Dajon Designs

A year in The Dajon Garden - January

2012-01-29T11:49:00.004Z

This year we want to concentrate more of showcasing our cards on the blog.

However we also like sharing pictures of our garden, so we thought that

once a month we would do a garden update.

January is pretty much a non eventful month in the garden - however

the first signs of spring are starting to appear. The snowdrops are almost out

but we will save those for next month.

We have had a very mild Winter so far with very few frosts, and I think just

one flurry of snow. So mild in fact that some greenery that would usually have

died off in the frost is still very green.

For the one you love

2012-01-26T16:20:00.008Z

A little later than usual, but kicking off a new year of blogging

and card making is our 2012

Valentine collection.

Festive round up and New Year Wishes

2011-12-31T00:12:00.006Z

As the Christmas festivities are almost over for another year, its time for our

festive round up.

We love the run up to Christmas, preparing for and attending Craft fairs,

shopping and visiting Christmas markets, decorating the house and tree,

writing Christmas Cards and putting together our blog Advent Calendar.

This year we also attended two Christmas Parties and

went out for lunch for my birthday on the 12th.

We are lucky to be able to spend Christmas with friends and family, visiting

friends in Manchester for a Christmas Eve Dinner and Christmas Dinner at

home with family.

Present opening is always a highlight of the day. One surprise gift this year

was from my brother. Regular readers of the blog will know of my fondness of the long

running Children's TV show Blue Peter. I have been collecting the annuals since Christmas

1979. Well thanks to my brother my collection is now complete as he bought for me

book 1 printed in 1964 and book 2 1965.

We hope you have enjoyed visiting our blog this year. Lets hope there is

lots to look forward to in 2012. We would like to wish you all a very

Happy New Year.

Away in a Manger

2011-12-24T08:52:00.003Z

Its Christmas Eve, so today we open the 24th and final door of our blog

Advent Calendar. We hope you have enjoyed our annual countdown to Christmas.

As usual the 24th door always shows a traditional crib scene, and this years crib

is the one located at St Chad's Church in Poulton, Lancashire, close to the venue of

some of our Craft Fairs this year.

However you celebrate the day tomorrow, we hope that you have a wonderful day.

Happy Christmas.

A Christmas Welcome

2011-12-23T11:06:00.002Z

We added the finishing touches to our Christmas decorating yesterday with fresh

greenery and a table centerpiece etc. So as we open door 23 on our

blog Advent Calendar we see our welcome decoration. We decided not to have

a wreath this year and instead went for some spruce, holly, mistletoe, eucalyptus

and some red stuff I have forgotten the name off. Finished of with a red gingham bow.

Christmas Window

2011-12-22T20:21:00.002Z

Door 22 and, our collection of Christmas trees is looking nice this year. Displayed on the

window ledge and illuminated by white lights.

Tiffany Lamp

2011-12-21T21:19:00.003Z

Behind door 21 is this lovely Tiffany lamp, which was a Christmas gift from

some special friends a few years ago. Also on display on the table is a gorgeous

3D Christmas card from my brother, and a glass angel decoration.

Christmas Mobile

2011-12-20T14:05:00.004Z

This is one of our favorite decorations behind door 20. We hang it in the window

each year. I have pulled the blind down so it shows up better on the picture. The starburst

we bought in London several years ago, the angel and pixie we got from a County Living

Christmas fair. The hearts were from a local shop.

Snowing in The Dajon Garden

2011-12-19T11:57:00.002Z

Time for door 19 and we had a flurry of snow the other day. It didn't

stay for very long, but looked nice while it was falling.

Blue Peter Sledge

2011-12-18T11:16:00.001Z

Door 18 features a picture our Blue Peter sledge which my Dad made for

my brother and I back in the early 1980's. It would get lots of use in the local park

when we were young. I have featured the sledge on the blog before here.

Glitterball

2011-12-17T22:15:00.004Z

To celebrate the final of this years series of Strictly Come Dancing

behind door 17 is the giant glitterball that adorns South promenade in Blackpool.

Tonight final came live from the famous Tower Ballroom in Blackpool.

Congratulations to this years winners Harry and Aliona.

Christmas Mantel

2011-12-16T10:10:00.005Z

As we open door 16 on our blog Advent Calendar we see a picture of our

Christmas mantel. We have had a bit of a change this year, with a red and white theme.

The tree and the wreath we have had for several years. We have added red heart

baubles to the tree and red glitter pins to the wreath. The stars are from Provincetown

and the red felt heart was made by our friend Ursula at The Laal Bear.

Cute Santa

2011-12-15T13:53:00.002Z

Behind door 15 is this cute little Santa wooden tree decoration. One of

several wooden decorations a dear friend gave to us several years ago.

I love his extra long beard.

Christmas Market at night

2011-12-14T22:25:00.004Z

We've been out for the day today. Belated Birthday celebrations in Manchester.

