New Year Ahead..

I hope you all got your hands on some of our sale items over the last few days in our year end sale.  It's quite nice to have a sale and clear out some of the stock room ready for new things to take their places.
We have plenty of new Funky Hand products planned for 2012 so those spaces wont be empty for too long!!

I don't know about you but I always have mixed feelings about the New Year.
Part of me is looking forward to January 1st. New fresh start..stating all your new year resolutions just like every other year..losing weight, blogging three times a week (at least), going on long walks to get all that lovely extra exercise I need..BLAH BLAH.
The other part of me likes the comfort of this year..I knew what happened, not all of it was great but..some was good, even fantastic and I find it hard to give up another year that I have survived.

Reading this back it all sounds a bit strange but that is just how I always feel as the New Year approaches. How about you? Do you like New Year or loath it?

As I have been clearing out the office ready for 2012 I found an image, on my external drive, that I used for my Christmas cards this year that I hadn't shared. (For some mad reason I didn't take a picture of my Christmas cards completed, I know idiot!!) So, I thought I would show it to you to, sort of, end the 'Christmas' period..as it pretty much is now really.

The image is a digital stamp from the Funky Hand Christmas CD ROM Twelve Crafters Crafting. Alot of crafters I have spoken to with the CD completely missed this image so keep it in mind for next year!!  I sat for ages colouring the images (there were a few cards to make!) using my new set of Letreset Aquamarkers which are now my big favourites.  Expect to see them available for sale on the Funky Hand website www.funkyhand.com in the New Year.

Well I have enjoyed talking to you all this year..more than likely this will be my last post for 2011 as I have two new download collections to get finished over the next couple of days ready for release in 2012, sounds funny doesn't it!

Anyway, that doesn't mean that there wont be more Funky Hand blogging going on though as the last challenge for 2011 over on the Get Funky Challenge Blog is still in full swing and you have until the 14th January to join in and have a chance of winning a download of your choice.  So, what are you waiting for?  Get over there and take a look at the fantastic creations the Funky Hand Design Team Members have already made to inspire you for this challenge.  You know you want to use that new craft stash you had for Christmas..maybe joining in with our challenge could be one of your New Year resolutions!

Have a good start to the New Year..speak to you again in 2012!
Anice xx

It's Sale Time!!!!

As it says clearly above..just if you have had a bit of a good Christmas so far and your eyes are a little crossed! We are having a three day sale over on the Funky Hand website. There is 50% off all Funky Hand branded products. That's all the CDs, downloads, paper packs, buttons and ribbons. But, we couldn't just leave it at that so, we've also reduced all the additional stash like Promarkers by 10% as well.

Get over to the Funky Hand website www.funkyhand.com NOW and grab yourself a Christmas crafty bargain.

Oh and by the way..hope you are having a wonderful Christmas time.
Anice xx

Merry Christmas one and all!!

It's a new Get Funky Challenge

Yes folks it's the last Get Funky Challenge of 2011 and I am the host this month!  The challenge is pretty straight forward.  THANK YOU.

I thought I'd give you a little rest from all those Christmas cards you have been making to get started on your thank you cards!!  This challenge is not just about thank you for presents or cooking a nice turkey though.  Your cards, scrapbook pages or any other craft creation can be for any sort of thank you.

Here is my card to start the challenge off..

Go over to the Get Funky Challenge Blog to get a closer look and see how I made the card.  All I can say that there are things from three of my craft CDs, Colour Me Happy, Craft The Year Away and Twelve Crafters Crafting included on it!

As always the one rule for the challenge is to include at least one Funky Hand product on your creation. To make that easy for everyone I have created a new Funky Freebie for you to download and use.  Find it on my website www.funkyhand.com

Whilst I have you here I wanted to ask you, do you use Facebook?  If you do, then it would be great if you would 'Like' the Funky Hand page which you can find here http://www.facebook.com/#!/funkyhand or just by searching for Funky Hand. In 2012 we intend to extend the things that we will be including on that page..like special codes just for Facebook followers for discounts and competitions to win Funky Hand products. It would be great to see you over there.

Right back to work for me.  Hope to see your Thank You cards on the Get Funky Blog very soon.
Anice xx

Getting ready to put up the tree!

I know alot of you out there will have your Christmas Trees and decorations all up and twinkling already but in the Funky Hand household I'm afraid it's always the last moment.  But woohoo! it is all going up this weekend. We moved to a bigger house earlier this year so we now have room to put the Christmas tree in front of the juliet balcony that we have in the lounge and still be able to see the TV!!

With this in mind I decided that we needed some new decorations.  I don't know if you remember a few years ago I bought Christmas decorations of Henry VIII and his six wives on a journey to London..it was 2009 actually there were loads of exhibitions to celebrate that it was 500 years after Henry came to the throne in 1509..sorry as well as crafting the Tudor era in history is a big interest for me.If you want to see them take at look at this post..http://funkyhand.blogspot.com/2009/08/what-i-was-up-to-this-weekend.html  Anyway, Henry and the girls have got some new baubles (green ones of course my favourite colour) but I wanted something total unique and hand made so I followed a link from one of my Twitter 'friends' Mel to her Etsy shop.. Wow the handmade Christmas decorations that she makes are just wonderful.  I just couldn't resist...

