Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas wishes to all celebrating! All my Christmas cards, made steadily throughout the year, were mailed weeks ago and I've decorated & partied, performed in & attended shows. Time now to relax with family and enjoy the  holidays. Hope you enjoy your holidays too!!

Today I'm sharing a thank you card I made for Christmas gifts received. The patterned paper varied from card to card but this was my go-to for this year. I'll make more tomorrow for today's gifts but I made 11 for gifts I already received.

Supplies: Paper - Memory Box A2 card; Lawn Fawn patterned;
Neenah white; Michael's lime
Stamp with matching die - Taylored Expressions Handlettered Sentiments
Die - My Favorite Things Blueprints stitched rectangle; Hero Arts Infinity Circles
Other - Paper Studio holly stickers; Pine Needles Distress Oxide Ink

My friend JoAnn and her hubby John received this particular one for the box of handmade truffles they gave me (they made 2600 of them!!), plus a wonderful caroling party they hosted last week. Don't get me started on the divine chocolate yule log John made - he's an amazing baker and chef.

If you want to scroll further to see my Christmas trees for this year, please do! Otherwise, thanks for stopping and happy holidays!!

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Last year I didn't share any tree photos but I put up one tree. My mom went into the hospital 12/12/18 and from there to rehab til end of January 2019. We spent Christmas doing puzzles in the rehab center and I didn't have much time to do much decorating! Well, I made up for it this year, putting up SEVEN trees!! First tree (normally would be downstairs in the corner of my family room) is a 7.5 foot slim tree. I didn't think I'd have the time and energy to put up my big tree this year so I got out the slim one for upstairs. It looks a bit skinny in front of a large window but, oh well.... Not a great photo either, now that I get a good look at it, but it'll have to do...

I decorated a couple of Hallmark triangle trees perfect for their mini ornaments. I bought the larger one (holds 22) a couple years ago and the smaller one this year (holds 10). I put one at my parents' house and one at home. 

 

Here's a miniature tree with the bulk of my mini ornaments:

The base for this one has a train that used to go around it. Unfortunately the battery box got corroded one year so it doesn't work right now. Next is my other tree with mini ornaments - this one has pine cones which account for some of the dark spots. I decorated both of these mini trees at my parents' house in my home-away-from-home "studio".

I put up a 3' tree in my family room atop a table. I didn't realize I still had this one in the closet so thought I'd give it a play.

I also put up my Hallmark designer mini tree; each designer at the time contributed an ornament to the set. Then I add extras to fill up the branches. The base came with the tree - so cute!

Bonus - a wreath I usually put in my foyer; this year it's on the wall as you enter my studio. I decorate it with a bunch of mini ornaments I got back in the 90s.

That's it for this year - whew!! I had fun decorating, including my parents' tree which I didn't share (looks pretty good, though). Hope you have a wonderful Christmas whether you're celebrating today or some other day. See you in blogland in 2020 and thanks for stopping by!!

Last Minute Christmas Madness?

Hi all - hope you're having a great holiday season! Have you been out and about on this Christmas Eve day? I visited three stores, each one a madhouse! But, it had to be done to get ready for all the festivities tomorrow. I still had time to craft though. Over at Christmas Kickstart, Jo announced an Anything Goes Challenge or "last minute madness" for those final holiday cards. Well, don't need any for this year but it never hurts to get a jumpstart on next year's stash! Here's my card:

Supplies: Paper - DCWV A2 card; Paper Studio red & glitter;

Neenah Classic Crest Solar White; pp from an old Simon Says Stamp kit

Stamps - Hero Arts Origami Happy Holiday (retired)

Dies - My Favorite Things Blueprints rectangle;

Lawn Fawn Mini String of Lights

Ink - Tim Holtz Fired Brick Distress Oxide 

I bought the darling Lawn Fawn light bulbs die at my favorite LSS Anchor Paper  a couple weeks ago. Finally had a chance to use it last night and this afternoon to craft a simple string with some glitter paper layered onto white then green. I ruffled through quite a few paper pads before settling on the perfect sheet for the background. There was only one of these sheets and, of course, I blobbed the sentiment after stamping. Covered it by stamping a new sentiment on a white strip, then matting on red paper. This time I let the ink dry longer after stamping!!