We had lunch and a trip around the Christmas markets and did the last

of our Christmas shopping, not forgetting a mug of hot mulled wine.

The Christmas markets look lovely behind door 14 with all the festive lights.

Fairy Lights

2011-12-13T09:34:00.004Z

Door 13

Christmas lights have become fair more sophisticated in resent years,

with LED's etc. We still like to have a least one set of old fashioned fairy lights up at

Christmas.

Santa Cheryl

2011-12-12T10:46:00.004Z

Two years ago today we headed up to Newcastle for a very special concert

So behind my birthday door 12 here's Cheryl in her santa outfit.

Cards on display

2011-12-11T09:40:00.001Z

Door 10 and its a selection of our cards on display at yesterday craft fair.

Choir at The Craft Fair

2011-12-10T21:19:00.004Z

Having today attended our last Craft fair for 2011 its time to open door 10

on our Advent Calendar. Everyone was in a festive mood when the newly formed

Poulton peoples choir took to the stage at todays event,

Vintage Christmas Card

2011-12-09T23:19:00.004Z

Behind door 9 is one of a collection of Vintage Christmas Cards

we have.

Click here for another chance to read last years post

about vintage Christmas Cards.

The Trees up

2011-12-08T17:16:00.004Z

We open door 8 on our blog Advent calendar today to see our tree decorated

for Christmas 2011. Traditionally we have always had a real tree, but we have been

looking at this woodland faux tree for the past 3 years, and this Christmas we decided to

get one. We are really pleased with how it looks and its the perfect size for our lounge.

Hope you enjoy decorating your tree.

Christmas Markets

2011-12-07T23:20:00.004Z

Christmas Markets are in full swing at the moment. Behind door 7 is

one of several in Manchester, where we visited today. However the weather was

wet and windy and not a great day to be outdoors. We hope to have another trip to

the city before Christmas.

Helter Skelter

2011-12-06T08:41:00.004Z

Time to open door number 6 on our blog Advent Calendar.

Today its a picture of a Helter Skelter.

A funfair ride with a slide built in a spiral around a tower. Users

climb up the inside if the tower by steps or ramps. Then slide

down the outside on a mat. This one was located at The Victorian

Christmas Market in Chester.

Waiting Snowmen

2011-12-05T09:41:00.004Z

One of our most popular cards is the one featuring these snowmen.

So behind door number 5 is a group of them waiting to be adhered to

some cards.

Little Drummer Boy

2011-12-04T09:11:00.002Z

Behind door 4 we have a Little Drummer Boy

The Little Drummer Boy - originally called The Carol of the drum is a popular

Christmas song written by the American classical composer Katherine Kennicott Davies

in 1941. It was recorded in 1955 by The Trapp family singers and in 1958 by

The Harry Simeone Chorale. The song has been recorded several times since

including in 1977 by Bing Crosby and David Bowie ( The little drummer boy/ peace in earth )

and this year Justin Bieber has included a version with Busta Ryhmes on his Christmas Album.

Cyclamen

2011-12-03T17:14:00.001Z

Behind door 3 is a Cyclamen plant in The Dajon Garden

Cyclamen both potted for the house or planted in the garden make a welcome

burst of colour at this time of year.

Little Lantern

2011-12-02T08:51:00.002Z

We love having lanterns lit in The Dajon Garden, so as we open door 2

it shows a picture of this cute little galvanised lantern we bought on

our September road trip.

Time to open the 1st door on our Advent Calendar

2011-12-01T21:04:00.006Z

Each December we countdown to Christmas with our blog Advent Calendar.

Today saw the annual lighting of the Christmas tree in Trafalgar square London.

The Trafalgar square tree has been an annual gift to the people of London

from the city of Oslo, each year since 1947 as a token of gratitude for British

support of Norway, during the years 1940 - 1945

So as we open door number one we see a picture of the tree and fountains

all light up.

Join us each day from now until Christmas Eve as we open further doors

in our countdown to Christmas.

The 12 Dajon's of Christmas 2011 - Day 12

2011-11-27T17:16:00.000Z

Festive Flowers

The 12 Dajon's of Christmas 2011 - Day 11

2011-11-26T13:33:00.001Z

Festive foliage

The 12 Dajon's of Christmas 2011 - Day 10

2011-11-25T14:06:00.000Z

String of lights

The 12 Dajon's of Christmas 2011 - Day 9

2011-11-24T06:15:00.002Z

White Christmas

The 12 Dajon's of Christmas 2011 - Day 8

2011-11-23T11:10:00.001Z

Festive birds

The 12 Dajon's of Christmas 2011 - Day 7

2011-11-22T12:58:00.003Z

Christmas Star

The 12 Dajon's of Christmas 2011 - Day 6

2011-11-21T17:47:00.002Z

Reindeer run

The 12 Dajon's of Christmas 2011 - Day 5

2011-11-20T16:53:00.002Z

Fir tree in the snow

The 12 Dajon's of Christmas 2011 - Day 4

2011-11-19T22:10:00.001Z

The red one

The 12 Dajon's of Christmas 2011 - Day 3

2011-11-18T08:30:00.001Z

Starry Night

The 12 Dajon's of Christmas 2011 - Day 2

2011-11-17T14:54:00.002Z

Let it snow

The 12 Dajon's of Christmas 2011 - Day 1

2011-11-16T15:30:00.003Z

Winter Berries

Out and about

2011-11-15T11:51:00.007Z

The Christmas event season is well and truly underway, here are some

pictures from our first two events, Both were very well attended, with lots

of lovely comments about our cards.

