A Chocolate Gift

I'm just 'popping' by to say A Happy New Year to all my followers and Blog Readers :)

I haven't managed to get in the craft room this week or get on the computer either so I thought I'd kick start the blog off again by sharing a Chocolate Gift I made for my brother for Christmas to go with his pressie.

Novelty silicone ice cube moulds seem to be the thing at the moment and having seen some retro designs in the shops, I searched on-line and found a Lego Man ice cube mould .... ideal for my brother, we used to spend ages playing with our huge collection of Lego sets in our younger days, and still will given the chance:)
Not content with just giving the mould I decided to use it to make little chocolate men, seeing as it was made of silicone!

Whilst they set in the fridge I went about 

making a box for these little guys to sit in.....

First I made the insert so they could lay straight...... the good 

ol' Houghie board was so useful for this project!

It had to be bright primary coloured card ...... just like the Lego Bricks!!

The base and lid were made with some simple 

measuring and scoring ..... remembering to make the 

lid slightly larger than the base!!! 

I used a rectangle nestie to cut two windows in the lid before 

assembling the sides and then 

stuck two pieces of acetate behind them.

Here they are sitting in their box and peeking through the windows

My Lego brick label :)

...... and here's the finished gift, I didn't think a 

ribbon would look good to hold the box together 

so I just used clear round sticky dots.

My Brother appreciated the novelty chocs and the retro mould too :)

So another year is coming to a close and I will try and see the New Year in .... the only way 

I'll stay awake is if I'm in the craftroom !!

Thanks again to all you wonderful crafters who come and 

visit my place in the blogland, you're comments 

truly appreciated, especially as commenting 

time is potential crafting time!

I know I'm still playing catch up and hopefully 

normal service will resume from now on :)

See you in 2012 ...... midnight Monday to be precise, 

with the first challenge over at St Luke's Charity 

Card Challenge of the year.

Catch ya then XX

Jenny

The Last Christmas Post

Apologies but I've had to disable commenting on this post due to the high number of spam comments :0(

Hi everyone,

Well.....  we have food in the house, the cards are sent, the tree is up and decorated (took a while) and the presents are bought but still need wrapping...ugh! That'll be me kneeling on the floor getting pins and needles in my feet tomorrow!!

I said I'd be back with photos of the sweetie gifts I made for James's classmates and staff, they're nothing massively groundbreaking..... just a small token gift because he likes to give them a something.

WARNING: There now follows a lot of photos....

 I thought these packs of reindeer noses would be fun for the Children and I wrote the reindeer names on the back of the card too :)  It was an idea I saw on Pinterest and so I used Maltesers and candy coated chocolate balls.
You can just make out the hoof prints behind the clear bags..... I used the coffee bean from Paper Smooches 'Hot Concoctions' to stamp them :)

I just split two packets of sweets from Marks and Spencers to make these four treat bags for the staff!
Last but not least was a Candy cane for one of his classmates who doesn't eat chocolate so I thought this jolly snowman could look after it!!

We heard today that Hannah has not been offered a place at Oxford which is a shame but also half expected as the competition is tough for places. She is still waiting on a place at Bath which is also a definite favourite but this will probably not happen now until mid january when the UCAS form deadline is.
Being the mature young lady Hannah is, the news has not dampened her spirits at all, in fact it was me that felt rather deflated.... tut tut, these pushy parents...I don't know!!!!! Lol

So this will be my last post now until after Christmas at least, but I may sneak into the craftroom during the holidays if only for my own sanity!! 

I'm definitely back in the New Year with the new St Luke's Challenge which will be quite a challenge and  I'm sure to be hopping around on your blogs and catching up from last week too so....... 

I just want to say how glad I am that I started blogging this year, I'm lucky to have met so many friendly and talented crafters out there and I really, really appreciate you following and visiting my little place in blogland :) 

I would like to wish you all a wonderful Christmas wherever you are celebrating and a very Happy New Year too X

May Santa leave you lots of crafting goodies :)

Still here!!!

