Getting ready for Christmas!

At our Julie's Jems training session this week we were all about the dreaded C'word .... Christmas! It's only five months away, and considering I try to make all my gifts I really should start thinking about it now!

At least we got a couple of cards and a gift box done, so I can say I have started my preparations!



Here's one of the cards we made. In fact, they were both the same design but the other one didn't have the ribbon and Rhinestones.

We used the Ornament Punch to make the baubles from the Jolly Holiday DSP, stuck them down and stamped the sentiment before running it through the Big Shot with the Square Lattice Embossing Folder.



Hopefully you can see the quilted effect here.



We also made a gift box using the Pillow Box Dies. The two boxes were just slotted into each other (one was also embossed using the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder) and this time we used a strip of the DSP to decorate and a bauble from the COntempo Christmas stamp set.



I might keep things simple this year and just make the same card and gift for everyone and mass produce these designs!

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Last Christmas cards

Well I have made my final Christmas cards of the year! These are two commissions I had from my friends.
Fay wanted something classy and elegant for her parents, so I used the lovely Contempo Christmas and added some glamour with the amazing Jewels and Pearls. The colour combo is Marina Mist and Crumb Cake, which is a bit of a different Christmas look - cool and snowy I think!
The tree card is for the niece of my friend Jo from WI. She wanted something very tactile, so I cut a felt tree and stuck on loads of bits! The star at the top is covered in glitter and the baubles are Designer Buttons and DSP stacks, punched out and given a coating of Crystal Effects. This gives a clear laquer tomake them shiny, just like baubles! And the trunk is a piece of card wrapped in Linen Thread and the tinsel is some random fluffy ribbon from my sewing stash.
Phew! I have just two presents to finish making and then I'm all done!

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Christmas cards box set

Wowser, bit of a fun and crazy weekend! Following on from the Slung Low Christmas Fayreon Saturday, yesterday I had more crafty and Buns & Roses fun! I went along to a Craft Swaparama and I gave the little tin with a calendar and cards in to a nicelady called Lisa and got a gorgeous matching bag and urse she had made in return. Thinking I will keep the purse and give the bag to my mum! Then it was book club with the WI. We had read a book called Jam and Jeopardy, which wasn't what I expected but was a good read. Then I went to an Origami class and made some awesome things and I finished off the evening with more wine!
Today's pics are of a set of Christmas cards in a little gift box. I sent them to the PR company I freelance for. Apologies for the poor pics, I probably should get myself a proper camera soon rather than relying on the one on my BlackBerry! I think you get the idea though.

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More Christmas cards - it's coming fast!

Just over a month to go until Christmas! These two cards were ones we did at Chapel Pie WI a couple of weeks ago. Dasher is my fave Christmas stamp, but I love the Contempo Christmas with the tree as well. The Dasher card also uses the So Swirly Jumbo Wheel, which is incredibly versatile.
Don't forget that the Christmas bundles are still available to help you with your cards and wrapping. Details over there >>>
Hopefully I only have a few more Christmas cards to make. Then I have many presents to do ...

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Christmas robins

Christmas will soon be here! I've not got a single present sorted yet! My mum's is nearly finished, but I don't even have ideas, let alone the time to make them, for anyomne else!
But at least I have cards! I love these robins, made with the Two-Step Bird Punch. They're so simple but very effective and the colour combo of Crumb Cake and Cherry Cobbler is yummy.
So, best get cracking on the present making!

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Festive spirit

As Christmas is creeping up on us rather more quickly, here are some more festive cards! We did this style at SU training in September using Contempo Christmas and the Ornament punch so I decided to do some more using the pretty Jolly Holiday DSP. The Delightful Decorations stampo set with several bauble designs and the punch are available as one of the Christmas bundles with free ribbon - pefect!
Only two sleeps now until I head off to SU Convention 2010. I'm pretty much all sorted with swaps and clothes and soooo excited to spend two whole days with around 300 fellow demos!

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Bauble barmy

I am loving the Stampin' Up! Contempo Christmas stamp set and matching Ornament punch. They are ideal for quick and fun cards. We made one of these cards at team training at Julie's the other week and I decided to make more. As well as the stamp set I used the Jolly Holiday DSP for some of the baubles. I love this stack - it is red, green, vanilla and pink with spots and stripes and good for other occassions as well as Christmas.
Today I'll be doing more crafty things and watching the F1 so expect more goodies in the week.
PS Bodd now has his own blog, please check it out www.busyboddcat.blogspot.com. He reckons he can get more followers than me!

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No rest for the wicked

Things are still very busy round here and don't look like stopping for at least another month!
Tomorrow I have a stall at a fair in Leeds so desperately making a few Christmas cards to sell.

Here is one. We did this at my class on Monday. It features the fab Contempo Christmas and the So Swirly Jumbo Wheel and, the best colour ever, Cherry Cobbler!
If you're in town tomorrow please do come along to the fair. It's at the Cross Keys on Water Lane from 12-4pm.
In among all this I'm also trying to write lots of stories and make Christmas presents!

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Xmas bits

Last night I had a card class at my house and six lovely friends came round to get crafty. We made several cards, as well as these Christmas decorations and tags. And drank plenty of tea. I am in love with the Contempo Christmas stamp set and matching Ornament punch and the So Swirly wheel, still! They work so well together so I'll be cracking on with my Christmas cards soon.
Today I got a big box of Stampin' Up! goodies so I have sorted all my swaps for Convention 2010. I have to keep them a secret for now though, so tomorrow I'll make some other things to show you in the meantime!

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Christmas is coming!

It will soon be here! Twelve weeks today it will be Christmas Day! Really need to start making all my cards and presents!

Luckily, we did a couple of things at the Stampin' Up! regional training in Manchester. We used the lovely new stamp set Contempo Christmas, which we got FREE! One of the perks of being a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator. This set is available in the traditional wood mount or the new clear mount. We got the clear mount, which means the usual red rubber and foam stamp can be placed on to an acrylic block each time you want to use it, saving storage space and cost! There is a matching punch for the bauble as well, so you can make 3D bits too!
This is the card we made. The red is Cherry Cobbler and is simply beautiful. It really does look good enough to eat.


And here it is with a bag tag as well.


That's Christmas started then!

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