Merry Christmas Eve

It is Christmas Eve. The shopping is done, the presents are all wrapped, and now it is time to relax. Tomorrow will be filled with fun and excitement, but tonight it is peaceful and quiet. I am really looking forward to Christmas morning. Now that my son is 3, he should have a grand time looking in his stocking, opening his gifts, and seeing what Santa brought him. There will, of course, be sadness as well. It will be hard not having my husband here, but this is the 2nd Christmas without him, so it will be a bit easier. I remember past Christmases and try to focus on the happiness we shared. And I look forward to seeing the joy on my son's face in the morning as he rips into the colorful wrapping paper and discovers the wonders within.

As we prepare for the festivities of tomorrow, let me quickly share another Christmas card. I made this for a friend who loves pink - not the traditional color we associate with Christmas, but I like it.

SUPPLIES:
Patterned paper (DCWV Christmas Stack from a few years ago)
Ribbon (silver - Joann's, pink - American Crafts)
Christmas Sentiment Stamp (Stampin' Up)
Pigment Ink (cranberry)
Embossing powder (clear)
Scallop Punch


CHALLENGES:
*Creative Craft Challenges 2 (Challenge: Non-Traditional Christmas)
*Die Cuttin Divas (Challenge #95 - More Holiday Spirit)
*Hooked on Craft Challenges (Challenge #27 - Christmas)
*Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenge Blog (Challenge #107 - Merry Christmas)
*The Pink Elephant (Challenge #180 - Anything Goes)
*Quirky Crafts Challenges (Challenge #26 - Last Minute Christmas)
*Sparkles Monthly Challenges (Challenge #39 - Anything Goes)



Thanks for stopping by! And Merry Christmas!!!

Kelly

White Christmas

I was beginning to think it would be a green Christmas this year. Today Mother Nature decided to prove me wrong and dumped several inches of snow on us. I did not appreciate having to shovel in the cold, windy, blustery weather. I suppose I shouldn't complain though. Average snowfall here in central NY for the month of December is usually 24 inches. So I guess we have gotten off pretty easy this year. Christmas is just a couple of days away, which means I won't have too many more Christmas cards to share with you. But I do have one today.

SUPPLIES:
Cardstock (red)
Embossing folder (Snowflakes)
Patterned paper (Colorbok)
Ribbon (Joann's)
Poinsettia stickers (unknown)


CHALLENGES:
*Anything Goes Challenge Blog (Challenge #82  - Traditional Colors)
*Celebrate the Occasion (Challenge #93 - Christmas: Anything Goes)
*Die Cuttin Divas (Challenge #95 - More Holiday Spirit)
*Forever Friends (Challenge #51 - Christmas Cards)
*Hooked on Craft Challenges (Challenge #27 - Christmas)
*Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenge Blog (Challenge #107 - Merry Christmas)
*Sparkles Monthly Challenges (Challenge #39 - Anything Goes)



Thanks for stopping by!

Kelly

Embossed Christmas Cards

I love using my Cuttlebug for embossing on my craft projects. There is something really satisfying about putting a plain piece of cardstock in the embossing folder, cranking it through the machine, and getting a beautifully embossed image. I just love it! :-) So today I am sharing a couple of Christmas cards I made using one of my all-time favorite embossing folders . . . Snowflakes. I added a stamped image (that I heat embossed before coloring) and some ribbon to complete the cards. Quick and easy, just what I needed for some last minute Christmas cards.

SUPPLIES:
Cardstock (green, red, white)
Embossing folder (Snowflakes)
Stamp (Christmas Ornaments by Hampton Art Stamps)
Pigment ink (black)
Embossing powder (black)
Ribbon (Michael's)


CHALLENGES:
*Anything Goes Challenge Blog (Challenge #82  - Traditional Colors)
*Forever Friends (Challenge #51 - Christmas Cards)
*Hooked on Craft Challenges (Challenge #27 - Christmas)
*The Pink Elephant (Challenge #178 - Photo Inspiration)
*Sparkles Monthly Challenges (Challenge #39 - Anything Goes)
*Tuesday Alchemy (Challenge #44 - Anything Goes) 





Today I had a family Christmas party to attend and made these cute little Hot Cocoa Pudding Mugs. Aren't they adorable? The mug is made out of pudding (and some unflavored gelatin), the handle is a pretzel, and then there is whipped cream and tiny marshmallows on top. They were a big hit at the party and I plan on making them again for another Christmas party next week.

