My Favorite Things, Sketch #313

Happy New Year and welcome to my first post of 2017.🎉 I wish you a healthy and crafty year ahead!

For my card today I used the adorable Sweet Succulents stamp set. I love these prickly cactus images.(See full product list below.) I know it looks unfinished, because it is. 😕 The flag below the pots is supposed to hold my sentiment, but I don't have a stamping block at the moment so therefore, no sentiment. I had the plants and pots already stamped and cut so I would only need to color them, but forgot to grab an acrylic block when I packed my craft bags. *facepalm*

*Update: Here's the finished card with the sentiment added.

Little closer view.

Side view - added dimension with foam tape.

MFT Card Challenges

Product List:
My Favorite Things, Sweet Succulents stamps and coordinating dies
My Favorite Things, Fishtail Flag STAX die-namics
My Favorite Things, Blueprints #1 die-namics
My Mind's Eye, 6x6 paper pad, Just Sayin
Copic markers, foam tape, enamel dots
*Update:
Sentiment: My Favorite Things, So Much Love stamp set

My Favorite Things, Color Challenge #60

Today's card features the new Cooler With You stamps and die-namics by My Favorite Things. I love the simple color palette of this challenge. My bear's scarf is more coral-ish in real life than in the pics and closer to the peach in the challenge colors. Anyway.... here's my card.

I didn't bring the glacier dies with me so I cut these by hand. Also, the glaciers and fishing hole both have sparkle pen on them. Sorry I wasn't able to get a better pic, but it does look pretty cool irl. ;)

My Favorite Things
Card Challenges

Products list:
My Favorite Things, Cooler With You stamps
My Favorite Things, Cooler With You, die-namics
My Favorite Things, Blueprints #1 die-namics
My Favorite Things, Basic Stitch Lines die-namics
Copic markers, foam tape, enamel dots, sparkle pen

Merry Christmas Everyone

It's time for my annual thankful post. I love this story and hope every year that someone new gets to read it. Thank you to those who still request that I post it. Merry Christmas and happy holidays, my wonderful friends.

Every year I share the following letter that I sent to the local newspaper in 1997. It's my favorite Christmas memory; a memory that means so much to me and reminds me every year to be grateful and count my many blessings. (I don't live in the same area now and I'm a "little" older too. LOL) I will never forget that Christmas. It was truly the best Christmas ever. Please enjoy.

"The Key Peninsula/Gig Harbor area has been home to me and my family for 34 of my 43 years. During those years, I have donated clothing, household items, and food to local food banks as much as I can throughout the year, never expecting, of course, that I would one day be in need myself.

Several years ago, my daughters and I fell on hard times and the holidays seemed bleak. By Thanksgiving, I still had not found employment. The girls had just entered high school, and though they had never asked much for Christmas even in good times, I felt despair in knowing I would not be able to give them much of anything that year. We did our best while I continued looking for work, but finally had to seek help from a local food bank to make ends meet. A short while later, we received a call from the food bank telling us a local family wished to “adopt” us for Christmas. About that same time, my job search finally paid off and my first day of work was to be December 20. That day, we woke to several inches of snow on the ground and no power. I had no way to get to my new job and no number to call them. We were not the only ones snowed in, however. The food bank was unable to deliver Christmas to many adopted families. Though the families and the adoptees generally remain anonymous to each other, our “family” decided that if it meant the difference between our having or not having a Christmas, they would make the delivery personally. Not only did our family bring gifts in abundance, they also delivered a van full of groceries, including laundry and cleaning supplies, and everything imaginable for Christmas dinner. As if that wasn’t enough, this wonderful man drove me to my new job and later called to find out what time I finished so he could drive me back home!

This true story of the spirit of Christmas always brings tears to my eyes. We never heard from our adoptive family again. We understand they left the area some time ago, but their gift of love and generosity will never be forgotten. That Christmas, which looked so dismal, remains one of our most cherished and treasured holiday memories.

***
Merry Christmas. May you be as blessed as I am!
Isaiah 58:7a ...Share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless into your house."

My Favorite Things Sketch 312

Merry Christmas Eve, crafty friends. I hope you are well and warm and with people you love!

Well, we made it to San Diego and we are happy to be here for the winter. It is much warmer than our snowy high desert country, needless to say, but it has been raining a LOT since we got here. I keep reminding hubsy it IS winter, after all. Still, it's very nice and we are enjoying it a lot. Not to mention, having a blast with my sister!

There isn't a lot of room in the condo for all my craft stuff, so I brought only a couple of bags with crafty goodies so I can still play. I don't know what I'd do without crafty time (well, other than probably be a tense, stressed mess Haha!!) So, I put together a little crafty area in our winter digs so I can get back to paper crafting a little bit. Seems like no matter what you bring in your craft bag it is never enough, or the right things you want to work with, or something, right?!. Haha! Nonetheless, I did get a couple of cards made last night including this one for Sketch 312.

The snowman is on a mini wobble (should've got a pic of him wiggling).

My Favorite Things
Card Challenges, Sketch 312

Product List:
My Favorite Things, Cooler With You stamp set
My Favorite Things, Cooler With You coordinating dies set
My Favorite Things, Blueprints #1 Die-namics
Crate Paper, Snow and Cocoa 6x6 paper pad
Enamel dots, Copic markers, Mini Action Wobble, foam tape

Melonheadz Challenge: Time for Christmas

New challenge on the blog today....Christmas, of course! :) Please join us on the Melonheadz Friends blog for this challenge and win a digi set of your choice. I used the Christmas Bobbleheadz set for the cute little peeking elf, and for the list, Christmas Stuff digi set. Check them out in the store here.

The sentiment on the "list" is by My Favorite Things from the Merry Everything stamp set. And look at the elf in a box...he wobbles!

Come and play with us. Hope to see your project in the gallery!

Product list:
Melonheadz Christmas Stuff
Melonheadz Christmas Bobbleheads
My Favorite Things, Merry Everything
My Favorite Things, Action Wobble spring
Pattern papers by Basic Grey