That was a Year...

...that was!

2013 has been a tiring year with lots of travel for work and as a result, I haven't done the amount of crafting that I would have wished to. However, Debby has now asked for our "Favourite five Creations of 2013" and I've just been browsing through to see what I've made and what have been my favourites.

There have been lots of things that I have made this year that I loved but keeping in mind that it had to be "Five" items, I had to make some decisions and this is the collection that I ended up with...

In March I attended a couple of "Andy Skinner Style" workshops - I really enjoyed both but this was what I made at the one that was run by Andy Skinner himself...

...I loved my clock so much that it was up on the wall in my study as soon as I got home (even before I'd unpacked my totes LOL).
July saw the annual Christmas in July event over at Catch the Bug. I shared a teddy card as one of my favourite Christmas creations but this one had to make it onto this list...

..."JJ" is one of the digi ranges over at Bugaboo stamps and I just thought this would be perfect for a friend of mine. This 'miss' is such fun and I just loved this image. All coloured using alcohol ink pens.
Ignacio over at Nicecrane Designs offered some Halloween freebies back in August and I got a bit carried away making this trick-or-treat sweetie pot...

 ...I just loved the way it all came together.
More recently, UKS held a Christmas project hop and the project that 'kicked-off' the event was what inspired this...

 ...a recipe book. It was the perfect project for using some of Ignacio's 'food' images on and in addition to this, Ignacio has created some wonderful bookplate type swirls that I am using to finish it off with - I'll be doing a more detailed post of the finished item soon.
Now this is one project but I had to show you two photos of it...

...the lovely embossed and waxed box, which when turned around...

...reveals two 'books'. The books are actually storage boxes where you can hide treats or treasures.

So there you have it, my five favourite creations from 2013. Over all, I think it is a close run thing between the clock and the embossed box of books as to which was my absolute favourite. If you click on any of the photos you will see a larger image which will let you see the details of the items more clearly.

Why not hop over to Debby's blog to see what other folk have shared as their favourite creations of the year..........................................................................................

Pinch, Punch...

...first day of the month.

Yep folks, it's 1st December and the start of Advent so I thought it was time to get the bloggy decs up (the real decs at home may take a while longer LOL).

So, did you all open the first window, box, stocking on your advent calendar?

Hope you got some nice goodies - also hope those of you with chocolate advents have behaved and not emptied the complete contents in one go **giggle**

How are the preparations going?

Kerryanne's "Simply Christmas" is in full swing over at the Shabby Art Boutique.

Mrs Dunnit (the lovely Julia) is making a list and checking it twice over at the Stamping Ground.

...and...

UKS have started their countdown to Christmas - there will be a new project every day until the 23rd December.

Oh, and if you fancy the chance to win yourself some digi goodies - there are 7 days of Holiday chaos over at Catch the Bug.

Have fun.....................................................................................

Halloween...

...in miniature.

Do you have Halloween parties?

Halloween seems to be growing as an event on the calendar here in the UK and the stores are full of weird & wonderful things to decorate your home - as well as helping you get ready for all those 'trick or treaters'.

I can remember dressing up as a witch when I was a child but it wasn't the 'done thing' to go knocking on folk's doors. I think the nearest I came to attending a Halloween party was when I was a Brownie...can you imagine a whole pack of Brownies dressed as witches tearing around a school hall on their broomsticks LOL.

Despite the fact that Halloween was never as popular over here as it was in the USA, I have always had a love of anything to do with this spooky event - so you can understand why I have just adored all the Halloween digital imagery that Ignacio has on offer over at his on-line store.

One of my favourite things from Nicecrane is the "Treat cones". These can be printed off and made up with as little or as much decoration as you wish - ready to fill with sweets/treats.

...take a look here...

...or here.

I decided that I wanted something a little smaller than the original sized item (normally one cone is printed on a sheet of A4) so I printed four pages on one sheet of A4...

 ...and ended up with these cute little cones - little more than 2.5inches in height.

Why so small I can hear you asking...

Well, I have been haunting (groans are allowed at this awful pun) the £1 and 99p shops and have collected a variety of bits-n-pieces suitable for spooky home décor.

I've been having a whale of a time collecting spooky menu boards, mini lighting sets, creepy-crawlies of all shapes and sizes and my favourite piece of all...

...my wire glitter tree...

 ...the mini cones fit on here really nicely.
I love my little tree - it is just under 12inches high but I will be able to load it with a few more cones than are shown here...

