as there is so much to do !! LOL!!!

I decided that as a change from a Christmas card I would make a "thank you" card.

Today would have been my Dad's birthday if he was still here - so this is to say thank you to Dad for being the best Dad ever!! I love and miss you mega!

This used:

Image: Hero Arts Cling Stamp CG115 "Thank You"
Backing Paper: Pink Petticoat "Lola's Boudoir Collection
ProMarkers
Cord from the stash box

Lots and lots and lots to do at this end - but I guess it is the same for everyone at the moment. My Christmas decorations have started to make their appearance. I love my Christmas tree and all the little lights everywhere!

Have a good evening everyone.

Love Jules xx

DT CARD FOR ALLSORTS CHALLENGE 31

Good morning everyone

Happy Saturday .. .. .. .. .. and the start of a new week over at Allsorts.

This week the theme for the challenge has come from my lovely teamie "Brenda" - who would like to see swirls and pearls on whatever you create. There is also a beautiful and very appropriate "Pearls and Swirls" prize that has been donated to us by Sir Stampalot (thank you very much Janice and Andy).

All the DT enjoyed the challenge .. .. .. .. I hope you do too.

We also have a guest designer this week - Ruth from A Passion for Stamps . Ruth has a pre-Christmas sale on at the moment so why not pop over and see what lovely goodies she has on offer. (Thank you for your lovely card Ruth).

Also don't forget that if you took part in last week's Allsorts Challenge you need to check that you weren't our random org winner or one of Gro's Top Five!!

Here is my creation for Allsorts this week

This used:

Image: Penny Black 4023K "love is the message"
Pearls and Ribbon from the stash box

Well what a tiny list?!?!?!?

That is because I used the Penny Black stamp to create my background by stamping on black card with an Elzybells Sugar Candy Pigment Inkpad. This has been one of the best white inkpads I have used. A really good white that shows up really well - I normally find white looks a bit wishy washy.

I loved making this card - it was one of those that just "came together" with no messing about.

So what does the rest of the day hold for me? Well hubby is going all the way to Watford to watch his team play football. I won't say he is going to watch them "win" because I don't think they have won away from home at all this season!!

Whilst he is away I am going to go and do a bit of shopping. My lovely hubby has a birthday on the 18th December .. .. exactly a week before Christmas - and I need to find him some little goodies and surprises for his birthday and Christmas.

I then need to prepare for a special day tomorrow. It is the family "label day"!!

The men sit and watch football (again) and me and my lovely Sis .. .. .. plus as many of our kids as we can muster .. .. .. ..sit and make Christmas labels for our parcels. A totally mad and happy day and something we have done for a few years now.

Today I will make an inspiration board to get folks in the mood and get everything laid out and ready - tomorrow it will all just be a huge pile of disorganisation (but lots of fun). It is a great way of using up some of the little scraps of everything that get kept all year.

Have a lovely weekend everyone.

Love Jules xx

A LITTLE SHARE AND A BLOG AWARD WITH STRINGS!!!

Good Evening everyone

I hope you are well. I will apologise now as this post is going to be a long one!!!!!! LOL!!!

I have a quick share and then I have an award to accept that involves answering a massive 35 questions (thank you Shirley and Sally for making me rack my brains!!).

First my little creation though:

This used:

Image: Digistamp Boutique "Evie & Toadstool"
Backing Paper: Funky Fairys "Loving it Simple Freebie" Download (very old)
Sentiment: Pink Petticoat "Girly Curly Sentiments"
ProMarkers
Glamour Dust
Diamond Stickles
Gems and ribbon from my stash box

Next I am around to my award.

I need to answer the following 35 questions in order to accept this award - I think they are supposed to be one word answers really - but I just know before I start I won't be able to do this. Neither will I be able to pass the award on to others - but I would love it if anyone decided to take it to their blog and have a go at answering. Please let me know if you do so that I can read your answers.

1. Where is your cell phone? Buried under a pile of craft stash on the dining room table

2. Your hair: Being cut on Sunday!! Yay!!

3. Your mother: Is starting to look old :-(

4. Your father: My hero - but now only lives in my heart and my dreams

5. Your favorite food? Potatoes

6. Your dream last night? Can't remember - which is annoying me because I always dream and usually remember them

7. Your favourite drink? G & T

8. Your dream/goal? To grow old with my hubby still by my side

9. What room are you in? Living room

10. Your hobby? Anything crafty

11. Your fear? Blindness

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Here will be fine!

