My review of 2018

We are into the last few days of 2018 and as in previous years I find this a really good time to reflect on the year that has past. I am so inspired by Mother Nature and always love to catch her at different time of the year in my photographs.

I think this is best shown as collages of the seasons I have lived this year...

Winter

...and yes we did have snow in February this year when the Beast from the East hit hard. Luckily it did not last too long. 

Spring

We had a cold start to spring but once April arrived things started warming up to produce some gorgeous spring flowers.

 Summer

I will never forget our long hot summer, the best since 1976. It surpassed the temperatures and hours of sunlight for that year too. We spent so many relaxing hours outside. My pots of flowers this year were magnificent thanks to the weather.

Autumn

 The long hot summer morphed into an Indian summer and we saw such spectacular colours during our delightfully warm, and sunny autumn.

Mother Nature really was at her best for 2018, it was a year to remember.

For my crafting I also put together a collage of some of my paper crafting projects...even I am a little startled at my stats because this is less than everything crafting I made. I also made quite a bit of jewellery at my silversmithing class.

I made;

348 one of a kind cards for Dotty's Teahouse where I sell my cards in Carshalton.
51 Christmas cards.
86 Design Team inspirational projects for my 3 Design Teams; Country View challenges, Visible Image and STAMPlorations.
2 birthday cakes: a tool box cake for Jack and a Unicorn cake for Daisy.
I was published 7 times during 2018 in 3 different crafting magazines, I made a least one project (for one I made 3 ) for each.
1 holiday album after our magical family holiday in Majorca.
At least 25 projects for TV, blog hops, Facebook lives, Creativation in the USA,  etc etc for Visible Image and STAMPlorations.
1 set of handmade Christmas crackers.

Gosh!

Here is a small collage just showing a tiny sample of my 400+ paper crafting projects during the year.

So my last project to share for 2018 has to be a card, as that is where my main crafting love lies. It is also a nod to Billy, my sweet cat who is my avatar and shares my blog and home.

I used the brilliant Curious cat Visible Image stamp set. I made a distress ink background and then coloured the eyes green and the nose pink, just like my Billy's.

Here's a close up

I would like to enter it into the following challenges;

Allsorts Thanks a bunch
Cute card Thursday 2/3 anything goes
Simon says stamp Wednesday anything goes
The house that stamps built 1/3 anything goes
As you like it 1/3 anything goes
Creative moments 1/3 anything goes

My card is also dedicated to you, my readers, as a thank you for all your support, visits and kind comments you have taken to leave me here during 2018. Some of you do this for every post I write 💕
My card is for sale at Dotty's Teahouse, Carshalton High Street, SM5 2AE. Dotty's is open every day other than New Year's Day.

I will be back on New Year's day as being the 1st of the month it's also time for my first design team post  for 2019 for Country View Challenges.

I will close with a very thoughtful quote from Edith Lovejoy Pierce;

We will open the book. 
Its pages are blank.
We are going to put
 words on them ourselves.

The book is called Opportunity
 and its first chapter is New Year's day.

See you on "the other side" and enjoy seeing in the new year in whatever way you enjoy. For those of you who have found 2018 challenging I hope that 2019 works out kinder for you. Life is definitely a journey and not a destination.

Take care.

Bye for now,

Jane x

My WI papercrafting journey

Last month I was delight to be invited back to my Mum's Womens' Institute (WI) group as their guest speaker at their AGM. I spoke there 2 years ago about my handmade jewellery and if you missed that post you can see it here. This time I was asked to speak about my papercrafting and I called my talk "My papercrafting journey"

When I was preparing for my talk I was intrigued to see how my papercrafting journey has evolved over the years especially since I retired from physiotherapy. How could I have possible known over 25 years ago when I bought my first stamp that I would be on 3 design teams having  my work on TV and published in several magazines?

Here are a couple of photos from this lovely afternoon.

I asked the ladies to give me a wave before I started

and they were kind enough to clap me at the end

and of course the afternoon had to feature handmade cake, tea

and lots of friendly chat.

I took along lots of projects, from cards to my scrap books and of course Jane's Journal! I gave Dotty's Teahouse a mention as Pett's Wood is not too far away for a visit. 

They even had a write up of my talk in their monthly newsletter which was so kind.

My card today is a new wedding card sale at Dotty's Teahouse as wedding season is in full swing.

I used a Lili of the Valley simply print digi and added lots of white and shimmer white summery die cuts. The stamp is Lili of the Valley and the butterfly is a Visible Image stamp which I have embossed and watercoloured. 

Crafty Catz 3/3 anything goes
Pixie's snippets playground #329

As you like it 3/3 favourite type of embossing and why for this card is it embossing using an embossing folder as it gives the perfect white on white background for my die cuts.

Time out 2/3 warm

Simon says stamp Wednesday bright and cheerful

Lil patch of crafty friends 2/3 anything goes
Die cutting Divas 1/3 add a buterfly

Thanks for stopping by and for your kind comments. This glorious weather continues, it feels like I'm in the Med! I'm off out to meet my dearest friend Karen for lunch and a catch up soon...let's hope the cafe has air con! 

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x