Catching Up On Christmas!

Happy New Year's Eve (or Happy New Year 

in other parts of the globe)!

Man, December was a BLUR. Wow. 

And now, here I am on the last day, with a little free time to help catch up on my blog. Yay!

No supply lists on these guys, but if you'd like to know more details on anything I've used, feel free to drop me a comment or email and I'd be happy to fill you in!

Wintry Window

Dear Santa, some Peace on Earth please

Merry Merry Reindeer

Short and sweet, and now, on to more photo-editing!

I've enjoyed reading blog posts from around the 'net, seeing year-in-review card parades. I love when crafters do that. Happy eye candy. :-)

Once again, Happy New Year, and thanks for every visit and comment you've blessed me with!

Vintage Christmas

Hello there! I'm back to share another Christmas card, and this one uses no stamps at all.

That "tweet" tag is from Cavallini & Co., and it comes pre-glittered, and with the twine attached. That made this card very easy to put together! A couple of die-cut borders from K & Co. beneath it, and pretty papers from Basic Grey, and bam, it was finished. 

Have I wished this out loud before:  that Thanksgiving was mid-November, so the Christmas season was a smidgen longer than it already is?? Like everyone else, I'm in a mad dash to "get it all done", and I'm not really able to thoroughly enjoy and soak in what the season is truly all about. And...I'm an organized gal, too! Can't even imagine the stress if I were not organized. 

Last night, after work, I spent two hours mostly finishing up shopping for gifts. Four stores, and my last stop was Home Goods. Now, THERE'S a happy place (besides Ikea, and any crafting stores)!! It just feels good to be there. :-) I found Kahlua Peppermint Mocha bagged coffee for $5.99 each (not long ago, I saw them on eBay 2 for $22!!!!) = score! Some eggnog-flavored coffee jumped into my basket, too.  It's my FAVORITE flavor of coffee, so I needed to stock up. I bought delicious gifts of food for people on my list, too, and a candle that smells divine for our home.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend! Enjoy!

Paper: patterns - Wassail - Basic Grey; River Rock - Stampin' Up! Ink: Walnut Stain - Ranger Fibers: white cotton string Accessories & Tools: vintage tag - Cavallini & Co.; flourishes die cut borders - K & Co.; gold doily - Wilton

Amaryllis Wishes

I've never grown an amaryllis, but boy, they sure are pretty! This is an amaryllis K & Co. sticker, set atop branches from Peaceful Wishes (Stampin' Up!). 

Salmon satin-shimmer patterned paper for a holiday card? Sure, why not!

Gotta have "Joy to the world" alongside "Peaceful Wishes."  They go hand-in-hand, don't ya think?

Sending you peaceful wishes today, and thanks for dropping in!

Stamps: Daily Designs Sentiments - Papertrey Ink; Peaceful Wishes - Stampin' Up! Paper: pink - Luxury Stack - DCWV; text, Handsome Hunter - Stampin' Up!; white, Vintage Cream - Papertrey Ink

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Handsome Hunter, Old Olive - Stampin' Up!; Memento Tuxedo Black - Tsukineko; Antique Linen - Ranger Fibers: crochet trim - Hero Arts; vintage thread Accessories & Tools: Tiny Tags die - Papertrey Ink; pink, white pearls - Queen & Co.; amaryllis sticker - K & Co. 

Peace, tied up with a big bow

If only it were that easy to give peace, and hand it over with a big bow tied on it.

We live in a dark world, and I'm trying my very best to be a bright light to others. As a believer, my hope comes from the Lord. Each morning when I wake, I pray that I always put others first, that it's not about me, that others need to be lifted. 

“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” ~ Mother Teresa 

The little acts of kindness add up!

Stamps: Merry Christmas Trees - Hero Arts Paper: River Rock patterned paper - Stampin' Up!; Vintage Cream - Papertrey Ink Fibers: champagne satin ribbon; ivory braided trim - Waverly Accessories & Tools: pearls - Recollections; Arches border punch - EK Success

Greetings of the Season

Hello there! 

I have a kit from My Mind's Eye called Winter Wonderland. It has patterned papers, stickers and chipboard pieces, all in a whimsical style (read: not my usual style). I created a bunch of cards using the bits and pieces from this kit, and would like to share with you today!

