Blog Candy Alert

This is a sticky post until 19th July.

If you'd like to be included in my 6th Birthday Blog Candy, just click on the link and comment there.

If you're just here to look around, then scroll on down and enjoy your visit!

Once again... welcome to my house.

Come freely.  Go safely; and leave something of the happiness you bring.

Bram Stoker

6th Birthday Blog Candy

Comments are now closed for this candy.
Thank you so much for all your lovely words.  I'll be announcing the winner very soon.

Hello all!  It scarcely seems possible but, yes, it's that time again.  Words and Pictures is six years old today.  And though there are certainly glitches and troubles with Blogger, and I know lots of people now share their work mainly on Facebook or Instagram, I'm sticking with the blogging.  It's the place which gives me room for the pictures and the words.  As you know, both of those are important to me.

In traditional style, I'm offering a little parcel of gratitude candy as a thank you to all those who follow along with this crafting journey.

Your visits and comments light up the creative process.  I only wish I could send candy to each and everyone of you, but logistically that would be a bit of a nightmare, I think.  It would clear some space in the craft room, mind you...  No, I think I'm going to have to stick to just the one parcel, sorry!






There's a set of Lynne Perrella stamps from PaperArtsy and some bubbly Thinlits, as well as the usual selection of fabrics and papers, and metal and wooden bits and bobs. 












As always, there's no requirement to be a follower, though obviously it's lovely if you decide to sign up.  Nor is it compulsory to share the news of the candy on your blogs (or even on the dreaded FB!), though again I'd be very happy if you do.  All you need to do is leave a comment on this post letting me know you'd like your name to go in the draw.













The deadline for leaving comments is a month away - midnight B.S.T. at the end of 19th July.  I'm in the midst of a very busy work period again, so that will give both you and me plenty of breathing space.





Once again, thank you for your friendship and inspiration over the last six years.  I never imagined a journey like this, but I'm so glad I'm on it, and I'm so happy you're here too.

The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude.
Friedrich Nietzsche

Anniversary Candy Winners

Hello all!  Thank you so much for the lovely comments and good wishes on my five-year anniversary post.

And thank you too for the wonderful feedback on the release of my very own word stamps since then.  I had no idea it would give me such a thrill to see people being inspired to create with them.  I've seen some beautiful projects here and there.

As you know, I don't get around to blogs quite as much as I used to, so do feel free to give me a heads-up if you've been playing with the quotes and I've missed it.  I absolutely love seeing what people are making with them.  I've got a new Alison Bomber Word Stamps Pinterest board so if you let me know you've used them, I'll happily come pinning.





But you're really here to find out who's won the candy, aren't you?  And the runner-up too, of course.







I did my usual high-tech draw.  Here you all are on the sheet of paper (unless you specifically said not to include your name).  All names are typed exactly as they are in your version (it's not me deciding who gets a capital letter and who doesn't!)... 















... and here you all are in the bowl...

And here's the first name I picked out (eyes shut, fingertips giving a good shushle to the papers - no, that's not an actual word!)...

Congratulations to maj.!













And now for the runner-up - a similar package, but without the PaperArtsy stamp set...

Congratulations to suzyb!







If each of you could either leave your email in a comment below, or contact me via the Get In Touch section in the sidebar, I'll get those prize packages off to you as soon as possible.

Thank you to everyone who took part and, as a number of you said, here's to the next five years playing together here in Craftyblogland!

Sometimes in life you don't always feel like a winner, but that doesn't mean you're not a winner.
Lady Gaga

Five Year Anniversary Candy

Thank you all for your lovely comments and good wishes.

This candy is now closed, and I'll be drawing the winner and runner-up very soon.

Hello all!  Five years... five years?  Yes, Words and Pictures is five years old today.  I still can't quite believe it.  This utterly unexpected journey into the world of arts & crafts has been such an uplifting experience.  I've learned so much, not least about myself, and done things I had no idea I could do.  And there are exciting things in the offing...

All of that has been made more intense, more joyful and more extraordinary by the friends and travelling companions I've discovered in Craftyblogland.





The nourishment, inspiration and happiness you have all provided to me in those years is immeasurable - whether in your lovely comments here, or in my visits to your own blogs.

So, as is traditional, here is an offering of gratitude.  You all receive my thanks, with a full heart.

But there is also a blog candy to be won.

And, although I can't send each and every one of you the prize, this year I've decided to have both a winner and a runner up.  Well, it is five years!

The first name out of the hat will receive the treasure trove you can see here (not the little wooden tray, I'm afraid - that's just to make it easier to see everything).

There are laces, fabrics and papers, including some of the rice paper I brought back from China; tags, postcards and buttons of various sorts and sizes; wood and metal embellishments; some paper flowers and seashells; and, of course, the PaperArtsy Hot Picks stamps.













The second name out will receive a slightly smaller selection of almost exactly the same goodies, but without the stamps.  (And the runner up can't have the tray either, sorry!)

All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is leave a comment below telling me that you'd like to be included in the draw.











