Happy New Year

To all my followers, my readers, everyone out there Thank You for reading my blog and may I take this opportunity to wish each and every one of you a Very Happy and Safe New Year.  Today it is all the one's - check out the date - 1.1.11

Got up at stupid o'clock despite having watched the New Year in on tv (didn't London have a magnificent firework display) and then watching Grumpy Old New Year which I had taped so have not had that much sleep and now have to get a meal ready for one son and dil.

Didn't know what to do with myself when I got up and despite having lots of birthday cards to make I messed about with some dominoes.  I began by repairing the green domino which is a place setting and then decided to make enough for today plus a couple of extras as I had the buttons.  They will come in for another year when we have more visitors.

Here they are waiting for the gloss to dry on them.  Don't ask why I did them all different colours - must have been the way my head was at stupid o'clock.  Want to know how I did them?

First of all I gave them a quick sand.  Used one of those white buffing blocks which is what I always use for my dominoes and my shrink plastic.  Then I patted them on a Brilliance Ink Pad and put them to dry, speeding up the process with my heat gun.

Next I stamped some snowflakes on (place stamp on worktop and ink and then take domino to stamp) with Stazon (important to use Stazon) Black and gave them another blast with the heat gun, let them cool and then used Anna Griffin's Clean Glass Finish to seal them.  It doesn't matter which of the clear finishes you use but I don't tend to use my Glossy Accents unless I want a real good thick coat.  What I do is put two or three drops on the top of my domino and then, using a damp paintbrush (important it is damp) spread it about on the top of the domino to an even coat.  Don't ever shake your bottle or you will get air bubbles in and we don't want those.  Leave to dry naturally.

Once dry you can assemble them.  Before you do though, you need to remove the spinner (the little brass thing) from the underside of the domino.  Up to you whether you do it on all of them or simply on the ones that are going to be the bases.  

Just put some colour on three edges - use either a Krylon pen (or dip again on all sides on your ink pad - needs fixing with gloss again) leaving one long side without any as it will hold the glue better when you stick it down.  Run some glue along the 'nude' edge and place on top of the other domino.  Now I tend to use Glossy Accents for sticking as it acts nice and quick.  Once it is stuck you just position your button (you could use a charm or something else - I just happened to have a few of these) in the same way using Glossy Accents.

Then a simple piece of card slots in behind the angel and voila - place settings which can be used over and over again.

You can just about see Andy's if you look closely.

Here it is - a closer peek

The back of them can be coloured and a jewel fixed in as in this green one which I have turned for you to see.  Hope you like them and it gives you an idea of something to do.

Sam's is missing - she took hers home with her - guess I will be making a set for her next time she has visitors.

Birthday Card

Today is Vix's Birthday (Queen  of Promarkers - link to her blog on my sidebar) and silly me tried to make her a birthday card using my Promarkers.  Now who in their right mind would make a card using Promarkers to the Queen  of them?  Not a clue where my head was but here it is:

And yes, I know, I could have used this as a Christmas Card but thought this image was quite appropriate for someone with a birthday in December.  At least Vix will see that I am trying (some would say VERY trying) and whilst I am a long way off I do follow her tutorials as carefully as I can.

Happy Birthday Vix!

PS Lotta is out of intensive care now - thank you for all your prayers.  Still a long way to go but at least she is going the right way.

Lots to Do

Over on Lots to Do the Challenge is to upload a favourite card you have done over the year.  I did struggle a bit with this and realised how different my styles can be.  However, I chose this one which is the card I sent to my dear friend Mary in America as it reminded me of holidays we have had at Ventura Beach with her.

How I miss her and her extended family - not to mention the lack of snow and the sunshine (although we always please them and take some rain over with us LOL).

It's Christmas Day

I hope your day is filled with Joy and Laughter with an ample sprinkling of Love.

I am scheduling this post (it is Christmas Eve and I have only to ice the cake - guess what?  It's going to be peaked up snow!)  I have now finished my Tim Tags - well done my own final bit on them, got them strung up (what a load of mess and bother that was) and I am ready to go.

Here are the missing ones - much improvisation:

Used a Spellbinders deer and one of the lace flowers Dot taught me how to do.  I think it looks very much like a snowflake this one.

Had to cut my own Grungepaper again for the row of houses, enjoyed curling the wire which you cannot see (click on it for a larger picture) and had to use a stencil thingie that I had.

Again used Spellbinders die - this time because it was so small I put three baubles on mine.  Did the Rock Candy with the Fired Brick though.  Yes, there is a hole at the bottom - when you look at the picture below you will see why.  I worked it out that if I attached letters (Dimension Fourth) spelling "Joyeaux Noel" and included a couple of spaces between the two words I could make a nice hanging for the hallway.

