Merry Christmas!

Another little treat from Norpar Barn, happy Christmas everyone!

Last minute cards for a loved one?

If you're anything like me, the special cards are the last ones to come every single year! This year was no exception, and blood and sweat went into thinking of a nice design, as always I was pleased with the result in the end but it took some reaching!

and then a few special ones for the children too, using Kate Hadfield's downloadable embellishments - they are gorgeous!

I hope you are all ready for the festive period, not long now!

At such a busy time of year, it's always rush, rush, rush, and I thought I was organised and ahead this year! I never get to spend as much time on my Christmas cards as I would like, but from next year that will change. This year, and for as many as I can remember, I've had ample choice of Christmas cards to send out left over from magazine projects on Christmas topics - and surprisingly, it always takes me ages to work out who is receiving which card.

I read longingly about people that choose one design and make it in multiple, so that everyone receives the came design that year. This year I had half of my cards from leftover magazine articles, and the other half I made lots of the same ones from Stampin' Up designs. As I don't do magazine articles anymore, next year I promise you - one design fits all!

If you want to know where I bought this cute natural wicker heart and ribbon, plus lots of other gorgeous Christmas decorations, visit Norpar Barn here

Merry Christmas!

New babies

Here's a cute little girly card that I made for a new baby - I've had a few of these to make, boy and girl, so I've just updated the colours and the design. I love the Autumn Leaves giraffe stamp, there is a smaller giraffe in the pack too which work lovely for new baby cards.

I started making some more of my Christmas cards last night too as I have over half made, but need some more. What have you been making?

Stamping

I've been up and down with this blog alot lately. I like updating it with what I've been doing, but I keep coming back to the idea that I don't like my personal information 'out there' and I don't have the time to update it. I'm also not sure how many people are reading it now as I had a bit of a break from it, so the logical thing seems to be stick to craft work and that's it! So that's my plan.

I'm guilty of browsing other people's blogs, but not having time to update my own. What about you?

I don't spend anywhere near as much time looking at other's blogs as I used to, and actually because I am too busy it would frustrate me too much if I did as I would constantly want to be making when I can't! However, when I do look, it's always such lovely work.

I’ve been making my Santa list from Stampin’ Up products as I just love them so much but have no justification at all for buying more craft materials myself! I’ve been looking at Monica’s blog a lot lately as well as other stamping blogs, take a look here as she makes some wonderful projects.

Excuse the bad photo lighting for this card, but I only seem to get time to photograph my cards late at night, the night before they are due! This is a card I made recently mimicking one of Lousette's Christmas cards - see here for her original.

I've also been making other birthday cards and buying lots of nice handmade gifts today from a Christmas barn that I visited - so cute! I will share those later on. I just wish I had time to make them all myself but I couldn't resist buying them.

The tree is up - and it's nearly Christmas!

December already

I was reading something today about people using direct images of other’s work (by taking them from their blogs etc) and passing it off as their own. I mean, how often do people actually do that? It’s always a bit of a hot topic and there are always strong opinions on it. I’m sure there are times when people do it knowing full well what they are doing, and I’m sure there are times when someone has accidently forgotten to say whose card it was or has forgotten where they saved the image from. But do people really pretend to have made something someone else has, to take the credit for it? I can’t see the feel-good factor in it myself, if I haven’t made it then the praise isn’t mine.

Anyway, using other people’s work for inspiration is another thing entirely and I like doing it, particularly when I am short of time and don't have time to think of something new. It’s a great way of stretching your own imagination and trying things you wouldn’t have thought of too.

So to share a couple of things that I've done, I finally continued with my Stampin' Up! Christmas cards, as I said that yonks ago, that I would. I've literally only managed to try two of the cards that Suzanne and Lousette made in the blog event, but I am persevering! The image above is a slight alternative to one of Suzanne's here (you'll need to look for the Oct 1st post as I can't get a link to it). I changed a few things i.e. the shape of the card for starters but essentially it's the same design.

I also made a few more from the old Stampin' Up! card set I had and just love, so it's always an old favourite to return to that and make a few more to build up my stocks of birthday cards. So I've added those to the Christmas cards I made from Lousette's design (in one of my previous posts). I'll share the other birthday card and new baby cards next time.