Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to you all out there in craftland! Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a fun New Year's Eve and that Santa brought you all your crafty heart desired! It's a long post today. I've got a couple of makes left over from Christmas to show you and then lots of pics of my birthday and Christmas crafty stash!! Yay! Sometimes I feel like I might have too much stash but then the moment passes!! Lol.

My Christmas, as ever, was an eventful one. You didn't actually think the holiday would pass without some drama did you??!!! We took Mum to Basingstoke Hospital on the Tuesday before Christmas where they told us they would have to do another operation as the drain had not stopped like it should have and then did a procedure to change the existing drain. We were told they would try and get her in the first week in January but we haven't heard anything yet- so yet again, we are playing the waiting game. Anyhow, Mum seemed to have picked up a cold that day and as Christmas approached steadily seemed to be getting more and more run down. This all came to a head on Christmas Eve when I had to call out an emergency doctor as she was running a ridiculously high temperature and was struggling to breathe properly. The doctor came out and diagnosed a chest infection and pneumonia, gave me a stash of antibiotics and said if she wasn't better by the morning to get her into hospital!! Well you can imagine how much sleep I had Christmas Eve!!!! Thank god, she was no worse but we postponed Christmas Day and I spent the afternoon trying to get a couple of hours sleep so a bit of a wash-out all round really. She is finally now doing a bit better so fingers crossed she is finally on the mend...

So onto the last of my Christmas makes....

First up is this handbag charm I made for my Mum to go with a handbag she has that is dark pink. Some of you will remember the beads from the stash I got on hols in the US earlier this year. I really like the colours on this one. I really want to do a little bit more jewellery making this year as I have a couple of kits which I've been meaning to do for ages so I'm determined to do them this year.

Onto a couple of cards. This image is Elzybells coloured with copics and her dress is paper pieced. The paper is Doodlebug stitched onto some card. The curved scalloped was done using a Die-namics. The sentiment and snowflake are Sizzix dies.

Crafty stash used: Stamp (Elzybells); Copics; Paper (Doodlebug); Assorted cardstock; Sentiment (Sizzix); Snowflake (Sizzix); Nesties; Die-namic scallop die; Gem (Lakeland);

My final make for Christmas was using my gorgeous Penny Black stamp. Just a really simple card this one, didn't want to gild the lily. I coloured her using Glossy Accents and Glamour Dust and added some silver gems. Sentiment was a K&Co rub on.

Crafty stash used: Stamp (Penny Black); Glossy Accents; Glamour Dust; Ribbon (recycled); Sentiment (K&Co); Gems (Wild Orchid Crafts)

Now onto birthday and Christmas crafty stash...yay! This little lot I got in the States at bargain prices. These were from Michaels, JoAnns and Walmart. I really love those flowery buttons!

I also got a variety of books. The Joy of Card Making I got cos I read a review which said it was full of sketches. It looks like a really nice book. The 3 books in the back row are all fabric-type books which is a totally new thing to me cos as you know I can't sew for toffee but I really wanted to try to make some simple sewn gifts this year. The 2 on the right were surprises from my sis so I must have been wittering on about doing it at some point!! All these books are so gorgeous to look at and really inspirational. Watch this space for (hopefully!) some new crafty items other than cards this year. See how hopeful I'm being that I might actually have the time this year??!!!

ooooooh! Loooooook at my gorgeous Stamping Bellas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And finally I succumbed to a Bind it All. Been thinking about it for ages and wondered whether I'd use it enough but my in-laws didn't know what to get me so I thought this would be perfect. Again fitting in with my attempt to make pretty gifts this year.

oooooh and preeeetty papers! This little lot I also got in the US- you remember me telling you about the scrapbooking shop that was closing down and had everything half price?! Well this is my gorgeous stash!

And finally some more copics and watercolour pencils.

Am hoping to visit you and see all your lovely Christmas stash! Am at least going to try and colour some images over the next few days and hopefully do some challenges next week. Hope to see you all soon xxx