So sorry for the long silence everyone...... I just had to loop out of Blogland to get things done, last week was so manic!!! I will be able to catch up gradually over the Christmas period :)

I missed last weeks Less is More challenge even though I had good intentions to join in... ho hum.
This weeks  MUSIC  theme just happens to fit nicely with one of Christmas card designs for this year so I thought I would enter it..... you'll see it's very CAS, that's this years go to style on the Christmas cards..... quicker to make :)

The carol singers are a small stamp by amuse that I've had ages and the sentiment is a Kirsty Wiseman design by Personnel Impressions...... due to the size of the stamp the card is only 3 inch sq, I like the little cards :)

So we are on the final countdown now and both my two are done with school until January. Hannah had her two interviews at Oxford University last week and she really enjoyed the whole experience...... hard to gauge how she did but we've not long to wait as the letters get sent out before Christmas. Whatever happens, she has made some great new friends and experienced something only a  few get a chance to do :)

I hope to be back this week to share some little sweetie gift bags I made for James's class staff and friends, but that's all for today as I have to go and collect the car from the garage now and get my Christmas cards in the post :)

Thanks for looking
Jenny X

All About RED

Welcome to the second Lawn fawn Blog Hop and welcome to my crafty blog if you haven't visited before, it's lovely to have you here :)
The theme of the hop is 'All about Red' and you should have arrived here from  Kelly's blog, the complete list of participants can be found on the Lawnscaping blog in case you get lost along the way :)

The hop runs for the whole weekend so you have lots of time to take in the wonderful projects and maybe win a prize too just by leaving a comment on each blog, our sponsors are  Mold Muse, Whisker Graphics and of course Lawn Fawn :)

So onto my Red makes and I have a card which follows a red and white theme by using the snowflakes from Frosties to make my own styled 'Faux Washi tape'  with tissue paper and double sided sticky tape using this tutorial here. I stamped and fussy cut two snowflakes to stack as an embellishment for the sentiment and added some glitter dust too, hope you like it..... (sorry about the photo quality still having issues with my settings!!)

Not content with just a card I decided to have a go at making a Christmas cracker which also doubles as a place setting for the Christmas dinner table ( I only had chance to make one, but I'll be sure to make the rest before Christmas) I followed this tutorial here and found it really simple to do

The cute little bunny is so sweet to work with and place in a snowy scene...do you see I used the small branch from 'Ornate Ornaments' to make a fir tree :)

So I've tried to keep it short and sweet for you, it's a busy time of the year!, and now it's time to head on over to Erin's blog, I'm sure there will be an awesome project waiting to greet you there :)
Remember, to start the hop from the beginning or see what amazing prizes are up for grabs then head over to the Lawnscaping blog :)

I'm entering the cracker into this weeks ColourQ challenge and the card into Jay Gees Nook photo inspiration :)

Thanks for joining in the hop and Here's wishing you....... a Happy and Peaceful Christmas :)

Jenny X

A Trim Tree!

Another speedy post this morning to combine three challenges!

Mandi and Chrissie at Less is More are looking for green on our cards this week so that means another chance for a Christmas card.... who am I kidding, loads still to make!!
CASual Fridays have a 'Tic-Tac-Toe' board to play along with and Young Crafters Unite want to see die-cutting this month :)
With all those 'specs' and the inspiration of Aimes brilliant Christmas tree here this is what I came up with.....

I've used 4 different Pink Petticoat papers in 4 different greens and die cut scallops and strips to place behind a tree shape cut with my Cricut machine and then raised the white panel up from the card base with foam tape. I used a variety of punches and Dienamics dies for the scallops and a PTI Christmas sentiment!

I chose the vertical route of scallops/ Green/ Stripes from the Tic Tac Toe board.... I hope my strips of card count as stripes!!!!

I just wanted to let you know that I'm taking part in the second Lawnscaping Blog Hop this Friday and would love you to come back and join in the fun.... with the whole weekend to hop through the inspirational projects and prizes too, who could refuse??

Right that's me done.... need to get a wiggle on so I can look through all the lovely 'Green' entries later when I've got some free time!!
Thanks for your visit and hope you have a lovely, if chilly, day!

Jenny X

Falling Snowflakes

Two challenges I had to join in with this week are ColourQ and Freshly Made Sketches and yes you guessed..... I made another Christmas card :) So here is what I came up with when I combined the two...

Quite CAS I know but I thought the sketch could take it and I did overcome my glitter phobia and give the snowflakes and buttons some sparkle treatment too!!!
The snowflake die is a dienamics by MFT and the sentiment is from a set by Personal Impressions by Kirsty Wiseman.

I'm also entering this card into Simon Says Stamp and Wee Memories as they are both having an 'Anything Goes' challenge week :)

Well this week the Christmas Shopping will start in earnest as well as throwing some cards together...... I seem to work better under pressure, it focuses the mind. Last weeks trip was not successful, as predicted, but I get on better when I've had a pre shopping recce and I'm on my own!!!!

