Lazy Sunday

Wotcher fellow bloggers,

Here we are at the penultimate Sunday before Christmas!! What news of the preparations? I'd like to THINK we're ready, aside from fresh fruit, veg and dairy - wonder what it is that we've forgotten!

Yesterday surrogate daughter II stopped by with a card and presents - thanks Becky, Chris, Harry and Zac - much appreciated. We shared a glass of wine or two and a chat before Zac woke up (4 months old you know) and she needed to head off in to the chilly and wet darkness.

I had planned to make a "sweet" card for the ADDICTED TO CAS challenge this week ....... but how very odd life is sometimes? Having made all of my Christmas cards for this year and I've also written and mailed them so, please answer me this ...... why can I only think about CAS Christmas cards????? I made three cards yesterday, one was for a challenge and was an anniversary card and the other two were BOTH Christmas cards!!! WEIRD huh?!

Both of my cards use techniques shamelessly lifted from others!! but both use the same distress ink - festive berries and stamps - but how differently they both turned out? Judge for yourselves .....

Materials used:

• 300 gsm white deckle edged C6 card and matching sided envelope
• Distress Ink, festive berries, applied DTP (direct to paper)
• Penny Black image stamped using Versafine onyx black ink, centrally to the D.I. diamond before highlighting using Icicle stickles
• Hero Arts sentiment stamped using Versafine onyx black ink

How I LOVE Clean And Simple designs! And now for the second card .... which I am going to enter over on the Pan Pastels blog their new challenge is: #49 - CHRISTMAS TIME. Remember, you do not need to use Pan Pastels for your project but you do get the chance to win some! What could be more Christmas-y than a poinsettia?

Materials used:

• 300 gsm white, deckle edged C6 card and matching sized envelope
• Oval mask (leftovers from a die cutting exercise!) taped in place with low tack tape.
• Distress Ink, festive berries, applied with a Tim Holtz blending too and a foam pad
• Penny Black image stamped using Brilliance Pearlescent Poppy and Thyme inks
• Hero Arts sentiment stamped using Versafine onyx black ink
• Faux crystal gemstone to highlight the centre of the poinsettia flower

Hope you like them both!

 

Right then - onwards and upwards - another challenge I didn't get around to yesterday was Addicted to CAS and their one word inspiration was SWEET ...... I woke up this morning with inspiration ...so, off I went in search of my perfect image.

Materials used:

• 250 gsm white 12½ cm square card and matching envelope
• GO Kreate die cut oval used to cut a silver mirri card oval
• Impression Obsession sweet image stamped using Memento tuxedo black
• Alcohol inks used to colour image before cutting out
• I "doused" the image in Versamark ink before triple embossing using clear embossing powder to simulate the shiny candy wrapper!
• Hero Arts sentiment inked using Brilliance poppy on to white card and cut in to a banner end.
• Narrow strip of white card coloured using a matching alcohol ink

And a close up of the sweetie .......

And a peek at the envelope .......

Have a fab Sunday - how's the weather with you? Is it eggnogg and hot chocolate weather?

Saturday morning and all's well - only 10 more sleeps!

Hi there,

Anyone got a clue as to what that bright yellow disk in the sky might be? I've Googled it and, frankly, the best I can come up with is ... SUN - but that can't be .... can it?

Saturday, being challenge day, will see me having a go at the new Clean And Simple challenge over on the Simply Less Is More blog - this week it's ANNIVERSARY ..... and here's my take, wouldn't you just KNOW what colour I might select?!?!?!

Materials used:

• White scallop edged, 300 gsm 14½ cm square card and matching sized envelope
• GO KREATE and spellbinders oval (plain and scalloped) dies on white and purple card
• Sparkle 'n Sprinkle image stamped using Versamark ink and Sparkle 'n Sprinkle purple sparkle embossing powder
• Dimension Forth (I THINK) sentiment inked using Memento grape jelly on to white card and matted on to an offcut of the purple card
• Five crystal gemstones for added glamour!

And a close up of the splendidly sparkly embossing powder ...

Hope you like it, another anniversary card for my 2013 collection - and I need a few so, thanks LIMettes for getting me rolling with this project!

There's also the new challenge over at the Addicted to CAS blog and their one word inspiration this week is SWEET but that will have to be my next project - gotta pace myself!

Have a great weekend and make the most of that sun .... if that's what you have where you are too!

It's nearly the weekend again!

Morning readers,

As we run up to Christmas I imagine many of you have loads of things planned this weekend, office parties, get together's with family and friends, Carol concerts etc - have fun and be safe.

