The Magi

Been meaning to get some crafting done over the holidays and about time it came out of my head and into my journal. Thought the visit from the Magi to baby Jesus would be fitting to follow my Advent pages. Jesus was about 2 years old when they came. Unfortunately their visit alerted the jealous King Herod so the Holy family had to flee to Egypt. The gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh certainly would have helped ease the burden of their exile. Yes there were 3 gifts told of but not nesessarily 3 Magi nor would they have travelled on camels as horses would have been much more likely for their wealthy station in life.

I used dylusions for the backing and made the 3 crown stamps using my new lino cutters and the end of the big eraser I had used before. Even the square stamps are from a stamp I MADE, which was just a doodle when I got the cutters! Might pluck up the courage to use the lino tiles I got as well now I have had a go.

Happy New Year to All

WOYWW #186 - Boxing Day

Hello all my fellow WOYWWers, hope Christmas Day went well with you all.
I have been finishing off my Tag Journal and thought you might like to see the last few pages/ inside covers.

Firstly, I did a double page of the Jubilee ATCs I got from both my UKPC group SWAP and the infamous 3rd anniversary WOYWW SWAP.

The rest of the ATCs I got from the 3rd anniversary SWAP I put on the inside cover.


At the back I put my Fairy doll which I posted on Christmas Day and also a couple of pieces received from friends.


I just need to paint the back cover and then I'll have a full to bursting reminder of the crafting fun in 2012.

Thanks to everyone here on WOYWW and UKPC and Timmy's tags and all the various challenges I have taken part in for making crafting so special this year.

Happy New Year to all my blogland friends.  

Christmas Fairy Doll

When I was about 6yrs old my mother made a fairy outfit for a doll she’d bought which had come in a yellow mac and wellies. It was a surprise for me and she left it next to my bed on Christmas morning.

 

 

 

She was dressed in a blue and green tutu with a silver crocheted crown and silver wings. I was told she’d flown in through the window.

Apparently, sometime later, I found the mac and wellies and realised that Mum had made her and she hadn’t flown in through the window after all!

But I adored my fairy doll all the same.

Advent 5 - AJ Page

My final Advent AJ page today. Thought a big white candle and the Nativity Scene would do the trick. I backed the page with some of the stamped brown paper my Advent presents came in, signifying the humble circumstances surrounding Our Saviour's birth.

Christmas Day - Advent 5

Today we light the final, central candle on the Advent Wreath. It is the Christ candle and is white to remind us that Jesus is the spotless lamb of God, sent to wash away our sins! His birth was for his death, his death was for our birth!

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!‘” (John 1:29)

Have a blessed Christmas everyone. BJ
 

Christmas Village

Had my little Tando Creative village kit since my Craft Barn visit back in JUNE! Fortunately Timmy's blog pointed me to the "One Lucky Day" blog and gave me the inspiration I needed to at last do mine.

Advent 4 - AJ Page

Only 2 days in this final week of Advent, so I have added some of the stickers from my Advent presents to the page as well.

Advent Sunday - Fourth

The fourth candle is the Angel Candle or Candle of Love. The angels announced the good news of our Savior. God sent his only Son to earth to save us, because he loves us!

The Christmas season is an expression of the love that God has for humanity. Jesus is the highest and greatest expression of the love God has for us. We are reminded to show that love to the world around us.

Advent 3 - AJ Page

Busy day as we took a day trip to the Midlands to celebrate my Uncle Ernie's 90th Birthday. So lovely to see him and all my relatives on my Dad's side after so many years.

Anyway I have just managed to finish off my third advent page based on my Advent ATC. Couldn't emboss the pages in the book so improvised with a stencil instead. Gosh only 2 more days to go now, will I even be able to sleep with excitement?

Oh and Louis won Strictly, what a great end to a lovely day.

WOYWW #185a - Christmas Patchwork

Just HAD to share what we have been doing for our Christmas SWAP on the UKPC Yahoo Group. I'd seen a few patchwork or chaos wall hangings in 12x12 format on the "AllThingsTim" Yahoo Group and thought it would be a good idea to do one of our group.

As we are only a few in number at present I made it an 8x8 size and allotted different sized "patches" for each member to make a set of (one for each other member and themselves). I chose Red, Gold and Green as a colour theme but the design was up to each member.

I only just received the last piece this afternoon, but I made up the backing (handing part) last night so here is another shot of my work desk in a mess (how unusual for me - LOL).







And here is the finished wall hanging complete. The dangly bits came from various members in their packages too. I'm really pleased with how it turned out, and will treasure it and smile each year as I hang it up as part of my Christmas decorating.

Happy Christmas

WOYWW #185 - Scrapping

Hi there you lovely lot of WOYWWers and welcome to my desk this week on Julia's mega desk hop. I have actually done the scrappages I had laid out last week and 2 more besides. I have a 5th laid out ready for inspiration as well.

As I scrapbook ALL our family's day to day photos, I find I am usually a photos first kind of a scrapper and usually multiple photos at that. Not much room for embellishments but I find a space somewhere. Oh and the title of course, have to use my 14 strong alphabet dies as much as possible now don't I?


If you look on my shelves you'll see the jailor rings I got like Sue's @ Miniowners, just need some washi tapes now - LOL. The Olympic photos are from Helen @ The Craft Project as we didn't actually make it to the stadium ourselves but I loved her photos and now they are duly scrapped! Please, please leave your number so I can get back to you.


