A white and merry Christmas

No I don't mean the weather although we did have a dusting of sleety snow on Monday....

and some really cold nights with heavy frosts.

The most festive thing that happened today arrived via Mo my trusty milkman who whatever the weather delivers my milk.

Look closely..that is no ordinary bottle of milk....

 Yes...squeal...the festive foils are back!

 Every single year I am never sure they will return as they must add to the costs but Mo has made me smile again today. Since I was a little girl I have looked forward to seeing my ordinary milk bottle caps turn festive. Yes I know...it's the little things that please me, but they really do.

This inspired me to put together a very red festive Christmas card using one of my favourite Christmas sentiment stamps which I stamped in red ink and die cut a frame. 

I die cut some of my favourite Christmasy images and added some gold gilding paste to the bauble. 

and here is my card

with plenty of bling

It was made for the following challenges;

The Funkie Junkie 12 tags of Christmas #12

If you would like to play along with Linda's challenge you can see all the rules here. There are some great prizes for the winners too. The challenge is generously sponsored by The Funkie Junkie Boutique Linda shares a tag each week and you just have to take something from it and make something Christmas themed.

You can also combine it with any other challenges. Today is my final entry, I have had great fun playing along this year, despite my other crafting commitments. 

This is Linda's tag for week 12 here. I used the red and white background, the die cut snowflakes, the deer and the retro feel for some of my inspiration for my card.

A vintage journey winter wonderland

Simon says stamp Monday Christmas/winter holidays

Let's Craft and Create 3/3 anything Christmas

Frilly and Funkie 1/3 Most memorable Christmas gift This annual tradition (long may it last) of my milkman bringing my festive foils really is one of my memorable gifts to me at Christmas. I know that it is not a physical gift but its return takes me right back to those 1960s Christmases  and rekindles the magic of Christmas past, present and future.

That's Crafty 2/3 tis the season

Winter wonderland 1/3 anything goes

Happy Little Stampers anything goes with dies

Dies R us 1/3 Christmas carols Mine is In the Bleak Midwinter

Deep Ocean Jingle bells

I am hoping to get Billy to type up his Old Choc post soon, he is back downstairs now that Bear has gone home but needs a rest on his green chair first.

I am here again tomorrow with my final guest designer post for STAMPlorations so I hope to see you back very soon.

Thanks so much for stopping by and for the kind comments you take the time to leave, especially at such a busy time of the year. I am hoping to get my crackers started at the weekend...busy busy and the elf here is no help at all 😉

Bye for now,

Jane x

Getting the list ticked

I am getting more ticked off my list including writing and sending all my Christmas cards and buying my wreath for the front door. I love seeing this when I come home...a festive welcome every time.

 My vintage advent calendar is revealing such sweet scenes each morning

I have been very busy indeed looking after Bear but I did manage 2 days of Christmas shopping. One with my best friend Karen and one with my darling daughter and Jack...just look how he is growing...

My darling little man. 

I manged to make some crafty time as there are some fun challenges I wanted to join in with. 

Inspired by my retro advent calender and Jack's cool jumper I made my December page for my art journal. 

I had lots of spare Christmas die cuts sitting on the side so I stuck them down and added some gesso and also a holly mask to my paper.

I knew this would leave lots of lovely texture so out came my Distress paints and I got very messy!

After spritzing and spraying I was left with a cool background. 

I stamped out one of my favourite Stampendous stamps 3 times

 and water coloured a few as I wanted to decoupage the frame.

I put together a very festive scene but chilly scene. You can see how the holly mask shows up w

Peeping through the window to the cottage in the distance looking warm and cosy in the snow.

I made lots of inky and textured elements and tried to keep to quite a retro feel.

Of course mittens in the snow are essential...do you remember having strings on yours as a child? 

My art journal page was made for the following challenges;

The Funkie Junkie 12 tags of Christmas #11

If you would like to play along with Linda's challenge you can see all the rules here. There are some great prizes for the winners too. The challenge is generously sponsored by The Funkie Junkie Boutique Linda shares a tag each week and you just have to take something from it and make something Christmas themed.

You can also combine it with any other challenges. We are up to the penultimate challenge.

This is Linda's tag for week 11 here. I used the red and white background and the fun mittens for some of my inspiration.

A vintage journey winter wonderland

The craft barn 12 month challenge December  I have really enjoyed playing along with this challenge and I managed to enter every month of the year. 

Simon says stamp Monday icy inspiration

Let's Craft and Create 2/3 anything Christmas

Try it on Tuesday  2/3 Twinkle twinkle, sparkles etc

The artistic stamper 2/3  Christmas

Rubber dance 2/3 glitter/colour option I chose the glitter option

Stamping sensations 2/3 Winter trees and flowers

That's Crafty 1/3 tis the season

We have an exiting weekend ahead as our babies are coming up to visit tomorrow. I have even made mince pies as they are my daughter's favourite. 

Enjoy getting your lists ticked too and have a lovely weekend. I will be back on Monday with the first of 2 Disneyland Paris Moments I have made.

Thanks so much for stopping by and for the kind comments you take the time to leave, especially at such a busy time of the year.

