Top Twelve Cards of 2018

Hello My Crafty Blog Friends and Visitors

How has your year been? We have had ups and downs much like everyone I suspect. As we reach the end of the year I would like to share some of my favourite cards  that I have made.  I went through my photos and picked a card for each month. When I made them is not necessarily when they were blogged. 

January

I wish I could remember who this beautiful image is from. 

February

 

This was a twist and pop card. I used the Sailing Boat Stained Glass  die from Creative Expressions. My Father-in-law loved it and still has it on display. 

March

There was an appeal to make 18th Birthday cards and I responded. This has been one of my most popular posts of the year. 

April

 

This is my favourite image by Pollyanna Pickering she is sadly missed. 

May

I was asked to make a card for a Baby Shower. I found the design for this tri-shutter card on the internet. It is a great design for using all those small dies; I even used a craft knife to cut the slits. 

June

I won this die in the Kerst/Christmas group on Facebook. It is such a beautiful die I was thrilled. 

 July

I made this card with lots of dies from the John Next Door range. 

August 

More dies from the John Next Door range. This card was to congratulate our daughter who got a new job. 

September

I was asked by the mother of the groom  to make a wedding card for a couple getting married in October. This is the card that I made for me to give them. 

October

I treated myself to the Deer Scenes and the Snow Scenes dies from John Next Door. I found a tutorial for a Z-fold card and I was away. 

November

I have been visiting Winchester regularly since the beginning of November. They have a very nice shop called C&H Fabrics which has a craft department. On day when I was there they had 20% off everything and I treated myself to some Sizzix dies/ I have used them a lot.  

December

When I got to December I found that I was very short of cards. This one was made from scraps that I had die cut but not got round to using. 

I have enjoyed looking back through my cards. In a lot of ways this year has been tough. There have been some good times too. 

I would like to wish you a very Happy New Year and very blessing for 2019.

Happy Crafting

Hugs Jackie

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Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year - Last minute Christmas cards.

Hello My Crafty Blog Friends and Visitors

How are your preparations going? I hope you get everything done. We had a fabulous time in Brighton we visited the Pavilion, saw the Burning the Clocks parade and went up on the BA 360 tower. The main reason for being there was to see the Bootleg Beatles last Christmas concert. We were with our very good friends and staying two nights was amazing. There has a lot to organise for hosting Christmas dinner it is all coming together. We did have to pop out and get new tree lights as our old ones refused to light this year.

I did really badly with Christmas cards this year. On the last day I could craft I had to make eight cards. Next year  I really must be more organised. This is my favourite card I made that day.

I used an old card and I used the Double Pierced Square dies from Creative Expressions to make all the mats and layers. 

I cut out the blue-tits from the card and made a mat for it with the Square dies. 

I think I have used this sentiment die from John Next Door most this year. 

This card is nice and flat for posting. I have no Christmas cards left at all this year. 

I would just like to thank you f or all the visits to my blog and all the lovely comments that are left for me to read. Blogging really wouldn't be the same without you. I would like to wish you all a very

I will be back before the end of the year with my top cards of the year.

I would like to enter the following challenges:
Challenge 342 at Pixie's Snippets Playground. 

Happy Crafting

Hugs Jackie

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Moving Along with the Times (MAWTT) end of Year Challenge - Anything but a Card

Hello My Crafty Blog Friends and Visitors

When you read this blog post I will be in Brighton for the last of the Bootleg Beatles Christmas Concerts. It is a lovely thing to do before Christmas with our special friends.

As the title suggests this is the end of year challenge for the Moving Along with the Times (MAWTT) and the theme is Anything but a Card. Some of the design team are offering prizes. This time we are being sponsored by Crafty Ribbons

I made some gift boxes filled with foil covered sweets to help someone with a fund raising coffee morning. She told me that on the day she raised £560. 

If you love ribbon you will love the Crafty Ribbons website. Click on the logo and you will be taken there. 

Our challenge is lots of fun why not join us. 

This shows the top of the box with the Poinsettia and the ivy. I used the stamps and matching dies from John Next Door to make the Poinsettias. 

I used acetate behind one of the cut panels so that you can see the contents. 

This is the prize I am offering. There is a little bit of everything. 

I need to make some more of these boxes to hold table presents. I am sure all the jobs will get done in time. 

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Happy Crafting

Hugs Jackie

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Christmas Decorations for a Tea Dance Group's Christmas Tree

Hello My Crafty Blog Friends and Visitors

How is your week going? I had a lovely day out at Hinton Ampner near Alresford in Hampshire. The lower floor of the house was decorated beautifully. But the icing on the cake was that there was a Murder Mystery to solve as you went round. We had to go round twice as the decorations took our breath away but we did solve the puzzle.

I was asked to make some Christmas tree decorations for a Tea Dance group that meets in a local village. The village church holds a Christmas tree festival each group that meets in the village add a tree. This all happened last weekend. The trees have all been taken down now.

I was give the brief that the decorations had to be red and white. I used the First Dance Signature die to cut the dancing couple. The Tea-cup die was free with a magazine. 

The ornaments are double sided. I cut the die from the back of the paper as well as the front so there would be glitter on both sided. 

I have seen pictures of the decorations in place they did look good. I used red and white baker's twine to attach the decorations. 

This is one of the first displays you see when you enter the house at Hinton Ampner. 

This cheeky robin was outside the cafe it was almost like he was posing he stayed there for ages. 

I used the first dance die to make a couple of Christmas cards for some ladies who attend the Tea Dance. I have been wanting to share these decorations for a while now. Now the event is over I think it is okay to do so. 

Enjoy the rest of the week. 

