Good bye to Jo

I have worked with Jo for several years, and she is a good friend and great colleague. In the New Year she is off to Australia to start a new life with her husband a two young children.  We will all miss her, but wish her well with her new venture.

I made this card for the team to give Jo on her last day.

It's and 8" x 8" scalloped card blank from Craftwork Cards.

The papers are two identical sheets of Sweet Meadow paper also from Craftwork Cards, I cut one sheet to fit the card and used he second to layer up the flowers with 3D foam pads. Then I added, flat backed pearls and gems, buttons, stickles and perfect pearls.

All the edges are inked with chalk inks.

The letters are American Craft Thickers, Dear Lizzy pink foam.

The buttons are stitched in place with DMC thread.

A wide organza ribbon was tied in a bow at the top of the card.

We are really going to miss you Jo, but enjoy your self and keep in touch. xxx

Christmas Aprons

For my friends Hilary and Lesley I made two more aprons. Six letters is about the longest name I can get away with with this font and size of lettering!

I used brown, beige, gold and turquoise colours for Hilary's apron.

Lots of blues for Lesley. 

Hope you like the aprons girls and that you had a good Christmas.

Happy new year. xxx

Canvas Gifts

Merry Christmas to Jessica and Jamie who played a very big part in Mark and Vicki's wedding back in July. I wanted to make them a keepsake. So I matched up some papers and paint and made them a canvas each.

Here is Jessica's Canvas:

Some detail showing the charm.

The canvases were painted with pearl and shopping bag acrylic paints by Making Memories, and the papers are Basic Grey Wassail and some scraps of Prima Marketing. The blossoms are also Prima and others from my stash.The charm is Primark! I have cut the lettering on the Cricut with the Storybook Cartridge. I added gems, pearls, dragonfly brads and Perfect Preals. I used a button and lace to make the large blossom.

Here is Jamie's canvas, he took his duties very seriously and greeted everyone when they arrived.

Have a lovely Christmas you two and I'm looking forward to seeing you later today.

More Handmade Cards Received

I thought I would share with you a few more cards which have arrived in the post since the crop and the cards I shared with you at the beginning of the month.

This clever tree card from Karen, she says it was made using the 'Tiny Trees' digital stamp set from pinkpetticoat.co.uk . The flat backed pearls work so well as baubles.

Alison sent this very glittery tree card in purples.

Deirdre sent me this lovely Scandinavian style card. brilliant stamping her to line up the patterns.

Sandra sent me this cute little card. The background has been dry embossed and rubbed over with a light touch of gold.

This cute Warren Rabbit card was made and sent by Jackie.

Thank you to all my crafty friends for these super cards -  

Merry Christmas. 

Family Layout

This layout has taken such a long time to complete. I started it at a crop a few months ago and lost of one the chipboard letters after painting, stamping, inking and glossing them all.

So then I had to find another of the same font, but didn't have one so had to adapt another letter. Then I tried again at the following crop but forgot the stamp!

Eventually I finished off the letter to go with the others and completed the layout!

Although the papers are Christmas ones, Basic Grey Wassail, I felt the colours worked well with the wedding photos. The letters were painted with white acrylic paint, then stamped with a leaf stamp from Clarity Stamps. I inked the edges heavily with colorbox chalk inks, then glossed them with glossy accents.

I rolled back one corner of the paper and held it down with a button and loop feature.

Close up of the button detail. 

Stitch detail added with white gel pen. I included some self adhesive flat back pearls and some numbers from Prima.

The photo shows the family at my nephew Mark's wedding earlier this year.

The layout was inspired by a layout by Angelica on Scrapbook.com

Oh Christmas Tree!

I went to St Pancreas International Station to meet Emily off the East Midlands train from Nottingham, returning her from Uni for the holiday.

A Christmas tree that's ten metres high and made completely out of Lego bricks has been built at the station. The tree took two months to build and contains 600,000 bricks. There are more than 1,000 Lego baubles attacked to its 172 branches and according to Lego it is the tallest tree ever made using the toy building bricks. Children from local primary schools were involved in the building of the tree which rises up from the ground floor of the station.

From the top of the escalator looking down. With the Olympic Rings in the distance.

More detail of the baubles and branches. 

This poster near the tree lists 12 reasons for visiting the station this Christmas, but misses off meeting your loved ones returning home for Christmas!

Emily arriving at the barrier and ....

... by the tree.

This year I managed to get near enough to this statue of John Betjeman to take a photo and read the inscription. Last year they were filming a news programme here.

Betjeman stands on a circle of slate, which is inscribed in two rings. The inner ring is Betjeman's name and dates and the words “Who saved this glorious station”. The outer ring contains words from the poem Cornish Cliffs: “And in the shadowless unclouded glare / Deep blue above us fades to whiteness where / A misty sea-line meets the wash of air.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The detail of the Olympic rings.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
We have All three of our children home for a few weeks now. Andrew also arrived later in the evening via Euston from Manchester and Catherine by car from Twickenham.

Christmas Wreath

What a lovely Christmas gift! Linda treated me to an evening at Floral Explosion in Longfield make our own Christmas Wreaths.

This is my finished wreath hanging on the front door.

We were given the blue spruce ring already made up (someone else did the had bit!)

Then we could wander around the shop and choose the elements we wanted to add.

Here is my wreath with my chosen pieces placed and ready to go.