And last night saw us both out for a meal at a friend's home, we had a lovely evening but oh boy, the cold weather and defrosting the car is getting tedious! It was, however, lovely to catch up with the pal, and her little dog, Robbie.

It was so lovely to wake up this morning to ......... no frost!! Well, it was RAIN actually, so not a whole lot better ........ but certainly 6°c is about 7° warmer than the past week has been!! Works for me, although waking up to the sound of those blooming birds again didn't thrill me!! Regular readers may recall we were wakened around dawn during the summer - at least dawn is later this time of year - MUCH later!!! This was about 20% of the little beggars - I SWEAR there were hundreds of the little beasts!

And then hubby unveiled his personal Santa's grotto to the World!

There's been a bit of a lack of crafting at the Purple Palace this week for reasons I can't really go in to on here but I DID make it to the table of craftiness yesterday afternoon. As I had my sewing machine out (letting down the hems on trousers - all very domestic goddess!!) I thought I might as well turn it to craft-y uses too - since that was the primary reasons for it's presence in the Purple Palace.

Materials used:

• 12½ cm square white, 250 gsm card and matching envelope
• 12 cm square panel of Kraft card
• 11½ cm square of black card
• 11 cm square of crunchy wax paper run through my big shot inside my Cuttlebug text embossing folder
• The Kraft card centre offcut from a Tim Holtz clock die also run through the same embossing folder
• Treasure Gold "onyxite" rubbed gently over the top of both embossed surfaces with a cosmetic sponge
• Sewing machine attaching the three layers together (that crunchy wax paper is really rather slippery! or is it just me?)
• Tim Holtz image (from the lovely Brenda Brown's recent blog candy - thanks matey) stamped on to white card using Versafine onyx black ink and then cut out
• Distress Ink Rusty Hinge and Black Soot sponged lightly over the image to soften the stark whiteness of the card

And another masculine card emerged from my craft table - like a butterfly! Woo Hoo! - as I DO sometimes struggle with masculine cards - and I know I am not alone in this.

And now for this week's Friday Funny ...... this week provided (in e-mail form) by my friend, Mary and came to me entitled "SHOCKED"!!

Police in Liverpool last night announced the discovery of an arms cache of 200 semi-automatic rifles with 25,000 rounds of ammunition, 20 tons of heroin, £5 million in forged UK banknotes and 25 trafficked Ukrainian prostitutes, all in a semi-detached house behind the Public Library in Toxteth.


Local residents were stunned, and a community spokesman said:


"We're all very shocked; we never knew we had a library!!!!!."

Have a great weekend

What? Wednesday again? And I've not tidied my workdesk!

Hi readers,

I'd like to welcome new follower, Karen, I don't seem to see a blog for you but if you have one then please stop by and let me have your blog address and I'll repay the favour. In the meantime - "HI"

I was out last night with a pal, Sue, and we stuffed ourselves at this little Chinese restaurant sandwiched between a Motaman and an estate agents in Downend. It wasn't busy (Sue and I plus two other diners the whole time we were there) but it was yummy and friendly service too. It was lovely to catch up with one another before Christmas and over a pleasant dinner too - perfect. The only thing that was less than perfect was the FOG and the -1°c temperatures which meant we didn't linger long outside once we left the restaurant! The fog wasn't toooooooo bad till I got about a mile from home and then I have to travel along a country lane, part of which is in a dip, it got a bit thick there! Seasons Greetings Sue and thanks for venturing out on a murky old night! See you next year!


This morning I decided it was time to put up my Christmas cards, properly. As they've been coming in I've been displaying them in the lounge wherever there was room but - we've now run out of display space so the stairs have been deployed, aside from a couple of them - one pal sent me a fabulous card with a rather large bell on it and I was "pretty sure" that blu tack was not the answer so ...... it now adorns the mantel with hubby's and my cards and a couple of others to even up my "arrangement" and the rest are blu tacked in place on the stairs! Can you see yours? I know that lots of people have cut down on the number of cards sent this year - mainly due to the hideous price of postage and the questionable reliability of Royal Mail deliveries so, if we're still on your list then thank you, thank you, thank you!

So, as you can see, the Purple Palace is starting to look (and sound) a lot like Christmas

All this festive activity has meant that I haven't tidied my work desk or even reached it since my last post - oopsie!

Memo to self: GET AND TIDY your work desk - NOW!!! Best I get off and do just that!

