Monday, December 27, 2010

Seasons Greetings and New Year's Resolutions

Hello,
I hope everyone has had a very merry Christmas and I wish you all a very happy, safe and prosperous 2011. We had a lovely Christmas, sharing the day with the kids at home and Grandparents visiting for a couple of days. I never achieved everything I wanted to before Christmas and I did something unforgiveable - I had to give some members of the family cards that weren't handmade!! That is an absolute no-no in my house - but I just ran out of time to finish making my cards as other Christmas preparations took over.  Anyway, one project that I did manage to complete was a handmade calendar for my mum and mother in-law.

I purchased the frame from Taylored Expressions along with the plastic sleeves and the plain downloadable calendar templates. I gave the frame two coats of white acrylic paint with a light sanding in between. Then I set about choosing suitable images to stamp along the top of each page, trying to fit the theme of each month where possible. Each page was finished with either some ribbon or border punched cardstock and other finishing touches such as Glossy Accents to add shine or glitter to give a little sparkle. This was the most fun project I have worked on in ages and I am itching to make one for myself now! Below are the completed months. Click on each image for a closeup.

























































Here is a close up of the glitter added to August's image:


As the New Year is fast approaching, I have been giving much thought to my New Years Resolutions. I thought I would share them on here to make me more accountable and they will serve as a constant reminder to be followed:

1. Become fit and healthy and stick to it!!! I have joined countless gyms over the year and I have to admit that the last time I joined was the most successful. Unfortunately I got a slight tear in my achilles from doing step classes, so this all came to a halt. However I did recently  buy a cross trainer which is looking very lonely in my family room, so there are no excuses from Jan 1st!! I would like to reach 40 in much better shape and I have a couple of years to achieve this.

2. Manage the budget more successfully. I know this is probably on most people's to do list, but due to my passion for this hobby, I am very impulsive and as I order a lot of products online, it is more economical to blow the budget and order a ridiculous amount of products. I will still be buying online but I have to remember to use my ever-growing craft supplies up as well.

3. Start making Christmas cards now! As mentioned before, I didn't manage to give all my close friends and relatives a handmade card and that is just not on! I have decided that each time I create a new card, I will make a Christmas card using the same sketch or same colour combo at the same time. If I can make one each week or two, I will be close to reaching my target by December. So expect some Christmas spirit to be shared throughout the year!

4. Balance my time more efficiently. This should probably be number 1 on the list according to my husband! Since I have started this blog, my stamping mojo has skyrocketed and not a night goes by when I am not posting or creating a card much to my husband's disdain. He is THE best husband in the world as he keeps the house together while I am off in my craft heaven, but I think it's time I picked up some of the load, not to  mention focus on some valuable family time as the kids seem to be growing up too fast. I will still be posting as regularly, I just need to become more time efficient.

5. Buy an SLR camera! This is my number one purchase that I wish to make in 2011. I find that I am unable to capture the finer details of my cards and achieve closeups with my little camera.

So there it is - written down for all the world to see and I am determined to achieve all four of these resolutions. I might update on how I am going with them throughout 2011.

Thanks for visiting and  I will be back very soon.
Supplies
Stamps: All in the family, Trendy Trees, Thoughts and Prayers (SU); Tiny Treats- Valentine, Fancy Flourishes, Vintage Picnic, Round and Round, Scattered Showers, Scattered Showers Additions, Holiday Button Bits (PTI); Bubbly (Penny Black); Wings of Joy (TE); Spring Chicks Retired (Elzybells);Charlotte's Holiday Mail (Paperworks Co)
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Kraft, Pretty In Pink, Basic Grey, Old Olive, Certainly Celery, Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze, Ski Slope DSP - Retired (SU); White Basics (PTI)
Ink: Tuxedo Memento Black; Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Certainly Celery, So Saffron, Pretty In Pink,Night of Navy, Baja Breeze, Real Red, Not Quite Navy
Accessories: Copic Markers; Frame Your Imagination Stand, 6x6 Page Protectors, 6x6 Calendar Download (TE); Stampin' Write markers, Scalloped Border Punch, Scalloped Oval Punch, Small Oval Punch, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Certainly Celery Ribbon (SU); Glossy Accents (Ranger); Scor-Tape; miscellaneous ribbon

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