Happy Crafting

Hugs Jackie

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Delicate Pine Frame Gift Card Holder

Hello My Crafty Blog Friends and Visitors

How was your weekend? I bet you have been busy. We got all our cards sorted for posting on Saturday. On Sunday our daughter and son-in-law came to us so we could go to the Nativity service at our church. The big draw was that there were live animals at the church. After the service we all drove to Fleet to take my parents out for a meal. After the meal we headed over to see my husband's parents. When we got home we collapsed in a heap. But of course there were still more things to do.

As we get closer to Christmas I have had a few last minute creations to make. I needed a holder for some gift cards.

I really like the Delicate Pine frame from Memory Box.  I needed a bigger card than the one I made before so on one of the layers I used the Falling Snow embossing folder from Creative Expressions. 

In the corner I added a sentiment from the Star Tags die set from John Next Door. 

Finally I added the small deer from the Winter Wonderland die set from Sizzix which I also I used to make the snow behind the Delicate Pine Frame. 

I really do hope that you have a good week.  I know there is a lot to do. I also know that I am going to struggle to do regular blog posts. Please bear with me. 

I would like to enter the following challenges: 

Happy Crafting

Hugs Jackie

Deer in the Snow Christmas Card

Hello My Crafty Blog Friends and Visitors

How has your week been? I have been very busy. There just seems to be so much to do. It doesn't help when your husband needs extra cards for his work colleagues and I thought I had made extra.

I haven't made as many Christmas cards as I thought I had. Once I had made the extra cards for my husband I looked around my craft area and found lots of bits that had been cut but not used. So I made this quick card with them.

The backing paper was left over in my stash. 

I used the Delicate Pine Frame die from Memory Box for the frame and the tree. The deer and the snow were cut with the Winter Wonderland dies from Sizzix. 

The sentiment was cut with the sentiment die from the Happy Snowflakes die set from John Next Door. 

This isn't too bad for a lot of left over bits and pieces. 

I would like to enter the following challenges:

The Friday 14th Challenge at the Daring Cardmakers Challenge blog

Challenge 173 at the Crimbo Crackers Challenge blog

The December Challenge at Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge

Challenge 227 at the Fussy and Fancy Friday Challenge 

Have a great weekend. 

Happy Crafting

Hugs Jackie

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Not Just Cards Challenge blog - December Challenge - Anything Goes

Hello My Crafty Blog friends and visitors.

I hope your week has started well. Like all of us I am busy with preparations for Christmas. I had to go to the post office yesterday and I went back today. Hopefully that is all the parcels posted. Oops no I have just thought of another one.

Today sees the start of the last challenge of 2018 at the Not Just Cards Challenge blog and as always the theme is Anything Goes. 

I found an old card in my stash with the first line of the carol Silent Night on it. I decided to theme the whole card around this image. I found the music paper with the actual tune on it. 

Why not join in with our challenge it is Anything Goes. Click on the logo and you will be taken there. 

I cut a frame for the image with the double pierced circle dies from Creative Expressions. 

The poinsettias were cut from other music paper with the Tattered Poinsettias Bigz die from Sizzix. 

Happy Christmas was cut with a die from Creative Expressions. 

I do like how this card turned out. 

I would like to enter the following challenges: 

The TTCRD Challenge for the week starting 11th December

Happy Crafting

Hugs Jackie

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Merry Christmas Wreath

Hello My Crafty Blog Friends and Visitors

I hope you had a great weekend and are ready for the week ahead. We found out on Saturday that our in-laws want to spend Christmas Day with us after all. This means that our plans have changed completely. I have written lists of everything and there is a lot to sort out. We will get it all done I am sure.

I have been looking back through my files for cards that I haven't shared yet and I came across this one.

I made this card with the free gift that came with issue 166 of Papercraft Essentials magazine. It was from the Winter Wonderland Collection from Crafter's Companion there were three dies and a 6" x 6" embossing folders. I used the embossing folder on the gold mat and the white centre. The wreath was cut with the branch die in two shades of green. I added dots of glue and some glitter to make it look frosty. 

The sentiment comes with its own mat which means that it shows up nicely. 

I added a tartan bow. 

This was a lovely free gift and I am sure I will be using it all again next year.

Have a great day

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Challenge 224 at the Crafty Cardmakers Challenge blog

Challenge 232 at the Crafting from the Heart Challenge blog

Happy Crafting

Hugs Jackie

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Needle Felted Christmas Angel

Hello My Crafty Blog Friends and Visitors

I hope you are having a great weekend. We had a lovely time yesterday. First we met our in-laws and daughter and son-in-law at Basildon Park the National Trust property to see the Christmas decorations. We had lunch in a very nice pub before heading off to a place selling nice Christmas Trees and wreaths but also with an indoor Christmas market. We bought a wreath to decorate because what I need to do right now it have some more jobs to do.

On Friday I was helping at Christmas themed Felting workshop run by Seadrift Studio . I was able to make two things. I was rather pleased with how my Christmas Tree Angel turned out. I am slightly nervous about sharing my angel so please be kind.

I made a frame with pipe cleaners for the head and the arms. This does mean that the arms are bendy. I felted fibres over the frame to cover it. 

I added wool fibres and angelina fibres (they make it sparkly) to decorate. The wings were attached last and I sprayed them with hair spray to make them stiffer. I decided not to make a face as that might just have ruined it. 

There we all are sat round the table needle felting at the workshop. We did have a good time. 

This is all the things that were made there is such a variety. 

I am very pleased with how she looks on our tiny tree. I added some wire to the back to hold her securely in place.  Now I am going to decorate the wreath we bought yesterday. 

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Challenge 113 at the Butterfly Challenge blog

I hope you have a wonderful week. 

Happy Crafting

Hugs Jackie

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