Have a great Wednesday everyone

Tuesday and only 14 more sleeps!!!!

Morning,

How's your day starting off?

I was home alone last evening (as were quite a number of my crafting buddy's it would seem!) as hubby was at a meeting (he came home cursing btw but more on that in a mo ........) so I took the opportunity to pour myself a glass of chilled white (surrogate daughter II and I took the top off that bottle on Saturday and we don't like to leave them to turn to vinegar - well that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!!!) and craft my little socks off!

I REALLY liked the way my Sunday tag turned out with the radiating modelling paste and the semicircle of bright gold and decided to have another go but for a more masculine look - this time I chose to use an embossing folder (quicker for one thing). Check it out and see if you think it works as a masculine card too ......

Materials used:

• 300 gsm white, deckle edged C6 card and matching envelope
• 14 x 10 cm black card panel
• 13½ x 9½ cm crunchy wax paper run through a Tim Holtz embossing folder and then onyxite Treasure Gold rubbed over the raised part
• Off cut from a Tim Holtz die cut clock face run through a Sizzix text embossing folder before colouring with gold Liquid Leaf
• Tim Holtz image stamped using Versafine onyx black ink on to white card, cut out and then the harsh white edges blended using Distress Ink in rusty hinge
• My Minds Eye sentiment stamped on to white card using Versafine onyx black ink and then edged with black ink and the stark whiteness of the card softened using the rusty hinge distress ink blending tool (without re-inking)

Hope you like it - I always struggle with masculine cards.

Now, why exactly was the husband cursing when he came home? I hear you ask. He just pulled in to the parking lot of the meeting and one of the other attendees told him he had a headlamp bulb gone! It had been fine as he drove down the country lanes to get there!!! Guess that will be a little job for today then! Grrrr. Fortunately, it doesn't seem that they are overly expensive for the make and model of car (about £2/$3) so I suspect he will buy two - in case the other goes soon too!!!

Anyway, that's pretty much all from me but ....... for the scrap bookers amongst you - how's about this layout for some of your Christmas snaps? I'll be posting this over on the Craftbubble group SCRAP ADDICTS too - no prizes, just for fun!

Have a great Tuesday

CRAFT-y Sunday

Hi there readers,

Yesterday I took delivery of some craft goodies and could hardly wait to get started ....

What goodies were they? Well, I ordered some silver liquid leaf, some onyxite treasure gold and a pot of Brush Bath (for clean up - VERY important!)

I had watched a video (using the above products)  by Leandra at Paper Artsy this past week, having come home from Florida with some gold liquid leaf but been unable to track the clean up solvent in smallish quantities (a 50ml bottle hardly merited a 5 gallon tin of clean up solvent!!!) and couldn't grab my credit card fast enough to order some!! If you want to see the video then check it out here - she does make it look very easy!

Materials used:

• Manila tags (2)
• Sizzix embossing folder and my trusty big shot
• Stamposaurus stencil
• LOW tack tape
• Liquitex modelling paste and spatula
• Liquid leaf in gold and silver
• Treasure gold in onyxite
• Brush Bath clean up solvent (available from Paper Artsy)
• Old paint brush
• Kitchen roll
• Craft sheet

Ready? .......

Here was my stamposaurus stencil which I attached to my tag using low tack tape

This was after I'd applied the modelling paste using a spatula - IMMEDIATE clean up of stencil and spatula is necessary if you ever want to use the stencil again!

I set the manila tag aside to dry naturally and set off with my second tag ....

This was how it looked after I'd run it through my Big Shot inside my Sizzix embossing folder

And here's how it looked after I'd "painted" my tag with gold and silver liquid leaf and also brushed onyxite Treasure Gold on it - not sure I'd let the leaf and was dry fully so it's been set aside to dry now and I'll buff it later

Over on the Pan Pastels blog their new challenge (#48) is a "Christmas carol or song". Bearing in mind that you do not HAVE to use pan pastels to enter but you DO get the chance to win some of the little beauties by entering!! Good Luck

SO, it was back to the first tag which was well dry by this morning. Inspired by The Doors song "People are strange" I set to work on a tag for the Pan Pastels challenge ........