Thanks for stopping by!

Kelly

Busy with Holiday Preparations

Sorry I haven't been around much. December is just crazy around here. Trying to finish my Christmas cards, planning my son's 3rd birthday party, finishing my Christmas shopping, etc. I am not completely sure where the last 10 days disappeared to. Today I did manage to find time to complete a few more Christmas cards, so let me share one of them with you. I apologize for the quality of the photo (I tried to make up for the poor lighting by using the flash). .

SUPPLIES:
Cardstock (green, red, white)
Patterned paper (Colorbok C9 Harvest Holiday 2)
Stamps (Christmas Gifts by Hampton Art Stamps, Celebrate the Season by Stampin' Up)
Pigment ink (black, red)
Embossing powder (black, red)
Ribbon (Michael's)
Scallop Punch


CHALLENGES:
*Anything Goes Challenge Blog (Challenge #82  - Traditional Colors)
*Celebrate the Occasion (Challenge #92 - Christmas: Must Use a Punch)
*Die Cuttin Divas (Challenge #94 - Holiday Spirit)
*Forever Friends (Challenge #51 - Christmas Cards)
*Hooked on Craft Challenges (Challenge #27 - Christmas)
*Sparkles Monthly Challenges (Challenge #38 - Christmas is Coming)
*Tuesday Alchemy (Challenge #44 - Anything Goes) 




Thanks for stopping by!


Kelly

Happy Holidays

Only 23 days until Christmas. Wow, where has the time gone? Can you believe the year is almost over? I still have so much to do, including my son's 3rd birthday party in 2 weeks. Having a December baby was really bad planning on my part. :-)

We did get all of our Christmas decorations put up yesterday. My handmade Countdown to Christmas has been put back into action. The windows in Alex's room and the French doors in the dining room are covered in holiday window clings, the Christmas tree is up and decorated, and even the refrigerator has been festooned with Christmas-themed magnets.

My son and I took turns wearing the jingle bell antlers while we decorated. Aren't we festive?

I am still hard at work trying to finish my Christmas cards so that they can be mailed out (hopefully later this week). Today's card features a stamped focal image, rather than my usual cutter files. I stamped the image and then heat embossed it with black embossing powder before coloring it in. The sentiment is also stamped. Some sparkly ribbon and a poinsettia sticker finished things off. I really like the poinsettia sticker but have no idea where it came from. It was still in plastic packaging but there was no identifying information. That is the trouble with holding onto supplies for so long . . . you forget where you got them (and sometimes even forget why you got them).

Supplies:
Cardstock (green, white)
Patterned paper (The Paper Studio)
Stamps (Christmas Gifts by Hampton Art Stamps, Winter Wishes by K Andrew Designs)
Pigment ink (black, true red)
Embossing powder (black)
Ribbon (Joann's)
Poinsettia sticker


CHALLENGES:
*Sparkles Monthly Challenges (Challenge #38 - Christmas is Coming)
*Hooked on Craft Challenges (Challenge #27 - Christmas)
*Party Time Tuesdays (Challenge #96 - Anything Goes)
*Simon Says Stamp (Challenge - Anything Goes)
*Tuesday Alchemy (Challenge #42 - Anything Goes) 
*2 Sisters Challenge Blog (Challenge #120 - Christmas Sparkle)
*365 Cards (Challenge #274 - 2-Color CAS Card)


Thanks for stopping by!

Kelly

Nine Patch Shuffle Cards

I'm still working on my Christmas cards. I was able to whip out several using a file from Accents by Eddita (Nine Patch Shuffle). This is also a great way to use up scraps.