 ...and the cones are just big enough to fill with some popcorn...

...don't you think this would be a fun buffet table decoration, with each cone containing just a taster of some treat or another.

There is a lady on UKScrappers who has had some fabulous Halloween parties, Glen (Artangel), and if you pay a visit to her blog you will be able to look back at some of the super decorations and food she has created for her events.

I won't be having a party but I might think about decorating my desk at work...and if I'm feeling generous (LOL) I might even have my tree loaded with cones full of goodies..................................

I really am so...

...very lucky.

You must go and take a look at this...

Yes, that treasure is all mine and sitting in front of me as I type.

Annette West - Voodoo Vixen to those of you who frequent UKScrappers - is someone I came to know when we happened to be 'teamies' on the very first cybercrop that I took part in (and over the years we have been on the same team for a few other cybercrops). She is also the person I should blame for my slight **rollseyes** obsession with mini-books LOL

She also hasn't helped me to dispel the belief that some of my regular shopping haunts have that I could be a secret arsonist because the last wonderful class she did for UKS involved match boxes (I'm sure my local stores were beginning to think that it was all safe after my last bout of 'mass' match box purchasing to make advent boxes - but that's another story).

I love visiting her blog because there's always something super to see...whether it be pictures of her latest fab creations or something interesting/amusing that has happened in the country where she is currently living.

If you haven't come across Annette's blog, you really should go pay her a visit as she has loads of stuff to inspire.

I would just like to say a very BIG thank you Annette for this wonderfully thoughtful gift and also for all the encouragement you have given me over the time we have known each other.

BIG, BIG hugs coming your way....................................................................

Scrapping...

...all day long.

A few weeks ago my friend Suzie (Weaselwise on UKS) asked if I would be interested in attending an all-day crop...10am to 7pm and the cost of the day included a carvery lunch. No brainer...I said yes.

Now it is quite some time since I've attended an all-day crop - in fact, I had to unload my wheeled crate as I had been using it for storage (amazing what treasures I unearthed LOL). I packed up a selection of PPs, CS and trims and off I went.

I did spend a bit of time pushing papers around and rummaging through my totes before I came across these...

 ...a new pack of C5 (A5) size envelopes, so I decided to make this...

 ...an A5 size minibook/journal - I haven't quite made up my mind what I will actually use it for.

Many moons ago, I purchased a storage bag containing 300 sheets of double-sided PP from Costco and although I have used quite a lot (or so I thought) the contents of the bag seem to go on forever. I picked a couple of designs to cover the chipboard covers that I had cut...

...and also used them to cover the facing pages at the front and back of the book.

Now whilst I was unloading my wheeled crate to get ready for the crop, I found a brand new pack of Basic Grey PPs & stickers. The range was Perhaps.

This pack of Basic Grey was from a time when all their ranges contained PPs...

...and distressed plain papers...

 ...that all toned...

 ...and co-ordinated beautifully...

 ...and the pack contained plenty to do all the pages of my book.

I cut the papers for each double page spread from a single 12x12 sheet so that the pages match across the 'view'. I have enough pieces left for matting and layering quite a few cards.

All the PPs have been inked around the edge quite roughly...

...using a Ranger Distressed Ink pad in Walnut.

All the PPs have been cut but I still have a few to ink and stick into the book.

I'm pretty pleased with the amount I managed to get done as I constructed the book from scratch using the envelopes to form the basis of the pages and white CS to hinge the pages together. The envelopes have had the flaps stuck inside so that each of the pages is also a pocket that can be used to hold bits-n-pieces.

The chipboard (greyboard) used for the covers was the backs of some A4 notepads. I cut four pieces and covered two for the outer covers and two for the inner ones - sandwiching a spine cover and the ribbon closure between them when I put everything together.

I could turn this into a Birthday book as I have enough pages for the months of the year or I could use it like a Smash book - haven't made up my mind yet.

I really enjoyed the day - the venue was spacious and the roast dinner...well...that was super yummy.

Shame they are not holding another one of these until August.................................................... 

Rocking your World Friday...

...is three years old **toot-toot**

For those of you dropping by who haven't got a clue what I'm on about (nothing new there then LOL) just hop on over to the lovely Virginia's Blog where she will tell you all about it as she kindly hosts the weekly gathering of 'Rockettes' who take a look back at their week and share their positive moments...you might even decide that you want to join in.

I've been AWOL for a few weeks but Virginia says that's okay as we all have lives that 'get in the way' from time to time.