The pictures don't really show up the sparkle that well, but the decoration is made and finished so beautifully I hardly want to get it out of it's packaging and put it on the tree this weekend!

If you'd like to take a look at what she has in her Etsy shop at the moment, pop over here to her shop Inky Doodles Crafts  http://www.etsy.com/shop/inkydoodlecrafts?ref=ss_profile  you wont be disappointed.

Before I pop off again I just want to remind you of the Get Funky Challenge that is still going on for this month.  There is still time to join in if you fancy it or why not just go over and take a look at the wonderful creations that the Funky Hand Design Team have been posting since the challenge started last month.

A new challenge will start on the 'Funky 15th' of December and I'm the host, so you had best not miss out on the last challenge of 2011.  It'll be a nice easy one and the Funky Freebie is pretty cool even if I say so myself!!

Finally, just before I pop off for good today, I wanted to mention that Funky Hand has a page on Facebook that could really do with a few more 'Likes'! In 2012 we have big plans to have special offers available on there and share even more Funky stuff so, if you are on Facebook go over and 'Like' the Funky Hand page so you don't miss out.  We are also on Twitter and you can follow me here https://twitter.com/#!/funkyhand  I promise I don't tweet every few minutes and in the New Year there are plans for special offers on there as well.  Right enough talking time for more designing and crafting!

Speak again very soon and happy crafting!
Anice xx

Get Funky Challenge round 2!

Due to a couple of changes with the Funky Hand Design Team this month there was a posting space for this months Get Funky challenge so as a good leader I took the challenge for a second time and allowed my wonderful, over worked, DT members to concentrate on next months challenge. Oh, and Christmas and stuff like that!!

So, this months Get Funky Challenge was set by Jackie and she wants us to create two cards.  One traditional Christmas cards and then another card for an occasion with is nothing to do with the 'C' word but still using Christmas papers!

Here are both my cards, pop over to the Get Funky Challenge Blog to get a better look at them and read how I made them.  Both cards were made using the latest Funky Hand craft CD release Twelve Crafters Crafting.

Pretty different cards!  Please don't forget to go over to the Get Funky Challenge Blog and join in with us this month.  We love to see what you create and get the chance to visit your blogs.  Even just leave a message on my post or any other other Design Team posts for this month to let us know what you think of our creations, it would be great to hear from you.

Right, back to my own Christmas card making..as usual I have left it until the last possible moment.
Anice xx 

Those dreaded mens cards!

Just after my birthday last month it was Ians Brother in laws birthday Colin.  I decided that I would make his card reminding him that he was getting closer to 40 this year as he enjoys reminding me how much I am moving into my 40's grrrr.

Anyway, I thought I would share the card I created for him...

For this card I used the spotty paper from my Happy Happy Birthday CD ROM. The collection I used was Just For Men ..surprisingly!   I found some really nice mottled olive green paper in my stash which I thought would go really well with the spotty paper colours.  I created the topper using the Happy Happy Birthday CD workspace.  I used the un coloured resizeable number digital stamps and added the writing with the writer also on the workspace.  Actually it was great because I was able to create my topper and print the spotty paper all on one piece of A4 card by fitting everything onto one page of the workspace and printing it.  I then was able to use the piece of white card left not printed on the A4 sheet to use as the white card under the topper.  Less messing about, less printing and less waste of card!

I'd printed out the topper using the un coloured number digital stamps one, because the coloured ones didn't match my card colours but also because I wanted to have a play with my new favourite crafty item Aquamarkers by Letraset. (Expect to see them available for sale on my website www.funkyhand.com in the very near future!)  I used two Aquamarkers to colour this topper Golden Brown and Spring Green. Before I started painting though I let the image sit over night just so that I was sure that the printer ink was completely dry.  Probably a few hours would be enough though.  I then drew a line around the ouside of the numbers with a Promarker pen, I used the Cool Grey 1, to make the numbers jump out just a little.  Here's a closer look at the image..

I'm not claiming in anyway that I am a specialist in using Aquamarkers but I have always enjoyed using paints with my stamped images digital or inked stamps.  I always used to use Twinkling H2O's and have a large collection of them but Ive really enjoyed working with Aquamarkers for the first time.  They mix together so well and even a new user can create something to be proud of with just a little effort.  In the near future, and after a little more practice, I plan on making a quick video on how to use Aquamarkers with your Funky Hand digital stamps.  It's great fun!

Right I'm off to get creative as I am lucky enough to have two spots this month on the Get Funky Challenge Blog.  So you will see a couple more cards from me in a few days following the challenge set this month. Which, is to create a Christmas card in traditional colours, red, gold, green and then create a none Christmas card but using Christmas papers.. a bit of a teaser our Jackie has set us this month..but it's fun to stretch yourself when you are crafting.  I'll be using my latest craft CD Twelve Crafters Crafting for both cards of course.  Pop over to The Get Funky Challenge blog and take a look at the wonderful creations that my Design Team members have already posted so far this month and maybe you will be inspired to join in with us.

Right I'm really off now., speak again very soon.
Anice xx