Supplies:
Cardstock (red, green, white)
Patterned paper (DCWV, Colorbok, miscellaneous scraps)
Sentiment stamp (Winter Wishes Stamp Set by K Andrew Designs)
Pigment Ink (True Red, Kelly Green)
Nine Patch Shuffle cutter file (Accents by Eddita)


CHALLENGES:
*Sparkles Monthly Challenges (Challenge #38 - Christmas is Coming)
*Hooked on Craft Challenges (Challenge #27 - Christmas)
*Party Time Tuesdays (Challenge #96 - Anything Goes)
*Simon Says Stamp (Challenge - Anything Goes)
*Tuesday Alchemy (Challenge #42 - Anything Goes) 








Thanks for stopping by!

Kelly

Another Candy Cane

Today I am sharing a card that was made with the same cutter file as yesterday, but has a completely different look.

Supplies:
Cardstock (white, red, green, dark green)
Patterned paper (Colorbok C9 Harvest Holiday 2 Paper Pad)
Red glitter ribbon (Joann's)
Candy cane ribbon (Michael's)
Candy cane cutter file (from Christmas Card Shapers 1 by Sam & Hailey Designs)



CHALLENGES:
*Sparkles Monthly Challenges (Challenge #38 - Christmas is Coming)
*Hooked on Craft Challenges (Challenge #27 - Christmas)


Thanks for stopping by!

Kelly

Candy Cane Shaped Card

Here is another shaped card from the same cutter file set as yesterday (Christmas Card Shapers 1 by Sam & Hailey Designs). Quick and simple but super cute.

I took my son to see Santa yesterday. He did much better than last year. Last year I only managed one quick photo before Alex started crying. This year he sat on Santa's lap long enough to get a few good shots, although I couldn't get him to smile. We are planning on visiting another Santa in a couple of weeks. Maybe I'll get a smile out of him then.


CHALLENGES:
*Sparkles Monthly Challenges (Challenge #38 - Christmas is Coming)
*Hooked on Craft Challenges (Challenge #27 - Christmas)


Thanks for stopping by!

Kelly

Gingerbread Man

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We spent a fabulous day with family and ate way too much (as usual). Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, I need to get moving with my Christmas cards. I have only finished a handful so far. Expect to see quite a few over the next several weeks. Can you believe Christmas is only a month away? So much to do and so little time. Every year I say I am going to start my cards and my shopping and everything else earlier so I don't get all stressed out. And yet every year I find myself in the same situation - Thanksgiving ends and I start the mad dash to complete all my projects before Christmas. And then I make the excuse of "Oh, I work better under pressure anyway". And the cycle repeats. :-) One of these years I am going to start my Christmas cards in the summer and really get myself ahead of the game. One of these years . . .

Anyway, today I have a fun shaped card to share. Sam & Hailey Designs has a whole series of shaped Christmas card cutter files to choose from. I bought the whole set so expect to see a number of shaped Christmas cards in the near future. I find it enjoyable to break out of the rectangular card mold every so often. Gift someone with an unexpected card.

 

This cute little gingerbread man is from the set Christmas Card Shapers 1. The base is cut from white cardstock and the next layer is brown cardstock. The bowtie and buttons are red cardstock, with red Stickles added to the buttons. I used Liquid Applique to look like icing for his face and squiggles. I think he is pretty cute.


CHALLENGES:
*Sparkles Monthly Challenges (Challenge #38 - Christmas is Coming)
*Hooked on Craft Challenges (Challenge #27 - Christmas)


Thanks for stopping by!

Kelly

Happy Thanksgiving

I just want to take today to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving. May you enjoy a wonderful day with friends and family. We are expecting an unusually warm and sunny day here in upstate NY. It is supposed to be near 60 degrees. Typically this time of year we would be in the 30s and probably see snow. Yet another reason to give thanks today. We will probably be able to send the kids outside to run off some of their boundless energy. My son and I are heading to my brother-in-law's for Thanksgiving. Looking forward to spending time with family. And Alex is sure to have a blast playing with his cousins. And, of course, everyone will eat way too much. But that is part of the Thanksgiving tradition, right? :-) Here is a photo of the cheesecake I made for dessert.

