Ornament Christmas Card

I have another Christmas card to share with you today, with lots of sparkle and bling. I used a cutter file from Visual Designs by Chris (Ornament Card Front) to create this card. I love this file because there are only 2 cuts to make, one for each layer. And you could just stop there and have a beautiful card. I, of course, couldn't resist adding some extra details. The background was embossed with the Large Snowflake Cuttlebug folder. I used a gold paint marker to add pen stitching around the outside and to color the tops of each ornament. Using my i-rock, I attached some red, green and gold gems to one of the ornaments. I added green, red and gold Stickles to a couple of the other ornaments. I also added a clear rhinestone that I colored with the gold paint marker to the other ornament. I just love all the sparkle!






Challenges:
*The Pink Elephant (Challenge #128 - Snowflakes & Sparkle)
*Creative Craft Challenges (Challenge - Faux or Real Stitching)


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Holiday Antler Cards

Here are 3 cards I made using a file collection from Accents by Eddita (Antler Holiday Card Collection). The patterned papers are from Cloud 9 Design. I used the Large Snowflake and Ornament Collection embossing folders. These were quick and simple to put together, and I love how they turned out.








Challenges:
*Anything Goes Challenge Blog (Challenge #55 - Decorative or Altered Corners)


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Winter Wishes Snowman Card

Here is a Christmas card I made using a cutter file from Visual Designs by Chris (Skating Snowman). The background paper is from DCWV (I think). The snowflake background is cut from ice blue vinyl. I added black Stickles to the eyes and buttons on the snowman. The little pom-pom on the hat has Sparkly Fluff added to it. The sentiment and snowflake stamp are from K. Andrew's Winter Wishes stamp set. This snowman is so adorable. He makes me smile every time I look at him.

Challenges:
*Celebrate the Occasion Challenge #42 (Christmas - no green)
*One Stop Craft Challenge (Challenge #160 - Let it Snow)


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Gearing Up For Christmas

I cannot believe Christmas is only a few weeks away. I am slowly getting back into crafting, beginning with a bunch of Christmas cards I plan to share over the next week. But for today I want to share an advent calendar I made last year. This is a project I made using a file collection by Jen Adkins over at Paperthreads (Countdown to Christmas).


Here is my completed Countdown to Christmas project. It took me over a week to complete, but it was so worth it! I am so very happy with how this turned out. And I can use it for years and years to come. The base of the project is a cookie sheet and all of the little elements are magnets. As you remove each piece, you can simply attach it to the backside of the cookie sheet.




I used 2 different patterned papers for the base of the cookie sheet. The paper is attached using decoupage paste. I made it into a grid using some green ribbon. I printed the numbers out twice, once in red and once in green. Then I used a circle punch to punch out the numbers. I glued these down in alternating colors inside the squares of my grid. The title is cut from some sparkly vinyl I had.




When I glued the paper to the cookie sheet, I let it hang over the edges. To clean this up and make it look more finished, I went around the whole cookie sheet with some striped Christmas ribbon I picked up at Joann's.




I had so much fun decorating all the different elements. I used markers to go around the outside edges of all the pieces and to add details. Lots of Stickles were used to add color and sparkle. I used some colored rhinestones for the man's eyes and a metal star charm for his hat.




I used markers to add details like the girl's eyes and nose and the snowman's mouth. More Stickles were used. I used rhinestones for the snowman's eyes and silver circles to decorate the one tree. The other tree has a star charm on top.




I used a white gel pen for the gingerbread people. The penguin, Santa, the hat and the stocking all have sparkly fluff added to the white parts. I used some googly eyes on the reindeer. Santa's eyes and the center of the snowflake are rhinestones. The bottom layer of the snowflake was cut from holographic paper.




I hope you enjoyed seeing my advent calendar. My plan is to start blogging regularly again so please come back and visit.

Challenges:
*Scrapalicious USA (Christmas Project Challenge)


Thanks for stopping by!

My Cute Little Scooby Doo

Just wanted to share some Halloween pictures.








Thanks for stopping by!

Kelly

Winner of Big Blog Candy Giveaway

With everything going on, I had almost forgotten about the big giveaway. I have been trying to clean and organize everything in the house and I stumbled upon the boxed up goodies. So I figured I should probably draw a winner.

According to Mr. Random.org, the winner of the Blog Candy Giveaway is . . .




Congratulations, Tina! Email me your mailing address and I will get your package out to you as soon as I can.


Kelly

Moving Forward

It has been 2 weeks since I lost my husband. That is such an odd expression, isn't it? It sounds like I have misplaced him, like a set of car keys. Or that we have been separated while shopping in the mall. If only that were true. That he had just been temporarily misplaced, and would soon reappear. This has been the longest 2 weeks of my life. And yet, in some respects, I can't believe it has already been 2 weeks. I never in a million years thought that I would be a widow and single mother at 35. It still seems so unreal, even as I go through each day without my beloved husband. I have been keeping extremely busy, which is a big help. There is so much to deal with, so many little things that you don't realize. And my husband didn't have a will (we thought we had plenty of time to get things in order). So there has been a nightmare of paperwork and legal hoops to jump through.

On the positive side, there has been an incredible outpouring of love and support. From family, friends, classmates, business clients, online friends, etc. The cards, emails, prayers, comments, etc. have been a great source of comfort to me. I have read each and every one of them several times, and I will continue to turn to them as needed. I have had a lot of company, which I appreciate so much. People stopping by to check in on us, to bring us food, to play with Alex and talk to me, to just be here for us. I really don't want to be alone at all. That is when my mind has time to wander and think and contemplate my incredible loss. So I just try to keep busy so my mind can't veer off in those directions.

It is odd what brings up the emotion and tears. I had to run to the store to grab a few essentials the other day. As I walked past the dairy section, I was brought to tears. Keith drank soy milk on his cereal and as I glanced at the soy milk and realized that I didn't need to buy any now, it just hit me like a ton of bricks. I miss him with all of my heart and soul.

There was a wonderful turnout at the calling hours and funeral service. Family, friends, business clients, old classmates, etc. And some people traveled so far. We live in central New York and there were people there that traveled from as far away as NYC, Philadelphia, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Washington, D.C. It really shows how much people care that they are willing to take time out of their busy lives to come and honor Keith's memory and support his family during this difficult time.

The day of the funeral was a gorgeous day, unseasonably warm and very sunny. As we drove to the cemetery, the fall foliage seemed brighter and more colorful than I have ever seen it. In recent months, my husband had been on a spiritual journey, finding his way back to God. In the weeks before his passing, he said he was the happiest he had ever been. And he was excited to start on the next chapter of his life, a new season. So the vibrant colors of the leaves seemed so appropriate, signifying a new season for Keith. We had thought the next part of his journey would be with us and it is still more painful than I can even describe, but there is some comfort in knowing how at peace Keith was in his last few weeks. That God had helped him to find an inner peace and happiness before he had to leave this world, and me. So in some ways it is comforting. But I also have moments of incredible anger. How could God take him from me now? Keith was so excited to share his story and his journey so that he could help others. And we had so many plans for our future together. The fact that there is no future for us brings me incredible sadness, anger, and regret.

Thank you for all of the sweet comments. They truly do help. And thank you for your continued prayers.

Kelly