Right must dash... loads to do and I'll be back to blog hop later :)
Thanks for visiting me today.

Jenny X

It's Snowtime at St Luke's

I'm not going to start this post by saying how close we are to Christmas because it will panic me...arrrrgghh!..... I said it!

It's the first of December so no doubt James will be bouncing out of bed this morning to see Hannah open the first door of the advent calendar... he has given her the odd numbers so he gets the largest chocolate on Christmas eve, crafty little monkey :)

The beginning of December also means a new challenge at St Luke's Charity Card Challenge and this month the theme is  'Let it Snow' so we are talking snowmen, snowflakes, penguins, polar bears or even a snowy landscape which is exactly what I have made on my card....

(sorry about photo, I need to re-think the settings on my camera!)

Yep... I had another idea to use the Country Landscape die from Memory Box on a tri-fold card and this time I coloured the houses and trees with Promarkers and added enamel accents for snow with white gel pen highlights.
The falling snow is a stamp I've had  for years and is nameless but is extremely useful, the sentiment is by PTI, oh and of course frosted lace stickles to give that sparkle in the snow :)

Last weekend Tara sold a lot of your wonderful cards at a local craft fair and raised an extra £152 to add to the money raised so far which now totals £487, so thank you so much for donating your time and cards for this worthy cause, please join in this month too and continue to send them in... you could be the lucky winner of Decembers prize, kindly donated by fellow DT member, Deborah, which is this set of Dainty Doilies stamps from Waltzing Mouse....yummy or what??? 

So please pop over to the blog and see what the other DT members have made to inspire you and check out the background to this Crafty Card Challenge as well as the address to send your cards too :)

Thanks for visiting me, I'm going to hopefully make a start on the Christmas shopping today.... the first trip is never successful !!

Jennie X

Christmas Vine

Yep, I know I said the posts would be thin on the ground but my words usually come back to bite me on the bum !!

I started this card for Less is More and then decided it would be more suited to Karen's brilliant sketch at CASual Fridays.... it's a fab sketch with lovely clean lines, so typical of her own unique style ......

The green card is from the Tim Holtz Distress Kraft Co-ordinations pad and it's been embossed with a Craft Concepts embossing folder then sanded to reveal the rustic core. The pearls are placed over the embossed berries, shiny gems just didn't look right which is why it didn't make it to the 'Bling' challenge at LIM!! A papertrey sentiment and some zigzag stitches on the red card and another Christmas card done :)

Having a blog this year means that I'm collecting a few different designs together but still nowhere near enough yet!!! How are your Christmas cards coming along??

Whilst you're here I thought I'd show you the two cards I made for Lynn and Anne, my fellow DT members at St Luke's, they were both birthday girls this last weekend :)

I used Lawn fawn stamps for Lynn's card, I was so happy to make one of the 

banner pennants into a flower pot :)

For Anne's card I used some patterned paper from a pad called Reminiscence 

by Lasting Impressions

This leads me nicely on to remind you that you have one day left to enter the current challenge at St Luke's  for a chance to win the Lili of the Valley stamps, because it's all change tomorrow night when we move into December with a new theme and prize, so I'll be back at midnight with an inspiration card for you :)

So until then I'll say goodbye and thanks for all your good luck messages for Hannah, I've been passing them on :)
Jenny x

A Bit of Bling!

Hello again

Another week closer to Christmas..... and I think the blog posts will continue to be a bit thin on the ground on the run up to Christmas as family life seems to go into overdrive but I can never resist the weekly challenge at Less is More :)

This week's theme is  'A Bit of Bling' and the perfect reason to roll out another Christmas card!!

