Christmas Crackers 2013

I have finally got my Christmas crackers made, with just one week to go before the Big Day. As my oldest blogging friends know I make my own crackers every year from scratch. A few years ago I wrote a tutorial, which if you would like to have a go, is here. Crackers are such a British tradition and I am surprised that lots of my blogging friends abroad have never seen them. They were invented by Tom Smith in England in 1847 and the firm still exists today and still makes the majority of Christmas Crackers sold every year.

I knew that I wanted to use my wonderful Vintage Santa images from Nicecrane Designs for this year's set. I also wanted to make this a GD post for Ignacio. They are just the perfect images to use...they are ready coloured sheets ACEO size but I reduced them on my computer. I used the Mega Vintage Santa set available here. They are available in single sheets but the set is a real bargain. I also wanted to use red and green crepe paper and found some tree design wrapping paper for the centre of the crackers.

People often ask me what I put inside; I can't give away any secrets from this year but in the past I have put in hand creams, lip balms, small handmade jewellery items, Lotto tickets, sweets etc. I also use a kitchen roll for the inside tubing as this is slightly fatter in diameter than toilet rolls and gives you more choice of the gifts which fit inside. The jokes always make me smile as I slip them inside with a paper hat and the banger.

So without further delay here are a selection of them;

as well as a few close up showing the wonderful Vintage Nicecrane images...

I stamped some LOTV Christmas tags onto red, green and Kraft card, which I added to each cracker

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

Crafting for all season's anything Christmas but a card

County View Crafts Bah, Humbug!

The Inky Chicks Christmas

Crafty Hazelnut anything Christmas related whatever is urgent to make

Crafty Catz Merry Christmas

Sweet Stampin Last minute Christmas

Pile it on P is for ......presents 

The Cupboard Trilogy Christmas

Love to Create anything goes

Make it Monday linky party #171

Loves Rubberstamps anything goes

Papertake Weekly last Christmas...last Christmas projects

Addicted to stamps and more anything goes

Bearly Mine anything goes

Polkadoodles anything goes

Little Claire's Designs make a gift

Whimsy stamps party time

Now that the crackers are made I just have one more of my Funkie Junkie challenge cards to make and that will be the end of my crafting until the Christmas break as I need to concentrate on getting those gifts wrapped and the food sorted for the Big Day. There are only 6 of us this year for dinner as my daughter is at her In-Laws this year so I will have to wait until Boxing day to see my Daisy Jane. We had a wonderful weekend with them and as I know how much you all love seeing photos here is my darling granddaughter...as photographed by my darling daughter...;0)

Yes at the grand age of 5 weeks she is smiling, cooing and reaching out...I just adore this sweetheart...and she now weighs 9lbs ;0)

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

The Funkie Junkie's 12 tags of Christmas #11 with a Jane's Journal twist

This is my penultimate card for this fabulous challenge I have been involved with over the last 11 weeks....how quickly those weeks have flown by. Linda has extended the deadline to 8 Jan so there is still a chance to enter. If you would like to join in with this challenge the details are all here. There are also some great prizes up for grabs as the challenge is sponsored by The Funkie Junkie Boutique. Linda's tag for inspiration this week can be seen here

I was drawn to the blues and browns again...as I loved the #9 card I made for this. I also loved the deer and I just happened to have one left over from an earlier card. I also loved the really bright blue glitter effect. With these ideas in mind I set to with creating my card. Here is the end result.

I know you enjoy seeing my creative process so here it is again ;0)
First I created my backing card with Distress inks

This was a Blue Peter moment as I used the 2nd piece I created for #9

I used white embossing powder and my snowflakes stamps. I then heated the powder with my heat gun.

I then went over the card with Vintage photo ink and came out with this rather interesting effect.








I cut some snowflakes with glitter card and trees with plain white. I then got together my die cuts and had a play. I settled on using a LOTV tag sentiment in the end as I thought it looked best. If you would like to see how I made my deer they are my post here 

Here are a few close ups of my finished card. The gorgeous ivy die is one of my crafty winning from this year . I won a Joanna Sheen voucher and bought it. 

and here is my finished card again

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

The Funkie Junkie's 12 tags of Christmas #11

                                                       Pan Pastel all about paper and card
                                                      Simon Says stamp let it snow
                                                      Make it Monday Linky party #170

Lexi Creations Snow

Top Tip Tuesdays Snowflakes

Divas by Design anything goes

Papertake weekly Christmas creatures

Oldie but a goodie Winter my snowflake stamp is at least 10 years old!