 

Happy Christmas to All WOYWWers, Love BJ

 

Advent Sunday - Third

The third candle is the Shepherd Candle or Candle of Joy. We are reminded of the joy we have in Jesus, and that we are now at the midpoint of Advent, halfway through our preparation and close to Christmas.

This candle is pink/rose instead of purple, which shows a lessening emphasis on penitence as attention is turned more to the celebration of the season.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7

Advent 2 - AJ Page

Here's my second week of Advent AJ page. Yes, based again on my Advent ATC and using my Secret Sister tags to journal on.

12 Tags of 2012 times 2!

Gosh what a year! Having done Tim's 12 Tags of Christmas last year, we decided in January, on my craft group UKPC, to try and do one of Tim's tags each month. I used one of his previous designs to make my January tag. Then low and behold Tim decided to start his 12 Tags of 2012 in February! Well that certainly took the decision work from me so I could just go along with his new designs each month.

I was attempting my hand at Art Journaling but couldn't seem to pull it off so in the end decided to stick my Tags in my journal instead. I made one of Tim's tags and one of my own each month and now have a tag journal of 2012.

Here's my latest addition Tim's December Tag.

And here are my 6 pages of tags for 2012.

WOYWW #184 - Goodies

Hi there all you WOYWWers, how are Christmas preparations going? I have managed to post all the cards and parcels which needed posting but not done much crafting as a result. I have my son off school poorly too which doesn't leave me in a crafting mood either.

What I have done is lay out my photos of the Torch Relay back in July. I have made a card for my Uncle's 90th and my son's 14th which are both on 21st December!

As for the goodies, I have received my Christmas SWAP card from Sandee in the USA, took a while to get here! She just had to adorn her tree with WOYWW, how cool is that? I have got my SWAP from Elizabeth way up in Scotland and a little bag of crafty goodness too. And my Journal awaits the tags from this second week of Advent.

Not all that Christmassy I know but there you go.
Oh and please leave your number so I can get back to you.

Advent Sunday - Second

The second candle is the Bethleham Candle or Candle of Preparation. God kept his promise of a Saviour who would be born in Bethleham. Preparation means to "get ready". Help us to be ready to welcome you, O God!

This is also a season of peace. Jesus came to bring us spiritual peace and is known as the Prince of Peace.

Advent 1 - AJ Page

Finally I have opened all the first week's pressies from my advent box from my SWAP Secret Sister. I have used each tag for my Advent journaling on the page, plus some of the string the packages were tied with, jolly useful I must say.
I have based my page on the Advent ATC I made for the same SWAP.

WOYWW #183 - Advent 1

Hello all you lovely WOYWWers, hope you've had a good week. I have been a bit busy with this and that so here, without further ado, is my desk (if you don't know what on earth I am on about - pop over to Julia's place and prepare to be amazed!)

Yes I know, a pretty tidy desk but the fruits of my labours are there to see:-

1) My November Timmy Tag, let me shout it from the rooftops, was one of his winners for last month. I was brought to tears! Aww.

2) The November tag I just made for my tag journal based on techniques I learnt on the "An Attitude of Gratitude" Challenge blog. Just need to make one of Tim's December tags for the 4 to go in my tag journal.





3) My little "Attitude of Gratitude" journal nearly finished. It was my daily challenge throughout November and I am pleased to say I completed a page a day and then the cover too. I have 7 pages and the inside covers to go yet. I have it open at my first of 4 Advent pages. I am using the tags from my Advent presents to journal on so it won't get done properly until Christmas Day.

4) I am marking the 4 Sunday's of Advent with an ATC I made for each, so here's the first.

5) The cover of my Altered Book is done at last, the stages in its making are here.










6) Oh and finally, here's where I put my Tim Holtz mini lantern - on my Nativity Scene. My husband has linked it up to a mains adapter so we can leave it one all evening without going through loads of batteries.

Oh sigh - what a lovely way to start Advent.

Advent Sunday - First

Advent officially starts today on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day. Time to light the first of the wreath candles for this special season. Advent means "coming" and as the days grow shorter and night comes earlier, we look for and prepare for the coming of the Light of the World on the Day of Judgement.

So today brings with it the HOPE of God's great promise first told by the prophets. It symbolises faith in God keeping his promises to humanity. The candle is purple to show penitence and fasting as well as the colour of royalty to welcome the Advent of the King.

An Attitude of Gratitude #31

OK so I know there aren't 31 days in November but Bernice is doing a roundup and the cover of her journal today on "An Attitude of Gratitude" so I just had to do my cover too, despite still having 7 pages and the inside covers to complete.

Bernice used up her table papers to make her covers. I haven't been using table papers but had various sheets of sprayed backing papers and chose my favourite from when I first got my Dylusions. Must have been spraying a tag!


My paper wasn't wide enough to fit the whole cover, so I left the mulberry spine free and just covered the other bits. I used old dictionary papers for the words "Attitude" and "Gratitude" and various flowers and leaves which I had previously diecut and were in stock. I used sepia glossy accents over them, and added some ribbon too.

I also added some metal pieces, corners, arrows pointing to the words and a "Journey" token. And what a journey this has been (although I still have a bit of a way to go yet!)

I can't really take a photo of all my pages together like Bernice has, but here's a side view of the album nearly completed.

I am so pleased with it so a HUGE THANK YOU goes to Bernice - HORRAH!