Sentimental Sundays favourite

The challenge for Sentimental Sundays 135 is to show our favourite Sentimental Sunday entry - I've chosen this one featuring these cards:

Five favourite Christmas cards

Debby of A Scrap Journey is asking us to show our five favourite Christmas cards. I found this such a challenge. I make loads of Christmas cards - I wouldn't say that any of them are wonderful, but I had a hard job to narrow my choice down to five.

So here we go:

This was first shown here - I used one of my favourite Penny Black stamps for this:

Next is a simple black and gold card using some favourite snowflake background stamps and a Christmas mosaic stamp by Amy Wilson - you can read about it here:

My third choice is Sassy Suzi in red - read about it here - using one of my favourite Greetings Farm stamps:

The next one here is a clean and simple black and white card using a lovely three kings Clarity stamp and a Kanban image stamped a couple of times down the side:#

And my last choice here is a very recent card that I made at the request of a friend to give to his wife  who loves seeing cards with the Inkadinkado angel stamp on them, adding some of my favourite Inkadinkado snowflakes stamps randomly:

Why not join in the fun and link for Debby's My Five Favourite Christmas Cards.

Name those stamps - Christmas Quiz

When I came across Jules' 'name those stamps - Christmas Quiz' I just had to take part. I love Penny Black stamps and it was a joy to find all the stamps that Jules had provided teasing snippet pictures for. If you'd like to join in then click here.

Jules is adding prizes to the box of goodies every day for the 12 days of Christmas.

Why is it so difficult ...

... to make a card for someone special.

It's John's birthday tomorrow - I really should have made his card before Christmas, but I kept putting it off ... and today realised that I needed to get on with it!

The first thing I tried was a disaster - colouring went wrong and it ended up in the bin.

In the end I've resorted to using some fancy chipboard letters that I've had for so long that I can't remember where they were from. One or two of them had little flowers on them, so I changed those for gems. As John has very little sight this actually is the kind of card he will love.

The card blank is 8" x 8" to accommodate all the letters. I printed the sentiment and cut out with a nestie, edging with an alcohol pen.

This is very different to what I first had in mind, but I think John will like it because it isn't cluttered with anything other than the lettering and a few little gems.

I'm linking this for:

Tuesday morning 178: anything goes - challenge yourself - it certainly was a challenge trying to decide what to do for John's card - happy in the end!
Here come the boys 42: anything goes
Charisma cardz 51: anything goes
Dutch dare 197: celebration
Card crafters circle 55: anything goes
Pixie dust studio: any celebration will do
Bunny Zoe: celebration
Whoopsi Daisy: celebrate

CHNC challenge 105 ...

... here we go, starting Christmas cards now for next year - please come and join in my CHNC challenge 105 and avoid the panic that tends to set in as December looms. This week you can show any Christmas card that you haven't shown before or make a new one to start off your collection for 2013.

For my card I've used an offcut of some mirror card that I used last week, wrapped around with a piece of blue and silver ribbon, topped with a sentiment strip. The topper and snowflakes have been in my Christmas stash for years - it's about time I used up things like this. The topper is very glittery.

If you happen to be reading this after 1 January, then please also come and join my on my new CHNC challenge extra monthly 'anything goes', where you might be randomly chosen to win $21 to spend on Bugaboo Stamps.

My card is also for:

A card a day on facebook
Pixie's crafty snippets week 52
Nutcrafters 33: lots of layers and sparkle/bling
Craftymess 24: show some sparkle/bling
Bloggers challenge: sparkle and shine
QKR stampede 19: let it shine
Pixie dust studio: any celebration will do
Bunny Zoe: celebration
Whoopsi Daisy: celebrate
Order of the opus gluei 146: baby it's cold outside
Lexi 80: snow
Raise the bar 124: let it snow
Papercraft star 125: snow
The hybrid chick (card caravan) 34: snowflakes
Catch the bug: holiday/winter
Crazy amigo: merry Christmas
Cutie pie 33: cutie Christmas
Creative Belli 159: Christmas
Craft us crazy 33: merry Christmas
Milk coffee: Christmas or winter holiday
Kaboodle 151: Christmas, holidays or new year
Victorine 49: non traditional Christmas
Creative craft challenges: non traditional Christmas
Broken box stock 17: winter/snowflakes
Tanda teaser 204: chilly colours
Hiding in my craft room 78: freestyle
Cute card Thursday 249: anything goes
Challenges4everybody 10: anything goes
Simon says: anything goes
Crafts and me: winter wonderland bumper Christmas challenge
Penny's 107: merry Christmas
Crafts 4 eternity R104: 1 - 2 - 3 - 1 ribbon, 2 characters, 3 snowflakes
Ribbon carousel 75: holiday spirit: Christmas
Fab n funky 152: add ribbon and/or lace
Really reassonable ribbon 62: anything goes and ribbon
Party time Tuesday 100: anything goes
The pink elephant 180: anything goes
Through the craftroom door 50: anything goes
Simon says: anything goes
Tuesday alchemy 46: anything goes
Little Miss Muffet 51: anything goes
Stamp-n-doodle: anything goes
DL.ART: anything goes
ATCs and cards with attitude 30: anything goes/celebrations
Mark's fiuest papers simple salutations 25: anything goes (with a sentiment on the front)
Spark your creativity now 4: anything goes
Hooked on craft 27: Christmas
Allways something creative 44: Christmas
Gingerloft: Christmas or winter

