Wintery Vintage Cottage!

OMG ... adorable doesn't hardly cover this sweet little cottage! This was my New Year's Eve project to keep me busy while waiting for midnight to roll around :)

This template from Lauren Meader and stamp set from PTI has been on my 'to do' list for weeks, but I was waiting until I had some uninterrupted time to play with these goodies!!

This little pink cottage is made from everything that I absolutely adore! It's very girly, soft and sweet! I purposefully did not use holiday colors as I plan to disply this in my formal Victorian dining room all winter long. Wouldn't a whole village of these little houses all decorated differently be simply darling???

Just Us Girls is sponsoring a challenge this week - make a project using a template. This will be my submission for the challenge!

Supplies: cardstock - Blush Blossom (SU), Vintage Cream (PTI), The Glitter Sweet Stack (DCWV), vintage sheet music (Heartwarming Vintage); My Timeless Template - Homemade (PTI); stamp set - Homemade (PTI); lace and trims (Webster's Pages); vintage embellishments and cream pearls (Melissa Frances); pink rhinestones (Basic Grey); buttons - Blush and Vintage Cream (PTI); pine bough punch (Martha Stewart); Very Vanilla 5/8" grosgrain ribbon & dazzling diamonds glitter (SU); Mica Flakes.

You just have to give this sweet cottage a try. When you make yours, please link back so I can see your creations!

Have Fun and Happy New Year to you ALL :)

Wintery Vintage Cottage!

Wintery Vintage Cottage!

Christmas with my little Girl!!!

Here's Mommy and Hershey (my 'daughter') on Christmas Day! She was such a good little girl this year that Santa brought her a new *PINK* and brown sweater, hat, matching collar and even a teddy bear toy to play with!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!

Dashing DASHER!!

So, so, SOOOOOO cute! I just love this little Dasher framed in a gold frame for the holidays! I added some Tulip White Dimensional Puffy Paint on the bottom and loaded that up with White Mica to look like snow. Then I added Diamond colored stickles to Dasher's antlers for added sparkle. Lastly, I hot glued some Real Red 5/8" grosgrain ribbon around his neck with 3 little jingle bells. ADORABLE!!!

2009 Brunch & Holiday Cookie Exchange!

The annual Brunch & Cookie Exchange I've hosted for 14 years running here in NC was again a huge success this year and a fun time was had by all ... especially ME :)

Mr. Winter *tried* to spoil things by making a visit with a storm the day before, but here we only got rain and it was dry the day of the party, so we didn't have to worry about icy and dangerous roads, thankfully!!!

We had lots to eat including Peppermint Chocolate Mousse, Spinach & Mushroom Quiche, Key Lime Tarts, Cinnamon Muffin Melts, Almond Truffle Fudge Brownies, Warm Mulled Cider, Champagne Mimosas, flavored coffees (including Gingerbread!), Warm Brie Cheese Black Raspberry Crescent & Cherry Oatmeal Cobbler!

The cookies, as you can see from the photos, looked amazing and tasted even better.

A big thanks to all who attended, baked and brought treats to share! Merry Christmas to everyone and a Very Happy New Year too :)

2009 Brunch & Holiday Cookie Exchange!

December Club Project!

Love, love, LOVE this little snowman with his belly filled with marshmellows!! This is the second project we made this month at clubs! The sets are Two Cool Dudes and Punch Pals from SU and I used the Sweet Treat Cups for his tummy, filled with marshmellows to look like snowballs!!!!

Colors are Bashful Blue, Real Red and Whisper White. I embellished with Red Chunky Glitter, Dusty Durango marker for nose, Christmas Cocoa Specialty DSP - flocked - (yum!), Red Polka Dot ribbon and a build-a-brad for the center of the tag. I tied the tag on with silver elastic cord.

I used the word window, 1/2" circle punch, scalloped circle punch and 1 3/4" circle punches. The addition of a hot cocoa packet and candy cane completes this Snowman Soup Project!!!

Toooooo cuuuuuutttteeee!!!!

Enjoy:)

December Club Card!