Materials used:

• Manilla tag
• Liquitex modelling paste
• Stamposaurus stencil (see above)
• low tack tape
• spatula (for applying paste)
• Treasure gold wax in onyxite applied with a cosmetic wedge
• Offcut of Kraft card (from a Tim Holtz clock face die) run through a Cuttlebug "text" embossing folder
• Liquid leaf "gold" applied to the offcut clock face centre, using a dried up baby wipe (we crafters waste NOTHING!)
• Lost Coast Designs image stamped using Versafine onyx black ink on to white card card and cut out.
• Alcohol markers to colour face, eyes, and lips and then distress ink ink Victorian Velvet applied to the whole image (to lose the starkness of the white card)
• Paper Artsy sentiments stamped using Versafine onyx black ink and heat set (I've yet to see if that works on the wax as it's the first time I've tried ..... I may end up wiping it off and re-stamping in stazon but, if it dries then it IS a fully finished project as per the PP blog challenge rules)

Here's a bit of a close up so you can see that the wax buffs to a shine ..... you can also see that the alcohol inks seem to react with the versafine (hopefully not enough to spoil the overall project) and why I SHALL be using Memento next time!!!

Have a happy Sunday - I sure will because that solvent does affect you UNLESS you are in a well ventilated area so please bear that in mind!

Saturday - chilly challenge day!

Hi there,

Morning has dawned bright, sunny, mild and not at all Christmas-y! Grrr, no wonder I don't feel like making a Christmas card. Of course, there IS another reason for that ...... I must be nearly half way through my 2013 Christmas cards at the rate I've been making them! Memo to self: pace yourself in 2013!!!

Anyway, Saturday's have been challenge day for over four years now! And I've taken to completing a Clean And Simple challenge card every Saturday. I used to do this in conjunction with the regular Saturday challenge over on Craftbubble but those have gone monthly, so it's just this one ..... over on the Simply Less Is More blog the new challenge is ...... a One Layer Card with the CAS brief and theme "IN A ROW". When this blog started up and the first challenge each month was a One Layer Card it USED to throw us all in to a panic and now ..... most of us seem to relish the challenge, I even find myself making OLC's when they're not specified - BINGO!

Materials used:

• 300 gsm C6 deckle edged white card and matching C6 envelope
• Mostly Animals (Acro pigs) image and Imagine That sentiment stamped using Memento tuxedo black ink
• Distress Ink - worn lipstick brushed around the edges using an Inkylicious ink duster. I brushed a broader border across the bottom so the pigs were coloured pink!!

And that's my "In a row" One Layer Card - hope you like it - it certainly made me smile to make it this morning!

And a close up to show the pinkness of the piggies!!

Have a fab weekend everyone

Friday - the weekend starts here!

Hi there,

 

Last night saw us out to dinner with our pal and neighbour, Debbie. We were at Raj's - no surprise to my regular readers then! It was, of course, up to its usual standard and Raj himself was on fine form so we had a lovely evening.

Only managed a little light crafting yesterday and decided to try and use up some of the half ton of Christmas papers I have before magazines start giving more as freebies in readiness for 2013!!!

 

 

Materials used:

• White deckle edged 300 gsm card and matching envelope
• Magazine free papers (I THINK they're by My Minds Eye) die cut with a Go Kreate die
• Queen Kat image (least I think it's by QK - my thanks to Wynneth for this unmounted image - I don't use it often enough, sorry mate!)
• Marvy alcohol markers (sorry folks, what can I say? I've used this paper with Copics and PM's and it doesn't bleed like this normally)
• Icicle stickles to highlight the fur trim
• Glossy Accents on the bauble
• White grosgrain ribbon

 And a close up to show the twinkle and gloss

 

Bet you can see the "bleed" now!!!!

 

And now for the Friday Funny - courtesy of my pal in Blackpool - MARY!! You're in the draw matey! It came by e-mail and was entitled "A woman's perspective" - I think you'll all find them self explanatory, more than a little sexist (sorry!) but amusing - I know I did!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have a great weekend everyone!

 

 

Mid week? Already?

Morning and welcome to Wednesday - hump day Wednesday or What's On Your Work Desk Wednesday - which you prefer,

Spent most of yesterday glued to the series II of Downton Abbey, having the DVD boxed set - riveting stuff - anyone else watched it? I missed it live by being in the U.S. but, having enjoyed the first series, wanted to catch up. Can't wait for series III

Crafting yesterday afternoon and made one card which fits three challenges, these challenges are:

52 (Christmas) Card Throwdown - A Christmas sketch

Cute Card Thursday - snowflakes

Auntys forum - December challenge to make a Christmas card featuring a snowflake or bauble

Craft Mad and Loving It - December challenge - Water, Ice or Steam
Card Makers challenge - Let it snow

Materials used:

• White deckle edged, 300 gsm, C6 card and matching envelope
• Silver mirri card panel - 12½ cm x 5½ cm
• White card panel - 12cm x 5 cm
• Chocolate Baroque snowflake (Craft Stamper freebie) stamped three times using Memento Paris dusk ink
• Icicle stickles to highlight
• Hero Arts sentiment stamped on to white card using Memento Paris dusk and cut out before matting on to an offcut of silver mirri card.