And, finally, I just want to share a picture of my son. He is my greatest blessing and the reason I am most thankful. He is a wonderful, amazing, silly little boy whom I love with every fiber of my being.

Happy Thanksgiving! And thanks for stopping by!

Kelly

Subway Art

Subway art is very popular right now. I have purchased a couple of signs with fun/inspirational sayings on them. I have one in my bedroom that begins with "Wake Up Smiling" and I have one in the living room that includes "Create Something Every Day" and "Snuggle as Much as Possible". All things which I strive to do. Anyway, there are a lot of great subway art signs out there you can buy. But today I want to share a sign that I made myself. You may have noticed it in the photo of the vinyl alphabet I put up in my son's room. If you missed that post, you can find it here.


Here is the sign that I made.

I started with an 8" x 24" canvas and painted it with dark chocolate acrylic paint. Then I cut the words and images from vinyl. They are all from a cutter file by Chris Durnan (which you can find here). The file cut so beautifully! I love cutting vinyl. It was a little tricky adhering the vinyl to the canvas because the vinyl didn't really want to stick to it. I couldn't use transfer tape so I ended up sticking all of the pieces on by hand. I learned later that you are supposed to let it sit for up to a week after painting before applying the vinyl. Next time I will try to wait the requisite time and see if it works better. It took longer having to apply the vinyl piece by piece, but it was well worth the effort. I just love how it turned out! After I was finished,  I sprayed a few coats of clear Krylon on top to hold the vinyl in place. That didn't really do the trick so I ended up applying a few coats of decoupage medium over the canvas. That seemed to seal it well.


CHALLENGES:
* Tuesday Alchemy (Challenge #41 - Anything But a Card)



Thanks for stopping by!

Kelly

Thanksgiving Blessings

Here is my last Thanksgiving card for this year. I sent this card to my parents, who have been such a blessing my entire life.

It features two different patterned papers from Cloud 9 Design. I added brown grosgrain ribbon to hide the seam. Underneath the ribbon, I used my Sew Easy to add stitching. The cornucopia is a cutter file from Chris Durnan. And the sentiment is from K Andrew Designs (Amazing You Stamp Set).


CHALLENGES:
*Anything Goes Challenge Blog (Challenge #80 - Stitching: Real or Faux)
*Die Cuttin Divas (Challenge #92 - Thanksgiving) 
*Party Time Tuesdays (Challenge #95 - Color/Picture Challenge)
*The Pink Elephant (Challenge #175 - Giving Thanks)



Thanks for stopping by!

Kelly

Fun Thanksgiving Card

Just a few more days until Thanksgiving. I am looking forward to a day of family, fun and turkey. The Thanksgiving meal has to be one of my favorites - turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, etc. Yummy! I go to my brother-in-law's for Thanksgiving and he is an amazing cook. Yet another reason to be thankful - I get a wonderful meal without all of the hard work. :-) Well, I do take a dessert with me, usually some form of cheesecake. Last year it was a triple chocolate cheesecake. This year I am making a chocolate mousse cheesecake. Anyway, enough talk about food. I have a Thanksgiving card to share with you today.

The background paper is from the Cloud 9 Design Harvest Holiday 2 paper pad, which I matted on brown cardstock. I added some brown grosgrain ribbon and a few rhinestones along the bottom of the card. The little bow was made with brown cord I found in amongst my ribbon. The focal image, the darling turkey with his protest sign, is a cutter file from Shirley Clark. I think he is one of the cutest turkeys I have ever seen, although not cute enough to get me to give up my turkey dinner.


CHALLENGES:
*My Craft Spot (Challenge #76 - Thanksgiving)
*Party Time Tuesdays (Challenge #94 - Happy Thanksgiving)
*365 Cards (Challenge #259 - Wordy)


Thanks for stopping by!

Kelly

Quick & Easy Thanksgiving Card

Today I have another Thanksgiving card to share. This was a super quick and easy card to make.

