Favourite Festive Colours

Morning everyone.  Ooooh glorious sunshine today in East Yorkshire!!  I am sooo getting out in that garden today!!  We have a new challenge for you over at Sparkles Christmas - whoo hooo!

Our theme for you this month has been chosen by past team mate Hazel which is

* Favourite Festive Colours *

 And of course as we are a multi craft challenge blog you can make what ever you like so long as it's for Christmas and you make sure you are completing the theme each month

Our Sponsor for this month is the fabulous Fantastic Ribbons and thank them enormously for their generosity

The prize is £10 of Fantastic Ribbons.

I've used this little cracker from Kenny K..............

I'm really chuffed with the result and I just LOVE these papers, I think they're from Papermania but please don't quote me on that lol. I apologise for the picture quality, it looks a little blurry to me - don't know what was going there!!

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges............

The Sisterhood of Crafters - Free for All 

Celebrate the Occasion - Anything Goes

Deep Ocean Challenge - Favourite Colour Combo

Die Cuttin Divas - Anything Goes with Die Cut (Nesties) 

PartyTime Tuesday - Anything Goes

Bunny Zoe's - Favourite Colour Challenge 

Challenges 4 Everybody - Anything Goes

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My blogging buddy Angel has started up a brand new multi craft forum called

Simply Personalised.  We have a laugh, chat, craft and hold various competitions and challenges.  Why not pop along HERE - we'd love to see you! 

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I really hope you can join our challenge at Sparkles Christmas this month.  My lovely teamies have come up with some lovely designs, please check them out HERE.  Thanks for dropping by, I really do appreciate it.

Take care and happy crafting.

Mel X

Santa's Coming!!!!

Hiya everyone, thanks for stopping by.  Not long now until the big day!!  Our Christmas deccies are going up this weekend.  I'm so excited about Christmas this year, I could burst!!

I've stuck with my Plan A - get all Xmas shopping done by start of December - whooo hooo.  This is a first for me and to top it off, I've got everything wrapped and labeled too.  I am NEVER that organised and feel really chilled out as a result - must make the effort to keep it up every year lol.

I'm working six hours on Christmas morning but the kids, when given the options of my hours/shifts available - CHOSE for me to work the morning so that once I'm home, I'm staying home and not leaving for work.  They want me to be there for when they open their pressies so they're opening a handful before I leave for work and saving the rest for when I get home at just gone 1pm.  I'm sooo proud off them!!

The cherry on top for me is that my side of the family is spending Xmas day with us - that's my dad, mum, stepdad and my brother Garry.  Last Xmas Garry had got in touch with me after an ELEVEN YEAR absence and wasn't ready to meet with our parents.  My mum found that one real hard!!  Over this last year bridges have been built and relations re-established and all seems to be going well.  Because there's so many of us on the big day and with me working the morning shift, we're off to the pub for Xmas dinner!!  We've NEVER done that so I'm really excited - no pot washing rofl!!!

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Now for what you really came for lol.  We have our new challenge up and running over at Sparkles Christmas and its a REALLY simple one! 

BUTTON OR BOW

Don't forget your project must be for Christmas and linked back to the challenge blog.  You can create cards, tags, bookmarks, scrapbook layouts or anything at all as we are a multi crafts blog.

I've created a card using this fabulous fun image ...............

Our wonderful sponsor this month is the fab

Joanna Sheen

With a £10.00 voucher prize for one lucky winner.

Please check out the challenge blog here to see the awesome creations by my lovely teamies.  They really are fabulous bunch of girls and it is such a privelege to work with them!!!   We also have a new crafter joining our DT ranks this month so please give a warm welcome to Susie from Susie's Craft Creations. 

Thankyou sooo much for stopping by.  It means a lot and I do so love reading your lovely comments.

Happy crafting and Merry Christmas to you all.

Mel X

A Fresh New Start!

Hello fellow crafters

Happy New Year to you all, hope you had a fabulous time!!

I like the Christmas period but I really like this time of year when its all finished - I can't wait to see snowdrops popping up and the garden gradually waking up, then there's the longer summer days to look forward to (sigh) lol.

I met up with my long long brother in December after an ELEVEN year absence.  I've really missed having my little bro around.  Here's a picture taken of us over Christmas.......and here's to a second chance and new beginning for us!!!  Hubby Pete is wearing orange!