Ribbon Girls Ho Ho Ho

My Mum's Craft shop Christmas

Emerald Faeries Christmas

A Creative Romance Sparkle at Christmas

County View Crafts Bah, Humbug!

The Inky Chicks Christmas

Crafty Little Fairies Let it snow

Card crafter's Circle Golden days - Use gold

Allsorts snowflakes

Crafty Hazelnut anything Christmas related whatever is urgent to make

Ali craft Christmas

Joanna Sheen Make it sparkle I have used my gorgeous new Joanna Sheen Ivy die

Totally papercrafts non traditional colours

Crafty Catz Merry Christmas

Sweet Stampin Last minute Christmas

I am still cracker making in what little spare time I get. I also spent yesterday with my Darling daughter and Daisy. We went Christmas shopping and just look at Daisy in her little hat.

I hope you are getting everything ready, 11 days to go.....a certain Man in the Red Suit will be loading up that sleigh very soon indeed. Enjoy your weekend and if you are watching Strictly, it is really hotting up now that we have reached the semi finals. Keep dancing  crafting ;0)

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

Lights, camera, trees!

We finally got our trees up and decorated on Sunday. There really is nothing more festive than coming downstairs in the morning to the twinkling lights which my Hb switches on before he leaves for work. It also cheers up these long dark nights so much. The smell is also divine, Christmas really is just around the corner...just 2 weeks to go now.

The crackers are still work in progress and I still have a few more cards to make.

We have 2 trees each year. 1 small one in the hall which is acutally one we have had in a pot for a few years. That one is our chocolate tree as we just hang chocolates on it..what could be better? We also buy a 7 footer from the local nursery. Here is our chocolate tree all decorated.

Our large tree is in the dining room and as I was putting on the many ornaments I own I realised it is turning into a real vintage tree. Even the ornaments bought for our first married Christmas in 1981 look vintage now!

 I so loved everything Betsey Clark

 Do you remember Snoopy...he was huge in his time?

Even some of the tins look really retro

I also bought these amazing candle holders off Ebay about 5 years ago.

They came in an axazing old box

I also love my  some of my older ornaments bought for me by my Mum in the early 1960s

They always have pride of place at the top of my tree.

and how about my fun Harrod's man, again bought in the 1980s

So here is my big tree all lit up and ready for the Big Day

I had to smile at somone else who was getting ready for Christmas....

This my son and his girlfriend's darling dog, Bear. C sent me a photo of Bear with the Christmas card I made for them.

Here is the card which is also my challenge card for today.

Being a white on white card it was so hard to photograph. I am so sorry that I do not know the maker of the digi stamp I used. I won it a couple of years ago and I cannot remember who it it by...can anyone enlighten me and I will edit this?

I coloured the image with my Promarkers and then added lots of glamour dust to give some sparkle. The background is embossed using my snowflake embossing folder. I cut the opening using my Spellbinders label die and then used some mounting tape to raise the card off the image. Here is a close up

I added lots of die cuts to which I added glitter to so that there was a really snowy shine. I thought that these Bears were most appropriate for my son, C and Bear :o)

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

Loves Rubber stamps anything goes at Christmas

Oldie but a Gooldie Winter My digi stamp is at least 2 years old as is my LOTV sentiment stamp

Ribbon Girls ho ho ho

                                                   My Mum's Craft Shop Winter/Christmas
                                                      Emerald Faeries Christmas
                                                   A creative romance Sparkle at Christmas
                                                              Ali Craft Christmas
                                                   Country View Crafts  Bah, Humbug!
                                                 Crafty Catz Use 2 or more dies
                                                 Crafty Hazelnut For someone special
                                                     Pan Pastel all about paper and card
                                             Simon Says stamp let it snow
                                              Make it Monday Linky party #170

Lexi Creations Snow

Totally Gorjuss anything goes with Santa

Top Tip Tuesdays Snowflakes

Winter Wonderland Embossing I have used my embossing snowflake folder to make my background

Natalie and Amy Cute and Cuddly Christmas

Sparkles animals

Passion for Promarkers Mega Christmas Challenge

Inky Chicks Christmas

Divas by Design anything goes

Ready Teddy Go contemporary Christmas

And last not least this little girl is getting ready for Santa too ;0)

Just look at those bootees, I want a pair ;0)

Thanks for visiting and all you lovely comments. I have the day off Friday and I am going  to see the delightful Daisy. On Sunday we hope to go to Winchester Christmas Fair, as we did last year. It really is a most gorgeous fair. We will sip mulled wine, listen to the Christmas music and explore the wonderful craft stalls there...my perfect kind of day. Enjoy the weekend when we get there,

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x