Natalie and Amy December: winter wishes

A & T 19: anything goes
Cards galore December: Christmas
Card and scrap 45: anything goes
Wags n whiskers 94: anything goes
House of gilli 48: add sparkle
Make it Monday
52 card pick up week 52

CASology 25: favourites week

It's favourites week on CASology, so I've chosen this card that I originally showed on 8 July 2012 - details here:

As it's Christmas I've got no new crafting to show ... should be back soon once the festivities are over, although it looks as if I'll be busy till the end of the week.

Hope everyone had a good Christmas Day and enjoy the rest of the holiday season.

For John's birthday ...

... from mum. John is one of those awkward people - he has a birthday close to Christmas and he's not the only one in our family ... there are lots of them!!

Anyway, this is a card I've made for mum to give to John (I still need to make mine for him, but his birthday isn't until Sunday, so I have lots of time yet - lol!).

The bowler stamp is Personal Impressions - inked with memento and coloured with copics. The edges of the scalloped card blank were brushed with shabby shutters distress ink. Photo is awful because of the flash - the sentiment include 'lots of love'.

This is for:

Facebook card a day
Here come the boys 42: anything goes
Whoopsi Daisy: celebrate
Willow sketchie: let's celebrate
Totally stampalicious: CAS
Hotshot craft 14: clean and simple
Pink elephant 180: anything goes
Creative craft world December/January mini challenge: anything goes
Stampin' for the weekend 24: anything goes
Delightful: anything goes
Challenges4everybody 10: anything goes
Paper crafting journey: anything goes
Crafts 4 eternity R103: anything goes
Artistic inspirations 20: anything goes
The paper shelter 93: anything goes
Stamp-n-doodle: anything goes
DL.ART: anything goes
ATCs and cards with attitude 29: anything goes
Spark your creativity now 4: anything goes

A & T 19: anything goes
Card and scrap 45: anything goes
Wags n whiskers 94: anything goes
Make it Monday
52 card pick up week 51

If it's not done by now ...

... then it doesn't matter! Presents all wrapped, baking done, veg etc prepared for tomorrow. Thought I'd just show this choc cake:

Hope it tastes OK.

CHNC challenge 104: anything goes for Christmas

It's 'anything goes for Christmas' for my CHNC challenge 104. I imagine that even those who leave cards till the last minute have probably made all their Christmas cards by now, but it will be an opportunity to share any that you made and didn't show earlier.

I made a very quick card from this using elements from a 'My paper store' - unfortunately, because it's mirror card, the photo is awful because of the reflection - best I could do:

This is my card for today's facebook A card a day and also for:

Totally Gorjuss 163: easy does it (a quick card)
Card mania 10: snowflakes
Joanna Sheen: with love at Christmas
Kaboodle 150: Christmas/holiday/anything goes
Paper pretties Monday 70: Christmas
Victorine 49: non traditional Christmas
Creative craft challenges: non traditional Christmas
Dare to be sassy Thursday 156: blue Christmas
Tanda teaser 204: chilly colours
Simon says: merry Christmas
Top tip Tuesday 92: anything Christmas with special rules
Crafts and me: winter wonderland bumper Christmas challenge
Penny's 107: merry Christmas
Paper crafting journey: anything goes
Crafts 4 eternity R103: anything goes
Artistic inspirations 20: anything goes
Squigglefly 50: anything goes with a sentiment
Divas by design 66: anything goes
The paper shelter 93: anything goes
Stamp-n-doodle: anything goes
DL.ART: anything goes
ATCs and cards with attitude 29: anything goes
Spark your creativity now 4: anything goes
Hooked on craft 27: Christmas
Allways something creative 44: Christmas
Gingerloft: Christmas or winter

Natalie and Amy December: winter wishes

A & T 19: anything goes
Cards galore December: Christmas
Card and scrap 45: anything goes
Perfect sentiments 59: anything goes with Christmas
Wags n whiskers 94: anything goes
House of gilli 48: add sparkle
Crafty boots: Christmas
Make it Monday
52 card pick up week 51

Inky fingers

All I've got to show this evening is inky fingers. I've been invited to be a guest designer for a challenge blog in the New Year and I've really enjoyed getting inky this evening - a change from Christmas cards.

So this is all that I can share: