It's New Year's Eve

What are your resolutions?  What do you want from the new year?  I've decided to spend this evening mapping out my plans for this new year.  It's a good way to get started on the right track.  But, for now, here's a definition of a New Year's Resolution.  Enjoy

 

 

My Day of Rest and Worship

For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not there, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater, So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth; it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing thereto I sent it.

Isaiah 55:10-11

KJV

Mom's Ceramic Creation

Well, my laptop took a dive today.  When I pushed the power on button, nothing happened.  According to my son Matthew, it's either the hard drive or the display thingy but he won't know for sure until he can get here to take a look.  Yes, as you can tell, I'm not literate on all parts of a computer.  Anyway, I'm on my desktop, which I haven't used much since the laptop so everything is taking me longer.

As promised in an earlier post, here is a close up of the ceramic piece my mother gave me.  It was hidden in the photo with the plants and the white church.  I love this Santa and all the detail she put into the whole piece.

Today, my order came with some of the goodies from the new Spring Catalog and the new Sale-A-Bration Brochure.  I can't wait to show you what I've been working on since I started almost as soon as I got them out of their package.

Another Framed Home

This gift is the one I gave me youngest son, Michael and his wife.  While it is the same, it is different than the other one I made in that it goes along with the color scheme in their living room.  The word 'home' is a very pretty dark green with a background that has hints of green and cream.  I can't wait to see it hanging on their wall.  I love how things can be the same but look so different with the change of a color and frame.

Framed Home

It's the day after Christmas, the gifts are all opened and we are all still full of that wonderful Christmas dinner.  I had a great time with my two youngest sons and their families on Tuesday.  My oldest son was unable to be with us but I spent nearly two hours on the phone with him catching up on all that he is doing these days.  It was a great day.

This year I made all of the gifts I gave to family and friends.  I made this one for my number two son, Matthew and his wife. 

It doesn't show up well in the photo but the 'home' has different shades of brown and a bit of color.  The background is cream with hints of the colors found in the cutout.

Joy Ornament

A friend wanted to make these ornaments as seen on page 7 of the Holiday Catalog but her schedule was such that she had no time.  I had the time, so made 28 of these for her and the prototype now adorns my tree.  I love that Silver Glimmer Paper.  Actually, I like them all.  We have Silver, Red and Champagne.  The Red and Silver are in our Annual Catalog but the Champagne is only available in the Holiday Catalog and that will be gone come January 2nd.

Stamp Set:  Joyous Celebration; Inks:  Cherry Cobbler, Gumball Green; Card Stock:  Very Vanilla, Glimmer Paper/Silver; Accessories & Tools:  Snow Flurry Bigz Die, 3-1/2" Scalloped Tulle Ribbon/Cherry Cobbler, Linen Thread, Mini Glue Dots

When the light hits it, the Glimmer Paper really sparkles.  It is a nice addition to my handmade only tree decorations.

Have a Blessed Holiday!

Christmas Eve

May you have a wonderful and fun filled holiday spent with family and friends.

 

My Christmas Tree

I love my little pre-lit tree.  The skirt is wrapper around and looks just a Christmas package.  Each year I add new ornaments that I've received as gifts.  This year I added two cute stockings, a red and while bird and my own Joy ornament.  Now all I have to do is wait for Santa to visit.  I wonder what he will bring me this year?

My Day of Rest and Worship

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this shall be a sign unto you:  Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

Luke 1:11-12

KJV

Mr. & Mrs. Frosty

In sharing my Christmas decorating with you, I've come to realize that I've started my own collection of snowmen.  It's a wonderful reminder of my mother and how much she loved them.  This pair is quite musical.  When you press Mrs. Frosty's left hand, it starts them both singing "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" and Mr. Frosty bobbing up and down.  It's so cute and my grandchildren all love them.  It's a treat for them to start them singing.

Family Frame

For this frame I paired the Bravo Burgundy Card Stock with some Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper (retired).  The word family was attached with Mini Glue Dots.  Now I'm in the mood to make some new greeting cards.  It will be a nice change from all the gifts I've been making.

