Do you have Christmas Traditions?

Would you like to share one and be in with a chance of winning a Christmas stamp?
Stop by my Christmas blog to see what I mean.

I am going to share one of my Christmas traditions here.

Every year My kids decorate the tree - the eldest and youngest are the ones who love it the most. The eldest one has a bright orange stocking big enough to hold a finger of fudge, his teddies stocking from when he was little. The youngest has an ornamental sheep - the last part she played in the nativity. She was originally chosen a s a narrator but she was so desperate to be a sheep she was recast ! The same year I went to london and found the decoration in Harrods and so just had to buy it - its a source of amusement every Christmas.

So it you would like to share a tradition with me then stop by my Christmas blog here you could win the prize!

Blog candy

This is a new challenge blog dedicated to Christmas starting on the 1st January and for spreading the words here is some fab candy to win.

So just click on the pink picture to find out all about it!

Tuesday Taggers - A decoration

I am feeling a little smug it has to be said having done the majority of my Christmas cards all year long! I adore the Festive season, the lights, the decorations, the music, the love, the magic and the feeling of hope it brings. I know this is not the same for everyone don't get me wrong but Christmas means a lot to me - I love giving gifts, I love the wonder on the faces of small children, I love the tingly feeling I get when I hear Christmas Carols. I love reading Christmas stories to children and the sharp pang of emotion I feel every time I read the nativity story - do I sound mad? or just someone who loves Christmas very much!

Onto Tuesday Taggers where I have chosen the theme again and as I have most of my cards done I thought decorations would be cool ( I chose the thme on WW too as I just knew I would love making them so much!). This began life as a bare papier mache suitcase and was given to me as a birthday gift by my lovely cheeky friend Georgy Girl x

I painted it gold - 2 coats then have added Graphic 45 papers which I bought here

The gold roses - goodness knows where they came from as they have been in my stash forever! the screw brads came from here

I needed the brads after all my faffing about to keep the handles in place!

Inside are more of the roses and a Tim Holtz ticket.

The papers continue throughout the case which holds a little 24 page book intended to be a Christmas planner. I have decorated some of the pages and also stamped some of them with journalling stamps for gift lists, menu ideas, secret recipes etc. I really had such fun doing this. Do stop by and see my team mates projects - not everyone has gone for a Christmas theme so different ideas galore xx

Have a great day x Janet

Challenge number 10 at The Stamp Man - a tribute to Mr Holtz!

I love Mr Holtz' products - there I have said it out loud! I am lucky to have 8 of his Christmas stamp sets which I absolutely love!

Last Friday at Stamp Man HQ the ladies at The Stamping club also made one of these cards using Mr Holtz' stamps. Doing a card in monochrome highlights how stunning the images actually are.

Mr Stamp Man has a range of the gorgeous stamp sets at a very competitive price so if you fancy treating yourself to make some fast but stunning Christmas cards then just click here. In fact the range of Tim Holtz products is brilliant with even some of those gorgeous tattered floral dies in stock!

There is a poem inside the card but as this is travelling over seas for a card swap I don't want to spoil the big surprise - promise I will share in a couple of weeks when it has arrived at its new home.

My team mates have also been playing with Tim's products

(I do feel I could call him Tim, my OH is called Tim and I have so much of his stuff his names crops up almost daily here LOL)

Do stop by to see their gorgeous creations at

The Stamp Man Challenge

Tuesday Taggers - Peace, Joy,Love

My turn to choose this week and also an opportunity to indulge in Christmas art again LOL.
I made this hangy decoration from Cds - its really simple to do and I really like it too. The papers and stamps are both papermania. The letters are precut ones from K&Co. I have used a woodware punch to make the doily effect on the back of the cds its the 1 inch scallop circle.

I'm picking a winner this week so no random org and I will be sending the winner a mystery Christmas parcel. Its funny but most of my team mates have also gone for Joy as the word to play with - do stop by and have a look. If you join in I may pick you too!

Rocking my world Friday!

