2013 Recap

Happy New Year's Eve! For my last post of the year, I'd like to share some of my favorite projects from the past 12 months. I hope you've enjoyed seeing them, and possibly even scraplifting some of them, as much as I have enjoyed creating them. Here we go.....

Scrapbook layouts are my favorite. Here are a few of my faves from 2013.

   

Mini-books, I have a whole bin full of them!!!! LOVE making these.

 

3D and home dec ... yep, love making these too!!! Using dollar store items is one of my favorite ways to create new things. These started out as floral bowls, candle sticks and a very shiny silver serving tray.

This snowman started as a wood block from my husband's workshop. The hat and scarf are made to dress up a wine bottle for a hostess gift. Rudolph was made with oval punches, and the valentine banner I just love.

And last, but not least, cards. 

 oh yes, and a shaker!

Thank you for a wonderful year of bloggy love. You guys are the best and your comments mean so much. God bless you in the coming year. ♥

Merry Day After

Good morning, bloggy friends, and merry day-after Christmas. I hope you all had a wonderful day with family and/or friends. I had fully intended to continue my Christmas crafting, but we had a little bump in the road that took me away from my blog for a bit.

Saturday my mother-in-law passed away. She had been going downhill, gaining momentum, in the days prior and finally the Altzheimer's and Parkinsons took her. She went peacefully and comfortably with the chaplain singing her favorite hymns and family close by. Hubs got a flight out on Monday and has been with his brother and sister helping with final arrangements etc. The funeral/services will be Friday. Needless to say, Christmas here was very quiet.

So, if you don't mind, a prayer for my husband would be very much appreciated. He was his mom's 'favorite' and they were always rather close regardless of the miles between them. Thank you so much. ♥

Farewell Hop

Let me just say, and I'll try not to get too long winded and mushy and stuff, that my time on the My Creative Time Design Team has been so rewarding in so many ways. Wonderful products to work with, an awesome boss, and so many great friendships have all been just a few of the blessings I have enjoyed as a result. This team has been amazing and the talent so incredible, I have been so lucky to be a part of it. I will miss the closeness!!! If my lucky star still shines above my craft room, I will be back again with more fabulous projects using Miss Emma's fabulous products in the coming year. ♥

Welcome to our Farewell Blog Hop, to HONOR and send off our current design team in a fun way. Since all of us have become friends, we are doing our LAST blog hop together making it a Friendship theme. I hope all of YOU thoroughly enjoyed this team as much as we did! Since this is a special day, there will be a giveaway at EACH STOP! That means a total of 19 giveaways! All you have to do is leave your comments, along with your email address so we can contact you, in order to qualify. Emma will announce all the winners on Monday, December 23, on her blog. This is the set you can win by commenting on my blog today:

ALSO

SALE ALERT beginning Friday, December 20 and ending at midnight PST Sunday, December 22,  

use code: FAREWELL2013 and get 25% off all IN STOCK ITEMS ONLY!

Ok, now for the bittersweet stuff. My friendship themed farewell project. I used the Love Collage background stamp that is the giveaway on my blog today on my card, and for the candy tube label. 

For these adorable candy labels, I used the circle die from the Build a Banner Die Kit and stamps from Lots of Love, 100% Sweetness, and Happy Mail stamp sets. Aren't the adorbs!

I recycled this washi tape container that was originally filled with My Mind's Eye decorative tapes. I cut the hanging loopy thing off the top using a wire cutter, and removed the label. For my label I layered the large and medium bow dies, Love Collage stamp and added layering stitched hearts. Cute!

Here I used the mini frame, new Square Stitched Goody Dies, and image from the We Are Family set. The mini tags are from the Chunky Jar Accessories dies and stamped using Love Collage and Small Talk. Flags are from the Vintage Label and banner dies and Chocolate Greetings die.

Here's the hop line up if you get lost along the way. :)

Emma~ http://www.creativetimeforme.com/ 

Amy ~ http://www.scrappingmommy.com/

Cassandra ~ http://www.ctimz3.blogspot.com/

Cathryn ~ http://inthepinkcathryn.blogspot.com/

Cheryl ~ http://dragonflydesigns58.blogspot.com/

Cindy B. ~ http://www.cindybcreations.blogspot.com/

Courtney ~ http://courtscrafts.blogspot.com/

Glora ~ http://glorascrafts.blogspot.com/

Katie ~ http://www.craftingwithkatie.com/

Kim ~ http://www.scrapinmomofoneinspiringlittleboy.blogspot.com/

Leanne ~ http://createdbyleanne.blogspot.com/

Liz ~ http://www.lizspaperloft.com/

Nancy ~ http://scrappingoutofcontrol.blogspot.com/

Nikki ~ http://scrappinnavywife.blogspot.com/

Rosy ~ http://sweetdelightspapernmore.blogspot.com/

Ruthie ~ http://septemberninth.blogspot.com/

Shar ~ http://scrapendipity.blogspot.com/

Tracy ~ http://tracyscricutcorner.blogspot.com/

Veronica ~ http://www.vkcreate.blogspot.com/

Candy card

I know it seems awfully late in the month to be thinking about cards, but this one is a little different; not an ordinary card that you would mail. This one is a candy card. I like to have a few of these types of things already done in case of unexpected drop ins etc. And who doesn't like candy, right?

It's a whole lot simpler than it looks too. Maybe one of the quickest cards I have ever made, in fact. Just a few stamps, a few dies, a little foam tape, and done.

The Tim Holtz stamp and die set in this vintage Christmas theme is so awesome. I love vintage, I love Tim Holtz products, and I super love vintage Christmas! This Basic Grey paper from the Dasher Christmas line from a few years ago seemed the perfect fit with it's retro dots.