It's A Blizzard!

The wind is still blowing at about 30 mph.  They won't diminish until tomorrow early morning and we are still under a blizzard warning.  There is 12 inches of snow on the ground.  The temperatures are dropping into the single digits.  High tomorrow is going to be a whopping 20 degrees.  Go check out 511IA.org and you'll see a lot of roads are closed all over the state.  But, woo! hoo!  The snow predicted for Christmas Day is not going to come our way. 

I wanted to share some photos I took.  The first one is at 7 p.m. last night about an hour and a half into the snowfall.  Notice there is no snowdrift between my car and my neighbor's car.  The second one was taken at 7 a.m. this morning.  Notice the snowdrifts that now surround my car and filled up the space between our cars.  No, I did not go out and clean it off.  The drift can stay on my front step until tomorrow after the wind goes away.  The third photo is just a picture of how much snow was coming down.  At one point it was nearly two inches an hour. 

Oh, and we had thunder snow!  Now that is so cool to see lightning and hear thunder during a snow storm!

Snowball

This little guy is the very first snowman my mother made.  I don't recall the year she gave him to me but he has traveled all over with me.  Where I go, he goes.  Snowball is a happy, jolly snowman and he always makes me smile. 

Regal Rose

The other day, while brushing my hair into a ponytail, I happened to notice the reflection of the design embroidered on the jacket I was wearing and thought what a great card it would make.  In honor of Valentine's Day, I changed the colors from blue to pinks and reds.  So, here is the inspiration and the card.

Stamp Set:  Delightful Dozen; Ink:  Regal Rose; Card Stock:  Regal Rose, Very Vanilla, Pink Pirouette, Pretty in Pink, Glimmer Paper/Red, Glimmer Paper/Silver; Accessories & Tools:  Bird Builder Punch, 3/4" Circle Punch, Full Heart Punch, Paper-Piercing Pack/Essentials, Mini Glue Dots

Musical Joy

Jaimie made this joy frame.  She and Andrea were surprised they both had the same gift idea.  I love them both as it shows you how the same thing can look so different.  They will both be part of my decorating every Christmas.

Snowman Miniature Tea Set

My mother loved snowmen.  One year she gave me this little tea set and I've included it in my Christmas decorating ever since.  This year I added some poinsettia garland to my little oak chair along with a red and white place mat.  The little chair is the only piece left from a table and chairs set I had as a five year old.  I have no idea where the rest of the set went but I've guarded the only surviving chair like a hawk!

 

Glimmery Joy

Today, I'm sharing another of the great gifts I have received.  It's from my upline, Andrea.  She used one of the ornaments from the Holiday Ornaments Framelits Dies set.  I love how this one sparkles in the light.  The photo does not due the color in this justice but it gives you an idea of what it looks like. 

My Day of Rest and Worship

Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel, which, being interpreted, is God with us.

Matthew 1:23

KJV

New Clearance Rack Items

Many new items were added to the Clearance Rack.  Check them out today.  Just click on the image below to go directly to the store.

Love Frame

Here is the next framed work I made using my 'prize' patterned paper.  Again I used Bravo Burgundy Card Stock to cut out the word and attached it to the paper using Mini Glue Dots.  These are very quick and easy to make.  You can coordinate a whole grouping for your wall or give them as gifts.

Sandy Hook Elementary School

My prayers are for all those affected by this tragedy.

Faith Frame

Last month I submitted a card design to Susan Roberts Rainy Day Challenge and was so excited that I won!  I received a beautiful pad of patterned paper as a prize.  I love the colors in it and they look great with our Stampin' Up!® colors.  I can't wait to finish up the other projects I'm making with these colors.

This is the project that came to mind when I first saw the paper up close.  I used Bravo Burgundy as a compliment to the colors in the paper.  After cutting out the word faith, I attached it to the patterned paper using Mini Glue Dots.  The frame can sit on a table or you can hang it on the wall.