To kick off my blog posts for 2012 I have much pleasure in bringing you the first challenge of the year from Sparkles Christmas.

Thank you to all those who joined in with last months challenge of nativity.

We are very excited to introduce to you our new DT members

Jo & Debbie
please pop to their blogs to see their beautiful creations.

Onto our first challenge of the year which is

 Christmas Stockings

  

Our sponsors for this challenge is

Joanna Sheen £10.00

 

Pink Gem Designs 4 Digi's

 Here's my DT offering................

 Thank you so much for stopping by.  Happy New Year to each and every one of you.  MWAH!!!

Hugs

Mel X

Sparkles Forum Christmas Challenge #11

Oooooh BUGGER!!!  I apologise to my teamies over at SFCC - I had saved this post in draft after I scheduled it!!!  So a day late - but better late than never, here's my post for Sparkles Forum Christmas Challenge.

Hello everyone.  How you getting on with your Christmas shopping?  I've not done much - got the main pressies for the kids and thats it!!!!  Just can't get into it but we are putting our deccies up this weekend so I reckon that will get me in the festive spirit!!!!

Today we have our final challenge for 2011, this time chosen by the lovely Jackie who would like to see anything to do with the

Christmas Nativity

We have two fabulous sponsors this month and I've used both digi image and papers by one of them - Robyn's Fetish.

Our sponsor details for December are as follows.......

Crafty Emma

With a fab prize of

and

 

Robyn's Fetish

 

with a fab prize of either

5 Digi's or 4 Digi's & a paper pack

Thank you so much for dropping by.  I do hope you can join us, get in those last minute creations!!!

Mel X

Sparkles Forum Christmas Challenge #9

Hiya everyone.  Christmas is fast approaching now and how many of yous has started yer Xmas shopping yet?  I've not though I have a few ideas for peeps so plan to make a start this month.

Murphy is doing well after being clipped by a car last week.  He's been given the all clear by the vets and the kids are triple checking the gate when they go though it - and then I am too, just to be sure!!!!!!

We have a new challenge for you this month over a Sparkles Forum Christmas.  This time we want to see creations inspired by

Christmas Songs

  This can be Xmas Carols or Chrismassy pop songs and our wonderful DT have come up with some real crackers to get your creative juices and imagination flowing!!!!  You can check them out HERE.

I've a super image from Mo, inspired by the Christmas Carol "Silent Night".

Our sponsor this month is.........................

Sparkles Forum Christmas Challenge #8

Hello everyone.  I'm sooo sorry, I owe my teamies at SFCC a HUUUUUGE apology!!!  This post was scheduled but I hadn't realised I needed the finish writing the darn thing - oooops.

First we have some fab news to share - we have a new DT member join us so please give a warm welcome the lovely Jacqui from (Poodles Doodles) welcome aboard sweetie.

.Our challenge this month is......SANTA, here's my little creation......

And our sponsors for this month are

Whimsey Stamps

 

 offering a fabulous prize of $15 to one lucky winner

My teamies have come up with some truly awesome cards and we're all loving cracking on with our Christmas cards for this year.  We really hope you can join us.  Check out the challenge blog HERE to see their creations.

I'm off to ring the vets now as my little dog Dylan is back in hospital - AGAIN! bless him, and would love some happy healing thoughts if you've a moment to spare!!!

Thanks for stopping by.  Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Mel X

Robins mean CHRISTMAS

Morning everyone.  Oooh I'm a little sleep deprived so I apologise in advance for any bad spelling or grammar!  This is a scheduled post as I'm on a 12hr day shift today after only finishing my night shifts yesterday morning!  My body clocks shot to pieces lol.  The kids are at my mums and Pete's away so I've got the house to myself.  Sounds good but I'm sure it'll feel a little eerie when I get in from work later tonight!

We have a fabby new challenge for you over at Sparkles Forum Christmas this month.

This time we want to see.....

ROBINS

These little birdies always remind me of Christmas and there's many super images out there to choose from for this theme.  For me, it made a refreshing change to do something a little more "grown up" and less cute!

I've used a fab little image from Just Inklined Stamps, here's my little effort....

This makes a lovely change from the usual style of images I go for but I sooo enjoyed making it and am really chuffed with the result.  I did contemplate using my watercolour pencils on this but in the end I opted for my copics.

