Trimming the Tree

 

Good day, my bloggy friends!  It's T-9 and counting, down, that is.  For those of you that celebrate Christmas is your tree up?  Tomorrow's the day for my family...my DH and I will get the decorations down from the attic and set about creating a wonderland before our sons arrive back home.  What a surprise that will greet them when they swing

open the door! 

I have to admit I was inspired by the lovely Martha Stewart

inspiration room that is challenge this week over on PaperCraft Star Challenge 25.  This Oxford Impressions image is perfect for the tree, don't you think?  I stamped it on a very pale blue with VersaFine Olympic Green and then fussy cut.  The room was roughly created with 'moulding' and flooring (cut from a piece of wood wallpaper).  The window, Stamp Francisco, inked on velum with Adirondack Snow Cap and embossed with clear ep.  The gifts under the tree are from the long retired Basic Grey Figgy Pudding sheet that was all presents. The Ways to Use it Challenge on SCS today was to used Glitter.   I added Stickles in three shades to the ornaments on the tree and a brass charm for the star at the very top.  The Merry Christmas is inked with ChalkBox Warm Red. And a bit of twill in robins' egg blue.  


Thanks so much for the gift of your comments...if you would leave a comment, let me know what is on YOUR wish list this season. I'll tell you my #1 wish is to live a less harried life!

Listen...stories are gifts

I am sounding the sentiment again, from this years Starbucks 'sleeve'.  Isn't it a fabulous thought?
At no cost but your time to share and listen.  I can't think of a better gift for these times.

This card fits the requirements for several challenges.  Over on the Moxie Fab World

it is all about the All Occasion Card.   Stories are good anytime 
of the year, don't you think?  And one size fits all.  Right now, memories of Christmas past or listening to a beloved elder an how New Years was celebrated.   My youngest son will have stories  to tell after Winter Camp in January.  Entries until Dec 13th.


PaperCraft Star Blog Challenge 24 Green Holidays call was to create a card with a recycled or repurposed item.   The Starbucks sleeve (not my first nor last gingerbread latte of the season, I tell you!!!) was upcycled to an mug of cheer.  I used a scalloped
circle left over from another project to make the handle.  Open    
                                                      until  December 11th.

City Crafter Challenge Blog Week 34~Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

was to use snowflakes.  My Brenda Walton Holiday Paper had mod flakes scattered around the stripes and I used the Cuttlebug Embossing Folder Snowflake to emboss the upper left edge of my paper. The circles inside the cup are the snowflakes from the Starbucks sleeve.  Closes Dec 13th.


Thanks for stopping by this December day.  And thank you for the gift of your comments.  It's those lil' bits of stories that make me smile.

Be blessed this day and always.

Make a Wish...

You gotta love sensitive sons.  You know young men that will make great husbands one day...like my son who has 'learned' from his Dad.  My 15 year old asked last night if I would make a birthday card for one of his friends at school.  I asked, 'well, when is her birthday?"  And of course it was yesterday!  But he says, "that's okay, Mom. Today will be fine."   Needless to say, I was in high gear, as I am not a speedy artist...as I mentioned in my Stories are Gifts post, I need time for something to percolate.

So Make a Wish  is for a 17 year old girl, I haven't had the pleasure of meeting~~~yet.  I love slider cards and thought it would be fun to use that format.  My son requested blue and gold colors.  I headed right to Basic Grey's Cupcake papers, using 5 different ones.  The stamps are quite the variety. From the balloons (See D's) to Purple Onion's Postage Set and party hat, MaVinci's  Playful Heart Alpha, to Stampin Up Birthday sentiment and Making Memories Magnetic tiny words.  Tim Holtz '17' sticker and a very old K&co charm.  The trim is vintage ric rak and pompoms.

The challenge over at PaperCraft Star this week is to create a holiday gift tag using a recipe the team posted.  With the Surprise Slider Card,  the tag appears as you pull from the top, revealing your message.  We'll tuck a gift card to the 'round the corner' coffee stand all the kids love to frequent.
                                                      
So, thanks for stopping by my corner of the world today.  I would love to hear what you think...
         

Ornaments of home

Happy Day all, we are slipping into the weekend and that certainly is a good thing. I can't believe how fast this week has gone! Tomorrow is a whole family yard work day, so I thought I better get my card posted for PaperCraft Star's Challenge #21 before I am off to work. This is a newer blog that does things just a bit differently. The readers determine the winner of the challenges with each one getting two votes. This will be my first time playing in the challenge, which speaking of 'good things' was a Martha Stewart photo inspiration. Some of my readers know I just love to recreate rooms on cards. And so it goes with this one!

I love the ethereal colors used in the retreat room. I can almost smell the ocean air and feel the sand around my feet. The colors are just what one would expect to see while you were strolling down the beach. I used Stamp Francisco's table image, stamping it onto a putty colored linen textured paper and embossing with SeaFoam White ep. It was cut and popped on dimensionals. My floorboards were created with the Tim Holtz ledger folder that I embossed in both directions to get the squares of the original. For the amazing day bed, I punched a strip from the Fiskars Eyelet lace punch and then used a Martha tag punch to make the pillows (paper is Mistletoe and Pear paper group Basic Grey snowflake pattern)...in creating those pillows with the tag, I just punched the rounded bit, not the whole tag...if that makes sense. The very cool cabinets under the bookshelves are small rectangles from Spellbinders that I dry embossed to look like raised panels. I cut 4 'door's. I used two vintage buttons for the door pulls. The 'walls' are papers from Memory Box 'Dewdrop' collection. The right side is tiny snowflakes and the left, a sponged pattern. I added the 'window' to minic the light you can see in the original. In place of the shelves which has those wonderful shells, I chose to use a Rubber Soul quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson "The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it." And those ornaments in the bowl on the table are cut from the overview sheet of the Basic Grey Mistletoe and Pear cover (never know when something might be useful!). I cased the 'shelves' in with white cs, used the Cuttlebug Textile embossing folder under the quote and a tiny bit of white lace at the top of my card.

I would love to hear what you think about "MY" room. And have a marvelous Autumn weekend.

Blessings,

Susan