Work has been rather stressful for some time now so it hasn't made for a great background for trying to pick out the positives of my life but I decided it was time to get a grip and dig deep otherwise I would never get back on here...so here goes...

This is a mish-mash of the last few weeks all rolled into one.

Spent a whole day with some crafting friends at one of Andy Pearson's "Tim Holtz Style" workshops - lovely messy day (yes, I know I don't 'do' messy but I always go prepared - pinny, gloves, babywipes LOL) and we got to stay in the warm 'playing' whilst it was pretty awful weather outside.

Have had several mentions on the 'Blog-bits' section of UKS in recent weeks - it is such a lovely feeling when someone thinks what you have blogged about was worthy of mention on a national forum.

Decided to do a bit of sprucing up on the old home-front - the Dulux offer of 3 testerpots for £1 has been great and has allowed me to add a bit of colour here and there without splashing out huge amounts on big tins of paint that will go to waste.

Treated myself to a lovely lime green kettle to add a bit of 'zing' to the kitchen - it looks so lovely and cheerful first thing in the morning, irrespective of what the weather is doing outside...think I'll be adding the matching toaster.

Had another lovely day with a crafting friend at an Andy Skinner workshop held at the Artistic Stamper - am I glad it was last weekend and it was only raining...if it had been today it would have been SNOW.

Had a bit of fun at work for Red Nose Day. This year we didn't make such a big thing of it as we have been so busy but we still managed to raise over £100.

Had to travel to Luton yesterday for a meeting (not a positive) and whilst waiting for a connecting train spent some time drooling in the Cath Kidtson shop at St. Pancras station...drooling was about all I could manage - those prices EEK!!! Despite being very cold at least the snow held off so the journey was fairly un-eventful until the last leg home. The ticket wouldn't work in the barrier and some jobsworth told me I would have to go and use the Underground (tube/metro/subway) to complete my journey even though I had the booking document with me showing the route I was entitled to use (the underground would have meant 3 changes - the route I was supposed to be on was just one stop on a highspeed train). His arguing caused me to miss a train but a colleague stepped in and allowed me through the barrier so I didn't lose too much time completing my journey.

Not a lot there, but I did say I needed to dig deep. Do hop over and pay Virginia a visit and also pay a visit to the other 'Rockettes' playing along this week - it can be very uplifting. Hope to see you there........................

The Mosgots are...

...ready to fly.

Before I explain what a 'mosgot' is, I just wanted to prove that my desk is still tidy...

...even after 'mosgot' construction LOL

It seems kinda bland just saying it was a 'typo' but that's how it started.

When UKS have a CyberCrop it has been a sort of tradition to have a Mascot Swap - usually an exchange of small cuddly toys that the recipient can sit on their desk/work area.

Someone asked if there was going to be a swap this time but instead of 'mascot' it printed as 'mosgot'...so The Detectives are having an ATC Mosgot Swap (sounds much more fun than mascots LOL).

These are my five completed and ready to wing off to Suzie...

...who is acting as swap host for the event.

I went with some cheery 'menguins' (no that is not another typo - it's what we have always jokingly called them in our family)

You might have noticed that there are some little menguins below the ATCs...these are little 'mosgots' that the recipients will be able to use in any way they like (there are a variety of mini menguins so they might not match the image on the front of the ATC (and they will be snuggling inside the ATC for their journey).

I actually made 6 of these so that I could keep one...

...as you can see - this little chappie has made himself at home on my nice tidy storage stack.

Never having made an ATC before (I don't think you can count the samples that we made at one of Andy's "Tim style" days) I didn't realise how difficult it could be to make something soooooooooooooooooo small. Worse than that, I was worried that my efforts would be woeful against the creations of the others in the swap. Never mind - we're all in it for the fun so I hope folk will like these when they recieve them.

Suzie; they are heading to the seaside and will be in the post to you tomorrow......................................

First Pre-cybercrop challenge...

...was to create a Birthday card.

After all, it is UKScrappers' 10th Birthday. So here is my card...

...it was suggested that Red/White/Blue should be the colour theme as those are the forum colours for UKS.

The image is one I coloured a while ago...

...lucky enough, I coloured two versions of this stamp and one was R/W/B.

Made use of some of the Jubilee themed stash that I bought earlier in the year...

...Portabello Road dotty paper and a Kanban die-cut.

Now comes the fun bit...it is rather a long time since there was a cybercrop on UKS and I've got to try and remember how to upload piccies - wish me luck folks LOL............................................