The green crinkly card I found in my stash along with the holly paper and sentiment.  I used an X-Cut corner punch. I've used touches of glamour dust on the branch and on the leaves to give the effect of snow/ice but its not showing up too well! 

We have two fabulous sponsors this fortnight.....

 Emma's offering £10 voucher exc p&p from Crafty Emmas Store

our second sponsor is........

FIVE fab digi's available to the winner - whoo hooo!!!

Please check out the challenge blog  to see the glorious creations by my wonderful friends and DT buddies.   We do hope you can join in the fun and can't wait to see what you come up with!

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a lovely day.

Hugs

Mel X

Christmas Glitter

Hiya everyone.  I'm running so late today its untrue!  I'll be glad when I've got my dining room all finished and my new work surface and storage in!  Hopefully I've only a couple more weeks to go before I can take a trip to Ikea for the furniture - though I felt very tempted to go tonight after work lol.

We have another fortnightly challenge for you over at the Sparkles Forum Christmas Challenge.  This time what we want is ........

GLITTER - the more the merrier lol. 

I've used a rather elegant rubber stamp from Whimsy Stamps.  Its from Chrissy Armstrong's superb "Vintage Christmas" collection of stunning floral designs available HERE.

I've matted using my trusty nesties and the sentiment is by CraftWork Cards.

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a great weekend.

Mel X

Snowmen

Can you believe it's June already??  Where is the time going, flying by it seems. We had a lovely weekend away up in Filey at the weekend, it was great just to escape for a few days!

Well it's the first day of the month so that means it's time for a new monthly challenge over at Sparkles Forum Christmas Challenge, this month it's all about...

SNOWMEN

....as chosen by Lesley.

We all love an adorabloe snowman or two in our Christmas crafts, I know I do.  You'll find lots of snowmen inspiration from the DT and here is mine....

 

 

 

Joanna Sheen is sponsoring this challenge with a £10 voucher for the winner to spend in her online store. We do hope you'll be able to join us for this months challenge.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Hugs

 

Mel X

Ribbon and Gems

Hello everyone, thanks for stopping by.  I have another Christmas card today, this time for  Sparkles Forum Christmas Challenge and our theme of

RIBBONS AND GEMS

I've used this fabby image by Meljen's Designs and some old papers from my stash.  Don't forget to check out the challenge blog HERE for prize detail and see the gorgeous creations from my teamies.

Have a great weekend.

Mel X

A Card for Xmas

Hiya guys.  Ooooh its been a while since I posted on me blog!  Have a few ongoing health issues going on at the mo, sharn't bore you with the details but hence I'm not around so much at the mo. 

I've been kept rather busy this last week with Dylan, my little lhasa apso dog.  As some of you know, he recently lost one eye due to an extremely nasty ulcer that had developed.  Well, his other eye has an ulcer now!!!  We've found out also he's stopped producing tears, his eye is so dry and it impedes the healing and in Dylan's case is related to some sort of nerve damage as opposed to faulty glands.  So he his lampshade back on and I've been giving him up to 12 eye drops throughout each DAY - one every hour!  I'm just sooooo hoping this works, he is worth it! 

On a more positive note - I now have a motor and am back on the road - WHOO HOOOO!  Pete is most definetely BANNED from driving my new car which I've been totally out of character about and named........Belle!  I must be a right sad old bird rofl.

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Enough chatter from me and down to the business of being crafty!  We have our second challenge for you today over at the Sparkles Forum Christmas.  Huge thanks to everyone how joined in our first, it was lovely hopping round your blogs.  This months challenge is set by the lovely Angel, this month we want...

RED and GREEN

My teamies have come up with some remarkable creations to inspire you.  Here's mine using "Gruffy Little Gnome" by Meljen's Designs and available exclusively at Whimsy Stamps HERE.

I must apologise for the naff pic and the shadows.  My usual camera is bust after Emily dropped it a couple of weeks ago so I'm having to use an older one.

 I coloured with copics and promarkers and added a little touch of glamour dust glitter.  The papers are from my stash and I think are from an old DCWV paper pad.  The sentiment is by craftwork cards.

Don't forget to check out the challenge blog HERE for details of the fab prizes on offer.  We are only a fledging challenge and it would be awesome if we gained even more entrants second time round.  Thanks for stopping by, I hope you like my card.

Take care and happy crafting.

Mel X