Secret Santa Cards

I've been hiding this card...I hid it waaay back in January 2009 and seeing I wasn't actually blogging then I was quite sure no one would find it! But now I think it's okay to bring it forward, coz I do rather like it! We did a bit of a Secret Santa on the JJ forum before Christmas, and this is the card I sent off sometime ago along with some crafty goodies. (so, unless the postie got lost or fell down a manhole, I'm sure it all arrived safely) I love that cute little image, only I'm not sure of her name, apart from, Tilda (?) as she was a swap some time ago... If you know her name, let me know!
The red 'dots' on the four corners of the card, aren't brads, they're card and came with some 'Snowy' stamped images I bought on Ebay (before I'd bought the stamp!) in red and green as a little extra as well as an image of a Forever Friends bear too, which I thought was really nice touch.
I coloured the image with my ProMakers and (yay!!) I got a few more for Christmas from Debs my sister-in-law!
I made a little pocket at the back of the card, a little different than I'd done before and put in a few stamped images. I would've put more in but I'd run out of card, can you believe that!!
I still haven't worked out who my Secret Santa was. The lovely card at the bottom is the card I was sent, I love that image!! and also some Victorian papers, some lovely beads and a lovely hand made calender too, thank you Secret Santa!
I'll post a picture as soon as I can find it, but my computer is hiding all my documents at the moment, and I either can't find them at all or it's telling me they're all empty! Which is a bit scary really!
I've put a few posts on the timer, but knowing me they'll probably appear next year or some time never!
More Christmas cards to come as soon as I can get them posted, as I've still no craft room and John and I are...don't laugh...sleeping in a bunk bed over Christmas!!

Skykomish Snow!

As you can see it's snowy in Skykomish where Maria now lives. Mason has grown sooo much since we went to see them in Monroe, north of Seattle last September/ October.
After the Christmas holidays are over the big 'Save' starts, as we really want to go out there again for another visit! Just think, Mason will probably be ski-ing by then!

Boxing Day 2009

Emma and Tom stayed over the Christmas Holidays and brought with them their two kittens Ozzie and Missy. Frog wasn't too happy about it at first but after about a week she got used to it! Ozzie of course kept running up the Christmas tree and collected quite a few baubles to chase. He's favourite were the beads as he could run down the tree and head towards the hall, string of beads held very expertly in his mouth! Luckily the tree never fell over only he did pull the table cloth off the dinning table!

This picture above, is of him in Emma's tree...he's soooo cute, I've forgiven him for pulling my tree to bits!! (pictured below)

Boxing Day the Christmas tree's looking a bit sad after Ozzie's attacked it and there's no pressies left!! In the end I guess it was lucky that I'd left off nearly half the trinkets I usually put on it as I'm quite sure Ozzie would've had it over! Timmmm-ber!!!!

We stuffed ourselves silly Christmas Day so were looking forward to getting out. Usually on Boxing Day we hunt out the Point to point, which has been held every year for as long as I can remember somewhere 'secret' in the Forest. The local paper usually tells you where it finishes so that's where everyone heads for, come wind, rain, sun or sleet! We used to drag the girls with us when they were little but once they were old enough to know better they stopped coming! (or hid!)


Tom and Emma came last year although, this year we went off on our own. As you can see, it was very wet!

Funny too, how suddenly all the world and his wife are suddenly allowed to park just where they like!!We usually take our own coffee as the queue can get very long!

Last year on the way home, via the pub, or was it after we'd left the pub?? (not me, just John! I was driving!) we spotted these flying fish, they were huge! But there were no sign of them this year...
Just in case you wondered, they weren't real giant flying fish...they were kites! (The beer's not that good down here!!!)

This year was no different, John took a 'short cut' to the pub. Nice views, even better in Summer! Yes!! I was cold!!

Have I ever told you, I not only cat, dog and house sit, I chicken sit too! Before we made our way home we had to call in to were I work to feed their cats and chickens and collect any eggs (fresh eggs are sooo much more tasty!!)

On the way home we drove the car down to the beach and stopped for a nice cup of hot frothy coffee and a mince pie covered with cream! So much for walking off yesterday's Christmas dinner!!

Merry Christmas!!