I used two layers of cardstock for the base - brown and then maroon. Then I added a piece of patterned paper from that same seasonal pack I have been using (Cloud 9 Design Harvest Holiday 2). The sentiment is from K Andrew Designs (Fall-O-Ween Stamp Set) and was stamped with gold ink. The acorns and purple oak leaves are puffy stickers I found at Wal-Mart.



CHALLENGES:
*Party Time Tuesdays (Challenge #94 - Happy Thanksgiving)
*Peachy Keen Stamps Challenge (Challenge #44 - Color Inspiration)
*Simon Says Stamp (Challenge - Thanksgiving / Thank You)
*Tuesday Alchemy (Challenge #40 - Anything Goes)


Thanks for stopping by!

Kelly

Christmas Card with Non-Traditional Colors

I love making Christmas cards. Ornaments, Christmas trees, candy canes, wreaths, Santa, snowflakes, snowmen, etc. There are so many images associated with Christmas. And the colors of red and green are everywhere during the Christmas season. So sometimes it is a nice change to make a card in non-traditional colors. Think blue and silver or, in this case, pink and black.

I made this card based on a sketch I found over at Cupcake Craft Challenges. The patterned papers are from a DCWV Christmas Stack from a few years ago. The focal image is a stamp by Hampton Art Stamps. After coloring the image, I added a few pink gems to one of the ornaments with my i-rock. The sentiment is from K Andrew Designs (Winter Wishes Stamp Set). I added pen stitching around some of the elements and adhered them with foam squares for added dimension. So what do you think of the non-traditional colors? Do you like it or would you prefer the standard red and green?


CHALLENGES:
*Anything Goes Challenge Blog (Challenge #80 - Stitching: Real or Faux)
*Cupcake Craft Challenges (Challenge #218 - Sketch)
*Hooked on Craft Challenges (Challenge #26 - Christmas: No Red or Green)
*Sparkles Monthly Challenges (Challenge #38 - Christmas is Coming)


Thanks for stopping by!

Kelly

Christmas Explosion Box

Today I am sharing a fun Christmas gift I made - an explosion box. I have seen explosion boxes that others have made and always thought they looked like fun. I finally made one of my own with the help of a cutter file by Shelly's Art. Now that I have it finished, the big question is who to give it to.


Here it is all closed up, tied with a sparkly green ribbon from Joann's. The patterned papers used throughout the project are all from that same seasonal paper pad I have been using by Colorbok (Cloud 9 Design Harvest Holiday 2). The glittery snowflake attached to the ribbon is from Shelly's Build a Wreath file. I layered two pieces together and then coated both sides with red Stickles.

 Here it is open and you can see all of the layers and a fun 3D tree in the center. The tree actually comes with the explosion box file, which you can find here.

Here are all of the layers side by side. Some of the panels are decorated with patterned paper, and to some I have added photos. The Merry Christmas sentiment is from Shelly's Christmas Word Charms file and the snowman is from her Build a Snowman file. After attaching the snowman to the panel, I added some Sparkly Fluff to look like a snow drift.

Here is a closeup of the 3D tree in the center of the box. The green cardstock underneath the tree was embossed with a snowflake embossing folder. I decorated the tree with gems using my i-rock and added yellow Stickles to the star.

Isn't this a fun project? And the recipient will get such a surprise when they remove the lid of the box! With all of the photos of my son, I am thinking this will be a good gift for the grandparents. What do you think?

CHALLENGES:

*Sparkles Monthly Challenges (Challenge #38 - Christmas is Coming)

*Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenge Blog (Challenge #102 - Anything Goes) 

*Quirky Crafts Challenge Blog (Challenge #23 - Layer it Up & Let it Snow)

Thanks for stopping by!

Kelly

Christmas Reindeer

I will have a few more Thanksgiving cards to share within the next week, but I have also begun working on my Christmas cards. So today I would like to share one of those.

The patterned paper is from a paper pad by Colorbok (Cloud 9 Design Harvest Holiday 2). I picked this paper pack up last year and there are a lot of great designs in it. You may have noticed that I have used it in most of my recent posts. The cute little reindeer are from a cutter file by Beloved Keepsakes. I added several Christmas brads I had in my stash that matched the background paper.

