Last post of 2010

A teenage birthday tea light card made for Karen's Sunday themed challenge on 'Craft Mad & Loving it' - anything but Christmas. I
I had a very little play with my new Tattered Florals for this one and used the lovely image swapped by a kind crafter.


Finally I wanted to wish you all a Happy New Year's Eve and New Year - filled with health, laughter and crafting/ photography.



Xxx

Walking in a winter wonderland

The snow is melting finally, although it is rather slippery under foot in places. The woods were rather eerie this morning in the fog and remnants of snow. A good place to walk off the Christmas festivities and mull over the new beginnings ahead of us and the passing of the last year.



Melting is an interesting phenomena and the thaw is well afoot here. With it life can begin anew and limbo appears to lift. The snow has made it possible to stop this Christmas as it has been impossible to do as much rushing around as normal. I hope new life is gently awakening with you with the thought of new possibilities.



Xxx

Playing at Christmas

Christmas trip on the 24th to see Santa on the Severn Valley Railway.





Tea light holder/cards made for the 25th.



Another of our garden visitors we are feeding during the cold weather.



Playing in the snow.

We hope you have been having fun too. Xxx


These are a few of our recent doings.

Christmas cake picture

Here is our Christmas cake with my stitched cake band - one of the projects I was busy sorting before Christmas.

As you can see I've mananged tp post a picture - only taken two days!

XxX

Christmas Cheer

I hope everyone has had a really lovely Christmas and Boxing day. It certainly has been a White Christmas here but our family were able to get to us for Christmas dinner - which was lovely. We all enjoyed the day with good company, wine, food and presents. Santa was very generous to us all and I am currently trying to get to grips with an amazing IPad (that DH gave to me) which will hopefully make me a better blogger in 2011. However at the moment I am getting frustrated by the "how do I ...?" factor. So please be patient.

At the moment I am not quite sure how to upload pictures - hence no pictures on this post.

Continue with the merriment and I will be back posting as normal very soon and leaving lots of comments as I have been remiss of late.

Hugs Cherry Xxx

Gift Bags and a Robin Redbreast

Here's my Robin - totally aggressive but very seasonal in our new snowfall this morning.

Here are some of my gift bags that are keeping me busy at the moment. The inspiration and design are courtesy of the lovely Clare.

Should have some more stitching to show soon too.

Hope all your festive plans are coming to fruition with only one week to go.

My what an amount of snow we are having in the UK at the moment! Totally beautiful and festive but a bit of a nightmare for travelling in.

Keep safe and warm.

Hugs Cherry XXX

O Rose thou art sick.

Another frost today but it does appear to have warmed up as the day has progressed.

A rose for day 100 - looks almost sugar-coated.

Thank you to Mr William Blake for the Title of my post from his poem
'The Sick Rose' from 'Songs of Innocence and of Experience'

XXX

Our Journey Today - Day 99

We enjoyed our journey today in the wintry Worcestershire Countryside.

What journey did you enjoy today?

XXX

Colourful Skaters

Tilda and Edwin skating - coloured with PMs and Spica Glitter pen.

Sketch by Karen for the 'Craft Mad & Loving It' Group - thank you Karen (one very talented lady indeed - go and see) really useful sketch that was a joy to use.

Cardstock was DCWV textured with snowflakes stamped on it in 'Faded Jean' DI and Baby Blue Stickles added. Paper also DCWV (I think!). Ribbon is Dovecraft and Tag was from stash.

I'm going to enter this into the Magnolia-licious Challenge as I think it fits their colour challenge Blue, Pink and Green. Hop over and check out their lovely challenge and their makes. Respect indeed.

I do like this advent season - fa la la and ding dong merrily...

The Sunday Creative : Frozen

Justine has been hosting The Sunday Creative whilst Meagan was having a break. It has returned to Meagan's site here.

Her prompt this week (very apt indeed) is

FROZEN.
Here is my very frozen washing line.

I really liked the architecture of this shot I hope you do too.

Stay warm if you are in the frozen Northern hemisphere at the moment.

XXX

A few things

Haven't blogged for a while - just time and lack of it I'm afraid.

So here are a few things.

1. WOYWDW

I am enjoying a little stitching at the mo.

2. Snow














3. Card inspired by Kathy's sketch and Twist (one Colour) over at Craft Mad & Loving It
















4. Blog Award from the Lovely Debs (Ribbon Dreams)

Thank you so much Debs - Big Grins Here!

I need to pass to five peeps and say three things about moi!

MOI
1. I'm an Aries
2. I find Carol Ann Duffy Poems intriguing/captivating
3. I have re-discovered that I like a Baileys to drink

I can't pick just five so I am giving the award to all my lovely followers who would like it. Thanks for all your support.

I really like Advent - it is all so thought-provoking and enchanting.
XXX

Day 83 - Some Stitching

Four Turtle Doves.

These are very selfish (I indulged in a little stitching) presents for my tree.

Inspired by Rosie's themed challenge on 'Craft Mad & Loving It' 'Presents' and the free gift on Cross Stitcher Magazine.

The free gift included the pre-cut dove shapes, threads and aida. I've added the beads and ribbon and put them together to suit me and my tree to be. I wonder where you are and how long it will take to find you this year?

I enjoyed making these today - I am content.

XXX

Stir Up Sunday

I hope you have all had a good stir up sunday and that all Christmas puds and cakes are made and lovingly stored so that they can be fed generously over the next couple of weeks.

Here's ours having the family stir and wish session. Remember don't tell anyone those wishes...

