Snowy Christmas

I made another Christmas card last week. Unfortunately, this one took me like 5 days! I just wasn't feeling the mojo and ended up re-doing the bottom panel. I started off with the rafia ribbon tied in a bow and a gigantic red button on top (to the left) with no twine and just kept staring at it, unhappy and unable to move foward, so I took the panel off and added the rafia with a criss-cross and then cut a snowflake on my Cricut and added a smaller red button with twine and was much happier with the results and found that the rest of the card came together rather quickly after that. The red around the top panel is dauber paint and you can't tell in the photo, but you can sort of see through it in parts, which gives it kind of a rustic look.

I love that little snowman also. I paper pieced his scarf and the band around his cap and I think he looks rather dapper. I am definitely getting into the Christmas spirit!

Next up....shopping.

Supplies
Patterned Paper - Jillibean Soup, Little Yellow Bicycle
Cardstock - Stampin' Up!, The Paper Company, Neenah
Rafia Ribbon - Paper Reflections
Twine - Stampin' Up!
Button - Basic Grey
Stamp - Verve Stamps (Snowman), Stampin' Up! (sentiment)
Ink - Tsukineko, Stampin' Up!
Nestabilities Dies
Cricut - Joys of Christmas Cartridge
Copic Markers - YR04, YR18, 100, C1

Jen's Sketch Challenge 10-23-10

**Edited**

I added the snowflake brads and red Stickles to the wreath. I like this card so much better now!

Even though Christmas is still two months away, in the crafting world, time is quickly running out! I certanly am in no rush to get to December 25th (or for sonow, for that matter), but I do have to plan ahead when it comes to projects. I already have a couple of projects in the works that I'm giving away as gifts and I have about 9 individual cards that I need to create and have ready to be mailed and delivered by the big day. I am already feeling a little behind.....we always seem to have something going on and sitting down and creating is sort of last on the list. Things like laundry, homework, calling family, cooking, oh yes, that job thingy....all take priority. And that's ok. That's how it should be. Still, I wish there were just a couple more hours in the day some days.

I decided to use Jen's sketch this week to make another Christmas card. I used another adorable digi stamp from CC Designs. I absolutely adore these stamps! And, after I fiinished a lengthly argument with my printer (it did not want me to print on a paper size less than 8.5x11 but you'll be happy to know that I won), I had lots of fun coloring the design with my Copics. I popped in a movie last night (Valentine's Day.....sort of a disappointment) and sat and colored while my hubby played a video game on his computer and Kendall went and got the daylights scared out of her at a local haunted museum.

I also used my Copics to color the Prima flower and then spritzed it with Pearl Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist. You can't see in the photo very well, but the flower sparkles and the coloring is so rich. I absolutely love it.

So, winter may come with Christmas but I am also looking forward to:

• Our 5 year wedding anniversary
• Making more fun crafting projects for my wonderful family
• Eggnog Lattes from Starbuck's
• It's a Wonderful Life, The Nativity Story, The Bells of St. Mary's, Charlie Brown Christmas, The Grinch
• Mom's peanut brittle
• Winter Wonderland at church
• Remembering that day so long ago that my Savior was born in such a humble manner
• Lights, oh so very many lights
• The smell of pine
• Snuggling up by a warm fireSupplies

Patterned Paper - Bo Bunny

Cardstock - Stampin' Up!, Michael's

Stamps - Digi Stamp (CC Designs), Background Stamp (Hero Arts), Sentiment ( Studio G)

Copics - E00, E02, E25, E27, E29, B39, G28, YG97, R39, R46, R89. RV11, 100, 0

Ribbon - Stampin' Up!

Ink - Stampin' Up!

Nestabilities Dies

Corner Punch - We R Memory Keepers

Flower - Prima Marketing

Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist

Jen's Sketch Challenge 09-11-10

Let me just say this. I am not ready for Christmas. I am not ready for cold and snow. I am still enjoying the warmth of the sunshine and the scents of summer. But, I know that it's coming. It's around the corner and I am going to have to get used to fuzzy socks and thick sweaters and scarfs and having a dirty car.

The only good thing about winter coming is Christmas. I love December. December 17th is our wedding anniversary and Christmas has always been my favorite time of the year. I love having the house decorated and baking cookies and singing Christmas carols and buying gifts for the people I love and celebrating the birth of our Savior.

I also love making Christmas craft projects. The papers are all so very delightful and sweet. Last year I didn't get around to making indvidual Christmas cards for the family and am determined that this year I am going to make individual, handmade cards for immediate family members. In order to accomplish this goal, I must get started early!!!!

So, I took Jen's sketch this week and used Basic Grey's new Jovial collection to make my first Christmas card for 2010. I think this collection is SO beautiful! I love the blue-greens mixed in with the traditional rich reds and forest greens. There are lots of poinsettas and snowflakes and beautiful plaids. Basic Grey continues collection after collection to push the bar higher and higher. This is one of my favorite Christmas collections to date!

Supplies

Patterned Paper - Basic Grey (Jovial collection)

Cardstock - Stampin' Up!

Embossing Folder - Cuttlebug

Stamps - Verve (Snowflake Border), Inkadinkadoo (Sentiment)

Ink - Stampin' Up!, Clearsnap

Hardware - Snowflake Brads (Unknown), Frame, Brads (Unknown)

Dimensional Sticker - Basic Grey

Cricut Cartridge - Christmas Village

Stickles

Spellbinders Dies - Oval, Scalloped Oval

Christmas Joy

Hi Everyone! My poor little blog has been terribly neglected and I am planning on rectifying that! I don't know if I will get caught up anytime soon, but I needed to take the pressure off of myself to catch up so that I could at least start posting again. As a result, some postings may be out of order, but I realize so many loved ones and dear friends look to this blog for updates, especially since we are now so far away.

I'll start with a card that I made for Jay for Christmas. To give you an idea of how not only neglected my little blog has been, but my cardmaking as well, I made this card on Christmas morning. Talk about waiting until the last minute!

For some reason, this year I was totally off on all of my Christmas projects. I designed my photo cards in one day, when normally I spend a couple of weeks on them. I sent gifts out at the very last minute. I didn't even make custom cards for family in addition to the photo cards, and I totally forgot about a card for my husband until he mentioned his card on Christmas Eve. Yikes!

So, I got up on Christmas morning and closed the door to my craft room and went to work. Considering it was totally last-minute, I was happy with the results :). I did some embossing in gold on the snowflakes and used some wonderful products that I won at a women's event at church.

Supplies

Cardstock - Bazzil Basics
PatternedChip Paper - Basic Grey
Stamps - Stampin' Up (snowflakes)
Embelishments - Creative Imaginations (Trees), Little Yellow Bicycle (Chipboard Words), Hero Arts (Felt Flower), Making Memories (Brad)

Spirit of Christmas

Jay and the girls are out Christmas shopping, so I had time to make two cards while watching White Christmas. I had to watch the movie after going to see the play on Saturday night. It's one of the movies we do not yet own and I think we are going to have to buy it before next year. I used SU cardstock and DP for this card as well and the stamps are both from an SU kit that I bought a couple of months ago. This tree is absolutely gorgeous. I had to use the felt flurries on this card as well, I think I have used them for just about every Christmas card I have made this year, they are just so adorable. I hope you and your families are enjoying this wonderful season and remember that we are celebrating the birth of our Savior.

Among all the hustle and bustle, the baking, the parties, the shopping, the gift wrapping, the overeating (hopefully not too much)....take time to enjoy the precious moments with your loved ones and reflect on the greatest gift of all. That child that was born in the most humble of settings who gave His life for each and every one of us.