Jingle bells, jingle bells.....

My dear bloggy friends!

We are here - 3 days before Christmas - I bet you have all decorated your trees, sent off your cards and wrapped up your presents! Well I am almost there....I have made all my cards and sent them off and I have decorated my tree but I haven't wrapped up my presents....I am doing that this afternoon! First time ever I have so much work done before Christmas eve!!! Does that mean I am more organised??? No not really - well it did help that I was at home for almost 3 months and did most of my cards during that time! Also my daughter was a big help with the tree decorating !

Anyway our weekly meetings most go on and here is my desk of this week.......nothing much going on, one of my last cards on display! A peek on the right...

A peek on the left.....

 The card up close and personal - I love this Inkadinkado stamp - sooo cute!

A last word about making cards - I did make a lot this year and some were complicated some  had a very modern tone, some were vintage, grungy even - some I like more then the others! I think that although I have never been to any cardmaking course or workshop I have learned a lot - thanks to so many ladies who put tutorials on their blogs ( for free) and give us all a chance to learn! Here is an example of a card I made recently and like very much! The background is one of the new Hero Arts stamps, what I really like about this card are the trees -  they are made with washi tape - just love the simplicity of the design! So cool!

 And with this card I wish you all peace, love and happiness! I thank every one of you WOYWW-ERS that have visited my blog this year and commented on my blog - when I started I never thought anybody would be interested - now I have 72 followers - amazing!

Have a very merry Christmas! 

Lots of hugs to all of you,

Cardarian

WOYWW, very late but it is Christmas time so who isn't busy????

Hello my dear bloggy friends!

I am sorry for being soooooo late but I am just so busy making cards and decorations and surfing the internet for recipes and also still going to physio - I am all taped up again - I will be going back to work on Monday so they are trying to do anything that would make me feel comfortable at work! Eh well I won't be comfy but at least I will earn some dosh ! 

Anyway getting to the point I have quite a few photos to show so enjoy the snoop......first up my really messy desk...everything is on there I can't move!.....

and now a few things I have made lately......I bought some vintage postcards from Freubel Art and  also found some free ones on the internet and made some vintage cards....here are a few....

 Here are a few of my cards that are not vintage.....wreath....

One with buttons and felt....

Hero arts cars and houses background......

And Artemio trees 2 different ways - my first ever use of snowtex!

and last but not least my altered cd - Christmas decoration..... I am really proud of this one......

the ribbon has angels on all the way to heaven...... sorry the picture is a bit bad - my camera just died ( well the battery did!)

So that is it for today - I still have loads of cards to make - I think in January I will close the doors of my craftroom and not go in for a while! Why does this always happen to me??? Every year I make a resolution that I will not make cards the last week and well it isn't the last week but it sure will be in a few days and I am still at it!! Huh!!!!

Have a lovely snoop around the worlds crafty desks and enjoy the Christmas holiday spirit! (he, he I didn't mean eggnog!!!)

Lots and lots of hugs to all of you,

Cardarian

WOYWW, cards. cards and more cards!

Hello lovely bloggers!

I hope you are all well and happy, all in the spirit of the coming holidays, happily checking off the many "lists" ( Julia ?!!!? :-) ) you have put together these days for shopping, cards or whatever jobs you have to do!

Well I also have my lists and am very slowly checking them off! I just can't get into the fifth gear this year for some reason! Cards seem to be the only thing I have been able to do! Still crafting is what these Wednesday gatherings are all about so I invite you all into my little craft room for a quick snoop, so that you can see what I have been up to these days! I am still off work, my main task these days is to start walking better and without crutches which I am doing every day - I go for a long walk every day - I struggle but I go as it is good for me!

Now lets get down to business....

My desk this morning is in preparation of making a vintage card - I have colorwashed a piece of cardstock which will be the background for my card, die cut some snowflakes, found some lace, mesh, bells, printed out some cute vintage postcards and prepared my stamps and some vintage paper I took out of an old 1850 magazine our library threw out during the process of moving ( he, he see that is the advantage of being a librarian) and I am now using it for my cards....the text is in gothic writing so very apt for Christmas cards!

Swing to the right - stamps I have chosen for the card are from Viva Decor - quite nice flourishes and vintage stuff! Also you can see all the mists I have used...

Swing to the left - a mixture of everything.....I honestly think I will never ever have a tidy desk!

So there that is my desk - now I would like to show you a few of my Christmas cards - I never make them in batches - each card I make is an original - of course that means I use way too much time for cards but I just can't help it...

I love this LOTV stamp such  cute bears.....

This is a Penny Black stamp I love....

Here are some of my vintage makes - I am entering them into our Slovene challenge CRAFTALNICA where they want vintage or shabby chic - wether this is shabby chic I don't know - I never really understood what that means.... these 2 cards are made with a technique I saw in one of the last craft stampers - the main picture is black and white and then you just add colorful embellishments....The stamps are both from La Blanche - I bought them in our Memories shop......

and the last one I am showing is a very playful card - stockings full of toys and candy! The stamp is from Inkadinkado...I spent ages coloring and glittering this card - a bit of white gel pen too,,,,

here is some detail....

I have more but this will be it for today......

Have a lovely day....

Thank you to everyone who takes time and visits my blog, I haven't been commenting much lately but as my knee is getting better I can spend more time sitting so I will also be commenting!

Lots of hugs to all of you

Cardarian

WOYWW, I made a mini book!

Hello Everybody!