How cute is this little creation??? This is one of the projects the gals made at the December club this month! It was super easy peesy and such a quick and pretty card. There's lots of shimmer using SU's Gold Shimmer Paint (added to a sprayer bottle with alcohol) and Tattered Angels Gold Glimmer Mist too! I antiquied the edges using SU's Soft Suede and a sponge. The cuff is a paper doilie I shimmerd with Gold and then I cut out 2 snowflakes from one of the Big Shot dies -- one I glittered (yum) and one I spritzed with Gold Shimmer Paint. I tied them together with a button and gold elastic cord and then tied some yummy ribbon around the whole mitten.

Super warm and snuggly card ... I hear we're in for a bit of cold weather and perhaps *SNOW* in the next couple of days, so this card is perfect to send out this week! We NEVER get snow in Raleigh, NC!!!

Enjoy :)

Christmas Countdown!!!

This is a project I made last year, but I revamped it this year adding a *few* more embellishments and making it a bit more Victorian to go with the style of my home! It's so fun to change the card each morning counting down the days until Christmas Day is here.

Time is going by MUCH TOO FAST, don't you agree???

Enjoy and happy holidays :)

Stamping with the BUNCO gals!

This Sunday I'll be hosting our annual Holiday Bunco Party!! Each year we skip playing bunco just for December and instead we feast (*yum*), do an ornament exchange and an activity usually surrounding a holiday craft.

Last year we all made wonderful candy confections gingerbread houses! They were stupendous ... all the colors, candies and creativity :)

This year I volunteered to do some paper crafting with my friends, so we are all making 4 holiday cards/tags! I prepped everything yesterday and here's what I came up with.

Aren't they adorable??? What do YOU think?

Cookie Party Invitation!

Each year one of my favorite things to do is host a brunch and holiday cookie exchange! To me, it symbolizes the official kick off to Christmas and holiday week! My family *LOVES* all the different cookies, candies and treats we have in the house during the holidays from the exchange and it allows me to save some time ... instead of spending hours and hours in the kitchen making several different kinds of cookies, I make one batch and end up with 12 or so different kinds! It's so fun and I can't wait until next Saturday to see what this year's event will yield as far as treats goes!!!

This is the invitation all the confirmed guests for this year's event received from me. I made it with my new Cricut and it was easy peesy!! The back has all the when and where info. One of my friends loved it so much, she added it to her Christmas tree as an ornament! So cool! These would make cute package ties or tags too!

I hope you're all having fun with all your holiday preparations and festivities :)

HONORABLE MENTION on PTI - 2nd month!!

WOW ... for the second month in a row, one of my designs using some of Papertrey Ink's great products has been choosen for an honorable mention in the 'Best Use of Note Pad' category!

How cool is that? Thanks, Nichole!!!

My project is the middle one -- the vintage 'Dear Santa' note pad with a 'Naughty or Nice' rub on at the bottom ... so cute :)

Sugared Winter Fun!

Isn't this sweet creation so pretty? It was another fun and quick design made with my new Cricut Create! I just LOVE those ice skates - they remind me of hours upon hours of fun I had growing up spending time ice skating either on the home-made ice rink at my aunt and uncle's home down the street or in later years at the ice skating rink with my girlfriends :)

The glitter on the skates and snowflakes reminds me of how the sun used to glisten off the ice and snow ... such fun winter time memories and such a fun and fabulous winter time card ... ENJOY :)

2 Sketches 4 U - weekly challenge!

Here is my take on this week's card challenge over at 2 Sketches 4 U. Isn't she just the cutest little snow lady you've ever seen? I made her using my new Cricut Create along with some of my other favorite toys like Cuttlebug embossing folders, chipboard, sewing machine, glitter, twine & buttons.

Enjoy :)

Christmas Comes Early!!

WOW ... my Christmas present from my parents and siblings just arrived over the weekend -- a new, hot off the press Cricut Create!! Of course, I can't wait until Christmas to play with it, especially since 4 of the cartridges are holiday themed! Wonder what I'll create first? So much fun :)

November Club Card!