Many thanks to everyone for calling in and leaving lovely comments on Spyder's Corner. Looking forward to more crafty-ness in the coming New Year!!
Merry Christmas to you all!

A Snowy Merry Xmas

It doesn't happened in threes in my house...it's usually closer to thirty-threes. The latest thing to go wrong after losing cards and not being able to re-find address's and then running out of decent sized blank cards is...the printer. I asked it to scan something, by pressing the appropriate button and it turned itself off and won't come on again! I've tried the usual things like pleading with it, bribery, pulling all the plugs out and putting them back again, checking the plug hadn't fused, all with help from Ozzie the little kitten but no joy! Luckily Missy, the other kitten is engrossed with the glitter ball sparkles hanging on the Christmas tree. There's hundreds of tiny glimmers of light reflecting all around the living room and she's trying to catch them! Anyway, no printer and of course having a printer is vital! (I'm thinking all my digi images and papers.) I haven't got to the sledge hammer stage yet but it's getting close! In this card I've used that Doodlebug paper again...I do like it! I've matted it onto green glitter card to add a bit of sparkle. The little stocking is a clear stamp from a set by Papermania I think, I'll pop back later and change that if it isn't and the wording is from a sheet of sticky letters by DoveCraft or Do-Craft...yes my craft room's in a mess as I'm in the middle of changing it back into a bedroom for Christmas and I can't find anything! Anyway, they're great letters, very easy when you need easy!(and I need easy at the moment!!) The only thing I would say is, there's not enough of the a's and e's. That's why there's a green 'Merry' and a red 'Xmas'.
I've entered this card into the PinkElephant's 'Christmas' Challenge, I've been blog hopping, and found some really nice Christmas cards!
That's it for now, oh 'Snowy' and his stocking were coloured in with Copic pens this time and there's a bit of Stickles glitter on his woolly hat and scarf. Back later to add more pictures and a few more cards. Thanks for stopping by. Have a grrrr-eat weekend!

Fairy Merry Christmas

Oh no!! Where has the week gone! So much going on! Prizes! Kitten sitting, another prize!! Blog Awards, tags, Secret Santa's, more prizes!! Missing Cards!! Decorations going up ....decorations coming down... and being dragged down the hall by the two kittens... Aw, but they are cute. Frog has taken to living in our bedroom... she's not a happy bunny, mainly I guess, because she's a cat!
Ok! I did a really good batch of cards last weekend to go out and then... they disappeared. Vanished. I've hunted everywhere for them but they're nowhere to be found, and now I'm not sure who I've posted to and who I haven't, so there's a chance some will get two cards while others won't get any!! Don't worry, Secret Santa pressie has gone off and should be under someones Christmas tree by now!! Mind you...I've also mislaid a pound of pork sausages... Hmmm...Next year, I promise to be more organised!!! (sez me trying to cross my fingers...it's really hard with a splint!)
Here's quick card. I know this one must have arrived to where it's going by now and isn't one of the lost ones... (Ow!! I'm typing this with one of the kittens climbing up my leg and now he's sitting on my head!!!)
This was a really quick card to do, a bit of a cheat really as it was all die cut, so all I had to do was to fix it all together with silicone glue. I just added some red and green card and some 'Let it Snow' peel off stickers. It's called Christmas Fairy Doodles (although mine was cheaper than that) and there's two of everything on the sheet, so there's enough for two cards or even four as the second oblong picture is the same as the first but with out the frame. The backing paper I think is also called Doodles or Doodle bug? I've had it for ages and ages and was one I just didn't want to cut into it because I knew I'd never get it again, but there comes a time when you just have to live dangerously!! And grab those scissors!!! Back later with another green and red Christmas card...well, I'm on a roll now.... why does cheese and pickle suddenly come to mind?

Tagged By Shirley!