The first event was the Cracking Craft fair at St Chads Church Hall

Poulton - le - Fylde, Lancashire. We shall be here again on Saturday

10th December.

The second event was the annual Spa night at The Dalmeny Hotel

St Annes Lancashire.

We shall be updating our event list today. Then starting tomorrow we will

be sharing our new Christmas designs with The 12 Dajons of Christmas.

It's Halloween

2011-10-31T20:55:00.007Z

Hope everyone is having a fun Halloween. Think the last of the trick or treat

visitors have been round now, and we have run out of treats anyway.

So its time to share some pictures of the day.

Look who's here for The Halloween Party

2011-10-22T00:14:00.018+01:00

There was a nip in the air, and plenty signs of Autumn in the Dajon garden.

The pre arranged meeting place for my very special guests, before we set

off to the fabulous Halloween party.

Will Yoda try to teach us the ways of the force?

What will Mamaset find as she turns the key?

ET's found a giant pumpkin

Tango Man is on the look out with those googly eyes

The cute spaceman is looking forward to the party.

Clanger hopes there will be plenty of blue string pudding to eat.

You can guess what he wants

COOKIES !

So as dusk fell on the Dajon garden, we lit our pumpkins and headed off

to join the other party guests for fun, tricks and hopefully treats.

Thanks for stopping by our blog today. I found these toys in a bag during

a recent clear out of the garage and thought it would be fun to use them

for today's party.

Thanks to Vanessa at A Fanciful Twist for once again hosting this fun event.

BOO!

2011-10-21T11:32:00.005+01:00

As we are a little behind with our Christmas collection this year, we had made up

our minds not to bother with Halloween cards this year. However the other

morning we got a call from the local florist shop that stocks our cards, some

customers had been in asking about our Halloween cards. So not to disappoint

they asked if we would mind making just a few for the weekend.

So here they are.

Cracking Craft Fair

2011-10-20T10:43:00.005+01:00

Our list of the craft events we are attending this season is announced today

( See the side bar )

Our first event is The cracking craft fair at St Chads Church Hall

Poulton - le -Fylde, Lancashire 12.00 - 4.00pm.

So along with all the bangs, cracks and whizzes of bonfire night, you can

also get your mitts on some cracking gifts and cards of course.

Keep you eye on the blog over the coming weeks as we showcase our

new cards for 2011 along with some old favorites.

Sparkling Skellys

2011-10-14T11:30:00.005+01:00

We thought it was about time we got into the Halloween mood here on the blog.

So here are some pictures of sparkling Skelly's and Halloween bling we

saw in a shop window on our recent trip to London.

Still to come.

2011-09-23T11:47:00.004+01:00

Coming soon :-

News of the craft events we will be attending this year.

Lots of new Christmas Cards.

Halloween fun.

and hopefully the launch of our online card shop.

September Road Trip

2011-09-17T09:03:00.021+01:00

We have recently returned from a short road trip in the south of England.

Our first stop was Oxford were we strolled around some of the many

University and college buildings.

Our next stop was Windsor and a tour of Windsor castle. The castle is

the oldest royal residence in the British Isles to have remained in

continuous use, and has been the home of 39 monarchs.

Photography is not allowed inside the castle buildings, but the tour includes

visits to several State and Semi State Apartments including the recently

restored St Georges Hall.

Our next destination was Hastings, but was stopped along the way

for a look around Tunbridge Wells and had some lunch along the Pantiles.

We stayed for two evenings in Hastings Old Town at a beautiful

Bed and Breakfast called Swan House. Hastings Old Town is full of

Trendy Gift shops, along with antique shops and several shops run by local

craft workers. We could not resist making a few purchases.

Whilst in Hastings we had a trip out to Eastbourne Via Bexhill on Sea

and visited the pebble beaches.

Despite the wet and windy weather forecast for our 4 day trip, we were

extremely lucky with the weather and only got wet once in Oxford

and during our time in Hastings it was actually quite warm.

Lights, Fireworks, Action

2011-09-10T16:21:00.015+01:00

Friday 2nd September 2011 saw the annual switch on of The World

famous Blackpool Illuminations. Flicking the switch this year was

comedy character Keith Lemon along with a host of Pop stars.