I Love Christmas!

Although I have most of my decorating done for Christmas, I keep adding little touches as the days go by.  I'll get this idea and just have to arrange things to see if it's going to look good.  This is one of the areas I've played with and have finally decided it may just be the way I want it.  It has three of the ceramic pieces that my mother made and gave to me as gifts.

The church is my night light and it looks so beautiful at night.  The Jesus, Mary and Joseph figurine is done in neutral tones so I can put it with any color and it looks good.  The piece in the background is a vintage Santa delivering presents to a sleeping village.  Looks like I need to take a stand-a-lone shot of that one so you can appreciate it the detail.  Yes, the plants are real.  On the left you have Lily, my peace lily.  Lucky is the little bamboo plant that I recently added to my plant family.  He is named such because some believe bamboo is lucky.  Me, I believe it is just an interesting plant that needs little care other than plenty of water.  And, on the right, is Treebeard.  He is named for the eldest of the Ents from the movie, Lord of the Rings.  He has grown about a foot in the last few months.  I have no idea what prompted the growth spurt but I love how he looks.  The little tree in front of him, I'm sorry to say, is fake.  As much as I love the Norfolk Pine, I have a tendency to cause their demise so I can't bring myself to get another one.

Now it's time I got back to finishing up some Christmas gifts.  Thanks for stopping by today.

P.S.  Yes, I do name all of my plants!  :-)

Christmas Charger Plate

Over the next few days, I'll continue to share the gifts I received at my local demonstrator group Christmas get together.  Today's is the decorated charger plate made by Kathy.  I love the colors on this, they are such great Christmas colors.

Ornament Earrings

How clever is that?  Angela made these cute earrings from one of the ornaments in the Holiday Ornaments Framelits Dies and Ornaments Keepsakes Stamp Set.  So cute!  They will be fun to wear throughout this holiday season.  She also made the little box they came packaged in.

Perfect Plum Valentine

Over the weekend I made many ornaments for a customer using the Snow Flurry Bigz Die.  When the snowflakes were all cut, there was just too much Glimmer Paper left over to waste.  Here is one of the cards I made using those left overs.

 

Stamp Set:  Tiny Tags; Ink: Real Red; Card Stock:  Perfect Plum, Very Vanilla, Glimmer Paper/Silver, Glimmer Paper/Red; Accessories & Tools:  Small Heart Punch, Hearts Collection Framelits, Essentials Paper Piercing Pack, 1" Circle Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals

It made a very sparkly Valentine's Day Card, don't you think?

 

My Day of Rest and Worship

The Lord reighneth; he is clothed with majesty.  The Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself; the world also is established, that it cannot be moved.  Thy throne is established of old; thou are from everlasting.  The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves.  The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.  Thy testimonies are very sure; holiness becometh thine house, O Lord, forever.

Psalms 93

KJV

Washer Necklace

These washer necklaces are seen everywhere and this is the one I received from Kristen.  The one I have uses my favorite Comfort Cafe Designer Series Paper.  The Midnight Muse In Color Dahlia is so cute and blue is my favorite color.

 

My Baby's Birthday

And, I am so sure he would not appreciate being called my baby given that he is now 38 years old.  The truth is, he is my baby.  Unfortunately, he is not feeling well and has been under the weather all the week long.  I won't be seeing him so he'll be getting his card late but I did go in and create a special My Digital Studio card in honor of his day.

Happy Birthday, Michael!

My Very Own 'Smash' Book

Tuesday night my local demonstrator group met for their Christmas get together.  It was so much fun and we swapped gifts.  This is what I received from Renae and I love it!  She had requested we give her three of our favorite colors and she used those to make the cover for the book.  I love the new In Colors so I gave her Midnight Muse, Raspberry Ripple and Summer Starfruit as my three favorite colors.  What you see below is what she did with those colors.  Isn't that just the greatest way to repurpose a book?  My first entry in my very own 'smash' book is all about our evening and the other great gifts I received.  I'm definitely going to CASE this idea as I have many books that need to become useful again.  It's a fantastic gift idea.