This elegant and oh so pretty card was made at my November stamping clubs! Isn't it just beautiful???

Recipe:

Cardstock: Shimmer White, Blush Blossom, Rich Razzleberry, Merry Moments DSP

Ink: Rich Razzleberry

Stamp Set: Delightful Decorations

Accessories: ornament punch, scalloped edge punch, glitter, 2-way glue pen, gold elastic cord, embossing buddy, heat tool, iridescent ice embossing powder, versa mark.

November Club Card!

CUTE, CUTE, CUTE!!! Here's the second card we'll be making at the November clubs :)

Recipe:

Stamp Set: Punch Pals

Cardstock: Whisper White, Real Red, Soft Suede, Christmas Cocoa DSP

Ink: Real Red, Soft Suede

Accessories: Certainly Celery Chunky Glitter, 2-way glue pen, dimensionals, eyelet border punch, Mistletoe ribbon, embosslits Merry, Sizzlits Merry Details, Petals-A-Plenty Impressions Folder, white gel pen, sanding block, white button.

Webster's Pages ... Vintage Snow!

Isn't this just about one of the most beautiful things you've ever seen? Really ... so soft, glittery, elegant and warm with it's color scheme of creme, white and chocolate brown. I'm in LOVE :) the camera doesn't really do this lovely creation justice -- it's much prettier in person!

I created this picture frame shadow box for a challenge over at Webster's Pages called 12 Days of Christmas Crop. What FUN!! Each day, one of their designer's posts a project related to the holidays. Then, if you're inspired by it enough to play along, you go and create a like project using the original post for your inspiration! I saw a couple of the shadow box projects and loved them so much that I was inspired to create one of my own!!! This will become a treasured keepsake in my home for many years to come!

Recipe:

Patterned Paper: Webster's Pages - Winter's Wings

Embellishments: frame; Prima flowers - Alabaster, Heirloom Leaves Willow, Heirloom Leaves Frost; Melissa Frances Vintage Attic Pearls & Pink Rinestones; Maya Road - Vintage Pearls Trinket Pins; Making Memories - Shimmer Flourish Chipboard; K & Company - Swell Noel Layered Accents and Chipbox; Little Yellow Bicycle - 25 Days of Christmas Chipboard Shapes; Stickles - Cinnamon; Tulip - Pearl Dimensional Pain; Martha Stewart - Mica Glitter; Tattered Angels - Gold Shimmer Mist; Stampin' Up! - Gold Elastic Cord, Glitter, dimensionals, glue dots, sticky strip; small wooden dowel; trim - Webster's Pages and miscellaneous from my stash.

Enjoy :)

Webster's Pages ... Vintage Snow!

Webster's Pages ... Vintage Snow!

Mosh Posh Giveaway - Week Two!!

Hop on over to the MOSH POSH BLOG for your chance to win some fabulous prizes, including the package pictured here! Post a comment and tell them I sent you for each of us to earn a chance to win :)

2009 All Day Holiday Stamp!

WOW ... today we had our 3rd annual All Day Holiday Stamping Day of Fun at the clubhouse in my neighborhood! This year's event had 13 in attendance. Everyone brought several food items to share with the group and we had enough food to feed an army. We feasted on some delicious goodies while spending 6 wonderful hours working on our holiday cards! It was HEAVEN :)

I managed to finish up my cards ... I completed 50 of the above designs. This year's card was very intricate with many steps including cutting patterned papers, die cutting/spray painting/adhesive and glitter to chipboard snowflakes, stamping, punching, adding bling like rinestones, stickles, buttons, ribbons and elastic cording. What was I thinking??? BUT, they did come out beautiful. I'm sure they'll cost a fortune to mail, but well worth it when the recipients receive their little holiday surprise packages in the mail from our family this year!!

I'm already looking forward to next year's annual event. We may have to do a Christmas in July event to get ready for the big Stamp Day in November!! Thanks to all in attendance ... we had a ball!!

2009 All Day Holiday Stamp!