I chose the folksy felt decorations, pine cones, tiny mushrooms (seems a bit of a theme for me at the moment!), broom bundles, I loved the buttons threaded onto the cream felt heart and wanted this to hang down in the centre. I picked a green gingham wired ribbon.

Then we learnt how to wire everything up and attach it to the wreath.

The felt decorations had ribbon loops which hung down, so I took the plunge and decided to cut the loops and tie them in bows. It worked - phew!

I grouped the cones, broom and mushrooms together in three groups.

Then added snow when the wreath was complete.

Then the bow was made with much twisting and looping of the wired ribbon. This was wired and added to the wreath, them arranged and shaped.

I added the button heart so it swings in the centre of the ring.

The finished wreath.

When the Christmas season is over I will have a lovely collection of decorations for next year.

Here is Linda's Wreath hanging on her door. Please see her blog for more information.

Thanks Linda for a really original gift and a lovely evening x

Merry Christmas

Happy Birthday Sue!

It was Sue's birthday yesterday, but I couldn't share this card until today as it was designed for the Scrapology DT November Card Challenge which was published today. So here it is!

I made it with a photograph I took in Rendlesham Forest. Based on a similar idea to Elaine's Card.

Patterned papers - Magnolia

Card Blank - Craftwork Cards

Stamps - Stampin' Up greeting, Lili of theValley image

Leaves - brown parcel paper, green bazzill

Inks - Color Box chalk inks

Pens - Promarkers

Die's - QuicKutz

Happy birthday Sue!

Craft Aprrons

It all started with this apron I made as a badge for The Scrappers Unlimited Gloucester 2 Retreat several years ago (2006). It had to be a badge you could wear.  The apron has come handy when teaching scrapbooking and cardmaking too. It has been admired many times.

 I labelled my daughter's school apron the same way when she started her new school (some 8 years ago now), and she loves it, she wears it when ever she does any craft work at home now, she says it makes her more creative!  As you can see from the condition, she has used it frequently. On reflection, if this was when Emily changed schools I must have done this before I made my apron.

I wore mine to the Cardinal Colours retreat recently as I ran out of time to make a badge. Then when I was thinking about gifts for my crafting friends Linda and Sue's birthdays recently I decided it would be fun to make them one each.

Linda in her apron on her birthday at the crop in November (also showing off her glass cake stand gift).

Below detail on the apron ( a bit blurred - sorry)

Sue in her Apron at the December crop and below more detail 

I cut the Apron from Calico and hem round the edges by machine. I selected favourite colours from my bag of patchwork scraps and some fat quarters of fabric. I use a chipboard alphabet to draw round and cut out the letters, which are then machine stitched into position. I add ribbon or tape ties to match the apron or the letters.

Then I set to with DMC embroidery threads, metallic thread, beads and buttons.

I intend to make some more for other friends and family - as long as they have short names (LOL)!.

Thanks for looking.

Happy birthday Linda and Sue. x

A Night of Fairytales

Catherine has been working hard on this short producton which is taking place at Uni tonight. ‎'A Night of Fairytales' TONIGHT, Dolche Vita, £1, 6-7pm

St Mary's University College Twickenham
(free mince pie & bucks fizz)

Thiunking of you - wish I could be there, hope all goes well. xxx

Frame that Family!

At our recent Cardinal Colours Crop, I took the talented Anita's Family Frame class.
It made a lovely change from making a layout. We used this white wooden frame measuring 11" x 9.5". Anita provided some swirly stamps and black Staz-On to stamp on the 'Family' cut out section of the frame, which helped to make the word stand out.

It is rare to get a picture of all of our family together these days now that Andrew, Catherine and Emily are all away at Uni. This photo was taken at my nephew's wedding back in July this year.

The lovely papers are My Minds Eye and the Lost and Found II collection, they are double sided and extremely glittery. I used some old Provo Craft letter stickers to add the date. We made paper spiral roses from left over scraps and added some flat backed gems to finish the frame off.

Many thanks Anita x - here is her lovely original.

Win a Joanna Sheen Original Card

Joanna kindly sent the Scrapology Design Team the original card she made for our November card challenge which she has signed.

Would you like the opportunity to win this fabulous card?

We are having a raffle, £2.00 per ticket with all proceeds going to the EllenorLions Hospice Charity,
for more information see here.

Contact us using the details in the sidebar for more information and to purchase tickets.

Such a lovely prize and a very worth cause so, please, dig deep and have a go.

The raffle will close on the 16th December once the challenge has finished and the winner will be announced on this blog.

Bon chance!

Christmas Tree Angel Gifts

Here I am, back with the gifts I made my scrapping friends.

An angel each for the tree top.

Here are all ten angels. 

This is how they looked early in the making! 

Here is the one I made for our tree from a kit by Sue Dolman of Candle House Crafts a few years ago.

Sue doesn't make kits any more but you can still buy the pattern and some of the materials from her.

Here is a closer look at each of the angels. They are made to match the colour scheme of each persons Christmas tree decorations.

The angels are made from:

Body - flesh felt

Shoes - white felt

Wings - Vylene.

Bloomers and dress - white cotton lawn

Halo - gold or silver pipe cleaner

Eyes - Black seed beads

Mouth - DMC embroidery thread

Hair - Tapestry wool

Decorations - 3mm satin ribbon, seed beads and star sequins

xXx Hope you all have a great Christmas girls. xXx