Here they all are, in the correct order as Sir Tim did them.  Think I made a lot of work for myself at the last minute with those letters (stamped and utee'd) which are attached with jump rings at the bottom of each tag.  Now to find last year's and get them up on the door!

Stay Safe!

Added at a later date:  Just realised they are not all there - here are the ones spelling "Noel".  Oops!

To All My Lovely Friends (plus Advent House done)

To those of you who saw my previous post regarding Lotta - she is making some improvement - just heard from her Grannie that she is out of intensive care - thank you so very very much for all the prayers.  I do believe in the power of prayer.

Yes, at last, the Advent House is finished.  Typical "S" Law - the buttons arrived yesterday so I have used some of them but not all. Moved a couple of things around so I could use some.  Now want to make another one - wonder if Andy and Sam would like one next year?

So here are my last windows:

Number 20 has a Distress Background spritzed with water to give those lovely dots (managed to stamp a candle so a big dot surrounded the flame).

Number 21 is Wrinkle Free Distress with the Bandana technique and my lovely Santa in a sleigh which is another Jo one.  (Check her blog for some candy)

22 - is Resist and there's one of my new buttons - a cute penguin.

23 - Shattered Glass for this one with the third German Mouse musician.

24 - Brayered background and the number from a peg which I got in Germany.

Got to show you one or two changes since my buttons arrived (hope I am not boring you)

She replaced the caroller

This window was looking bare

These cuties took over from the little angel

This needed something - candy canes anyone?

This was looking bare

And now the whole thing - you will see I did manage to put some of my new buttons in and I moved one or two things (angel and caroller) to another slot.  I love my little Santa in the chimney (thanks to the German market) which him indoors was not sure about but now thinks it is "perfick".

Some close up views (although you can click on the pictures and get a bigger one in another window)

Still got to make a Christmas card for my son and dil and one for the better half.  Got to ice Andy's and Sam's cake as well (we will just leave ours a plain fruit cake I think), make some decorations for the table for tomorrow but all presents wrapped up, cards displayed at last and I am sure there will be other things (like finish my Timmie Tags), yap on the phone etc.

Well, it's almost here so I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  Thank you so much to all of you who have left comments over the year, they mean so much - and a special big thank you to all my lovely followers.  It warms my heart to see when someone has linked to me.  May you all stay safe and well, I love you all.

WOYWW

Cannot believe I typed all this out and then must have caught something and the whole thing disappeared.  Spent ages trying to retrieve it/find it - to no avail - so here goes - second attempt.

Cannot believe it is WOYWW again and I am bearing my soul to the world of Ms Dunnit and her followers all over the world.  Only three more days to go and it will be time to put away those Christmas stamps but this next year they are not staying away until November.  Famous last words eh?  Here is the aftermath of my trying to get on with my Advent House (will post on Friday when I do the last door) and my Timmie Tags (one to go and then I can reveal the whole lot).

In the meantime I still have a couple of cards to make and was going to do something with some corrugated card and these flowers I made, courtesty of fab instructions from Lin B.

Will leave it there folks as it is 6.45 am and time I got this show on the road.  For all you lovely peeps who pop by for a nose - Have a Lovely Christmas and My Very Best Wishes for the New Year.  Stay Safe and Happy and remember that little girl I mentioned in my previous posting.  Please.

More Advent House Windows

Have been busy playing catch up with the Advent House and using some of the tiny decorations I brought back from Germany.  I do prefer the flat wooden ones Jo got me but as I didn't find any, and as my order of buttons has no chance of arriving, I have used what I got.  We left the last posting at 14 so here is the next one:

The background is Heated Pearls

You cannot really see this background technique - it is the one Tim Holtz featured on his Tags this year where he used a piece of clear packaging material.  It does look good in real life - shame it does not show up here at 16.

This one has a UTEE background which has been stamped into.  it really is a lovely background and I am so peeved it does not show up. The little bird is stamped on a travel domino.

This one is metal embossed with the Winter House folder.

This final one for today is Serendipity

Now, before you leave check out the Blog Candy that is shown in my sidebar - Lin (LB Crafts Lin) is offering a stash of Tim Holtz Goodies. You can either click on her name above or on the candy picture on my sidebar.

Next - some more blog candy.  Angeldrummer (Victoria) is offering three stamps from her sponsor so you must pop along and join in. Just click on the name above and you will get to her blog.

Finally, I want you all to include a little girl in your prayers tonight (and during the day if you can spare a minute).  She is the grand-daughter of a friend of mine and she is in intensive care at the moment.  Her name is Lotta and I am sure the big guy upstairs will respond to our prayers so please, spare a moment to ask for her to be out of danger and back home with her mummy and daddy as soon as possible.

Thanks!