Sunday, December 27, 2009

christmas Tags



Happy Holidays! Hope you are all enjoying the third day of Christmas. We spent our time with out of town family. We are a family that is joined by food and games. All of the women are wonderful cooks, so its always a feast. Our other favorite pass time, are card games and board games. I know that sounds weird. But, we love the friendly competition. It gives us a chance to let our hair down, and just be ourselves. Our two favorite games are tri-ominos, and pinnocle. And, now we are spending some quiet time at home enjoying each others company.
I wanted to share with you some of the tags that I made for the gifts we gave to family.
Thank you for taking the time to take a look. Enjoy the company of those you love.

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Sasha - A New Family Member

Here she is! Her name is Sasha. She is an English Mastiff. She is 7 1/2 weeks old. Isn't she just the cutest!
My husband has been wanting one of these dogs for a while now. (Our two little dogs passed away late spring this year.) But, I have been wanting cabinets and shelves for my craft room for awhile now, too. So, I made my husband a deal: You order my cabinets and shelves and I'll agree to get the dog. So, on the 23rd (Dec.) he ordered my cabinets and shelves, and so here is our new family member!
So, FYI, I will be posting photos of our girl from time to time. You see, these dogs are to be large dogs. Large, like people. She can weigh as much as 200lbs when full grown. She weighed 12 lbs at the vet. She goes back right after the new year, and I'll keep you updated as to her growth.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. We sure did. We got to spend time with our daughter, her boy friend, and granddaughter. We got to spend some time with some great friends who hold a very special spot in our hearts. We also delivered some home made Pumpkin Cranberry bread to some wonderful neighbors. My mom and dad are on their way to our home to spend some Christmas time with us today. So, it is off to clean the house and start working in the kitchen. I will be posting some Christmas photos tomorrow and the following week. On this second day of Christmas, may you find love and laughter with family and friends. Happy Holidays.

Friday, December 25, 2009

Merry Christmas

I want to take a moment to wish all my blog followers and guests a safe and joyous Christmas. It is important that we share our time with family and friends, because that is the best gift of all.
Thank-you to everyone who has supported me this past year with your encouragement and love. Also, Thank-you to everyone who has left a comment. Your words are important.
Merry Christmas.
hugs,
Sharon

Monday, December 21, 2009

Christmas Tags



Happy Holidays! Let me first apologize for taking such a long break between posts. But between holiday parties to attend, gifts to buy (and wrap), holiday baking, working 40 hours a week outside the home, cleaning house, doing laundry, making dinners, and taking care of both myself and my husband, my life is just as crazy as yours! Just in case I didn't have enough to keep me crazy busy, I decided that each gift needed a matching tag. Thank goodness I am only using four different wrapping papers. (Once I have created a tag, I do make several of them.) The tags are in order from the first to the last.
The first tag is going on my daughter's Christmas gift. The wrapping paper is vanilla with blue snowflakes. As her mom, I had this overwhelming sense to put a Santa on it. She's a young lady(24), so why not add some bling?
The second tag is on my friend Andra's gift. The wrapping paper is solid green with some brown and white stitched ribbon. I wanted something to reflect the paper, but be a bit grown-up.
The last tag is on my mother's gift. The paper is green with white flourishes. So, I only thought it fitting that the tag be white with green accents. My mother is over 60, and so it definitely needed to be a bit sophisticated. That is why I added the silver. I think that the bling adds a 'finished' touch.
Thank you for looking. As I get some more completed I'll share them with you.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Christmas Wrap & Tags