If you would like to share the main photo and link in your sidebar, and/or join up as a follower if you aren't one already, then that would be lovely, but it's not compulsory in order to be a winner.

I'm going to give you a whole month to comment, since I'm not back in the UK to post it before then in any case!  So the deadline is 19th July, 23.59 British Summer Time.  And yes, I will post worldwide.








I know I've used it for Blogaversary posts before but I don't mind repeating things that matter so, once again, I return to the Shakespeare quote which is the only one which can do justice to the occasion...

I can no other answer make but thanks,
And thanks, and ever thanks.
From Twelfth Night, by William Shakespeare

Candy Winner

Hello all and welcome.  Yes, I've finally found time to draw the winner of my blogaversary candy.  My apologies for the delay - regulars will know I'm having a bit of a mad year!  My warmest thanks go to all of you who left such lovely comments - Craftyblogland really is a special place - but there can only be one winner of this little haul...

I'm afraid in the interests of saving time I've forsaken my time-honoured names in the hat for this year and borrowed some assistance from technology.  So without further ado, here is the randomly generated winner.

That's the always hilarious Princess Judy Palmer of Blog This!  Congratulations, Judy!  If you get in touch with me via the link in the sidebar to let me know your postal address, I'll try to get the package in the post before I set off on my travels again.

Love and thanks to all.  I am missing crafting and blogging now that they've become occasional rather than obsessional, but whenever I can drop in I will.  In the meantime, I'm off to be creative in other spheres again.  Happy crafting all!

To be creative means to be in love with life. You can be creative only if you love life enough that you want to enhance its beauty, you want to bring a little more music to it, a little more poetry to it, a little more dance to it.
Osho

Birthday Blog Candy

The candy is now closed.  Thank you so much for all your lovely comments.
I'll be drawing a winner as soon as I've drawn breath!

Hello all!  I can hardly believe it, but Words and Pictures is four years old today, 19th June.  And although it's a tricky year crafting-wise, I can't let the anniversary pass without offering a little "thank you candy" to my fantastic followers.

You make this whole journey so much richer.  I'm grateful for every visit, and so happy when I read each comment - especially when I'm being a pretty poor blogger myself. 

Since I can't post the prize out until the beginning of August anyway, I'm giving this a nice long deadline.  You have until 31st July to leave a comment here saying you would like to be included in the draw.  It would be lovely if you'd like to join up as a follower if you haven't already, and it'd be great if you would share the photo and link on your blog, but neither of them is compulsory.  Good luck everyone, and thank you for an incredible four years!

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy.
Marcel Proust

Butterfly Blogaversary Candy

This candy is now closed for comments, and I'll be drawing a winner soon.
Thank you all so much for your lovely words.

It's my third birthday (my third blog birthday, I should say) and it seems only right to celebrate with some candy.

I feel so lucky to share in all the generosity and creativity of Craftyblogland.  Your comments and feedback are a constant source of joy, and the inspiration I find from travelling from blog to blog is immeasurable.  I only wish I could give candy out to every single one of you to thank you for your company on this amazing journey, especially when I haven't been around much lately!

But no, my thanks and love go to all of you, but the candy can only go to one... so please simply leave a comment here if you would like to be included in the draw.  This sticky post will stay at the top of the blog until the end of June, when I'll pick the winner out of a hat.

It's NOT compulsory to join up as a Follower - though if you like the work you see here, then it would be lovely if you did - and it would be great if you shared the candy photo and link on your blog or sidebar, but that's NOT compulsory either.

Thank you so much for everything and good luck!

Let us celebrate the occasion with wine and sweet words.
Plautus (or at least with candy!)

Butterfly Blogaversary Candy

This is a sticky post until midnight BST, 30th June.  Normal crafty service continues below!

Hello all!  Yes, unbelievably it's my 2nd anniversary here at Words and Pictures.  And, although we've been taking a dollshouse detour this week, I still wanted to celebrate.  (Would love you to check out the Tudor Tavern, the Opera Singer's House and the Dollshouse Gallimaufry if you haven't already seen them.  Or if you're new here, you'll get an idea of some of the more normal crafty stuff here.)


I feel so lucky to share in all the generosity and creativity of Craftyblogland.  Your comments and feedback are a constant source of joy, and the inspiration I find from travelling from blog to blog is immeasurable.  I only wish I could give candy out to every single one of you to thank you for your company on this amazing journey!

But no, my thanks and love go to all of you, but the candy can only go to one... so please simply leave a comment here if you would like to be included in the draw.  This sticky post will stay at the top of the blog until the end of June, when I'll pick the winner out of a hat.

It's NOT compulsory to join up as a Follower - though if you like the work you see here, then it would be lovely if you did (would be so thrilled to hit 500!) - and while it would be great if you shared the candy photo and link on your blog or sidebar, that's not compulsory either.

Thank you so much for everything and good luck!


Every day is a birthday; every moment of it is new to us; we are born again, renewed for fresh work and endeavour.
Isaac Watts