Hopefully everyone had a fab Christmas..........

and are managing to enjoy the break between Christmas and the New Year......here are a couple of birthday cards I made during 2013 and decided to post them together as basically they are the same components just put together slightly differently.......not sure which I like best!!

and version two........

The colours are exactly the same the coconut white and teal from the CE paper stock but the camera work on the second is not so good - sorry!!  The white looks more like the blush card stock but it isn't honest!!

When I started taking photos of my cards it wasn't with a blog in mind but rather something that I could refer back to when I had a craft block (which happens quite frequently)!!

Anyway, hope you enjoy the bit of normality before New Years Eve and whatever you are doing enjoy yourself and keep safe and warm.

xxGailxx

Well not expecting many people to read this today.......

as it is now 5.55pm on Christmas Eve and I have made a start on the food preparation for tomorrow.....done some steam cleaning.........done the ironing and managed a walk (all be it to the local supermarket for last minute things) just in case!!! the round trip is about an hour so at least I have had some exercise and fresh air and boy it is fresh but compared to the some other areas we cannot complain.....anyway taking a leaf out of Patricia (summerhousecrafts) I have decided to post a virtual Christmas card to the few followers I have......who knows they may grow during 2014.

Merry Christmas to one and all and hopefully you have a fab day with family and friends and get all that you wish for yourself.  Lets also spare a thought for all of those who have suffered due to the adverse weather conditions and have had to cancel Christmas - I really feel for you all.

I will try and post again between Christmas and New Year and thank you to the few dedicated followers that I have managed to achieve in my short blogging life - Thank You.

xxGailxx

It's nearly here.....................

well this time next week we will all probably be sat watching the telly with a glass of baileys or wine or beverage of choice and some choccys!!

Hopefully anyway........

My cards are now all posted and the giving out ones are nearly all 'gived' out.......I only have one pressy wrapped and that is only because I was meeting up with her yesterday.......so not really that organised yet!! 

I'm sure it will all fall into place...............arrgghh!!!!

on a lighter note here are some more Christmas cards from 2012.....



this was made especially for a friend who just luvs the colour pink.........

 

 

 

some more special cards that were made for family or special people in our lifes............

 

 

luv this card and the emboss part of it was a 'happy accident' but managed to duplicate the 'accident' on the other side of the card (probably wouldn't be able to do it again) lol

 

 

the negative and the positive used from the SB holiday tree - not like me to be this resourceful!!


Hope you like all or some of the above - one thing I have noticed I have kept my cards much simpler this year - not sure if that is due to lack of time or that I am in a 'simple' mood!!........make of that what you will.

xxGailxx

 

I'm a poor blogger.......

so here are a selection of Christmas cards that I made last year...............

these were made for members of the same family so the same but different!!

for the son

 

for the daughter

for the mum

 

 

I used the SB 2012 Holiday Tree die which is just scrummy! SB Labels Eighteen and I used a spotty EF on two of them and the Tied Together EF on the other..............  

 

 

 

my 'posher' cards to hand out as too delicate and too expensive to post...................

 

 

 

 

these were made with centaura pearl cards and the SB Layered Poinsettia dies with CE pearls for the centres, SB Labels Twenty-Eight for the sentiment - easy really just time consuming cutting out all the poinsettias but worth it (I think)........

 

 

 

these were good for batch making cards (the hardest part of this was stamping the sentiment down the centre of each bauble) again made with centaura pearl card  and the SB 2012 Heirloom Ornament dies the background done with M-bossabilities - Holiday Magic...........

another good batch making card -  I made these in three colour ways, turquoise (pictured) green and lilac - I really like how these worked out.....  2012 Heirloom Ornament dies used again for this with some ribbon from my stash and the sentiment is a Clarity Stamp.  Both of the above were good for posting too as they were relatively flat.....unfortunately we have to think about this now as it is extortionate if it doesn't pass as a letter size.

I hope you like some or all of the above.......... and hopefully I have made up for my lack of blogging!!!

I hope you are all keeping well and managing to fight the horrible cold 'bug' that seems to be doing the rounds and that you are not getting too stressed out........ it is only two days after all.

Note to self - listen to your own advice - lol!!

xxGailxx

 

 

Had a nice steady day today.....

only had to wash the bedding and get ironed and back on the bed - prepare tea and CRAFTING yaaahh!! - not too much but at least I have started making my Christmas cards now.

This is the card I made for our daughter's birthday last year........

 

CE Expression neutral card pack cream and coconut white card

 

 

Spellbinders butterfly dies and the good old faithful SB Fleur de lys dies (I hadn't realised how much I used them)

 

Just luv this colour combo and absolutely luv butterflies (bet you can't guess)!!

 



CE cosmic shimmer glue pearls and SB border die complete the card - oh and the emboss folder which I think is an M-bossabilites (it has butterflies on it) lol xx 

Finished card 8 x 8

Hope you like.

xx Gail xx

Still working hard - but here goes..........

This is a card I made for my other half last year - it went off on a tangent several times and ended up not as intended and I am still not 100% sure about it - but it is certainly different from what I had made previously or since.  TOH liked it so that's all that matters!!

I decided to use the map emboss folder for his card as we were away on holiday while it was his birthday so wanted to make it apt - this is where the problem started for me cos I didn't wanted to cover too much of the background and was a little stumped as to how to get a sentiment on there and keep the map relatively clear!!

