One more sleep .........

Happy Christmas Eve ......

Well the last minute shopping's all done ..... we have enough food to feed the whole of Douglas, more alcohol than the brewery and I just had to buy one more present this afternoon even though there's no room left under the tree!!!
But, that's it now, we're home ..... the Christmas tunes are playing and it's time to make a start on the preparations for tomorrow. Stuffing and cranberry sauce are on the agenda for this afternoon ..... along with a glass of something a little festive I think.

Before I disappear into the kitchen I have one more project to share with you.  I was just checking through the pictures on my camera and realised that I hadn't blogged these.

If you've been following me for a while you'll know that each Christmas I get asked to create some very special cards for an annual festive event ....... The Christmas Quest.
One of the guys that works with hubby does this quest for his wife ...... he places clues all over the place, inside one of my cards, and she has to follow the clues and complete the quest ..... how much fun is that!
Every year this quest is amazing ...... this year it was based in NEW YORK!!!

Here are the cards I came up with ....... all Christmas in New York themed, but each one different

We had to have the Big Apple in there ......

with a little festive touch to it of course .........

The fabulous New York skyline .....

oooh ... there's Santa flying by!

The famous New York Taxi cabs ......

with a little added sparkle .....

A beautiful festive Christmas tree .......

Again with lots of sparkle and glitz ......

And of course ........ the Statue of Liberty

So ....... Christmas is almost here.  Santa's on his way ........ I think we're ready.
I'm looking forward to tomorrow, we've got a house full .... just how I like it.

Thank you so much for popping by ...... and thank you all for your lovely comments throughout the year.
I'd like to wish each and every one of you

a Very Merry Christmas 

Have a fabulous time with family and friends and I hope all your Christmas dreams come true.

Cheerio until next time

A fun, festive forest ......

Happy Wednesday .......

We've reached the middle of a very busy week already but ..... we're getting there.  At least it's stopped raining!

I was hoping to finish off the last minute shopping today but I've got the little man and he's not feeling well, poor thing.  So instead we're going to snuggle on the sofa and watch some Christmas TV ...... the shopping can wait until tomorrow.

Before I curl up under the blanket I want to share my final festive project of the year ...... and it's something for me!

I came across this fab article on Pinterest and I just had to have some ..... they look so cute ....

So ...... I asked my father-in-law to cut the wooden pieces for me and voila! ....... here they are .......

I love them ....... traditional red and green for me, with a touch of gold ......

Painted using PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Acrylic paints  ........ Snowflake, Cherry Red and Tinned Peas and Golden's Iridescent Bronze for the gold one.  I only applied one coat as I still wanted to see the markings in the wood through the paint.

The 'baubles' are simply dots done with white and gold gel pens.

I made a set for Lauren too ....... shades of blue with silver and white to match her festive colour scheme ....

How cool do these look ....... so simple yet so effective ....... I just love them!
The largest one is approx. 6 inches high, going down to about 4 for the smallest one.

Mine will be going down the centre of the Christmas dinner table ..... there won't be room for much more, I've got 12 coming for Christmas dinner ..... it's going to be fun!

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your day.
And just in case I don't get chance again before the big day ...... I'd like to wish all my dear Blog friends and visitors

  a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year

xx 

Cheerio until next time ........ have a good one!

The ARTplorations Stencil Blog Hop ........

Happy Monday folks ........

Not long to go now to the big day, and we're almost ready for it ... whoo hoo!
I've only got a couple of things to do this week then it's time to relax and really get into the festive spirit ...... although after last night I think I might have had enough!!!  Shall we just say The Prospect/Saddle Staff Christmas party was a great night .... I think!

The craft room door is still open .... there's a few little bits to finish off in there before the big clean up at then end of the year.

One of the things on the list is a little more inspiration for the ARTplorations Stencil Blog Hop which is still running .....

There's already been lots of gorgeous makes from the STAMPlorations girls ...... loads of ideas on how to make the most of your stencils.

It's DAY 6 today, and I've got a really quick and easy way to create great looking cards for any occasion .....

I seem to have been making Christmas cards forever ..... it was nice to create something with a non-festive theme

This was so easy to make ...... and by changing the colours of ink you use it will look totally different each time.