Just some simple paper piecing with a Magenta stamp this week and some red bling to the middle tree, these were silver/clear gems that I coloured with a Promarker, as for some reason I have no red gems approaching the Christmas season!!!
The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink and the oval is an a.muse stamp. Hope you like it :)

My other exciting news is that last week Hannah had an email confirming her interview at Oxford University which is such exciting news and something she wasn't expecting after sitting a really difficult Thinking Skills Assessment. Whilst it does not mean an offer to study at Oxford is certain, not by a long chalk with 14 people for three places!, she has at least got a toe in the door and will be able to experience a piece of Oxford life when she stays for one or two days at the college for her interview in a couple of weeks time :)
We are so proud of her to get through to the interviews..... she is such a hard-worker and knows what she wants from life so I'm sure this will shine through in her interview, whatever happens I've no doubt she'll get to do what she wants to do in the future :)

I also just wanted to say how humbled I am to receive 71 comments on my silhouette card, especially when I thought I had ruined it by inking in the long shadows!! Thank you so much for all your lovely comments, that's a blog record for me :)

Right back to the usual Monday madness.... I'm going to be the hunter gatherer of the house this morning at the supermarket!! I'll  try and sneak out while the ironing pile isn't looking ;)

Thanks for popping by X

A silhouette scene!

Hello, I'm still here ..... didn't have much of a crafty weekend, time was not on my side and the craftroom needed a grand tidy up before I could get in there!.....
...... but on a more excited note I was so thrilled to win TWO store vouchers for Simon Says Stamp since my last post...one for this card at Lawnscaping on Friday and then yesterday at Young Crafters Unite with this card, I'm looking forward to my shopping spree :)

Anyway back to earth now,  I ventured into the craftroom yesterday and put everything back in it's rightful place and saw my desk for a minute or so before losing site of it again to make this card which is for this weeks Less is More challenge   'SILHOUETTES'  , already the blog has some brilliant entries... go take a look.
I was going to use some PTI stamps I've just received,  but this Memory Box die was on my mind so I thought I'd risk a white silhouette..... as long as it's an outline shape, it doesn't have to be black... right???

I used the Country Landscape die on the front of an A5 card blank which basically cut a decorative slit in the card, I then slipped a piece of dark navy cardstock down behind the scene which had first been flicked with silver paint for stars and a hole punched in it for the moon.

I added lots of frosty lace stickles and some long shadows with Weathered Wood DI ink, the sentiment is from Pink Petticoat which I've printed onto separate card and cut into a banner.

I felt it needed something in the foreground so reached for my bag of freebie die-cuts knowing this tree was amongst them, a bit of Black soot DI to darken it and some more stickles and now I have a black silhouette  on my card too!!

I'm also entering this card into The Paper Players Challenge 

I love the peaceful scene, it reminds me of how absolutely still and quiet it is when a blanket of snow has fallen.
I remember walking the last mile of our journey home with my parents and brother when I was about 8yrs old because deep snow had blocked the road to traffic. It was evening time but the snow was so bright and the drifts had totally changed the landscape and they absorbed any noise to make complete silence! Looking back it was quite a risky thing to do but it was more of an adventure at the time :)

Anyway enough reminiscing, must get on with today's jobs which includes sending some cards for the St Luke's Hospice fundraising sale this weekend... I hope you sent some too :)

Oh and Pudesy came back looking remarkably clean on James's T-shirt Friday..... wonders will never cease!!

Thanks for looking X

A Leafy Colour Trend!

Things happen in threes don't they say,  and my skeleton leaf stamp has never known the use it has had recently so you won't be surprised to see it make an appearance again today for the challenge at Embellish Colour  Trends challenge which has the theme of 'leaves' as well.

I basically used the stamp to make my own patterned paper using Adirondack ink-pads and clear embossing on Versamark to make the tone on tone leaves which have a lovely shiny appearance too.... not possible to catch that on camera :)

A simple button and twine ensemble with a tiny tab sentiment and all done.... the best thing is that I stamped out a whole A4 sheet of leafy goodness so I have some left to play with on other cards too :)

Supplies :  Skeleton Leaf (Impression Obsession), Adirondack Ink ( Plum, Denim, Lettuce and Mushroom), Versamark, Clear embossing powder, Denim Twine and Button from stash

Today in the UK is Children in Need day which is a Charity fundraiser spearheaded by the BBC to raise funds for projects in the UK that support and help dis-advantaged children for whatever reason that may be. Having a child with Autism we like to support the cause and the schools always make it a fun day for the children...... usually based around a non uniform day and this year they are wearing spots so I decided to make a Pudsey Bear to sew onto one of James's t-shirts and he's thrilled with it

I'm certainly no sewing expert and this is mainly stuck with fabric glue, but it was great fun to make and James is wearing it with pride..... what I should have done was sponsor him to keep Pudsey clean at school dinner time!!!

Hope you have a great day and add your pennies or pounds to the pot if you can :)

Thanks for looking , I really appreciate your comments and read every single one X