Christmas Fast Approaching

Well I have bought only one present so far, and it's for my Niece Chloe. I have no idea what I am buying the boys yet. They have loads of gadgets and I am stumped! Looks like it will be a last min rush at this rate. I really need to get motivated. The amount of people that I have spoken to, have not started their shopping either. Looks like we are in the same boat.

I also have the fact that it's my Brothers 30th on the 7th Dec, a new baby due the very same day and my Dads bithday on the 14th Dec.

I still don't have the decorations up in the shop yet, maybe I will do them this weekend if Brian goes to the attic and gets them out for me. Then the boys will want their tree up, so it will look like Christmas is coming.

Photos of Family and Friends

I have been thinking about this for a while. I really want to get a collection of photos of my close family and friends and have them on show in my house. I think it would be great to do a LO on them all too, so when I am old and senile I can look at them and remember who my friends are.

NO seriously I just think it would be so nice to have pictures of them all on a big corner table in my lounge. This is what i envisage anyway, so I must start taking piccys of them when I go to see them. Maybe I should make this as a new yrs resolution. Oh and I must not just download them to the PC, I must get them printed out!!

Winter Has Come!!

Brrrr It's absolutly freezing here in the East Coast of Scotland. It was 1 degree this morning and I don't think it has gotten any better as the day has went on. I have my wee fire on in the shop and thank god it's only me in here so I can hog it!!

I have not really said much inmy blog for a while, I guess there has not been much happening to talk about really, all I seem to do is work and stay in at home, to dark and cold to think about anything else, I could always card all my craft stuff home from the shop and get making my Christmas cards but then I have to bring it all back again, hu can't win!

I did finally manage to get round to see my Brothers Girlfriend Nicole and my niece on Wed, my niece Chloe was 1 in Aug and she is just so cute. She is going to have a new baby brother or sister soon, Nicole is due on the 7th Dec which happens to be my Brother Barry's 30th Birthday. This is going to be so exiting, can't wait to be an auntie Gail again.

I wanted to get some piccys of Chloe but I left my camera in the shop, so I took some with my phone camera, but I have no idea how I am supposed to transfer them onto my PC? Nicole said she would send me some more, then I can make a LO to put in a frame.

Paper Ornaments

Do you fancy making some paper ornaments like these? I have placed full pictorial instructions on the Craft Diner Forum for free download. These are so easy to make and a great project to do with the kiddies. Go on have a go at making them.

Craft Diner

The Craft Diner, a brand new Craft Forum has opened it's doors today. Why not pop along and see what it's all about. http://www.craftdiner.co.uk

Golden Highlights

This weeks Daring Cardmakers Challenge was to make a card for any season or occasion but must include gold somewhere. It could be a brad, metallic card, heat embossing, ribbon, anything at all as long as it's gold.

I had to make a Birthday card for my friends son who was 9 yesterday. I used yet again Figgy Pudding papers, chipboard large star, punched small stars and used a small button on each one, my piece of gold came from my gold spotty brad.

Corrugated Baby Card

The challenge from Jo, one of the Daring Cardmakers design team was to use some corrugated card on your card. I had some yellow and blue pearly corrugated card and decided to make a baby boy card. I used a MM circle vellum tag and covered it with yellow card cut out from a circle punch, punched the stars out of the blue, added a yellow brad and three satin ribbons. The wide baby ribbon is from Adornit.

Ribbony Recipe

Following on with the ribbon theme, The Daring Card Makers have given another challenge for making your card. This is what they asked us to do..

The ingredients you need to use on your cards are:
4 brads/eyelets
3 circles
2 rectangles
and lashings of ribbon!

I used papers from Basic Grey Figgy Pudding, Basic Grey chipboard corners and covered in paper, 3 buttons for my 3 circles, 2 pieces of paper cut to rectangles down the edges, the back of the card is scalloped and wider than the front. And my 4 brads are holding my ribbon in place.

Magnolia Stamping

I received my first Magnolia stamps last week and set about making a card with her. I used my scallop scissors on the edges then punched the holes out with my crop-a-dile, inked the edges up, crafters workshop template to so the swirls with a Stardust Sakura pen. The stamped image was stamped onto water colour paper and also stamped onto checked paper, I cut out the dress and shoes and glued onto the image. Coloured it in with water colour pencils. I punched a hole into the paper, placed an eyelet then ribbon. I was not sure if I was going to add a title, so at the moment it's left blank.