23rd December 2016 Mailer

Spend just £10 and you will be awarded 24hrs unrestricted VIP access to the latest 20 Freebies offered by our fantastic Designers! Don't delay order today. Please note, the vault is subject to change as and when new submissions are added.

Longing to be up North... by Janice Shehan

Im from an area that gets snow every winter. We always looked forward to the seasons first snowfall, and with great anticipation for snow for Christmas. I now live in an area with palm trees, springs and swimming all year round. I miss the snow at Christmas, but other than that, dont miss all the mess :)Instead of decorating a pine tree outside, we decorate our palms, here is a beautiful Canary Island Date Palm.We truly wish everyone a wonderful holiday season and a safe and blessed New Year! Lets make CUP even better in 2017, everyone wins!

This week I wanted to create some wonderful elements for men, I forget them sometimes, so here are some for your consideration!

cup753036_2049 by Janice Shehan

cup753038_2049 by Janice Shehan

Off to Africa by Patricia Platt

I have been knitting alot lately and one thing I have never done before is knitted toys. My friend who knits for Knit a Square charity said that they were low on toys this year so my goal is to learn to knit toys. I can crochet and have done quite a number of crocheted toys, but I needed a challenge and so I knitted a doll. I will have to do more so that I can get quicker and better, but I think some child will give my little doll a lovely home. I also knitted a hat and some matching hand warmers. I also have another challenge this year with my knitting and that is to learn to knit socks. So watch this space......

Although butterflies are hibernating now or have gone south, it would be so lovely to have butterflies in winter.

cup755387_1416 by Patricia Platt

cup754822_1416 by Patricia Platt

Merry Christmas from Alfie! by Sue Way

I am sure most of you are like me & busy getting ready for Christmas. This year we have my daughter (CUP designer Kelly Barker) her hubby & of course our gorgeous granddaughters coming to us for the day. Last year I was unwell & found it all very difficult, so this year I am very excited & throwing myself into the festivities. Ive got a few little surprises up my sleeve to make the girls day more special too. I hope you are all looking forward to the big day. I know its hard for some people, so would like to take the time to send you a big hug & a picture of a reluctant Alfie sitting in front of the just decorated tree waiting for a biscuit ;) This week I have added some more Christmas cutlery wraps, A fun idea for the festive table. So easy to make with step by step instructions, even the children could make them. Once made up, simply wrap your cutlery in a matching napkin & insert into the cutlery holder & place at each plate. They will hold a knife, fork, spoon & napkin. Great for grabbing all your cutlery in one go at the buffet table too. You could add a name or greeting for that personal touch. A really lovely & unusual finishing touch to your festive table! These 2 are now on special offer with 20% off! Please click on the follow button under my name on my shop front, so you never miss an update. http://www.craftsuprint.com/sue-way/?r=968387

cup755733_38 by Sue Way

cup755734_38 by Sue Way

CHRISTMAS CAME EARLY IN ROMANIA

by Wanda Lipski

I am a member of Kiwanis International, Serving the Children of the World and hubby and I have been supporting the emergent clubs there since 2001. My club sponsors the all women club in Marghita, a particularly deprived area of the country and this year sent me to bring an early Christmas to children in a village supported by the club, a village where many of the children are living either alone or just with the support of their grandparents as their parents are off working elsewhere, jobs being a scarce commodity in the village. All the 140 children the school(= village) received a santa hat and a bar of chocolate) and to see the looks on their faces chocolate is NOT a delight they get to see very often. 23 children designated by their teachers as being most in need of help all received a hat and a pair of gloves, a package of school materials (exercise books, pencils, paints etc) and a toy specially chosen for each of them. You should have seen their little eyes and my poor father christmas when everyone threw themselves at him in a group hug! The most surprising though was their reaction to the books we took. Their individual packages were temporarily forgotten as they marvelled over the printed word. It was Christmas come early for them, but it was also the most marvellous Christmas present for us and the images of so many smiling faces will stay with me long after the tinsel has been packed away. In case any of you havent yet got your calendars for 2017, here are a couple of mine or why not spend a little and go and collect the Freebie vault where I have put one to say thank you to you all for your support during the year. Merry Christmas everyone or as they say in Romanian Craciun fericit.