I've been tagged!!! My first Tag, by NannieFlash, the lovely Shirley!!
And I have to disclose some of my Christmas traditions, aagh!! What are they?? sez me thinking very hard... Ummm, Get tree down from Attic (we used to have a real one but they just got too expensive! And we were still finding needle n July!!) Decorate tree and mostly the living room. Nag hubby to put lights up outside. Buy loads of pressies...wrap them up, put them under the tree. Buy food. Move all the rooms about so there's more bedrooms and a dinning room (Long story) Have everyone round for Christmas day. Open pressies and eat food!! Listen to the Queens Speech!! play Games. Wake up the Grandparents. Everyone who's not staying, goes home! Go to the Boxing Day Point to Point. There were loads of questions to go with this tag, but because I'm cheating and actually posting this post in January!!! to make this my 300th post of 2009! I'm going to go straight to the last one.
"What's your Favorite Christmas Film?" I rather like, It's A Wonderful Life' and for something a bit newer, "Love Actually" mainly because of the music.
I'm going to Tag Kazabing, Cozy Frog! Because Kaza gave me my very first blog award!

An Inspirational Snowy Shaker

I really really love how this card has turned out! It's my daughter Maria's Christmas Card so it's winging it's way over to the States. Hope she likes it! The only thing is I wish is was BIGGER!!I've run out of cards, and I've only got small ones left, not the thing to do when Christmas is looming up at 90 miles an hour!
This card was made by cutting down a 12x12 pearl cream card, then covering the front with a layer of black card and then Pink Petticoat Christmas papers.I followed the sketch over on Creative Inspirations Challenge Blog and as soon as I saw it I thought, oh yes!! that would make a great shaker card. Never made a round one before. I drew around two different sized cups to get the circle, but apart from that I made the shaker in the same way as I usually do. (Scroll down to see 'How to make a Shaker Card'. Just in case you hadn't spotted it!) The circle might have looked better if I'd printed straight onto the card but I used a Crunchy Nut Cornflakes packet for the circle (Remove Crunchy Nuts first! Add milk and eat!...) and then covered that with the Pink Petticoat Christmas Papers, so by the time I'd finished wrapping the paper around it, and adding the acetate, it didn't look too good, so that's why I ended up covering the circle with the fern leaves. Hides a multitude of sins!
I'm also thinking I might put this card into the Simon Says Challenge too. Their challenge is, Let it Snow and I think the shaker 'snow' (beads and silver stars) is pretty good 'snow'! And also The Penny Black Saturday Challenge (just about in time!!) which is...Christmas for the girls...and it is a card for my daughter, and it's Penny Black too...so I think it fits!!It's also 'Christmas' over on the Pink Elephant Challenge, so I think this fits and it's also 'Christmas' on the Sophisticat Challenge too
And and and... Penny's Challenge Blog is doing 'Christmas Stars', for their next challenge. 'So, where's the star?' I can hear you say. Well, you'll have to look into the shaker, there's hundreds of them!! So! Back to the card!! The snowflakes inside were done with Woodware and Dovecraft punches and the words I just made up! The inside font is a freebie sometimes! But I'm having trouble finding it. The link to the freebie keeps disappearing, probably because on most sites it isn't a freebie! **Update**: Inside font is called Freehand591 or Freehand591BT you youcan download it for free HERE (everywhere will charge you!!)
As you can see there's a little pocket at the back of the card to add a few surprizes.
I took loads and loads of pictures of this card because I just couldn't get a good colour. The purple just didn't look purple! Then later, when I got home from work round about two-ish, and the sun had come out and the rain had stopped, I quickly nipped outside and took a few more! As you can see, the top picture and very bottom picture is sooo much better than any of the others taken around the house with different lights on! All I can say to that is, roll on Spring!!!!The font on the front of the card is a freebie. I'll pop back later with links for you to download it, meanwhile can you guess what famous frozen cartoonist it's been named after??!!Have to go now, I'll pop back later to finish off here, and maybe add another challenge or two as I'm in the middle of putting up some Christmas lights and I've left poor John 'hanging around' waiting for drawing pins...ummmm, well, I forgot!!!
Two Updates! The Freebie font on the front of the card is called...did you guess? Walt Disney Script. Google the name plus the word font or free font and you'll find loads of sites where you can download it! Back later with another Christmas Card! AND best of all!! This card won me a $25 to spend at Simon Says Stamp!! I love blogging!