Happy Weekend! I am off to start a little Christmas shopping. But, I wanted to share with you some crafting things I have been doing, before I run out the door.
I was at Hobby Lobby earlier this week, in search for some pretty, unique Christmas wrap and tags for a few special gifts. Hobby Lobby, was having a sale, so I figure why not. Who wants to pay full-price for anything. Well, they do have some nice stuff for the holidays. BUT... I saw this tag that I just fell in love with. $2.99 for 6 tags. WHAT? So, I took a picture with my cell phone. Came home and looked through my stamping supplies. Here is what I came up with-all supplies are from Stampin' Up!.
I wanted everything to match (and who doesn't). So, I have a big roll of kraft paper - from one of those home improvement stores, its for when you paint. I took the new fancy snowflake stamp set from the holiday mini (Serene Snowflakes). I inked the largest snowflake in Soft Suede classic ink. I inked the medium snowflake in Riding Hood Red classic ink. I inked the small snowflake in Old Olive classic ink. I stamped the snowflakes randomly onto the painters paper. Wrapped my presents and tied them with Alpine ribbon originals ribbon. Pretty cute, huh?
For the tag, and this was my whole driving force. I used four different stamp sets. I know it sounds like a lot, but look at the finished product. Why limit yourself to one stamp set? Let your creativity guide you. The tag is cut from a piece of Very Vanilla card stock and matted onto a piece of Riding Hood Red card stock. I stamped the bird (A Cardinal Christmas) in Riding Hood Red classic ink, toward the bottom right corner of the tag. I stamped the pine cone (Peaceful Wishes) in Riding Hood Red classic ink, toward the top left corner of the tag. I stamped the post mark (Santa Post) in Soft Suede classic ink, toward the top right corner of the tag. I used my stamp-a-ma-jig to align the words. I stamped the greeting (Heritage Holiday) in Old Olive classic ink, toward the bottom left corner of the tag. On the back of the tag, I stamped the 'to' and 'from' in Soft Suede classic ink. I tied the tag on with a piece of Red Taffeta Ribbon.
Thank you for looking! I hope this has given you some inspiration to create your own Holiday wrap and tags. Because anyone can purchase a card, or wrap. It takes time to create something unique, and doesn't that time 'show' your family and friends how dear they are to you? Because 'time' is the greatest gift of all. Happy Holidays and be safe.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Friends








There is a small group of us ladies (5), who, have stuck together over time. We value each other's friendship, and cherish each others company. I don't know if age has anything to do with it [we are all over 30, some over 40 :)] but we each know that there is someone out there who we can count on. That is for everything. Unfortunately, it takes a little work, for all of us to get together. So, every December, we meet at this one particular restaurant and exchange gifts. Oh, did I mention that we are all talented paper crafters? We are. Its funny, no two of us has the same style. But we all ROCK! Well, with the economy in the toilet, I decided to shave a few dollars off my expenses and make each one of these very special ladies a little something. Its a little 'box' that holds little note cards (3" x 3") and envelopes. I made each box in the favorite colors of each lady. I also stamped each note card specific to what each lady likes. Well, need less to say, they were a hit. I took a few pictures of my finished project, which for some reason, I always seem to forget, and after viewing the photos, I should have taken more. Oh well. So here are a few (and I mean a few) photos.
I used products probably from every company out there: Stampin' Up!, Paper Trey Ink, Close to My Heart, Basic Grey, SEI, and more. If you would like the supply list for any specific card, please email your request. The box template (Keeping Tabs) I purchased from Paper Trey Ink. I just love them. I print them off onto copy paper, and copy them directly onto card stock. Pretty easy!
Thank you so much for taking the time to take a look. Remember, comments always make my day!

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Merry Christmas

I wanted to share with you our family's official Christmas card for this year. This is the prototype. The actual one will have the images moved up a bit. (Not more than 1/4"). I think it has turned out beautifully. Most of our family and friends will receive this card. We know a few people who prefer the store bought kind, so...
The weather out here has been bitter cold and snowy, and all the shades of white have crept into my life. For people who love color, this card can be a bit disappointing/overwhelming. But, I like how it turned out.
Recipe: the solid card stock is Sahara Sand and Shimmer white (Stampin' Up!), the textured card stock is Glass Slipper. The pattern paper is from the Christmas Mint collection. I used three different stamp sets for this card; Sleigh Ride, Poinsettia & Boxwood, & Signature Christmas. The reindeer was stamped in Sahara Sand classic ink, and the poinsettia and 'Noel' were stamped in Blush Blossom classic ink, both are from Stampin' Up! I adhered three tiny pearl halves onto the flower center, and a clear rhinestone for the reindeer's nose. The ribbon is from Paper Mart. I used two punches from Stampin' Up!. The 1 1/2" circle punch for the flower and the curly label punch for the 'Noel'.
Thank you for looking, and as always, comments really do make my day.
May the joy and love you feel this holiday season extend to every day throughout the year, Merry Christmas.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Bunco

