Crackers

As you know, every year I make my own Christmas Crackers and this year was no exception. This year I had to make a few more as friends of ours were joining us for Boxing Day, to experience a typical English Christmas.

Catch up time

It was a busy time on the lead up to Christmas and I ended up making more than I usually do:

I made an oversized gift tag for a gift for my friend’s dog – I’ve not gone mad, it’s just easier to buy for his dog than him!



For my friend I made some Asian Chilli Jam from a Lorraine Pascale recipe

Happy New Year – not a good start

Hope you all had a lovely New Year.  We had a great time New Year’s Eve – nice family dinner; silly games; Jools Holland on the TV and celebrating New Year twice.  We can’t help ourselves – we have to watch Big Ben and the London celebrations as well.  We had a lazy New Year’s day – so, all in all, a good time.



Sadly, the good start did not continue.  In the early hours of Tuesday morning I woke to the sound of the smoke alarm going off. We all charged out of bed, down the stairs and I discovered smoke pouring from the hob. Somehow, it had developed a fault and turned itself on. As it had heated up, it had heated the protective glass plates that we keep on it (to stop the cats turning it on by accident!). DH phoned the fire brigade and turned off the electric for the hob , DS grabbed the girls and we all got out safely. We must have looked a sorry sight standing on the street in our jim jams! The police and the firemen arrived very quickly and did a superb job in making the house safe. The smoke was very bad and although nothing is damaged, other than the hob, both DH and I have been suffering a bit from smoke inhalation.


We spent the day getting things sorted, from cleaning up the shattered glass, to visiting the insurance people, arranging an electrician and finally a trip to Ikea to get a new hob. The electrician came to make sure that the electric was safe and came on Wednesday to fit the new hob.   Everything is now sorted (thank goodness).







Despite being very frightening, we all got out quickly & safely – this might not have been the case if we hadn’t had working smoke alarms.  So, whilst wishing you all a happy, healthy & safe New Year, if you haven’t got a WORKING smoke alarm (or 2) please, please, go out and get yourselves one or put batteries in the ones you’ve got.



Stay safe,
Lesley x x

Happy 2012!!

       Happy New Year!!

Message from me: I am not sitting at my 'puter 1 minute into the New Year - this is a scheduled post and as this is posting I will be seeing in the New Year with a drink in hand!!

Dad & Grandad

Today is my FIL’s birthday.  I needed 2 cards: 1 for Dad & 1 for Grandad.  My FIL is very good at DIY and has a keen interest in football – both themes that I could use in my designs.

Card blank embossed with my Cuttlebug A2 embossing folder – Tiny Bubbles (37-1229); surface lightly sanded.  The spanners were cut using my Sizziz Sizzlit – phrase – Father (655292)

Card blank embossed with my Sizzix Textured Impressions Embossing Folder – Plaid (657064).  Image stamped onto white card and coloured with Copic Markers

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas

and a

Happy New Year!!

1 year already

Our dear friends are celebrating their 1st anniversary today.  How romantic to marry on Christmas eve?  (see here for their wedding card)

Of course, I had to make a card – I couldn’t let their 1st anniversary pass without a special one.

I enjoy making this type of card – a real “one of a kind”!

Here’s wishing them both a very happy first anniversary and may they have many, many more!

and finally!

for our dancing teacher

and for our friends . . . . . .

and there’s more . . . . .

For DH from me

For DH from DS

The Yearly Challenge

As you know, DS is a bit of a brand slave and each year the challenge is to come up with two Christmas cards featuring the logo of his favourite brand.

Here are this year’s efforts:

A Christmas Project with a helpful cat

DH decided that this year, for the first time, that he wanted something to hang on the front door.  Having made his decision, he scoured the shops for something suitable but drew a blank.  He then had a bit of a brainwave – I could make one.  He was “kind” enough to buy the supplies and then left me to get on with it.

Result:  One happy husband, one fake snow covered cat!

Christmas is coming

I love making Christmas cards, I just don’t like making them in the summer.

Here are some of this year’s family cards:

50

My cousin is 50 today.  I wanted to make him an extra special card.

I dug out a photo of him when he was a baby, scanned it and used it as the base of my design.

 

Wasn’t he a cutie?

DH is 50 next year and he is slightly worried as to what I am going to come up with for him.  Suggestions most welcome!!

Lest We Forget

Yet another birthday

And for another dear friend.

As always, I find designing cards for men more challenging.  I don’t know why as the process is the same.

I decided on a “wine” themed card.

I started with a bronze coloured card blank

It was then embossed using my Sizzix Textured Impressions Embossing Folder – Plaid (657064)

       

I cut a piece of corrugated card to size and cut the scalloped piece using my trusty craft robo

I glued the scalloped piece to the card

I added a piece of green ribbon around the corrugated card, then glued this in place.

Adding half a cork, the card is done.

My glamourpuss assistant

As you can see, Poppy is my ever present assistant.

1st Birthday

How time flies!  It was our friend’s son’s first birthday this week.

As he was a Halloween baby I decided to use this as a starting point for the design.

       

Using my craft robo I designed and cut the components required.

       

The lattice frame was glued onto a dark blue pearlised card blank.

I made this cheeky fella using my Sizzix Sizzlits die “Kid in Pumpkin Costume” (655275).  I used my Copic markers to give the pumpkin a bit of shading.

The finished card.

Back to Oriental

Once again it is time to make my cousin’s birthday card.  Over the years, I have made her many things with an Oriental theme so each year it becomes a little more difficult to come up with something different.

This card was based on the symbol “double happiness” which I designed and cut using my craft robo.

I cut a circle from a red pearlised card blank.  The cut symbol was first put on tissue paper (and trimmed), then mounted onto the card, over the aperture.  Finished with a gold circle frame, here is the finished card.

 

To better show why I used tissue, I put a battery tea light inside and took a photo.

and another

I enjoyed making the typewriter card so much that I had to make another (see here for the other one) 

I decided to make this one for my Aunt – quite appropriate as she bought herself one this summer.