AND THE RESULTS, IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER, ARE

Hello everyone

I am so glad I didn't have to make a decision about the best cards that were entered in the World Card-Making 2012 competition, because it would have been very hard as they were all fabulous.  Thank you to everyone who took part, every card was really beautiful.

A BIG thank you also to everyone who voted.  I know it was very hard to decide which three you felt were the best and I know the card-makers will be so pleased with the feedback received by way of your votes.

The results for the three prizes are as follows:

Card No 1 - this card was made by Claire Lomas

Card No 9 - this card was made by Helena Skutter

Card No 11 was made by Karen Clark and Card No 13 was made by Helena Skutter and they both received the same number of votes.

As you know, there are three prizes for this competition and as Helena has been featured twice in the highest numbers of votes placed, I am sure she will not mind if the third prize is awarded to Karen.  Congratulations winners, very well deserved and well done everyone else - you cards are great.

I will contact each winner tomorrow morning to obtain their address details which will be passed to Katherine Jewitt, the Editor of Make and Craft and she will arrange for you prizes to be posted to you.

This competition has been great fun and I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have.  How about another one?  Not just yet, but around about the beginning of December I think would be good.  I will arrange some sponsorship again but I am gong to ask if you could like to suggest a theme.  I know is is Christmas time, but perhaps by December the card-making community will be carded-out I'm sure, so perhaps something different?

Now back to normal and first of all a big thank you to Karen (yes, Karen Clark as above) for her great guest post last week - confessions of a Craftaholic struck a cord with me, and I am sure everyone who is involved in handmade.  I hope you have read it, but if not I recommend it - it's a great read with lovely photographs of Karen's beautiful work.

If you would like to be a guest blogger, please do get in touch (christmaspiecrafts@virginmedia.com).  October is fully booked as is one date in November, but if you would like to promote your Christmas makes, this is a great opportunity for you to do so.

I attended my first Wedding Fayre today which was held at the Frensham Pond Hotel and it was very good.  Very well advertised and consequently very well attended too.  I had requests for two quotations and lots of questions put, leaflets collected and requests for details of other events I am attending.  A great day for everyone - and we had free sandwiches and tea and coffee.  How good is that?  I spent last week working on some wedding stationery ranges - it takes a long, long time and here are photographs of some of what I made, plus my table at today's event:

My black and gold range.  Apparently black is very popular for weddings at the moment and this was further confirmed by a black wedding back being available at today's fayre.

A photograph of my table - almost set up, just needing some literature to be added.  Note the bowl of chocolates on the left hand side - very tempting and of course very popular.

It's time for you to head over to read the other posts for Handmade Monday where I am sure you will read lots of references to that day in December when we all eat too much, drink too much and then go on to make resolutions that we won't keep.  A great time really, so I hope you enjoy the posts.

That is my post for today.  After today and working almost non-stop on Friday and Saturday, I am off to put my feet up and watch lovely Inspector Montalbano - if I can keep my eyes open that is.  I hope you all have a great week, don;t forget to get in touch if you have an idea for a competition theme.  I will be back on Wednesday and my guest blogger will be here on Friday.

Jill