I taped the ARTplorations Stencil ...... Circular One onto a piece of white card and then used various colours of Distress Inks through the whole design

I removed the stencil, and cut the card to size leaving a small border around the edge.
Then using a silver sparkly gel pen I edged around all the inked parts of the design ..... you could leave the stencil in place to do this, I just found it easier to do it without

A bit of matting and layering with some black and white card frames the design nicely, and to finish off  a simple die cut word from the CUTplorations range

A few dots of white enamel accents here and there adds a little more interest and texture to the card

You've still got time to join in the Blog Hop .... it runs until tomorrow.  If you missed the start, with all the information on the Hop and prize details then just click back to Day One.  There's also a Blog Hop Linky button so you can really join in the fun and share your stencil projects .... go on, we'd love to see them.

Thanks for popping by .... enjoy the rest of your day and Happy Hopping!
Time for another coffee I think!

Cheerio until next time .......

Ho! Ho! Ho! ......

Happy Thursday .......

Not long now before the big day .... are you on the Nice list or the Naughty one?  What will Santa be bringing you this year?

Before all that though, I've got my final Blog Challenge post for 2016 ..... I think!  
It's a quick reminder about this month's STAMPlorations CAS Card Challenge ..... and maybe an idea for those last minute Christmas cards you still might have to make.

As always the theme is Anything Goes ..... anything CAS that is, and the optional colour twist for December is ......

RED and GREEN (very festive!)

You don't get more CAS than this design .......

One cute festive image from the STAMPlorations Warm Hands, Warm Hearts set, stamped in black ink and embossed with a clear powder .....

Coloured using Copic Markers ..... 

and a few dots of glitter glue here and there for added sparkle ....... easy!  Great for doing batch cards, especially if you have a MISTI ..... and perfect for posting!
Speaking of which .... I need to get the last lot of my cards in the post tomorrow.  Better get them written though first ...... guess what I'll be doing later!

It's just me at home this evening, Hubby's on another works Christmas bash ..... their team/office one this time.
They've had a meal out at lunchtime ..... and the afternoon off!!  It's Thursday too .... so that means they're all probably going to end up in The Saddle for a spot of festive Saddleoke ..... who knows what time he'll be home!

Don't forget the ARTplorations Stencil Blog Hop is well underway ...... 7 days of stencil fun with the STAMPlorations girls.  Check out the STAMPlorations blog for full details and a list of the prizes up for grabs.

Thanks for popping by .... enjoy the rest of your day.
And in case you don't visit again before the big day ..... have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year.

Cheerio until next time

Fancy a Blog Hop ........

Happy Wednesday .......

And welcome to the ARTplorations Stencil Blog Hop with the STAMPlorations girls ......

Seven fun filled days of gorgeous inspiration pieces, all created using the fabulous range of ARTploration stencils from STAMPlorations.

This is just one of the many fabulous designs ...... Peony #2 ..... a gorgeous large bloom that has so many options on how to use it .....

I've simply used it on a background card found in my bit box, and brushed Distress Inks through the stencil ..... Scattered Straw, Wild Honey, and Worn Lipstick .... such a pretty combination

Using the CUTplorations Birthday die, I cut my sentiment from the centre of the stenciled card, and again from plain black cardstock ..... inlaying the black die cut into the stenciled card and then layering the coloured layer. slightly off set, over the top ....... to give a shadow effect

I stamped the 'happy' over the top, using one of the sentiments from STAMPlorations Party Time ...... and then gave the raised die cut a coat of clear Wink of Stella .......

Stencils are so much fun to play with .... use them with inks, paints, texture paste.  Spritz through them, emboss with them .... the choice is all yours.

Check out the main Blog Hop Post on the STAMPlorations Blog for all the details, along with a full list of all the blogs involved.  And don't forget .... the blog hop is running until Dec 20th, so you've got lots of time to join in the fun

Happy stenciling!

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your day.
This is actually a scheduled post.   After a busy morning in town, Christmas shopping, and a cheeky gingerbread latte with Lauren, I'm enjoying a birthday lunch with some of my crafty ladies.  I could definitely get used to this!

Cheerio until next time .....