WOYWW 183

Seems hard to believe it's that time again. The time to peek into all the crafty worlds. Yep, it's time to head over to Julia's blog, Stamping Ground, and check out what the others crafters  are up to!

Thought I would show you that sea of cards I keep talking about. My work desk is so full of supplies that I couldn't take a photo on it...there is just not enough room. I carried the cards into the guest suite we built for our visitors from England. We have it furnished and keep it all set up for company. It adjoins my scrapbook room...well, actually the laundry room divides my room from the suite...so I can tell DH that I am heading down to do the laundry when I want to blog surf...teehee
I digress...now...back on track...here they are in all their glory.

 There are a couple you have not seen before...I purchased them at the Christmas craft fair. One lady was selling 6 cards and envelopes in a gift box for $2.  I could not resist as I can't buy the paper and supplies for that price and she was anxious to sell something to help pay for her table. They are actually quite nicely made!  The red 6x6 square with the white ornament on the front right and the 2  lying down at the front left with a modern Santa and a red ribbon make up the set of 6. The pretty brown and cream one beside them is from a friend who was also selling at that fair. The rest are mine. I have not included any duplicates of the same card (assembly line cards)...just a sample of each style that I have made.

Thank goodness I bought that set of 6 as I had a bit of a problem at the post office. My overseas cards that made it through the slot, failed to slide through when I took them up to post. Thank goodness I had not put stamps on them yet. Luckily,  I had  those purchased cards...I did not have enough really thin cards left to substitute and they made up the shortfall! I was just out of time to remake anything again. Whew...problem solved! Luckily, I only sign my overseas cards as I do up a Xmas newsletter for our English family members. I think I neglected to account for the width of the folded over newsletter and that was what failed them this time.I have signed and addressed the thinner ones and will be back up there to post them tomorrow. I will be busy tonight tearing the envelopes off the rejected ones and searching for my extra envelopes in my mess of a craft room!

Re the"tester slot".  To those that suggested cutting my own...I have done that before...But cardboard "gives" when acrylic doesn't  Also the little pearls and knots in ribbon dent the cardboard, making a new one necessary when the denting prevents a true measure.   To those Canadians who left messages that the "real post office sells them" I have some bad news...nope, not any more! They used to sell the old blue ones years ago, sadly, they stopped. Wish someone would go to the the Dragons Den and get the $ to create one...they would get rich as they would have no competition!

I still have a few more cards to make (and a few that I have tucked away for future blog posts) but the pressure is off creating for now. So that's it for this week!

Finally a stamped image!

Finally got a stamped image made up into a card.  This is the last one from the 3 cards I made last Thursday evening when my neighbour came over to make cards. It is another card made with lots of snippets.

The image is from a "stamping do" they had at my local scrapbook store. It was a lot of fun and I got this image and many more done. I have tried to shade the petals but it seems it is harder than one would think. I have liberally covered the edges in stickles and then "roughened" up the edges with the edge of the scissors.  I popped it onto a Kraft card stock mat and then those edges were "roughened" as well I meant to cut more off the bottom edge as I overcoloured the bottom petal, but I forgot! Only noticed it when I looked at the computer just now!  Note to self...another card for a non cardmaker!!!

I placed the matted image onto a background mat that is actually a journaling spot. I picked up a whole package of assorted journaling spots, embellishments,  plus some designer paper to match, for 25 cents at the scrapbook garage sale last summer. Oh,  how I love a bargain!

With all the glitter from the stickles on the poinsettia, that journaling spot seemed boring, so I used some Star Dust stickles on the dots in between the plaid trim and added some Xmas Red stickles to the berries on the wee wreath. A trio of red bling finished off the right side but now the left side seemed a bit boring. I grabbed the Star Dust stickles and touched up the fur trim on Santa's hat and coat. Then I grabbed the Xmas Red for his hat top and the bow on the present. Here is a close up to see the glimmer.

That border is a snippet of K and Co border leftover from a scrapbook page. The elements are all sitting on a snippet of MME  designer paper left over from other Xmas cards made back in Novermber.
Finally, I was  happy with my card!

No recipe today as it is all in the long version above. It is after all, Sunday, and I still have to find the Nativity scene and get it set up...It was my task yesterday but got set aside as my back was too sore to be digging through the Xmas decorations.

***Update***
Finished setting up the Nativity on the dining room hutch and the doorbell rang. It was Little Miss C and Little Mr P. They were enroute to their other Grandma's and stopped by to show me their dressed up little faces. Perhaps you remember this dress...she looks so grown up in her black tights but walked about shivering as she took off the velvet jacket and left it at home! She had on a nice little black Scottie dog hair pretty. Carrying on the dog theme, Mr P had a boxer dog knit into the front of his sweater. He does not like his picture taken so I could not get a photo of that! Here they are admiring the baby Jesus in the creche.

I didn't have time to hide the electrical cord or tidy under the hutch where I had to slide things that normally sit out on top.  Thank goodness for tomorrow!

I am submitting this card to the following challenges.
1. Pixies Crafty Workshop - use snippets. Othere than the image, everything else on this card is a snippet.
2. Pause Dream Enjoy - #48 Forgotten Stash The journaling spot is from the summer garage sales and I forgot I bought them till I pulled out the Xmas snippets  drawer.
3. Little Claire's Ideas and Inspiration - Christmas
4. My Sheri Crafts - Tis the Season
5. Crafts For Eternity - Christmas Chaos, Any Christmas Project
6. Jingle Belles - Anything Holiday goes
7. Wags n Wiskers - #93 Christmas
8. Fussy and Fancy - I love Christmas
9. 2 Sisters - Sparkle
10. Allsorts - Advent
11. Go Fish - ALl about the Holidays
12. Pixie Dust Studio - Winter Holidays
13. Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes.
14. Cards Galore - Christmas
15. Winter Wonderland - Santa Claus is coming to town

Another paper crafting with friends card

Here's another card from my crafting evening with my next door neighbour. I am blessed to have a neighbour who scrapbooks and makes cards. She is my daughters age but we are good friends. She is very kind and patient with this old lady...well old enough to be her mother, anyways!

This card is quite similar to yesterdays with a few variations. I follow quite a few blogs and there are several ladies who always use a corner punch on their cards. I love that look, so tried that lattice accents on yesterday's card. I thought it was a bit "heavy looking" so for this card I die cut a Spellbinders Fleur de Lis Square and then took my fussy cut scissor and cut in half diagonally. I thought that looked too wide so one by one I ran then through the big shot again, recutting the smooth edge I had just made and turning it into the match for the other sides. A little stickles and it was done.
I now had 2 teensy slivers that I had just cut off so I stickled them as well and glued them on the top and bottom of the stripey piece that sits on the doily. Waste not want not!!! I like the look of those slivers!.

I stapled the doilies again and then stickled the center of the candy on the design paper. I got a little carried away with my distressing and actually tore that paper here and there. I kind of like the finished look. Another of those chipboard ornament sentiments and I called it a day.
Recipe
Card Base - Michaels Reflections, Kraft Corrugated cards and envelopes
Designer paper - MME Merry
Cardstock - Kraft from my stash
Doily - Dollar Store, from my stash of about 10 packages  that I bought on clearance...I staple 3 together
Punch - Martha Stewart Snowflake, from my stash of already punched elements
Die - Spellbinders Fleur de Lis Squares, the tiniest size cut in half
Bling - Dollarama, from my stash
Twine - from my stash
Sentiment - Dollars and Sense (2nd card from this sheet)

I am submitting my card to the following:
1. Pixies Crafty Workshop- use snippets.