Among the new features this year is Bing a sparkling display of jewelery made

up of thousands of LED's and strobes, which provide a stunning display.

Also as part of the ongoing refurbishment of Blackpool Tower, The Illuminations

team have replaced the lights at the top of the tower with a new fully

programmable LED system.
Then last night Blackpool promenade was brighter than ever, as along with the

Illuminations, Canada was the first of 4 countries to put on a dazzling display of

fireworks in the first heat of The World Firework championships.

Blackpool Illuminations shine until Sunday 6th November 2011 and there are

firework displays on the next 3 Fridays, 16th, 23rd and 30th September.

We recommend a trip.

Your invited to a 40th Birthday Party

2011-09-08T23:29:00.007+01:00

We were recently asked by two friends to make invitations for their

upcoming 40th birthday parties. One wanted a colour scheme of red

and the other black and white.

We made up 3 different samples for each party and in the end, they both choose

similar designs.

Sweet Peas

2011-08-13T21:02:00.011+01:00

The Dajon garden has taken a bit of a battering these past few days

with heavy rain and blustery winds. Hope we are due some more sunny

weather before the Summer is over.
I thought I would share some picture of this years Sweet Peas taken

on a rare sunny evening last week. Hope they brighten up your day.

Blooming in the Dajon garden now

2011-08-04T07:39:00.016+01:00

Well its a bit quiet card wise at the moment as during June and July we

always take a break from card making. We have been asked to make

invitations for two 40th birthdays, so we are making up samples for those.

We also hope to have some exciting news about our cards at the end of the

Summer.

In the meantime here's a pictorial update of whats blooming in the

Dajon Garden.

The Original Bucks Fizz and Fans - Live at The London Palladium

2011-07-25T00:24:00.015+01:00

Monday 11th July marked a very special day for The Original Bucks Fizz

and their fans. Celebrating 30 years since winning the Eurovision Song Contest

in 1981. Cheryl, Mike and Jay returned to the theatre that they first performed

at, after their Eurovision triumph - The London Palladium.

Nick a friend of mine and I designed a T shirt specially for the occasion

with an image of the group wearing the costumes from the video of their

1981 Christmas single and 2nd number 1 The Land of make believe.

The t shirt was a hit with other fans and lots of people asked were I

had got it from.

I also made some cards with the same image to give to each group member.

Earlier in the day several fans had arranged to meet up at the theatre

for a pre show party. A great opportunity to catch up and share fizz memories.

It was the best Fizz show I have seen, the atmosphere was electric. The group

performed a selection of their greatest hits along with a mix of new tracks

and a fabulous 80's rock medley to a packed theatre. The audience reaction was

fantastic and at times emotional for both the group and the fans.

In the weeks prior to the show a group of fans incuding myself had

arranged a collection to buy Cheryl, Mike and Jay some gifts - Crystal vases,

flowers and cards with our personal messages inside.

These were presented to the group towards the end of the show. It was

a very special moment.

I would like to end this post with a personal thank you from me to

Cheryl, Mike and Jay. Also well done to Cheryl for doing so well in Pop star to

Opera star, and thanks to everyone who voted for her.

Here's to the magic.

One for Summer

2011-06-17T11:25:00.003+01:00

Long before our first visit to Provincetown in 1999, I had a fondness for

lighthouses. We often feature them in our male cards and cards for summer.

This card would also make a great Father's Day card with the appropriate greeting.

In the pink

2011-06-11T11:31:00.004+01:00

Here are a couple of cards, that would bring a smile to any

little girl on her birthday.

Sweet Treats

2011-06-07T21:41:00.003+01:00

Here's a couple of cards for fans of all things sweet.

The card above is embellished with a garland of little sweetie buttons.

The one below has 3 cupcakes, that look good enough to eat, decorated

with glittery pink frosting and a glace flower.

Early Summer garden update.

2011-06-01T11:22:00.014+01:00

As we enter the month of June, we thought it was time for an update on the

Dajon Garden. We are pleased with the way the garden is looking at the

moment. Everything looks fresh and tidy. The new plants we added last year

are now more established.
Here in the North West of England we had one of the hottest Aprils

on record and many plants were a lot further ahead than they would

have normally been.

After the fabulous weather in April, May was a bit of a let down. with a lot

of wet and very windy days. However the rain refreshed the garden

after the previous dry month and is now looking well.

London Pride

Lupin

an abundance of sea pinks

Delphiniums

A new plant for the dajon garden this year

Inula orientalis

but we call it the Mupacrump plant.

Foxglove

Finally, their must be a robins nest nearby as last week this robin

visited the garden on several occasions foraging for food for his new family.

I tried for several days to get a picture of him. These were the best I could do.

The Birdcage

2011-05-27T10:46:00.003+01:00

Here's another new card we made for the stall, for the coffee morning last

weekend. We stamped and embossed the birdcage then embellished with

the 3 little stamped birds on foam pads.

