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Thank you so much to Louly who's been our guest designer this past fortnight, it's been fantastic to have you on board sharing your creations. I'd like to welcome Ros as our guest designer for the next fortnight. Thanks for taking the time to come and play, we know this is a really busy time of year!

We also have some more exciting news, we would like to introduce two new team members, Mel and Rachel. We hope you'll give them a very warm welcome, we're delighted they've joined us.

This week its Rhi here to Dare you... and the theme is to do with our feathered friends!
(Are you remembering to feed them now it's chilly out)
Robins, love birds, cartoon birds, stamped birds, paper pieced birds, dingbat birds. Its up to you. I dare you to make a card with a bird or birds on, it doesn't have to be a real species, the more weird and wonderful the better!

As always here's the Design Team's cards to get you inspired! Join in in the usual way, either by emailing a pic to [email protected] or by leaving a link to your blog. It would be really helpful if you could link the actual post your card is on so we can come and see. Happy Crafting!

Lynne


MelRos
RachelRhiKathy

Jane

Jo

Santa's Little Extra Helper no 6

Please keep those "Song Without Words" cards coming, we are all enjoying seeing them and puzzling over which songs they depict. It's fun to have that extra twist to think about when making, and viewing the cards.
This week's Little Extra theme is:

"Hang Up Your Stockings"

Obviously we mean the stockings we put out in the hope that Father Christmas will pay us a visit and fill them with little treats (not your fishnets and suspenders!).
Maybe you're in a part of the world that has a different custom, for instance in some countries the children put their shoes on the windowsill rather than hang up stockings. Whatever you do, we'd love to hear about your traditions as well as seeing your cards, so please tell us a little about how you celebrate Christmas in your country and in your home.
Here's a website with more info on Christmas Traditions around the world
Here are some Design Team cards to help you on your way

Song without words

We have seen some wonderfully glimmering cards for Keryn's Golden Highlights Dare, and remember the "Baubles, Bells and Bows" Little Extra is still there for you to play with - so please keep sharing your cards with us, we love to see them all.
This weeks theme is brought to you by Lythan

Song without words

I would like you to create a card inspired by a song or a carol - it could be for Christmas or not! (you may have got all your Christmas cards done by now...) BUT there is a twist. the words of the song are NOT to be seen on the front of the card. You could leave it to us to guess! Have fun!

When you've finished your cryptic card creations, leave a comment with a link to your blog post and we'll come and see. You can also take part even if you dont have a blog by emailing a photo or scan to [email protected] and we'll add it to our gallery.
Here are a few cards from the Design Team to start you off. We're a bit depleted at the moment because of illness and various other reasons, but hopefully more cards will be added here by the rest of us soon, please bear with us!

Rhi
Louly
Kathy
Lythan
Gillian

Keryn

Santa's Little Extra Helper no 5: Baubles, Bells & Bows

The cards that are being shown for Keryn's Golden Highlights dare are beautiful and show just how the smallest touch of gold can lift a design and make it extra-special. There's still plenty of time to join in with that one as we're only halfway through a DCM week!
However, if you're ready for another little challenge, or still need some help getting those Christmas cards made then Santa's Little Extra Helper is here again with a new theme for you to work on

This week we'd love to see you making cards on the theme of
Baubles, Bells & Bows
See how much of a dent you can make in the "I need to make X number of Christmas cards" list with this one.
Please come back and leave us a message when you've made your card(s) and we'll pop over to see what you've created.

Here are some starters from the Design Team

Golden Highlights

Hello to you all this week it's my (Keryn's) turn to set the dare. We would like to introduce the very talented and creative Louly as our Guest Designer for the next two weeks. Welcome Louly. We've really enjoyed seeing all your cards for Jo's corrugated dare and the Santa's Little Extra Helper.

Going back over my cards I seem to have a liking for gold as an accent colour. So this week I'd like you to make a card for any season or occasion but must include gold somewhere. It could be a brad, metallic card, heat embossing, ribbon, anything at all as long as it's gold.