Baby's First Magical Christmas

Last night I was jigging about, after Cazzy told me she'd spotted Spyder's Corner had been mentioned in the Crafts Beautiful Magazine's Top Blog Spot!! Wowohoo!! And this morning the Postie poked my mag through the letter box and I quickly searched the pages and there it was along with two other blogs, how fantastic is that!! I know it's only tiny and if Cazzy hadn't told me, I would've missed it, but I'm well chuffed! So my mojo suddenly came out from under the bed and I've been having a bit of a crafty day! (Well, I thought I'd better put something on...I mean, on the blog! Just in case I get a couple more visitors!! (even though they typed my link wrong)
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Trigger's lost a shoe and Slim Pickens has found something very nasty down the well...and now, back to the card...

The Magical Crafts Challenge has a sketch this time round and I thought, oho, I'll do that! But as usual I'm a bit behind! I've used freebie papers again, and if you didn't fall asleep on one of my older posts you might remember them, but if not, you can download them from The Craft Table. They're called Winter Wonderland and don't forget to leave a nice comment!

I've also used acetate over the front of the card and then fixed the cute little Forever Friends bear on to that. The snowflakes were punched out of a white glitter sheet with a Woodware punch and fixed using silicone glue. Just to give it a bit more sparkle I've coated some double sided tape with a smidgen of micro glitter. down one side of the card. For the larger oval I used a large Dovecraft punch.

The font is a freebie, and one I've already mentioned but just in case you missed that too, (where were you!!) it's called 'Honey Script' and can be found here where you'll find two fonts to download.
I'm hoping I can enter this card into another challenge, but...I've gone and forgotten where it was! Aha!! Pile it On has a Tinsel Town challenge this week, well~there's a bit of glitter, so I'll pop this into that challenge too.
Ok! It's tomorrow all ready so I'll love you and leave you and see you later with a shaker card, my favourite! Bye bye till then.

My First Easel Card

My first Easel Card! I keep seeing these cards, as I hop about visiting you all and I tell myself, 'Self', I say, 'you must have a go at making one of them!' I usually say this very quietly, so no one realises that I talk to myself, actually sometimes the cat answers but that's just because she wants me to open the door or feed her or play chess... I mean, chase... anyway... I'm rubbish at measuring and having to 'read' how to do things, it took me nearly six months to work out how to start this blog! I'm a picture person really and luckily for me Maxine's Tutorial over on The Crafty Pad is nice and easy so even me, (of very small brain) could do it! I've cut a bit of 12"x12" card to size and then used the 'Christmas Jingles' Stampin' Up! paper, stickers and embellishments from my Stamping Up prize, which I received over the weekend. Actually, the envelope arrived in a bit of a sorry state. The door bell rang, just as I was about to get into the shower. Oh bother! (said me in a more flowery tone) realising the postman didn't need any shock horrors this early in the morning I decided to open the bedroom window so I could talk to him there. (wearing my fluffy white dressing gown free with Nescafe 'beans' tokens, for those who want to know!) You're imaging the postman on stilts or with very long arms and legs now, aren't you, so I'll just add that we live in a bungalow and the bedroom window is very conveniently right next to the front door. Anyway, Postie was very apologetic as the parcel was a bit ripped, well, a lot ripped!
"I've been away" he said. "If I'd bin 'ere you'd 'ave it last week, cos the postmark is the 29th see, don't know where it's bin, it shoulda come straight out but well, I don't know where its bin, hope nothin's missin' p'haps it's bin and came back or bin 'angin' around somewheres, coz I've bin away, see."
So I smile and quickly take the parcel through the window, wondering 'where' the Postie had 'bin' away to...and thinking maybe he was a little madder than me. Luckily nothing was damaged. Now, today... a different postman and a different story. No knock at the door, just a card shoved through the letter box and he quickly scarpered up the road before I can get the door open... (maybe he thought I was just about to get into the shower and ran off!) The card stated that a letter couldn't be delivered because it had the wrong postage and I owe them £1.06! Now if the other Postie hadn't 'bin' away today he would've most likely posted it and not said anything... The last time this happened, you will never guess what was in the letter I had to pay the extra £1.06 for.... inside the tiny envelope was one~yes ONE Inchie! Oh well, it was a lovely Inchie! Back to the card. What d'you think? Not bad for a first attempt? All the embellishments are sticky so were very easy to peel off and attach and all the colours matched really well, the only difficult thing was deciding which side of the paper to use. (The other side has tiny red dots). Before I nip off to bed, we have a new follower!! "Hi!" and a Big (((wave))) and welcome (to the loony bin) to Silk on Glass, which sounds very intriguing! But no link... so I'll just....(I love Google!) Oh! It's Stitchy from Digital-ink. I think, or maybe not!! Welcome and thank you sooo much for joining Spyder's Corner!! And thank you for stopping by, back tomorrow!