Blooms for Lytham

2011-05-22T11:52:00.006+01:00

The annual coffee morning to raise funds for Lytham in bloom

was extremely well attended yesterday. Along with our card

stall, supporters of the event could also buy from a plant stall, a

stall selling fabulous cakes and pastries. There was also a tombola,

bric a brac stall and a raffle with some wonderful prizes.

Everyone enjoyed the morning and it was good to receive encouraging

comments about our cards, several of which were from people who had

bought cards in the past and the people they had been sent to had

loved them.

As the event was for Lytham in bloom several of our new cards

had a floral theme, and here are a few for you to see.

Flowers And Coffee

2011-05-16T11:36:00.002+01:00

This Saturday 21st May 2011, we shall be selling our handmade greetings

cards at the annual Lytham in Bloom coffee morning at The Assembly Rooms,

Dicconson Terrace, Lytham, Lancashire, 10am - 12.00 noon.

A day with The Original Bucks Fizz

2011-05-10T10:04:00.008+01:00

Last weekend I took a train journey down to Peterborough to catch the last

night of the mini tour by The Original Bucks Fizz celebrating 30 years

since winning Eurovision.

I checked into my hotel and then headed off to the theatre to see what was

happening. I meet up with a group of fans, several who I am friends

with on facebook, but was meeting for the first time. We chatted about

all things Fizz and waited for the group to arrive.

They graciously posed for photographs with us, before going into the

theatre to get ready for the evenings show.

We went back to our hotels to change and met up again later for something

to eat. Then it was on to the theatre for the show.

Cheryl, Mike and JAY did not disappoint with a set list full of Fizz favorites.

Including one or two surprises and a new track from their forthcoming album

which I cannot wait to hear.

As the gig drew to a close many fans came to the front of the stage. I was

lucky enough to already be on the front row and we danced, cheered and clapped

to New Beginning, a great 80's rock medley, The Land of Make believe and finally

Making your Mind up.

I will be back later in the week with some new card designs and info about an event.

Pictures of Spring

2011-04-10T20:06:00.009+01:00

Spring has arrived in The Dajon garden, as you can see from

these pictures, taken over the past few days.

The first butterfly of the year.

The violas have a new lease of life after a long winter nap.

Muscarri, miniature daffs, and tulips.

Watch Out, Watch Out

2011-04-02T18:35:00.001+01:00

The Easter Bunnies are about

Our 2011 Easter Cards are now available from

The Lytham Posy Bowl.

Hanging up the bunting.

2011-03-30T12:40:00.004+01:00

Here's a cute card for spring and summer. We have called it hanging up

the bunting. The stick leg fairy stamp we have only ever used on

Christmas cards in the past, but thought she looked effective using

her wand to hang up the bunting.

We are looking forward to the warmer weather, when we can hang up

the bunting in the dajon garden and sit out and enjoy a glass of wine.

Revamp

2011-03-25T11:12:00.004Z

Here's another treasure from my Grandma's house this Lloyd Loom

nursing chair.

We sprayed it warm grey, then a local upholster friend reupholstered the

seat cushion and another friend made the little square cushion.

It now looks lovely in the front bedroom.

Butterfiles, Flowers, Humming Birds and Cupcakes.

2011-03-20T11:22:00.007Z

Here is a selection of our most recent cards.

Butterfly and glitz.

Butterfly flourish

Daisy Chain

Humming Bird Wishes

Waiting for Spring

Hey Cupcake !

Cupcake Collection.

More soon.

OWOH - Aftershow Party

2011-03-17T11:50:00.007Z

Well its almost a month since OWOH drew to a close and the winners were
announced. So I thought it would be nice to have a little after show party
and revisit some of the wonderful blogs we visited during the event.
Why don't you join us ? 1st on the guest list is Mojca and Vesnas at Objemi drevo/Cherry Time.
We won one of their two giveaways this Granny Style Crocheted Hanger.
Their blog is full of hand made goodies.

Next to arrive is Dymphie from Papreren Avonturen. Dymphie won our
selection of cards. She loves anything to do with paper.

Now here comes Pam from Yoborobo - Her blog really caught our eye.
We really wanted to win her Halloween Doll Joyce, but were not lucky this
time.

Next to arrive is Jeanette from Handmade, another blog of charming handmade items.

Also on the guest list is :-

Joe from Manhandled threads.
Sherry from No Minimalist Here
and all the cute characters from Ragamuffin Primitives.

Why not pour yourself a drink and visit these inspiring blogs
and maybe start following them as we have.

Out and About

2011-03-09T12:54:00.013Z

We have been making the most of the early spring sunny weather. Its

still a little cold, but its nice to wrap up and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine.

The beach at Cleveleys is just a 5 minute drive from home and the

promenade has been extensively modernised and improved over the past

few years with walkways, shelters, picnic areas, lighting and a new cafe.