Such a slacker! Ive missed a few weeks of my gratefuls but I have been busy truely I have :0)

So my list of gratefuls for this week
1) As always my gorgeous family for putting up with my whims and obsessions - Crafting has been top of the list this week and they have not minded one bit xx
2) no 1 son has a temporary job - Hurrah! He is a different person - going to bed at 9-30 getting up at 6am - and eating normally. I am praying something permenant happens soon because he NEEDS to work to keep his soul alive - and that awful scary depression at bay. This makes my heart feel sooo warm and content seeing him be so happy.
3) No 2 son is continuing to be a happy chappy and finding a life beyond his first true love - He has performed at 2 gigs this week and been to see the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra perform (spelling??). A hugely positive week for him which again warms my heart.
4) My lovely daughter worked so hard on her Andy Warhol project presenting the work like an art journal. Her creative expression and fabulous ideas paid off when her teacher told her yesterday she will receive as many credits as is allowed (Meg thinks thats 3) for the project it is so good. More heart warming positivity.
5)This week has seen 5 classes to teach - the preparation and thought which goes into them is many more hours than the actual session it self which is why when we get great feedback (Michelle and I) it makes it all feel worthwhile - Thanks to everyone who has attended our sessions (one to go today) and made them work so well.
So lots there to be grateful for and I have a warm and happy heart :0)
Hop on over and visit Virginia the Queen of the Rockettes - shes been busy creating too!

Busy little Bees

So did you think I had disappeared??? I'm afraid with Christmas coming my other blog is snatching all the attention - if you want to see more then visit here
Its been a mad week so far. Last Saturday was a Christmas journal workshop with my regular craft club buddies. It was a fabulous day and we got loads done - I will share my journal nearer December.
Monday we had a coach party in at The Stamp Man HQ so Michelle and I did make and takes for 46 ladies - no mean feat as most had no papercraft experience! Good job we did not know that before hand as we would have been running for the hills LOL.
Not without its little problems though - The toilet blocked - Poor Mr Stampman was in there trying his best most of the day and it turned out to be a problem in the outside drain anyway with a stone causing the blockage. Poor Ian he gets the best jobs whilst we ladies get down and inky creating Christmas cards. Sadly I have no sample to show you as I let one lady take it home. It is however over on my Christmas blog as last weeks challenge project for the stamp man.

Yesterday saw yet another class with our Young disabled adults. Their blog has been a little neglected however we really want them to run it themselves so we have to wait for permissions and skills to be up to speed - I have uploaded 2 of their cards from yesterday but hopefully they will be running the blog themselves very soon. You can see it here.

Today saw a workshop at The Stamp Man - making jewellery and gift boxes. Here are some folks being very creative - ignore the tin of biscuits they were for display purposes only we didn't eat them LOL

So this is one of the gift boxes. Using Starburst stains icicle creek a simple gift box dressed to look special.

and look what is inside! We used the melt pot to create this stunner and teamed it with some of the awesome Tim Holtz products available here

You can't see it in the pic but it also had dangly beads on the end and gorgeous sparkle in the stamped impression. We also made style stone necklaces stamping, embossing and painting on them - some stunners were made for presents then packaged the same way.

This mystery parcel contains a luxury bath soak mix. A wonderful origami package with Michelles recipe for a winter pick me up bath soak
Michelle is full to the brim of these sort of ideas and in these credit crunch days a way to give gifts without costing the earth is essential.

Look at that gorgeous snowflake! From spell binders this beauty was an essential for finishing off these gorgeous packages. Did you know the Stamp Man have a brilliant range of not just Tim Holtz goodies but also nestabilities . Worth a visit to the site for a look here

So thats me caught up. Work from tomorrow for 5 days and a stamping club on Friday before I go to work - no rest for the very wicked huh?

Happy Crafting x Janet

Whoops late again!

Over on Tuesday Taggers (see I told you I was late) our pal Zoe decided we need a change from Christmas and has given us a "taste of the orient" challenge. Now I didnt get back from my weekend away till lunch time on Monday and was in work by 2-30pm so I had to wait until Tuesday to actually do my DT sample.
Here I have used alcohol inks to go for a monoprint background - maybe I went a little mad with the gold???? The stamping is in ranger archival the best inks for stamping onto alcohol inks and Ive used Habico oriental stamps available here
Scooting off to work again so have a great Wednesday x
Janet

The Stamp Man atc swap take a letter!

A new month for a new swap at The Stamp Man atc blog and this month it is "Take a letter". I decided to go literally and made an atc with letters on it!

I've also been brave and taken Jill at her word and tried to use chipped sapphire distress ink which I have not been that keen on. However she is right once dry it really is a gorgeous colour so I will be using it more from now on! The letter stamp is from a the sale section at The Stamp Man and comes in a larger version too - really handy for cards. I have also decorated the envelope as some of the people taking part in the swap do and I just love seeing the envelopes looking so stunning - art work in their own right!

So are you playing along with the atc swap? Hope so check this months swap out here