For those of you who may have missed the post which featured the sketch ..... here's a reminder

I chose to make mine a Clean And Simple card and I think this image works well with in this format - hope you all agree.

And here's how my work desk looks this Wednesday - decidedly neither CLEAN nor SIMPLE!!

Have a great Wednesday everyone - it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Tuesday again - how quickly they come round?

Hi there,

Short post from me today - not entirely sure why but .... life's just like that some times, isn't it?

This morning has dawned dull and grey (AGAIN!) and just 5°c here, which is just 41°f - another chilly old day which is probably best spent listening to Christmas music or watching Christmas movies and .... crafting!

Been working on some of my challenges and only managed to come up with one card so far ... for the Craft Mad and Loving It challenge of "WATER, ICE, STEAM". I CERTAINLY don't need any more Christmas cards as I think I'm well on my way to my quota for 2013 too so, - I'm afraid the lateral thinker in me came up with STEAMpunk!

Materials used:

• 300 gsm deckle edged white card and matching sized envelope
• Panel of reddish brown card (who knows where I got it from? I sure don't!) edged with an EK Success binder punch
• Inkadinkado steampunk balloon stamped using Versafine onyx black ink on to white card and trimmed fairly close
• Distress inks in rusty hinge and tea dye applied using a Tim Holtz blending tool and a foam pad.
• Water flicked on to my D.I. panel, left for a few seconds and then blotted
• Black card panel cut slightly larger than my image panel and then covered with metal tape and run through an industrial effect embossing folder
• Embossed panel then coloured using alcohol inks in reds and browns applied with a Tim Holtz blending tool and a felt pad

Hope you like it and think it still fits in with the slightly offbeat take on STEAM!

Happy Tuesday folks

Monday - how is it for you?

Hello,

Hope you've all had a good weekend and that your Monday didn't dawn too cold for you - only 22 days to Christmas - how are those Christmas cards and presents coming along? Another three weeks and it will almost be too late!

I've no plans for the day though I do have some more cards to post today and some to hand deliver!

Last night I spent a few minutes trying to organise a couple of meals out with friends and family for the Christmas period. I spoke to my brother and then went off to book our first choice of venue, only to discover we'd left it too late and they were fully booked!! Still, our second choice was able to accommodate us, I've also booked a lunch with my pals from school (yes, I really HAVE known them THAT long!) and a curry with a friend who will be away over some of the Christmas period.

I even managed a little crafting ..... I was very taken with a technique in the latest issue of Craft Stamper and made a card yesterday but felt I needed to try again using something different. Well, what you see below is the something different (yesterdays was a Christmas card!) though it still uses distress inks rather than stains - must get more stains and see if it works even better. My thanks to Emilie Chamel for her article, see what you think readers ........

Materials used:

• 12½ cm square white, 250 gsm card and matching envelope
• 12cm square of purple card (who'd have thought I would choose purple!?!??!)
• 11½ cm square of white card.
• Fancy square die cut keeping both positive and negative (actually it was the same one I used on yesterdays card - cheat!)
• Distress Inks in Festive Berries and Dusty Concorde, blended through the "mask" outline and then "smooshed" separately on to a craft sheet, spritzed and then "flicked" across the card
• Liquid gold leaf "flicked" similarly (not sure I like the way I ended up with a "ring" round the gold leaf - anyone else ever tried this?)
• Inkadinkado dot flourish stamped using Versafine onyx black with the die cut in place to protect the distressed panel
• Die cut removed and then Paper Artsy image stamped using Versafine onyx black ink

I like this better than yesterday's but still feel it to be a work in progress - I need to work on my gold leafing technique (perhaps drawing the splats may eliminate the red "ring") and perhaps a more silhouette image would work better - any thoughts, readers?

Have a splendid week

SUNday - yes, the sun IS shining!!

Morning peeps,

Slow start for me this morning, late night and a smidge too much wine last night! Ooopsie.