Just a quick post today. I hope to be back tomorrow with a Christmas post of my holiday trees - just need to get my photos sorted.... If you don't make it back, I'll wish you a Merry Christmas now. Thanks for stopping and thanks to Jo for cramming in one last challenge for this year!!

The Christmas Story

Hey everyone - hope you're enjoying the weekend! I just returned home from our chorus holiday show which turned out great!! Besides the chorus and a chorus quartet, we had a small mixed chorus (ten men and ten women) and a high school girls quartet - what a variety, all so talented! I was glad to have a bunch of friends and family attending. What a joy to share songs of the season with a packed audience!! We'll also visit a local care center for a charitable performance next week.

While I'm pretty set for this year's Christmas card mailing, I still wanted to make a card for the current Christmas Kickstart Challenge to tell the Christmas story - "the reason for the season". Decided to go with the Penny Black manger die, always so pretty. I'm also including this in the current Die Cut Divas challenge for Christmas or Winter cards. Haven't played there in a while so thought it was time! Here's my card:

Supplies: Paper - from various Hero Arts kits

Dies - My Favorite Things Blueprints 21 - retired (stitched rectangle);

Penny Black Manger; Michael's Mini Word Stamp & Die 

Other - EK Success star

Besides the PB die, I'd brought a bunch of My Monthly Hero kit stuff to my parents' house. Can't remember if I mentioned establishing a small studio there for when I visit. I have multiples of many things, including paper trimmers, die cutting machines etc. Might as well get them used! Anyway, a couple MMH kits had some beautiful shimmery card stock and hand dyed papers. The dark blue and the gold card stock looked amazing to me with the hand dyed paper. I used the reverse side of it, thinking the back looked like a sandscape. While the kit is sold out, you might be able to see the dyed paper here. I cut the manger twice and stacked them, adhering to paper with foam dots. The sentiment die cut was left as a single so the manger stood out more. The shimmer is so beautiful in real life!

That's it for today, friends. Thanks for stopping and enjoy the rest of your weekend!!

One more Santa card

Hi all - hope you've recovered from Thanksgiving dinner if you celebrated on Thursday. We finally finished the leftovers today - wow, that store-bought meal was supposed to feed 8 but I think we fed about 14 over several days! Of course I went and bought an extra pumpkin pie on Friday because my mom loves Hyvee's (a grocery chain) pies. My sister-in-law had brought a chocolate pudding pie and a pumpkin pie to Thanksgiving but we gobbled both up quickly!!

I'm back with another Santa card for the current Christmas Kickstart Challenge. Jo inspired me with her masking so I had a go with a freebie stamp set I got with a UK magazine. I went to Barnes and Noble for a new book released on Tuesday and found myself picking up several UK craft magazines with the freebie stuff. Luckily I'm a card member there so get a 10% discount!

Supplies: Paper - DCWV A2 card; Neenah Classic Crest Solar White; Poptone Black

Dies - My Favorite Things Blueprints Stitched Rectangle (retired)

Stamps - Santa's Workshop freebie from the 10/19 edition of Crafts Beautiful;

Hero Arts CL722 Merry Christmas Messages (sentiment) - retired but can often be found at Michael's

Inks - Distress Oxide Tumbled Glass and Stormy Sky

Other - Viva Perlen-pen; Copic Markers

Challenge #24 - Show Us Your Santas

I stamped and colored the Santa sleigh and reindeer, then masked off both and filled in the sky with Distress Oxide inks applied with a Picket Fence life changing brush (works well with these inks on the right paper). I tried to flick some sparkly snow onto the sky and managed a few specks. Impatient, I took my watercolor brush and just dabbled around with the perlen-pen goop. Not the best but not bad either! Santa's just taking off from a rooftop in case you wondered about the white at bottom. I hand-drew the reins.

That's it for today! I've already written out twenty Christmas cards to mail so I'm well ahead of last year!! Now off to decorate.... Enjoy the rest of the weekend and thanks for stopping!