I am late posting - well I almost didn't but I thought I should at least post even though I don't get around much - I have to stay in the game! My knee is slowly improving - as much as it can, I have done my first outing with just a stick - not both crutches today so yipee ! It was scary and I felt very insecure but if I am to go back to work in 2 weeks time I better get less dependent on crutches! On the crafty side I made my first mini book! Well the credit goes to Jo from Jozart who showed me how to fold it but I did all the embellishing and stamping! I made it for my niece - she was 18 last week and because she does a bit of crafting herself ,  she knew how much work went into it and was really happy when she got it...

It is funny - about an hour ago I was browsing around Tim Holtzes blog and I found that he did a tutorial for a mini book - he, he it made me really proud that I didn't need to see his tutorial and made my own book! 

So here are some photos.....page 1

These are my happy birthday wishes and a few tips on to what to do with the book....

I left lots of space for her to write things in the book - or do whatever she wants....

There was some money put in that little pocket.....

There were TH tickets put on the tags that you can pull out of the side pockets....

and this was the last page....

So there that was my mini book - I also have a few cards to show you....

A happy birthday and new house card......

and a card for my dear friend who had a rather unconventional wedding - not a white one and so the card well - is not a white one.....

I better get over to Julias castle before it strikes midnight and all my lovely work will be changed into pumpkins and mice!

Lots and lots of hugs to all of you from

Cardarian

P.S.: Thank you for all your lovely comments and get well wishes - it helps a lot !!!!

A Christmas Card with Crafty individuals deer stamp

Good evening dear friends! 

I have made another Christmas card and I thought I would show it and as it is made with a Crafty Individuals stamp I will enter it in their challenge!

Although the card doesn't look like anything special I did put a few hours work into it - mostly because I kept on changing my mind of how to do it! I can't remember where I got the DP but it is digital, the snowflakes were made with  a Spellbinders die, I also used various punches and punched out the gold glittery snowflakes I used something new on the background I never used before - it is called Goosebumps Shimmer Texture Spray! I don't know if you can see it but it is a shimmery  bumpy effect - quite like it! The Merry Christmas stamp is from Hero Arts - I gave the deer a red nose so it is clear that it is Rudolf ha, ha....

Have a nice evening! Even though I am not working at the moment I still like Friday evenings! Anybody for a movie and popcorn???

Lots of hugs,

Cardarian

WOYWW, can't remember which one is it now 128??? Huh!

Good morning lovely bloggers!

I have been a very bad blogger lately but my knee is still playing up so I can't really do much on the computer - just a quick look every now and then - I could post but of course what WOYWW-ing is about is the commenting and as I can't do much of that I thought it would be rude just to post and not comment - there is a bit of an ethics we have to go by don't we??? Anyway I will do my best to get round to those who visit me and I will try to visit others today! So what has been going on??? Well I am still off work - struggling with this knee of mine but it is gradually getting better! I don't want to moan as we are not here to for that are we???

I have been doing bits and bobs - not much to show but what I have been doing intensly is gathering haul for making Christmas stuff....my room is a big mess - in fact my whole flat is a big mess - I don't really bother with tidying - just the once a week keep it clean enough to live in! Anyway enough chat what you really want to see is the photos so lets get right to it! 

First up is a very calming autumn photo (before you see the disaster of my room) I took a few days ago when I was out for a walk around our buildings! I have to walk a bit every day to keep up my strength....

Next up is one of my Christmas makes - I have started putting swarovski gems on my cards - quite like the effect....

and now the disaster of my room....

and my desk.....

and all the goodies I have gathered....crafty individuals just made a big profit ha, ha....

and here is more bits and pieces.....

and the mess on the right..... I have a special printer - spits out Planets Mars.....YUMMMMMMM!!!

and the mess to the left....

I have a few makes I can't show at the moment (as they haven't been given yet!) but they will be on here soon!

Dear ladies and gentelmen have a lovely day, enjoy the snooping under the supervision of our Queen Julia!

Lots of hugs to all of you,

Cardarian

WOYWW, 125 and I am late!

Hi Everybody!

So sorry I am late again! I had doctors appointments and physio and I am on two crutches, my car is parked in Timbuktoo and we have torrential rain all day! I am wet, cheesed off and exhausted! It is really hell being an invalid so all you people out there pay respect to these people as they are modern day heroes! I have always been respectful to invalids, helping where I could, never ever parking in invalid spaces letting them ahead in a queue! BUT not everybody is taught that and you can meet some really rude people! Post office women closes her window just when I got to her - I had to go in another queue but luckily there was a good man who let me in! The reaction of people is amazing still most are kind, some really rude and some reactions are quite funny .... like if they see you are on crutches they avoid eye contact...it is like you are going jump out of yourself and suddenly devore them!!! Oh God!!! Ha, ha! Well sorry for all this ranting - I just want to share my experience as an (hopefully not permanent) invalid! 

Anyway back to crafty stuff! I am now able to sit a bit more as my knee is slowly getting better so I try to do as much as possible - On Friday Jo from Jozart and I had a Skype session where she showed me how to make a cute gift box and envelope for Christmas or any occasion! Thank you so much Jo - I have since made a few more and I will show my stuff in a seperate post! 

I have spent ages making this tag card! I started off hoping to make a crackled gold background but even though I used the medium it didn't work! Why I don't know I am still trying to find out - it must have been me not doing something right! But anyway here is the final result - my first Christmas card - giving into the panick now!

I also made a birthday card - one of my friends birthday is sometime in the begining of November so I made a card with a poppy! Used that lovely Hero arts stamp, cuttlebug and some black embossing powder! It is a card for a man so I toned it down a bit! .....

 And here are a few panoramic views of my desk and craft room - not nice and tidy anymore......

Yes a configurations box is peeking out there, when I make it nice I will show it off! And that box is full of my Hero arts stamps! 

Ok then I better sign in before our Queen Julia locks the door! My knee hurts - I am off to have a rest!

Lots of hugs to everybody!

Cardarian