I know you have all been sitting on the edge of your seats waiting to see the finished result, so....

TA-DA!

Finshed the garland - all 5 gingerbread men, all different, hand drew the faces - not my forte I must add! -

and added a couple of rubons...

...and placed them decorously - is that a word? - in the tree that P decorated.
(my camera is still acting up and there is a dark line running down the side of the photo. Why? I do not know!)

So, another Christmassy thing crossed off my list!  Several more to do though...

Tomorrow night is my work's Christmas function, and everyone drew out names from the hat for their 'secret santa'. Luck of the draw I get the receptionist -yay!, AND the big boss - not so yay.
J, the receptionist was easy - got some handcream, nail file, polish and a lil choccie bar and have wrapped it in a Christmas cracker style - complete with a snap.
A, the boss, was not so easy - but I finally found a coffee mug with 'World's Best Boss'. He'll know its a joke! I did offer to put my resignation in a frame for him - I try to quit at least once a week - and he never accepts it!

If you are interested - Warehouse Stationery have a pre-xmas sale 50% off all Christmas Essentials - wrapping paper, cards, bows etc and I managed to get some wrap, 6m length for $1.00. Yes, $1.00! And, I also managed to get some American Craft xmas ribbon for 50% off, cos after all it is a Christmas Essential! cute little brown ribbon with white gingerbread men on it, white ribbon with happy holidays, and dots!

well, off to make dinner.....beef done in the crockpot, with salad and potatoes - yummmmm.

see ya later alligator
Jamey

Starting to feel Christmassy at my house - the tree is up, decorated, nativity scenes dusted off and set up, countdown calendar is counting down the sleeps, strange shaped parcels are being hidden, ham ordered, carols being played, and I'm checking out Christmas cake recipes!

I started a new project today in my quiet time (is there such a thing in my house?) Something I purchased last year specifically for Christmas 2008, and never got around to starting, so I bit the bullet and just did it.

This kit came out last year, from NZ Scrapbooks using Kaisercraft products - 5 gingerbread men, the Christmas papers, the wood embellishments, paint, rubons and other bits & peices. I had a play, and changed a few ribbons & buttons - but basically kept it the same. I will continue to play around with those things though before I actually stick them down, and draw on the faces etc, but it is a garland to string up.  Obviously haven't finished it yet, but I plan to do so this week and have it up hanging - where, I dunno yet - but I WILL finish it. (One of my failings - and I have many - is that I start things, but don't always finish them!)

I also have to do some more cards - finished the 14 I started a couple of weeks ago. I won some blog candy a few weeks ago, and am enjoying the bits and pieces from there. But tonight, when P is in bed, I will write them up and will send them off tormorrow. I made a promise to myself on the 1 December, that I will do something Christmassy every day - and so far, I have! But real life does intrude - so P needs to go to bed, the washing folded and the dishwasher stacked, and I have a couple of auctions coming due on trademe.....

Jamey

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

I was in Spotlight on Saturday (BIG mistake!), and saw this cute American Crafts ribbon. So, I had another attempt at making a card with the same image as previously - SU Rainy Days - I tend to stamp 2-3 images, and colour them in at the same time.
I pulled out some patterned paper and cardstock - and changed my mind. Pulled out some more cardstock and patterned paper, and changed my mind again. In the end, I chose this cardstock - cos I love the colour - (marigold morning, which of course, you cannot buy anymore from a SU demo) and thought the paper went well with it. Then I thought - rightly or wrongly - that yeah, some of the colours in the paper matched some of umbrellas in the ribbon. You may want to squint and tilt your head on the correct angle and imagine they go, but they do! :)
What do ya think.....

Don't know why I put the buttons there though - colour wise, good match, but really - what was I thinking??? flowers, umbrellas, squares, scallop circles....and then I put it out there for all to see!

anyway - feel free to comment - tell me truely that yeah, I wasn't thinking!

Jamey

PS - any SU demos out there who have half a pack of marigold morning they wish to sell, feel free to send me a email..... :)

I made these two cards a few months ago - I love the gerbra flower stamp (by TAC), I think it one of the nicest flower stamps I own, and it's a great size for card fronts.

The first card used SU cardstock, ink and some ribbon, the buckle is from making memories. I used a small slot punch to make a hole in the fold/crease of the card to thread the ribbon through. At times, I wonder how other crafters use/attach ribbons to cards - whether they snip the ends and have the raw edges on the card fronts, or wrap around the card like I have, or just under a mat on the front with the ends tucked under. I have tried all 3 ways - and more - but don't know which way I prefer!

The second card again used some old SU patterned paper, cardstock and ink, but TAC stamps for the text and of course, the flower. I raised the image on some pop dots, and used a small circle punch and made the 'ticket corner' look. The brads are just some I had kicking around in my stash.

Both the gerbra flowers were coloured in with my faber-castell pencils. I do like them, don't know if I should get a larger set with more colours to play with, or save my pennies and buy some 'real' pencils from a art store (or maybe.....some copics!)

I didn't have time to sit and make anything today - I went down to my room - my desk was really, really messy so I tidied it and put things away....and got soooo sidetracked that I ran out of time to make anything! I might try during the week now that all winter sports practices have finished and the kids have nothing else on (yay!) I have all these ideas churning around in my head, I just need to put them on paper...fingers crossed.

Jamey