2013 - My First Blogging Year in Review (and some favourites)

Hi there

Well, as 2013 comes to a close I wanted to share some thoughts and favourites with you.

I started making cards quite a few years ago but I never really stuck with it for any length of time.  So last year, after seeing some blogs listed in a magazine, I decided to have a look and find out what it was all about.  That was it, from that moment I was hooked and I've become addicted to cardmaking more than ever before.  Having absolutely no clue about how to create a blog, after a few months of following some of you 'Neet & Crafty' was born.  And what a wonderful year I've had!

It seems to be a crafty blog tradition with many of you to review and share your favourite creations from each year so I've decided to do the same.  I was going to pick a card from each month but most of my favourites were from the latter part of 2013.  Some of my early designs, well, what was I thinking! haha

So here goes...

Please click on the date link if you would like to see the original post.

26 February - This was my first really CAS card and I still love it.  All the lovely comments also gave me a real boost.  The photography, however, was rubbish! :D

1 March - This card gave me my first challenge recognition, Top 3 Featured Member at Muse.  You've no idea how happy this made me!

16 June - I was so delighted with this card.  I just loved the mix of Clearly Besotted Stamps products and the colour combo.

23 June - The combination of a natural card base, kraft cardstock and the gorgeous papers from Fancy Pants just made me smile.

23 July - I was so happy with this card, this subtle colour combo turned out to be one of my favourites

7 September - I think this is at the top of my favourites list, the anniversary card I made for my best friend.  I love everything about it, especially the buttons :)

12 September - I was so pleased with this New Home card I made for my brother and his girlfriend.  I love the simplicity and of course, the button and jute twine.

4 October - I had this stamp unused in my stash for months and once I inked it up I just loved it.  And clearly, as the year's gone on, I think clean and simple has become my favourite style.

9 October - I made this card with two new die purchases and was so happy with it.  I still have a very limited die collection but I will certainly be purchasing more in 2014.  I think they just add that little something extra.

5 November - I really struggle with masculine cards so was really happy when I managed to create this one for my chap's birthday.  I think I may create some more versions in the future, based on this design.

10 November - I wanted to include this one as I tried two new techniques and was really pleased with the result.  The first was embossing with dies which creates a lovely effect and adds interest to a one layer card.  The second technique was creating a background of words, it took me ages but worked really well in the end.

7 December - I wouldn't normally use flowers on a wedding card but loved the end result of this one.  These stamps from Uniko Studio had been on my wishlist for so long and I'm so glad I finally managed to purchase them.

And there you have it, I managed to choose 12 cards, albeit not one from each month.  CAS is definitely becoming the style that I love the most and I think this is the general direction in which I aim to continue.

I want to thank each and every one of you whether a follower, subscriber, reader or fellow blogger for all your wonderful comments, hints and tips, product advice and for generally making me feel so welcome in this crafting community.

I also want to specifically send a massive THANK YOU to Stephanie at Clearly Besotted Stamps for asking me to Guest Design for her September release, I feel so honoured to have been part of your team.  And special thanks also goes out to Lizy at Lizy's House of Cards for thinking of me and asking me to Guest Design for Sketch Saturday throughout October.  I had a wonderful time so thank you both SO MUCH xx

So all that remains is for me to say Happy New Year to you all.  I hope you have a fabulous night tonight whatever you're up to and I wish you and your nearest and dearest all the best for a happy and healthy 2014.

Much love

Happy Birthday Panel

Hi guys

I'm back with another card this afternoon, please scroll down for my first post of today.

This time I'm pairing up yet another entry for Less is More, to choose any previous challenge, with the latest challenge at ColourQ, #221.

So, again I asked my boyfriend to pick a number between 1 and 150 and this time he chose No 4.  The Week 4 Challenge at Less is More was a Recipe of 'Three Squares'.

Here's my card...

Apologies for the not great photography.  The lighting was very strange in my lounge today, no matter where I stood I was casting a shadow.

I started by stamping the base card using a very old wood-mounted stamp.  After cleaning off the stamp I then inked up sections of it in the three other colours and stamped this on a scrap of white cardstock.  I then used a small square die to cut out sections of the three coloured areas before adhering these to the card base in their original positions, popping up on some adhesive squares to add dimension.

The card looked like it required something else so I finished off by colouring in the hearts using co-ordinating ProMarkers.

Here is the ColourQ inspiration palette.

I love this colour combination, I think these are beautiful together but I actually think my card will be great to give to a guy.  I'll have to remember this combo as I always struggle with masculine cards.

Materials used:

• Stamp: Penny Black - "Birthday" Panel
• Ink: Versa Color - Neptune, Sky Blue, Mint and Sand Beige
• Die: Xcut - Nested Squares
• ProMarkers: Powder Blue, Pastel Green and Tan

Thanks for visiting and for your comments, I love receiving them and appreciate your feedback.

Take care and I hope to see you again tomorrow.

CAS Party!

Hi guys

Well, I was in a mood for crafting today so I decided to have another go at the latest challenge at Less is More which is to choose any previous challenge.

I didn't have a clue which one to choose so I asked my boyfriend to pick a number between 1 and 150 and he decided on 82.  So there you have it, I made this card based on Week 82 which was a Recipe challenge, being '3, 2, 1'.  I hadn't started blogging when this challenge was set previously so haven't attempted it before.

I also decided to enter another challenge at the same time, this being the latest at CASology where the theme is Party.

I had all sorts of 321 combinations going round in my brain but settled on this:

3 - Pearls

2 - Patterned Papers

1 - Stamped Sentiment

Materials used:

• Stamp: From an unknown set free with a publication
• Ink: Versa Color - Pine Cone
• Patterned Paper: Echo Park - Sweet Day 6x6 Paper Pad
• Dies: MFT Die-namics - Fishtail Flag STAX
• Pearls from stash

I'll be back tomorrow with my favourite creations from this year and who knows, I may ask him to pick another number later and have another go!

TTFN

My Favourite Five Christmas Creations

Hi there

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are still tucking into a fridge-full of leftovers!

I've not had any crafty time since Christmas and my craft stash is still packed away so I have no card to share with you today but I thought I would use this opportunity to enter the challenge from Debby, over at A Scrapjourney which is to share our favourite five Christmas creations.

This is my first year of blogging and my first year of making Christmas cards.  I didn't make as many as I hoped I would but I was very pleased with how most of them turned out.  I've linked each one to the original blog post if you want to read more about them.

Number One

I made this one as part of my Guest Designer spot for Sketch Saturday in October.  I loved making this one and was thrilled with how it turned out.

Number Two

I love the simplicity of this one with all the white space and this one earned me Top 3 Featured Member status at Muse :)

Number Three

Has to be this one, as soon as I made this one for my chap it became one of favourites.

Number Four

This is one of six versions of the same design I used to make my main batch of Christmas cards.  I like them all but if I had to choose one it would be this one.  All six versions can be seen in the link above.

Number Five

This is the only project from this year that wasn't a card.  It was the advent present I made for my very best friend.  It took a bit of planning and a while to make but I know she had great fun opening one of these every day on the approach to Christmas.  As I know it made her happy, it just HAS to feature in my top five! :)

Looking at the above choices I think my favourite style is definitely leaning towards clean and simple, and that's the way its headed throughout the year.  

I hope to get a bit of crafting done in the next day or two and will be back with another post to share my personal favourite cards of 2013.

Thanks so much for visiting, your comments and ongoing support has been completely overwhelming this year.  I've had a lovely time hearing what you think and also learning so much from you all.

Take care