Here's the view looking south, with Blackpool tower in the distance.

and looking North towards Morecambe Bay and Cumbria

Then last week we drove up to Cumbria and visited Penrith

and Keswick. Both towns have some delightful and unusual shops.

JJ Graham Grocers and Delicatessen in Penrith is and Aladdin's

cave of freshly baked produce, Cheese, preserves, speciality teas

and lots more.

and in Keswick, The Chocolate shop- Ye Olde Friars of Keswick

was full of Easter Treats.

Midnight walks, cards and Mothers Day.

2011-03-04T15:59:00.009Z

Hi everyone - Sorry we have not blogged for over a week, we have been busy
card making, and we have also been on a couple of days out ( more on those soon )

Last night we attended the charity launch night for the Lytham St Annes
midnight walk for Sue Ryder Care. Here are a couple of pictures of our stall,
with a sneak peak of some of our new cards. We have to be honest we did
not sell many. However the main reason for the night was for ladies to
register to take part in the midnight walk in May. Many did just that
so the night was a success.

We have made lots of new cards these past few weeks and will be showing
them on the blog throughout March. Here are 3 designs for starters. which
we made up for both birthdays and Mothers day, which this year in the
UK is Sunday 3rd April.

Our Mothers Day and Easter cards will also be available at
The Lytham Posy Bowl from tomorrow.

A couple of cards and an event.

2011-02-23T23:24:00.007Z

We were recently asked if we would have a stall at the launch night
for one of this years Sue Ryder midnight walks.

The event is talking place next Thursday 3rd March at The Dalmeny Hotel
St Annes, Lancashire. Along with several other gift stalls, ladies will be able
to register to take part in the midnight walk, which will be on Saturday 14th May.
It should be a fun night and a donation from the cards we sell will go to the
Sue Ryder charity.

Sue Ryder Care is a national charity providing health and social care
services in local communities.

4 million hours of care each year
1.4 million home visits to people in need
One of the largest providers of specialist palliative care in the UK
Over 100,000 days of long-term residential care each year
6,000 volunteers support our work
They provide individualised, compassionate care services to people with
end of life and long-term needs. They offer this in people's own homes,
in the community and in hospices and care centres. They also support
families, friends and carers.

Their work goes beyond the UK, with 50 projects across 12 other countries

Its been a while since we attended an event so early in the year
so its been a rush getting some new cards made.

Here are a couple of new cards for you to have a look at.

We will be posting more very soon.

One World One Heart Winner

2011-02-17T14:50:00.006Z

Today the 2011 One World One Heart journey draws to a close.
We have visited some wonderful blogs on this years trip and are
looking forward to visiting some of them again very soon.

120 fellow bloggers visited Dajon Designs on this years adventure
all the names were put into a lucky dip draw and the winner
chosen at random to win our card selection is :-

Dymphie at Papieren Avonturen.

Dymphie - I will contact you shortly for your address details.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to visit our blog and
leave a comment.

Mother's Snowdrops

2011-02-10T12:44:00.010Z

We did our first tidy of the garden for this year today, in
preparation for spring.We are so pleased that the snowdrops, I transplanted from My Grandma's
garden are almost in full bloom. She loved to spend time in the garden
and visit garden centres. So we now have a floral reminder of her, that
will hopefully flower each year.

Elsewhere in the Dajon Garden other bulbs are starting to show

Look at the detail on these other snowdrops

and these crocus are nearly out too.

Spring will soon be here :-)

One World One Heart

2011-01-31T11:50:00.025Z

Welcome to our blog during this One World One Heart event.
If this is your first time visiting us, we would love to see you again
after this event, and if you are a regular visitor, then welcome back.

We have a passion for greeting cards and we love sending them, receiving
them and making them. We have been making handmade cards since 1996,
and we occasionally sell them at craft fairs and charity events.

We blog about our cards and our aim this year is to do that more often.
We also like to blog about our travels, days out and our garden.
Each December we countdown to Christmas with our blog Advent Calendar.

Our giveaway for this years event is once again a selection of our cards
for you to use throughout the year.

3 to send your birthday wishes.

1 for Easter and 1 for Halloween.

3 for Christmas

and finally a special card to celebrate One World One Heart

To be entered into the draw to win our card selection, please leave a comment on this post. Then on 17th February I will pick a name from the hat. The winner will be notified by email, please make sure I can find your email address via your blog.

A special Thank you to Lisa at A Whimsical Bohemian for once again organising this event.

5 of Hearts

2011-01-25T19:28:00.012Z

The Dajon Valentine Collection 2011

Hang your heart

With Love

Love Birds

Pink and Sparkle

Say it with your heart.

