Sweet Bloomin Scraps: January 2014

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Cute Polar Bear and

Digi Stamp Boutique

Welcome back to my blog this week! I seem to be getting my life back after a very busy fall and winter. I am hoping to create a card for Sweet Sketch Wednesday 2 at least once a month. So I hope you will check back often and see what I create.

This image is call "Cute Polar Bear" and you can find him at Digi Stamp Boutique. Sally Ann is our sponsor this week at SSW2 and I know you can find an image that will talk to you and make you want to use the SSW2 Sketch of the week.

"All images/designs are created and copyright owned by Sally-Ann Hancock. My work means the world to me - it allows my passion to draw and create, to fit with my family life too, often the inspiration for my designs. Hope you enjoy my images as much as I enjoy creating them."

The Grand Prize winner for this week's challenge will win a £10 voucher at Digi Stamp Boutique. Sure hope you will play along.

Some of you may be getting tired of Christmas and winter cards but I haven't been able to create much in the last two years so I was motivated to find a winter image to go with my new snowflake corner by Memory Box. I also have the matching border and was going to try to use it with this sketch but it was too much and took away from the image. I will use it another time. A friend of mine, Lin, sent me a Christmas card using these two die cuts and I just had to have them.

This is the front of Lin's card using the snowflake border die and the inside of her card is using the snowflake corner die. It's an adorable pop-up card with the trees and the snowmen! Lin, you are amazing! I always look forward to receiving your Christmas card every year!

Now my craft room has been in a dormant stage for the last two years and I was amazed when I made my card and realized how many new items I haven't used that were still in their original packaging. Guess I had better get creating so I can use them. Is anyone else in this predicament?

Hope you are enjoying your JanYOUary and doing things you want to do!

Hugs, Judi

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Happy New Year to all of you!

I know I have been somewhat quiet the for the past year and a half. Sweet Sketch Wednesday kept me rather occupied along with life in general. But I want you to know I am still around and hope to create from time to time now that I have passed on my responsibilities to Sally at Sweet Sketch Wednesday 2. It's been a little sad to let go of Sweet Sketch Wednesday. It was Arlana's creation and it was so much fun for Nancy and I to help her with it. We had 4 1/2 years of incredible sister time as we worked together to make SSW a place where you could come to get inspiration and positive comments. We have appreciated all of you who have supported SSW whether you were with us from the beginning or just found us. We especially appreciate your continued support at SSW2. Sally is creating such a wonderful site and continuing on with Arlana's legacy but with her little flare! We hope you will want to join in on her fun. I know you will love her fresh new ideas!

Well, I am a little late taking down my Christmas decorations this year....as I was watching three of my grandchildren for a week. I was really feeling my age this week...as I was having a hard time keeping up with the 18 month old runabout!!! Well, I got some exercise anyway! I had some great crafting time with the kids...they loved creating with Perler beads... I'll have to take photos the next time.

This evening I have been gathering up my decorations to store them away for another year. In doing do I am hoping that next Christmas doesn't come as fast as this one did. Of course, a wedding for my son, a trip to Hong Kong, a wedding reception, Thanksgiving, Festival of the Nativities, a progressive dinner, a birthday celebration, a Scrooge play family activity hardly gave me enough time to get ready for Christmas. But amazingly I was ready by Christmas Eve morning...giving me time to make my last card for Sweet Sketch Wednesday!

Well, this evening I took this photo of my Christmas cards which I display on my front door. I love displaying them where everyone can see them as they come and go. This is one of my favorite Christmas memories....I love receiving cards and photos from my friends and family. Looks like there are a few less cards this year. However, I received two today and will probably receive 5-6 more cards before the week is over. My cards are the last to stay up....usually through the middle of January. I just enjoy looking at them a little longer!!!