This is what I came up with and this is what I am really not sure of - but as I say it is different - or for me it is!!

Ingredients are:-

The emboss folder is from Couture Creations
The border and corners are from Sue Wilsons lattice SB dies
Husband stamp is from Papermania
Birthday Wishes is an old wood mounted Stampendous stamp (I have had since the year dot)
Black pearls

I hope you are all keeping well out there - I think I am starting with cold and a 'throat' but there seems to be a lot of it going around and it is that time of year I suppose - so maybe I will have to dose myself up tonight and see how it goes.

Take care and I will try to not leave it so long next time to blog

xx Gail xx

Sorry.........

its been so long but unfortunately work is getting in the way of crafting and finding time to blog.  No excuse but I have gone from one extreme to the other with work, just when I wanted to spend time making my Christmas cards too.

Anyway here is a of card that I made in 2012

 

 

Ingredients are:-

 

Card is from Craftwork Cards 8x8

SB Fleur de Lys Squares for the stamped image and for the sentiment

Stamp is Crafters Companion Humphrey the Elephant and coloured with pro-markers

Flourishes and flowers are dies that I cannot recall other than to say that they are a pale blue in colour!!

Pearl dots made with CE glue.

 

I hope you like and that you are all keeping as fit and well as can be.

 

It has actually starting snowing here and I am keeping my fingers that it doesn't settle as I have places to go.

 

xxGailxx

 

 

Normal service is resumed (whatever normal is)!

Well after having been without my laptop for a few days after it caught a nasty virus - I'm hoping it is back to full health!! 

I thought I would post the 2013 card I made for FIL - I was also going to post the 2013 version of MIL's card but unfortunately it doesn't look as though I took a photo of it - derrhh!!

Ingredients are as follows:-

Black card from the CE neutral pack
Kraft card
SB Majestic squares
Couture Creations EF = Houndstooth
Tim Holtz stamp
Sentiment stamp = Impression Obsession
Stamps to make the background = CE clocks and CE Newsprint
Black ribbon from my stash


The majestic squares are a fab set of dies as the give you so many options and an added bonus are the corner pieces that come from the smaller die on the right hand side of the card.  I personally think these corners are nicer than the purpose bought corner dies.  This was a really easy card to make and I think it would suit most men

Thank you for all the messages of support, it is much appreciated and hopefully this will be start of many posts.
xx Gail xx

Sunny Day

What a wonderful day today, I have been for a lovely walk over the golf course with my daughter's one year old golden retriever and he has had several swims in the various ponds en-route.  He absolutely loves the water and if there isn't a pond on his walk he will find the one and only puddle in acres of field and dunk himself in that instead. 

Todays card is one that I made for my FIL last year ( there seems to be a theme of using Sues lattice dies and the Fleur-de-lys square dies) I still absolutely love this particular die and have just starting using it again and I notice that the crafting queen herself has used it in her demo and tutorial today.  Yet another idea to try.

This is my offering for today

 

 

 

and a slighter closer look

 

 

 

 

I also used the lattice border and did some paper piercing - I think it is only the second time that I have done this as I am not usually that successful with it and maybe that is why I attached the border at the top to hide any mishaps - as it is one of last years I can't really remember but think it looks okay.  A little bit of inking whilst still in the dies and a few black pearls and voila!!

 

That's all for today folks, hope you have all had the lovely weather that I have managed to enjoy and that all you lucky people at the NEC have had a fab day and catch up.

 

xx Gail xx

 

 

MIL card

This card was made for my MIL as unfortunately my mum is no longer with us.  This was last years card that I made for her which she absolutely loved and the care home staff where she now resides were very complimentary about it too so it makes it all worthwhile.

 

a close up of the bottom right hand corner

 

The background paper and flowers and foliage are made from paper from a Craftwork cards paper pad. 
the embossed panel is SB m-bossabilities - elegance with pearls added
the sentiment was stamped onto SB Ribbon Banners
the Mum stamp is from Papermania relatives stamp set
and the Birthday Wishes is an old Stampendous stamp that I have had for yonks!

Thanks to Patricia and Marie-Louise for your kind words and encouragement it is much appreciated

I hope you like todays offering  xx Gail xx

 

 

 

Hope this works!

as I think it was more a case of good fortune that it worked yesterday.

This is a wedding card I made for a family member last year - not too good a photo but I also took a close up (not much better)!!

I hope everyone had a fab Halloween.  It really seems to be taking off here now - can't believe how many houses were trimmed up and the amount of Halloween 'stuff' in the shops - it now seems to be more popular than bonfire night!! what are your thoughts?
 xx luv Gail  xx

WOW - I have finally sorted out a blog!!

I was so surprised that I managed to create my very own blog that I was a little bit like aarrhh what card shall I post first of all - so I went through my photos and decided to start with the card I made for our anniversary in 2012 - I will post 2013's shortly so I/you can see whether or not my crafty skills have improved!! Hope you like it xx
PS I know that all the dies are Spellbinders - the lattice one is Sue Wilson's - the background one is Fleur-de-lys and the sentiment is one of the tag dies - I will be more organised next time but as I say I am still slightly bemused that I now actually have my own Blog!! yippee!! xx Luv Gail xx