13. Where were you last night? Wrapping Christmas presents for my Mum (at 79 she can't be bothered)

14. Something you aren't? A reader

15. Muffins? Not really

16. Wish list item? To die with my hubby so neither of us has to live without each other

17. Where did you grow up? I don't think I have yet

18. Last thing you did? Tried to take a decent picture of a card

19. What are you wearing? My slobby, comfortable, crafty clothes - I love them!!

20. Your TV? Has too many remote controls associated with it (which means I leave it alone)

21. Your pets? No pets

22. Friends? Lots of really good friends - I am very lucky

23. Your life? Hectic but exciting

24. Your mood? I am always excited and happy (so I can be quite annoying really)

25. Missing someone? Always (my Dad)

26. Vehicle? Focus

27. Something you're not wearing? Anything on my feet

28. Your favorite store? Anywhere that has craft items

29. Your favourite colour? Purple

30. When was the last time you laughed? Today

31. When was the last time you cried? Remembrance Day

32. Your best friend? My hubby

33. One place that I go over and over? Memory Lane

34. Facebook? No

35. Favorite place to eat? Anywhere there is a candle on the table

Thanks again Sally and Shirley. As you can see I am quite a soppy person really.

So that is me for today. Do you all realise that this time in two weeks it will be Christmas Day!!!!! (and I still haven't made my special Christmas cards yet!!).

You really wanted me to remind you about that didn't you!!!

See you again tomorrow with the next challenge over at Allsorts!

Love Jules xx

IF ONLY I KNEW THE ANSWER

Hi Everyone

Another creation I would like to share with you. But what do I want to know the answer to?

Well my card features Japanese Dolls and a Kanji Poem (Kanji being Japanese writing) but what does the poem say and do I have it the right way around?!?!?!? Help!!!

If you know for sure I have the writing the wrong way round then please let me know so that I get it right in future. I won't be offended and would greatly appreciate the help.

Anyway, here is my creation:

My creation used:

Image: Three Japanese Dolls (but I used only two!) by Hero Arts
Image: k5191 "Kanji Poem"
Sentiment: Computer Generated
Backing Papers: Pink Petticoat "Stripes White"
Ribbon from the stash box
Nail heads: Josy Rose
Promarkers
X-Cut flower - small
Diamond Stickles

Thank you for calling .. .. .. .. now off I go back to the Christmas cards!! LOL!!

Take care

Love Jules xx

YET ANOTHER LOVE IN MY LIFE !!

Hi Everyone

Back again with another post.

This time showing off a new love in my life "Henry Mouse Hugging a Heart"!!

This is the first time this little chappie has been inked up and I just love him. He was so lovely to colour and I used my Koh-I-Noor coloured pencils again. Dare I say that I think I prefer these to my Promarkers. Shock horror!!. I know I still need to perfect my technique with these pencils but I am well impressed with them.

Anyway here is my creation:

This used:

Image: Whiff of Joy "Henry Mouse Hugging Heart"
Backing Paper: My Minds Eye "Wild Asparagus"
Sentiment: Computer generated
Brads from the stash box

Thanks for calling by - I hope that Monday has been kind to you so far!

Love Jules xx

EARLY SPRING CLEAN AT FUNKY HAND

Good morning everyone


FUNKY HAND ARE HAVING AN EARLY SPRING CLEAN

Funky Hand has been working on a freshen up of their website http://www.funkyhand.com/ and today it is launched with its "new look". It is just gorgeous!!

The website has a completely new look which also gives a hint as to how the new CD is going to look when it is released in January.

As a bit of a celebration on finishing all the redesign work and the imminent delivery of the new CD into the warehouse, Anice is having an end of year craft CD sale. So, over on the new look website you will find all the currently available Funky Hand CD collections reduced by 33% which takes them all down to just over £10 each or even less! Grab them while you can, they are going to be on sale from today until Sunday 13th December.

Postage and packing is always FREE to anywhere in the world when you buy the CDs - so pop over and have a look at the new design on the website and why not treat yourself to an early craft Christmas present. (You could wrap it up and put it under the tree until later - but you will find this very difficult to do LOL!!!).

Before I joined the Funky Hand DT I collected all of Anice's CDs and downloads - so you can believe me when I say you will love them!

I won one of the CDs in a blog candy give away from Enfys and I completed my collection when I won the £20 voucher from the "Get Funky Challenge Blog" prior to joining the DT. This meant I had the full set! Lucky me!! (This challenge is always great fun - so if you can't stretch to buying anything at the moment why not have a go at winning the £20 voucher this month then you can redeem this against one of Anice's goodies instead).

I'm hoping to be back later with a creation but in the meantime have a great day!

Love Jules xx

ALLSORTS DT CREATION - WEEK 30

Good morning everyone

It is time for another challenge over at Allsorts and this week the theme has been set by my lovely teamie "Gro".

Gro would like to see the colour purple on your creations.

This week we are sponsored by Alison from Stretch and Bubbles. Alison has recently started designing her own digital stamps and is offering one very lucky winner their own choice of four digi images from her new store.