15 Random things about John

2011-01-22T09:33:00.013Z

Melissa at Fancilicious Fairylands, a blog I have been following since Halloween,

recently posted 15 random things about herself and encouraged others to do the

same, so here goes :-

1. When I was little Mum would try to get me to eat cabbage by calling it Spock

grass (Spock as in Mr Spock from Star Trek)

2. I used to be in the school choir and we once won the choir section at a music

festival the only trouble was, we were the only choir that turned up.

3. I used to play the side drum in a pipe and drum band.

4. I would love to be able to play the piano.

5. I won a Blue Peter badge in 1983.

6. I still love Kids TV.

7. I still have my collection of Star Wars figures from the 70's & 80's.

8. I have my own language for certain words e.g Milk is Trilock and a Milk shake

is a Trilock Wobble.

9. I like to eat ready salted crisps and chocolate at the same time.

10. I am rubbish at making pastry.

11. I am quite partial to Champagne cocktails.

12. I would love to open a greeting card and coffee shop.

13. My favorite part of the UK is Cornwall.

14. My favorite part of USA is Cape Cod (regular blog readers will already

know this)

15. I am a big kid at heart.

Now its your turn.

Martha

2011-01-14T12:15:00.005Z

We first heard about Martha Stewart on one of our trips to Cape Cod.
She was doing a demonstration on the Today show. We then bought
a copy of her Living magazine. Over the years we have bought Living magazine
from Borders back in the UK, especially the Halloween and Christmas editions.
We then heard that starting this past September a UK edition of Martha Stewart
Living was to be launched, however as yet we have been unable to find this.
Our friend Max a local newsagent now orders the American version for us.
Each month the magazine is full of craft ideas, recipes and lifestyle.
We also have some of Martha's craft tools including a selection of her punches
our favorite being the vintage dove punch, which we used to create some of
our most popular Christmas Cards of 2010

Coming Soon - One World One Heart 2011

2011-01-07T11:45:00.005Z

Lisa at A Whimsical Bohemian is once again hosting this fabulous event.
Launch date for the fifth and final One World One Heart is 30th January 2011.
Click here to find out how you can take part, and stay tuned to our blog for
news of our giveaway.

Twelfth Night

2011-01-05T18:20:00.013Z

To be honest we always thought twelfth night was tomorrow 6th January,
but Ann at Love Making things, a blog we have enjoyed following this past year
has said it is today. We actually took our decorations down yesterday.
I would leave them up as long as possible, but David likes to get the house
back to normal.

Here is what Wikipedia has to say about Twelfth night.

Twelfth Night is a festival in some branches of Christianity marking the

coming of the Epiphany and concluding the twelve days of Christmas. It is

defined by the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary as "the evening of the

fifth of January, preceding Twelfth Day, the eve of the Epiphany, formerly

the last day of the Christmas festivities and observed as a time of merrymaking".

However, there is currently some confusion as to which night is Twelfth Night

some count the night of Epiphany itself (sixth of January) to be Twelfth Night.One source

of this confusion is the Medieval custom of starting each new day at sunset, so

that Twelfth Night precedes Twelfth Day. A recent tradition in some

English-speaking countries holds that it is unlucky to leave Christmas decorations up after Twelfth Night.

Festive Round Up 2010

2010-12-30T17:27:00.015Z

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. With just one day left of 2010
its time for our annual festive round up. The Christmas holiday seem to be
over so quickly and we always try to make the most of the run up to Christmas.
We enjoy putting together our blog Advent calendar. We always do something to
celebrate my Birthday on the 12th,and make sure our tree and decorations are
up by then. This year we delayed my birthday celebrations by a few days as
our friends from America, Stephen and Trevor came to stay. They were in the
UK visiting family for Christmas. We had a fun couple of days and a wonderful
dinner at Twelve.

A few days before Christmas we drove up to Carlise to take our friend
Michael to his parents for Christmas. Their house overlooks the river
Eden and as it had snowed a few days before, the view was a winter wonderland.

Christmas Eve arrived, and so did Mum and Dad to spend Christmas

with us. In the evening we visited our friends Nina and Peter and

we had a fabulous dinner, we took the starter potted Lytham shrimps.

On Christmas Day my brother arrived to celebrate with us.

We saved the present unwrapping until after lunch.

In the afternoon we played dominoes and watched the Doctor Who

and Strictly Come Dancing Christmas specials. We ended the Day

with a buffet supper.

We hope you have enjoyed visiting our blog this year, David and I would

like to wish everyone a very Happy, healthy, peaceful and prosperous

New Year.

Happy Christmas

2010-12-24T14:42:00.004Z

As we open the 24th and final door on our Advent Calendar

we would like to wish all our followers and readers of our

blog a very Happy Christmas.

However you celebrate the day tomorrow we hope you have

a very happy and peaceful time.

Christmas Welcome

2010-12-23T12:51:00.001Z

Along with our outdoor tree visitors to our home are also

welcomed by our Christmas wreath. Here it is behind door 23

we bought just a plain spruce wreath and decorated it with stars,

ribbon and twigs.