I saw this cute idea on the Stampin' Up! demonstrators pages. You create your own sleeve for chewing gum. I had made 11 of these to give to the ladies that I play Bunco with. However, when I got up this morning, (I took the day off from work) it was snowing. It hasn't stopped snowing! In fact, the snow is getting heavier. I turned my snow melt system on (heated driveway) in hopes that I could make it into town today. Well, the snow is falling so fast and hard, the driveway can't keep up with the snow accumulation. The gentleman who usually plows our roads hasn't been out today. So, I won't be going to Bunco tonight. But, I wanted to share with everyone the cute little gum holders I made. I hope everyone has a wonderful day, and please drive safely.

'Just Us Girls' challenge week 9

Here is my entry for this weeks challenge from 'Just Us Girls'. For their challenges they don't have any restrictions. So, here is my submission. The template is from Paper Trey Ink. I printed the template onto Riding Hood Red card stock from Stampin' Up!. The pattern paper is from eskimo kisses. I used a long piece of scrap red ribbon I had (I didn't keep it on a spool, so I can only guess that it is from a large craft store.) The button is from Paper Trey Ink. I used the silver cord from Stampin' Up! to tie the button to the ribbon. I had a small piece of shimmer white card stock (Stampin' Up!) so that is what I used to make my 'tag'. I stamped the tree in Old Olive and the greeting in Basic Brown. Both stamps came from the Happy Winter stamp set (Stampin' Up!). The contents of my gift bag, are a few of those chocolate covered peppermint sticks, a 'Fire-Cinnamon Vanilla' tea bag, and a StarBucks gift card in last years envelope.
Thank you for looking, and if you have a moment, or if you have a comment, please leave one. They always make my day! :)

diva Coffee Break Design Color Challenge #155

I wanted to submit this card for the challenge, but I was too late. When I went to upload my card, I had missed the deadline by mere hours yesterday. But, I liked the finished product so much, I thought what the heck, I'll share with my followers and anyone else who stumbles onto my blog. Diva Coffee Break Designs have a rule that most/all products used in submissions must be Stampin' Up! I used Barely Banana and Bordering Blue card stock, Bella Birds DSP, Eastern Influences stamp set, stamped in Basic Brown classic ink, and used the watercolor pencils to shade the image. I added some Dazzling Diamonds glitter to the flowers - don't know if you can tell by my photography skills.

Diva Coffee Break Design Color Challenge #142

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Christmas Craft Fair

Here is one of the cards that you can purchase at the Holiday Craft Fair, this week. The Holiday Craft Fair runs from this Friday, Dec. 4th and Saturday, Dec. 5th, at the main Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque, New Mexico. All the vendors at this Holiday Craft Fair, are Presbyterian employees, and all the items for sell are suppose to be hand-made. If you are in the area, you should stop-by and have a look.
To help show-case the round card shape, I used a contrasting background color. This round, shaker card was actually fun to make. The pattern paper is from eskimo kisses. The solid card stock and ribbon are Paper Trey Ink products. The snowman rubber stamp is a random stamp I had in a box. I used Stampin' Up!s bashful blue and certainly celery markers to color the hat and scarf. I used the large scallop circle die from Stampin' Up!. The shaker cup is from paper cut. I used Stampin' Up! dazzling diamonds glitter and the white chunky glitter as my 'shaker mix'.