When you've finished with your gorgeous creations leave us a comment with a link to your blog and we'll come and see. You can also take part even if you don't have a blog by emailing a photo or scan to [email protected] and we'll add it to our gallery. The design team, as always have a fantastic array of cards to get the inspiration flowing....
Louly
Kathy
Keryn

Lynne
Saffa

Lythan

Rhi

Jo

Santa's Little Helper 4 - Piles of Parcels

Please leep those wonderful corrugated cards coming - they are all fab and it's just soooo inspiring to see the different ways everyone has found of using the wibbly-wobbly stuff, we love to visit your blogs to see what you've come up with. We apreciate that you take the time and trouble to join in with the dares, even though it's such a busy time for everyone.

Santa's Little Helper is still trying to motivate us into getting those Christmas cards made and this week our subject is

Piles of Parcels

we'd like you to put some gorgeous, tempting, beautifully wrapped Christmas parcels on your cards this time.
Here are some ideas to get things moving along

Getting Corrugated...

Hi all :) This week it is Jo here to set the dare...

I seem to have developed a little bit of a fixation with old cardboard boxes....! My dare this week is to use some corrugated card on your card - it could be corrugated craft card or an old box etc. taken to pieces :) You could make the card blank from it or die cut shapes etc...

When you've finished your cardboard card creations, leave a comment with a link to your blog post and we'll come and see. You can also take part even if you dont have a blog by emailing a photo or scan to [email protected] and we'll add it to our gallery. The design team, as always have a fantastic array of cards to get the inspiration flowing....
Jo

Kathy

Lythan
Rhi

Saffa

Santa's Little Extra Helper no 3

What a fantastic response to this week's main dare to get busy with the scissors and show us your hand-cut creations - they are all fantastic and the range of cards you've been sharing is inspirational. There's still lots of time before Friday to get snipping and join in with this fun challenge.
We have our Ribbon Oasis Winner!
Bea has picked a name from our "virtual" hat and the lucky recipient of her fantastic ribbonful prize is.............

the All Pink Girl herself, Dawn

well done Dawn, can you contact one of us via our blogs with your info please so we can arrange for your prize to wing its way to you.

Just a note to any would-be sponsors - if you'd like more info about what's entailed in sponsoring one of our dares, or simply donating a "spot-prize" then please contact any of the team via our blogs and we'll get back to you - we'd love to have the fun of more sponsors and more giveaways

Well, after that little bit of excitement it's back to the usual Tuesday routine and as it's Tuesday, it must be time for a DCM Little Extra Challenge!
We've dragged Santa's Little Helper out of his cosy armchair again this week in an effort to help you (and us) get those Christmas card stocks heading in the right direction. This week we'd like you to make and share cards on a theme of

Snowmen and Snowflakes

We'd love to see your snowy creations, so don't forget to pop back and leave amessage so we know where to come to see your cards. The dcm gallery is always available too, you can send your pics to [email protected] whenever you want
As usual here are some examples from the DT to get you thinking

and CUT!!!

***Stop Press***

We have a winner for the Circle of Friends Giveaway. From all the fabulous entries we used a random picker and the name out of the digital hat was...
Rosie!

Congratulations Rosie, can you let one of the design team have your address please.

We've all loved looking at all your beribboned cards for Christmas and how you've cooked up the Little Extra Recipe. As for who's won the luscious ribbon giveaway, we're going to keep you in suspense a little longer!
This week its Tracie setting the dare and it is to make a card and CUT!

Any theme goes, so for those of you needing a break from Christmas crafting this is the perfect opportunity to have a change. All styles are welcome but there MUST be an element of handcutting somewhere. It could be a greeting, a shape, letters printed on your pc and handcut, anything goes as long as you did it by hand.

When you've finished your card leave a comment with a link to your blog post and we'll come and see. You can also take part even if you dont have a blog by emailing a photo or scan to [email protected] and we'll add it to our gallery. The design team, as always have a fantastic array of cards to get the inspiration flowing.

Lynne
Keryn
Rhi

Lythan
Kathy
Saffa

Jo