And how did this happen? I hear you cry! Well, thanks for asking, we were out with friends at a restaurant in Thatcham. There were six of us and we (somewhat foolishly in retrospect) ordered their special meal for six of us - little did we know we could probably have fed half of Thatcham!! Still, we did our best and struggled manfully (and womanfully) on till there wasn't a lot left. Megan DID take home a rather large doggy bag! Victoria and Matthew decided to walk back to their place - the rest of us chickened out and piled back in to the car (bwoc bwoc chicken noises!). As you can see, we sure seem to have enjoyed it - even the squid!



This photo provided by Megan - thanks Megan! AND it was JUST the starter!!!

 Anyhoo, on to the crafting project undertaken this morning - perhaps I shouldn't have but there it is .... couldn't wait to get cracking on a project spotted in the current issue of craft stamper. I had to change a few elements to make it fit the challenges but I THINK you will see where I was coming from ..... this is for the RED AND GREEN challenge on Simply Less Is More and also the BAUBLE challenge over on Addicted to CAS as well as the MAKE A CARD WITH A SNOWFLAKE OR A BAUBLE over on the Auntys forum .....

Materials used:

• 12½ cm square white, 250 gsm card blank and matching envelope
• Fancy square die and die cutter - keeping both the positive and the negative
• Using the outer "offcut" as a frame I sponged distress inks in Festive Berries and Pine Needles in (to satisfy the red and green element!).
• Keeping the frame in place I used a Faber Castell pitt pen (S) to draw round the frame which I then moved slightly and repeated the pitt pen drawing - two more times
• Removing the frame I then covered my inked panel with the die cut shape and smooshed (technical term!) the distress inks (keeping the colours separate) on to a craft mat and spritzed with water before using a fan ended brush to pick up colour and "splat"  (look at me getting all technical again!) on to the card before blotting with kitchen roll
• Inkadinkado flourish stamped using Brilliance pearlescent thyme ink
• Having removed the frame I then stamped the Inkadinkado bauble in the centre of the panel using Versafine onyx black ink

And there you have it - I hope the LIM purists will feel there is still enough "white space" for it to be a CAS card.

In case you are curious, here's the article in Craft Stamper and I'm sure you will see why I had to change a few elements to make my CAS card - oh, and I used distress inks because I didn't have distress stains in the right colours!!!

Craft Stamper - January issue! Article by Emilie Chamel

Have a great Sunday

Saturday and it's a cool start to winter/December!

Morning all,

Oh My!! What a frosty start to the morning! Looked like we'd had SNOW overnight but it was just a thick frost. Sun's out but it's only 2°c here so it might take a while to thaw.

Definitely a morning to stay in and craft and I've started already! Saturday's have, historically, been challenge days and I'm off and running today with two new monthly challenges, a late entry for one weekly challenge and a couple of others too - including a new one to me.

CASology's current challenge expires tomorrow and is "TIME" and this is the card I have to share with you this morning. Having left it a bit late and it has the shortest time left I thought it was the one I should start with!

Materials used:

• 12½cm square white, 300 gsm, scallop edged card and matching envelope (the size, not the scallops!!)
• 12 cm square panel of purple card
• 11½cm square of white card (Ryman's)
• Paper Artsy image stamped using Memento grape jelly ink
• Paper Artsy sentiment stamped using Versafine onyx black ink

Hope you like it, and here are some of the challenges I have yet to construct a card for ......

Simply Less Is More has a new challenge today and it's "RED AND GREEN"

Craft Mad and Loving It has a new challenge for the month of December and it's "WATER, ICE or STEAM"

Cute Card Thursday has a challenge ongoing till next Wednesday and it's "SNOWFLAKES"

Auntys forum has a new challenge for December which is: "TO MAKE A CHRISTMAS CARD WITH A BAUBLE OR SNOWFLAKE ON IT"

Addicted to CAS has a challenge open for two weeks which is the one word inspiration: "BAUBLE"

52 card throwdown has a sketch challenge Christmas card (this is the one that's new to me)



I guess that will be keeping me busy for the day, just as well as I've been amidst a crafting drought of late and this SHOULD get me back in to the swing ...... with a BANG!!!

Do check back tomorrow and see how many (if any) more I've caught up with! Of course, by then, there'll be a new Pan Pastels challenge too! Oops, I really should have been busier this week but life got in the way - after all, yesterday we were out to a lovely leisurely (for leisurely read LONG!) lunch with friends and then it was back to ours for more chat and coffee and then, last night, we could wait no longer and viewed "Despicable me" on Blu Ray - and enjoyed it hugely.

Have a great weekend and, if you are heading out anywhere, be careful and be safe.