Because I have several special orders to complete and deliver, I'm going to be sharing the rest of the gifts from the other night throughout the rest of this week.  I know, I know!  I said I'd start sharing some of those projects with you today but they are still not done.  With 28 snowflake ornaments, 40 gift boxes and one photo tray to make, I'm just not busy enough.  Whew!  Wears me out just thinking about it.

Stay tuned.  Not only will I be showing off those projects soon, I'll be sharing some of the new happenings that are coming to the Stamping Cafe.  

Having Too Much Fun!

Last night was my local demonstrators Christmas get together so I was out having food and fun and fellowship.  We had a gift exchange and did I ever get some great things.  I can't wait to CASE some of them.  It is a very talented group of Stampin' Up!® Demonstrators.

So, that leads me to the image I am sharing with you today.  Given time constraints I went into My Digital Studio and made this very simple page.  Iowa has been without measurable snow for 288 days and from what the meteorologist tells us, it's going to be a while before we get any this year.  As much as I'd rather not have a lot of snow, it is needed.

Throughout this next week, I'll be sharing some of the new projects I've been working on.  They will make great gifts for family and friends.

Get The Ornamental Elegance Kit

It's that gorgeous ornament found on the cover of our Holiday Catalog and it's now available in a kit.

The Ornamental Elegance Kit (#132832, $14.95) includes: Die-Cut Card Stock Elements, Cherry Cobbler 3-1/2" Scalloped Tulle Ribbon, Natural Linen Thread, Vintage Faceted Designer Buttons and Large Pearl Basic Jewels.

All you need (in addition to the kit) is a glue gun, adhesive glue stick, scissors and you'll have everything you need to create 10 beautiful ornaments.

Order now so you'll have plenty of time to make them in time for Christmas.

Click the photo above or here to order your kit today.

For instructions on how to make the ornaments, click here.

Remember, they are only available while supplies last.

Craft Show Display

Due to technical difficulties, I was unable to get this posted at the normal time.  As promised here are a couple of pictures of my display table taken at last Saturday's craft show.  With the number of shows I had, it was hard to keep up on inventory.  It was a fun, busy day and I met a lot of new vendors and customers. They loved the Jr. Legal Pads and the Gift Card Holders.  The little Petite Purses were another favorite.

Snowy Crab Apples

Well, at least I think they are crab apples.  Because I took Sunday off to get my home decorated for Christmas, I forgot to upload the photos I took from Saturday's craft show.  Oh well, my house looks pretty!  So, for today, here is another beautiful photo I found.  The red and white really do put you in mind of Christmas.

Tomorrow, in between making gifts for my local demonstrator group get together on Tuesday evening, I'll take the time to upload those photos.

 

My Day of Rest and Worship

And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these if love.

1 Corinthians 13:13

KJV

It's Ink-Redible!

You still have time to take advantage of this great offer to get a FREE collection of ink pads!  It's a great deal.  For more details, click on the image below.

From November 1st through December 16th, host a minimum $450 Stampin' Up! party and get a FREE collection of ink pads*- that's a $49.95 value - in addition to the other fantastic benefits!

Your Party Sales**	Free Ink Collection	Hostess Dollars	Items at 50%
$450	Yes!	$65	1 item
$500	Yes!	$80	2 items
$700	Yes!	$115	3 items
$900	Yes!	$145	4 items

Contact me today to take advantage of this INK-redible offer.

Don't have time to host a party this month? That's okay! You can place a $450 order through my Online Store and still earn a FREE collection of ink! Just use one of the following item numbers when you check out:

• 132652 Brights Classic Stampin' Pads
• 132653 Subtles Classic Stampin' Pads
• 132654 Regals Classic Stampin' Pads

Want to earn TWO FREE collections of ink? Take advantage of our INK-redible New Demonstrator Promotion! Learn more here.

*Neutrals Collection not eligible

**Does not include tax and shipping