Jane x

A blue sparkly start to Christmas

Hello I am back to share some more photos from our Disneyland Paris trip. The Christmas decorations  were so pretty and the theme seemed to be blue. Daisy loved them.

The tree was en-nor-mouse

and the Christmas parade made everyone smile

The evening parade was just as spectacular

I decided to use blue as the colour for my card today...a Christmas card. I used 3 distress ink blues and a mask for a moon 

and I created a moonlit snowy scene with a deep blue sky

I die cut some trees and embossed them in silver

and made this card

My card was created for these challenges

 The Funkie Junkie 12 tags of Christmas #9

If you would like to play along with Linda's challenge you can see all the rules here. There are some great prizes for the winners too. The challenge is generously sponsored by The Funkie Junkie Boutique Linda shares a tag each week and you just have to take something from it and make something Christmas themed. I have always chosen to make cards and it's a great way to make 12 very unique cards for Christmas.

You can also combine it with any other challenges...so that is just what I did.

This is her card for week 9 here. I took the deep blue sky and the embossed trees and deer to use for some of the inspiration in my design.

Pixie's snippets playground #309/10

Dies R Us 3/3 snow

Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas challenge 2/3 #361

Allsorts  3/3 Inspired by winter song/carol Mine is In the bleak mid winter

Sweet stampin  2/3 fave Christmas colours I love using blue for Christmas

Crimbo Crackers 2/3 #146

Noor winter

Simon says Wednesday 2/5 anything goes

Thanks for stopping by and for your kind comments. I am back tomorrow as yes we have reached the 1st of December and I have not 1 but 2 design team posts!

See you tomorrow,

Bye for now,

Jane x

Disney's Winter Wonderland

It's 25th November which means that it's exactly 1 month until Christmas. I have been a little awol this week...with good reason...I've been in Disneyland Paris! My Hb and I took darling Daisy on a 5 day trip. It was am-az-zing and the whole resort was decked out for Christmas. It truly was Winter Wonderland.

I have over 300 photos to sort through and I will share some posts but today here are just a couple..

On Main Street it even snows! My card today just had to feature snow. We were so lucky with the weather, 2 days with crisp blue skies and the rest of the time was dry!
 I  took some Broken China oxide and built u p some layers on some watercolour card which I then embossed using a snowy folder.

I  dry brushed on some gesso which brought out the pretty snowflake pattern

I die cut some Tim Holtz snowflakes and then added more gesso and glitter and stamped his great retro Merry Christmas sentiment.

I then put on my creative hat to make my card

My card was made for the following challenges;

 The Funkie Junkie 12 tags of Christmas #8
If you would like to play along with Linda's challenge you can see all the rules here. There are some great prizes for the winners too. The challenge is generously sponsored by The Funkie Junkie Boutique Linda shares a tag each week and you just have to take something from it and make something Christmas themed. I have always chosen to make cards and it's a great way to make 12 very unique cards for Christmas.
You can also combine it with any other challenges...so that is just what I did.
This is her card for week 8 here. I took the snowflake embossed background, the large die cut snowflake and flag style sentiment to use for some of the inspiration in my design.

Dies R Us 2/3 snow

Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas challenge 1/3 #361

Allsorts 1/3 Inspired by winter song/carol Mine is In the bleak mid winter

Sweet stampin  fave Christmas colours I love using blues with kraft

Crimbo Crackers 1/3 #146

Noor winter

Card Mania 5/5 anything goes



Thanks for stopping by and for taking the time to leave your very kind comments.

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

An autumnal glow

It has turned a little colder last week but the colours of autumn are still shining out. I took a new "freshly baked" batch of cards down to Dotty's and smiled on my walk at Mother Nature

The falling leaves are like a carpet of gold

I also spotted Mr Heron hiding in the branches of one of the pine trees.  I know where to look for him but he is hidden to most people.

I wanted to get up to date for a couple of challenges when I got home so inspired by the trees I set to work. I wanted my focal to look like a slice of tree wood..complete with rings. I used the ornate oval frame die and a Lili of the Valley sentiment which I stamped and embossed in brown.

I then added crackle glaze...I love this effect and I achieved my "wooden frame"effect that I was looking for.

 I used an off cut of pretty Christmas paper from my stash which has birds in it. I distressed and folded the edges and created a "faux" sewn border.  A holly die cut and ribbon completed my card.

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges;

The Funkie Junkie 12 tags of Christmas #7
If you would like to play along with Linda's challenge you can see all the rules here. There are some great prizes for the winners too. The challenge is generously sponsored by The Funkie Junkie Boutique Linda shares a tag each week and you just have to take something from it and make something Christmas themed. I have always chosen to make cards and it's a great way to make 12 very unique cards for Christmas.
You can also combine it with any other challenges...so that is just what I did.
This is her card for week 67 here. I took the use of the Oval ornate frame and central sentiment to use for some of the inspiration in my design.

That's Crafty 2/3 stencil it

Fashionable Stamping  2/3 nature

Try it on Tuesdays 1/3 colourful

Simon Says Wednesday  tear it up I "torn" the edges of the panel by distressing them with my scizzors

Thanks so much for stopping by today and for the kind comments you take the time to leave

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x