Great ideas, WOYWW + Christmas Card Challenges - Recycled + Anything Goes!

Hullo there everyone - well nothing much to show you this week as it was cleaned up - I have done things, but cant show them. However there are heaps more interesting desks on our exciting learning time at the neatest blog hop around - join us over at Julia's Stamping Ground!

Hoping to make up for my desk, I am to share some great ideas I have just seen .. just back from my friends blog - Jocelyn of Instead of Ironing blog and do take a look at her card over at her amazing blog and the great idea for stars with glitz that does not fall off!! the mind boggles at the ideas this can lead too... tone on tone, etc.

Next is paper storage!

Any crafter out there with a problem in paper storage?
Here is another amazing idea from a fellow blogger who I met some time back. Like me, she is a Christian calligrapher and makes cards so you could say we kinda clicked - here is the link to her blog Crafty Quills or here more specifically.

Now to quote her "Not being able to justify spending £7.95 per acrylic tray I wanted it to be cheap....So, for the princely sum of 71 pence each (per tray) I have my storage." If you want to know what she used - take a peek it is really truly brilliant!

Okay now to share a card or two from last week's WOYWW post as promised (see here).  I have only just managed to photograph some of them, and these are six of them, supposedly the same.

Do you ever make a card exactly the same? I rarely do - as you can see. This is going in the Recycling challenge over at Hazel's Christmascard blog - as the baubles here are all made with recycled wrapping paper (which were baubles on the wrapping paper) - but I adapted it a little! I used the Martha Stewart Pine Branch punch which you can also see on last weeks desk. it had just arrived. I had seen used to great effect on Kittie's blog (Kittie Kraft - see here) - are you familiar with her amazing flowers? and so Kittie kindly helped me to find a place on eBay where I could buy it - talk about one kind lady! Thank you, Kittie!

Anyway I was merrily punching the lovely detailed green leaves out with the punch when  I though how great it would look as a border down the side of the card -so that is how I came to use it that way!

I did make other cards using the punch the way you are supposed to - but will show you those another time. This card has a gift card from my nephew on it - and recycled on this card.

The last card has a recycled greeting and a cut-out from another card on it (one which did not come off)- doubly recycled! It is a little off centre as it was stamped on a piece of paper slightly too small for the Marianne die! So might as well enter these in Hazel’s challenge and this last one in the ABC Christmas Challenge - Anything goes! (Frame is Designables Cut & Emboss Folder 908)

Sorry my desk is super boring but hopefully this will make up for it – and last a pickie of my sister first lily as shown on her desk - she picked it from her garden while I was visiting her last week - amazing beauty in God’s creation? And this is her Maiden hair fern behind it - it is huge. Not that you can really tell from the photo.

Blessings on you all and thanks for all your wonderful comments and a big welcome to all the new Wonderful Encouragers of this blog. A special welcome to some Newbie bloggers - Anne, Marleen, Victoria and Mariette.
Thank you long-time and new ones - you are such an encouragement.

Thanks for taking a peek and chat, and may God bless you where ever you may be,

Shaz in Oz.x