Christmas Corner

2010-12-22T10:17:00.003Z

As we open door 22 on our Advent Calendar, we thought we would

share with you a few more of our decorations. I love the colours

in this picture. The Angel came from a shop in Provincetown.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

2010-12-21T00:02:00.002Z

He's making a list and he's checking it twice.

As we open door 21 we see that Santa is on his way.

Heres another I made earlier

2010-12-20T10:56:00.003Z

A Dajon advent calendar would not be complete without a mention

of Blue Peter. So as we open door 20 we reveal another of my cards

I sent into the show in the 1980's. Heres how Mark Curry described the card

live on air. We have also had some huge cards like this tree decorated

with baubles and bangles and underneath an unusual sight, Bonnie

and Willow sat still waiting for Santa.

The Man in the Moon

2010-12-19T11:04:00.005Z

Mother loved Christmas and always decorated the house.

She always had a big tree in the hall with lots

of ornaments she had collected over the years.

We recently shared her ornaments with Mum and Dad

and my brother. Amongst others I choose The Man in the Moon,

as I always enjoyed looking for him on the tree when we visited Mother

when she had put her tree up.

Here he is behind door 19.

Overnight Snow

2010-12-18T17:52:00.003Z

We had quite a fall of snow last evening and overnight.

So behind door 18 is our outdoor tree with its snowy

embellishment.

Christmas Computer

2010-12-17T11:22:00.002Z

Door number 17 and we even decorate our PC

for Christmas.

The Tree's Up

2010-12-16T12:17:00.007Z

This past weekend we put up our Christmas Tree
and here it is behind door 16

Christmas Shopping

2010-12-15T19:27:00.007Z

Today we have been Christmas shopping in Manchester, so as we open

door number 15 we reveal a picture of the Christmas market in Albert Square.

Christmas Clementines

2010-12-14T20:54:00.004Z

Behind door 14 on our Advent Calendar we have some juicy clementines.

We always like to have a bowl of clementines in the house at Christmas.

When my brother and I were little we always used to get a clementine

at the bottom of our Christmas stocking.

Little Tree

2010-12-13T17:09:00.004Z

Behind door 13 is one of our collection of many Christmas Trees.

This is one of our favorite, decorated with teddy bears, stars and parcels.

Birthday Memories

2010-12-12T13:10:00.010Z

As we open door number 12 on my birthday, we remember

my Birthday celebrations from last year with Cheryl Mike and Jay

in Newcastle.

Winter Berries

2010-12-11T17:44:00.003Z

Door number 11. and even in winter , you will always find some colour

in The Dajon Garden.

Choosing the tree

2010-12-10T11:45:00.005Z

Door number 10, and yesterday we went to get our Christmas tree,

which we are looking forward to decorating over the weekend.

Jolly Snowman

2010-12-09T07:27:00.002Z

This jolly snowman behind door number nine is one of

a collection on display around Liverpool One, a new

shopping area in Liverpool city centre.

Christmas Lights

2010-12-08T16:59:00.002Z

We love to go and look at Christmas lights in the towns and cities

in the area, like these ones behind door number 8 in Manchester.

On a cold and frosty morning

2010-12-07T19:20:00.003Z

Yesterday we woke to a hard frost, and everything in the garden

was garnished with spikes of white. So I took the opportunity to take

some pictures for the Advent calendar including this one behind

door number 7 of our ornamental birds with their own frosty

Christmas decorations.

Russian Doll Santa style

2010-12-06T10:59:00.004Z

Behind door number 6 is one of our favorite Christmas decorations

a Russian doll with a Christmas theme.

Also known a a matryoshka doll or babushka doll, a set of dolls

consists of wooden figures, which separate to reveal a smaller doll inside.

The smallest in this set being a little Christmas tree.

Frozen Sunset

2010-12-05T18:58:00.003Z

The Uk is having some severe Winter weather at the moment.

So far our part of the country has escaped the worst of it.

As we open door number 5 on our Advent Calendar we remember

the cold weather of the festive period of 2009 with a view of

the sunset at St Annes Lancashire on New Years Day.

New addition to the Dajon Garden

2010-12-04T22:21:00.004Z

As we open door 4 on our blog Advent calendar we reveal a picture

of the latest addition to The Dajon Garden. We planted this Mahonia

this Autumn. Garnished with frost as it is here and taken from above

it gives the impression of a giant snowflake. Also known as winter sun

we are hoping it will produce some beautiful yellow flowers in the

New Year.

The Posy Bowl at Christmas

2010-12-03T09:36:00.003Z

We love looking at shop window displays at Christmas time.

Florist shops have gorgeous displays both inside and out

with all the Christmas plants and natural decorations.

As we open door number three we see a picture of

The Lytham Posy Bowl, we are pleased that once again

they are selling a selection of our handmade Christmas Cards.