Christmas is coming - and every so often I surprise myself! I started a Christmas project AND finished it in the same year! And, its not even December yet!

Whilst browsing the zutterzisters site months ago I saw this cool idea, and thought I could do that. So I did. Admittedly, I did start it half way through the year, and have only just finished it, but, in my defence, I did play around with it for awhile - creating the base, redoing the santa, and choosing the Christmas papers (try getting those in June!)
Soooo - what do you think????

The original idea was posted in January 09, by Fleur Smith - although I couldn't find it on her blog, it was on the zutterzisters site. Those ladies on the zutter site are very clever, and think outside the square!

When I first started making it, I thought this would help my daughter with her counting backwards skills (trying to be a good educational mummy), and I don't actually like the commercial advent calendars (why get a piece of choccie every day until Christmas, then have nothing but choccie on Christmas) and with 4 kids, it doesn't work out to be very exciting for them to have only 3-4 pieces each (cos I would have to have a piece or two myself!).

Now that I have finished it, I can see how to improve on it, and what I would do differently next time (next time?) But, I also started my Christmas Cards for this year, and again I must reiterate, it's not even December yet! I have so far, made 14 cards, with a few more to go.

I am either super organised, (yeah right!) or I have no life...

I have been busy this weekend - I did some ironing,  tried to learn how to do a french braid (still can't do it - my fingers don't co-operate with me), baked a batch of choc chip cookies, a coffee slice, and  a chocolate cake. I also did the grocery shopping - no small feat with husband and 2 teenagers in tow, and spent....... $544.45 (and I still have NO food in the house!).

I am absolutely knackered, so I am off to crash on the couch.

Until next time...

Jamey

I decided to show some more of my CD book that I made.
I used mainly prism cardstock - but cannot remember what colours, two shades of ink - a grey and teal (from SU) and used my quickuts alpha dies (Abigail font)
The pages are 12x6 cardstock folded in half to make 6x6 pages - but the open ends are bound at the spine, so that when I turn the pages I don't see the inside of the cardstock (where there is no texture). This also reduced the number of pages in the book.
I seem to have scored craft cd's from various places - and thought this was a cool place to keep them altogether.

This last week I made some autograph albums - will be giving these to my friends 2 girls for the end of the school year. I can remember when I was at school - friends went around getting 'autographs' from other friends (by hook or by crook I'll be the last in your book). I thought this time round I up it a notch and suggest that they take a disposable camera to school and take photos of the friends to attach to their pages. Can't wait till my daughter is a couple of years older and I will get her to do this as well.

I used scraps of paper from various sources - Bella, American Crafts, K & Co, and cardstock from DCWV and SU, and a mix of apha stickers.

(why is the picture rotating like this???? it's not like this on my computer!)

Anyway, that's it from me today - must pick up number 2 son from the city (shooting practise) and pick up my brother & sister-in-law as we are going out for dinner tonite!

Jamey

I sat down today and ignored the housework and grocery shopping - guess we'll starve this coming week, but hey - I have a bit of weight to lose anyway! I pulled out my Bind-It-All and finished some projects I had started.
I finished the little recipe album for my niece:

and I made another one - improving on the original. I used some SU Old Olive cardstock/ink/eyelets and some stylier/nicer alpha stickers I had in my stash. The paper is the same - Theresa Collins. I really, really like this paper - have to think of something else to do with the leftover sheets I have.

I do prefer the second one I made - what do you think??

I also finished the binding on my CD album I started months and months ago.
I seemed to have accumulated craft CD's that are just floating around in my craft room, and by the computer, and I saw someone's blog where she made a album for her CDs. I cannot remember who, I didn't even save a picture - it was a blog I quickly scrolled through and now it bugs me that I cannot remember anything about it.

(I felt the zutter disc needed to be the first CD in the book)

I did some more stuff as well - but will post that another day. Just have to say, that I did a Christmas countdown calendar, an autograph book, and a couple of little post-it note holders.

Until next time
Jamey