Left overs from the Holidays

Just posting a couple images from the holidays...this first is the blocks I made for Jerri Ann for her mantle.  We had seen the Give Thanks blocks at a Missouri Days craft booth and she liked them but the price was a bit high so I told her I thought I could make them...they were a joint effort...Bill cut the blocks, Dad did the routering on the edge and I added the paint, scrapbook paper and Modge Podge. But, I wanted her to be able to use them during the whole year so I added the Peace & Joy to the backside in her Christmas colors.....she can turn them back around after Christmas is over.  She really liked how they turned out!

This next image is just something I was playing with...the kids bought us this mistletoe and I had it hanging from the door jam.  I 'thought' I could get a good image of it with the bokeh behind it but I had to stand on a step ladder, my tripod wasn't high enough and I am really having trouble with digital noise in all my images lately....it drives me NUTS!  Anyway, this isn't the best but needed to post something and this was the best image I come up with. 

Later!

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Snowman Gift Box

I purchased this from the Silhouette Store and made it up to put Amanda's Christmas money in...filled it with peppermints and money....I just hate not having a gift for her to unwrap when I give her money...

Enjoy!

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The passing of Time....

When did my little man get so big....where did the time go...how did he grow so fast? I'd love to stop time.....just so I can hold him a little bit longer in my arms....I already notice he is getting reluctant to hug in front of his friends and I know that it's just him growing up but I still want him to stay like he is...when he used to grin from ear to ear and come running at me with open arms. I miss those days but love seeing him grow too...I guess I can't have it all but thank the Lord every day that I get to enjoy this little man that calls me granny!

  

Happy New Year!

From Our Home to Yours....Merry Christmas!

Trust me...my photography does not do my beautiful lights any justice!  I've tried two nights now and still can't get them shot as pretty as they are...I got my love for Christmas lights from my father....I just might have to drag some of his lights out and put some up...he hasn't put any up for a few years now.

Don't forget to scroll down...I posted yesterday too...see you in a week!

Christmas Cards for 2013

Finally got these finished up yesterday and will start the addressing part this afternoon.  I have to have them in the mail or take them to mom's with me and I don't really want to drag them all down there.  So, hopefully, they will go in the mail tomorrow morning before I leave.  We are getting snow today, so I probably won't leave till noon or later to give them time to get the highways cleared. I was going to haul my mower down to Marshall to get it worked on but if the snow gets any heavier, I won't be doing that....just don't want to pull a trailer in the slick conditions.  It's bad enough that I have to drive in it!  I never gave it much of a second thought when I did it every winter but now I really dread it!

Ok....you will just have to guess which card is coming your way....I'm going to post all four that I made.  I ended up making 60 cards, 4 designs.  It made it easier to sit and assemble when I knew I only had so many of each to make....next year, I might make 10 of each design...

First up:  My favorite of the bunch!

The background was downloaded from Flicker from raidensgrammie21.  It printed out beautifully on my Neenah linen paper stock...which reminds me, I finally need to order a new box of this.  I bought this box way back in the Computer Craft forum days and I'm just now getting close to the bottom...its been so worth the price!  The nativity scene was purchased off the Sihouette Online store and was made by the extremely talent Lori Whitlock.  All I did to it was trace the star so that I could have a separate cut.  The Nativity was cut from AC black cardstock and the star was cut from Recollections, Holiday Glitzy Glitter cardstock.  Both cut fabulously on the Cameo. The Oh Holy Night is cut out of the music background paper and I added rhinestones to the 'O's'. I distressed the edges of the music background with ink and scissors and then I layered it all up on my Neenah linen cardstock.  I made 24 of these as they were the easiest to make.

Next up is a card I found on Pinterest a year ago and had wanted to duplicate.  Forgive the off tint....lighting was super bad this snowy morning!

 
It is layered on Neenah linen stock and the background is AC white that I ran though my Cuddlebug with a Darice Brickwall embossing folder.  I like how the texture on the AC cardstock really makes the brick look authentic.  Without the texture, it just looked like plain rectangles.  I purchased the Christmas tree from Silhouette, also made by Lori Whitlock. I had purchased one earlier made by Echo Park and it was a disaster!  I had to downsize it to fit my card and all it did was tear up my cutting mat....I'm learning to beware of those files!  Lori's file downsized perfectly and cut like a charm.  Because I only needed part of the tree, I erased the part that would have been behind the wall and just cut the part that shows.  I added red glitter glue and white liquid pearls for Christmas balls.  The window was made by Jennifer Wambach, another talented cut file lady.  I traced the inner dimensions onto the brick panel and cut it out before I embossed the brick. I backed the window with velum and used dimensionals to the header on the window.  The poinsettia was made by Lori too...I used red AC cardstock and gold rhinestones.  