Lauren has set the sketch and twist this week over on 'Craft Mad & Loving IT'. Great sketch and the poem 'Twas the night...' is her twist. Below is the card.

I'm lovin' the snowflake alterations die border by Tim Holtz

I've included two lines from the poem

'When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer.'

Thanks for looking in on this cold and dark English winter's night.
XXX

Thursday 18th Nov 2010

One of my favourite candle holders from Canterbury for day 78.

Light the lights as winter's darkness takes hold in the Northern Hemisphere.

Speaking of lights I am very excited to have got 1st place over at Digi Doodles Shop's Best challenge 'Don't Forget our Men' with my little Hanglar gentleman - spookily it is the young man's birthday today for whom it was made. Happy Birthday Reuben.

Hope you lights are burning brightly.
XXX

Roses still blooming yesterday - Day 76

Yesterday was so different to today and in the garden there are still a few roses blooming.
Decided to have a play with this shot in PSE with filters and grain effect and diffuse glow.
Interesting learning curve but often nature is just perfect.

XXX

The Sunday Creative: Lonely

Where once there were three there is now only one - lonely hedgepig.

How sad.

Where the others went we do not know.

Justine has set LONELY as The Sunday Creative prompt this week and this little carving which we see on one of our regular walks seemed to fit the bill. For ages there were three of them and suddenly the other two disappeared. This one is the smallest and it worries LO every time we go for this particular walk.

We hope you are not lonely especially being part of The Sunday Creative.
XXX

Sketch by Emma

The lovely Emma has designed a sketch over at Allsorts Challenge Blog this week.

I decided to have a play to create another Christmas card. Again I've used anither gorgeous stamped image I received in a stamp swap - such a festive Tilda. She is coloured with PMs and Glamour Dust adds the necessary sparkle. She is sat on Nestie circles.

I've teamed her with some Aqua Mirricard (doesn't show too well), some blue vellum which I punched with an embossed snowflake punch by X-Cut (I quite like this effect), some DCWV card and left over paper from other cards. The ribbon is Dovecraft and reindeers Craftworks. Card candy is from my stash and the sentiment is PM. I also punched some teeny tiny stars for the two corners.

Thanks Emma for the sketch - it was a challenge but an enjoyable one.

Love all the creations made by the DT - go and check them out here.

Thanks for popping by have a good week ahead what ever you are up to and don't forget it is Stir Up Sunday next week!
XXX

Dumpling Day 73

Root Veg Casserole and Horseradish Dumplings on Day 73 - enough said!

I ♥ ProMarkers #40 - Icy Colours

What a lovely challenge the team have this week over at I ♥ ProMarkers - Icy Colours. Go and check out the inspiration provided by the DT.

I've used another image swap image for this one, I think she is an Anya one. She is super chic and I have coloured her with PMs and a touch of Glamour Dust for some added sparkle. The lovely paper was in the candy from the lovely Brenda. The ribbon with the snowflakes is by Dovecraft and was a super 99p! Everything else was from my stash. I added beads to the stocking charm just to add a little more interest.

Thanks for popping by I do appreciate it.
XXX

DDSB#33 Don't forget our men

This special H&S young man is for a special friend's young man who will be eight next week.

These cards are always a challenge - hopefully it will do.

Distrss Ink 'Faded Jeans' is a great colour and the Funky papers from Dovecraft are super too.
The H&S young man is coloured with PMs.

I am entering the Digi Doodle Shop's Best challenge for the first time. Pop over and have a look at the DT creations and the goodies on offer.
XXX

11/11 Remember

Day 72
Armistice

I've had a go at using Layer mask and gradient map to keep the red of the poppy but convert everything else to B&W. I think this technique has lots of potential for adding drama and emotion to shots.

The poem is 'Liberty' by Edward Thomas. He is one of the lesser known WWI poets but one of my favourites. He was killed in 1917 in the battle of Arras. We remember.
XXX

Day 41 for Lauren

I am way behind processing my daily shots but am attempting it.

Here is Day 41

Feeding the chickens at Granny's.

This is especially for Lauren, a chickiwick fan and nurturer.
XXX

Twas the night before Christmas at Allsorts

The lovely Allsorts team have a theme based on the poem 'Twas the night before Christmas' this week. It is such a lovely poem with images of a very sentimental Christmas - I like it.

Thanks to the person who kindly swapped this image - I thought it was ideal, although in the poem no mouse stirs but I decided that the rather lovely Santa mouse fitted with the image of Santa. They are coloured with PMs and some Glamour Dust.

The DCWV paper was great for this rather simple card. I've added the first verse of the poem and a 'hanging stocking' mentioned in the first stanza of course (from my stash) and a sentiment from D&D. I think this also very loosely ties in with Rosie's themed challenge on 'Craft Mad & Loving It' of Gingerbread - I did say VERY LOOSELY!

I made a second card using the poem too - again quite a simple card. Thanks to Brenda for the lovely Reindeer Stamp (It's one of my Favs). Santa charm and flower are from my stash. Sentiment is agian D&D.

'A Merry Christmas to All'
XXX

Just because it's Sunday...

A little baking too.
XXX

Snowflakes

Snowflakes inspired Tilda with Bell for todays Christmas card.

Hope you have all had a good weekend it really feels like the countdown to Christmas has started in earnest now.

This card fits in with the lovely 'Snowflakes' challenges on I Love PMs Challenge Blog and the Crafty Calendar Challenge Blog. Go and check out the DT creations and the lovely entries - all snowy and wintry.

I enjoyed all the PM colouring and MS punching on this one.

Have a happy week all.
XXX