cup722817_2237 by Wanda Lipski

cup720842_2237 by Wanda Lipski

Look .... by Carol Clarke

... who got a Letter from Santa!! After writing and posting her Letter to Santa last week 4 year old Olivia was eagerly awaiting a reply from the man himself ... and she wasnt disappointed as I had helped to arrange that Santa wrote a reply to her! lol Although shes only 4 she started school last September and is enjoying learning to read and was able to read some of Santas reply herself. Needless to say she was really excited to get the letter and couldnt wait to tell me she was on Santas Nice list and that she was to leave a mince pie out for him .... plus some water and a carrot for Rudolph! lol

cup660135_359 by Carol Clarke

cup660136_359 by Carol Clarke

The Bright Lights of Christmas

by Janyce Cotterill

This week we visited our Community Garden in our village which was festooned with Christmas lights. It created such a magical atmosphere as we made our way around the little paths, nooks and crannies of the garden which were glowing magically. We visited Santas grotto which was all ready for the big man himself who was arriving the day after our visit. So after a little stop in the late cafe in the garden we wound our way back home feeling full of festive warmth! May I take this opportunity to wish all the crafters, designers and staff at cUp a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.I know for some Christmas isnt always merry - so hold the thought that it will over quicker than you know it and in the UK we can look forward to the lighter nights and warmer weather! To all the crafters who have purchased my designs in the past 12 months, thank you SO much. It is very kind of you and I never take it for granted that you are spending your hard earned money on them. You always spur me on to design more, and I will endeavour to do so during 2017. The very best to you all. Just leaving you with a couple of girlie designs!

cup376701_1035 by Janyce Cotterill

cup483003_1035 by Janyce Cotterill

Bond In Motion! by Tina Fitch

Well recently we visited London and done a few things .. One being the Bond in Motion museum .. My husband just loves James Bond so off we trotted for a surprise visit to the Museum for him to see all the cars and Bond items on display for a very special Birthday he celebrated on the 5th December.. He absolutely loved it! We saw all the cars used and Other bits that were part of the films too... One being Pierce Brosnans passport and driving licence..He was my fav Bond actor but my husband didnt really have any preference to who played the part.We spent a good couple of hours going round and round and back round to make sure we saw everything there.. The photo this week is one taken at the museum of my youngest Daughter Amber and my twin Granddaughters Ava & Megan of course they had to dress up and pretend they were Bond!We then went off to have Lunch in Steak & Co.. Oh what a superb Steak that was.. Cooked to your own liking on a stone that youre given to cook yourself.. So needless to say it was just perfect!Would Like to Thank everyone of you who have chosen my files this year to make and share with your loved ones...I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year... Look forward to serving you in 2017 where there will be lots more new designs to choose from.. xx

cup755882_596 by Tina Fitch

cup755573_596 by Tina Fitch

A Surprise Visitor by Vicki Avcin

We were sitting out the front of the house (in the cool breeze) talking to a friend a few days ago, when she looked over at her car and said Is that a possum? Looked over to see this cute little fellow investigating the roof rack on her car. No it wasnt a possum, it was a little Sugar Glider. After checking out the roof racks it glided to a tree next to the car, then climbed up onto another branch. Went and grabbed the camera, and got some photos while it just sat here looking at us with its big eyes. Sugar Gliders are locally common in parts of their range that extends around the north and eastern coastal areas of Australia. It occurs from the Kimberley region in Western Australia, across the north of Australia to the tip of Cape York Peninsula and south to Victoria and Tasmania. They are common where there are plentiful tree hollows for shelter and abundant food. Sugar gliders are social, nocturnal and arboreal. They live in woodlands that contain tree hollows and sufficient food. They spend their nights gliding between trees and climbing in the foliage. During the day they generally share a common nest in a tree hollow or with a ball of leaves. They glide as they have a membrane from their back legs to their front legs which enables them to glide short distances. Guess its the possum version of a wing suit. This is the first time in 9 years weve seen one here so it was a welcome (and cute) surprise

cup579112_543 by Vicki Avcin

cup579109_543 by Vicki Avcin

Cross Stitch by Anne Lever

I thought I would show my progress on my latest cross stitch project. It is called the magic grotto by the very talented artist Aimee Stuart. It is packed full of colour and I am really enjoying stitching it. I have just completed page 8 out of 24. Each page of the chart takes me around a month to stitch, so this piece is a real labour of love and will take around 24 months to finish. It is on a very small material, 25 stitches per inch.

cup755720_1763 by Anne Lever

cup755511_1763 by Anne Lever