A Stampin' good prize!

Yay!! I won a draw prize! I left a comment on Amanda's lovely blog a few weeks ago and won her lovely prize!! There was also a mini blog hop going on too! If you've never been on a blog hop you should give it a go. It's a good way of coming across some really fabulous blogs that you may not have stumbled across if you hadn't 'hopped!' There's one going on at this very moment over on the Midnight Madness blog, I've just been looking at all the lovely makes (I should be finishing off the Christmas Decorations, but I've run out of drawing pins!!)
Anyway!!! These lovely Christmas scrapbook papers and stickers are called Christmas Jingle and they're from Stampin' Up! I also received a lovely card and the first Issue of the Making Gifts Magazine from Amanda www.inspiringinkin.com who is a Stampin' Up demonstrator.
The double sided papers are fabulous and as soon as I've made a card with them, I'll post it, as my picture doesn't really do the prize justice at all!! I'm going to have a go at making an easel card, my very first attempt, thanks to the lovely Maxine's first class instructions over on The Crafty Pad!!
So...see you later!!

It's A Quirky Christmas Challenge!

Yes it's that Quirky time again, the time where there's nothing much on telly and you and the cat keep falling asleep on the sofa if you don't do something!! So, here I am, with a cup of tea and a chocy bisqwit, poised and ready to start typing, splinted finger, stuck up out of the way! So I think I'd better load up my DT Christmas Card!!!
Yay!! Who guessed right?? I know, it was easy, you spotted the snowflake on the sneaky peak didn't you? It's Cassy's turn in deciding what to do this time round and she has chosen a Christmas Theme!! Which is quite good really, seeing I've made this Chrismas card!
Other DT members have made an Exploding Box, a Tilda Christmas card, some Christmas tree cards and an altered decorated tin! All good stuff!
I'm also going to enter this card into two other Challenges. (she sez as she flips tho' all the open pages on FireFox trying to find them!)
First one is Fab's Big Christmas Card Challenge Blog, (try saying that fast with your teeth in upside down!) This weeks Challenge over there is to use Freebie papers from Crafty Magazines! Well, you've all got loads of them haven't you!!? All these papers I've used in making this card were from Cardmaking and Papercraft Magazine. (choose Quick Cards Made Easy, Issue 66 for these papers when you click on the link above and you'll be able to download three sheets of Christmas backing paper..but there's loads of others there too!) Every month you get a set of freebie papers with the magazine, but what I like most is, you can go to their web site and download them and keep them forever! (Or until you're bored or your computer blows up!) In my view the papers are better printed than used straight from the mag. Some Mags print a different design on the other side so you have to choose which one to use. (Silly b-b-bears)
The Digi Santa is a freebie download from the Digital-Ink Co Challenge Blog...In this Challenge you have to create any paper craft, using at least one Digital-Ink Co. Stamp and also a line from any Christmas Song (I think, but you know I'm a rubbish speller and reader it might mean the whole song!) Anyway! I've typed Jingle Bells on the inside of this card as there wasn't enough room on the front! With the freebie Santa there's also a Snowman's face and a ...squirrel!
Another freebie?? The Font of course! It's called Teacher's Pet and you can download it HERE
The larger font I've used inside the card for the Merry Christmas is also a freebie, (it must be somewhere if I've got it!) but only if you can find it!! Most sites want money or a password! It's called Freehand519 BT and as soon as I've found a freebie link I'll let you know!

Well, that's it! Add a bit of Stickles Glitter and a few 3D foam pads to finish off.
We've had quite a productive afternoon/evening here. Tom and Emma have had a go at Heat Embossing and have 'borrowed' my Heat Gun for the week...I know what someone will be getting in their Christmas stocking this year besides a lump of coal, an orange and some mixed nuts....!!and it won't be a squirrel! Thanks for stopping by!

*Update!!!* This card won a prize on the Digital-Ink Co Challenge blog!!