Come back tomorrow to see a fun Christmas gift I made.

CHALLENGES:

*Sparkles Monthly Challenges (Challenge #38 - Christmas is Coming)

*Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenge Blog (Challenge #102 - Anything Goes) 

*One Stop Craft Challenge (Challenge #204 - Anything Goes)

Thanks for stopping by!

Kelly

Be Thankful

Next week is Thanksgiving, a time to reflect on your blessings and reasons to be thankful. Although I have had a very rough year, there is still much to be thankful for. I am thankful for my amazing son, who is the light of my life. I am thankful for my parents and sister and the rest of my caring and supportive family, who have been my rocks over the last year. I am thankful for my friends who have been there through tears and laughter. I am thankful for my crafting, which is a wonderful outlet and stress reliever, and has introduced me to wonderful new friends. There is more, but let's leave it at that for now.

Today I am sharing a Thanksgiving card. As we reflect on our blessings, why not send a card to those for whom you are thankful? Share with them what they mean to you and you will give them another reason to be thankful.

I used a sketch file by I Scrap Designs as the base for this card. The patterned papers are from Colorbok (Cloud 9 Design Seasonal Paper Pad). I dug into some of my hoarded supplies for the accents. The brown buckle (a brad) and the raffia I looped through it have been hanging out in my craft supplies for who knows how long. Many years, I can tell you. The turkey and Be Thankful sentiment are layered stickers I found at Wal-Mart. I like the idea of sending out Thanksgiving cards. Not many people do it so it is a nice surprise for the recipient.

CHALLENGES:

*VDBC Forum (Nov/Dec Sketch Challenge)

*Use It Tuesday (Challenge #43: Be Thankful)

*Party Time Tuesdays (Challenge #94 - Happy Thanksgiving)

*Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenge Blog (Challenge #102 - Anything Goes)

*Scrapalicious (Challenge - Being Thankful)

*Die Cuttin Divas (Challenge #91 - Color Challenge)

Thanks for stopping by!

Kelly

A Day at the Park

We had an unseasonably warm day a few weeks ago and my son and I took advantage of it by going to a nearby park. My son had such a fun time and I, of course, took lots of pictures. It is fun to scrap an everyday kind of thing like playing at the park, rather than just the usual focus of big holidays and events.

 Patterned papers are all from EK Success. I used several files on this layout (all from Beloved Keepsakes) - the title, the sun and clouds, and the extra suns. The clouds were embossed with swirls and I added Stickles to the center of the small sun. The faces on the two large suns is a Peachy Keen stamp.

Looking at these pictures shows me just how much my son has grown recently. At the beginning of the summer, he couldn't/wouldn't go on the slide by himself. Now he climbs right up those steps like there is nothing to it. My baby is growing way too fast!



CHALLENGES:
*Peachy Keen Stamps (Challenge #43 - Anything Goes)
*One Stop Craft Challenge (Challenge #204 - Anything Goes)


Thanks for stopping by!

Kelly

Up & Away

I have been trying hard to complete more scrapbook layouts. When I saw that the challenge this week over at Celebrate the Occasion was "Up & Away" I decided to pull out my photo box and finally scrap the hot air balloon ride I went on back in 2001. It was a wonderful experience. If you haven never been up in a hot air balloon, I highly recommend it.

Here is the left page. The title is a file from Accents by Eddita. The ribbon is from American Crafts.

As you can see, the bottom left photo is mounted on a flap that opens to allow more pictures (this is a file from I Scrap Designs). I took many pictures of the scenery and wanted to be able to include several without cluttering the page. This was the perfect way.

The right page uses the same ribbon from American Crafts. I used a photo I took of the sign on the hot air balloon as a page accent.

Come back tomorrow. I have another scrapbook layout to share.

CHALLENGES:

*Celebrate the Occasion (Challenge #87 - Up & Away)

 

 

Thanks for stopping by!

Kelly