I adhered the brick layer first, glued the tree inside the cutout and then added the window with dimensionals. Added the greenery and flower and the cards was complete....whew...it takes longer to say how I made them then it did to make!  LOL

The third card.....I received this card in the mail last week from Goody's department store.  It had a Christmas gift card inside and I liked the pretty colors...so, I 're-created' it with my Cameo.  Drew the bird and then used a Christmas ball from my files but can't come up with the creator....I made the background with blue color and snowflakes and just printed it off...then I distressed the edges with white caulk....trying to give it a snowy look but the blue ink kind of made dirty snow...LOL...cut out the bird, wing, branch, ornament, snowflakes and mistletoe and just glued it all on....I liked how it turned out and its a close runner up with my fav. 

The snowflakes have glitter added to them, the ornament is cut out of blue/white and red and then glued together and topped with Crystal Laquer to give it a shiny ornament look.  I added the white to the wing and eye with my white gel pen.  

And now, last and my least favorite...I loved this truck...really loved it and I might give it another go next year but I do not care for these dark colors.  I'm a traditional Christmas gal...love my greens and reds and this just looks blah to me.  The truck was from a scrapbook kit called A Whole Lotta Xmas by Shabby Miss Jenn and I love the kit, just don't like what I did with it...LOL...

I traced the pickup in Silhouette Studio and then did a print and cut to cut it out.  Cut and printed packages with scrapbook paper and added the pine tree so it looked like it was being hauled in the back of the truck.  Added rhinestones and glitter and liquid pearl to finish it off.  The background paper is from Pink Petticoat and that is what I don't like...its just too dark for my liking but I was running out of time and patience...so 12 people will be subject to looking at it...poor folks!  It's not that bad but definitely not my best work!

Keep your fingers crossed that mom is doing ok, so I don't feel guilty about coming home next Friday!

BTW....still haven't got shots of the house...its been too windy to take pics and now its too cold...I'm going to give it another go tonight if the wind dies down but don't hold your breath!

Snaps of Christmas around the house

Needed to take a few snaps of some of my Christmas decorating to show you and it will also help me remember how I did it all when it's time to do it again next year.

Bowl of pine, mercury glass and acorn ornaments on the coffee table in the living room.

Tree in the living room decorated with copper, white, gold and silver ornaments.

Snap of one of a few new ornaments this year for the living room tree.

Bread bowl with pine, red, green and lime ornaments as a center piece on the table in the sun room.

Lantern on the buffet in the sun room. That plaid ribbon drove me nuts with all the glitter. I still have it everywhere even after the sweeper has been run several times but it's beautiful and I love it.

A fake place setting in the sun room......Fake because I need to wash all the glitter from that ribbon before anyone can eat off of them.

Christmas Bokeh 2010

Some Christmas Bokeh.....After looking this morning the linking party is closed. I was to slow. So I'll just edit my post to say. Just trying to get some snaps that maybe I can use on Christmas Cards.....Next year....lol

Paper Whites

Finally got some shots of the Paper Whites......I think they are so pretty wish I had planted a lot more.

A Merry Christmas Water Color

We have a little snow on the ground and it's so cold. Winter has started already.

Frosty Morning 2010

Just another image that I took that beautiful frosty morning. Those skates you can see at the bottom were Bill's as a young boy. They've only seen ornamental use for the past 30 years...LOL.
I wish I hadn't cut the top of the tree off. I think the image would have been better proportioned. The jar with the snowman in it was a gift from Bill a few years ago. It lights up but this was taken after the extremely wet weather blew the safety button in the outdoor plugs. I'll have to see if I can get one with it lit...sometime.
BTW...I'm thinking its getting time for a new blog design...its your turn!

Vintage Bokeh

Ok...This is the last of my playing around have to get busy and do something even if I don't want to. Used Pioneer Woman's vintage action on this image also staple from SP and tag from DDE.
Still no steam.

Icy Trees

I've had this collection of crystal trees for years and I have always wanted more but I can't find any. This year I bought a couple of mercury glass trees trying to make my collection grow. I should have bought more of them, by next year I probably won't be able to find them either.
Used one of Florabella's overlays to make it a little more icy looking.

Christmas Bokeh

Trying to get some good Christmas Bokeh.

This is post # 352 for me.

Holiday Memories

Just might use this for my Christmas card next year....took it this afternoon when I was putting decorations away. I never did get a photo of the house all lit up. Just too tired to do it at night when I got home. One more Christmas...then I'm calling it quits! I'll work next Christmas and then retire the end of November of 2011. (I hope!)

Playing with some textures and overlays

Just playing around with some textures and overlays.

Christmas Eve Mosaic

A few shots of our Christmas Eve this year.
Jessi and her cousins got these adorable hats and scarves from Aunt Pam and Uncle Randy and of course they had to model them.
I think Jason needed some new socks. I had to darn the ones he had on with the clone brush.
Zach was so excited this year he could hardly stand still, but that really isn't anything different he never stands still.
Don't you just love the shot of the trash that was left behind.

Just playing around

The images are from last year. Haven't taken any shots of the tree yet this year.
Was working on tutorial from DD on layers mask. Background papers and frame from DD. The
staple from DDE. The rest mine.