As a DT we were given a range of images to work with - and the DT guessed straight away which one I would choose to work with. LOL!!!

This used:

My image from Stretch and Bubbles
Backing paper: DCWV "Christmas Multi Stack" - the sentiment was already printed on the paper
Sizzix Die : Stars #2
The snowflake punch that has no name!!
ProMarkers
Glamour dust
Ribbon, tiny bells and gems from the stash box

I am hoping that Mr Blogger has played along and has kindly posted this for me this morning as I am away at a craft fair with my lovely Sis. She has been creating her handmade bags for weeks in readiness for this weekend - I hope it is a good venue and that she does well as she has worked so hard.

It will be our first time here and unfortunately there was no room for any more cards this time but we are sussing the place out in the hope of possibly being able to both sell our wares next year.

Oh - I nearly forgot. Thank you to everyone who took part in the challenge last week. Don't forget to check whether you were successful in the random org and whether you were chosen by Lisa as one of her top 5.

Have a lovely weekend everyone.

Love Jules xx

A CARD THAT ISN'T FOR CHRISTMAS!!

Hi Everyone

I am here today with a change from my run of Christmas cards - I decided you must be getting fed up with seeing them!! I am still enjoying making them though which is good because I have a long list of them still to make - and that is before I make any for me to send LOL!!

So for today only.. .. .. (Christmas cards will be back again soon) .. .. .. here is a birthday card for a man.

Quite a different type of card for me and one that involved a bit of masking work. I am quite pleased with the result but feel my trees could do with being a bit larger. Still, it was nice to experiment and play a little.

Here is my creation:

This used:

Deer image: Art Impressions "AI-G1046" (Do you recognise this Brenda? I bought if from Sir Stampalot when we were at the NEC?)
Tree image: Whispers
Sentiment: Penny Black 2908F "....to you"
Backing Papers: Memory Stor
Martha Stewart Punch: Embossed Zig Zag
Koh-I-Noor coloured pencils
Nail heads: Josy Rose

Cord from the stash box

I hope that you are all having a good bright day today - it is a little cold here but some lovely sunshine!

Love Jules xx

TWO CHALLENGES FOR YOU TO PLAY ALONG WITH TODAY!!!

Good morning everyone

I hope you are all well and have lots of time to spare as I have such a lot to share and show you.

Today I have two challenges for your to play along with. Both are monthly challenges so you have lots of time to play along.

BY THE CUTE AND GIRLY

Firstly you can join in the "By the Cute and Girly Challenge" where this month my lovely teamie Juls has set the theme of

"movies"

You can create anything provided it fits in with this theme.

Last month was a very popular month where the theme was Winter. Please make sure you pop over to see if you were a winner!! So many gorgeous creations that it was a difficult job for us all to decide who should receive the gorgeous prizes provided by our very generous sponsors.

Here are my "movie makes":

"The Snowman"

Decorated tissue box - in case the movie you are watching is a weepie !!!

"White Christmas"

This challenge turned into a lot of fun. It is surprising what you can fit to a movie title once you get going.

Make sure you pop over and see what all my team mates have made as their inspirational pieces. They are brilliant! Some of the films I haven't heard of though .. .. .. .. and those that I have heard of I haven't necessarily seen as I tend to fall asleep when faced with sitting down and not moving for 90 minutes or so !! LOL!!!

Next we have the:

GET FUNKY CHALLENGE BLOG

My next challenge is for the Funky Hand Challenge Blog . This is my very first challenge with this fantastic group of ladies. They have made me feel so very welcome and are such great fun. (Thank you ladies xx).

This month my team buddy Kath has set the challenge and she would like us all to

"Deck the Halls"

So .. .. .. for December you need to create a Christmas decoration. This can be for the Christmas tree, the Christmas table, the fireplace, a wall, a Christmas parcel - wherever you would normally decorate to celebrate Christmas.

Whatever you create for this challenge needs to use a Funky Hand paper or digistamp somewhere but if you don't currently own any of these gorgeous creations then you can always use some of the freebie papers that are available here.

Who knows .. .. .. you could be the winner for December and win a £20 voucher to spend in the Funky Hand Store!!!

This is what I created as my DT project (not that my Christmas table ever looks like this)!!!

My Christmas table consists of so many people crammed around it that there is hardly room for your plate let alone decorations!! LOL!!! (Happy Days - I love Christmas!!).

Please make sure you pop over and see what all my Funky Team buddies created, you can see them all here and I look forward to visiting all your creations.

Also you need to check if you are the lucky winner of the £20 voucher for November!!

Phew!! That was a post and a half!!

Catch you all soon and thanks so much for calling by. Cold start this morning .. .. I need to scrape my car windows!!!!

Love Jules xx