Visions of Sugarplums, my final post.

Hello again and thanks for returning to my blog today for my final Visions of Sugarplums post.

I hope you have enjoyed visiting Lori's blog too and the other bloggers who are taking part this year. Please see my last post for all the other details.
There are prizes to win every single day just by leaving a comment at the end of my post. If you visit the other blogs which are taking part you will get additional entries for additional comments. And during the week Lori will be adding up all the comments left and enter them into a grand draw. So do get over to Lori and join in with all the fun. The extra prize today is;

Vintage Remix - 2 sets of choice. So get commenting on all the blogs today!

Today I thought I would share another of my favourite Christmas traditions...and that is to make a Christmas Orange. My daughter has come up to stay for a few days with Daisy as her hubby is working abroad this week...so we made these together.So special to have some Mum and daughter time ;0)

They are so simple to make and smell wonderful. I hang one each year from the banisters in my hall and it looks and smells delightful.
I thought I would show you a step by step as you may like to try making one of these yourself.
The ingredients are;

1 large orange
Choice of ribbon (something red always looks best in my books)
Whole cloves
5 pins
A piece of cinnamon
A cake tester or something sharp to pierce small holes in the orange.

First wrap the ribbon around the orange and secure with a few pins.

In each of the quarters start to make holes with the cake tester and fill each one with a whole clove.

At this point our Daisy fell asleep so she watched us from her Moses basket.

Continue until the whole skin of the orange is covered

Add a piece or 2 of cinnamon to the top and tie into a bow.

And there you have it.....a yummy smelling, inexpensive, handmade Christmas decoration.

My card today just has to be a Christmas card with a food theme...I immediately thought of my Meljen gingerbread stamp and made this card.

I made the flower with card candi and the border is a Martha Stewart punch. The sentiment is Lili of the valley. The papers are
I would like to enter my card into the following challenges;

Jelly Park Christmas
Natalie and Amy cute and cuddly Christmas
Whimsy stamps party time
A little bit crafty Christmas Cheer
Sparkles Christmas Christmas feasts and treats
Live and Love Challenges Stardust
Cupboard Trilogy Christmas
Bearly Mine Christmas sentiment
Papertake Weekly anything goes
Make it Monday Linky party #169

Do remember to leave a comment here as every comment gives you a chance to win the daily prize and also Lori will add up every comment left this week and enter them into her grand prize draw. So the more comments you leave the more chances you have of being a winner. The event has one more day tomorrow. Good luck.

I will be back really soon with my next Countdown to Christmas post...just 20 days to go now..are you ready ;0)

Thanks so much for visiting me here and thanks to Lori for asking me to be a part of your Visions of Sugarplums party this year,

Jane x

Welcome to the 2013 Visions of Sugarplums Christmas blog event and Jane's Journal's Countdown to Christmas 2013

Hello everyone and I am just so excited that we are finally in December and it is now the real countdown to Christmas, just 23 days to go. For those of you who are first time visitors here at Jane's Journal you are most welcome and it is lovely to see you here. I live in Surrey in the U.K and I am taking part in Lori's annual Visions of Sugarplums blog event. There are prizes to win every single day just by leaving a comment at the end of my post. If you visit the other blogs which are taking part you will get additional entries for additional comments. And during the week Lori will be adding up all the comments left and enter them into a grand draw. So do get over to Lori and join in with all the fun.

I will be sharing with you today and on Thursday some of my Christmas traditions at this most special time of the year. I have always loved everything to do with Christmas, not just the day itself but the run up too. I am known in my family as Mrs Christmas ;0)

As yesterday was the first day of December it was time to put up my Advent calendar. I have put up an advert calendar every year for more than 50 years and they just are the perfect start to Christmas. I have never really grown up I suppose. I have such fond childhood memories of the old vintage German ones which would sparkle in the darkness of my room.  They are hard to buy these days but I was lucky enough to go to the annual Christmas fair in Nuremberg a few years back and brought several home.
If you ever get a chance to make a trip to the Christmas markets in Germany they are so very special. This was a photo I took of part of the market back then.

Below is my advent calendar I have hung up this year.

I just love the 1960s vintage feel to it. Here are some close ups

I have opened the number 2 window today ;0)









I also buy advent calendars for my 2 grown up children. My darling daughter has this cute Robin one, it's very apt this year with all her washing for Daisy (my baby granddaughter)

and it's the BFG for my dear son

and this year of course there is a tiny one for our Daisy. I think her Mummy will need to open the windows for the moment.

And yes of course I have a photo from our Wednesday night babysitting...she was such a good girl for her Granddad and me ;0)

If you have an advent calendar I wonder what was in your window today?

I obviously love to make my own cards for Christmas and the one I am going to share today has a great vintage feel to it.
I am also delighted to see that the Royal Mail Christmas stamps are out. I think that using a Christmas stamp just adds to the pleasure of sending a card. These are the images for 2013.

 My card today is a Design team GD card for Ignacio using one of his wonderful Nicecrane Images.It is from the Adorable Christmas sheet  here . Every one of the images on this sheet are gorgeous and I have made several cards using these images.

This is such a classic vintage  image of a child anticipating Christmas whilst her Mum reads to her. I have already been reading to darling Daisy even though she is only 3 weeks old today.

I have used a snowflake embossing folder on the black backing card and also the white frame I made. The amazing Santa and his reindeer die cut is from Cheery Lynn and the candles are Marianne. The sentiment is Lili of the Valley.
I would like to enter my card into the following challenges;

Make it Monday Linky Party #169
Lexi's Creations Christmas
Bunny Zoe Vintage/shabby chic
Crafty Sentiments anything goes
Divas by Design use some red
Cheery Lynn Tis the season
4 Crafty chicks Christmas
Crafty Hazelnut Light it up
Totally Papercrafts Ho Ho Holidays
Jelly Park Christmas
Allsorts Inspired by a Christmas song or carol My song is the delightful Kate Bush's "December will be magic" and it certainly will be this year ;0)
Crafty Catz Santa Claus is coming to town
My Mum's Craft shop Christmas


Do remember to leave a comment here before you leave as the more comments you leave on the different blogs taking part in Visions of Sugarplums the more chances you have of winning Lori's Grand Prize as well as the daily prize.
This is the full list of blogs taking part this year.

Lori -http://lorihairston.blogspot.com/

Debbie - http://www.papersweeties.com/category/blog/

Maria - http://asimplefive.blogspot.com/

Sandy - http://simplysandy-sandy.blogspot.com/

Regina - http://reginaeaster.blogspot.com/

Jane - http://jane-janesjournal.blogspot.com/

Vivian - http://vivs-whimsy.blogspot.com/

Ignacio - http://nicecranedesigns.blogspot.com/

Shelly - http://www.springhillgraphics.blogspot.ca/

Thanks for visiting, I will be back again on Thursday for my 2nd Visions Of  Sugarplums post but remember, there are posts up every day until Friday from other bloggers.

Bye for now,

Jane x