Stamps: Holiday Sayings - Hero Arts Paper: white, kraft - Papertrey Ink; red polka dot - Winter Wonderland - My Mind's Eye; stripe, snowflakes - Stampin' Up! Fibers: gold cord Accessories & Tools: matte gold sequins - MJ Trimming; gold sequins - Pretty Pink Posh; Decorative Doily Duo die - My Favorite Things; chipboard pieces - Winter Wonderland - My Mind's Eye

Stamps: Tag-Its #8 - Papertrey Ink Paper: white - Papertrey Ink; houses - Winter Wonderland - My Mind's Eye; stripe, snowflakes - Stampin' Up! Ink: Tuxedo Black - Tsukineko; Soft Sky - Stampin' Up! Fibers: vintage thread Accessories & Tools: red felt snowflakes - Stampin' Up!; Tiny Tags dies - Papertrey Ink; rhinestone - Queen & Co; chipboard pieces - Winter Wonderland - My Mind's Eye; holly die cut border - K & Co.

Okay, so at this point, I am not including the supply lists for the remaining cards, but feel free to ask me if you have a burning question!  Be sure to leave a way for me to reach you. :-)

That's it for now!  It's Saturday morning as I type this, and I'm heading out to take my youngest to the stores so she can do her Christmas shopping. 

Be Merry, Be Blessed!

Deck The Halls

I've long been a fan of the stickers and embellishments by K & Co. My local JoAnn store carried a gorgeous assortment, and I stocked up. When I recently went to buy some more, to my chagrin...they are GONE. They still carry a few by K & Co., but nothing that suits me. They don't even carry 'em on their website anymore. My heart broke a little. ;-)

The card below uses a puffy, glitter-filled sticker and holly border die cut by you-know-who, a golden doily, some pretty patterned papers from Anna Griffin, and sequins from Pretty Pink Posh....and it was done! 

Paper: patterns - Calisto - Anna Griffin; River Rock - Stampin' Up! Accessories & Tools: gold doily - Wilton; puffy sticker, holly border die cut- K & Co.; gold sequins - Pretty Pink Posh  

The next card has a more vintage flair. It started with a sweet little vintage embellishment, given to me from a friend. The old-fashioned image of children on a sled, surrounded by wine-colored frame encrusted with glitter and topped with a mini clothespin, was my starting point. Then I added a striped die cut frame, another golden doily, chipboard numbers from Girls' Paperie, and poinsettia stickers from...K & Co.

I used a piece of text-y patterned paper from My Mind's Eye behind it all.

Feels good to be blogging on a Saturday morning. :-)

Enjoy your day!!

Paper: Handsome Hunter, Sahara Sand - Stampin' Up!; text -  Lost & Found Union Square - My Mind's Eye Ink: Frayed Burlap, Old Paper - Ranger Fibers: twine - May Arts

Accessories & Tools: vintage embellishment - a friend; poinsettia stickers - K & Co.; gold doily - Wilton; striped frame die cut - Bo Bunny; chipboard numbers - Girls' Paperie

Pink Polka Dot Christmas Tree

It's December, and only 20 days 'til Christmas!!!! How did that happen??  We've had a warmer-than-normal fall, and so it doesn't really feel like the holidays are coming at us so fast.  

Our girls surprised us by decorating the house, and even dragging down the Christmas tree from the attic and setting it up themselves (ornaments yet to come). That is a HUGE help. Huge. I just finished decorating our office this past week, and I sure wasn't ready to do the same to our home just yet. Wasn't that nice of the kids?? I am grateful.

I'm fairly well-organized, so most of my shopping is done. Most. Not all. As much as I love Christmas time, it sure is stressful. Year after year, I usually have a little meltdown right about now, and feel completely overwhelmed. 

About this card: I have an affinity for pink and blue Christmas cards. (HERE is one I made in 2010.) They are so sweet. I used a pink polka dot pattern from My Mind's Eye Lost & Found Madison Avenue paper pad and the Christmas Tree die from Papertrey Ink. First I die-cut the tree from white cardstock, I think 3 or 4 times, gluing each layer together. The final layer is the thin patterned paper. Princess Pink sequins from Neat & Tangled make great ornaments. :-)

I stamped Stampin' Up!'s Dictionary background on a cream cardstock base. Sigh. Really love that look. What a shame it is now retired!

Thanks so much for taking a peek today. I hope you have a weekend that is full of things that make you happy!

Stamps: Dictionary - Stampin' Up!; Tiny Tags - Papertrey Ink Paper: Vintage Cream, white - Papertrey Ink; pink polka dot - Lost & Found Madison Avenue; snowflake  - Be Merry - My Mind's Eye Ink: Going Gray, Crumb Cake - Stampin' Up  Fibers: cream twine - American Crafts; crochet trim - Inspired By Stamping; vintage thread Accessories & Tools: Scallop Circle Bigz die - Sizzix/Stampin' Up!; Tiny Tags, Christmas Tree dies - Papertrey Ink; Princess Pink sequins - Neat & Tangled