Closer to Christmas

Here's a couple more cards I've made this Christmas, using up some of the hunter green card I seem to have a lot of. Although it's a classic for Christmas, and I used to use it all the time, I tend to go reach more for olive card with red these days. The Merry Christmas stamp on the first card is a cheap one, from a polymer pack from Riot Art & Craft, and the Lovely as a Tree stamp is a classic, and so beautiful.

The weeks are rushing by, just 16 days till Christmas now. I've written most of my cards but might need to make a few more, my card list has increased significantly with new families at church on top of adding my 40 or so colleagues at work last year and this.

Tonight I was at my staff Christmas party, which was lots of fun. I'm grateful to have been working two years with these lovely people. There are five more school days this year, plus another function and two long staff meetings, it will be strange to be with my work friends so much this week and then it will suddenly stop, I won't see them for six weeks. But ... we teachers all need a holiday!

Creating for Christmas

Since my uni semester finished in October, I've been busy making Christmas cards. This has been quite therapeutic in the midst of some difficult things going on in the family (and cheaper than therapy?)

I've made 100 cards so far, here's a sampling of some of them.

And now the fun part's over, I need to get writing!

The last of the Christmas rush

Yesterday we put up our outside lights.

On Friday I put up my little Christmas tree in my craft room.

I love seeing it from outside.

Last week I finished my Christmas cards.

Which is quite a process. 

I've been making them for months.

In the last fortnight, I've addressed the envelopes,

stamped a greeting inside each card.

photographed them, and stamped the envelopes.

And of course, written in each one.

All 80 or so of them.

 

And yesterday I got the last of them in the mail.

Phew!

At last I'm feeling like I'm on the home stretch, we're over the hump.

Time to enjoy the tree, the carols, the sights and sounds of Christmas.

Perhaps some paleo Christmas treats,

a little Christmas shopping and wrapping.

Time to read the Christmas story in the bible and ponder on it.

School is finishing this week.

Relaxation is almost here!

I'm snatching more moments of it each day.

So many things ticked off for the year, with just a couple to go.

Now I just want to soak up the rest of December, 

before it too disappears.

Card designs for men

It's always hard to design cards for men, I find.

Here are the three cards I made for the fathers in our lives.

The one above was for my Dad, using the new Stampin' Up Flower Patch stamp set in a geometric way.

It reminds me of a peacock, or an American Indian headdress.

This one was for Steve, using some stickers I found a few years ago.

Oh, how I love these stickers, so much fun.

I stuck two little robots on to represent our girls, and stamped a few circle

designs randomly on the background. The bright colours really make this card pop.

This card for Steve's Dad was from my stash, I made it a while back,

not sure if I've shown it before. It features some Memory Box dies.

So there you go, three ideas for men - geometric, robots and nature designs.

Do you make your own cards?

Babycakes, and knitted love

 

Baby-sized cupcakes for my cousin's baby shower today.

Pink and blue, to cover all outcomes.

We girls got stamping and punching and icing after lunch

and were finished just in time.
(And time for a quick photo, too!)

It was a good afternoon, no games, just lots of food,

chatting and presents for the mother-to-be.

Everyone is so happy she is having a baby,

she got married last year, just before her 40th birthday.

My aunt gave my cousin today 

some baby items our Nanna had knitted and crocheted,

years before, for her great-grandchildren.

It was special to see the booties and bonnet knitted so lovingly

and packed away so many years ago for a hoped-for child.

My girls each have a crocheted granny rug from Nanna,

who died just after Laura's first birthday, over thirteen years ago.

This will be the tenth great-grandchild in the family,

but Nanna only lived to meet the first three of them.

Here is my Nanna, and my father and aunt,

babies both welcomed with much love,

and likely much knitting too.

I'm hoping to crochet something for the baby,

who is due in a month.

I'd better get started!

Laura has begun a rug,

but got sidetracked crocheting squares for Wrap with Love.

Babies + celebrations + good food + items handmade with love 

It's all good.

Today I love ...

instagram

(even on a windows phone)

... new craft supplies,

particularly this brushstroke stamp in the new 

Work of Art Stampin' Up! set,

which I used to make this rainbow card for a friend

... and this set of Memory Box dies
which I will no doubt use again and again

... that I found some jonquils in the garden

when I thought we had no flowers anywhere

... and that I had a clear table to enjoy them on.

our church;

on Sunday we gathered at a backyard pool for a baptism,

(a lovely grandmother who lately came to know the Lord)

and once again I was thankful for this group of families

who love and accept and grow together,

we are truly a family

... and being home, snug (enough) inside today

while the wind howls outside and the house is pelted
with small branches from the tall trees around.

A birthday card

A card for a friend's birthday.

Despite my best intentions, there have not been 

cards for all occasions this year.

There have been some more spontaneous cards, though,

some "hello" cards, and "get well soon".

This particular friend with a birthday this weekend 

will be amazed to receive her card on time for once.

Unfortunately she had to move to the other side of the country

for it to happen :-(

I've been tidying my craft room lately,

and am determined to use up my scraps.

This card was put together using a flower

I made a few years ago,

and some pretty patterned paper from my stash,

all retired Stampin' Up! products.

The fact is, I have way too many scraps of retired and current card

not to mention lots of stamped images and embellishments and pretty papers.

I'm planning to make cards all year and then hold a stall

with all proceeds going to Compassion.

That's the plan, anyway.

* * *

In other news, today is the 6-week mark since my ear surgery.

While I'm mostly better, I am still dizzy occasionally and tireder than usual.

I'm expecting it to take another 6 weeks or so to get back to my full strength,

and am holding off getting back into some activities until next term.

So I'm still taking each day as it comes, and am enjoying ...

slower mornings

crocheting & knitting 

sitting on the verandah in the cool late afternoon, under a rug

sunshowers

working through shorter to-do lists

reading in the afternoons by the heater

watching some old shows

feeling more relaxed with a few less activities on.

What are you enjoying these days?

Round here, lately

Amazing skies, sunshine, and storms.

Cake and more cake:

Apple Sponge, Caramel Upside-Down Pear Cake

and Armenian Nutmeg Cake.

Some homework done.

Some homework not done.

A 60th birthday card (and envelope) made from old sheetmusic

with a sprinkling of butterflies.

(loving the SU! Envelope Punch Board)

The 60th birthday lunch with Steve's family, 

amidst lovely gardens and artwork

at Hazelhurst Gallery, in Gymea.

And much, much, more that the camera didn't see.