So to match back to the colors in the paper, I used Distress ink colors Fired Brick and Peeled Paint on the ornaments and holly sprigs. The best part....these are dies!!!! No fussy cutting! I {heart} dies...as if you didn't know. ;)

The Santa is so perfect. He reminds me of all the images I see from the 50s. LOVE. And the sentiment as well is from that same set. And again, DIES! The candy wrap and card window are also dies. These you can find at My Creative Time. Super quick card that I really love.

and oh yeah.....jolly Santa even WOBBLES!!! Go Santa, go santa. LOL!

Well peeps, unless I get all my baking done in record time, this may be the last project before Christmas, though I do still have a few ideas that I'm hoping I'll have time to share. Regardless, I hope you have enjoyed all my crafty fun and will try some of these quick and easy, last minute projects yourself. Thank you so much for coming by each day to see what I've been up to in the Studio. ♥

Snowman wood block

Finally! I got out the wood chunks, paints and mod podge. :) Time to make a wooden snowman. Start with a simple chunk of wood; this is a piece of 2x4 from the hubs leftovers bin; and sand or file the rough edges away and smooth it out a bit. You don't want any splinters or rough edges. Then paint the whole thing white. I used folk art wicker white acrylic paint applied with a foam brush.

Once the paint is dry, you can add another coat if you like, or you can sand the edges a bit to weather your snowman a little. This is when you add the face. You can hand draw it or, as I did, use a stamp image. I used this 4 inch snowman face by Peachy Keen Stamps. After you finish the face, apply a coat or two (I only used one) of Mod Podge. I like the matte finish, but you can use the glossy as well. I found this super cute bottle cozee set and knew right away how I wanted to use it. And not on a bottle of wine or cider either!

Ta-da! I think he turned out positively adorable. And so easy to do!!!! I hope you'll give this a try and make your own darling snowman wood block decoration. I'm think next year perhaps I'll go super huge and make one for the front porch....yeah?!

All cozy. :)

Altered jar candles

Good morning! The days are ticking away until the man in the red suit appears with his eight tiny reindeer. In case you need a quick idea for a small token gift, these scented candles are perfect for dressing up. These are cranberry pear -- oh my, do they ever smell scrumptious!!!! I used washi to decorate the jars (after removing the easy peel tag).

Then I tied twine around the neck adding a cute tag and these snowflake charms at the ends of the twine.

Tags and sentiments by My Creative Time. Snowflakes in the seasonal aisle at Walmart.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope these ideas are helpful and you're finding something that works for you!

Goody bag stocking stuffer/party favor

This little treat bag could not be easier. Perfect for classmates, Sunday school class, or after Christmas program party. The goodies inside were so much fun for ME, I couldn't pass them up! LOL I found the most adorable little party packs of favors and grabbed some to toss into the kidlets' Christmas boxes. Each one contains a mini yo-yo, little coin purse, sliding puzzle game, Hershey nugget and candy cane.

I matched the topper to the candy wrapper inside using My Creative Times large label die and Slider Treat Box candy wrap. Add a sprig of holly and pretty bling for berries, or as I did, stickles. These make great stocking stuffers too!

Have fun crafting. I'm off to FINALLY get my Christmas cards in the mail. Alas, they are not handmade, but even though they are store-bought, they will be hand embellished. I couldn't possibly send out cards that don't have a little bit of my signature on them, you know. ;) Happy hump day Christmas peeps!

Candy bar wrap

This is a fun idea I saw once as a popcorn wrap. I used it instead for this "snowman" candy bar -- it's WHITE chocolate! I used simple white paper to wrap the candy, then stamped the adorable face. This one is a 4-inch Peachy Keen stamp.

I tucked one glove inside the other, wrapped it around the snowman's "head" and tied with ribbon. You can add bells like I did, or holly, a pine cone, mini ornament or nothing at all if you prefer! I used the My Creative Time small cloud die and the sentiments from Just Tags for my tag. Super quick and easy.

Happy crafting!! ♥

Wobbly reindeer candy tins

We share a wall of our driveway with our north side neighbors. I don't know them really, but we have mutual friends and the guy is friends with the hubs. They have two adorable kids, a girl who must be 4 and the little guy who is barely 2, I believe. If they are playing outside when the hubs gets home, they rush to wave and say hi and chat with him. So cute! Hubs asked me to make them a little something for him to give them for Christmas. It's like having two more grands. LOL :)

This is what I made. Another idea for the punch art reindeer (link to tutorial post). This guy has become my favorite Christmas character this year...

... add the wobble and they are extra fun. I'm sure the kidlets will be happy with them!

Ta-da!! They are actually little tins which I filled with M&Ms. Yum!

Quicky stocking stuffer/ornament

Or you could hang them on the tree, on a doorknob, mailbox, car antenna.... Quick, easy way to dress up a box of tic-tacs. I used My Creative Time medium bow die and adhered each end to the front and back of the tic-tac label, leaving the center open. I tied tulle for my hanger, but you could use ribbon, twine, jute or whatever you like.

The label is the small cloud die cut from white for snow, and stamp your sentiment. You can use what you like; I made my own using a combination of stamps from the All Around Goodies set (reindeer poop; and snowman soup stamps). The teeny holly is from the stamp set, From Our Family to Yours.

Add "to and from" on the back if you wish. I used the Just Tags sentiments for these.

Go forth and alter tic-tacs! LOL Great little treat to toss in your purse, backpack, glove box, or pocket. Who doesn't like that??